Not long ago, I got a tip off from a reader who'd seen my piece about Manchester's warring tour guides. She told me of a similar battle going on between the burger vans outside Old Trafford - mostly run by women from Odsall: "salt of the earth... but you'd rather have them as friend than foe".

Leandra is one of the longest-serving women at the Old Trafford Burger vans. Her mum owned her van before her, and brought her to work since she was a baby.

Would warmly recommend people subscribe to the @manchestermill.bsky.social. You get genuine exclusive stories about Greater Manchester, warm and interesting stories (like this morning about Old Trafford's burger van scene) and you don't get duped with clickbait trash from Manchester Evening News.

Walk by Old Trafford on a match day evening and you’ll mostly see men eating burgers. But if you'd passed by a few hours earlier you’d have seen something different: local street traders, mostly women, staking their vans onto numbered pitches, heating vats of tea for the drawn-out night ahead...

If you like what you read here then do subscribe to @manchestermill.bsky.social manchestermill.co.uk/our-favourit...

A story that was very important to me, for @manchestermill.bsky.social in August - a deep dive into Andrea Ashworth, author of the 1990s working class classic Once In A House On Fire manchestermill.co.uk/andrea-ashwo...

I absolutely love The Mill's newsletter layout and flow - Opening letter - Ads/sub plug - A couple story blurbs - Weather - Home of the week - Events - Closing CTAs I'm studying this as I shift my newsletter strategy for 2026 manchestermill.co.uk/farewell-to-... @manchestermill.bsky.social

🎄 Herring soup and piss ups: this is Christmas in Georgian Manchester. We look at how Mancunians in the 18th century made merry. manchestermill.co.uk/herring-soup...

I have been so disappointed by the lack of urgency and transparency displayed by the universities watchdog. Allegations of impropriety at the University of Greater Manchester surfaced months ago after @manchestermill.bsky.social reporting, so why has a formal investigation only just been launched?

🕥 ‘After the The Mill’s first reports, parliament was told in March that the OfS and police were investigating. But while GMP said in May they were looking into “financial irregularities” at the university, the OfS did not announce its own investigation until this month’

Honourable mention of @manchestermill.bsky.social Regulator ‘asleep at the wheel’ over University of Greater Manchester investigation, MP says www.theguardian.com/education/20...

🚨BIG HIRING NEWS🚨 We're hiring for a marketing and events assistant! Applications close Sunday 4 January, and the successful candidate will be: - Creative, organised and highly efficient - Committed to working in a fast-paced startup - A talented social media operator More below:

Lovely story on the man behind the "Howard" tag in @manchestermill.bsky.social manchestermill.co.uk/howards-name...

"The Baroness and the banker: more questions the University of Greater Manchester doesn’t want to answer"

Every single word of this is true, heartfelt and powerful. *This* is why I grieve for the radio we've lost, the radio we used to have. I'm proud to have worked in radio when radio mattered Please read this closely. I feel it deeply Losing local radio — and my mum www.livpost.co.uk/losing-local...

90 mins left - let’s gooo

Less than 10 HOURS LEFT in what has become an incredibly successful @manchestermill.bsky.social membership campaign. Join up now if - for some reason - you haven’t done so yet. Award winning journalism and you choose the price. Ends at midnight. manchestermill.co.uk/less-than-10...

Pleased to say that @manchestermill.bsky.social met their target two days early. Well done 👏

Still looking for a Christmas gift? One for that most discerning friend? Look no further, The Mill is offering heavily discounted gift subscriptions this Christmas. It's thoughtful, local, and totally sustainable. Click here for more info: manchestermill.co.uk/give-the-gi...

Our campaign ends tomorrow night! More than 1,000 new members have joined, and you can join them - and pay what you choose for your first two months. manchestermill.co.uk/lp-1/

Another belter from @manchestermill.bsky.social @joshih.bsky.social and crew. Time the Uni of Manchester was taken over by a more transparent operator ? manchestermill.co.uk/the-baroness...

I've just subscribed! Looking forward to quality journalism, not clickbait, about my area.

This year, give your loved ones a gift that actually keeps on giving: a subscription to The Mill It’s thoughtful, local, and completely sustainable, and this year, you can get one at a heavy discount. Click here for details: manchestermill.co.uk/give-the-gi...

🍾Well there it is! 1,000 new members in three weeks Endless thanks to the new readers who have subscribed, and the hundreds of existing members who have helped us handing out print editions and spreading the word

We're so incredibly close to reaching our goal of 1,000 new members! There's only 3 days left to become a Miller and pay whatever you can. Become a part of the campaign to revive local journalism, through the link below!

🏆 We won a British Journalism Award! The judges said @molliesimpson.bsky.social's investigation into the University of Greater Manchester is a "first-class piece of investigative reporting by a journalist who would not be thrown off the trail".

The latest in our reporting on sexual misconduct by @mancitycouncil.bsky.social executives: we take readers inside a hastily-organised video call with 2,500 council staff. manchestermill.co.uk/manchesters-...

🥳🥳🥳

Congratulations to the Local Journalism award winners @molliesimpson.bsky.social @joshih.bsky.social @manchestermill.bsky.social for an investigation into the University of Greater Manchester #BJA2025

We’re closing in! 97 more members to get. Three days to go. Amazing effort by the Millers to make this campaign such a success. manchestermill.co.uk

🗞️Listen up Millers! With just 134 new members needed to hit our target of 1000 before Sunday, it's high time to talk about our pledges, which we'll be committing to if we make the magic number manchestermill.co.uk/the-problems...

⌛Only four days left now in our 1000 member push! With a late push we'll make it to the finish line and commit to six amazing pledges to Manchester

We've reached Hollywood 🎥

Pay what you feel for quality journalism that spotlights local issues and generates national coverage. manchestermill.co.uk/lp-3/?referr...

You can choose how much to pay for the first few months. If you value local journalism - wherever you live - sign up! @manchestermill.bsky.social and its fellow papers in Liverpool, Sheffield and London are essential for democracy.

🚨 Just five days left in our campaign! We’re 303 members away from our target 🎯 Please share the link manchestermill.co.uk or join up now for a price you choose to help us get there.

Happy to count myself among the paying members of @manchestermill.bsky.social, mainly due to their fantastic investigations. If you're in #GreaterManchester, I can recommend (and it currently has an initial ‘pay what you want’ offer)👇

Two Mill investigations have been followed up by the national press this week. Thanks to @theguardian.com for crediting our reporting on both without needing to be prompted. It’s because of our paying members that we can do impactful journalism like this, which holds local authorities to account.

Our campaign ends ON SUNDAY! We’re on 664 new members, on our way to our 1000 target 🎯. Please join up now and spread the word 🙏 manchestermill.co.uk/lp-1/

At the start of this year, we reported on the closure of Cafe. 93, a lifeline for vulnerable people in Harpurhey Over the weekend, we covered its re-opening, and the two women who worked tirelessly to make it happen.

Welcome news that the OfS have opened an inquiry into the University of Greater Manchester, and a huge testament to the power of local journalism done well www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Regulators open inquiry into University of Greater Manchester amid fraud claims www.theguardian.com/education/20... With reference to extensive reporting by @manchestermill.bsky.social

My heart sings! I cancelled The Times today to make room for the @manchestermill.bsky.social, Britain's best online local newspaper. Make no mistake - this one's better than most anything we did in the newsroom, back in the day. #Manchester #ManchesterMill #TheMill @joshih.bsky.social

“You were anxious all the time,” Pauline tells me as our chat comes to an end. “You weren’t sleeping, you weren’t eating". Meet Andrew Milne, the London lawyer terrorising homeowners in Horwich manchestermill.co.uk/meet-the-lon...

The @manchestermill.bsky.social keeps demonstrating why it is so important to have a truly local paper. They really do feel like they are a part of Manchester, not "reporting" on it from somewhere else! They're doing a cool special right now, where you can pay what you like for two months!

If you value journalism, you have to pay for it. In the past, you would have bought a newspaper or a magazine. In the online world, you need to subscribe or it will eventually disappear under a tide of AI slop and adverts. @manchestermill.bsky.social is one of many local quality sources. Subscribe!

An amazing opportunity to subscribe to the Mill, a local Manchester newspaper that does the proper reporting and investigating, for basically ‘give what you can’ prices! manchestermill.co.uk/r/3359d2b6?m...

This story is a complete disgrace - and an explanation of so much that is wrong with our economic system. Great reporting by @manchestermill.bsky.social as ever. manchestermill.co.uk/meet-the-lon...

I don’t even live in the NW but i read @manchestermill.bsky.social religiously because it’s doing a terrific job of real investigative local journalism. Along with sister publications, @joshiherrmann.bsky.social and team are doing an excellent job. Give it a try. manchestermill.co.uk/lp-1/

Over the weekend we revealed a confidential report that found how Rochdale Council CEO James Binks inappropriately touched a female colleague when he was assistant CEO at Manchester City Council. Yesterday, Binks was suspended.