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Month: October 2014

Poverty as bleak as our threatened literary outlook.

“Stop the press!”… “No seriously stop the press! It turns out writing just isn’t financially viable anymore.” Figures this year published in the Observer revealed that average wages for full time writers in the United Kingdom have reached a new low.

Nestled comfortably (or rather sat on the floor of a freezing flat because the meter needs topping up) below the Rowntree Foundations minimum income standard, this strikes a blow to our apparently culturally simulative society.

With higher and easier incomes to be made elsewhere it would seem the question is, where is the incentive to write? Luckily I have some, and financial reward isn’t my goal.

So, on filling in the Rowntree Foundations brilliantly titled ‘do you earn enough?’ questionnaire (a question that to me suggests not knowing the answer is in itself an answer) the vast majority of working writers will be told they need more money to survive. The median income for a writer in 2013 being revealed as £11000 p/a highlights the deceptive nature of the literary industry.

The world of writing seems clouded by celebrity, with household names such as J.K. Rowling and Dan Brown accumulating massive personal fortunes through their generally average publications. It is true that lesser-known writers can stumble into this world. Zadie Smith, a Man Booker winner, reportedly received a £250000 advance on the unwaveringly brilliant debut White Teeth, however for most, figures like this are unthinkable.

The world of the working writer it would seem then is one spent fighting impossible odds.

It will of course be argued, by the moronic corners of society, that “a writer must starve for his art.” While this is a romantic image, it is the twenty-first century and it turns out recent humanitarian research will tell you, poverty pisses people off.

While it is true that greats like George Orwell struggled to earn £3 a week from his journalism in the 1930s, it is now 2014. We shouldn’t impose poverty on people who contribute genuinely exceptional work and demonstrate immeasurable skill. Or, in ‘civilised Britain’, impose poverty on anyone really. Writers need to eat, and even John Milton’s considerably successful muse couldn’t help fill his gut.

Author and journalist Damian Barr’s contribution to the argument is telling: “It depresses me that even the crappiest footballer is paid more than our finest literary novelists.” Clearly we (the collective we; because it’s our society and our role to cultivate it) have a lack of comprehension of what constitutes ‘skill’. The marketing director from whose demented psyche the ever-riveting ‘Compare the Meerkat’ was born was last year paid, based again on averages, £68245. Susan Hill, author of the stunning The Woman in Black which spawned a multimillion-pound movie featuring Daniel Radcliffe (I told you we can’t comprehend skill), is, according to her tweets, “still broke.”

During his time as Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove will have earned a basic wage of £67060 p/a. All this while forcing education of the arts further into the mire and championing ‘practical skills’ such as Maths and Science. High-paid governmental figures suppressing the education that inspires future artistic output only serves to further alienate the world of the working writer from that of anyone able to earn and prosper.

While the friendly face of diverse education Michael Gove is no longer in the role, I hold little hope for the arts under his successor, Nicky Morgan. While only time will tell in terms of results, as a former Jurisprudence student with a background in mergers and acquisitions I can’t help but feel the arts are once again in totally unengaged and uninspiring hands.

When it comes to fruition that a writer can earn less money than a waiter* (average pay £11930 p/a) it is no surprise that active pursuit of unashamed financial gain is becoming more prominent.

In the previously mentioned Observer article, literary agent Jonny Geller attempted to calm the storm stating that financial gain can still be attained from writing however only from “projects that are pretty certain to work.” He goes on to say that he advises the writers he represents to “stay flexible” in order to adapt to what is selling.

How depressing an outlook has the industry appropriated that an agent will openly state that he encourages his clients to write not what they feel important but what will turn a profit? This outlook will merely serve to saturate the literary scene with what a readership is told they want.

Apparently what the readership want is 50 Shades of Grey, which sold 5.3 million copies in the UK. Hands up who wants another bestseller like that one? As happened to the music industry, expression or experimentation will become buzzwords in boardroom meetings on the agenda of which is how to artificially reflect them.

The issue highlighted here though is not the greed of our authors. Will Self drew to attention, in a feature for the Guardian, that the number of British writers who are able to comfortably earn a living from writing could easily be fit in “a back bedroom.” The issue is that the treatment of writers has forced them into methods of survival and that these methods of survival serve to starve the literary evolution of our artists.

Writing, and to an extent even reading, are still shamefully considered frivolous pursuits. They don’t provide instant gratification, they don’t directly further a reader’s (or apparently a writer’s) finances, and books aren’t easily consumed. All of these things make them unpopular in a society of quickly palatable information and disposable commodities. This is the cause to the effect that is undervalued writers.

Writing simply doesn’t fit the twenty-first century template for what is ‘useful’ and by this logic it stands to reason that a marketing executive should earn more. Christ, how depressing.

*DISCLAIMER: This is in no way a slight at waiting as a professional. It is a far more noble pursuit than that of a Marketing Director. One delivers what is ordered and then allows you to consume in your own time. The other delivers what nobody in human history has ordered and forces it down your throat. I’ll allow you to decipher that insinuation.

Review: Pieminister

The enticing billboard outside presents pastry-encased deliciousness with minty mushy peas, cripsy shallots, thick gravy and grated cheese, all sitting atop a bed of creamy mash for the humble price of £7.95 (bonus: I later found out about the 10 per cent student discount). We went in, and discovered that this wonderful combination is known as ‘The Mothership’, and is available as an upgrade with any single pie, of which flavours range from classic steak & ale (‘moo’) to the more adventurous red wine venison & puy lentil (‘deerstalker’).

As the pies are made fresh in store they are displayed temptingly in a glass window at the counter, which acts as a kind of bar-cross-open kitchen, where you can tentatively watch staff compile plates of food in excited hope that the next one is yours. Service is quick and efficient due to the ready-made pies and open-plan layout: the ‘Mothership’ is stacked, warmed and delivered with a mouthwatering personal gravy boat for you to drown your meal in. They’ve really captured the spirit of Northern tastebuds here, but that by no means implies that other regions will be complaining.

Naturally, I went for the meal deal and enjoyed my succulent beef ‘moo’ with all the trimmings, the mixture of crunch from the onions and softness of the mash combined to make the perfect forkful. My companion opted for the ‘funghi chicken’ and we both agreed that our all-butter shortcrust cases and suet lids deserved the award winning titles they hold.

Their concept is simple without being dull, Pieminister have perfected each element of their food to make sure that your meal hits the spot every time, and their broad range of pies means that it can be a place to revisit frequently even if you are an eater who likes change. Vegetarians and dieters are also safe: options such as the ‘wildshroom’ and lower-calorie ‘light as feta’ earn their place on the menu without any compromise on taste. For me, Pieminister’s main attraction is that the pies are individually encased in shortcrust rather than being dished out from a tray topped with one sheet of puff pastry; having your own personal pie makes it that bit more special.

This is one to visit day or night, as a purposeful selection of craft beers and ciders are available to complement the pies. Other dishes are on the menu such as Soup of the Day and Home made scotch egg, but really you should head here for one thing. So, if you’re feeling ropey, hungry or in the mood for some classic Manchester cuisine, head to the Northern Quarter for a hot and wholesome pie.

http://www.pieminister.co.uk/restaurants/northern-quarter/

Open Monday – Saturday 11am -10pm
Sunday 12pm – 5pm

53 Church Street,
Manchester,
M4 1PD

UKIP won’t be kingmakers, but could embarrass the political elite

None of the UK parties have begot the results that were expected or even that they promised in recent memory.

For the ruling coalition, five years of austerity and increased borrowing have left neither party in a good light whilst Labour have appeared limp and impotent with their inability to offer a strong alternative after 2015. People are being forced to tighten their belts as real terms pay cuts start to bite and prices continue rising.

Despite UK legislators being modestly paid compared to their European counterparts, an above-inflation pay rise for what many perceive to be an elitist group of people has only served to increase disenchantment with the system.

These feelings in certain constituencies could give UKIP enough votes to wake Westminster from its slumber; they won’t have their own bench in the Commons but a few close seconds to the big parties will set alarm bells ringing.

UKIP have so far been able to exploit the disaffected and Nigel Farage will hope his party can use this to make an impact on the 2015 general election. He knows that the main parties need to do more to retain swing voters and these are who he will look to target, particularly Conservatives who may feel they have been let down by David Cameron.

If his government wins the upcoming vote on intervention in Iraq, which they likely will, he will then have the uneasy task of juggling a fractious party and promoting a military intervention that currently divides the country and brings back painful memories (37 per cent for vs. 36 per cent against, according to YouGov). Expect an anti-war stance from UKIP.

UKIP have been consistently polling around the same level or just above the Liberal Democrats for over 18 months and the latest voting intention YouGov poll places them on 16 per cent, a full nine points higher than the Lib Dems. It is unlikely that the vote will mirror these polls but if they can take enough swing voters in targeted constituencies then they could severely embarrass all three parties by gaining second or third place.

After getting the highest share of the vote in the recent 2014 European elections, UKIP could be forgiven for being confident going into 2015. However, their core support remains small and their full manifesto lacks real credibility.

Moreover, the ugly spectre of racist and homophobic councillors and candidates refuses to go away, giving the impression that other UKIP members privately hold such views. Many people hear the name UKIP and either roll their eyes or shudder.

As long as credibility is an issue it will be enough to dissuade disillusioned voters from taking the plunge and voting UKIP at the ballot box. As long as they remain a fringe party, respectability will continue to elude them. A poll or a European election, especially in Britain, is one thing but in a general election most people revert to type.

Nigel Farage knows he needs to improve his party’s image; he has been trying hard to sweep his party of the racists and sexists of obscure middle England. The damage is done, however—people hear of UKIP and they already have an opinion. It is then that small pockets of respectability will be key for Farage. UKIP’s credibility benefitted hugely from the defection of ex-Tory MP Douglas Carswell.

The headline-making campaign in Clacton for the 9th October by-election was a test for a Conservative party that has not delivered on promises such as reducing migration and controlling the cost of living. Carswell, well-known and with the credibility of serving the area as a Conservative MP, made the people more comfortable voting UKIP.

In addition to this remarkable coup, the announcement that Farage himself will be fighting for a seat will revive the intense media attention that UKIP had in the recent European elections. This will be key to UKIP’s success, as the very nature of their vote winning strategy relies on publicity and exposure to voters whom they can then hope to sway.

UKIP won’t be kingmakers after next year’s general election. Their core support is not large enough and too many questions remain about their ability to behave like an established political party and take part in government responsibly.

On the other hand, it would not be unreasonable to think that Douglas Carswell or even Farage himself has a fair chance of gaining a seat in 2015.

There have been a few close calls in safe middle England Tory seats that may have the potential to push Labour or the Liberal Democrats into second or third in some places and thus 2015 could be the year that UKIP makes the leap to legitimacy.

Whatever happens they will still be a thorn in the side of the establishment; what remains to be seen is how big that thorn will be.

Review: The Events

The Events does not investigate, as widely reported, the Anders Breivik shootings. The far-right militant killed 77 people—likewise, this play probes an imagined response to a mass shooting at a church hall. Before this, Scottish playwright David Greig was best-known for Dunsinane, an ambitious sequel to Macbeth, and it is unsurprising that a similar theme of clan identity emerges. But The Events goes further, electrifyingly utilising Greig’s fierce intelligence to interrogate society’s sentimental desire to understand a terrorist’s reasoning.

It is choirmaster Claire’s (Derbhle Crotty) insatiable pursuit of information over an acceptance of a terrorist’s humanity that drives the piece. She effectively spars with the multi-roling Clifford Samuel, playing all other characters including the killer, a far-right politician and, most humorously, Sharman Dave from Leeds. Both performers offer deep poignancy against the piece’s intensity, but it is the visceral power of a daily-changing choir that connects the play’s limited fictionalised scope to reality.

As non-actors, She Choir gave a honest naïvety to the impending action, becoming an essential device for audience assimilation into the community. Director Ramin Gray, of the Actors Touring Company, didactically has their harmonies reflect both organised religion and a primal, ritualistic ceremony. Fusing the dual perceptions of a unified, all-female choir and a tribe, Gray powerfully reflects that a primitive, outsider origin always persists, however acculturating a community acts.

As a microcosm of a willingly distracted society that caused the terrorist’s formation, the invitation to join the ‘crazy tribe’ and sing at the conclusion was harrowing. Whilst providing euphoria as a ‘real’ choir outside of The Events, their sustained function was to question the emotionally cathartic indulgences of contemporary society when faced with deceptively anomalous evil. Despite this, astonishingly, audience members still sung along—society, it seems, will never be free of culture’s distracting exhilaration.

Review: Secret Theatre: A Series of Increasingly Impossible Acts

Relentless buzz has stalked Secret Theatre from the Lyric Hammersmith to the Edinburgh Fringe and beyond, with any expectation of secrecy now lost. Ascending the endless flights of stairs to reach an inauspicious rehearsal room, away from the Royal Exchange’s main site, I did know beforehand that a randomly selected performer would be subjected to ‘impossible acts’. But the emergent ‘acts’ were not simply a presumed spectacle of circus acts, but a multitude of performative interpretations and expressions of the ‘act’ explored: narrative acts, gender acts, enactment of fears and joy—even past acts to be relived. While the detail of each ‘act’ is unique to the day’s performer, the piece’s ultimate strength lies in affecting audience beyond the experience of a chosen participant, evolving into something outstanding—a reminder of our own messy, collective humanity.

Out of the nine-strong, gym kit-clad ensemble, the night’s ‘protagonist’ was Hammed. His immediate reframing, from ensemble presence to unique aura, immediately prompts a thought: will he or won’t he achieve the impossible? Within the appearance of an appropriated classroom, eating a lemon and bending a bar becomes an anarchic PE lesson permeated by a failure to achieve. The ensemble ask Hammed everything, questioning as if a personal Quizoola!, from the story of his first kiss to his greatest fears—that are literally wrestled with on a crash mat.

In the most astonishing fragment, Hammed answers questions framed as dialogue from a past, assumingly real relationship. He is heartbreakingly forced to re-enact the entire decay, from love-struck to the inevitable love-loss. Revisiting a mirage of your past in performance, from passion to pity in just two minutes, is devastating for audience and performer. Unsurprisingly, at the performance’s close Hammed, also the youngest of the company, is emotionally and physically drained. Like The Events, these slippages of reality are vital for audience empathy and understanding, but here the pathos is always balanced with innocent joy. The final, emancipatory dance was breathtaking, as if cleansing and celebrating all that came before.

I am attempting to not to reveal too much—for this piece particularly, there should be some surprises—but be sure that by the end, completion of the impossible is irrelevant. Hope envelops fear. Humanist comradeship pervades all. This daring, versatile performance group provides pure delight, that must be seen to be believed.

PlayExpo 2014

I approach the queue beside EventCity with doubts. Two hundred people are stretched around the perimeter of the huge warehouse space, rubbing their hands together and huddling for warmth, and worryingly they all appear to be wearing normal clothes. Is this really a group of gamers waiting to get into a gaming exhibition, I ask myself, and if so, how did they manage to crawl out of their piss-ridden hellholes at such an ungodly hour on a Saturday morning? Skulking to the back of the line, I scan for signs that tell me I’m in the right place. The signs are mixed—one girl is clad in a yellow vest-top, denim shorts and red braces, so she is surely cosplaying as Misty from Pokémon, a good sign, but others nearby are in smart-casual wear and none of them have their heads buried in handheld gaming systems, which is a little disconcerting. Nobody is even talking about games, so my sense of alienation is acute. I feel like a headlouse that has accidentally alighted on Greg Wallace’s shiny nut, fidgeting and panicking about in search of a more salubrious barnet.

Before resorting to the horrible option of verbal inquiry, I take a final peek over the shoulder of a tall man in front of me in the hope of uncovering a vital clue when, lo and behold, a most nerdy and fanboyish scene unfolds in the queue. As a female attendant walks down the line, checking everyone for their pre-paid tickets, she is rudely put off her stride by a fourteen-year-old boy in a lab coat, who stoops across her path, places a knee on the ground, and then spits the words “for science!” at her face whilst forcing a home-made K’NEX Portal Gun to her chin. Normality has been breached. In the young teenager’s head, the performance is met with a resounding chorus of belly laughter and an overwhelming cheer of solidarity from the lungs and mouths of his gung-ho gaming allies, but, in reality, the moment breeds a short, excruciating silence as the crowd struggles to comprehend the meaning of the act, and this is then followed by cynical pointing, snickering and facepalming. We had collectively crushed his spirit and suppressed any future impulses he might have to be creative in public again. His expression was one of nihilistic despair. On the plus side, I now knew I was in the right queue for PlayExpo 2014.

Upon entering, I realised there was a stupid amount to see and do. The room had four football pitches’ worth of floorspace, all of it divided into sections with tables and tape, and all of it quickly filled by two-and-a-half thousand people. There were dozens of activities to participate in across the venue, which I’m obliged to list only fleetingly due to a lack of column inches. Hold your breath: there were developer lectures, PC and PlayStation 4 demos, iconic TV and film props for posing with, competitive fifteen-player games projected onto big screens, seemingly endless lines of free-to-play arcade machines and pinball tables, indie games developers showcasing recent projects with virtual reality, gaming markets selling posters, consoles, animes, hoodies, key rings, jewellery, cuddly toys, fancy dress, and just about everything else, card tables for competitions, giant-sized Gameboys, cosplay parades, YouTube celebrity signings, and rows upon rows of retro games consoles geared up for play. Enough to make your head spin.

It was the strong indie showing that I was particularly interested in. There I met Steven from PixelBomb Games, who was demoing the team’s labour of love, Beyond Flesh and Blood, a third-person mech shooter set in a dystopian Manchester. The game draws on Gears of War style combat elements but makes things much more fluid, giving players the option to jet-pack towards or away from enemies in environments that stress verticality and fast-paced movement. Steven told me the company is hoping to launch the single player component of the game on Steam next year, with multiplayer functionality in the pipeline post-release. I asked him which Manchester landmarks players could expect to find in the game, and while he couldn’t promise any missions set amid the university campus, he did confirm Albert Square, the Arndale, and Piccadilly Gardens as key locations.

Graphically the game was very impressive, considering the small size of the studio and the pre-alpha engine build, but I still felt compelled to question Steven on the unrealistic visuals in the demo, for there was a distinct lack of rain in Pixelbomb’s version of Manchester. We both gave way to a hearty guffaw in the wake of my supreme wit, and then he told me to go away and try the demo at home. You can test the demo out yourself by downloading it from the game’s official website, and you can rest easy in the knowledge that weather effects are to be patched in soon.

At the event I also got hands-on time with virtual reality. It wasn’t the mind-blowing experience I had been hoping for, but that was partly because there were no first-person games to utilise the headsets at the exhibition. In their place were a few smaller titles that nevertheless benefited from an augmented 3D effect, games like TxK, a trippy space shooter inspired by the 1981 arcade hit, Tempest. Having played Tempest on one of the arcade machines an hour previously, I was totally on board for this revitalized take on the game with its electrifying new soundtrack and easy-to-learn, hard-to-master gameplay, but such a demonstration was clearly going to have a hard time convincing me of the firepower of the Oculus Rift. If nothing else, the TxK demo does hint at a bright future for the technology.

Ever heard of OctoDad? If you haven’t, you should check the trailer out immediately, or better yet, download the game. Aside from DriveClub, the brand new triple-A racer from Evolution Studios, OctoDad was the only PlayStation 4 demo worth playing at the event. In the game you control a haphazard octopus that attempts to pass itself off as a human father. By manipulating your many tentacles with the analogue sticks, you must navigate cramped domestic spaces and complete daily chores without bumping into things or arousing suspicion. Essentially, the goal is to emulate the modern-day man without revealing your crippling ineptitude, which turns the game into a rather poignant biography of my own life. OctoDad: Dadliest Catch has been available since April this year, and whilst it genuinely made me laugh out loud several times, it also served to highlight the gaping lack of new content elsewhere at the show.

Overall, this year’s PlayExpo gave attendees a solid blend of old and new. It was as educational as it was fun, and for that reason alone I can recommend it to all readers who take an active interest in gaming. If you’re knocking about in Manchester next autumn, by all means place your money down and allow yourself be taken back through time, just don’t go in expecting to be enlightened about the future of the medium.

Club: Stevie Wonderland presents John Morales

16th October

Roadhouse

8.5/10

You could be mistaken for thinking that Stevie Wonderland has been around for 5+ years considering the following they command in their spot as Manchester’s finest purveyors of disco. They’ve enjoyed a number of successful shows in recent times at Gorilla, but decided to downsize to the much more intimate Roadhouse tonight. However, this certainly did not mean a lapse in the quality of their bookings, as they welcomed John Morales to the smaller venue for a much anticipated 3 hour set.

New York legend Morales is one of the most prolific artists in disco with more productions to his name than most people have had hot dinners. Both on his own and as one half of famed duo M&M, Morales has produced for such royalty as The Fantastic Aleems, Jocelyn Brown and The Temptations.

The night started well with the high standard of the residents shining through. Hits such as JV’s ‘Edit Channel XXX’ and Donna Summer’s ‘I Feel Love’ warmed the crowd up nicely before the master took to the decks. Opening with Prince – ‘Wanna Be Your Lover (Dimitri from Paris Re-Edit)’, Morales never looked back and delivered a set that combined classics with more modern hits perfectly. Records such as Terrence Parker’s ‘Your Love’ and ‘Never Too Much’ by ‘Luther Vandross’ kept the punters moving all night long and had many wondering where the last three hours had got to when the last song ran its course and the lights came on.

Stevie Wonderland always provides a refreshing chance to dance to something a little different from the usual offering in Manchester and this night was no different as they once again confirmed their status as one of Manchester’s most enjoyable nights out.

Club: Ape vs Ram Jam @ Warehouse Project

11th October

Store Street

7.5/10

This week’s Warehouse Project offering was certainly not for the fainthearted. Boasting arguably one of the best line-ups of the season, revellers descended on the new/old Store Street venue ready for a night of debauchery and drum and bass.

Opening with sets from Rich Reason, Dismantle and Chimpo, the night was in full swing by the time David Rodigan took to the stage in a packed out Room 1. Despite playing the same predictable set, there’s no arguing that Rodigan’s blend of jungle, dancehall and reggae classics is always loved by the crowd. Now well into his 60s, the radio broadcasting legend still manages to bring the heat in all his towel whirling glory with massive tunes such as ‘Incredible’ and ‘Jah No Partial’—and, of course, the tune no Rodigan set would be complete without: ‘Welcome to Jamrock’.

DJ EZ delivered the more melodic tunes of the evening, smashing out old-school favourites such as Daniel Beddingfield’s ‘Gotta Get Thru This’, and even Chic’s ‘Le Freak’, proving that the most hardcore of punters still go fucking nuts for disco. Ending on Benga’s massive dubstep classic ‘Night’, EZ’s set appealed to the diverse crowd of past their prime ravers and freshly corrupted students.

DJ EZ

From then on the night took a ferocious turn, the next few hours a blur of flashing strobes and thumping bass. Andy C’s raucous set was the clear pinnacle of the evening, bringing an hour of high-energy tunes to an army of gurning faces. Dropping banger after sweat-inducing banger, the undisputed king of drum and bass finished on his infamous remix of Major Lazer’s ‘Get Free’. Wilkinson polished off the evening with hits such as ‘Take You Higher’ and chart topping ‘Afterglow’. As the crowd began to thin out, only the true nutters with enough stamina (or class As) remained, skanking away well into the wee hours of the morning.

The return to the famous arches under Piccadilly certainly did not disappoint. The smaller crowd is a welcome change from the battery farm packed Victoria Warehouse, and this week the WHP team certainly provided a satisfyingly wild evening leaving you needing a week of sleep and a cuddle from your mum.

Changing the Way Feminism Is Defined

Over the years, feminism has received a lot of negative attention. Universities particularly hold a strong feminist movement. The imagery of angry, unattractive women who can’t get a man still springs to a lot of people’s minds when the word feminism is brought up, and despite the time we’re in, people still seem to define the ‘f’ word as such. Many people deny being a feminist just from the negative publicity that the word gets. So the question is whether how feminism is defined should be changed to appeal more to the public?

There are numerous negative connotations that feminism holds. A lot of people confuse the core of feminism with the values of being ‘male haters’ and female superiority. First thing to clear up is that feminism has nothing to do with hating the male gender, rather the heart of it is about equality between men and women.

While studying my A-levels, I remember discussing feminism and our teacher asked us what it was. A guy put his hand up and said it was nothing more than hating the male gender. This surprised me as I didn’t realise that even at that stage, people were still completely wrong about a word that has been around for so long.

A lot of people still don’t identify with being a feminist due to the negative connotations that it has, both men and women. Saying you’re a feminist to some people instantly puts them off and gives them a certain view of you. Some people still identify being a feminist with outdated views, seeing old women who have become bitter with time and picturing the suffragette movement. While it helped significantly, a lot of people see it as too extreme, especially for the modern age. So has the term been overused and dragged through the mud too much for it to be seen for what it really is?

The Guardian published an article by a student blogger who discussed the problem of feminism within universities and why it is an issue that should possibly be relabeled. Lad culture is a staple to a lot of people’s lives at university. Lad culture praises the degradation of women, getting drunk as much as possible and generally supports sexist attitudes towards the opposite sex.

Due to this surge of ‘lad culture’ at universities, it can make it more difficult for men to call themselves feminists. The focus is on ‘feminine’, giving it the connotations of being related solely to females, rather than a matter of equality and missing the point that feminism includes male rights of equality too.

Feminists themselves can give the label a bad name. Through history there has been a mixed batch of feminist approaches. From standpoint feminism which believes that feminism is about understanding a woman’s experience through her eyes so the only people who can be true feminists are women, to liberal feminism which believes in equality and anti-discrimination.

There have been numerous suggestions for changing what feminism is called. From ‘genderism’ to ‘humanist’, which is advocated by Susan Sarandon who says that the term feminist is a label that is too stigmatised to be taken seriously so it shouldn’t be used anymore.

In 2013, The Huffington Post did a poll on their website which found that only 20 per cent of Americans considered themselves as feminists, 23 per cent of which were female and 12 per cent male. Despite this, 82 per cent believed in equality between males and females in the polls. So is pushing a term that so many people don’t like counterproductive? It seems that people continue to believe the stereotype of the typical feminist being an angry man hater who solely seeks female superiority among the male population, and it doesn’t seem to be changing.

Netmums.com, in 2012, conducted a similar study where they surveyed 1300 women and found that only one in seven of those women called themselves feminists. They also found that younger women were less likely to accept the term in identifying themselves.

So why not get rid of the term and exchange it for many of the other suggested substitutes such as ‘humanist’? Feminism can be seen to scare off non-feminists and since the younger population aren’t keen on adopting the word, it seems it’s futile in trying to get back what it stood for.

Yet, feminism is a word with such a strong connotation, despite being seen as bad to some, it holds a fiery past and by getting rid of it, you would lose so much of the history and almost forget all those who fought for the true meaning of the word. What we should be doing instead is focussing on teaching people more about the core of the meaning and stop being afraid of being seen as one.

Things you didn’t know about Fallowfield

Fallowfield is a big love of a lot of Manchester students. Being, arguably, the hub of student life in Manchester, ‘facts’ have accumulated over the years, making Fallowfield a really interesting place to live in. Having everything you could possibly want, it’s assumed that here isn’t anything that is unknown in Fallowfield. But here are some things that you may not have heard before.

 

One for the football fans, Fallowfield was the host of the 1893 FA Cup final.

The 1893 FA Cup final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton was hosted in the old Fallowfield Stadium (now Richmond Park), with just one goal scored by Wolverhampton making them the winners.

Having a capacity of 15000, the attendance of 45000 meant the majority of spectators had no view of the match. In addition, the stadium also hosted the 1899 FA Cup semi-final between Sheffield United and Liverpool. The match had to be abandoned due to a crush in the crowd.

 

The Chemical Brothers’ first gig was also at BOP.

Until its closure in January 2013, BOP was known for cheesy music and, apparently, being the ‘easiest place to pull in Manchester’, but it once was so much more than that. With free entry, cheap drinks and a good location, BOP was once the most popular student night at the University—quite a shock seeing how it’s seen by a lot of students today.

Held in Owens Park tower ballroom every Friday, it is widely rumoured that the Chemical Brothers who met whilst studying history here in Manchester, played their first gig at this notorious night. Coming back to Manchester for Warehouse Project will probably be a nice change.

 

The tower is also a place that has held a lot of notoriety always held a lot of notoriety. From the tower challenge to grimy rooms and scary lifts, one that is less well known is the tale that someone let off every alarm in the Tower.

All 18 floors were set off and the perpetrator someone managed to avoid getting caught as there aren’t cameras there. So they could have been a student or a wanderer of the street, or a gang of vigilantes, we’ll never know and the mystery lives on.

After talking to some people who didn’t stay in Fallowfield in first year but moved there later on, I was surprised to hear that they were not aware of who the Magic Bus Lady was. Appearing out of nowhere, very few people every really see her move. She is usually surrounded by many suitcases and plastic bags full of mysterious objects, and hands out flyers containing her life stories and generally what’s on her mind. No one really knows what she is ranting about.

There are probably loads more that are not yet known, still there are plenty of years to create new facts.

University of Manchester Rumours

Rumours are inevitable in a university as big as Manchester—quite a few have floated around, and with freshers entering the university every year, they never seem to die out.

One that is most likely to believed is based in the heart of student living, Fallowfield. Walking into the massive supermarket for the first time, my flatmates said “Did you know that this Sainsbury’s is the most expensive in the country?'”

Having limited knowledge about Manchester, it made sense and is still believed by students. The supermarket has a large student customer base and is located in a very convenient location for students who do live in Fallowfield, is huge, and sells everything and anything a student could ever need. There are many discount stores like Lidl and Aldi dotted around the place that can save you quite a bit of money, but effort is something a lot of people think about first, so even if Fallowfield’s Sainsbury’s is the most expensive in the country, it’s not going to scare off customers, especially students. The idea of paying £1 for an ice cream doesn’t seem that horrible when you compare it to taking a ten minute bus journey to Lidl.

Fortunately for Fallowfield residents, this is false. Legality is probably to thank due to national pricing policies, where the same price has to be enforced nationwide. So, having the same price everywhere else bar one store located in a student area is more than a little bit dodgy. In 2011, Tesco also faced controversy when they were accused of selling some products for less in Scotland than everywhere else. In 2012, The Mancunion found that, on the contrary, Fallowfield’s Sainsbury’s wasn’t even the most expensive supermarket in the area, with Tesco reaching a slightly higher overall price total. Furthermore, The Mancunion bought Sainsbury’s goods online and compared them to the Fallowfield store, finding that the price was in fact the same. Rumour busted.

There’s also the rumour that Oxford/Wilmslow Road corridor is the busiest bus route in Europe. This can easily be believed, as the wait for a bus isn’t usually that long, and when a bus does turn up, it’s leading a line of four more buses, resulting in a road that’s rarely empty.

On occasion, bus drivers with just-about-empty buses don’t even bother stopping for a muddled line of students as they probably realise that another bus will turn up in 15 seconds. Despite all this making the rumour believable, it is something that, most likely, can’t be proved.

The initial issue is that there isn’t really any way of comparing the bus frequency on different routes throughout Europe. The number of buses going down a road change depending on the time of day and while the wait for a bus is often not that long, with one usually turning up every minute, on some occasions it can frustratingly long. Also, buses at night time are far less frequent than those during the day.

However, the fact the Manchester runs night buses may give it an edge. The Parliamentary Select Committee on Transport in 2006 described Wilmslow Road corridor as “chaos” and “overcrowded to the point of congestion” due to the competitiveness of the two main bus companies, Stagecoach and First. While it’s not the most farfetched rumour, there’s no way of really confirming it.

The medical building, Stopford, has also been in the spotlight of university gossip. It’s a slightly more doubtful rumour but still exists. The fourth floor of Stopford harbours a lot of mystery. Restricted to staff, a big sign displaying such a warning rests on the walls of the stairs leading up to the forbidden corridor.

After asking some medical students, a Starbucks is apparently located on the fourth floor, but no-one is ever able to get up there—not the best business strategy. But that’s not too exciting, hardly a rumour that’s going to spread around campus like wildfire.

The real gossip comes from word that animals occupy the fourth floor and have made quite a comfortable home up there. Not solely lab-type animals like rats and frogs but even monkeys. After asking staff at the front desk, we were told that as fun as this would be, the fourth floor does not have an array of animals that would put the African plains to shame; although apparently an ostrich did overstay his welcome there once.

There has also been the rumour that the buildings on the northern campus of he university are haunted. After asking some people, while this is believed to be true by some, this is not a common rumour. On whether this is true, the issue of ghosts is still a mystery so this one remains unsolved.

The McDonalds in Fallowfield is also always talked about as being the first drive-thru restaurant in the UK. But did one of the biggest corporations in the world really open their first drive-thru in the heart of South Manchester? A quick search online is filled with the same stories, but nothing official confirming it. However, we reached out to McDonalds and they did confirm to us that the Fallowfield restaurant on Wilmslow Road opened on 15th September 1986 and was their first drive-thru restaurant in the UK. History right in the heart of Fallowfield.

Halloween style stars from the silver screen

For the more sartorially savvy amongst us, Halloween can be something of a nightmare. Do you forgo your fashion credibility for full on fright, or do you attempt a half-arsed costume that’s less spooky and more sexy? Well with a little help from these scary but stylish silver screen stars, you can have it all this Halloween.

Photo: Paramount Pictures

Wednesday Addams
Heroine of goth girls the world over, Wednesday’s chic black pinafore with contrasting white collar is oh so Valentino and has inspired legions of copycats. Topped off with her trademark pigtail plaits, this look is best accessorised with apathy and deep disdain.

 

Photo: Warner Bros Pictures

Beetlejuice
The Beetlejuice stripe has been a fashion mainstay for a few years now. Monochrome plus a sharp suit can only equal style points; well that’s what you’d think… Unfortunately the famous costume reached new horrible heights last year when everybody’s favourite creepy misogynist Robin Thicke wore his version of the iconic black-and-white suit to perform at the VMAs. There are two ways to go: either sample the Beetlejuice stripe in one element of your Halloween outfit for understated appeal, or go full on Thicke. There’s no doubt which one’s more frightening…

 

Photo: Screengrab

Michael Jackson in Thriller
Probably the scariest music video ever made also just happens to feature the most 80s jacket you’ve ever seen. Yes, red and black and super shiny, the outerwear of MJ’s teenwolf character is arguably as famous as his killer dance moves. Rock one of these bad boys on the 31st with caution as your friends will definitely make you do the dance.

 

Photo: Walt Disney Pictures

Cruella De Vil
Back in 1996 Cruella’s animal skin obsession made her less of an icon and more of an oddity, however fast forward to 2014 and her monochrome ensembles and supersized fur coats would look at home in the street style circus outside any fashion show.

 

Photo: Walt Disney Pictures

Maleficent
Even before Angelina Jolie’s cut-glass cheekbones came into the picture, Maleficent’s long black cloak and statement collar made her a seriously scary style icon. With Miss Jolie in the mix, however, the Mistress of All Evil’s red lip and smoky eye beauty look is even more desirable.

Monster mash

Halloween: one of the best nights of the year. Everyone makes an effort, everyone gets drunk, and everyone has fun. But what about us poor students who can’t afford an extravagant costume? Fear not, I am here to help. Here are some super easy and quick tips on how to make costumes from everyday items.

 

Bat
To make a bat costume all you need is some dark clothing, bin bags and cardboard. Make cardboard bat ears that can be pinned to your head or attached to a hairband. Cut-out black bin bags can be attached to wrists and shoulders to make bat wings. Cardboard ears can be used to transform yourself into any animal, including the superstitious black cat. You can also stuff a pair of black tights and attach to a belt to make a wonderful tail. This tight trick could also be used to make spiders legs!

Skeleton
Cut bone shapes out of paper and attach them to an all-black outfit with safety pins. This is where your medic friends may come in handy!

Vampire
Bin bags to the rescue again! This item can transform almost any outfit. Again, dark clothes are probably the most fitting for the spooky theme. Simply cut out a cape from the bin bags. Job’s a good’un.

Fake blood
You can make fake blood to stain your clothes and create fake injuries with. This is perfect for zombies or vampires.
You will need: Plain flour, water, red food colouring, 1 tsp of instant coffee. The quantity of ingredients isn’t important, as it depends on how much fake blood you want to make. Boil some water in a pan, then sieve in some flour. Next, add the red food colouring. Finally add the coffee to the hot mixture and stir.

 

These may not be the most original Halloween outfits you will ever wear, but they have got to be some of the cheapest! Accessorize your look with some pale make-up, heavy eye-liner and dark lipstick to achieve the gothic feel. With these handy tips, you don’t need to think about your Halloween outfit until the night!

Gothic fashion will never die

Traditionally the term ‘Goth’ is associated with a specific social group, and this often comes with connotations of music taste, and attitudes towards more intricate issues like cultism. However, since the turn of the century the fashion and beauty industry has seen an explosion of Gothic subculture begin to influence a wider market.

Gothic fashion has inspired us to experiment with black, red, royal purple and other dark palettes by pairing them with captivating fabrics; as well as being pleasing to the eye and touch, these fabrics also add an element of mystery. Velvet, silk and sheer fabrics make seemingly simplistic items of clothing more dynamic. The use of lengths and layers creates more depth to dark ensembles—particularly outfits in all black. Kim Kardashian proved this by wearing a statement Givenchy sheer black lace jumpsuit at their AW14/15 show at Paris Fashion Week.

Photo: Selfridges

In terms of make-up, winged eye-liner is a common aspect of everyday makeup and can be applied more fiercely to transform a look from day to night. Everyone’s favourite—MAC Ruby Woo vamp lipstick—has been substituted for a much darker lip (à la Jessie J), and there has been continued mass production of Urban Decay’s Smoked eye shadow palette.

Although some of us may associate Gothic clothing with Avril Lavigne and an overwhelming increase in black eye pencil sales, simply observing the case of fashionista Lorde will help you to see how underlying Gothic influence has become a huge fashion trend. From high street fashion to Valentino’s studded sling-backs, there’s no doubt that Gothic style is currently influencing the way we dress. It’s the unconscious element of this trend that leads me to believe it won’t vanquish any time soon.

Halloween tutorial: seriously scary skull

To achieve this nightmarish (in the most fashionable sense of the word) look you’ll need the following:

– White and black face-paint

– Black eye-liner

– Black eye-shadow

– Make up sponges

– Fluffy eye-shadow brush

– Setting spray

Send photos of your (hopefully successful) attempts at the skull face to our Twitter at @mancunionfash or tag us on Instagram at @mancunionfashionandbeauty

Photo: Ellie Howe

Step 1:

Apply white face paint all over the face using a makeup sponge (both sold in Afflecks Palace). Draw two black blobs over the eyes using black eyeliner and eye shadow—think morning panda eyes. You can also add black eyeliner into the waterline for a more dramatic effect. Use the eyeliner to draw around the end of the nose, covering the nostrils, and create two points leading up towards the eyes (make sure your eyeliner is sharp enough). Fill this in using eye shadow. Using the eyeliner, draw a thin line leading from both corners of the mouth, keeping it in line with the hollow between the lips.

 

Photo: Ellie Howe

Step 2:

Draw a series of perpendicular lines over the mouth line to replicate teeth until you reach the middle of the jawline (there should be about fourteen lines in total). Draw in the jaw bone using eyeliner; start by tracing around the jaw up to the ear, then sketch the jaw bones, replicating the shapes seen in the accompanying photo. Fill in the gaps between the bone shapes, to create the illusion of a hollow. Make sure that the line from the mouth falls in the middle of the cheek-hollow.

 

Photo: Ellie Howe

Step 3:

To create the illusion of teeth, use the eyeliner to draw a triangular cap over the ‘teeth’ lines, and fill in the gaps between these triangles on the back three ‘teeth’. Use a fluffy eye shadow brush to blend out these lines, creating the illusion of more depth. Use black eye shadow to fill-in the top jaw bone, roughly applying it to the central gaps and blending out using the same fluffy brush. Follow this above the jaw bone, leading up to the temple. Fill in the temple using the same technique.

 

Photo: Ellie Howe

Step 4:

To create contours around the eyes, draw two semi-circular lines around the start of the eyebrow, coming from the eye hollows. Draw similar lines directly underneath the eye hollows (think 9am eye bags) and around the bottom of the hollow, over the cheek bone. Draw another, less precise line either side of the nose, roughly joining the under eye lines, and blend them out, creating a contouring effect around either side of the nose. Set the entire look with a setting spray to finish and voilà! You are now a seriously scary skull.

Fifty shades of beige

My ongoing nine year ‘foundation voyage’ has been a turbulent and complex one, and I have left a countless number of beauty counters either as Peppa Pig’s twisted human doppelganger, or a bizarre hue of biscuit (neither or which, by the way, correspond with my own natural skin tone, I’d say I’m more Hovis multigrain). Year after year I would cake my face with the alien shades at my disposal, and photo after photo I was harshly reminded me that I was trying to be part of an industry that simply didn’t want me there.

Whether I was counting my pennies in Superdrug or making an investment at Selfridges, it seemed that most make-up brands either hadn’t cottoned on to the existence of darker skin, or that they simply didn’t care. Bobbi Brown recently divulged that at the beginning of her career, she had to formulate make-up for her darker skinned models, as their natural shades simply weren’t available. The industry had a ‘one size fits all approach’, the only problem being that ‘all’ was code for ‘Caucasian’ and the sizing system cruel.

Nowadays it would seem that the story is a little different, though there is still a lot of progress to be made. Pioneers of the beauty industry such as Nars and Mac openly celebrate ethnic difference and equality, catering for all skin types and tones. What’s more when black model Jourdan Dunn was chosen as he face of YSL’s touche eclat shades for darker skin, it was a ‘breakthrough’. And interestingly enough, Lancôme actually consulted the US research group Women of Color to develop their new Teint Idole Ultra 24hr foundation, their most inclusive range.

Although I appreciate and recognise products specially formulated for ethnic skin, I can’t help but feel that their existence (particularly that of the tactlessly named ‘Black Up’) equates to pointing the finger at someone and zealously, screaming “you’re different, Chanel wasn’t made for you.” It therefore makes me proud to see that aside from specialist beauty brands such as Flori Roberts and Fashion Fair, iconic and global brands are channelling their energies into catering to the spectrum of skin colours that fall between black and white.

Although these shifts within the beauty world may well reflect changing attitudes towards ethnic difference, it isn’t simply a question of featuring an ‘ethnic’ cover girl or widening the global roster of foundation shades, and dismissing the core issues. It’s important to recognise that the key to revolutionising the beauty industry is not only in representing different groups but in how we represent and perceive them. After all, how often is black women’s skin edited to look brighter and more bronzed in editorials? And isn’t it a little strange that on the rare occasion that Indian models are featured in mainstream fashion magazines, they pertain to the fair-skinned Bollywood ideal of South Asian beauty? Finally and perhaps most importantly (albeit a little crude), why is every ethnic model featured in beauty campaigns sensationalised as ‘breakthrough’, when in reality they are just another exceptionally beautiful human being amongst a troop of other beautiful human beings?

It’s time for all makeup brands to join the beauty revolution until inclusivity becomes the norm. I want brands to disassociate themselves from our culture of ‘tokenship’ and ingrained beauty ideals and lead us to a future where featuring Jourdan Dunn in an ad campaign isn’t considered a front page news and specialist ethnic beauty brands aren’t seen as a saving grace for ‘suffering’ shade seekers.

After all, let’s face it, we all have problems and whether you’re ‘beige’, ‘bronzed’ or ‘biscuit’ should not be one of them.

Review: Best of BE Festival

As the first visiting production of HOME’s inaugural, off-site season, Best of BE Festival assimilates faultlessly into their host’s makeshift occupancy of Number 1 First Street. Quirky, mismatched furniture and low-level lighting transforms uninviting offices into a welcoming cultural experience—a dreamy location for the Birmingham festival’s fascinating four-piece programme of European performance.

Specially invited for Manchester, ‘Beating McEnroe’ opens the evening. With furious energy and genuine affability, Jamie Wood playfully deconstructs the ritualism of tennis. Posing with shamanic faux-gravitas, dressed in towels and a lion hat, madcap chapters blister through John McEnroe’s and Björn Borg’s rivalry as a reflection of Wood’s fraternal youth. He intelligently utilises childhood, imaginary play as a form for audience participation and engagement, with some throwing tennis balls and encouragement, others recreating Wood’s own past to his directorial agitation. The spectator-actor collaboration in creating fantastical roleplay proves hilarious, and in considering the power of familial/celebrity reverence, becomes ultimately disconcerting.

Julia Schwarzbach’s ‘Loops and Breaks’ considers the audience’s place within performance structure further, to exhilarating effect. You collect an envelope holding an instruction, such as selfie-taking or slapping Schwarzbach, to be enacted on stage while she performs and dances. Upon finishing her routine, the envelopes are swapped and her performance repeats, ready to be interrupted again. Creating a fluid, visual score defined by the improvised encounter is the piece’s triumph. The subjective uniqueness of each departure point is invigorating and empowering, retaining individual focus amongst wondrous, overwhelming chaos.

‘From The Waltz to the Mambo’ was frustrating—despite astonishing physicality from Milan Ujvari and stimulating ideas on the limitations of hierarchal educative discourse, his emphasis on physical skill hampered the communicative effect. The final piece, Mokhallad Rasem’s ‘Waiting’, projected filmed footage onto ripped, white bedsheets, dimensionalising a talking head public’s ideas on the topic. Posited as waste for the privileged, hope for the rest, split between time, place and selves, the idea of a wait’s transitory space is precisely and touchingly expressed.

With a meal included, the opportunity to talk with artists, audience members and HOME’s artistic team emphasised the community ethos of both institutions. With some critics questioning the success of this in other venues, it is clear that there’s no place like HOME for the Best of BE Festival’s eclectic, pioneering programme.

Review: Juke Box Baby

Homophobia, sexism and class disputes; Juke Box Baby at Salford Arts Theatre included a broadband of societal issues. Performed by 9 actors and being the second instalment of 1956 Theatre’s rep season, the play felt very intimate and refreshing. Set in the swinging 50s in New York, two brothers face the hardships of life and go through several rites of passages to discover freedom and love.

Because Bobby is about to lose his baseball scholarship, his older brother Jimmie writes an outstanding essay to save Bobby’s grade. The suspicious, but impressed teacher quickly figures out the real author and tries to help him getting a grip on his life and finding a job with a future. Jimmie’s and Bobby’s vulnerability in the face of an abusive father and societal pressure are shocking yet humane.

The strongest point of the play was the original script written by Lee Lomas, who also plays the elder of the brothers. The script could easily be imagined as a musical at the West End because of the very relatable and authentic themes. Furthermore, Lomas managed to create a rare connectivity between the characters and events in the play, every moment and role had a voice and purpose and the cast was chosen accordingly. Especially Lee Lomas performed brilliantly as Jimmie and Bradley Cross as JC, the always enthusiastic, but often victimised friend let the audience roar with laughter. Graham Eaglesham impressed as well in the double role as the alcoholic father and helpful teacher.

Although the themes of the play were very relevant, it sometimes seemed a bit like a too stereotypical portrayal of the 50s in the United States, but that might have been intentional to achieve a parody effect. Another question is why was the play set overseas? It would have been refreshing and more natural to see a similar story in the 50s set in England or Greater Manchester. Despite their best efforts, the Brooklyn Accents which the actors tried to adapt did not always seem completely authentic and sometimes distracted from the poignant performance abilities of the actors.

The play was notwithstanding a pleasure to witness and the talented actors gripped the audience with their performances, especially the small stage with a rather minimalist set design created a wonderful atmosphere for a delightful night accompanied by the sounds of Rock’n’Roll in Salford.

Don’t miss Juke Box Baby (running until the 18th of October) and the other 2 Rep performances!

4 out of 5 stars

Competition: Win tickets to see Sam Smith, Gorgon City, Labrinth, Ella Eyre and Rixton!

From the oh-so-scary bunting to the worryingly green and orange food in every single shop, Halloween is coming. That means so are the Halloween-themed nights. Perhaps one of the biggest nights happening over the Halloween weekend is the VEVO Halloween Party at Victoria Warehouse.

Though there are many top-class acts at the event, the one I am looking forward to the most is Gorgon City. For someone who missed out on tickets to see the duo at Warehouse Project, this event is absolutely perfect.

If Gorgon City, plus acts like Sam Smith, Ella Eyre and Labyrinth, aren’t enough for you, then the Zombie theme and the venue’s slightly creepy abandoned warehouse feel should definitely get you into the Halloween mood.

To enter the competition, head on over to Facebook page and share the link to this article. Don’t forget to like the page to be in for a chance to win one of two pairs of tickets for the night!

Celebrate Foundation Day through philanthropy

The 22nd October marks the 10th anniversary of the foundation of the University of Manchester. To celebrate the historical generosity of graduates and the landmark year, the university will be having a series of projects and events.

UMIST and the Victoria University merged in 2004. Since then the university has gone from strength to strength, thanks in no small part to donations from around 9300 alumni.

These donations help fund the education of low-income students and those from developing countries, improve the student experience and contribute towards cutting-edge cancer research.

This year, students are offered the chance to continue the philanthropic legacy by taking part in the Purple Pig Challenge.

300 mini purple piggy banks will be available from a stall in University Place for students to take away, keep for six months, and fill with regular, small gifts. The suggested donation is £3.

In March 2015 the donations will be pooled and the total proceeds will go towards whichever cause the donors see to be necessary.

This could be in the form of scholarships, research funding for cancer, diabetes, or poverty, or another worthy cause related to the university.

As well as the Purple Pig Challenge, a stall in University Place will be offering information on how to expand horizons using the alumni network.

There will be free guides available on how to energise your network with the university’s LinkedIn platforms.

Esteemed author and activist Professor Jeanette Winterson will give the prestigious Foundation lecture, entitled ‘Manchester: from Gradgrind to Graphene’.

After this, honorary degrees will be awarded at a ceremony in Whitworth Hall to Winterson, Professor Dame Julia King, and Simon Weston OBE, known for his charitable work since the 1980s.