Feel Good Club is Manchester’s new kid on the block and it will be remaining open throughout the second national lockdown for takeaway services and to provide support.
The movement – which started humbly as an Instagram page by founders Kiera and Aimie Lawlor-Skillen – is aimed at normalising the stigma around mental health and has flourished into a successful platform of 120K+ followers.
So successful in fact that is saw the pair go on to open the doors to their brand-new wellbeing-focused coffee house in the heart of the Northern Quarter just last weekend.
But, despite the country heading into another national lockdown – which is expected to take effect from 0.01 GMT on Thursday 5th November and requires hospitality businesses to close for the four week duration – Kiera and Aimie will be keeping the Hilton Street coffee house open for takeaway only.
As well as being a brilliant independent business to grab your caffeine fix from, it will also provide vital support services for those who need most, especially as Google search data compiled by Feel Good Club shows the increasingly-worrying rise in mental health searches, with a 25% uplift in the UK overall.
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Searches for how to deal with anxiety are also up by 53%, how to cope with OCD up 89%, and searches for tips on how to cope with depression are up 67% too.
Making the announcement on Instagram, Kiera and Aimie said: “We’ll be staying open throughout lockdown for takeaway [and] our team are mental health first aid trained so can support people who may be in need when they come to get their coffee,”
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“It’s a difficult time for everyone and we want to offer support to anyone who might be struggling during this time.”
“Feel Good Club exists to remind people that we are all just humans”.
The cafe also employs a number of community-driven initiatives such as the ‘pay it forward’, which means you can pay for someone else to have a coffee on you, or easily enjoy one of their pay it forward coffees if you are in need, struggling or having a hard time.
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To make ordering as comfortable as possible, you can send @wearefeelgoodclub a message on Instagram before you order, or ask for a ‘Thumbs Up’ on arrival, and the staff will know exactly what you mean.
Feel Good Club will continue to be a space to host community events, a co-working space, and a place to relax once restrictions are lifted too, and you can find more information via the website here.
The UK’s largest wine festival is returning to Manchester this autumn
Lydia Mastrolonardo
The UK’s biggest festival of wine will be coming back to Manchester this year, with more than 300 wines on offer plus plenty more.
The Laithwaites’ Wine Festival is returning up north, following the major success of last year.
As well as having hundreds of wines to showcase, the festival will also offer a chance to discover a selection of luxury spirits, plus join expert-led tastings, and visit artisan food stands, all under one roof.
As the UK’s longest-running wine tasting event, with 40 producers from 17 different countries, and artisan food all accompanied with carefully paired wines at each stall, it’s safe to say they know what they’re doing.
Struggling to think of a birthday present or ideas for how to celebrate with loved ones? Look no further – each ticket includes a tasting guide to help plan your route around the room and a complimentary tasting glass to sample over 300 different wines – trust me, they will love it.
As part of the Friday evening entertainment, guests can also expect a special appearance from wine presenter and communicator Tom Gilbey. Here, fans will be able to talk with Tom and sample the Signature Six case, which is a collection of wines approved by the man himself.
What’s more, is that this year, guests are invited to get creative at their brand new ‘design a wine label’ competition. You never know, maybe a few top-quality glasses of wine is the sweet spot for your drawing abilities to show themselves.
It is also possible to upgrade each ticket to gain access to expert-led masterclasses, with tutored tastings of sparkling wine, sherry and food, or cheese with wine. Fine Wine ticket holders will also be granted access to the Fine Wine Room and its rarer bottles.
Whether you spend ages aimlessly deliberating in a supermarket aisle, pick the cheapest bottle and call it a day, or you can smell the bottle and tell me the exact province it is from – this event welcomes all wine-drinkers, no matter the level of expertise.
The festival will be hosted at Manchester Central, starting with an evening session (6pm to 9pm) on Friday 20 November, as well as a lunchtime (12pm-3pm) and evening session (5pm to 8pm), on Saturday 21 November 2026.
Tickets are on sale now, starting at £40 per session. Click HERE to grab yours now.
Award-winning Manchester cocktail bar Red Light announces surprise return in new location
Daisy Jackson
Red Light, an award-winning cocktail bar that closed its doors earlier this year, has announced it’s making a grand return.
The celebrated watering hole had been at Kampus in the city centre for three years before it closed for good in August.
But now, in news that will thrill a lot of us in Manchester, the bar has announced it’s returning, with plenty of new ’surprises’ to come.
Announcing Red Light 2.0 this evening, they revealed a brand-new location, with all the cocktails we all loved before, plus a new bar snack offering.
Also new with its reopening will be a dedicated clubbing space (operating in a residential area was one of the reasons Red Light closed at Kampus) and the return of its legendary street parties.
They said: “Your love and support has meant the absolute world to us since we closed the doors to our Kampus venue.
“It’s been a tricky secret to keep but we’re thrilled to share that we’re back and in a brand new location!
“This one feels special, it’s not often you get a second chance at things in the current climate.”
They added: “We can’t wait to welcome you with open arms. Red Light NQ. LETS GO BABY!”
Although they’ve not announced the location, they have teased some pictures – and unless we’re very much mistaken, they’ll be moving into Tariff Street, in the old El Capo site.
Emily Sergeant -
3rd November 2020 
