Tim Bacon passed away last Friday 29 April, after a long battle with cancer. He was the founder and Chairman of Living Ventures, the successful company owning many popular bar and restaurants in Manchester, such as Artisan, Australasia and Gusto.

From Tanzania, where he had spent his childhood, to the North West England, Tim Bacon came a long way, not only geographically. Together with Tony Wilson and Graham Stringer, he’s considered as one of the drivers of the ‘90s Manchester industrial renaissance.

“Manchester is phenomenal, just phenomenal.” he once declared. Bacon helped a city that he loved to further improve and grow and there are many people who think that Spinningfields wouldn’t be the place it is today without his entrepreneurial genius.

Generous and cheerful in spirit, he carried his own vision of hospitality on for his all life, making every single brand different from the others in concept and visual aspect but offering the same great quality and service in all of them.

With Living Ventures comprising 34 restaurants and its 2,500 employees recently rating the company ninth in the Sunday Times’ Top 100 Best Places to Work, he finally won MEN “Business of the year 2015”.

In conclusion, a great man, and a huge loss for our city.

Our thoughts go to his family and friends.