KINGS ARMS GOES TO HULL

Paul Heaton – one time Housemartin and Beautiful South stalwart – has taken over the King's Arms pub with his partner Zena.

The popular bar with the theatre venue upstairs already has a top reputation. Now Heaton's aiming for a radio station in there – but as he tells Miranda Hogan, the re-launch starts with a Christmas Fair on December 18th.

STRIKERS AND MARCHERS APPLAUDED THROUGH THE STREETS OF MANCHESTER

Shoppers and workers in Manchester city centre lined the streets to applaud thousands of striking public sector workers today as they marched in defence of their pensions.

Earlier around seven hundred people gathered in Bexley Square for a rally before setting off on the Salford march into Manchester to join the huge demonstration against ConDem Government attacks on people's rights.

A Salford Star Exclusive

UNIVERSITY OF SALFORD STRIKE PICKETS KICKED OFF MEDIACITYUK

Early this morning, as part of the Day of Action against the ConDem Government's attack on pensions, members of the UCU – University and College Union – intended to picket staff going into the University of Salford's new campus at MediaCityUK. Instead, they have told the Salford Star, they were met by security staff working on behalf of Peel Holdings who said they would use "reasonable force" to remove them if they didn't leave Peel's `private land'.

It might be Peel's `private land' but public money paid for it to be made into a `public piazza'

STRIKE, RALLY, MARCH TODAY!!!

Today sees the biggest public sector strike for a generation. And Salford is having its own rally and march into Manchester to meet up with thousands of others who oppose the ConDem Government’s unfair attack on pensions and rights. There will be a march from Castlefield, through Mancherster city centre to a rally at Whitworth Park

MEET: BEXLEY SQUARE 10:30am
Chapel St, near the old Salford Town Hall/Magistrates Court.

Full details of the day will be posted here later…

A Salford Star Exclusive

THE END IS NIGH FOR SALFORD PRECINCT'S FLEA AND CAR BOOT MARKETS

Salford's bustling Thursday flea market and Sunday car boot market are to close as part of the redevelopment of Salford Shopping City by owners, Salford Estates. It appears to be an open secret amongst stall holders that the markets will close after Christmas, although the Precinct management won't be drawn on a date.

The closure of the markets has led to an online petition and anger amongst both traders and the public.

SALFORD NOVEMBER 30TH MARCH

10:30am November 30th
Bexley Square
Chapel St 

Salford Against The Cuts and Salford TUC is organizing a rally in Bexley Square followed by a march to the mass rally in Manchester City Centre this Wednesday 30th November.

Over three million people nationally will be on strike that day and this is Salford showing its anger against the ConDem Government's attack on pensions.

STRAWBERRY JACK
A Tale From Paradise Heights
Robert Powell Theatre
Salford University
7th- 10th December £8/£6

The hard hitting Paradise Heights series of tales, written by ace playwright, Joe O'Byrne, have been critically acclaimed and this latest production, we're sure, will be no exception.

It features the once ferocious Strawberry Jack Grundy of the Ace of Spades Nightclub, whose heart begins to melt as the festive season approaches thanks to a girl he rescues. There's only one problem. Someone wants Strawberry Jack dead by Christmas…

SPARKLING PANTO AT THE KING'S ARMS

Sparkle
Studio Salford at King's Arms
Wed 30th Nov - Sat 3rd Dec 8pm
£7/£5

This camp, adult Christmas comedy panto written by Sally Lawton and directed by Mike Heath promises a fairyland that you won't find anywhere else in Salford.

CELEBRATING SWINTON LIONS RUGBY LEAGUE CLUB

Swinton Lions Memorabilia Celebration Event
Saturday 3rd December 11am-4pm
Swinton Sports and Social Club
Swinton Precinct

Past and present Swinton Lions players will be dropping in on a special event next Saturday to celebrate Salford's other famous rugby league club. Fans are also being asked to attend the event to share any memorabilia of the Lions – from photos to match programmes to just sharing some great stories of past glories.

SALFORD PRECINCT GETS POLAR BEAR AND SONIC SANTA

Saturday 3rd December (12noon,1:30pm, 4pm)
Sonic Santa 10th and 17th December.

Strange things are going off at Salford Precinct in the run up to Christmas, beginning next Saturday when a life-sized polar bear called Bjorn arrives with Ursula the herder. The following two Saturdays sees Santa arriving on a hoverboard.

CHRISTMAS AT ISLINGTON MILL
Thursday 1st December 4-9pm

Thursday sees Islington Mill's annual contemporary crafts fair – a showcase of creative artwork from the fifty or so artists based at the Mill. The works are on sale as unique Christmas gifts and to help the evening along there's mince pies, mulled wine and live browsing music.

SALFORD SHOW STOPPERS ARE MANCHESTER BAND OF THE YEAR

Missed You At The Show
Saturday 26th November
Roadhouse, Manchester £3

Fiery acoustic five piece indie-rock band, Missed You At The Show, are the current Printworks' Manchester Band of the Year. But their roots are pure Salford.

With the band's debut single out on Monday and a launch gig this Saturday, Rachel Boothroyd looks at where they're coming from and going to…

SHELAGH DELANEY RECOGNITION REQUEST

Independent councillor, Martin O'Neill, is asking for the community's suggestions for ways in which to honour Broughton playwright Shelagh Delaney who died this week.

The Swinton South councillor hopes that Salford Council will "assist in recognising her life and works".

Salford City 3 Skelmersdale United 3

UNLUCKY SALFORD GIVE SKEM A SCARE

Salford City put in a brave battling performance against second in the League Skelmersdale United last night, leading 3-1 at half time before a dodgy offside decision led to a Skem equaliser with minutes to go. Rhodri Giggs could have wrapped up the points in the final seconds but glanced his header agonisingly wide of the post, as high flying Skem got the fright of their lives…

STRIKE SHUTS OASIS ACADEMY

A strike by teaching union members of the NUT and NASUWT shut down Oasis Academy MediaCityUK today. The staff are angry that Oasis has imposed 13 redundancies before Christmas without going through the proper consultation process. They were joined on the picket line this morning by members of Unison.

The strike is the latest crisis to hit the former Hope High School, following a pupil riot over the staff cuts a few weeks ago.

SALFORD REBEL SISTER SHELAGH DELANEY

"She was a massive talent…a very important writer of her generation" Coronation Street creator Tony Warren

Nigel Pivaro writes a tribute to Broughton-born Shelagh Delaney who died this week, a few days short of her 72nd birthday.

SALFORD PLAYWRIGHT SHELAGH DELANEY
25 November 1939 – 20 November 2011

Salford playwright, Shelagh Delaney, has died of cancer days before her 72nd birthday. Broughton born Delaney wrote a string of plays and screenplays expressing the Salford psyche of the 50s and 60s including Taste Of Honey, Charlie Bubbles and The White Bus, which were all shown in her honour at the Salford Film Festival.

Despite a million pleas and invites she remained extremely private and would never attend, nor would she do any interviews for the Salford Star. Nevertheless, Shelagh Delaney was a true Salford star.

THE REPORT THAT THE COUNCIL DIDN'T WANT SALFORD STAR TO SEE…

Salford Star has finally got hold of the reports on the £3.50 transport charge for the city's most vulnerable people, that Salford Council delayed and delayed sending to us.

The consultation report reveals 27 different concerns from users and carers, ranging from the unaffordable cost to the threat of isolation. The report adds that almost 11% of people currently use the bus service five times a week, and thus will be stung for an extra £17.50 a week or £70 per month.

The findings of the consultation were ignored as Salford Council imposes the new charge this week...

TRUE SALFORDIANS SUPPORT START IN SALFORD 

When top charity, Start in Salford, needed to raise funds, the idea came up for a Great Salfordians night, to be attended by all the Salford stars. The night happened recently at The Lowry Hotel.

We sent Nigel Pivaro along to see how it went…

HELENA KENNEDY FOUNDATION FUNDRAISER

Article 26 Day
Saturday 26th November from noon
Ruby Lounge Manchester

Tickets for sold-out shows by The Courteeners and The Saturdays are up for grabs in a raffle that is part of a fundraising drive for Article 26, trying to raise money to help refugee students get through university.

The University of Salford and the University of Manchester have already provided special bursaries for some students and now Article 26, a project of the Helena Kennedy Foundation, is aiming to help with practical costs, starting with a fun day at the Ruby Lounge…

Durham City 2 Salford City 4

SUPER SALFORD HIT FOUR

Battling Salford City fought back to destroy Durham City after being 2-1 down at half time. Goals by Rhodri Giggs, Cayne Hanley, Steve Murty and Adam Morning sealed the win that takes the Ammies within sight of a play off place.

A Salford Star Exclusive!!!

ADVERT FOR MATT PARISH REPLACEMENT

Salford City Reds coach, Matt Parish resigned yesterday, but Salford Star has managed to get an exclusive preview of the advert for the new Head Coach, written by Mr Salford Reds himself, Jack Rogers….

MATT PARISH – WILL HE GO OR WILL HE STAY? HE'S GONE!!!

Update: 2:30pm 17th November: Matt Parish resigned this morning.

On the eve of Salford Reds move to its new stadium in Barton, rumours are flying around Australia that recently installed Salford Reds coach, Matt Parish, is heading home.

With crisis talks looming between Parish and the club's bosses, lifelong supporter, Jack Rogers, calls into question the ambition of the Reds and argues that if the Australian manager leaves, the club could end up a laughing stock.

A Salford Star Exclusive

SALFORD COUNCIL MILKS OLD AND ILL FOR £123,000

Salford Council is to introduce a charge of £3.50 a day for those who use its buses to attend day care centres – despite the service users stating that they couldn't afford the charges.

The Council estimates that around 350 people use its transport around twice a week, meaning that some of Salford's poorest people will have to find an extra £350 a year or more. 

A Salford Star Exclusive

JOHN MERRY CALLS FOR MEETING WITH OASIS ACADEMY MEDIACITYUK BOSSES

Amidst growing unrest surrounding Oasis Academy MediaCityUK, Salford Council Leader John Merry has called for a meeting "at the earliest opportunity" with the Chief Executive of Oasis Community Learning, which runs the Academy, and its Headteacher Patrick Ottley-O'Connor.

This follows a recent pupil riot at the school, a teachers' strike called for next week and a growing list of allegations about how the school is managed.

SALFORD COUNCIL LOSES UP TO £100K TO SAVE £60K!

Salford City Council has managed to lose up to £100,000 trying to save £60,000 at Lledr Hall, its well regarded outdoor education centre in Wales. How did it manage this?

SALFORD ARTS THEATRE PANTO SEASON

Oh yes it is! It's panto season, and Salford Arts Theatre puts on one of the best and cheapest in the whole city. This year the company breaks out the caves and magic lamps to do Aladdin, beginning 12th December.

MURDOCH, RADICAL GARDENING, STRAWBERRY THIEVES AND COUNTERPOWER AT THE WORKING CLASS MOVEMENT LIBRARY

Counterpower Book Launch
Wednesday 16th November 2pm free
News International Dispute: 25 Years On
18th and 19th/22nd-24th Nov free
Strawberry Thieves Choir
Friday 25th Nov 2pm free
Radical Gardening
30th Nov 2pm free

Loads of talks and events this month at the Working Class Movement Library, beginning this Wednesday with Tim Gee, fresh from speaking at the Occupy protests, launching his book Counterpower: Making Change Happen…

Salford City 3 Woodley Sports 0

SALMON POACHES TWO AS SALFORD DESTROY WOODLEY

Gavin Salmon netted twice as Salford City battered high flying Woodley Sports at Moor Lane yesterday. But this was only half the story of an incredible game that saw two Salford City outfield players wear the keeper's jersey and a scoreline that could have seen the Ammies hit double figures.

SAVING SALFORD 

Save Salford Charity Night
Friday 18th November 7:30pm £3
Black Lion pub, Chapel St

The incredible Save Salford campaign, which is trying to get the Boundaries Commission to reverse its ridiculous plan to lose Salford from the political map, is hosting a celebration night at the Black Lion next Friday night, starring Rebecca Orr and James Herring. All proceeds will go to local charities.

ANARCHIST BOOKFAIR FUN

Manchester and Salford Anarchist Bookfair
People's History Museum
3rd December 10am-4pm Free

Loads of anarchist and radical groups are descending on the People's History Museum in a few weeks for a whole day of discussion, meetings, stalls, records and books…it could well be chaos.

EDUCATION ORGANISATIONS UNITE TO OPPOSE ACADEMIES

North West Anti Academies Conference
Saturday 26th November 10am-2pm
Mechanics Institute, Manchester 10am-2pm

Given what is happening at Salford's Oasis Academy MediaCityUK, the timing of the North West Anti Academies Conference couldn't be better. The Salford Star this week reported redundancies, a pupil riot and a threatened teachers strike at the Oasis Academy, and has also received an anonymous letter alleging all sorts of wrong doing at the school…

Hopefully the conference will give parents and teachers some much needed guidance.

YOUR CHANCE TO TELL SALFORD COUNCIL HOW TO SPEND 

Salford Council is currently running its annual online budget consultation which only gives three options for each of the departments it runs – cut, keep it the same or cut something else instead.

But what if everyone told Salford Council not to cut anything at all? Would the Council listen?

PEEL HOLDINGS INCINERATOR WITH THE SALFORD FALL OUT KICKED OUT

After a huge protest movement by the community and its Breathe Clean Air Group, Trafford Council last night threw out Peel Holdings plans for an incinerator at Barton.

Campaigners claimed that toxic airborne emissions from the plant would have blown straight into Salford and last night Trafford's councillors rejected the plans because of "genuine and significant public concern over the perceived impact on public health".

A Salford Star Exclusive

TEACHERS AT SALFORD OASIS ACADEMY VOTE TO STRIKE OVER REDUNDANCIES

National Union of Teachers members at Salford's Oasis Academy MediaCityUK today voted overwhelmingly to take industrial action against redundancies.

The Oasis management now have until November 17th to agree to the NUT's demands or, shortly after, the teachers will be on strike.

A Salford Star Exclusive

PUPIL PROTESTS, EXCLUSIONS AND MAYHEM AS OVER A DOZEN OASIS TEACHERS MADE REDUNDANT…

"It was wild…It was like St Trinian's!" Oasis pupils

Last Tuesday the former Hope High School, now known as Oasis Academy MediaCityUK, exploded as pupils discovered that over a dozen of their teachers were to be made redundant.

What began as a peaceful walk-out and protest by Year 10 and 11 pupils, ended with fireworks and fire alarms being set off as all pupils learned the full scale of the cutbacks at one of Salford's `flagship' schools.

The MediaCityUK Academy is supposed to be a `media centre of excellence' but no-one from the academy would comment on the mini-riot. However, Salford Star spoke exclusively to some of the pupils involved…

SALFORD COUNCIL BORROWING MORE THAN DOUBLES IN LAST THREE YEARS

Salford City Council is building up a mountain of debt which could see the city in real trouble should interest rates rise. The Council has been borrowing money at low rates to support projects like the Peel Holdings joint venture Salford City Stadium, while buying up properties on The Crescent for its venture with English Cities Fund.

Meanwhile, the Council's financial reserve back-up, already £5million below what is deemed `desirable', could go below its minimum before the year is out. Could Salford go Greek?

SALFORD HUB OPENS FOR M6

A new Salford Community Hub created by affordable housing company Affinity Sutton was opened in Elkanagh Gardens, off Seedley Road, on Saturday.

The opening day party, tied in with Get Online Week, highlighted the computer facilities and training available at the Hub, and REELmcr were on hand to help young Affinity residents film the event as part of a new project to capture life on and around the estate, which will be premiered at the National Film Theatre early next year.

FA Trophy
North Ferriby United 3 Salford City 0

RED NOSE DAY AS SALFORD KISS GOODBYE TO WEMBLEY

Billy Smart's Circus must be well short staffed this winter, as the clowns all seem to have swapped outfits with real referees.

While North Ferriby United in the end were worthy winners of this non-league FA Cup contest, a crucial ref/clown decision swung the tie…

ORDSALL SPECTACULAR SEES GHOSTS, LANTERNS AND FIREWORKS

Hundreds and hundreds of people packed the grounds of Ordsall Hall last night as a massive community lantern parade concluded with a giant sized puppet show and a spectacular fireworks display. It was enough to make Guy Fawkes himself explode with excitement…

BLACK LION PLAYS HOST TO UNSTONED FIREWORKS

No Turn Unstoned
Black Lion pub
Saturday 5th November
from 8:30pm free

Expect live fireworks at the No Turn Unstoned night at the Black Lion pub on Saturday night, as entertainment with a strictly adult theme takes over…

UNISON VOTES FOR STRIKES AGAINST THE CONDEM GOVERNMENT

Public sector trade union UNISON is backing a national strike on November 30th, as its members nationally voted overwhelmingly to support action against the ConDem Government's plans for pension `reform'.

In Salford there is going to be a march from Bexley Square to protests in Manchester, and on November 17th there's a pre-strike rally and fundraiser.

Wakefield 1 Salford City 2

SUPER SALFORD PREPARE FOR FERRIBY

Salford City eased past Wakefield last night to move up the Evo-Stik First Division with goals from Danny Heffernan and Cayne Hanley. It was perfect preparation for the big match on Saturday when the Ammies travel to North Ferriby United in the non-league FA Cup.

SALFORD IN LIVERPOOL SHOCK!

When BBC Radio 4 Midweek presenter Libby Purves interviewed Rita Tushingham this week she reckoned that Salford's most iconic play and film A Taste of Honey was set in Liverpool.

We know that London's BBC staff have problems moving to Salford's MediaCityUK but this is a bit much. Nigel Pivaro breaks out the green ink…

PORT SALFORD TO GET £15MILLION PUBLIC MONEY

As revealed exclusively by Salford Star last July, Salford Council will soon be handing £15million of Government Regional Growth Fund money to Peel Holdings for its Port Salford project at Barton.

Salford Council Leader John Merry claims that Port Salford will create 3800 new jobs…but after MediaCityUK's garbage claim of 15,500 jobs should Salford people be sceptical?

PAPER SHREDDING, FORENSIC COMPUTER SERVICES, CONSULTANTS AND FUNERALS…

Altogether, consultant magnet Salford Council spent over £150,000 in one month on outside `specialists'…

Welcome to Salford City Council's spending for June 2011 which enters the murky world of paper shredding and forensic examination of computers and mobile phones. And an even murkier world where consultants and property billionaires are still cashing in. 

Meanwhile, the Council spent over £15,000 burying Salfordians whose families obviously can't afford a funeral.