A brand new indoor activity park is set to open its doors over in Greater Manchester early next year, and it all sounds very exciting.
Salford has been chosen by Oxygen Activeplay as the location for its next venture, and will be descending on Quayside MediaCity next February with state-of-the-art equipment and activities to help local families stay active whilst having fun at the same time.
Oxygen will sit above bustling food hall Kargo MKT, taking over the former site of I’m a Celebrity Jungle Challenge.
Following a £2.5 million investment, the new park will feature more than 30 trampolines, a mega-air bag, a high ropes course, a ‘Rollglider’ aerial ride which flies over the facility, and Oxygen’s signature ‘Excite Tunnel’ – an illuminated sensory experience.
More “epic” activities are set to be unveiled over the coming weeks.
Set to be the company‘s tenth indoor activity park to open in England, Oxygen Activeplay says it’s “passionate” about creating opportunities and accessible spaces where every family learn, develop, and stay active through play.
A series of optional games and dance parties will also be on offer during each play session, and the new Manchester park will also host ‘Peaceful Play’ sessions designed for neurodivergent guests, who prefer a calmer and quieter playing environment.
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A cafe serving drinks, snacks, and meals will also overlook the park.
A new £2.5m ‘state-of-the-art’ indoor activity park will be opening at MediaCity / Credit: Jamie McPhilimey
More than 50 new jobs will be available for local people through the creation of the park – including party hosts, bouncers, and members of the management team.
Speaking ahead of the new park opening next year, Stephen Wilson, who is the CEO at Oxygen Activeplay, said: “With Oxygen at MediaCity being our tenth park, we knew we had to do something really special, so we have some really big and exciting plans.
“We couldn’t think of a better home for the newest addition to the Oxygen Activeplay family. We’re beginning the build very soon and the countdown is well and truly on for our opening in February.
“We can’t wait to bring some big-time fun to Manchester.”
Featured Image – Jamie McPhilimey
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Aldi, Morrisons, and M&S are all looking for thousands of temporary staff this Christmas
Emily Sergeant
Aldi, Morrisons, and M&S are among the many retailers that are looking for thousands of temporary staff to help out over Christmas.
With the festive season fast approaching, and most British stores having already unveiled their Christmas ranges for 2024, three of the country’s biggest supermarkets are gearing up for what is always one of the busiest times for the retail industry by launching massive UK-wide seasonal recruitment drives.
The three major retailers, Aldi, Morrisons, and M&S, are on the look out for an army of temporary workers to join their teams.
Tens of thousands of jobs are on offer, including plenty here in Greater Manchester.
ldi, Morrisons, and M&S are all looking for thousands of temporary staff this Christmas / Credit: Aldi UK | Morrisons
Aldi is looking to hire 3,500 store colleagues in the run-up to Christmas, and there’s a wide range of permanent positions available too, alongside temporary ones.
With roles on offer including Store Assistants, managerial positions, and cleaners, Aldi is seeking team members to help replenish stock, assist customers, and maintain its already-high standards of service during the festive period and beyond.
Over at Morrisons, up to 3,000 extra colleagues are wanted work in its stores, food manufacturing sites, and logistics operations nationwide to help meet increased demand over the busy festive period – with a wide range of roles on offer, including customer assistants, home delivery drivers, and manufacturing and warehouse operatives.
No prior experience is necessary for most roles at Morrisons, and lots of the jobs have flexible working patterns too.
You can apply for the thousands of roles online now / Credit: Aldi UK
Finally at M&S, more than 11,000 roles need to be filled, with both Customer Assistant and Christmas colleague positions now open to apply for, who all play an integral role in delivering the festive service shoppers come to expect from the retailer.
New colleagues will join M&S from mid November, with a range of different start dates, and flexible working patterns available to choose from.
Aldi, Morrisons, and M&S all follow in the footsteps of Sainsbury’s, which also launched a nationwide recruitment drive last week and is looking for a whopping 20,000 temporary staff across the UK to help out this Christmas.
Fancy a job then? You can apply for Christmas roles at Aldi here, at Morrisons here, and at M&S by heading here.
Featured Image – M&S
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Five spooky pieces of Manchester myth and folklore
Katie McCall
The nights are drawing in and autumnal hues adorn the treetops in Manchester’s parks, which can only mean one thing: Hallowe’en is on its way.
Away from the bustling streets, local folklore suggests that there’s something strange in our neighbourhood; it’s bursting to the seams with ghostly residents.
If you’re feeling brave, put some batteries in your torch and come with me to our city’s darker corners to uncover uncanny tales of ghouls, demons, and macabre happenings.
Here are just a small taste of Manchester’s most spooky legends and tales.
Decades of drama and tragedy are woven into the fabric of the Royal Exchange Theatre on St Ann’s Square; in fact, it’s packed to the rafters with some of the more artistic spirits that Manchester has to offer and our first bit of local folklore.
Late at night, a phantom piano player is said to tinkle the ivories from deep within the darkened building. During refurbishment work, shocked builders heard an old-fashioned show tune being played from a disused room.
Would you dare to investigate? In the green room, multiple witnesses have seen a spectral couple rehearsing their lines, thought to be a pair of actors from yesteryear; meanwhile, along the corridor in the wig room, a melancholy poltergeist often throws objects around and even causes flowers to wilt.
2. Devilish encounters at Bury Grammar School and Chetham’s Library
Chetham’s in Manchester is the UK’s oldest public library and is rich with folklore. (Credit: Third Eye Traveller)
Lucifer himself is said to have appeared in Manchester on at least two occasions, and who can blame him? It might not be as warm as his usual abode, but it’s the perfect place for a night of mischief.
In the mid-18th century, anarchic schoolboys at Bury Grammar School supposedly summoned the dark one, only to discover that he intended to set up shop right there in their school. Thankfully, their wily schoolmaster outfoxed Satan and banished him back to hell. Teachers are clever like that.
Before his departure, the Devil furiously smote the fireplace with his cloven hoof, leaving a huge crack in the wall. That’s how the schoolboys explained the vandalism, anyway… Before that, famed alchemist, occultist and man of mystery, Dr John Dee summoned the Devil to Chetham’s Library in the 1500s.
This time, he burned a hole in Dr Dee’s table, where you can still see the scorched hoofprint on the wooden surface to this day. If you go on a Chetham’s tour, look up to the ceiling, and you’ll see a devilish face peering back at you.
3. Satanic sacrifice in Saddleworth
This particular spot is buzzing with Manchester myths and legends. (Credit: Diego Sideburns via Flickr)
When the sun is shining, the Saddleworth Valley is a picturesque stretch of countryside popular with outdoor enthusiasts from near and far. But, as soon as the weather closes in, the vast swathes of barren moorland take on a different personality, exuding a bleak and sombre atmosphere.
It’s no wonder, then, that tales of phantoms and dark magic trickle down from these mist-shrouded hills. Back in the days when Druids called the valley home, the rock formations crowning the hilltops above Uppermill and Greenfield are thought to have been used to catch the blood of sacrificial victims. Other markings on the rocks suggest offerings for the fairy folk were once left here by Saddleworth residents.
According to reports from decades gone by, evidence of satanic rituals was uncovered on Saddleworth moor; demonic symbols, suspected animal sacrifice remains, and other unsettling paraphernalia. So, just the usual, then. But it happened again, just down the road in Standedge’s disused railway tunnels – then, again at an abandoned church in nearby Oldham. Gulp. So, next time you’re in one of the Ale Trail pubs and you hear someone talking rubbish, remember demonic entities might be to blame!
Besides that, locals in Scouthead have reported numerous encounters with a troop of spectral Roman soldiers over the years. Some say that this legion met their doom when a tribe of native Mancunians funnelled them across the boggy heath, where they were dragged to a watery grave by the weight of their heavy armour and weaponry.
What does Manchester have in common with ancient Egypt? We’ve got our very own mummy! In the 18th century, a fear of being buried alive swept the nation amidst newspaper reports that numerous coffins had been exhumed with scratches on the interior lid. Horrifying.
A Manchester woman named Hannah Beswick gave her doctor strict orders to keep her body above ground after her death; a wish that set her on course for a rather eventful and bizarre afterlife. The doctor soon embalmed her, then stored her mummified remains inside the case of a grandfather clock!
As you do…
Her mummified body was put on display by Manchester Museum‘s Natural History Society; one of their more gruesome artefacts. Meanwhile, back at Hannah’s old manor house in Oldham, numerous people witnessed her pale figure haunting the grounds, even after it was converted into a factory. Eventually, more than 100 years after her death, Hannah’s body was laid to rest in Harpurhey Cemetery.
5. Goblin builders of Rochdale
Another intriguing bit of Manchester folklore. (Credit: Gerald England via Geograph)
Alongside Manchester’s abundance of ghostly tales, we’ve also got our fair share of goblin folklore. According to legend, supernatural forces were at work when St Chad’s Church in Rochdale was built.
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Overnight, the heavy masonry was mysteriously removed from the building site, leaving the workmen baffled. The night watchmen claimed to have seen strange goblin folk interfering with the construction site, hoisting the stones up the steep hillside with unearthly strength.
If you visit St Chad’s, a couple of eerie sights await you; within the church grounds, the town’s medieval stocks still stand, used for centuries to torture and punish Rochdale’s criminals. From the rooftop, Gothic gargoyles guard the graveyard.
Can you also spot the tomb lid that looks as if it has shifted? Almost like unseen hands have been meddling with the stones…
So, do you think it’s just a bunch of hocus pocus? Or will you be brave enough to go on the hunt for Manchester’s ghostly residents?
There is plenty of Manchester mythology and folklore to dive into and whether you believe in any of it or not, it’s still a fun world to immerse yourself in come Halloween. You never know what might be waiting just around the corner.
Emily Sergeant -
21st October 2024 
