You’ve got a 15-minute break from work, you’re absolutely Hank Marvin and in desperate need of something to quickly consume and give you indigestion… Arndale Food Court.
You’re Christmas shopping on 24th December, starving, sweaty, have become single due to high stress levels, and need something quick to eat before you keel over… Arndale Food Court.
You’re Nipping to Argos for a new Roomba, the scent of KFC wafts down the steps of the Arndale Food Court and into your general direction. Off you go for a quick, unplanned scran.
The place is iconic, and you’ve needed it more than you’d like to admit over the years.
We’ve been traversing steps, squeezing into lifts, and taking both sides of Market Street’s one-way escalators into the busiest, unorganised Food Court in Manchester for as long as we can remember. But now, things have changed, forever.
That’s because some absolute genius has figured out how to make one side of those famous, double, one-way escalators go both ways – meaning you can both enter AND exit Manchester’s best and worst place to eat for the first time EVER (or at least a decade).
Since before time began, the route into, and out of, the Food Court was either from the Market Street escalators (as previously mentioned multiple times), a lift located next to Boots, or the steps by Argos and Luvyababes.
You’d then be forced to either walk through the shopping centre (a marketing ploy no doubt), or take a lift back down to the wet cobbles of Market Street below, in order to leave and crack on with your day.
Manchester Arndale
Now, when you step on those escalators, changing your mind on whether to eat in one of the most packed places on the planet is now an option – as you can simply hop back on it at the top and scale back down. Result.
We’re aware that this might not be the biggest news on the planet, but if you’re a Mancunian, it’s at least going to slightly satisfy those civic pride taste buds that you pretend not to have. We’re just sorry that you had to sit through 300 words on it.
We’re off to be completely underwhelmed by a set of escalators.
City Centre
Hundreds of FREE iced drinks are being given out in Manchester city centre next week
Emily Sergeant
A popular coffee shop in Manchester will be giving away hundreds of free iced drinks to people in the city centre tomorrow.
Sure, it looks like that classic rainy Manchester weather may be making itself known this week, after what has been a month of glorious sunshine so far, but that isn’t stopping independent cafe brand, 200 Degrees, from ‘turning up the heat’ and seeing in summer in style with a refreshing giveaway this week.
To celebrate the launch of its new summer menu, the first 200 people through the doors of its central Manchester cafe will be able to get their hands a freebie.
Happening next Tuesday 22 July from 7am, the lucky city centre visitors will be given the choice of sipping on one of five new speciality iced drinks, all without having to spend a single penny.
The coffee chain says each new menu item has been curated especially for the summer, and there’s a flavour combination ‘for every palate’ – with unique creations like the Iced Pink Guava Matcha, and the Cold Brew with Vanilla Cold Foam being just a few of the freebie options set to be on offer next week.
Customers are being advised to ‘get down early’ to 200 Degrees’ site in Manchester city centre on Mosley Street if they want to stand a chance of claiming the ice-cold offer.
As well as the five new iced drinks, there’s also a bunch of new food items that’ve just been added to 200 Degrees’ menu for the summer too, so if you’re feeling a bit peckish, you can grab a seasonal bite to eat while you’re at it too.
200 Degrees is giving out hundreds of free iced drinks in Manchester next week / Credit: 200 Degrees
New food additions include a summer falafel salad packed with fresh greens, crunchy veg, and sweet potato falafel, alongside a selection of new breakfast and lunchtime offerings including the whipped feta and roasted pepper sandwich, and a bacon and brie croissant.
Sweet treats include a lemon and pistachio blondie, passionfruit ripple cake, and a vegan raspberry Bakewell.
Make sure to get yourself down to 200 Degrees on Mosley Street from 7am next Tuesday 22 July if you want to claim a free iced drink.
Featured Image – 200 Degrees
City Centre
The Manchester charity that’s championing the community one step at a time
Thomas Melia
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 Manc -
17th May 2021 
