Happy New Year to all our readers.
2013 has been a rollercoaster year that has seen Manchester hit the national and even international headlines for both good and bad.
Some have been tragic, like the horrific death of Drummer Lee Rigby from Middleton, Greater Manchester, who was slain in broad daylight in Woolwich.
While some have been heartwarming, like the Mancunians doing their bit to help those in the Philippines affected by Typhoon Haiyan.
The world of sport was left stunned and no doubt never the same again (so I’m told) by a certain man’s retirement earlier this year.
As a city, we’ve been shocked – a bolt of lightning hitting Piccadilly train station would be a good example.
And we’ve been heartbroken – never more so than when firefighter Stephen Hunt was tragically killed when tackling a blaze in the Northern Quarter.
We’ve laughed – or at least we did once it was all ended safely – at a naked man who challenged an airport pilot to a fight before getting tasered (and slapped by his girlfriend).
We’ve been scared – such as during the bomb scare in the heart of Piccadilly.
And we’ve breathed a sigh of relief – like when police killer Dale Cregan was finally caged.
We’ve been at the forefront of innovation.
The city’s musical legacy was showcased in cinema yet again – in fact, more than once.
And of course we’ve all learnt something new… such as how Manchester has the biggest collection of Costa Rican tropical frogs in the world – outside of Costa Rica, that is. (Did you not know this? Now you do!)
We would like to thank all of our readers for seeing through 2013 with us and wish you all the best for the new year.
See you in 2014, where hopefully you’ll find MM looking just a little different. That’s right, there’s some exciting changes in the pipeline…
Thanks for reading.
Picture courtesy of Bayasaa, with thanks.
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