We recently caught wind of a pretty intriguing and world-leading medical facility that’s just opened up in the UK and, yes, it’s a sperm bank that just so happens to be right here in Manchester.
Come on, we were hardly going to ignore this one.
Cryos International, the world’s largest sperm and egg bank based in Denmark but with locations all over the world, has just opened up outside of the city centre and we recently got an insight into what it’s like working there from a local staff member.
28-year-old Clinical Andrologist, Hannah Staples from Warrington, has just started work at the cutting-edge clinic in Rutherford House on the Manchester Science Park and has lifted the lid on the quirk of her fairly hands-on job (pardon the pun).
Meet Hannah (Credit: Cryos International)
Hannah gets involved in everything from the nitty-gritty of freezing sperm itself, welcoming nervous first-time donors and even setting up VR goggles for, you know, the naughty stuff.
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We’d call it NSFW but, technically, this is her work.
But it’s not all just tittering and innuendos; as a clinical andrologist, Hannah is an expert in men’s reproductive health, dealing with issues like fertility, hormone levels, and sexual function, as well as just making clients comfortable coming through the door — damn it, we’ve done it again…
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No, but seriously, Hannah and the Cryos team are on a mission to change Britain’s stuffy perceptions of sperm donation, whilst making things accessible and discreet in their sterile medical environments balanced with gentle lighting and cosy soft furnishings.
Credit: Cryos Manchester
Opening up on her experience at the facility, Hannah says, “Discussing my work was actually how I started my first date with my now-partner.
“Can you imagine telling someone you’ve just met, you work in a sperm bank or a fertility clinic? He was like, ‘I’m sorry, what was that?’
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“Most people are shocked when I tell them what I do, a lot of people even ask me to repeat myself before asking a load of questions like ‘What does sperm look like?'”
She also explained how her days involve greeting donors upon entry, ensuring the centrifuges are set correctly and the actual process of freezing and thawing samples accordingly, as well as logging into porn platforms before setting up the VR headset for the day.
According to the latest stats from the fertility world, VR porn can improve the quality and increase total sperm count by up to 50%, with Cryos offering a premium PornHub subscription.
“People think it’s seedy, 100%, expecting to be ushered into a dark room”, Hannah added, “but, that’s not the case at all. We’re committed to helping people achieve their dreams of starting their own family.
“Whether you’ve donated before or are shaking with nerves before your first appointment, we’re here to put everyone at ease and provide all the support and information you could require.”
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Moreover, the centre is committed to diversity in its visitors, welcoming applications from men of all ethnic backgrounds between the ages of 18 and 45, especially with donations at an all-time low. On the other hand, births from sperm donation have tripled since the turn of the millennium and more people are seeing it as a viable option for welcoming children into the world.
Founded back in 1987, Cryos is continuing to help people start families in more than 100 countries across the globe, boasting the highest number of registered pregnancies in the world. You can find out more about their Manchester sperm and egg bank HERE.
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…
Benson Boone has announced a headline gig in Manchester – and it’s a big one
Danny Jones
American pop sensation and unrivalled king of unnecessary front flips, Benson Boone, has just announced his first-ever headline Manchester arena gig as part of a new arena tour.
The solo artist and acrobatic chart-topper has seen a meteoric rise in the US and, as is usually the case across the Atlantic, he’s become increasingly popular over here too.
Benson may have performed here in Manchester before as part of the 2024 MTV EMAs and for a small show at The Deaf Institute, but now big fans have the added Boone of getting to watch a standalone show at one of Europe’s leading indoor entertainment venues.
Announced on Friday, 30 May, the 22-year-old will be making his way across the pond from Washington for a limited run of UK concerts, with a date at Co-op Live arena being one of just five dates.
Extending his ‘American Heart Tour’ ahead of the release of his eponymous sophomore record, with this autumn leg, Co-op Live will mark his individual visit to 0161.
The Grammy-nominated artist has earned several nods of recognition already for his first album, Fireworks & Rollerblades, which was released just last spring.
He has been described as among the current trend of male singers who fit into the American Idol and ‘Voice audition pop’ genre (a term recently coined online), along with the likes of Teddy Swims, Shawn Mendes, Alex Warren and others.
Regardless of the slightly tongue-in-cheek term, he’s become a huge hit around the world and landing him is still a big coup for the venue that has already welcomed similarly massive pop contemporaries like Swims, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo and more.
In case you’re wondering just how big a deal he is over in the States, even this early in his career, his domestic headline dates sold out in seconds, quite literally…
The last time he visited Co-op Live was to perform at the most recent MTV EMAs
Benson Boone is coming to Manchester on Monday, 27 October and will be playing just two other British venues: The O2 in London (two nights) and the Utilita Arena in Birmingham.
Safe to say you don’t want to miss this one if you like soaring vocals and lots of flipping.
General admission tickets go live at 10am on Thursday, 5 June, but Co-op Members can gain access via the arena’s official pre-sale window from the same time on Tuesday (3 Jun).
Danny Jones -
28th May 2024 
