On Friday 1 October a new exhibition “Green in the City” will open at the Whitworth Art Gallery, Oxford Road, Manchester, M15 6ER. The interactive exhibition explores the challenges that climate change will bring to cities and towns, and how the organisations involved in Corridor Manchester are working together to find solutions for Manchester. It also encourages local residents to take up the challenge in their own homes, gardens and streets.
Councillor Nigel Murphy, Executive Member for the Environment, Manchester City Council said: “Climate change is a reality everyone in Manchester needs to face, and is a key priority for the City. Only through working together with scientists, research companies, businesses and residents will we be able to ensure we are prepared for the future. The Green in the City exhibition helps explain how and why we are all working together and importantly will help our residents get involved and do their bit too.”
Visitors to the exhibition will learn how climate change may impact on Manchester – short periods of extreme heat in the summer, winters becoming much wetter and a greater frequency of storms – all of which can lead to a poorer quality of life and health for residents. There is also an economic cost to the City of £21 billion by 2020, as identified in the Manchester: A Certain Future published last year, if steps aren’t taken now to address the problem.
The exhibition highlights the work already happening on the Corridor (the Oxford Road area of Manchester) which aims to make the area an open laboratory for scientists from Manchester’s universities to work together with research companies to develop, test, experiment and measure the impact of initiatives to tackle reality of climate change.
Professor John Brooks, chair, Corridor Manchester said: “The two universities and hospital trust have long and successful histories of stimulating new ideas and changing ways of thinking. The Corridor enables these institutions to face the problems of climate change together, and this exhibition shows how our joint efforts are starting to mobilise the public and make a real difference.”
There are a number of scientific studies underway on the Corridor, supported by all the partners, including i-trees – a series of nine plots gathering quantitative data to compare the impact of trees and green space with asphalt on temperature and rain water runoff – a cause of flash flooding, and several retro-fitted green roofs that are testing the effects of different types of natural covering on a variety of issues such as the amount of heat escaping from buildings and attracting wild life into the City. These are all highlighted at the exhibition.
It is not just scientists, businesses and large institutions that can help. Manchester residents can also do their bit and the exhibition offers some simple and cheap ideas. The exhibition provides residents with information on how they can get involved in a range of projects from planting trees on their street to helping make their local park a better place for people and wildlife.
Visitors will also be able to ‘green’ Manchester’s streets using interactive software and see the creation of the Whitworth Art Gallery’s Green Roof through a two minute super speed film of the five-day installation.
Organised by Corridor Manchester in conjunction with Red Rose Forest and Manchester City Council, the exhibition will stay at the Whitworth Art Gallery until 10 October. It will then visit the following locations:
18 – 22 October: Geoffrey Manton Building, All Saints, Manchester Metropolitan University
23 – 29 October: Manchester Museum, Oxford Road, as part of the Manchester Science Festival
15 – 20 November: Royal Northern College of Music
1st – 4th December: MERCi (Manchester Environmental Resource Centre initiative)
The exhibition has been commissioned by Corridor Manchester, Manchester City Council and Red Rose Forest. It is funded by Manchester City Council’s Carbon Innovation Fund and the European Union’s INTERREG IVb Fund. It is designed by Eskimo Creative.
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Notes for Editors
Corridor Manchester
Corridor Manchester is the first partnership of its kind in the UK. It brings together Manchester City Council, the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to build on the partners’ investments in the 243 hectare area running south from St Peter’s Square to Whitworth Park along Oxford Road, Manchester. The partnership is committed to generating further economic growth and investment in the knowledge economy for the benefit of the city region.
Corridor Manchester aims to increase the number of high value jobs, improve the public realm, retail offer and transport infrastructure; attract innovation and knowledge-based organisations to the area by providing excellent facilities and space; engage local residents and develop the strong cultural offering.
Red Rose Forest is a leading environmental regeneration initiative and the Community Forest for Greater Manchester. It is a partnership of Natural England, the Forestry Commission, the metropolitan boroughs of Bolton, Bury, Trafford and Wigan and the Cities of Manchester and Salford.
The Green City Team is the Environmental Strategy team for Manchester City Council. In 2009 the City Council’s Environmental Strategy team awarded 41 projects a total of £1 million from their Carbon Innovation Fund. These projects were wide in range but all showed innovative and inspiring ways to reduce carbon and engage communities and businesses across the city in creating a low carbon Manchester.
Green in the City is part of the INTERREG IVb VALUE initiative, a European Partnership project demonstrating the economic value of green infrastructure at the city region scale showing how best to target green investments to maximise competitive benefits to communities.
For Further Information Please Contact
Lisa Ashurst 07973 401123 or email lisa@ashurstcomms.co.uk
International property consultancy and construction firm Mace has appointed Ashurst Communications to help raise the company’s profile and activity across the Northwest.
Catherine Button, head of marketing and communications, Mace said: “Mace has a strong track record of working in Manchester and Northwest and we are looking to raise our profile. Ashurst Communications came very highly recommended to us, Lisa understands our business and I am looking forward to working with her.”
Mace’s Manchester team is based on Castle Street, Castlefield, and provides programme and project management, construction delivery, cost consultancy and facilities management services across all sectors of property from schools and hospitals to rail projects and residential schemes.
Lisa Ashurst started Ashurst Communications last year, her other clients include: Corridor Manchester, the partnership set up to drive economic growth in the Oxford Road area of the city and interior design company NoChintz. Lisa was previously head of communications at award winning property developer Urban Splash.
www.ashurstcomms.co.uk
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For Further Information Please Contact
Lisa Ashurst, Ashurst Communications on 07973 401123 or lisa@ashurstcomms.co.uk
Please note this event has now been postponed. More news soon!
The Big Top Fashion Show will take place from 7.30pm on Thursday 16 September at the newly refurbished Living Room, Deansgate, Manchester to raise funds for the Big Issue in the North Trust.
As well as the fashion show, featuring trends for the autumn/winter season, there will also be a solo acoustic performance by Manchester’s Jessie Rose of the Jessie Road Trip, a DJ set by XFMs Gareth Brooks. A host of circus performers will keep everyone entertained and there will be lots of prizes to be won.
Tickets for the Big Top Fashion Show are on sale now at www.justgiving.com/bigtopfashion for a minimum donation of £15.
Simon Kweeday, regional sales manager for The Big Issue in the North said: “The Big Top Fashion Show promises to be a fantastic evening with some brilliant performers and fashion. The show is part of the Big 12 which sees an event taking place each month to raise funds for The Big Issue in the North Trust.”
Sam Bruton from SAS Magic who will be performing on the night said: “We’re really looking forward to the Big Top Fashion Show, we’re very happy to support to The Big Issue in the North Trust, but don’t worry we’ll be sticking to the magic and not modelling!”
The Big Top Fashion Show is being organised by Maria Telfs, owner of Heaton Moor boutique Eternal Envy, and Jane Logan fundraising co-ordinator for The Big Issue in the North Trust. The Big Issue in the North Trust raises money to help vendors of the Big Issue in the North get the services they need to improve their lives. It also funds a range of activities such as English for speakers of other languages classes (ESOL), breakfast clubs and allotment projects.
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For Further Information Please Contact:
Lisa Ashurst, Ashurst Communications on 07973 401123 or lisa@ashurstcomms.co.uk
Notes to Editors
The Big Issue in the North Trust is a registered charity which supports vendors of The Big Issue in the North to get the services they need to improve their lives. Every vendor signs up to a code of conduct when they start to sell The Big Issue in the North which governs the way vendors sell the magazine
Vendors buy the magazine for £1 and sell it to the public for £2 keeping the £1 profit they make. Vendors must only sell on authorised pitches. All vendors wear an ID badge. Please only buy the magazine from badged vendors.
The Big Issue in the North is part of the Big Life group of social businesses and charities. www.thebiglifegroup.com
Former Royal Eye Hospital
Corridor Manchester partnership appoints Bruntwood and Manchester Science Parks to develop the former Manchester Royal Eye Hospital
Corridor Manchester has today announced the appointment of a consortium of Bruntwood and Manchester Science Parks (msp) as the preferred developer and operator for the £21 million scheme to create a new 10,000 sq m centre for the bio-medical research sector in the former Manchester Royal Eye Hospital on Oxford Road.
The new development is located on the campus of Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Europe’s largest clinical academic campus. It will provide a unique opportunity to create a centre of international significance for the bio-medical sector with state of the art laboratories and other specialist space.
Jackie Potter, chief executive, Corridor Manchester said: “This is an exciting signature project for the Corridor partnership. As well as delivering much needed space for growing companies in the biomedical sector, the building will be a key hub for healthcare related research, education and R&D activity, stimulating the future growth and success of businesses in and around the Corridor. There was strong interest from a number of developers for this project and I welcome the appointment of Bruntwood and msp after a challenging competition.”
The scheme will see the building refurbished and extended to provide laboratory and business space, with a new glazed atrium providing networking space. There is already strong interest in pre-lets of the development, which will be completed in summer 2012.
It is expected the development will create 440 new jobs and will add £60 million per annum to Manchester’s income (GVA).
Mike Deegan, chief executive, the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: “Manchester has incredible expertise and strength within the health sector and the redevelopment of the former Royal Eye Hospital will further add to the market offer of the city region. The inclusion of a ‘hub’ to facilitate networking and innovation will be an exciting dimension of the project”.
Bruntwood and Manchester Science Parks are working towards a full planning application submission in the autumn, they aim to start on site with enabling working this winter with a main start on site in the spring, and completion is expected in summer 2012.
Chris Oglesby, chief executive, Bruntwood said: “The development of the former Royal Eye Hospital is a great project for Bruntwood. We’re looking forward to working with msp and using our development expertise to help the city fulfil its potential.”
The appointment of Bruntwood and Manchester Science Parks is made following a seven month OJEU competitive dialogue managed by Corridor Manchester. The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NDWA) provided funding to support the development of the proposals and the process to select a private sector partner.
The Royal Eye Hospital site is owned by the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which is one of the partners of Corridor Manchester, the organisation set up to drive economic growth and regeneration on the Corridor – the Oxford Road area of the City.
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For further information contact:
Lesley Lomax, Head of Marketing, Corridor Manchester, lesley.lomax@marketingmanchester.com, 07985 275 416
Colin Sinclair, Director of Special Projects, Bruntwood, colin.sinclair@bruntwood.co.uk, 07725 372 232
Kelly Jones, Commercial Property Executive, Manchester Science Parks, kelly.jones@mspl.co.uk, 0161 226 1000
Kate Henry, Communications & PR Manager, Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Kate.Henry@cmft.nhs.uk, 0161 276 3281
Notes for Editors
Corridor Manchester
Corridor Manchester is the first partnership of its kind in the UK. It brings together Manchester City Council, the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to build on the partners’ investments in the 243 hectare area running south from St Peter’s Square to Whitworth Park along Oxford Road, Manchester. The partnership is committed to generating further economic growth and investment in the knowledge economy for the benefit of the city region.
Corridor Manchester aims to increase the number of high value jobs, improve the public realm, retail offer and transport infrastructure; attract innovation and knowledge-based organisations to the area by providing excellent facilities and space; engage local residents and develop the strong cultural offering.
Bio-medical background in the Northwest
England’s North West is one of the UK’s top three biomedical clusters, which includes the biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and healthcare industries. This is founded on a major global pharmaceutical presence – including AstraZeneca’s largest global R&D facility located in Cheshire – a rapidly expanding biotechnology sector, a diverse range of specialist R&D and clinical research facilities, and a strong specialism in translational medicine. The universities of Liverpool and Manchester strength in clinical research give the region world leading assets in biomedical science.
England’s North West has been recognised as a member of the ‘European Super League’ of biotech clusters by Strategem and placed in the top 50 in the world by Boston Consulting. The North West is the UK’s largest producer of pharmaceuticals, with annual exports of around £4.4billion and a positive balance of trade of £2.8billion – the country’s highest.
Bruntwood
Bruntwood is a privately owned property company, established over 30 years ago. They own and manage over 90 office buildings across Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and Birmingham.
Bruntwood specialise in providing bespoke office space from one desk for a month through to whole buildings for 25 years.
Over the past 5 years, Bruntwood have been responsible for delivering over 1.5 million sq ft of commercial accommodation. These schemes have encompassed the full spectrum of development and have focused on the refurbishment and redevelopment of existing buildings. The common factor has been the company’s ability to find modern, innovative solutions to the issues faced and the commitment to deliver a quality product.
Bruntwood believes in sustainable cities that provide vibrant places for people to work and live. Each year invest in the life of the cities they do business in by donating 10% of profits to arts, charitable, civic and environmental causes.
Manchester Science Parks
Manchester Science Park, founded in 1984, is a profitable property investment company that delivers economic outputs by investing its profit in services that promote growth through innovation amongst the knowledge based tenant companies. msp has become recognised as a key contributor to the economic activity of Manchester and an essential player in its future prosperity and its successful business model of a private company with academic, local government and commercial shareholders is admired internationally as one of the few financially sustainable alternatives to public subsidy that delivers economic objectives. msp currently manages 17,000 sq m on its Corridor site and manages under contract a further 19,000 sq m on four sites in Manchester and Salford.
Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is a leading provider of specialist healthcare services in Manchester, treating more than a million patients every year. Its five specialist hospitals (Manchester Royal Infirmary, Saint Mary’s Hospital, Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and the University Dental Hospital of Manchester) are home to hundreds of world class clinicians and academic staff committed to finding patients the best care and treatments.