Archive

  • ‘Quirky caberet’ - The Zutons at Manchester Apollo

    LIVERPUDLIAN quintet The Zutons have proved notoriously difficult to categorise beyond the staid and overused indie-rock' tag, which is distributed indiscriminately these days. Psychedelic cartoon punk' and Zombie rock' have simultaneously been used

  • Jail for bullying mugger

    A MUGGER who threatened to smash the faces of his defenceless victims has been jailed for 32 months. Bully John Piggott, 23, mugged five youths during a four-day crime spree in Trafford, during which he promised to hunt them down if they reported him

  • Left without a dentist

    RESIDENTS of an elderly people's home in Sale have been left without dental checks for the past eight months. The occupants of the 40-bed Atkinson Court Residential Home lost their domiciliary dental service, following a massive shake-up of the dental

  • It won’t be all ‘comfort and joy’ in this house

    IN keeping with recent tradition, the Club Theatre, Altrincham is presenting a different play for Christmas instead of the conventional pantomime, in an effort to keep the season fresh. This year's offering is a play by the playwright and radio DJ, Mike

  • It’s time to check in at the Garrick

    I ONCE met a real life Basil Fawlty. He ran a caf and I'd gone in there for lunch with my son and his grandparents. This chap, although he was older than John Cleese when he played the manic, hen pecked hotelier, displayed many of the mannerisms that

  • Bluebell the fairy gets second chance

    WHAT do you do if you're an amateur theatre company with a limited budget and a desire to put on a pantomime? You write your own of course! In a bid to avoid sky high royalty fees, St Joseph's Players and Montague Amateur Dramatic Society decided to

  • It’s a whole new world for Bill

    THE words "he's behind you" suddenly become more chilling when applied to actor Bill Ward, the man behind Coronation Street bad apple Charlie Stubbs. He's making his panto debut at the Lowry this Christmas and he's playing yet another villain - the evil

  • Concern over drop in dentists

    TRAFFORD'S Tory group has hit out at the state of the dental service. The Tories highlighted latest figures, that show that in Stretford and Urmston, the number of adults who have access to an NHS dentist has fallen by 14,917 since 1997 - a reduction

  • A bit of a bad egg

    I ARRIVED at the Library Theatre expecting an evening of magic and I left feeling rather deflated. This venue has a long and proud tradition of producing Christmas shows to delight all the family, but The Golden Goose lacks that special spark that sets

  • Royal Mail apologises for mail bag theft

    THE Royal Mail has apologised to customers affected by the theft of a mail bag in the Stretford Road area of Urmston. The apology came after a Messenger reader complained that residents had been kept in the dark about the incident. The reader said:

  • Prestigious award for volunteer

    A VOLUNTEER who dedicates her free time to working with child witnesses at court has won a national award in recognition of her efforts. Jan Howell, a volunteer with Trafford Witness Service, will be presented with a national Justice Award for outstanding

  • Another A+ for Trafford's top schools

    A HOST of Trafford schools and colleges have been recognised for their excellence in Ofsted's annual report. Three secondary schools, a special school, two primary schools, two day care centres and three childminders in the borough featured on Her Majesty's