Dozens of celebrities and former footballers are getting together once again for the Manchester Remembers charity football game in 2023.
Founded by firefighter turned fundraiser Aaron Lee, who was one of several first responders on the frontline following the Manchester Arena attack, the organisation has been running since 2021.
To make the day even more special, a whole host of familiar faces have been turning up to show their support and this latest fixture is no different, as even more celebs and ex-pros are joining the line-up.
With former England boss Sam Allardyce once again returning as Legends manager and opposite number Peter Reid taking charge of the Celebs dugout, not to mention ex-pros Matt Le Tissier, Dean Holden and more taking to the pitch, it’s sure to be another brilliant occasion.
As an added bonus, Manchester Remembers are now calling on local artists to come and perform on the day, promising to make this latest charity game bigger and better than ever.
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We’re trying to continue building Manchesters best live music & Football Charity event 🐝⚽️🎤
We’re looking to speak to Bands/Singers/Artists to perform live infront of thousands at the stadium.
We already have huge names signed up DM for info if you’re able to support us. pic.twitter.com/KXe4wrAsF5
— The McrRemembers Foundation™️⚽️🐝 (@McrRemembers) December 7, 2022
The organisers have insisted that in addition to putting on another memorable match for an important Manc cause, they have kept ticket prices affordable given the ongoing energy and cost of living crises.
The game will be held at Oldham Athletic FC‘s home ground, Boundary Park, in May next year.
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Last time out, the likes of Paddy McGuiness, Shaun Goater, Paul Merson, Wes Brown and many more laced up their boots to raise money for the families of the Arena victims. We’re sure you’ll see a fair few of them returning again in May.
As for the celebrities confirmed for this year so far, new signing Calum Best has joined the likes of Robbie Savage, actors Joe-Warren Plant and Jay Kontzle, as well as Love Island‘s Dom Lever, with many sure to sign up in the coming months. Wonderful stuff.
The money raised from this latest match will go towards the following five charities set up by a number of families who were among the 22 victims killed in the 2017 explosion.
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The Chloe and Liam Together Forever Trust
Liv’s Trust
The Megan Hurley Foundation
The Remembering Nell Foundation
Eilidh’s Trust
We spoke to Lee ahead of the previous match held at Manchester City‘s Academy Stadium back in March this year:
Lee told The Manc: “After seeing the positive reaction to the first match and how the £82,000 raised will be spent it spurred us on to make this an annual event featuring football and music.
“We’re grateful for all the support we have had from players, musicians and celebrities; we couldn’t do it without our team and most importantly the people of Manchester and beyond who turn up and enjoy a brilliant day of entertainment, so thank you all from the bottom of our hearts”.
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The Manchester Remembers charity match kicks off at 3pm on 7 May 2023 at Boundary Park. You can grab your tickets HERE.
Yet another major Deansgate Locks nightlife spot has closed in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Deansgate Locks is set to lose yet another of its nightlife spots, with Ark confirming it will be shutting its doors ‘within weeks’.
The multi-room, multi-storey, multi-genre nightclub has been part of the canalside development for more than a decade, having first opened back in 2014.
At that time, Deansgate Locks was arguably Manchester’s leading nightlife destination, drawing hundreds of students and party-goers to its mix of venues.
The railway arches have been home to iconic clubs and bars including Baa Bar, Lola Lo, Revolution, and Sugar Buddha, as well as The Comedy Store.
But with news that Ark Manchester is closing too, it leaves only Popworld left at what was previously one of the city’s hottest destinations.
In a statement shared with the Manchester Evening News, a spokesperson for Stonegate said: “The hospitality sector continues to face significant challenges.
Ark Manchester will be closing for goodIt leaves Deansgate Locks with just one venue
“After careful consideration, and despite our best efforts, Ark Manchester is no longer commercially viable and we have taken the difficult decision to close the venue.
“Our priority is to support our hard‑working team during this time, and we would like to thank them for their commitment and dedication. We would also like to thank our guests and the local community for their support over the years.”
It’s believed that Ark Manchester will close on Deansgate Locks in the next few weeks.
Groundbreaking endometriosis tests could help catch diagnosis ‘years earlier’
Danny Jones
In some major public health news, two pioneering and crucially faster tests for endometriosis, which are set to be rolled out across Great Britain soon, could be about to reduce the time taken to diagnose the condition by several years.
That’s according to the National Institute for Healthand Care Excellence (NICE), who have issued an update revealing that the fresh testing technology could significantly speed up the process that can currently take the best part of a decade or even more.
In some cases, it can take upwards of 11 years to fully identify endometriosis, especially within certain ethnically diverse communities, but now the executive non-departmental public body has given the green light for the NHS to introduce the pair of expeditious testing methods here in the UK.
Announced on Tuesday, 7 July, the dual approach – one half of which is already being used domestically as part of a pilot study – won’t serve as a standalone diagnostic system in itself, but should help drastically reduce the time between suspected symptoms, confirmation and treatment.
In the UK, average diagnosis takes over 9 years.
Endosure and Endotest can now be used in the NHS while more evidence is gathered.
Emma Cox, chief executive of Endometriosis UK, said in a public statement: “Availability of these new tests needs to go hand-in-hand with education of GPs and practice nurses to ensure prompt access to those that need them, and an end to pain and symptoms not being recognised.”
The two prongs of this new approach revolve around the already in-trialEndotest®, currently being manufactured by French biotech company Ziwig.
Essentially a straightforward saliva test, it’s been recommended for wider use over some time now.
Meanwhile, the second step is ‘EndoSure’: a non-invasive test that uses “topical electrode pads similar to those used in an electrocardiogram (ECG) to measure the myoelectric activity of the smooth muscle of the GI tract”, with sensors placed on the stomach area.
You can see an instructional video explaining more information about the former down below.
Put in the simplest terms, in tandem, they could save one in 10 women lots of time and pain.
Dr Anastasia Chalkidou, healthtech programme director at NICE, went on to add: “A diagnosis of endometriosis can for some women take the best part of a decade […] That delay means living with chronic pelvic pain that affects daily life, relationships and work.
“These technologies have the potential to change that by giving primary care professionals better non-invasive tools to identify endometriosis earlier, allowing earlier and better treatment.
“Our draft guidance reflects our commitment to getting promising innovations to patients quickly, while making sure the evidence to support their wider use is built in a rigorous way.”
While both are still pending full approval and eventual scaling across the country, here’s hoping it can make the difference in the lives of millions of British women and beyond.
Danny Jones -
16th December 2022 
