Manchester is a city full of opportunity – and The Castings is the perfect place to live to experience all it has to offer.
As the bustling hub of the north – and, arguably, the UK’s ‘second’ city, depending on who you ask – Manchester has firmly cemented itself as being somewhere people of all walks of life want to live, thanks to the wealth of live music,sport, nightlife, and so much more.
And for those who want to get amongst it, one of Manchester’s newest city centre neighbourhoods, The Castings, has a social life built right in, ready for residents to make the most of.
Currently rated number one on HomeViews, it has been voted by its residents as the best place to live in the city.
And it recently celebrated its first birthday too, in one of the ways it knows best, of course – with a free party for all residents.
ADVERTISEMENT
A glimpse into life at The Castings’ stunning lifestyle-led apartments / Credit: The Manc Group
If you were unfamiliar withThe Castings until now, it’s a stunning community made up of 352 apartments to rent in Piccadilly East.
With its range of studio, one, two, and three-bedroom homes, The Castings’ design-led spaces are inspired by industrial shapes, flowing forms, and molten textures.
ADVERTISEMENT
As well as its stunning apartments, the lifestyle-led development also features a fitness studio, high-spec gym, games room, private dining spaces, a co-working hub, and a 21st-floor rooftop terrace with panoramic views of Manchester.
The Castings is one of Manchester’s most social city centre neighbourhoods / Credit: The Castings
It sits in the heart of Piccadilly East is a neighbourhood often touted as Manchester’s next-generation, and named by The Sunday Times as one ofthe UK’s best places to live and The Castings has been ‘bringing new life’ to this up-and-coming area near Manchester Piccadilly stationever since it launched it last summer.
Even though Piccadilly East – which is conveniently-adjacent to Ancoats, New Islington, and the Northern Quarter – is already home to some of Manchester’s most popular food, drink, and liveentertainment venues, residents at The Castings don’t even need to leave the comfort of their own community to get involved with a wide variety of events and make some new friends along the way.
ADVERTISEMENT
In just the year since the first residents moved into The Castings, it has hosted everything from live comedy nights to regular yoga and fitness sessions, run clubs, and seasonal resident ‘socials’.
One of the biggest highlights in The Castings’ social calendar so far has to be the recent ‘Spring Social’, which helped welcome the new season in style, complete with an ice cream van, DJs, big Jenga, and lots and lots of pizza, making it a ‘standout’ moment of the year.
If The Castings sounds like somewhere you’d love to live, then the final few apartments are still remaining, and you can head online to book a viewing now.
Featured Image – The Castings (supplied) / The Manc Group
Sponsored
Cheshire Oaks announces exclusive student night – with free coaches to get you there
Daisy Jackson
McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Cheshire Oaks has announced details of a major student night, with discounts, entertainment, and giveaways.
The wildly popular outlet village, where you can shop big brands for way less than retail price, will be hosting a student event with even bigger savings and free coaches to get you there and back.
With brands at the centre including adidas, Charlotte Tilbury, Jack Wills, Levi’s, and Fred Perry, this is a chance for new and returning students to grab a real bargain.
The Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet student events are always a highlight of the events calendar, with unprecedented savings and experiences on offer.
This year, that includes 30% off sportswear at adidas, 25% off iconic denim pieces at Levi’s, and 20% off at popular fashion brands like Jack Wills and Fred Perry.
For beauty enthusiasts, you can nab 20% off at Charlotte Tilbury, The Perfume Shop, and The Cosmetic Company Store too.
And for a refuel on delicious Asian-inspired cuisine, Wagamamas will knock 20% off your food bill.
That’s not all, though – when the event takes place on 1 October there’ll be DJs playing across the centre and brands, like a live DJ at the Under the Oak bar, plus spin-the-wheel activations with amazing prizes up for grabs.
You’ll also find plenty of photo opportunities, and free drinks.
Cheshire Oaks brands will slash prices for the student nightWagamama will have a discount runningThe Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet student shopping night is back
And there’ll be a Paint & Sip night with Life in Chester, where you can either paint a canvas or a plant pot – sign up in advance HERE.
And if you’re stressing about how to get there, worry not – Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet is also putting on free coach travel from Manchester and Liverpool to the outlet village. Just book your spot in advance HERE.
Kenny Murray, Centre Manager at McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Cheshire Oaks, said: “We’re excited to welcome students to McArthurGlen Cheshire Oaks for this exclusive event.
“We’ve curated a night of fantastic savings, entertainment, and opportunities to connect with friends. We encourage all students to join us for a memorable evening.”
Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet will host the event on Wednesday 1 October, between 4pm and 8pm.
To participate in the event and access the exclusive discounts, students can secure a wristband by presenting a valid Student ID at the designated event area near Nike, starting at 5pm.
McDonald’s just celebrated this year’s MONOPOLY game with a giant prize dome on Market Street
The Manc
McDonald’s has been celebrating the return of its legendary MONOPOLY game promotion with a visit to Manchester.
If you were passing through the city centre on Tuesday you might have noticed a giant dome, like an inflatable snow globe – and if you were wondering what it was all about, we’ll tell you.
This was the McDonald’s MONOPOLY game dome, which visitors could climb inside and try to catch flying ‘peelies’.
If you could catch enough, there were big prizes up for grabs, including limited-edition McDonald’s MONOPOLY game hoodies, t-shirts, keyrings, and McDonald’s very own MONOPOLY board game.
Also up for grabs were vouchers such as £50 Prezzee Gift Cards, £70 off Jet2Holidays, £50 off Merlin Short Breaks, and £100 Virgin Experience Day.
And even if you didn’t manage to beat the dome, there were free vouchers (Monopoly Game at McDonald’s promotional ‘cash’) which could be swapped for McCafé® hot drinks or a small portion of Fries at a nearby restaurant.
And of course, that meant you still got a chance to play the normal MONOPOLY game promotion, peeling off your ‘game piece’ to reveal a prize – which have also been announced this month.
This year’s McDonald’s MONOPOLY game promotion features a top prize of £100k cash for three lucky customers, with other cash prizes including £5k for 60 more potential winners.
McDonald’s just celebrated this year’s MONOPOLY game with a giant prize dome on Market Street in Manchester
There are also £2,000-worth of Jet2Holidays for 90 winners, train credits with TrainPal, more than 300 Merlin Annual Passes for four, hundreds of LG OLED TVs from Currys, and thousands of £100 Virgin Experience Days.
There’s a 1 in 4 chance to win a prize on every pack, ranging from menu items all the way to those big cash prizes.
Other prizes include a MONOPOLY Lifesized experience for two, exclusive merch, and the limited-edition boardgame.
The MONOPOLY game promotion has been running under licence from Hasbro at McDonald’s since 2006, featuring instant win prizes as well as Property Codes which can be scanned and banked in the app.
In the app, customers can see Grimace race around a 3D game board, with 30 different outcomes – property cards (with prizes if you complete a set), chance cards (where you can win prizes), the Community Chest (which leads to MyMcDonald’s Rewards Points) and a £200 cash prize if you pass ‘Go’.
*The MONOPOLY Promotion at McDonald’s UK 2025 is only available to players aged 18 and over
Emily Sergeant -
14th August 2025 
