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The Run of The Mill
Co-op Live has finally launched. Now, it has to win back the public's trust
Co-op Live is finally live! Bury rock band Elbow performed at Manchester's new £365 million arena to a crowd of thousands on Tuesday night, after a series of disastrous mishaps where gigs were postponed or cancelled and an air conditioning vent fell from the ceiling. What was behind the delays in the first place, and what does Co-op Live have to do to win back the public's trust?
With thanks to Manchester Museum for sponsoring this week's episode. Manchester wants to become a 'greener' city that embraces nature, but how can that be achieved given the scale of new development? That’s one of the many questions explored by a fascinating new exhibition called Wild, which opens at Manchester Museum on 5 June. Wild will explore how people are creating and repairing connections with nature, from post-industrial urban landscapes like Manchester to Aboriginal-led cultural revegetation projects in Western Australia and the reintroduction of wolves in Yellowstone National Park in the US.
We’d love you to take part. Just email us a photo and a short description of your favourite “wild” space in the local area, whether it’s the site of an abandoned mill or a lovely spot in your local park. Our favourite ones will be published in future newsletters and you will get a free curator’s tour of the exhibition. Read more about Wild here.
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The inside storey of the CIS tower
17:55|Hello and welcome back to Run of The Mill! This week, Jack is joined by new staff writer Alec Herron to discuss his latest piece about the history of the iconic CIS Tower, Manchester's first skyscraper. For the story Alec spoke to the former staff members of Co-operative Insurance, which inhabited the building for decades. They described a kind of vertical village, with a free canteen in the basement, a disco room, bowling alleys, saunas, a plush executive lounge, high-end restaurant and observation deck. Kind of utopian, also kind of Severance. Enjoy!If you'd like to sponsor Run of The Mill, email grace@millmediaco.uk.
£32 for two chicken burgers at Labour Conference, welcome to Burnham's Britain
30:43|Welcome back to Run of the Mill! In this week's episode, Jack is joined by our newest staffer Ethan Penny, who has spend the week at Labour Conference in Liverpool watching Andy Burnham's enchanting hold over the national Labour Party in action.
Corn! Cigs! Bikes! What can't you find on the streets of Manchester nowadays?
22:49|Welcome back to Run of The Mill! This week Jack and Ophira cover the holy trinity of the Manchester streetscape: cig butts, hire bikes and corn sellers. Plus: we call on you, the listeners, to send in your top alternate routes for when you're trying to avoid whatever bits Manchester City Centre you like least. If you'd like to sponsor an episode of Run of The Mill, email grace@millmediaco.uk
How much are Mancunians making?
20:59|Jack and Ophira have been walking around Manchester asking people how much they earn. In today's episode, they talk money, the conclusion of the Mill impostor saga, seeing Gary Neville in the flesh, and applying for a job as Burnham's new No.10 North media adviser.
The Mill v food court jester - LIVE?!
19:49|Welcome back to the Run of The Mill! All sorts has been going on: a Mill-imposter has been trying to make Reddit think we're investigating people we aren't; we noticed Peppa Pig put the Factory Records logo on a medal and demand to know why, we look at how Greater Manchester's most scandalous council got control of the UK's biggest public pension fund and ask if Manchester's padel boom is on the verge of going bust. Ophira and Jack are on the mics, and if you want to read their and the rest of the team's work, go to: manchestermill.co.uk.If you'd like to sponsor an episode of Run of The Mill, email grace@millmediaco.uk.
The absurd truth behind Educate and Empower
22:37|In this week's episode of Run of The Mill, Ophira Gottlieb and Jack Dulhanty talk through our latest story on Educate and Empower, a self-proclaimed charity. Its employees dot the city asking for £5 donations from the public, but in its offices - wreathed in cigar smoke - the company's owner Phillip Hanks doesn't see it that way. He calls them sales. And, despite making tens of thousands from those believing they're donating to a good cause, Educate and Empower has only made paltry donations to a few sports clubs. So what's really going on?
You live in a sleepy village, then a "face melting" festival arrives
15:11|In our latest episode of our newly rebranded podcast, the Run of The Mill (ignore our outdated Spotify name, we're working on it), Ophira and Lucy talk about the latter's latest story about Moovin' Festival, which has landed in the sleepy village of Compstall on the eastern edge of Stockport. It's 500 residents aren't happy. They aren't happy with it's face-melting rock, or Craic by The Creek Irish festival, or the country festival either. What they're least happy about is the attendees, who have turned their semi-rural paradise into a party-haven. Can Compstall overcome this community tension? Listen to find out. If you'd like to sponsor one of our podcasts, email grace@millmediaco.uk.
The Mill Mayoral election hustings roundup
21:08|In the latest episode of the Manchester Briefing from The Mill, Jack and Lucy discuss our recent mayoral hustings, breaking down each of the candidates' campaign promises and opening the floor to Reform's Sian Astley - who unfortunately dropped out of the event at the last minute. If you'd like to read more about the hustings, and the rest of our by election coverage, go to manchestermill.co.uk. And, if you'd like to sponsor a future episode of the Manchester Briefing, email grace@millmediaco.uk.
We take a tour of Burnham's new digs
21:40|In today's episode, staff writers Ophira Gottlieb and Jack Dulhanty recount a recent walking tour of all the places Andy Burnham could set up No.10 North. Jack has been speaking to the people who know Manchester's buildings best - the leaders of its development industry - to get a sense of what buildings would be most suitable to host a Prime Ministerial office. Which of Manchester's building's could withstand a bomb, a tank attack, or a cavalry charge? This is the place to find out. If you'd like to get in touch with any tips for stories, email editor@manchestermill.co.uk.To sponsor an episode of our podcast, or one of our newsletters, email grace@millmediaco.uk.