'They called us the worst street in Britain, but 20 years ago everything changed'
manchestereveningnews.co.ukStanding behind the counter of the corner shop he's owned since 1990, Kaleem Ahmed remembers what Beswick was like, before the Commonwealth Games changed this corner of east Manchester forever. "When I first bought this shop the News of the World did a story about 'The worst street in Britain'," he says. "It was about a five-minute walk away and, you know what, they had it spot on.
This was a crime-ridden, forgotten part of Manchester. "The old Grey Mare Lane police station was next door, but they paid that no regard at all.
Being a shopkeeper here was a case of 'See no evil, hear no evil'. That was the only way to survive." Read more: The huge impact of Manchester City's Abu Dhabi revolution on Manchester - what we have won, and lost Costing £330m, Manchester 2002 was the largest Commonwealth Games in history.
It's come to be regarded as a turning point in Manchester's history, building on the transformation kickstarted by the 1996 IRA bomb by bringing back to life deprived districts and regenerating vast parts of the city.
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