There’s a Manchester-based charity which is helping uplift and champion communities throughout the city centre and wider Greater Manchester region.
Us Mancs certainly know a thing or two about community, whether it’s our influential music scene, football clubs, our hospitality scene and so on, but Forever Manchester takes this to the next level.
This charity has been consistently funding and supporting community initiatives throughout Greater Manchester by helping people achieve the extraordinary, all while maintaining plenty of local pride.
Forever Manchester was born from a mission to support the people and places that make Greater Manchester magic, and is all about making sure the community is at the forefront of everything they do.
Credit: Forever Manchester
The community-first charity has invested over £65 million into local communities and awarded £517,968 to over 100 different community groups.
This isn’t a new charity either, Forever Manchester has been deep in our city’s culture for quite some time since launching in 1989, most notably commissioning local poet Tony Walsh’s ‘This is the Place’.
The piece was originally published in 2012 before finding a very special place in our hearts back in 2017 when Walsh performed the poem at a vigil for the Manchester Arena attack.
This love letter to Manchester has not only gone on to become a part of the city’s history but also reaffirmed this organisation’s place throughout communities in the region.
Credit: Supplied
Now, the community-minded charity is ready to make a mark in 2025 with a whole host of initiatives, including a Forever Manchester lottery, pub quizzes, comedy nights and disco bingo.
Anyone looking to find out more information about this community-first charity and see some examples of the work it does can visit Forever Manchester’s official website.
Remember, this is a city that looks after its own – that’s the kind of energy we want to see you keeping up all year long.
And, if you have a soft spot for a tote bag or wall art prints, look no further than Forever Manchester’s shop, where every purchase directly contributes to community activities in Greater Manchester HERE.
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 4 – 10 August 2025
Emily Sergeant
August has arrived, and so has the summer.
Schools across Greater Manchester are now out for the summer holidays, and that means the fun is just getting started, so there’s plenty happening this week to celebrate – from festivals, and themed events, to new foodie openings, family fun, and loads more.
Finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though? No worries. We’ve chosen a few of the highlights for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide.
Both free things and those that’ll set you back a few pennies are featured.
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The Cat That Slept for a Thousand Years
Manchester Museum
Monday 4 August – onwards
The Cat That Slept for a Thousand Years / Credit: Supplied
You can step into the fantastical imaginary world of The Cat That Slept for a Thousand Years this summer.
This world-premiere exhibition, created in collaboration with robotics studio Air Giants, invites you to experience a playful blend of education, theatre, and dreamscape – and it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen at Manchester Museum before.
Once you’ve met the 10-meter long sleepy cat, you’ll then find a series of fun, free, cat-inspired activities at the Museum throughout the summer, including an augmented reality trail.
The Science and Industry Museum has got a spectacular summer holiday programme packed with all sorts of things to be getting up to, making it one of the best places to escape the hustle and bustle with your little ones in the city centre this summer.
With events running up until 31 August, whether it’s disco dancing around a giant brain, unveiling the science behind optical illusions, or journeying through a giant ear canal, there’s something for everyone during the museum’s ‘sense-sational’ summer.
Loads To Do / Credit: Artem Kniaz | Yan Krukau (via Unsplash & Pexels)
Thousands of free activities have been planned by Manchester City Council ready for local families to take part in this summer.
A many parents, carers, and guardians will likely be looking for ways to keep the kids entertained for six whole weeks before the new term starts, the Councilhas relaunched its popular Holiday Activity and Food programme (HAF) to help keep little Mancs active during the summer break.
From arts and crafts, to sporting events and plenty other physical activities, there is a whole host of entertaining things for everyone to get involved with, no matter your budget, making sure no one gets bored over the holidays.
A free open-air cinema has arrived Manchester city centre for the summer.
With a backdrop of the modern Manchester skyline, Screen on The Square the go-to hangout for Mancs this summer, as audiences can recline in deck chairs surrounded by one of the city’s best views, and watch everything from classic and family films, to music, sporting events, and so much more.
It’s launched down at New Jackson – Renaker’s world-class skyscraper district and thriving new neighbourhood that’s taken shape at the southern side of Manchester city centre.
Stories – Brought To Life / Credit: The Manc Group
A major new National Portrait Gallery exhibition has arrived in Salford.
The ground-breaking new experience by FRAMELESS Creative has opened at MediaCity, bringing some of the world’s most famous portraits to life like never before.
Stories – Brought to Life will explore the fascinating lives of these figures, who have shaped the UK’s history and culture all the way since the Tudor period, and will combine the highest quality digital projection, Hollywood-style visual effects, and the latest audio technology, along with specially created musical scores and creative narratives to shine a new light on each individual.
Visitors will be able to step inside iconic portraits including Grayson Perry, Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai, Emmeline Pankhurst, Queen Elizabeth I, and William Shakespeare.
Music for the Senses / Credit: David Oates Photography
An all-new multi-sensory art exhibition has taken over the streets of the city centre this summer.
The new exhibition, which is titled Music for the Senses: an art arrangement for a musical city, is a collaboration between global art producer Wild in Art – the creators of the famous Bee in the City project – and Manchester City Council.
Chester Zoo’s much-loved Afterglow event is back this summer, and organisers say it’ll be ‘bigger and better’ than ever.
Returning to the UK’s biggest charity zoo by popular demand, Afterglow is already known and loved for offering visitors the rare opportunity to explore the zoo and its 37,000 animals after hours… and this time around, there will be ‘even more’ surprises to discover.
Animal lovers will get the unique chance to encounter some of the world’s most endangered species during golden hour – which, for many animals, is one of their most active periods.
Find out more and see if there’s last-minute tickets here.
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Summer Fair 2025
Trafford Centre
Monday 4 – 31 August
Summer Fair 2025 / Credit: Trafford Centre
A beach, splash park, fairground rides, and loads more family fun has returned to the Trafford Centre for the summer.
After proving to be massively-popular over the past couple of years, with thousands of families travelling from across Greater Manchester and beyond to bask in the sunshine and make the most of all the fun and games, the Trafford Centre has welcomed back its Summer Fair for 2025.
And this year, the beloved event has got itself a new family activity zone, and it sounds set to be bigger and better than ever.
The best bit? Tickets will only set you back just £3 each.
The SmileyWorld® Art Trail / Credit: Scott Kershaw Photography
Stockport has transformed into a playful outdoor gallery this summer as a colourful new art trail has taken over the town.
Visitors should get ready to explore a full spectrum of emotions this summer, as the SmileyWorld® Art Trail is making its North West debut and taking over the town centre with a colourful collection of quirky, fun, and exciting sculptures, each reimagined by a different artist to reflect the full range of human emotions including joy, pride, surprise, anxiety, and lots more.
The trail is created by trailblazing global arts producer, Wild in Art, in partnership with Totally Stockport BID and SmileyWorld.
Cheshire Oaks has brought its popular The Great Summer Social event back for another year, and there’s currently loads to get involved with while schools are out.
Not only is there a bunch of retail offers and promotions to make the most of, as well as free family-friendly interactive activities to get involved with too, but there’s also a big wheel, a mini golf course, a big screen showing entertainment events, DJs blasting out tunes, and a wide variety of street food and drink vendors across the Designer Outlet.
Kargo on the Docks / Credit: Supplied | Mark Waugh
Kargo on the Docks is back for the summer.
MediaCity’s al fresco dining pop-up has taken over the waterfront and gardens once again with a fresh wave of local food traders and stunning artwork by Salford-based creatives, all as the sun shines down on Salford Quays this summer.
A handful of Greater Manchester’s most popular independents have set themselves up Quayside inside those signature re-imagined shipping containers.
Foodies can expect a menu packed with bold new flavours including Caribbean, Lebanese, Mexican, Ethiopian, and Pan-Asian dishes.
It really wasn’t that long ago that cult-favourite beauty retailer Sephora opened its doors in the Trafford Centre, but now the city centre’s getting in on the action too, as after the first site proved so successful, a brand-new Manchester Arndale store has just opened, and she’s stunning.
Packed with all things skincare and beauty, there exclusive-to-Sephora brands in store, like Haus Labs by Lady Gaga, Rare Beauty, and many more.
NEW OPENING – Oop Stay Art Cafe / Credit: The Manc Group
A brand-new art cafe has opened up in Manchester where you can make your own phone case, paint a masterpiece, or craft an adorable Moru doll.
At Oop Stay Art Cafe in Chinatown, it’s all about switching off from the outside world and getting a little bit crafty, with seriously cute charms, patches and paints to play with.
Whether you’re building a phone case covered in miniature food charms or a claw clip plastered in flowers, you can do it with a matcha or an iced coffee – and leave with an adorable creation and a caffeine buzz.
There’s even a ‘messy room’ where you can whack on a rain coat and fling paint around to your heart’s content.
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NEW OPENING – The Faraday
Northern Quarter
NEW OPENING – The Faraday / Credit: The Manc Group
As if the Northern Quarter wasn’t already one of the go-to spots for a pint in Manchester, a new pub has now opened its doors.
Set just off Stevenson Square, this brand-new boozer has a traditional-style pub upstairs and a haven of gaming downstairs, so think pints, performances, and pool – plus a banging happy hour and electric darts.
NEW OPENING – Dave’s Hot Chicken / Credit: The Manc Group
Say Drake, we hear that new chicken shop you’ve backed is opening in Manchester very soon.
That’s right – Drake-backed chicken brand, Dave’s Hot Chicken, is already known and loved across the pond, but now it’s arriving in Manchester and is setting up shop inside the Printworks in the heart of the city centre.
Once the Manchester location opens its doors, you can expect signature LA-style hot chicken with a full menu of seven heat levels.
Dave’s Hot Chicken in Manchester opens this month.
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Featured Image – The Manc Group | Artem Kniaz
Art & Culture
Five Manchester artists we’ve been listening to this month | July 2025
Danny Jones
Hello again, it’s us: The Manc, or more specifically, our Audio North arm – back to talk about the music coming out of Greater Manchester that we’ve been listening to over the past month.
If you’re new here, it really is as simple as that, and whether they’re revered veterans of the region’s music scene or what we think might be the next up-and-coming thing, as long as it’s from ’round our way, we’ll give it a chance.
Five native artists, three recommended tracks from each and hopefully hours of exciting new listening if you play your cards right.
Headphones and playlists at the ready. Here’s what we had on in July.
Manchester music we’ve been into recently
1. poor effort
We’re kicking things off with an experimental project from Salford-born and Manchester-based musician and writer, Matty Dagger, whose new outing in the spoken word space immediately caught our attention when it came down the grapevine. It’s a bit alternative, a bit punk and very Manc. We love it.
Some might say it’s reminiscent of Yard Act and Sleaford Mods, which would be fair, but more specifically, our first listens gave us Stockport’s very own Hello Cosmos with a sprinkling of Oldham’s Seb Lowe (both previous monthly picks). The lyrical/vocal delivery is charmingly casual and anecdotal.
Dagger’s poor effort couldn’t be anything less than; there seems to be a very considered approach to the more electronic style of spoken word and poetry-driven music. You can complete the discography already, but we’d start with ‘you’re wrong, i’m right (symphony)’, ‘HMRC’, and then ‘City of Hope’.
Cool visual aesthetics going on too.
2. Victoria Jane
Next up is a big knee-jerking turn in genre and overall temperament, as if Dagger has been making us pay microscopic attention to every word and Greater Mancunian reference, this local musician hooked us in with her somewhat quieter but inviting timbre of voice and smooth, almost sleepy melodies at times.
Victoria Jane may have been born in London, having previously collaborated as part of the Vibbar collective, but having moved to 0161 as a kid and falling in love with Man United, she’s always immersed herself in the Northern way. The R’n’B act also presents BBC Radio 1 ‘Future Soul’ show.
Her work really hits all the notes you want, from smooth and soulful singing, to not quite voice cracks but soft, intentional breaks that often feel nigh on agonising – as if she’s into you and welcoming you to slump back the other way. ‘The One’, ‘Voicenote Freestyle’ and ‘On My Own’ are our picks.
Number three is, admittedly, another big whiplash when it comes to overall experience, but it’s one of the most unique musical discoveries we’ve made in a hit minute. This musical duo is called Phellotape, conceived by double bassist Alice Phelps and multi-instrumentalist producer Thomas ‘Twem’ Twemlow.
They met while playing in the queer alt-rock outfit, The Irrepressibles, but this project could be branded as anything from alternative and/or experimental to maybe even art pop. All we know is the multi-talented mix of instruments within almost every section, and pulling from numerous styles is pretty staggering.
Rather fittingly, there are only two recorded tracks to their name so far; ‘Rain’ is a quiet, atmospheric song that puts you in mind of London Grammar with a mix of the xx and Massive Attack, while ‘Hungry Ghost’ is quite easily one of the most interesting tunes we’ve heard in the past decade. No exaggeration.
4. 10cc
Fancing something more familiar for number four? Well, as a born and bred Stopfordian myself, every now and again I go back and admire some of the incredible names that recorded at the town’s famous Strawberry Studios – one of which is Stockport‘s very own 10cc. Great name, great band.
The moment I heard my then-teenage brother play ‘Donna’, I was baffled as to why he was playing what I then just dismissed as “old music”, before it quickly got stuck in my head. Is it their best tune? No. Does it still hold a special place in my head and heart? Yes. Do they have other standouts? Absolutely.
For the record, while most people recognise the likes of the controversial ‘Dreadlock Holiday’, I’d argue ‘Good Morning Judge’ is their best track and the first time I listened to it, I thought it was one of the coolest sounding intros ever. Still do. ‘I’m Not In Love’ with them, but they are a core childhood memory.
A hugely undercelebrated of Greater Manchester music history (Credit: AVRO/Dirk Annemans (via Wikimedia Commons)
5. Oasis
Speaking of legends who evoke nothing but feelings of hometown pride, legacy and pure admiration, it’d be the most see-through lie ever to pretend that we haven’t spent most of this last month listening to the almighty Oasis amid their comeback tour.
We had the pleasure of being there at Heaton Park and up on ‘Gallagher Hill’, which now has its own precious place in British music history, and July as a whole still feels akin to a fever dream and similar to what we imagine Glastonbury is like for those nearby when it takes over their entire universe.
July 2025 really was “biblical” and we don’t think we’ll ever get over it, so, last but not least, we’d thought we’d give a special shout-out to some of our favourite tracks that didn’t make the setlist. ‘Don’t Go Away’, ‘Shock of the Lightning’, ‘Round Are Way’. Done.
As The Masterplan proved, everything from the so-called ‘filler’ album tracks to those B-sides is better than most other bands could dream of. As you were x
Thomas Melia -
12th July 2025 
