The brand new city centre opening Courts Club is giving away a whopping 500 free coffees this Thursday to Mancs in need of a mid-week pick-me-up.
Let’s be honest, the only thing better than a shot of much-needed caffeine is a freebie.
Courts Club opened last month over in the ever-growing St John’s district just down from Deansgate and next door to Spinningfields, bringing a refreshing combination rarely seen in Manchester: basketball, tennis, boules, a bar, butties, lights bites and more – all in one space.
Bringing a sense of almost beachside Florida meets laid-back Lawn Club (they are the same team behind it after all) to the bustling city centre, and to mark not only their first month of business but a new loyalty scheme, they’ve decided to hand out a shed load of free coffees to celebrate.
The offer is simple: the first 500 people to attend between 8am-12pm this Thursday, 22 August will earn a free coffee as well as an intro to their loyalty scheme, which offers a free drink for every seven stamps collected.
Plus, they will also be given a headstart with not one but two stamps added, meaning they can collect another free drink after their next five visits.
Opening from 8am and closing at 11pm every weekday, Courts Club is an all-hours venue but, especially whilst the weather is still nice, it’s a great little sun-trap to sit and have your lunch.
With that in mind, as part of this new promotion under the Courts Club loyalty scheme, they’re also launching the Courts Combo lunch deal, which offers a soft drink or hot beverage with a toastie and a small salad for just a tenner.
Customers can also upgrade their drink to a cheeky alcoholic bev for an extra £2 if they fancy, and the toastie menu includes a selection of gooey sarnies made with a mix of mozzarella and American cheese with garlic butter using local tin loaf bread from independent supplier Half Dozen Other. Oof, go on then.
Credit: The Manc Group/Supplied
Ant Everatt, General Manager over at Courts Club said: “We were given such a warm welcome last month when we opened our doors, and saw over 500 people come down to our launch party.
“We’re keen to keep growing our relationship and community connections within the neighbourhood and with so many businesses and residents nearby, we’re the perfect spot to grab a coffee – and even better that you can grab a free one on us!
“We’ve already shown we can be the perfect post-work meeting spot and a place to shoot some hoops or play tennis, but now we’re here to show we can serve up coffee, brunch and be the ‘go-to’ morning hangout too.”
It’s certainly going to be our go-to this Thursday if there are free coffees up for grabs, put it that way.
Courts Club is now open seven days a week, with courts available for hire and the space itself open for large group bookings.
Part of the Shiko Group – a boutique hospitality company that manages several bars, cafes and event spaces across Manchester and Leeds such as Canary Bar, Fearns Leeds, Side Street Studios, Deck & Dome, Foleys XYZ, Foleys ABC, The Stables and the aforementioned Lawn Club – there’s real Northern roots behind this latest venture.
You can get another look at all the fun they have on offer down below:
The bizarre explanation behind Manchester’s new mini ‘green space’ – that’s completely closed off
Danny Jones
One thing you always hear people who live in central Manchester calling out for is green space, but when a new patch of grass does arrive, you don’t exactly expect it to be completely inaccessible.
Just a quick FYI to those of you passionate about supporting what little nature there is left in our city centre: brace yourselves, as this one is rather annoying…
For anyone who’s walked down Whitworth Street West past the once lively Locks, or even got off at Deansgate–Castlefield tram stop and come down the glass stairs closest to the Albion Bridge, you may have noticed a rogue patch of grass surrounded by black fencing next to the City Road Inn pub.
It could be considered a nice little lawn were it not completely fenced off, but the question is, why has it popped up there? Well, local lad Curtis Rothwell has recently debunked the whole frustrating mess for us in a helpful video.
Yes, as explained by the Pre-Construction Manager who works for local utilities contractor Zenit Infrastructure Solutions Limited, the somewhat laughable but disheartening gated green space on Whitworth Street is essentially a feeble attempt at adhering to permission laws.
As detailed by Rothwell, the plot bought for a sizeable sum last year (only the original developers didn’t have the funding to actually pull off their initial plans) is now set to become student accommodation.
Currently, real estate firm Tri7 – which has now been fully folded into the parent group known as Fusion, as previous part-owners already – still has a hold on the land for now.
However, after being ordered by Manchester City Council to tidy up the area in the meantime, as they await planning permission to be fully approved, they decided to lay these new rolls of turf there.
Ok, so while the notion of the Council ordering a property company to make urban spaces look pretty and the idea of introducing more grassy zones into the city sound good on paper, as you can see, the real-life result doesn’t quite match up.
Not only does this feel like a bare minimum effort to appease the local authorities ahead of erecting yet another skyscraper, but more importantly, it feels like sheer nonchalant neglect and/or plain dismissal of those Manc residents crying out for more grass, nature and a break from the concrete jungle.
The fact that the rare green space is totally blocked by tall, almost authoritarian-feeling fences and sealed off by a big, black gate comes across like a casual two fingers to both the Council and those living in the city centre.
Speaking to The Manc, Curt commented: “It’s positive the council can take charge of how our empty spaces look after demolitions. In this case, maybe the demolition was carried out too early, which happens, but when it does, greenery is the best look they can give to local people.”
You can see the latest update on the planning permission HERE, and for now, if you’re looking for green spaces in Manchester, you’ll find them more frequently beyond the outskirts and heading into the boroughs; this one is strictly off limits. Find a whole bunch of ones that aren’t down below:
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Curtis Rothwell (via LinkedIn)
City Centre
A huge Hot Wheels monster truck event is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
A massive Hot Wheels-themed monster truck event is coming to Manchester city centre as part of a brand new UK tour.
You can file this under one for the kids and for the big kids.
Following the success of the brand’s award-winning ‘Glow-N-Fire’ event earlier this year, Hot Wheels is hitting the road once again and bringing the explosive show to yet more domestic audiences.
Whether you’re a monster truck enthusiast, part of the wider motorhead masses, or simply looking for something fun to do with the little ones, you should be all over this.
Credit: Pres shots (supplied)
What is Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live: Glow-N-Fire?
Produced by Family Entertainment Live, Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live™ sees versions of the genuine collectable toys brought to life on the biggest scale possible.
Remember that old miniature car you had that looked like a shark? Yep, they’ve even got that.
But there’s much more than just colossally large vehicles; as well as the debut of an all-new truck called the ‘Rhinomite’ – the dynamite Rhino-themed truck which charges horn-first into challenges and looks to destroy the competition – the new and improved experience will feature never-before-seen stunts.
Performed not only by the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks drivers, but also by a talented roster of FMX (freestyle motocross), you can expect the likes of no-handed front flips and much more by these impressive professionals.
Returning not only to the capital but now Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Leeds too, more and more Brits are going to be able to see the action for themselves.
Credit: Supplied
Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live – UK tour dates
Saturday to Sunday, 3-4 January 2026: AO Arena, Manchester
Sat-Sun, 10-11 January: The O2 Arena, London
Sat-Sun, 28-29 March: First Direct Bank Arena, Leeds
Sat-Sun, 4-5 April: M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool
Sat-Sun, 11-12 April: Utilita Arena, Birmingham
With special children’s pricing, VIP packages and even the chance to participate in the official pre-show party, held two and a half hours prior to every performance, there really is so much value-for-money to be soaked up from this high-octane piece of live entertainment at the AO Arena.
The pre-show party, specifically, gives fans a unique opportunity to access the arena floor where they can get up close and personal with the outrageous Hot Wheels designs and the truly epic size of a minster struck, as well as grab autographs and selfies with their favourites.
Hot Wheels Monster Trucks – Manchester tickets
Glow-N-Fire won the most recent Pollstar ‘Family Show of the Year’ award and has sold thousands of tickets this year alone, so it goes without saying that you have every reason to give this one a go.
Tickets for next year’s Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live show at the AO Arena in Manchester go on sale this Friday, 5 September at 10am.
Danny Jones -
20th August 2024 
