Revisits classic Mansun debut ahead of extensive reissue campaign

FOLLOWING his recent sold out run of solo dates, Paul Draper has announced additional details about his 2018 UK tour.

At each of the shows, Paul will play 2 sets:- 1st, he will play tracks from his acclaimed recent solo debut:- 'Spooky Action' and the 2 EPs that preceded it. After a short break, he will play Mansun's classic debut:- 'Attack of the Grey Lantern' in its entirety for the 21st Anniversary of its release. This announcement coincides with the news that Mansun's entire back catalogue has recently been acquired by Kscope (the label behind 'Spooky Action'). Each of the band's albums is currently being completely overhauled for a series of super deluxe reissues over the next few years.

Paul Draper's previously announced 2018 tour dates are:-

► Monday, 19 February 2018, at the Brighton The Haunt.

► Tuesday, 20 February 2018, at the Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms.

► Wednesday, 21 February 2018, at the Bristol Bierkellar.

► Friday, 23 February 2018, at the Dublin The Workman's Club.

► Saturday, 24 February 2018, at the Belfast Limelight 2.

► Monday, 26 February 2018, at the Edinburgh The Caves.

► Tuesday, 27 February 2018, at the Feb Glasgow The Art School.

► Thursday, 1 March 2018, at the Manchester O2 Ritz.

► Friday, 2 March 2018, at the Sheffield Leadmill.

► Saturday 3 March 2018, at the Newcastle Riverside.

► Monday, 5 March 2018, at the Nottingham Rescue Rooms.

► Tuesday, 6 March 2018, at the Norwich The Waterfront.

► Wednesday, 7 March 2018, at the Oxford O2 Academy.

► Thursday, 8 March 2018, at the London Brixton Electric.

Tickets are available online.

Originally released in February '97, 'Attack of the Grey Lantern' reached No 1 in the UK album charts shortly afterwards, propelled by a run of huge singles (including:- 'Wide Open Space,' 'Stripper Vicar' and 'Taxloss') and a fervent live following. It was with that following in mind that Paul set up an online poll to see whether people would be interested in hearing the Mansun back catalogue performed live by Paul and his current band. After an overwhelming response that produced support in roughly equal measure for AOTGL and its follow up Six, Paul decided that he would visit the records sequentially, promising dates performing Six, later in 2018.

Launch of Schools' Buying Hub North West sees significant number of registrations

SCHOOLS in the North West of England are being encouraged to register for the Schools' Buying Hub North West, a free advice and support service focused on releasing savings for Schools. Part of a strategic procurement initiative funded by the Department for Education (DfE), in partnership with professional procurement company, 2buy2, it is a key element of the DfE's Schools' Buying Strategy designed to help Schools save ₤1 billion nationally by 2020.

The North West is 1 of 2 UK regions chosen for the 12 month pilot scheme, which was launched, on 1 February 2018, with a large number of School business professionals throughout the region immediately registering their School for the service.  With capacity to support a cross section of Schools, academies and trusts in the North West as part of the pilot, it is hoped that it will be extended to include all Schools in the region should the pilot prove successful.

Through its website and a dedicated team of procurement specialists, this free advice service will support Schools to buy with confidence and realise a number of benefits, including:-

► advice and guidance on their procurement, from basic to complex (high value and time consuming purchases only made once in a while.)

► aggregated procurement (coordinating Schools to buy as a group) for greater buying power and value for money.

► the use of compliant contracts which have gone through the full PCR 2015 procurement procedure (where appropriate.)

► access to consultation services on other areas of buying to help realise savings.

To take part in the pilot, Schools are required to register online, after which they will be contacted for a free consultation concerning their purchasing needs and a comprehensive purchasing health check.

Rob Kissick, founder and CEO of 2buy2 Ltd, said:- "The Schools' Buying Hub North West aims to provide compliance, confidence and cost reduction support for Schools, freeing up money for other educational resources by making supplier management and the purchasing process easier and more efficient for School business professionals across the North West. As part of this pilot, we will be providing Schools with the tools to become smarter consumers, the confidence to make better buying decisions, and the ability to challenge suppliers where necessary for better deals. We are limited to a cross section of Schools across the North West, and are anticipating a large uptake, so Schools should register their interest quickly to be included."