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Saint's alive this weekend
by Angela Kelly21/ 4/2007
TAKE a step back in time and celebrate England's patron saint
when events linked to St George's Day hit Manchester this weekend -
including a parade through the city streets on Sunday.
The annual procession was established four years ago and has grown
from six groups and 100 people taking part to 42 groups and 600
people involved this year.
Decorated floats, musicians and walkers of all ages will wind their
way from Miles Platting with knights and damsels, rose queens and
traditional modern characters representing the diverse culture of
the country.
The parade - led by the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Cllr David
Sandiford - leaves Nicholas Varley School at noon and will make its
way to Piccadilly Gardens, arriving around 12.30pm.
It's very much a weekend of St George's Day celebrations, with a
programme of entertainment tomorrow (Saturday) starting from 1pm,
which includes a Junior Town Crier competition.
The Sealed Knot civil war re-enactment group will add to the
action, along with the Clan of the Dragon Viking re-enactment
group.
And to celebrate this special date, there is also an English market
with traditional food and crafts, with more than 40 stalls in
Piccadilly Gardens today (Friday)and tomorrow.
There's further St George's fun at Cheadle Heath Pavilion tomorrow,
with entertainment, South American-style music, a karate display
and art for the kids.
These run from noon onwards at the pavilion in the grounds of Gorse
Bank Park. For more information, ring 0161 476 2819 or 0161 429
0490.
URBIS turns blue for the next four months as the Cathedral
Gardens venue celebrates all things Manchester City FC.
City Til I Die, supported by Key 103, is an exhibition taking place
from this week until August 31, turning the corridor gallery and
café into a shrine to the famous club.
To create it, more than 200 photographs have poured in from
generations of loyal followers locally and from around the world,
including Hawaii, Venezuela, China, Australia and from a whole
village of City fans in Sierra Leone.
Each photograph demonstrates the lows and highs of life as a
die-hard City fan, celebrating personal landmarks like birthdays
and weddings, fans pictured on dream holidays wearing City kit and
even charity bungee jumping across the stadium.
Collectively they capture the true spirit and emotions of life as a
"True Blue" and the exhibition also documents key milestones in
City's history.
For more details and opening times, ring 0161 605
8200.
VISITORS of all ages can get into shape mentally and physically at
a Big Saturday event at Manchester Museum tomorrow.
There's a programme of museum-inspired sport activities and themed
art and craft drop-in workshops from 11am to 4pm.
Most Big Saturday activities are free at the Oxford Road venue but
some may cost £1.50.
Find out more by ringing 0161 275 2634.
STITCHING of all kinds is on offer at an exhibition at
Stockport Story Museum in the town's Market Place.
A Stitch In Time promotes the handiwork of an age-old craft and
brings together the best entries from members of the Quilters'
Guild Of The British Isles, who were invited to submit quilt
designs based on the beautiful décor and period features of
Staircase House.
Entry to the exhibition is free. Next Friday at the same
place,
Quilters' Guild member Dot Aellan runs a day-long workshop on
Patchwork For Beginners, guiding participants through a design to
make an attractive cushion front to take home. Cost is £10, with
all materials provided.
For more information, ring the Museum on 0161 480
1460.
DIFFERING sights of Manchester feature in a fascinating exhibition
which has just started at Manchester Art Gallery. Being Here is the
result of a photographic project with eight groups showing their
work, using a variety of photographic techniques, from Polaroids
and pinhole cameras to digital media.
Groups like M13 in Ardwick, E2E in Longsight and Surestart in
Moston chose to show the areas where they live.
Young people from Full Circle Arts took pictures of the city
centre, while mothers from the Great Places Housing Association
show their daily lives in Manchester.
The exhibition is free and runs until July 8 at the Mosley Street
venue. Ring 0161 235 8888 to find out more.
CHORAL music fans will enjoy an event in St Ann's Church in
Manchester city centre tomorrow (Saturday) evening.
The University of Manchester Choir and Orchestra Society is holding
its spring concert at 7.30pm at the St Ann's Square venue.
The choir will be singing Mozart and the orchestra will be
performing Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 5.
Tickets are £6, concessions £4 available on the door or by
e-mail.
Further details are available at St Ann's, on the society's website
www.caos.manchester.ac.uk or by e-mailing
committee@caos.manchester.ac.uk
ANYONE in the Stockport area looking after a relative or partner or
who is ill or disabled is entitled to a spot of pampering at
special Carers' Pampers Days.
These are available at different times throughout the year,
starting on Wednesday at St Peter's Parish Centre in Green Lane,
Hazel Grove (behind the Co-op supermarket), from 11am to
2.30pm.
To book a place, ring 0161 419 4222.
IF you remember going to Manchester's first superclub, The
Hacienda, you'll find a special display currently on view at the
Museum Of Science And Industry well worth a visit.
Fac 51 The Hacienda celebrates its 25th anniversary with items from
the museum's Factory Communications Ltd archive.
These include building designs, membership cards, flyers, posters,
guest lists and details of records.
Go along to the Liverpool Road, Castlefield, venue or ring 0161 832
2244 for more details of its attractions, including the current
highly popular Dr Who exhibition.
TAKE a quick trip out on the Metrolink tram from Manchester to Bury
to visit the town's Art Gallery And Museum which stages an unusual
exhibition from tomorrow (Saturday).
It's all about mapping and almost 60 contemporary artists -
including Richard Long, Hamish Fulton and Simon Patterson - have
investigated the whole process of mapping, pushing back boundaries
to create something unexpected.
This work covers not just geographical territory but also the
mapping of ideas and thought processes related to other disciplines
like history and philosophy.
The exhibition is free and the gallery is open from Tuesday to
Saturday. For more details, ring 0161 253 5878.
And while you are in Bury, why not take a trip on the East
Lancashire Railway and take a journey back in time? You can travel
along the restored railway lines to Rawtenstall to the north of
Bury or to Heywood to the east.
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