A local family have been “making Wythenshawe proud” this year by cleaning up their community and raising money for charity along the way.
The Brookes family may not have imagined the new year to begin this way, but they haven’t looked back since.
When Anthony and his wife Danielle by chance saw an advertisement on social media calling on volunteers to help with a Christmas clean-up event in their local area just before 2020 drew to a close, they decided to get themselves and their two young daughters, Charlotte and Toni, involved in the action as a way of creating a positive impact – having just recently “become more spiritually aware” – and starting the new year with the best intentions going forward.
And after Anthony had also recently survived a number of job cut-backs at the company he works for, and found himself furloughed with the new gig of homeschool teacher for the duration of England’s current national lockdown, he also saw it as a unique learning opportunity.
The opportunity to teach something the textbooks can’t.
After “[learning] a lot over the past couple of years”, he was keen to not only lead by example for his daughters, but also to teach them the power of contribution and carrying out good deeds from an early age.
Quite simply, they just wanted to make a difference – and that’s exactly what they’ve done.
Gearing up for the task ahead in high-vis jackets with their gloves on and litter pickers in hand, the family set out on their first clean-up trip at the start of this month, and went all the way from the Woodhouse Park to Newall Green areas of Wythenshawe, picking up as much rubbish as they could see along the way – and now they have “the [litter picking] bug”.
“Now we’ve got a bug and carry on cleaning litter on our side in Woodhouse Park,” Anthony admits.
“We have collected over 20 big bags [of rubbish] in a short period of time and you can really see the difference. We still go back to Mill Pond Fields and the nature area in Newall Green to help out in between [too]”.
But Anthony is keen “not to take all the credit” from the wider group of superstars.
Wythenshawe Waste Warriors
The Brookes’ are members of an ever-growing community clean up initiative known as the Wythenshawe Waste Warriors, and they couldn’t be prouder.
“They are doing a top job,” Anthony insists.
Founded in 2018 in a bid to transform the area’s local parks, green spaces and brooks, Wythenshawe Waste Warriors is a network of volunteers working together to make the community a cleaner place in different hubs across the south Manchester suburb.
The group believes that “together we are stronger and that all our activities are building towards a community that is sustainable – environmentally, economically, physically, mentally and spiritually for the future”.
Wythenshawe Waste Warriors was set up by Newall Green resident and Chairman John-Paul Coe after visiting his local park – Milky Button Park – with his six-year-old son Bobby and being so upset by the amount of mess and litter scattered around that they were forced to abandon their trip and return home.
Heartbroken by what he saw, John-Paul promised his son he would take control of the parks and woodlands that had been neglected in his community.
John-Paul and a small group of volunteers simply began litter picking near their homes, before deciding to launch the Wythenshawe-wide collective – which has now seen glowing support from residents, businesses, local sports teams, schools, the local council and services, outreach initiatives, local charities, and more – and going on to collect thousands of bags of litter year after year.
In the year 2020, the network set the apt target of filling 2,020 bags of litter – and they smashed that, amassing 2,406 bags and counting.
With the vital work the collective is carrying out – especially as fly-tipping rates have continued to soar across the region over lockdown – they’re really helping to make Wythenshawe a wonderful place to live, and John-Paul has nothing but positive things to say about the “amazing” Brookes family.
Anthony Brookes / Wythenshawe Waste Warriors
“We have been delighted to partner our local residents, community groups, businesses and service partners to clean up our town and green spaces, [and] during the recent lockdown, [the Brookes family] from Woodhouse Park have made a huge difference by litter picking” John-Paul said.
He continued: “It’s amazing to see the family combining outdoor exercise with making the pathways and fields safer for all to use.
“They have collected a great deal of waste, which has been removed by MCC and Biffa.”
“[Not only are they] improving wellbeing physically, both for themselves and for all who wish to access our green spaces, [but] the mental health benefits are also huge as residents are telling us they feel safer on their walks and are able to see community-spirited neighbours making a difference, [which] gives them a boost”.
And if all of this wasn’t brilliant enough as it is, the Brookes’ have inspired a number of other local families to join them in their pledge, and have been raising money for a worthy cause – St Ann’s Hospice in Heald Green – along the way as part of John-Paul and the Wythenshawe Waste Warriors’ Pound a Bag sponsorship scheme, which is really starting to take off in 2021.
With a £3,000 target to hit, the group’s JustGiving fundraiser has now accumulated an impressive £830 and counting, with the Brookes family themselves managing to raise over £100 of that figure.
“It’s just brilliant,” said Anthony, “I never thought [we’d] get that”.
Anthony Brookes / Wythenshawe Waste WarriorsWythenshawe Waste Warriors
Anthony continued: “We are happy we are inspiring other people to get out and join the big clean up and [we’d] like to thank all my family and friends for the likes, shares and support [on social media] and the sponsors.
“You are all amazing”.
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Donations to the group’s JustGiving fundraiser for St Ann’s Hospice can be made here.
You can find more information about the Wythenshawe Waste Warriors – including how to get yourself involved – via the group’s website here, and you can keep up to date with the brilliant work the group is doing on a daily basis to clean up the community via their social media platforms – Facebook and Twitter.
Feature
Drinking around the ‘Beermuda Triangle’ of brewery taprooms in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
If you’re looking for the best pints in Manchester, turn your ass around at the door of the pub and head to the ‘Beermuda Triangle’, a corner of the city centre where taprooms are king.
Our city has a great rep for craft beer and microbreweries, and a lot of these are concentrated in one brilliant, unexpected stretch of industrial estate.
Head beyond Manchester Piccadilly and you’ll find yourself in an area nicknamed the ‘Beermuda Triangle’, where tucked among tool shops and warehouses are breweries welcoming in thirsty punters.
These are places where you can sip on the freshest lagers, ales and sours, straight from the source.
As you kick back in one of these taprooms, you can see the brewers hard at work on their next creation, and see beers being canned before your eyes.
There are, of course, plenty of other taprooms and brewery-operated bars all over Greater Manchester, but if you want to minimise your step count and maximise your drinking time, this is where to head.
So we’ve gone out exploring the current residents on the Beermuda Triangle (I know, tough job) to give you the low-down for your next pub crawl.
All the taprooms on Manchester’s Beermuda Triangle
Cloudwater
When you think of craft beer, you probably think of these guys.
Since being founded in 2014, Cloudwater has gone on huge things and is now listed among the largest craft beer brands in the UK.
They’ve got their own pub (The Sadler’s Cat), a taproom down in London, and a huge brewery next-door to their taproom on the Piccadilly Trading Estate.
In here, it’s a stripped-back, Scandi-style interior upstairs, with a few extra tables squeezed in amongst oak barrels downstairs, plus a decent suntrap terrace out the front.
Our order? A pint of Fuzzy pale ale.
Track
Track TaproomTrack Taproom
Another big player in the craft beer game, Track’s taproom is comfortably one of Manchester’s coolest bars.
It’s a huge space, split between the actual brewery and the taproom, where beers are displayed on a rainbow-hued menu board and their own merch lines the walls.
With loads of plants, a leafy little beer garden, and a small kitchen that’s home to Slice Culture pizzeria, this one is the least rough-and-ready of all the taprooms on the Beermuda Triangle.
The most logical order here has, and will always be, Sonoma, they’re easy-drinking session pale ale available on both cask and keg – but there are always tonnes of other beers beyond their core range that are worth your attention.
Sureshot
Sureshot proves that you can take the art of brewing seriously but still have a laugh, with silly beer names and a giant bear mascot manically grinning at you as you sip your beer.
What’ll it be – a pint of ‘Wait… What?’, a schooner of ‘Small Man’s Wetsuit’, or a third of ‘Be Polite and Comb Your Hair?’.
They’re known for their hop-forward styles but are always dreaming up new creations and collaborations, like a recent sour with Bundobust, and collaboration with inclusive football club Manchester Lacesm with a donation of each ‘I Thought She Was A Pisces’ sold going to the club.
This one’s off the Piccadilly Trading Estate and is under the railway arches, handily with Nell’s next door who will deliver you a pizza while you’re on your taproom crawl.
Balance Brewing & Blending
The final stop on the Beermuda triangle is Balance, who specialise in barrel-fermented sours.
The taproom itself is a real looker, with fairy lights festooned overhead, a deep burgundy bar, and persian rugs thrown all over the concrete floors.
The beers here are all funky and punchy and well worth ordering a few testers of before you make your final decision.
Whatever you order, it’s going to have good British roots and a beautiful flavour.
Five Manchester artists we’ve been listening to this month | July 2025
Danny Jones
Hello again, it’s us: The Manc, or more specifically, our Audio North arm – back to talk about the music coming out of Greater Manchester that we’ve been listening to over the past month.
If you’re new here, it really is as simple as that, and whether they’re revered veterans of the region’s music scene or what we think might be the next up-and-coming thing, as long as it’s from ’round our way, we’ll give it a chance.
Five native artists, three recommended tracks from each and hopefully hours of exciting new listening if you play your cards right.
Headphones and playlists at the ready. Here’s what we had on in July.
Manchester music we’ve been into recently
1. poor effort
We’re kicking things off with an experimental project from Salford-born and Manchester-based musician and writer, Matty Dagger, whose new outing in the spoken word space immediately caught our attention when it came down the grapevine. It’s a bit alternative, a bit punk and very Manc. We love it.
Some might say it’s reminiscent of Yard Act and Sleaford Mods, which would be fair, but more specifically, our first listens gave us Stockport’s very own Hello Cosmos with a sprinkling of Oldham’s Seb Lowe (both previous monthly picks). The lyrical/vocal delivery is charmingly casual and anecdotal.
Dagger’s poor effort couldn’t be anything less than; there seems to be a very considered approach to the more electronic style of spoken word and poetry-driven music. You can complete the discography already, but we’d start with ‘you’re wrong, i’m right (symphony)’, ‘HMRC’, and then ‘City of Hope’.
Cool visual aesthetics going on too.
2. Victoria Jane
Next up is a big knee-jerking turn in genre and overall temperament, as if Dagger has been making us pay microscopic attention to every word and Greater Mancunian reference, this local musician hooked us in with her somewhat quieter but inviting timbre of voice and smooth, almost sleepy melodies at times.
Victoria Jane may have been born in London, having previously collaborated as part of the Vibbar collective, but having moved to 0161 as a kid and falling in love with Man United, she’s always immersed herself in the Northern way. The R’n’B act also presents BBC Radio 1 ‘Future Soul’ show.
Her work really hits all the notes you want, from smooth and soulful singing, to not quite voice cracks but soft, intentional breaks that often feel nigh on agonising – as if she’s into you and welcoming you to slump back the other way. ‘The One’, ‘Voicenote Freestyle’ and ‘On My Own’ are our picks.
Number three is, admittedly, another big whiplash when it comes to overall experience, but it’s one of the most unique musical discoveries we’ve made in a hit minute. This musical duo is called Phellotape, conceived by double bassist Alice Phelps and multi-instrumentalist producer Thomas ‘Twem’ Twemlow.
They met while playing in the queer alt-rock outfit, The Irrepressibles, but this project could be branded as anything from alternative and/or experimental to maybe even art pop. All we know is the multi-talented mix of instruments within almost every section, and pulling from numerous styles is pretty staggering.
Rather fittingly, there are only two recorded tracks to their name so far; ‘Rain’ is a quiet, atmospheric song that puts you in mind of London Grammar with a mix of the xx and Massive Attack, while ‘Hungry Ghost’ is quite easily one of the most interesting tunes we’ve heard in the past decade. No exaggeration.
4. 10cc
Fancing something more familiar for number four? Well, as a born and bred Stopfordian myself, every now and again I go back and admire some of the incredible names that recorded at the town’s famous Strawberry Studios – one of which is Stockport‘s very own 10cc. Great name, great band.
The moment I heard my then-teenage brother play ‘Donna’, I was baffled as to why he was playing what I then just dismissed as “old music”, before it quickly got stuck in my head. Is it their best tune? No. Does it still hold a special place in my head and heart? Yes. Do they have other standouts? Absolutely.
For the record, while most people recognise the likes of the controversial ‘Dreadlock Holiday’, I’d argue ‘Good Morning Judge’ is their best track and the first time I listened to it, I thought it was one of the coolest sounding intros ever. Still do. ‘I’m Not In Love’ with them, but they are a core childhood memory.
A hugely undercelebrated of Greater Manchester music history (Credit: AVRO/Dirk Annemans (via Wikimedia Commons)
5. Oasis
Speaking of legends who evoke nothing but feelings of hometown pride, legacy and pure admiration, it’d be the most see-through lie ever to pretend that we haven’t spent most of this last month listening to the almighty Oasis amid their comeback tour.
We had the pleasure of being there at Heaton Park and up on ‘Gallagher Hill’, which now has its own precious place in British music history, and July as a whole still feels akin to a fever dream and similar to what we imagine Glastonbury is like for those nearby when it takes over their entire universe.
July 2025 really was “biblical” and we don’t think we’ll ever get over it, so, last but not least, we’d thought we’d give a special shout-out to some of our favourite tracks that didn’t make the setlist. ‘Don’t Go Away’, ‘Shock of the Lightning’, ‘Round Are Way’. Done.
As The Masterplan proved, everything from the so-called ‘filler’ album tracks to those B-sides is better than most other bands could dream of. As you were x
Emily Sergeant -
18th January 2021 
