A Christmas-themed ‘Miracle on Cross Street’ bar is coming to Manchester
Think mulled wine, espresso-ho-ho-ho martinis, pigs in blankets and mac and cheese - plus a giant, snow-covered Christmas tree and twinkling fairy lights galore
Liverpool’s beloved grown-up Christmas-themed bar and grotto Miracle on Seal Street is coming to Manchester this month.
Called Miracle on Cross Street, it’ll be located on (you guessed it) Cross Street and adorned with all manner of festive finery, from twinkling fairy lights and a giant Christmas tree to candy canes, stockings and snowflakes.
With a host of Christmas movie nights planned, plus festive cocktail specials such as the espresso-ho-ho-ho martini, this is a must for anyone wanting to fully immerse themselves in the feel-good festive spirit.
The Liverpool bar even has a roaring Christmas fire / Image: MIracle on Seal StreetThe espresso-ho-ho-ho martini at Miracle on Seal Street / Image: MIracle on Seal Street
Think mulled wine, its own brand of Irish Cream, festive nibbles, and all-time Christmas film favourites like Elf, Love Actually and Home Alone – then tell us you’re not excited for this one.
Whilst you can walk in, tickets are very much recommended – this is how it’s done in Liverpool and helps anyone miss out on the experience. Tickets usually seem to come with a goodie bag and drink, too, so are well worth purchasing.
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Priced at £15, the ticket will guarantee your seat – plus a complimentary drinks voucher, Christmas hat, candy cane, Miracle on Cross Street pin, and mince pie (vegan pies are available).
Image: Miracle on Seal Street Image: Miracle on Seal Street
As for nibbles, think mac and cheese, Christmas burgers with pigs in blankets, turkey sandwiches and more – that is, if the Liverpool offering is anything to go by.
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Miracle on Cross Street’s Director, John Ennis, said: “We’re so excited to introduce Miracle to Manchester for the first time this year. It’s the perfect place for couples, groups of friends or private functions in the most festive environment.
“Guests can sit back and soak up the festive fun with a Christmas cocktail and nibbles in hand. We’ll also be hosting movie nights on Wednesdays and Sundays where the best Christmas films will be shown. It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and we can’t wait to welcome our guests who may be visiting the Christmas markets, doing some Christmas shopping or just want to get involved in the festivities.”
Miracle on Cross Street will open a stone’s throw from the Christmas Markets, launching in Manchester on 17 November.
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It will be open Wednesday and Thursday from 5 pm until late, and Friday, Saturday and Sunday wil open from 4 pm until late.
The reason behind the ‘mini Manc tornado’ that blew through Ancoats this month
Danny Jones
If you saw footage of a ‘mini tornado’ ripping through Manchester online this past weekend, no, your eyes weren’t deceiving you: it did happen and, turns out, it’s a pretty strange and rare phenomenon– at least in this part of the world.
They say 0161 has everything but a beach, and now we seemingly have little twisters of our own, they might just have a point.
In all seriousness, footage went viral on social media, being met with equal surprise and alarm as most were understandably confused at how this could even happen in the UK, given our climate isn’t typically used to these kinds of weather events.
For those of you who haven’t seen it already, here’s what it looked like…
Did you see the mini Manc tornado that passed through Ancoats last weekend? 🌪️
We’ll admit that when first heard a so-called tornado had been spotted in Manchester, we pictured a little spiral of leaves and crisps packets in a supermarket car park, but as you can see, it really was much more significant than that.
Reported as having towered as high as 30 metres along Great Ancoats Street, various people saw the startling city centre sight and quickly began querying what the hell they were seeing online.
Despite many dubbing it a tornado, we can confirm it was something slightly different.
What caused the ‘Manchester tornado’?
What you’re looking at is what is colloquially known as a ‘dust devil’; put simply, these are small, rotating columns of air that pick up dust and debris from the ground and obviously resemble a tornado at times, especially when they manage to become as wide and tall as this one did.
As explained by the Met Office, “A dust devil forms due to irregularities caused by temperature contrasts on different surfaces, which then causes rotation of the air and, when there’s dust and debris, you can get these columns of air.”
Here’s another angle:
WATCH: MASSIVE Dust Devil in Manchester, England yesterday!#tornado
We don’t need to tell you that it’s been pretty warm of late (bloody gorgeous, in fact) and, as a result, the chances of creating a proper dust devil are much greater than usual.
The Met Office went on to add: “Unlike tornadoes, dust devils grow upwards from the ground, rather than down from clouds. In the stronger dust devils, a cumulus cloud can be seen at the top of the rising column of warm air.
“They only last a few minutes because cool air is sucked into the base of the rising vortex, cooling the ground and cutting off its heat supply.”
It’s not the only strange meteorological event seen around Greater Manchester recently, either. From the likes of ‘supercell thunderstorm’ and the eerily silent ‘heat lightning’ in late 2023, to the UFO-like swirl seen across various parts of the globe earlier this year.
Free balcony greening workshops are happening across Greater Manchester to create ‘mini wildlife havens’
Emily Sergeant
Free balcony greening workshops are happening across Greater Manchester this spring to help people create their own ‘mini wildlife havens’.
While many Greater Manchester residents would love to have a garden of their own, that’s sadly not always the reality if they live in a flat or apartment complex, but instead they may have a balcony – in fact, it’s believed that there are around 60,000 balconies across the region, which adds up to the size of a whopping 33 football pitches.
That’s why the National Trust is on a mission to help city dwellers create their own green spaces through its ‘Sky Gardening Challenge’.
The conservation charity is encouraging people with balconies to ‘grow and green’ the town or city they live in from skyline spaces such as balconies, in the hopes that it’ll enhance their connection to nature and improving their wellbeing, all while helping wildlife thrive at the same time.
Greening a balcony space could apparently support 1.4 million meals for pollinators, like Manchester‘s beloved bees.
Free balcony greening workshops are happening across Greater Manchester to create ‘mini wildlife havens’ / Credit: National Trust
To help people get started on their greening mission and create their own wildlife haven, the National Trust is offering a free balcony gardening guide, free seeds, and free workshops in collaboration with lots of brilliant community organisations across the region – including Hulme Community Garden Centre, Plant CIC, and Northern Lily.
A number of workshops are also being ran this month with Cloud Gardener – a Manchester local, and a well-known face of the balcony gardening world.
With the first workshop in the lineup taking place tomorrow (15 May) and the final one on 7 June, there’s something for everyone to join in with, no matter where you are on your balcony greening journey, from classes in ‘Balcony Basics’ to ‘Edible Growing’, ‘Urban Farming’, and so much more.
And the best bit? All the workshops are free to take part in.
“The impact of our balcony garden extends beyond its small size,” explained a 2024 National Trust Sky Gardening Challenge participant. “It serves as a peaceful retreat for us, offering a place to relax and reconnect with nature. We are lucky to be looking out to such a lush green space right outside of our balcony.”
Another previous participant commented: “The workshops and socials helped me get started and motivated me to do it as I have had lots of health problems, and I had lost the will to do it.
“I felt very tired at first, but now I can spend an hour or so everyday day, and I love sitting in my garden listening the birds or even just the wind blowing through the trees.”
Find out more and book yourself onto a free workshop on the National Trust website here.
Georgina Pellant -
3rd November 2021 
