Work on the highly anticipated spa project making waves in Trafford has finally started and with buzz for the project building ever since its announcement in 2020, Therme is without a doubt one of the biggest coming to Greater Manchester.
Located right next to The Trafford Centre, this £250 million spa and wellbeing complex is proposed not only to create more than 5,000 jobs and span a total of 28 acres but will also be the biggest of its kind anywhere in the UK.
Set to be delivered by the global wellbeing leader, Therme – who have nine sites in total four of which are operational and five of which are in development, including two in the UK – it’s a development that’s been watched closely at every stage.
It might still be early days but here’s what the large plot looks like at the moment:
The Manchester spa resort will be erected here.Hard to picture right now, we know.Enabling works have begun to clear the land and underground obstacles ahead of construction starting. (Credit: Rule 5 – supplied)
Opening destinations in both Glasgow and Manchester as well as across the globe, the Therme Group is making its resorts accessible to people wherever and whenever they need them.
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The Manchester site, which is replacing the prior EventCity, is set to hold over 25 specific areas, 15 waterslides, 10 pools and plenty more.
These areas and rooms all boast wellbeing benefits ranging from saunas and health areas to steam and snow rooms – even multi-sensory showers, whatever that means.
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Inside the massive health and well-being building, the temperature will be kept at a constant 33 degrees all year round using advanced technology to preserve the heat.
At the Manchester resort, the grounds are set to contain warm water lagoons, botanical gardens and palm trees, giving the site a real tropical feel. Now enabling works have officially started, the path towards seeing CGIs like these brought to life feels more real:
Throughout the location, wireless RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology will be used to make payments for vendors, retailers and food inside the retreat on the fly.
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It sounds like an arbitrary thing to note initially until you learn that this all works through individual bracelets which are directly paired with lockers in the venue to ensure purchases and belongings are kept safe and secure.
But what exactly has been done so far? Well, following full approval last year, an initial 200-metre borehole has now been drilled on the site next to the Greater Manchester shopping centre, meaning the spa resort build is underway at last.
Once started, construction is set to be completed within the next 24-30 months. Therme is eventually hoping to have a destination available within a 90-minute commute for all UK residents. It also looks set to have a similar and super exciting neighbour at some point in the future too.
Premier League Darts is returning to Manchester’s AO Arena in 2027
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Premier League Darts is confirmed to be returning to Manchester next year.
Now’s your chance to see the youngest world champion in darts history, AKA Warrington’s very-own Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler, show us how it’s done, as next year’s BetMGM Premier League Darts lineup has just been announced this week – with various dates confirmed across 17 different cities in the UK and Europe.
And Manchester is one of those cities, as the AO Arena has shared that they are set to host an evening next April, and we couldn’t be more excited about it.
This means that we will be lucky enough to witness the biggest names in world darts all under one roof, including headliners Gian van Veen and Luke Humphries, as well as Littler.
Manchester is the only northern city to get the pleasure of hosting the event next year, as Liverpool is also on the lineup, as is Leeds, Sheffield, and Newcastle, while elsewhere in the UK, the stars will travel to Glasgow, Birmingham, London, and several other major locations.
BetMGM Premier League Darts is to be held on Thursday 8 April at the AO Arena in Manchester, and to avoid being disappointed, fans are advised to register for presale ticket access.
Following a successful season of events in 2026, tickets are expected to be like gold-dust, so don’t say you haven’t been warned.
To access the first wave of tickets, fans must become an active PDCTV Annual Member before 23:59pm on Friday 9 October. Alternatively, general sale is on Thursday 22 October 2026, but make sure not to hang about.
Featured Image – Sandro Halank (via Wikimedia Commons)
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Andy Burnham wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on drinking alcohol in football stands
Emily Sergeant
Andy Burnham has claimed he wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on fans getting to drink alcohol in football stands.
It’s a ban that’s been in place in the top five tiers of men’s football since 1985, when fears over violence and hooliganism were at their height, but now the Prime Minister has raised the question of whether drinking in football stands – or ‘drinking in sight / view of the pitch’, as it’s known formally – is actually unjust, due to the fact that same rules don’t apply to fans of other sports.
“I don’t think it’s fair for football fans to be singled out in that way,” Andy Burnham has declared this week, grabbing headlines in the process.
He continued: “I think that legislation dates to an era where football was very different, and I do believe there is a case to remove that discrimination.
“I’m not going to back away from what’s been a long-held view of mine. I don’t see how it can be fair that some supporters of one sport can be treated differently.”
The Prime Minister’s comments have been met with mixed response.
Andy Burnham wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on drinking alcohol in football stands / Credit: James Kirkup | Julia Nastogadka (via Unsplash)
The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), for example, has very much welcomed the idea, saying that it ‘totally agrees’ the legislation is ‘outdated’ and ‘deserves to be reviewed’.
Tom Greatrex, chair of the FSA, said in a statement: “The FSA has always argued that it’s unfair to criminalise football fans for having a pint while watching the match – especially since you can sit in the same seat drinking alcohol whilst watching an Oasis gig or rugby league.”
However, on the flip side, the UK Football Policing Unit said it would be ‘incredibly rash’ to change the rules without proper consultation.
“Other sports simply don’t see the violence and criminal behaviour from their supporters that football does, albeit a minority, with alcohol often playing a significant part in violent and disorderly behaviour,” it said in a statement on the matter.
The Prime Minister did state in his initial proposition though that ‘there are different ways it could be done’, hinting that it could be done ‘on a trial basis’ perhaps.
The English Football League (EFL) added that it would be ‘receptive to discussions around reviewing current legislation and permitting alcoholic drinks within view of the pitch’.
No formal details on a review have been confirmed as of yet, so fans are encouraged to stay tuned for updates in due course.
Thomas Melia -
19th October 2024 
