Bury

Manchester-based drinks brand Beerhunter launches Christmas gift range

The range features everything from beer advent calendars, to personalised spirit gifts, and more.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 16th November 2021

A popular Greater Manchester craft beer and spirit store has launched a new festive gift range that’s perfect for stocking up on Christmas presents.

Beerhunter – which is an online drinks delivery service, based in Bury and founded in 2015 – is made up of a team of experts keen to bring customers a wide range of beers to enjoy from the comfort of their own homes, and now, with the festive season right around the corner, the company has launched a new Christmas range of beer and spirit gifts.

The range features everything from beer advent calendars, to personalised spirit gifts by local and international favourites, and so much more.

“At Beerhunter, we make it our mission to stock the best beers and spirits from the UK and around the world creating bespoke gifts for those who enjoy a tipple of two at Christmas,” said Kieron Ainsworth – local Mancunian, and Beerhunter employee.

“As our motto goes, we want the UK to… Up Their Beer Game.”

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A popular Greater Manchester craft beer and spirit store has launched a new festive gift range / Credit: The Manc Group

As Christmas fast approaches, there are already several craft beer advent calendars available on the market, but Beerhunter is offering a unique range of advent calendars – such as a ‘British’, ‘Gluten Free’, ‘Around the World’, and ‘Brewdog’.

The company’s new limited-edition ‘Boozy’ advent calendar is also made up of a variety of gins, beers, cocktails, and other boozy delights.

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If you’re keen to get a head-start on your Christmas shopping this year, then Beerhunter also has a huge selection of unique and bespoke beer-filled gift sets to take your pick from.

The ‘Mixed Beer Cases‘, and ‘Best of British Gift Box‘ are two of the most popular choices.

The range features everything from beer advent calendars, to personalised spirit gifts, and more / Credit: The Manc Group

Boasting a fully-tracked delivery process from start to finish, not only is Beerhunter experts in beer gifting, but the company also offers a premium range of spirit gifts too, using a selection of popular local spirits combined with different drinking kit essentials to make the perfect Christmas gift for anyone who loves a tipple.

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To make each gift that extra little bit more special, there’s also the option to make the sets personalised with your choice of name or message.

You can get your hands on Beerhunter’s Christmas gifts online here.

Featured Image – Beerhunter

Bury

Gig review | Catfish at Heaton Park, Manchester – are the Bottlemen properly back?

Danny Jones Danny Jones Catfish and the Bottlemen gig review Heaton Park Manchester 2025

10 months on from their last gig and more than a year since they officially ended their hiatus, Catfish and the Bottlemen finally returned to Manchester for a sold-out show at Heaton Park, and while the reviews online have been mixed, we had a blast heading back to the fields again.

Making their Manc comeback just hours before this year’s Parklife Festival got underway, the beloved Welsh band had stirred lots of worry leading up to the day itself and, in truth, even in the moments leading up to (and after) their stage time.

Apart from their huge headline slot at Reading and Leeds, 2024 was the year of cancellations and controversy, so their fans had plenty of reason to be concerned. Nevertheless, we had faith and kept our spirits high, especially with the weather holding out.

Local legends and indie rock veterans James certainly helped on that front, delighting both die-hards watching from up on the hill and younger gig-goers who may have only heard a few of the big hits like ‘Sit Down’ – though they certainly didn’t heed that message, there was merely jumping up and down.

james catfish and the bottlemen heaton park support set
Some great computer-generated imagery backdropped the set.
catfish heaton park reviews
We watched this thing like a hawk.
You can read our recent interview with them HERE. (Credit: Audio North)

Once the main support act had wrapped up their pretty perfectly timed set, we’ll admit, standing on that grass felt like an eternity, especially considering Catfish had us waiting an extra 15 minutes beyond their expected arrival at Heaton Park.

You could call it fashionably late, but in this case, it saw several people around us uttering, ‘they’re not coming on any time soon’, and some even beginning to walk off.

However, they did eventually arrive just over a quarter of an hour past schedule, and the eruption of cheers from the crowd and a fair few screams from those nearest the barrier signalled what summed up the entire night: we were just so happy to have them back.

Even more notably, in fact, the boys themselves looked to be equally as buzzing, with bassist Benji Blakeway and ever-charismatic frontman Van McCann embracing each other before the opener and the latter flashing that familiar grin all night long.

We’ve heard people debating the sound quality and taking issue with parts of Van’s performance, but we’ll just leave this here and let you decide for yourselves:

One thing’s for sure: the energy was immaculate from start to finish.

From kicking things off with ‘Longshot’ for a limb-worthy intro, to hearing a fully acoustic version of ‘Hourglass’ as the lead singer stood alone on the dramatically lit main stage, soon to be followed up by a plethora of Parklife acts, we’d wager you they’ll remain a tough act to follow all weekend.

Other highlights included an entire park’s worth of people belting every word to ‘Kathleen’, ‘Fallout’, ‘Pacifier’ and pretty much every track they played, as well Van having the crowd repeat the chorus of ‘Cocoon’ as he hung up his guitar from the stand to deliver an ice-old mic drop.

We would’ve loved to hear a fuller set filled with the extended live versions of ‘Oxygen’, ‘Heathrow’ and ‘Glasgow’ too, especially given how many sections of pure instrumentation felt like they were going to transition into another track, but you can’t have everything, I guess.

manchester and the bottlemen flag
Inflatable crocodiles and cracking flags
van mccann manchester heaton park
Credit: The Manc Group
catfish and the bottlemen photos
Eyes and arms wide open
We’re here to urge you not to be drawn in by TikTok reviews – as far as we’re concerned, Catfish were made to headline Heaton Park.

Sure, there might have been a few minor fluffed vocal notes and slightly over-lengthy solos here and there, but after all, it’s a rock show: we want a bit of mess.

The same goes for Van McCann himself, too; we worry that people are starting to forget what a proper rockstar is, and we’re not talking about contriving some kind of Hollywood lifestyle, but certainly getting lost in the music and trashing your guitar so hard that your face is draped in nothing but hair and sweat? Absolutely.

All in all, we think Catfish and the Bottlemen‘s massive outdoor show at Manchester’s Heaton Park and de facto ‘comeback after the last comeback’ was a triumph and even when they’re not absolutely 10/10, they’re still bloody good value live.

As for the question of ‘are they back?’ We think so and certainly hope that ‘Showtime’ wasn’t just released as a way of signalling fans to come along for one last ride before the final curtain call.

Read more:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Audio North

Bury

Wizard and dinosaur-themed steam trains are back travelling through Greater Manchester this summer

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

The popular wizard and dinosaur-themed steam trains are back travelling through Greater Manchester this summer.

The school summer holidays are just over a month away now, and that means East Lancashire Railway (ELR) is back with a whole host of immersive events that give curious Mancs the chance to step back in time by hopping on one of the historic Pullman-style steam train carriages through the picturesque Greater Manchester countryside.

Thomas the Tank Engine, Peppa Pig, and seasonal themed train rides are just a few of the events that have been entertaining families in the region over the last few years.

But by far two of the best-loved experiences on the lineup each year have to be the chance to go on a wizard or dinosaur-themed adventure… and thankfully, both are back yet again next month.

Wizard and dinosaur-themed steam trains are back travelling through Greater Manchester this summer / Credit: ELR

ELR’s Wizarding Adventure sees little Mancs come together for a magical day of sharing spells and getting stuck into lots of magic-themed fun, as aspiring witches and wizards of all ages are invited to enrol in the spellbinding school of sorcery.

They’ll go on a ‘wacky and wonderful whistle stop tour’ of the Wizard Academy and learn to become a master of mystery and magic during their interactive 90-minute journey through the ‘Irwell Valley of wonders’ hauled by a genuine steam – and spell – powered train.

If the Jurassic period sounds more up your little one’s street though, then the Dino Adventure is the one as it’s ideal for all budding dino enthusiasts.

Steam train
This is your chance to take your little Mancs on an adventure / Credit: ELR

Step onto a specially dino-proofed steam train and journey into a prehistoric world, as you’ll get to meet ELR’s expert dino wranglers, come face-to-face with adorable baby dinosaurs, and enjoy a hands-on experience packed with discovery, excitement, and fun for the whole family.

“Whether your little ones are excited to meet dinosaurs or learn wizardry, there’s an unforgettable adventure waiting for everyone at ELR this summer,” commented Mike Kelly, who is the Chairman of the East Lancashire Railway.

“We’re proud to host events that ignite imaginations and create lasting memories, all set amidst the beautiful scenery of the Irwell Valley”.

Read more:

The Wizarding Adventure and the Dino Adventure are coming to ELR next month on 20 and 27 July, respectively, as well as later dates in August, and you can find out more and get tickets from £17.50 online here.

Featured Image – ELR

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