{"id":898546,"date":"2026-04-16T18:43:35","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T18:43:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/898546\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T18:43:35","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T18:43:35","slug":"work-starts-on-mural-to-mani-in-special-place-for-the-stone-roses-legend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/898546\/","title":{"rendered":"Work starts on mural to Mani – in special place for the Stone Roses legend"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mani’s unmistakable smile can be seen taking shape on the wall, as works progress for a lasting memorial to the much-loved Manchester music star<\/p>\n

17:09, 16 Apr 2026Updated 19:24, 16 Apr 2026<\/p>\n

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The mural to Manchester music legend Mani is starting to take shape in Failsworth (Image: Greg Mounfield and Official Madchester)<\/p>\n

Work has now started on a major new mural celebrating the life and legacy of Gary \u2018Mani\u2019 Mounfield in a special place connected to the Stone Roses legend.<\/p>\n

The public artwork is being created in Mani’s hometown of Failsworth, on the side of La Fardy pub on Oldham<\/a> Road, formerly The Sun Inn. And on Thursday, Mani’<\/a>s inimitable smile could be seen taking shape on the wall as progress was made on the very special memorial to the much-loved music icon.<\/p>\n

Renowned artist Pic.One.Art, who has previously created murals in honour of Oasis in Burnage and to Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, has been commissioned to create the new mural and the location was found by Mani’s brother Greg Mounfield, who is keeping a keen eye on the works in Failsworth this week.<\/p>\n

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The mural is expected to take approximately a week to complete, weather permitting. The final design will become clear over the next week – although there’s already Primal Scream’s Screamadelica icon visible in one corner of the artwork, a nod to Mani’s time with the band.<\/p>\n

\"Gary<\/p>\n

Gary “Mani” Mounfield and his wife Imelda (Image: Ian Husband )<\/p>\n

It forms part of a wider community-led initiative launched by the not-for-profit art organisation GRIT Studios, following an overwhelming outpouring of love for the legendary bassist of The Stone Roses and Primal Scream.<\/p>\n

Mani died in November aged 63, of respiratory issues linked to a long-standing lung condition. His death came just two years after the death of his beloved wife Imelda from cancer.<\/p>\n

The project was inspired in part by Ian Brown\u2019s moving eulogy at Manchester Cathedral, including his memorable tribute to his friend and band mate: \u201cI want to start a campaign for a Mani statue \u2013 50 feet high \u2013 a solid gold statue! Mani forever! God Bless Mani!\u201d<\/p>\n

The mural is being funded through a community crowdfunder organised by GRIT Studios, with all proceeds going to the cancer charity Maggie\u2019s \u2013 a charity close to Mani and his wife Imelda\u2019s hearts during her cancer treatment. You can still contribute to the fundraiser in Mani’s name, here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Mani’s brother Greg Mounfield with the huge new mural taking shape in Failsworth(Image: Greg Mounfield and Official Madchester)<\/p>\n

Mani’s brother Greg told the MEN why the location was so special for the mural – in their hometown. He said: “Seeing this mural come to life has knocked me sideways. It\u2019s not just paint on a wall \u2014 it\u2019s Manchester showing its heart for my brother.<\/p>\n

“The support has been unbelievable, and every brushstroke is a reminder of how much love there is out there for Mani. We\u2019re humbled, we\u2019re grateful, and we\u2019re determined to keep pushing for Maggie\u2019s, who\u2019ve been a lifeline for our family.<\/p>\n

“And a massive thank you to Chris at Pic.On.Art \u2014 the graft and heart he\u2019s put into this means the world to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Greg with artist Pic.one.art as the mural begins to take shape in Failsworth(Image: Greg Mounfield and Official Madchester)<\/p>\n

Artist Pic.One.Art said: “I couldn\u2019t wait to get started on this mural. Mani meant so much to so many people, and it\u2019s an honour to be asked to create something that celebrates his life here in Failsworth.<\/p>\n

“There\u2019s a real sense of love behind this project, and I\u2019m excited to bring that to the wall for everyone to see.”<\/p>\n

John Macaulay, co-founder of GRIT Studios said: “Mani was one of the warmest, funniest and most generous people I\u2019ve ever known. He had time for everyone. The work we did together over a decade ago genuinely changed my life, and without his support, GRIT Studios probably wouldn\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n

“The support so far for this campaign has been incredible. There\u2019s still time for people to get involved and donate to the crowdfunder and every contribution is helping us not only bring this mural to life but also raise vital funds for Maggie\u2019s in Manchester.”<\/p>\n

Dame Laura Lee, Chief Executive of Maggie\u2019s has said: “Everyone at Maggie\u2019s was deeply saddened about Mani\u2019s passing last year. We remember Mani and Imelda so fondly from when we supported them at our Manchester centre after Imelda\u2019s cancer diagnosis.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

(Image: Greg Mounfield and Official Madchester)<\/p>\n

“Their generosity and time meant a great deal to us, and Mani spoke about how the kindness shown to them helped restore his faith in human nature.<\/p>\n

“I am delighted that a mural will be created in Mani\u2019s honour in the community that meant so much to him – we are incredibly grateful that the money raised will support Maggie\u2019s \u2013 it will make a real difference for people impacted by cancer in Manchester.<\/p>\n

“Maggie\u2019s offer free expert psychological, emotional and practical support for people with cancer, as well as their family and friends, in 27 centres across the UK \u2013 please come in if you need support.”<\/p>\n

The mural is expected to become a lasting cultural landmark in North Manchester, offering fans and the local community a place to reflect and celebrate Mani\u2019s enduring influence on music and culture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mani’s unmistakable smile can be seen taking shape on the wall, as works progress for a lasting memorial…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":898547,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[748,393,37681,4884,2465,696,81057,70573,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-898546","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-failsworth-and-hollinwood","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-manchester","13":"tag-manchester-music","14":"tag-mani","15":"tag-stone-roses","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116415864829495351","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/898546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=898546"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/898546\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/898547"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=898546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=898546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=898546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}