Comeback entrepreneur Gerald Ratner last night called for regional business leaders to pull together and work through the economic storm during a speech at Insider’s North West Leaders Dinner in Salford. Ratner bounced back from an infamous PR gaff in 1991 when he joked that a pair of earrings sold in his shop were cheaper than a prawn sandwich but probably wouldn’t last as long. He now runs Britain’s largest online jewellers, Gerald Online, and told the audience that problem solving in the current climate was the key to getting through the tough times. “Nobody can predict the future and sometimes you need a bit of luck but, however bad it gets, it’s better to be working and surviving,” he said. “We all have stress and business is a series of problems – let’s solve them rather than moan about them.” The event attracted more than 150 key business leaders from around the region and was sponsored by DLA Piper and The Co-operative Bank.

Manchester’s Radisson Edwardian hotel has declared self-sufficiency as the way forward. Under new head chef Russ Brown, the hotel has created a roof garden to grow its own herbs and vegetables. Brown told Insider: “No other hotel in Manchester does this, but it seems so obvious – we could become entirely self-sufficient in time.” The hotel will unveil new menus at its Opus One and Alto restaurants after hosting the Labour conference this month and is looking at building a mezzanine floor in the Opus One bar.

Question: Can the Abu Dhabi royal family’s baffling interest in Man City be traced back to rogue United fans peppering football phone-ins with hoax calls about what a massive club City is? It’s more plausible than learning of the club through the financial press if this from Tuesday’s FT is anything to go by: “The City faithful are famed for their renditions of Always look on the bright side of life.” Really? We could have sworn it was United fans in the early 1990s who favoured this ditty. Honestly.

August is but a damp memory and the event season is upon us. The Lowry Hotel and Radisson Edwardian both came up with the goods in their usual style, while a special mention must go to the Travelling Gourmet after a sterling display at this week’s Insider round table. But let’s hear it for HSBC. The tucker at the bank’s St Anns Square bash was reasonable enough, but with the added entertainment of golf simulators, comedy sketches and a levitating magician, who could deny them the prize? Bravo!