A very warm welcome to Manchester Cathedral. The Challenging Hate Forum is hosting today’s special public event in support of Hate Crime Awareness Week (6 February - 12 Feb 2017).

This year 2017, we at TPAS are celebrating our 10th year of the TPAS Awards. Our first stop was as usual the South, and what a day we had at the Hilton, Wembley, London. Once again, congratulations to all of our nominees and all of our winners.

Yesterday, there was great excitement in Shrewsbury for the VIP Launch of Climbing The Walls. I can tell you that I do a number of launches of new and exciting ventures but this had to be one of the best ever. Congratulations to everyone involved in bringing this sensational venture to fruition! I suspect that much joy will be experienced on these walls in the coming years.

Once again it was time to travel to Bradford for the 2016 InCommunities Staff Conference. A massive crowd was on hand for some really inspirational presentations from the start of the day to the finish. It was, once again, an absolute joy to be a part of it.

Each year for the past 4 years, a very special photographic competition, called Capture The Cathedral, has been held. The only brief of the competition is to capture the best photographs of Manchester Cathedral in one of three Categories. Architecture and Stained Glass, Cathedral at Night and Something Special. This is my third year of being on the Judging Panel and I can say it was, once again, an absolute joy. Congratulations to all the entrants, all the finalists, the Category winners and the Overall Winner. We hope you will thinking about entering next year.

29 April 2016 TPAS Northern Awards Palace Hotel, Manchester Host Corporate

They say 25 years is a long time but it feels like is was just a few years ago. Sunset Radio launched on the 22nd of October 1989 after years of campaigning for this type of radio station. Looking round the internet there are bits of Sunset all over the place. I will try to bring together as much as I can here on mikeshaft.com. I am editing nothing. It is as it was.

More stories and photos added.

Having attended the Commonwealth Games on 3 previous occasions, It was with great excitement that I boarded the 05:00 train from Manchester to Glasgow on Friday the 1st of August to attend my 4th Games. A full report will follow but here is the mikeshaft.com Photo Album.

12 years ago Manchester hosted the 17th Commonwealth Games. Now as Glasgow 2014 invites the world to the party, BBC Radio Manchester used today the 28/07/2014 to celebrate the Games being in Glasgow and to look back at the joy that was spread back in Manchester 2002.