A huge new wellbeing festival is heading to Manchester this summer, with Gemma Atkinson as a headliner.
The Manchester Wellbeing Festival will take over the enormous space at Manchester Central for a weekend focused on health and happiness.
Taking place over the weekend of 11 and 12 June, the huge event will feature talks, fitness classes and more.
The line-up includes TV personalities, influencers, authors, scientists, doctors, fitness instructors, therapists and yogis.
Dr Alex George. Credit: Manchester Wellbeing Festival
One of the biggest names will be Bury’s Gemma Atkinson, an actress, fitness guru and Hits Radio host.
ADVERTISEMENT
Gemma will share advice on how to feel stronger, healthier, more confident and comfortable in your own body.
Former Geordie Shore star Vicky Pattison will also appear to chat about her book The Secret to Happy, followed by a signing.
ADVERTISEMENT
Manchester Central. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Women’s Health columnist, author and personal trainer Alice Liveing will kickstart each day of the festival with a strength workout, as well as interviewing special guests.
Another familiar face will be Dr Alex George, formerly of Love Island fame and now a TV presenter, doctor and UK Government ambassador for mental health – he’ll be addressing modern health issues and signing copies of his book Live Well Every Day.
DJ Fat Tony will tell stories of hedonism and self-destruction, as well as of recovery, redemption and friendship, while This Morning‘s agony couple The Speakmans will share secrets to unshakeable confidence.
ADVERTISEMENT
Alice Liveing
Dr Hazel Wallace
Dr Hazel Wallace, aka The Food Medic, is joining the bill to discuss female health with her forthcoming book The Female Factor, including advice for women on nutrition, sleep, hormones, PMS, periods and the menopause.
TikTok star and A&E doctor Emeka Okorocha will be offering up simple lifestyle advice for mind and body, and Sober Girl Society founder Millie Gooch will show how to go sober in a world obsessed with booze.
Completing the line-up is Faisal Abdalla (who has trained Harry Styles and Ellie Goulding) with a workout, and Hussain Manawer (who has worked with Marcus Rashford, Anthony Joshua and the Royal Family) with a discussion on surviving depression and grief.
You’ll be able to take on a barre class with Sophie Ritchie’s Disco Barre, or do yoga with either The Kilted Yogi aka Finlay Wilson, Braxton, or Sasha Bates.
ADVERTISEMENT
Manchester’s leading fitness studio Blok will host classes to suit every level too.
The brand new Manchester Wellbeing Festival will take place at Manchester Central on 11 and 12 June.
The ITV hype video for the 2026 World Cup has just done that – let’s make some memories
Danny Jones
We’ll admit, much like with Qatar ’22, there have been a few things about this upcoming World Cup that have made it harder to get in the mood than usual, but we must confess: ITV’s new opening titles for the 2026 edition have got us well and truly HYPED.
It’s funny what a quick little montage and some feel-good music can do.
Let’s face it, there are a lot of things about modern football we don’t like, and there are always going to be criticisms of FIFA and how they handle major tournaments, especially when it comes to the biggest international fixtures of them all.
Sadly, a lot of this is out of our control, but what we can do is our bit as supporters and get behind the boys; with trailers like this, it’s hard not to get yourself up for it…
How well you remember the customary title sequences for each tournament is usually a good barometer.
We have a feeling that this one is going to stick out in the memories of not just the kids enjoying maybe some of their first real major tournaments, but plenty of us adults, too.
The reaction online has been largely positive too, with popular football social media account, The 44, writing: “Oh my god! ITV have smashed it. Better or just as good as 2014”.
Another went on to say, “[It’s] mental how this one minute and nineteen second video has just made me incredibly excited for the World Cup. ITV know how to do an intro, don’t they?”
Furthermore, a third added: “Great intro. And FIFA might’ve messed everything up with 48 teams instead of 32 and blown it on ticket prices, but once the World Cup kicks off, there’s nothing like it.
With fewer fans being able to travel or even begin to remotely afford flying out for just one game, let alone the whole month, it’s great to see Manchester setting up big screens like these.
All that being said, there has, of course, still been lots of backlash over how hosting the World Cup in North America has been handled in general thus far.
Be it the plight of scammers, exorbitant ticket prices, punters and even referees being denied entry to the country due to President Trump’s travel sanctions, or the general political state over in the US, it’s far from a perfect year for ‘the beautiful game’ and its biggest competition.
However, it’s worth reminding that nations like Mexico have as strong an obsession with football as anyone on the planet, and Canada is clearly relishing the opportunity to host matches in Toronto and Vancouver, where footy is still their largest sport overall.
We expect there will still be plenty of protests and demonstrations, not to mention fairly public messages and statements up around the stadiums in the cities involved, no doubt, but one thing we can make sure of is that England will back the Three Lions both up in the stands and back here at home.
Those clips seen in the ITV video serve as yet another undeniable reminder that there is simply nothing like cheering on your country on the big stage, so make sure you lock down where to watch the World Cup in Manchester soon, and don’t miss a second of the action. It’s coming home.
Featured Images — ITV (screenshots)/Vincenzo Togni (via Wikimedia Commons)
What's On
Annie at Palace Theatre Manchester – a charming interpretation of an old classic | Review
Clementine Hall
For a musical built on nostalgia, this Annie that’s just arrived at the Palace Theatre in Manchester feels surprisingly lively – here’s our full review…
Annie is a show tied up with countless childhood memories. Whether you performed it in the school choir, watched the film starring Carol Burnett, or saw it on stage, we’ve all got our own memories of Annie since it first opened in 1977.
So to bring it to a modern theatre audience who no doubt feel some connection to the characters and score is no mean feat.
If you’ve seen any of the posters plastered around the city, you’ll see British drag queen ‘La Voix’ take centre stage as the slippery and gin-fuelled Miss Hannigan.
Images: Press shots (supplied)
This is obviously a strategic move to get bums on seats, and although La Voix is of course a ferocious and standout performer, the production is so much more than that.
They say never to work with children in showbiz, so leading a group of 10-year-old orphans in a snappy and perfectly choreographed rendition of‘It’s a Hard Knock Life’ is really a huge achievement in itself.
All the kids are wonderful, but Victoria Alsina, who plays the titular role, deserves particular credit. It’s a huge role for any actor, never mind a child, and she handles it with confidence, charm, and just the right amount of grit.
As expected, La Voix gets some of the biggest laughs of the night. Her Miss Hannigan leans heavily into the character’s chaos and bitterness, but never feels one-note. It’s a performance packed with quick-fire comedy, and the vocals are tight.
Images: Supplied
That said, Annie would be in trouble if it relied solely on stunt casting. Thankfully, it doesn’t.
The wider cast is consistently strong, the ensemble numbers are full of energy, and the costumes are nothing short of fabulous. The real challenge with Annie is making a story that’s approaching its 50th birthday feel fresh. This production doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it doesn’t need to.
Instead, it focuses on delivering the songs people came for, giving the cast room to shine, and reminding audiences why the show has stuck around for so long.
La Voix might get people through the doors, but it’s the strength of the production as a whole that sends them home happy.
Daisy Jackson -
27th April 2022 
