🌈Manchester Pride takes place over the August Bank Holiday weekend with 4 days of celebration in the heart of the Gay Village from Friday 28 August to Monday 31 August 2026. 

• Saturday 29 August: Manchester Pride Parade through the city centre.
• Monday 31 August: Community and Family Day, followed by the Candlelit Vigil at Sackville Gardens. 

Reduced service to / from Manchester Victoria from Monday 10 to Friday 14 August 

Engineering work is taking place between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge, closing some lines.

Due to the above work, there will be no route in or out of Manchester Victoria from the east (Huddersfield / Leeds / York direction). Trains will be diverted to start / terminate at Manchester Piccadilly.

There may be increased demand on both bus and Metrolink services, so passengers are being advised to plan their journeys and allow extra time if necessary.

August Tram Engineering Works

1. Sunday 9 August, from the start of service until 2pm, tram improvement works will take place at Deansgate-Castlefield and Trafford Bar.

The following changes will be in place across the network:

• No trams will operate on the Eccles, Trafford Centre and Altrincham lines
• Services operating on the East Didsbury/Manchester Airport lines will terminate at Firswood.
• Services operating on the Rochdale line will terminate at Exchange Square.

Replacement buses will operate between the affected stops.

2. Saturday 15 to Sunday 16 August 2026, works will take place at Manchester Town Hall. To allow these works to happen safely, no trams will operate via Exchange Square.

Services on the East Didsbury and Trafford Centre lines will operate via Market Street and Shudehill instead.

Customers may need to take a short walk or hop on the free bus to continue their journey.

Tram services will resume via Exchange Square from start of service on Monday 17 August.

3. Saturday 15 until Friday 28 August, track renewal works will take place on the Rochdale line, with the below service changes in place:

• On Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 August only, no trams will operate between Victoria and Rochdale Town Centre.
• From Monday 17 to Friday 28 August, no trams will run between Oldham Mumps and Rochdale Town Centre.

A bus replacement service will operate between the affected stops.

Tram services will resume from the start of service on Saturday 29 August.

AIMS - A New Applied Programme for SMEs

Manchester Digital is launching AIMS, a new applied AI programme for SMEs.

The programme is open to tech and non-tech SMEs from across Greater Manchester and the wider North West who may benefit from exploring how AI, automation or digital tools could support a practical business challenge.

Suitable SMEs may be invited to an in-person AI Enablement Day in Manchester on Tuesday 4 August, ahead of potential selection for a later 8-week deployment sprint.

Digital Inclusion Handbook 

If you know someone that needs support navigating the digital world, Manchester CIty Council’s Digital Inclusion Handbook is the perfect place to start. 

Working closely with community partners, our Digital Inclusion team has brought together a practical guide to the resources and tools available across the city.

Highlighting a variety of digital skills courses, low-cost device donation schemes, online safety resources & free digital drop-in sessions, the handbook aims to help residents feel more confident, empowered & equipped to get online.

Explore the handbook on the Digital Strategy website, or reach out to our Digital Inclusion team at digitalinclusion@manchester.gov.uk if you're interested in sharing copies with residents in your community! 

Venture Cafe Birthday Celebration

One year on from our launch, we're bringing together the founders, researchers, investors, corporates, public sector leaders and ecosystem partners who have helped shape Venture Café Manchester into one of the city's most connected innovation communities. 

Over the past year, our weekly Thursday Gatherings have welcomed thousands of attendees, showcased leading innovators and thought leaders, and created countless new connections across Greater Manchester's innovation ecosystem - all powered by our belief that isolation is the enemy of innovation.

We're delighted to be joined by the CEO of ARIA, Kathleen Fisher, for this special evening as we reflect on the impact of our first year, celebrate the partnerships that have made it possible, and look ahead to the opportunities for innovation in the years to come.

Be a part of the celebration 🎉

Looking for a place to work, meet or create?

Generator is Manchester City Council's enterprise hub, funded through the Local Growth and
Place Flexible Grants Programme.

We provide flexible co-working space, meeting rooms, event space, creative equipment, workshops, networking opportunities and access to business information.

Working alongside the Business & Intellectual Property Centre (BIPC) Greater Manchester and Build A Business (BAB), Generator helps entrepreneurs, freelancers, start-ups and small businesses connect with the information, resources and opportunities available across Manchester's business support network through 1-2-1 Business support sessions with the Enterprise officers.

Generator operates from two city-centre locations:

📍Ground Floor, Town Hall Extension, St Peter's
Square, Manchester M2 5PD 📍Unit 12 & 13, Royal Mills, 17 Redhill Street, Manchester M4 5BA.

🕒Opening times, Monday to Friday, 9:00am - 5:00pm

To arrange a visit email: generator@manchester.gov.uk

📣Applications are now open for the next Spark to Scale cohorts.

What is Spark to Scale?

Spark to Scale is a six-week programme combining expert-led workshops delivered by our very own in-house teams, peer-to-peer learning, one-to-one support, mentoring, and access to the wider GM Business Growth Hub ecosystem. The programme is designed to help business owners develop the strategies, skills, and connections needed to achieve sustainable growth.

To join the programme, businesses must:

• Have a trading address in Greater Manchester
• Employ a minimum of two people
• Generate annual turnover of £120,000 or more

 Workshops will be covering key growth themes:

1. The Scale-Up Strategy Blueprint
2. Innovation to Scale: Building Resilience Through New Ideas
3. Customer Insight to Conversion: Turning Messaging and Web Presence into Growth
4. Scaling-Up Your People Management
5. Finance, Funding & Cashflow
6. Social Value & Networking

Upcoming Cohorts: 

Cohort 7 – Bolton
📍 The Wellsprings, Bolton
📅 Starts Thursday 1 October 2026

Cohort 8 – Stockport
📍 IN Accountancy, Stockport
📅 Starts Thursday 28 January 2027

Build the confidence to lead change, inspire people and drive growth

Registration is now open for GM Business Growth Hub’s Pure Leadership 2026 workshop series.

Taking place in Manchester City Centre from 8 October to 3 December 2026, this fully funded programme is designed to help Greater Manchester leaders and professionals strengthen their leadership style, shape positive organisational culture, build high-performing teams and lead change with confidence.

Each half-day session explores one of four key pillars: Leading Self, Leading Organisation, Leading People, and Leading Change and Innovation. Participants can choose individual workshops to address specific development needs or attend the full series for a broader leadership development journey.

The workshops offer practical tools, models and techniques that leaders can apply directly to their own goals, teams and business challenges.

A simpler route to net zero for Greater Manchester businesses.

Bee Net Zero helps businesses across Greater Manchester cut carbon, save money and prepare for a cleaner, greener future.

The new Bee Net Zero website is designed to make sustainability simpler for businesses of all shapes and sizes across Greater Manchester. Making it easier to find trusted local support, practical tools and events. 

You'll find step-by-step guidance to help you to take action, save money and future-proof your business. 

For Green Careers Week 2026 (2 to 6 November 2026) we are calling on businesses and organisations across Manchester’s green economy to inspire the next generation of talent.

By giving just an hour of your time, you can visit a local school to share insights into your sector, career opportunities, skills and the role your industry plays in building a more sustainable future.

It’s a great opportunity to raise aspirations, strengthen links with education and showcase your organisation’s commitment to sustainability and social value.

To get involved, contact Work.Skills.Admin@manchester.gov.uk

Green Economy Sustainability and Net Zero support

If you are looking to improve the environmental performance of your business, Green Economy is here to help.

We help businesses to accelerate decarbonisation with consultancy, training and analysis that delivers long term resilience, environmental credibility and financial savings.

Green Economy provides a range of services to help your business to help you to achieve financial objectives whilst reducing your carbon footprint. Many of our services are free or fully-funded.