Every shop, business and family in Greater Manchester is being urged to show their love for the city as it fights back against the rioters.
The M.E.N. today backs calls for people across the region to show their civic pride by backing the ‘I Love MCR’ campaign – and prove we will never be beaten.
Council chiefs have already called on all shops, bars and restaurants to display the campaign logo for all to see.
Celebrities and footballers have joined the cause too – with members of the Coronation Street cast calling on fans to play their part, and Manchester City expected to show their support as they kick off the season against Swansea tonight.
Pat Karney, the council’s city-centre spokesman, said: “We’re calling on everyone in Greater Manchester to help get the city back on its feet.
“We want all shops and businesses to display their ‘I Love MCR’ signs proudly.
“We’re conscious budgets are tight, but we’re urging people to come in, have a cup of tea, talk to shopkeepers – it will mean the world to them.
“If you love Manchester, this is the way to show it.”
The ‘I Love MCR’ logo is being displayed on T-shirts, websites and on the boarding of defiant shops damaged in last week's violence.
The campaign has attracted thousands of followers on Facebook and Twitter, using the hashtag #IloveMCR, and Manchester Airport has posted the logo above check-in desks and on screens inside the terminals.
City manager Roberto Mancini said the club is backing the campaign.
He said: “The club and players are all committed to help Manchester recover from what has happened.
“We support the ‘I Love Manchester’ campaign and encourage all our fans and everyone else who lives and works in the city to get behind the cause.”
Former Coronation Street star Sally Lindsay said: “The people that attacked the city weren’t true Mancunians and it should not affect everyone’s passion for the city, if it’s anything like mine.
“We’ve got the best shopping going so everyone should go out and carry on as normal, just as we did after the bomb.”
Current cast member Brooke Vincent, who plays Sophie Webster, said: “Manchester is a city that we should be proud of, not trying to destroy.
“That’s why I’m supporting the ‘I Love MCR’ campaign and I hope everyone who cares for this city gets behind it.”
Colleague Catherine Tyldesley, who plays Eva Price, added: “This is our city, these are our homes, our businesses.
“Let’s nurse this amazing city back to health.”
Andrew Harrison, managing director of Manchester Airport, said: “We are proud of our region and work closely with partners like Marketing Manchester to bring visitors to our great city. We’re not going to let the actions of a few spoil all of those efforts and we are delighted to support the ‘I Love MCR’ campaign.”
Tweet
Comments
Login or Register to comment
We all love Manchester ... apart from Bob A who loves Rupert Murdoch.
I don't love manchester, I like parts of it but I can't say I love it.
Support a bonus for the Police involved sign this e-petition:
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/11134
First of all, I love Manchester, it is my adopted city for 5 years and I see me living the rest of my life here. But this is going to take a lot more than "I love Manchester T Shirts" and and a hashtag on twitter to fix this. "These people are not real Mancunians", unfortunately they are, and burying our heads in the sand and coming out with sort or rubbish is just about the worst response you could have to this situation.
We as a city have to accept that a proportion of our residents saw no problem with looting and rioting - you can sweep up the glass the next day and paint each others faces and tweet the photos but until you deal with underlying cause - whatever it may be - nothing is being fixed or changed for the better.
Manchester always beats its chest when talking about leading the way. Well lead the way now, admit there is a problem and deal your sons and daughters who have lost their way and re point there moral compasses.
The Manchester Evening News loves Manchester so much, it moved out of the city to Oldham.
“We’re calling on everyone in Greater Manchester to help get the city back on its feet."
Displaying a tacky sign created by an unimaginative marketing arm of the council will do this? There are more deep-rooted problems than this, ranging from the poverty in the city of people who can ill afford to feed themselves, let alone shop in high-end stores; to the individuals who think it's ok to throw litter on the floor like cig dimps, chewing gum and food wrappings.
Interesting how many people came out onto the streets to clean up, and yet not a single councillor joined in.The phrase lead by example is obviously lost on idiots like pat karnage.
I really do think the city centre of Manchester is great. Why then are Salford Council trying to make it as difficult as possible to get there, with the ridiculous changes to Chapel Street?
People seem more outraged by this than by the IRA bomb
As a resident of the city centre I am almost sure that the rioters came from outside especially as during the day our concierge watched them coming down from Ancoats past our apartment building. Its like the people who don't live here who drop litter and urinate on side streets they seem to forget that for some of us Manchester city centre is not just a place to shop its where we live !
I love it too but, there are better ways of showing it than wearing a t-shirt, with a logo, or putting a sticker on the car ! Get out there and do things in the communities!