Manchester has earned itself a very special new title.
Our city can often be found featured on coveted lists across a wide range of categories. In recent months, Manchester has been named one of the world’s best cities for music lovers, even beating out New York along the way, and has also claimed places on lists such as the world’s most beautiful skylines, best UK cities to visit, and countless more.
But arguably no title is cuter than this one – that’s right, Manchester has been crowned the most dog-friendly city in the UK.
Recent research has shown that around 36% of British households are dog owners, and apparently, the pet care industry is projected to reach £16.5 billion by 2033, so credit company, Capital on Tap, has carried out a study to reveal which are the best UK cities for dog owners.
Manchester has been crowned the most dog-friendly city in the UK (Credit: Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash/The Pup Up Cafe)
Just how dog-friendly is central Manchester?
The company analysed 30 major UK cities – comparing things like green spaces, dog-friendly venues, the number of pet shops, and more in the process.
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Manchester secured the top spot as the UK’s most dog-friendly city, thanks to the city being made up of an impressive 34.7% of green space, along with there being 128 pet shops and 243 pet groomers.
The city also boasts 25 dog-friendly job listings within a 10-mile radius, at the time of the study being carried out, making it easy for residents to balance work and time with their four-legged companions.
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So whether it’s weekend park adventures or weekday convenience, Manchester ‘truly leads the pack’ when it comes to dog lovers.
The UK’s Top 10 Dog-Friendly Cities
Manchester
London
Brighton and Hove
Bradford
Swansea
Leeds
Stoke-on-Trent
Edinburgh
Plymouth
Aberdeen
Other northern cities on the list include Bradford at number four and Leeds at number six.
On top of that, other major cities and areas making up the top 10 include Brighton and Hove, Swansea, Edinburgh, and of course, London.
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Better still, Manchester’s title as the UK’s most dog-friendly city comes after another pet-centric accolade.
The UK’s top 10 biggest Christmas ‘icks’ have been revealed
Emily Sergeant
The UK’s top 10 biggest Christmas ‘icks’ have been revealed, according to the results from a hilarious new survey.
Christmas may be the most wonderful time of the year, but it can also have its fair share of icks.
From tinsel on the tree, to cheesy Christmas jumpers, and everything in between, there are plenty of Christmas traditions that we simply love, and some we love to hate – and now, new research conducted by online retailer Haypp ahead of the festive season has revealed exactly what it is that Brits find the ickiest.
The research reveals that the number one ick is a controversial one – putting ketchup on a Christmas dinner, as nearly a third of respondents (32%) claim it makes them feel grim and that they’d judge someone for it.
Wearing Christmas jumpers is one of the UK’s biggest Christmas ‘icks’ Credit: Julia Larson (via Pexels)
It may cause controversy in a few households nationwide, the second biggest ‘ick’ is adults in matching festive pyjamas, with just under a third of Brits cringing, while some of the other similar traditions to this on the list being family photo Christmas cards, and wearing Christmas jumpers in public.
Elsewhere on the list, it was revealed that 27% of Brits find it unbearable to talk about politics over dinner, and lots of us don’t like it when others watch us open presents.
Around 18% also can’t stand it when people argue over festive games.
The UK’s top 10 Christmas ‘icks’
Having tomato ketchup on your Christmas dinner – 32%
Adults in matching pyjamas – 29.2%
Talking politics during dinner – 27.9%
Undoing your trousers at the dinner table – 24.4%
Leaving the dinner table to smoke – 23.2%
Everyone watching you open your presents – 20.4%
Being hungover on Christmas Day – 19.5%
Arguing over a game – 18.1%
Family photo Christmas cards – 15.2%
Wearing Christmas jumpers – 13.2%
Bad habits at the dinner table also feature heavily on the list, as a quarter of Brits hate it when people undo their trousers after the Christmas meal, and just over a fifth find it rude when someone leaves the table to go and smoke.
What’s your take then? How many of these ‘icks’ do you agree with? Are there any others you feel need adding to the list?
Featured Image – Karolina Grabowska (via Pexels)
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Lola Young shares first public statement since cancellations and stepping away from the spotlight
Danny Jones
UK pop star Lola Young has shared her first public statement since cancelling the remainder of her tour and stepping away from the spotlight.
Lola Young, 24, took a break from her still-burgeoning career after numerous concerning incidents on stage, including throwing up and even passing out in the middle of a performance.
The BRIT School graduate announced the unfortunate cancellation of her upcoming shows “for the foreseeable future”, including a gig here in Manchester, at the end of September.
Breaking her silence after the best part of three months, the London-born singer-songwriter took to social media in a fairly brief but heartwarming statement.
As you can see, the time away from the public eye certainly seems to have been beneficial, telling her followers that “it has helped more than you will ever know”.
In addition to embracing ADHD – even labelling her hit song ‘Messy’ as an “ADHD anthem” in multiple anthems – she was also diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder at just 17.
The latter can include symptoms such as psychosis, hallucinations, intense mood swings, bipolar mania, depression and more.
All that being said, we’re glad to hear that she’s on the mend; we saw her back in March, and you could tell from the crowd that she’s already got a very passionate cult following.
Both conditions and their associated obstacles have obviously affected her, but have equally helped influence her music and lyrical material, certainly, too.
Responding in the comments, fellow artist SZA wrote: “Love you, starfire angel. Your music is FULL of longevity and substance! We’re so grateful for you”.
Joining in support, ‘dark pop’ musician Carter James added, “Your wellbeing comes before anything. So excited for your next chapter whenever it arrives!”
We hope she’ll be doing better enough soon to get back on stage when she’s ready.
Emily Sergeant -
18th August 2025 
