Maybe I’ve upset the tour gods, but 28 people booked for the FREE Angel Meadow tour tonight, Wednesday 4 May, and not one turned up by start time, 6pm. No one! Why? This is the second time in a few months this has happened. Last time it was 30 booked and a no show.

Tourism is in its infancy in Manchester. We have created some hundred or so tours in and around Manchester to make the city a place where people respect its history and do things other than go to the pub. I don’t think people realise how much effort we’ve put into these tours. These are not hand-me-downs from the Blue Badge guides or the tourist board. All our tours are hewn from original research. We don’t get paid by the tourist board, the council or any Russian oligarch. Before Covid, people were happy to pay £10 in advance. Now they’re not. Fair enough. Pay £10 at the end if you think it was worth it, but at least come along if you’ve booked!

Perhaps we’ve done Angel Meadow too many times or it was just bad luck. We’ll try again.