Much-loved Manc musician Liam Fray is helping give away a signed guitar to help raise money for charity and you can get your hands on it.
The best bit is that everyone has a chance of winning because rather than auctioning it off to the highest bidder, Fray and the organisers have made it part of a prize draw where simply donate to the cause in order to enter and you can pay just a fiver for five entries.
Mint.
Signed by The Courteeners frontman himself, the one-of-a-kind instrument is a Fender Acoustic guitar with a Dreadnought body and is adorned in a captivating black and sunburst finish, with a mahogany neck, back and sides, coupled with a natural walnut bridge. In a word, it’s gorgeous.
Liam signing the Fender Dreadnought.‘Lots of love, Liam Fray x’You can win the autographed Liam Fray guitar by simply entering the charity prize draw. (Credit: Supplied)
The purpose behind the prize draw fundraiser is to raise vital funds for Sandiway Primary School down the road in the Cheshire market town of Northwich.
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With Fray being a close friend of a parent at the school and from nearby Middleton, he didn’t hesitate to help out and was quickly put in touch with the Sandiway Parent Teacher Association (PTA) and offered to sign the beautiful guitar.
The money raised from the charity prize draw will go towards helping the school acquire essential equipment and experiences for their children: a brilliant cause that’s well worth getting involved with, especially when you can donate however much you want and all stand an equal chance of winning.
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Autographed memorabilia like this usually goes for thousands and thousands of pounds and the crowdfunding page has already reached over £1,000 in donations through prize draw tickets, and that’s only with around 100 people having entered — imagine how much we can raise if we get more involved.
There is a minimum entry prize of £5 per ticket but, as mentioned, you pledge however much you want beyond that and for those strapped for cash, you can ever enter for free by sending a letter or a postcard to the school itself.
You can enter the auction to win the signed Liam Fray guitar and see full terms and conditions for the competition HERE. The prize draw ends at 6pm on 17 March and the winner will be revealed on Sandiway Primary’s Facebook and Instagram the following day.
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Big up to Liam, Sandiway and everyone involved in setting up this worthy fundraiser; we always love coming across stories like this and it’s yet another example of music culture bringing us all closer together.
Best of luck to everyone who enters and let’s raise some decent numbers for this North West school, shall we?
Featured Images — Supplied/Sandiway Primary School
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A big Christmas sing-along concert with Alexander Armstrong and Aled Jones is coming to Manchester
Emily Sergeant
We know it’s only April, but brace yourselves… we’re about to talk about Christmas.
You are reading today’s date correctly, but whether you can believe it or not, this isn’t an April Fool, as it’s time to get ready to lift your voices and celebrate the festive season because The Big Christmas Sing-a-Long starring much-loved performers and presenters, Aled Jones and Alexander Armstrong, is heading out on its debut UK tour later this year.
This heartwarming live experience is promising to be an ‘unforgettable’ evening of music, laughter, and Christmas cheer.
Performing in some of the most beautiful cathedrals and venues across the UK, when the concert arrives in Manchester in late November, it’ll be taking over the stunning Manchester Monastery.
On the night, Aled Jones – who is one of the UK’s most iconic voices – will perform some beloved highlights, including his signature rendition of ‘Walking in the Air’, alongside a selection of classic festive carols, and joining him on stage will be Alexander Armstrong, whose rich vocals and natural charm will bring ‘humour, warmth, and festive sparkle’ to every performance.
It may be Aled and Alexander’s show, but audiences are also being told to expect some special surprises along the way too.
As this is a sing-along event, audiences will be invited to put on their favourite Christmas jumper and join in with a joyful mix of traditional Christmas carols and modern festive favourites.
The Big Christmas Sing-a-Long – UK Tour Dates 2026
Tuesday 24 November – Llandudno Venue Cymru Theatre
Sunday 29 November – Manchester Monastery
Tuesday 1 December – Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
Wednesday 2 December – Durham Cathedral
Thursday 3 December – Bath Forum
Friday 4 December – Guildford G Live
Wednesday 9 December – Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
Thursday 10 December – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
Friday 11 December – York Barbican
Sunday 13 December – Edinburgh Queens Hall
Tuesday 15 December – Birmingham Town Hall
Sunday 20 December – Bexhill De La Warr Pavilion
Monday 21 December – London Union Chapel
The tour kicks off in Llandudno on 24 November and wraps up in London on 21 December – with a stop off here in Manchester on Sunday 29 November.
The Big Christmas Sing-a-Long is coming to Manchester Monastery on Sunday 29 November, and is expected to capture the true spirit of Christmas, offering a magical evening filled of festive cheer and uplifting songs that everyone can join in with.
Tickets go on general sale tomorrow (Thursday 2 April) at 9:30am, and you can get your hands on them when they go live here.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Sara Cox tipped to replace Scott Mills for Eurovision 2026
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester’s very own Sara Cox is reportedly set to replace Scott Mills at the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest following his sacking from the BBC.
Mills was axed by the news and entertainment corporation on Monday, 1 April, for ‘misconduct’, which has now been revealed to involve a historic relationship with a boy aged under 16.
While the fallout surrounding Scott Mills is only just beginning, the task of finding his replacement in multiple roles has already begun – though it looks like one may have already been decided.
Now reported by multiple outlets, it appears as though Bolton-born Sara Cox is first in line to pick up Mills’ co-hosting duties for this year’s Eurovision show.
Having already been involved with coverage of the event on multiple ocassions in the past, it now appears that she’ll be in post for the Grand Final too.
As a long-standing radio and TV staple, it only takes a quick look at social media to see how much backing she has already received in the past, with a post from last year reading, “Great to have Sara Cox back commentating on Eurovision“, and others from over a decade ago praising her past presenting.
In fact, it might not end just here either, as many are already calling for her to replace the 53-year-old breakfast show host.
From her days as a Radio 1 favourite to becoming a BBC mainstay across the board, her popularity only seems to have grown over the last decade, especially thanks to her charity fundraising efforts.
While an official announcement is yet to be made, the feeling is that it is all but confirmed for her to take over from Mills as part of the Eurovision commentary team.
As for the now vacant early morning slot on BBC Radio 2, the likes of Claudio Winkleman, Vernon Kay, fellow Manc Nick Grimshaw, the aforementioned Rylan, and several others have all been floated as potential stand-ins/future full-time hosts.
Do you think both should be given to Sara Cox, and if not, who would you like to see replace Scott Mills?
Danny Jones -
22nd February 2024 
