If you don’t believe that Manchester is the gaming capital of the UK, then the press surrounding MeetspaceVR over in Trafford will convince you otherwise.
After opening up over in Trafford Park at the back end of 2022, Meetspace wasn’t the only place you could enjoy virtual reality in the city, but it was the only site you could find full-fledged free-roam VR experiences — and it still is.
That being said, it’s no wonder that the reviews for MeetspaceVR are nothing short of incredible, with Gizmodo calling it “the best, most captivating, immersive and present virtual reality experience [they’ve] ever tried” and Forbes dubbing it “the world’s most advanced, free-roaming virtual reality”.
In fact, CNET went so far as to call what’s going on in the unassuming warehouse in Trafford, “the future of video games, arcades and amusement thrills all in one” and, in case you didn’t guess already, we tend to agree.
Following the success of their original venues in London and Manchester, MeetspaceVR has now expanded into a total of seven different sites across Guildford, Thatcham, Nottingham, Birmingham, Bristol, Wembley and, of course, right here in Trafford.
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On top of that, they’ve also added some seriously impressive new games to their overall selection, including Far Cry: Dive Into Insanity and a brand new VR Escape Room, Huxley. Oh yeah, did we mention they have VR escape rooms too? Well, they do.
Better still, MeetspaceVR Manchester is the only location where you can play their groundbreaking Zero Latency VR titles, the industry-leading developers behind their free-roam VR experiences.
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With seven different Zero Latency games, 13 different escape rooms and literally dozens of VR Arcade games, not to mention the likes of Mario Kart and many other console classics to play when you need a break from the virtual world, there really is something for everyone. We’ve been back multiple times since our first visit and we still haven’t got through everything on offer.
The thing we love most about MeetspaceVR is that it isn’t like most other virtual experiences in Manchester or anywhere else in the country for that matter: i.e. stood on the spot with your headset on and just waving joysticks around, often on your own. This place is like no other.
The reason MeetspaceVR Trafford is so mind-blowing is that not only does it offer fully free-roam experiences but it’s also built for multiplayer, with sessions available for up to eight people per arena at a time, making it the perfect venue for away days with work, birthday parties, stag dos and more.
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Whether you fancy fighting off hordes of zombies, becoming an archer in a medieval fantasy world, competing against your mates in a futuristic PvP shootout, or trying your hand at any of their other incredible VR experiences, we guarantee it’ll be the best day out you’ve had in a long time.
You can book yourself in for a life-changing VR experience HERE.
Masters Football isn’t just back – it’s coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
The much-loved Masters Football format made its glorious comeback in 2022, and since then, it’s been steadily rebuilding an audience of passionate fans, plenty of whom you’ll find here in the sporting city of Manchester – so it’s a good job the national tournament is heading our way.
That’s right, the official English Masters Football competition is coming to 0161 later this year and will be bringing a host of legendary North West talent from years gone by to take part.
Although the full squads and their team captains have yet to be announced, former professionals from Manchester United, Man City, Liverpool, Everton, and more will be lacing back up their boots.
Manchester Masters Football 2025 lands at the equally iconic AO Arena this September.
Credit: Publicity Pictures (supplied)
For anyone unfamiliar with Masters Football, which developed a die-hard following when it first ran between 2000 and 2011, is shorter, indoor-only six-a-side footy tournament similar to futsal.
Each team will feature eight retired players, and the games unfold in a round-robin format, with each match consisting of two eight-minute halves, meaning that both sides have a little over a quarter of an hour to score enough to make it past the other.
In addition to the quicker matches, they will battle it out on a 60m x 30m pitch – the same size of an international ice hockey rink – and whoever makes it through with the highest points will battle it out in a grand final to claim the Manchester Masters title.
As you can see, players set to star this year include ex-United and City defenders Wes Brown and Joleon Lescott, as well as Liverpool and Everton strikers Djibril Cisse and Yakubu Ayegbeni.
You can see some of the best moments from the year it officially returned to the UK down below:
The Manchester edition of the 2025 English Masters Football Tournament Series arrives at the AO Arena on Friday, 5 September.
Doors will open to the venue from 6pm, with the first match kicking off at 7pm, so you better have drinks and snacks in time for bums to hit seats.
As for tickets, there’ll be two chances at early access, first for Three+ mobile members at 10am on Wednesday, 2 April and then via the venue’s presale window at the same time the following day. General admission tickets will be made available, also from 10am, the following Saturday, 5 April.
Chester Zoo opens massive ‘African savannah’, one of the UK’s largest-ever habitats
Daisy Jackson
Chester Zoo has today opened its doors and revealed a magnificent new African savannah habitat, the Heart of Africa – one of the largest in the UK.
The massive new habitat at the beloved attraction is home to dozens of African species, including giraffes, rhino, zebra, vultures and meerkats.
Chester Zoo has created a vast open savannah where guests can come across species living side-by-side, as well as new indoor habitats where you can see smaller species like never before, and habitats you can clamber inside.
The centrepiece of the Heart of Africa is the savannah, where you can see giraffes, Grevy’s zebras, roan antelopes and ostriches all roaming together across grasses and water.
As you weave around the incredible new habitat, which spans an area the size of 17 football pitches (22.5 acres), you’ll also come across several new aviaries where birds hoot, tweet and screech.
There are 31 species of bird here, including a fabulous flock of 120 greater flamingos, three types of critically endangered vulture, colourful black cheeked lovebirds, and Africa’s largest owl, the Verreaux’s eagle owl.
One of the most impressive new areas is the Hidden Savannah, where you can clamber inside a safari jeep that’s within the actual enclosure, so that you can see 10,000 locusts all around you from the driver’s seat.
This indoor habitat is also home to adorable, wrinkly little naked mole rats, who have a network of tunnels to burrow through, and other rodents like short-eared sengi and pygmy mice.
Heart of Africa at Chester Zoo, in pictures
Heart of Africa at Chester Zoo, in pictures. Credit: The Manc Group
As for the cold-blooded animals, or ectotherms, there’s Trevor the African bull frog, plus dung beetles, red spitting cobra, Ethiopian viper and pancake tortoises.
There are 15 other mammal species to encounter too, including African wild dogs, meerkats, Eastern black rhino, yellow mongoose, and dik-dik.
The Heart of Africa stands as a symbol of Chester Zoo’s continued conservation efforts across the continent, which includes combatting poaching and illegal wildlife trade.
It’s thought that the Heart of Africa will attract an additional 200,000 visitors to Chester Zoo each year while creating 30 new jobs.
Heart of Africa officially opens to visitors on Saturday 5 April – you can book zoo tickets HERE.
Danny Jones -
5th May 2023 
