THIS is a fun idea from the City Council.
If Councillor Karney develops this idea we could have quite a party on our hands.
Tens of thousands of people watched this year's Manchester Day Parade - but now, Councillor Pat Karney who chairs the annual celebration, is appealing to a wider, global audience for an event to incorporate every Manchester across the world.
The move for an International Manchester Day comes after wishes of support were sent for the city's recent (2 June) parade from two American Manchesters in New Hampshire and Massachusetts and also from Calgary in Canada, where there is an industrial area called Manchester.
"I've always known that our Manchester is deserving of worldwide note," says Cllr Karney, "But now, we can extend the hand of friendship to every Manchester in the world, for a global celebration of all things Manchester.
Manchester Day Parade
"I'm very keen for us all to share links and get to know each other - and I'm issuing an open invite for visitors from other Manchesters to come and see our great city. And, if they want to visit for next year's parade we could make it an International Manchester Day."
Manchester after Manchester after Manchester as far as the eye can see
This idea may be bigger than Councillor Karney knows. There are more than fifty Manchester's around the world.
Most of these are in the USA but there are several spread around all parts of the old British Empire. In Massachusetts there is a holiday resort called Manchester-by-the-Sea - main picture at the top of this page.
Weirdest of all there is a Manchester in a country that was never part of the British Empire. In the Amazon rainforest in northern Bolivia on the Rio Manuripi, a hundred miles and more from the nearest road, is one of the world's most humble Manchesters.
And one of my greatest disappointments - Radio 4's Journey of a Lifetime.
There are probably more Manchester namesakes around the world than for any other UK town or city. These derive from emigrants settling in recently colonised areas or because Manchester, as the embodiment of industrial progress, seemed a good title for energetic towns wanting to gain reflected glory.
But that's not the end of it.
The numbers of the Manchester's around the world attending an International Manchester Day could be massively boosted beyond these fifty plus other 'Manchesters'.
The city's industrial fame in the nineteenth century led just about every country in the world to nick-name their first industrial area, especially if characterised by textiles, as Manchester.
Thus Osaka was the 'Manchester of Japan', Ahmedabad was the 'Manchester of India' and Norrkoping was the 'Manchester of Sweden' and so on.
If Councillor Karney develops this idea we could have quite a party on our hands.
It could be the equivalent, but less misty-eyed and sentimental, of Ireland and Scotland's Gatherings, where people with ties to the 'auld' countries return.
Jonathan Schofield
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Ahmedabad - 'Manchester of India'
