An incredible £36,000 has been raised by a group of daredevils this past weekend for one of Manchester‘s most iconic charities.
It certainly wasn’t for the faint-hearted or those with a fear of heights, but last weekend, over 100 brave individuals decided to properly test their mettle by abseiling off one of the city’s tallest residential skyscrapers, the 26-storey One Regent Tower in Castlefield – and it was all for a brilliant cause.
As mad as it sounds, these daring Mancs took on the task with the goal of raising as much money as possible for one of the city’s longest-standing charities, We Love MCR Charity (WLMC).
It was part of the charity’s 2022 ‘Challenge Event Series’.
The abseil was just one of a set of mind-over-matter challenges that have been, and will continue to raise vital funds for the charity’s work supporting Manchester’s communities and young people.
Given that people love to test themselves, and the fact that abseils are normally done by mountaineers and not in the heart of city centres off multi-storey skyscrapers, the demand to take part was high and places ran out really quickly – but in the end, a total of 105 people completed the challenge on both Saturday and Sunday, with a number of notable names taking part.
We did it!! This weekend 100+ daredevil We Love MCR supporters raised £36,000 for our work and completed Manchester's biggest EVER abseil 💪
Thanks to all the participants + volunteers who made it a special weekend ❤️ To the next challenge…
The Lord Mayor of Manchester, Donna Ludford, and Deputy Lord Mayor, Yasmine Dar, were two of the famous faces to complete the challenge, as well as Leader of Manchester City Council, Bev Craig.
The staggering 26-storey challenge was officially the biggest top-to-bottom abseil in Manchester history.
Footage and pictures from the events not only show how incredible Manchester’s skyline is from the One Regent roof, but also just how daring the challengers actually were to take part.
105 brave individuals tested their mettle by abseiling off one of the city’s tallest residential skyscrapers / Credit: Amber Hulme & Dylan 4 Photography (via WLMC)The daredevils abseiled down the 26-storey One Regent Tower in Castlefield to raise funds for We Love MCR Charity / Credit: WLMC
Although the charity only set a fundraising target of £30,000 for the challenge, this has already been smashed, with a whopping £36,000 raised by the daredevils’ impressive efforts, and the total continuing to rise by the day.
Just like all the other events in the 2022 ‘Challenge Event Series’, We Love MCR Charity says that all the money raised from the abseil will go directly towards its two flagship funds – the Stronger Communities Fund and Manchester’s Rising Stars Fund, which are all about empowering local community projects, and helping to change the lives of ambitious, but sadly disadvantaged, young Mancunians.
You can find out more about We Love MCR Charity and its different funds on its website here, and follow the charity on Twitter for news on the next challenge in 2023.
Featured Image – Dylan 4 Photography (via WLMC)
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A sneak peek at the first pour: Greater Manchester celebrates the return of Boddingtons
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester has every reason to drink and jubilate this Friday and toast the perfect excuse for an early dart as the first fresh pours in a new chapter for Boddingtons beer have been sunk.
And by’eck if ain’t still bloody gorgeous.
That’s right, in case you didn’t hear the latest news about ‘Cream of Manchester’, we can now officially and ever-so gladly confirm that Boddingtons Bitter is properly back on draught in the region.
With the iconic cask ale making a glorious return decades on from its glory days in the 1990s, the new and improved Boddies beer is flowing from the taps – just in time for the weekend, no less.
Yes, with local brewery and pub chain J.W. Lees taking over the manufacturing and distribution, leaving the Budweiser Group to take over the licensing, the updated recipe Boddingtons – which clocks in at a 4.0% ABV – is about to be rolled out across the 10 boroughs.
Better yet, with five native pubs having already reinstalled honey yellow and black pumps, and with Lees looking to deliver it to the ale-loving masses across the North West, this could be the biggest Manc comeback since, well, those two lads from Burnage…
Speaking of: we were invited along to Founder’s Hall on Albert Square (formerly Duttons and now home to every one of the brand’s beers, not to mention serving as a tribute to John Lees himself), for a special ceremony to celebrate the inaugural public pints of Boddies being poured.
Let’s just say we were honoured to be part of the grand resurrection.
Obviously, there have been some holdouts hanging onto the classic Mancunian brew, and we certainly had fun trying to track them down over the past couple of years, but we’re just glad we don’t have to do as much work to find one now.
Managing Director of JW Lees, William Lees-Jones, said on the relaunch: “When I joined JW Lees in 1994, Boddingtons was ‘The Cream of Manchester’ and we were in awe of their position in leading the cask beer revolution.
“We’re proud to bring it back home, starting with Founder’s Hall, and we’re planning to restore Boddington’s as one of the UK’s leading premium cask beers, particularly here in the North West.” Well said, sir.
Available from Founder’s Hall, The Black Friar in Salford, Stables Tavern; Sams Chop House, The Circus Tavern, Oxford Road Tap, Piccadilly Tap and Victoria Tap from today, as well as Corbières and Stockport pubs like The Crown and The White Lion, we can’t wait to see Boddingtons take over the nation.
In the meantime, why not look back at the storied history behind one of our finest exports?
Subway launches make-your-own jacket potato concept ‘Spudway’ across UK
Emily Sergeant
Subway is finally launching its viral make-your-own jacket potato concept ‘Spudway’ at all its restaurants in the UK.
That’s right – you can now walk into any Greater Manchester Subway and order a jacket potato instead of a sandwich, and you get to choose exactly what goes on top of it.
Britain has always been a nation of ‘jacket fanatics’, with almost half of Brits claiming the spud to be a British cultural icon, but according to new research by Subway, it’s been found that nearly a quarter (23%) of us have argued with family and friends over how to prepare or serve one.
So it’s fair to say that, yes, us Brits do love ourselves a jacket potato, and this is why ‘Spudway’ is launching nationwide.
The UK-wide rollout of Spudway comes after it was trailed in select sites earlier this year, and then proved so popular that the trail was extended to include more locations.
Now, those fluffy jacket potatoes are available everywhere.
You can choose topping options like the simple Cheese & Beans or Tuna Mayo, or you can opt for Subway specialities like Meatball Marinara, and Chicken Tikka, but the beauty of Spudaway is it’s all fully customisable.
This means you can pick, quite simply, from whatever you fancy at the protein and salad counters, and finish it with your choice of Subway’s wide selection of signature sauces.
“The nation’s love of Jacket Potatoes is unparalleled,” commented Cathy Goodwin, who is the Interim Director of Culinary & Innovation Subway EMEA.
Subway has finally launched its make-your-own jacket potato concept ‘Spudway’ all across the UK / Credit: Subway
“The enthusiasm we’ve seen on social media and the strong demand from our guests throughout the trial made it clear that Spudway deserved a permanent place on our menu.
“Made with British potatoes, Irish salted butter, a double portion of cheese, and fully customisable with any of our many toppings, Spudway is the perfect freshly-made, high-quality lunch choice.”
Spudway jacket potatoes are freshly baked in-store daily and can be enjoyed on their own, or as part of a meal deal – which includes a spud, drink, plus crisps or a cookie.
Emily Sergeant -
19th July 2022 
