We’re in this together...

MANCHESTER is a city like no other - with a cultural life that’s as varied, vibrant and exciting as anywhere else on the planet.

You could almost hear the shockwave that went out across town as all that came to a juddering halt this week when the government delivered its latest advice on the current public health crisis. Don’t socialise, they said. Socialising is what we do here and it’s hard to imagine a city in which we can’t nip to the pub on the way home from work, or pop out to a cafe for lunch. No weekend restaurant treats, or trips out for Sunday lunch. No theatre, no art galleries. No live music.

It seems unthinkable, and we, like you, are still reeling, even though we know for sure it’s absolutely without question necessary.

There is one other thing we know for sure - we won’t take it lying down, and we’re already trying to adapt to what will be the new normal, at least for a while.

This edition of CityLife features an exhaustive as possible list of the restaurants that have turned on the takeway and delivery option this week (or have always been doing it). We urge you to make as much use of it as you can!

If we value our city’s cultural life, now is the time to step up to help those whose livelihoods depend on it as they try to navigate these dark days.

Whatever happens we’ll be here with you every step of the way with whatever kind of help and support we can offer - in print here every Friday, and every day in the Manchester Evening News. And, of course, on our website at manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ whats-on, and our social channels on Twitter and Facebook.

It goes without saying that our thoughts are with the people who have lost or face losing loved ones and those who are most at risk from Covid-19. To everyone working in our amazing NHS to protect us, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

None of us knows how the next few weeks will pan out. But what we do know is that Manchester is strong and its people are resilient. We’ve faced tough times before and if it’s taught us anything it’s that we’ll always stand together.

We’ll always champion the city’s nightlife and we’ll do everything we can to keep supporting it as it evolves to deal with the current situation, as well as offering ideas about how to stay entertained at home during this isolation period.

So let’s look after each other, help where we’re able, and keep washing those hands.

We hope to see you soon!