'Another much loved part of the soul of the city is in need'

I WAS dispatched to Salford in 1988 as the district reporter for the MEN.

- NEAL KEELING

By then The Smiths had split after delivering their swansong album "Strangeways Here We Come the year before.

A patch reporter needs to identify people and places that can enlighten you with local knowledge, guidance, and nous. There were maverick councillors to get to know, community leaders, and local 'characters! The Ordsall district then was a tough place to walk and knock on doors. In 1992 it was scarred by rioting which erupted across the city as tensions between police and an elements of the population exploded.