It’s often said that all the best ideas are born in bars. With the pandemic closing pubs across the country, it’s a wonder where the next great creation is going to come from.
The concept for LooseHeadz was one of many lightbulb moments flickering into life across British boozers back in 2017.
Three men were propped up at the end of the bar at Wilmslow Rugby Club when they had this crystallizing moment that stopped them mid-sip; turning their heads away from the Lions Tour on tele.
During conversation, Dave, Mark and Rob all realised that they knew someone in sport who’d had what they called a ‘life wobble’; a moment where they’d been seriously down in the dumps.
In the past, they’d tried to raise their pal’s spirit with a cold beer, a reassuring slap on the back and distracting sports talk.
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It was all they were qualified to do. And at times it did help.
But the more the trio talked about it, the more they realised that these ‘life wobbles’ were too big for a pint to fix.
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Some of these issues were serious – and maybe even had the potential to last a lifetime.
Dave, Mark and Rob knew they didn’t have the expertise to help. But they could build a network of people who did.
Co-Founder Rob Shotton
It was at that moment they launched LooseHeadz – a brand that didn’t just talk about mental health in rugby but ‘banged the drum’ as loudly as they could so it was impossible to ignore.
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The founders drew up four core aims – prevent, promote, educate and signpost issues around mental health – and partnered with some of the best wellbeing support teams in the business, bringing the toughest athletes on board as ambassadors.
The outdated concept of masculinity as stoic defiance is so deeply embedded in sport that many male athletes have kept schtum even when they’re struggling. Sometimes with tragic consequences.
“Nobody ever wants to talk about mental health,” Rob tells us.
“But we realised that needed to change. Suicide biggest killer of men under 45.
“What makes us a bit different is that we use rugby as a vehicle to inspire and educate people as to what we’re all about: Normalising the conversation and tackling the stigma.
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“We’ve got 26 ambassadors on board now. If the likes of Ugo Monye, Gareth Anscombe, Brad Shields, Josh Matavesi – these big macho characters – are saying it’s ok not to be ok, people will listen.”
One ambassador, Saracens’ Alex Lewington, says he’s “loved being involved in LooseHeadz”.
“The world is constantly evolving and providing new and challenging issues for people to deal with,” commented the winger.
“The more we talk about it, the better equipped we are to understand and combat mental health issues.”
Amber Reed, England and Bristol Bears player, has also voiced her support for the brand – labelling herself a “LooseHead and proud”.
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“I didn’t hesitate when asked to be part of the LooseHeadz movement that looks to tackle the stigma around mental health,” she added.
“LooseHeadz do a fantastic job in reaching out to the community, sharing relatable stories, and supporting those in need.”
Another big name on the roster is rugby league legend Shaun Edwards – who acts as patron of the LooseHeadz Foundation.
Another arm of the brand is the LooseHeadz Academy – which offers a membership scheme and open forum for people to talk about wellbeing with confidence.
The Academy is now home to 100 global fans who fervently believe in the LooseHeadz mission and do their bit to spread the word.
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There’s also the Partnership Programme – which sees LooseHeadz work alongside clubs at grassroots, amateur and professional level to raise awareness of just how important great mental health is – and the Wellbeing Through Sport initiative; which is designed to nurture the positive mental health and wellbeing of children through physical activities.
To make all this happen, money is generated through the LooseHeadz fashion range – which is worn by athletes right the way around the world.
“We made an effort to create some really cool clothing,” Rob explains.
“We wanted to create a really high quality range.
“With most charity t-shirts, you wear it once or twice and then it just gets left in the bottom of your wardrobe.
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“But our stuff is something people can be proud to wear.
“The logo is an ‘L’ and “H’ – made up to look like rugby posts.”
The company is currently working with as many as 62 clubs in multiple countries.
Domestically, the brand is already well-recognised. But long-term, the plan is to ‘get a LooseHead’ (a mental health support officer who champions wellbeing) inside most rugby teams.
That way, they can start to make a real difference.
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“Having a LooseHead in a team removes the stigma,” Rob informs us .
“They do different roles depending on the needs of the club, but they also create constant awareness too – spreading the world and educating people about mental health.
“There’s so much more we can do to keep normalising the conversation and we need to keep doing it.”
It’s been a busy few years since the three owners found the idea for LooseHeadz at the bottom of a pint glass. But the hard work has only just started.
With lockdown sending mental health plummeting in 2020, having the likes of LooseHeadz keeping a close eye on rugby isn’t just advantageous – it’s essential.
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“Looseheadz is not for us – it’s for everyone,” Rob says.
“We’d love to grow and expand into more rugby-loving nations beyond Britain. But right now it’s all about striking up great relationships wherever we can.
“Hopefully we can change things.
“Of course, we’ll never truly know how many people we’ve helped.
“But one thing for sure is we’ll just keep on going.”
Feature
Famous films and TV shows that were shot around Manchester
Daisy Jackson
The streets of Manchester are often taken over and transformed by huge productions for TV shows and for blockbuster films
It’s a pretty common occurrence in the city to stumble across a huge set, whether it’s New York-style taxis cruising through the Northern Quarter or stunt men dangling from the top of buildings.
It’s also quite common to be settling down in the cinema, or at home with Netflix, and being greeted by an unexpectedly familiar scene on the screen.
In recent years, eagle-eyed viewers were kept busy trying to spot all the local locations scattered across smash hit Netflix drama Stay Close.
But there have been plenty of other instances where our hometown of Manchester has been a calling point for Hollywood films and hit series.
The Manchester Film and TV map has itineraries, behind-the-scenes information, and exclusive experiences to enhance their cinematic journey through Greater Manchester.
Bobby Cochrane, Film Office Manager at Screen Manchester, said: “Every day we are privileged to explore Manchester’s magnificence as we open the city up to producers from all corners of the globe. We then enjoy the greatest job satisfaction when locations we have secured appear in all manner of genres across a spectrum of platforms.
“This new map is a brilliant initiative, which will allow visitors to get up close and personal with some of the places where their on-screen heroes have played out their roles. We were delighted to help curate the information included and look forward to being able to add a whole host of new locations in the future thanks to a rich pipeline of productions filmed in the city releasing throughout 2025 and beyond.”
And in the meantime, here are some of the biggest films and television series that were shot here in Manchester so you can explore without leaving your couch.
Peaky Blinders
Peaky Blinders scenes filmed on Mangle Street in the Northern Quarter. Credit: Netflix UK
Cillian Murphy and co have frequently popped up to Manchester to film scenes of the hit gangster series – despite the Peaky Blinders actually living in Birmingham.
For the most recent series, huge sets and crews were spotted in Castlefield, while in previous years dramatic gun fights have been filmed around London Road Fire Station and on Mangle Street in the Northern Quarter.
Even Tommy Shelby’s massive mansion is up north – Netflix uses Arley Hall in Cheshire to double up as his pad.
Some of the most iconic moments in the drama were filmed here, like the horse auction at Victoria Baths, and the political rally outside the Stockport Plaza.
Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice at Lyme Park. Credit: BBC
Ah yes – Colin Firth in a wet shirt. A truly memorable moment of British television.
This legendary scene was filmed at Lyme Park in Cheshire as part of the BBC’s 1995 retelling of Pride and Prejudice.
So famous has wet Colin become, it’s been referenced in several of his films since, including Love Actually, Bridget Jones, and St Trinian’s.
Colin aside, it’s a stunning setting for the period drama, with the National Trust mansion rising high above the lake.
Captain America
Captain America scenes shot in the Northern Quarter
It’s not every day you see a Marvel superhero strolling past the cafes and bars in the Northern Quarter – but that’s exactly what happened back in 2010 when Captain America came to town.
The hero is seen sprinting through 1940s New York in a dramatic chase scene, complete with explosions… because Marvel.
It was a massive operation to dress the sets, with fake shop fronts installed, posters stuck up and even temporary street lights added in.
The Crown
The Crown scenes in Manchester. Credit: Netflix UK
Stevenson Square was completely transformed into Manhattan for the season four finale of The Crown, which showed Princess Diana’s trip to New York.
A fleet of yellow taxis and vintage cars rolled through the Northern Quarter, surrounded by American street signs, traffic lights, and even trash cans.
Elsewhere in the episode, the city centre’s streets were used for basketball games, hospital visits and more, right across Back Piccadilly, Dale Street, and Peter Street.
Stay Close
The Refuge in Stay Close. Credit: Netflix UK
It’s the Netflix show people haven’t stopped talking about this month, as another of Harlan Coben’s thrillers has been converted for TV.
Stay Close was filmed all over Greater Manchester and the north west, including Blackpool and parts of Lancashire.
There were multiple locations in Manchester city centre itself though, like the above hen do scene in The Refuge, a stag do in the The Edwardian hotel, and multiple scenes filmed inside Impossible.
It’s a Sin
It’s A Sin outside Clampdown Records in Manchester. Credit: Channel 4
It’s A Sin is one of Channel 4’s most sensational dramas of all time, following the lives of a group of gay men living through the early years of the HIV and AIDS pandemic.
The heart-breaking series was written by Russell T Davis, an adopted Manc who also shot his groundbreaking Queer as Folk in the city.
Although It’s A Sin is mostly set in London, it was a familiar Manchester setting that was used for ‘The Pink Palace’ where the characters lived.
Clampdown Record’s cheerfully retro signage didn’t even need updating for the 1980s programme.
The Stranger
The Stranger filming on St Peter’s Square. Credit: Netflix UK
The Stranger was another smash-hit success for Netflix and author Harlan Coben.
Its locations in Manchester included the arched walkway at St Peter’s Square, a stunning house in Didsbury, the cafe near Manchester Cathedral, and even The French inside the Midland Hotel, which was the scene of a karaoke sing-song.
Cold Feet
The cast of Cold Feet in Castlefield. Credit: ITV
Cold Feet is a Manchester TV show through and through – the stars are seen all over the city centre ever since it started in 1997.
From drinking in the pub (both The Swan With Two Nicks and The Woodstock feature) to getting married outside the Great Northern, watching Cold Feet gives Mancs serious deja vu.
The above scene was shot by the canals in Castlefield.
Featured image: Netflix UK / BBC
Feature
Celebrating 30 remarkable years of AO Arena – one of Manchester’s BIGGEST music hot spots
Thomas Melia
The AO Arena is the home of core memories in Manchester, and is about to celebrate a monumental 30 years of creating magical music moments.
Over the last three decades, the AO Arena has been pulling in massive acts across a variety of genres, scales, demographics and styles of entertainment.
It’s hosted some of the world’s biggest tours and been a nurturing place for homegrown talent to perform their first-ever arena-level shows.
From head spinning and record breaking performances in 2008 with the company ofKylie Minogue to hundreds of comedy shows (a hundred of them courtesy ofPeter Kay alone) this live music space really has welcomed some golden moments and continues to do to this day.
Manchester has been a pioneer city for the Northern music scene, and there’s no denying AO Arena has played a major part in transporting this scene to some unreal heights.
To celebrate the venue’s 30th birthday, we chatted with director of operations Miriam Stone, and although her name may not be familiar to a lot of you, we wouldn’t have the incredible memories we hold so dearly without her.
Interview with Miriam Stone, Director of Operations at AO Arena
There have been lots of acts who have made AO Arena their home for the night or for a couple of nights with their various tours and shows, who’s been your favourite to see live?
That is the question that people ask a lot. If you imagine over 130 shows a year, for 18 years, that’s a lot of shows. Tina Turner always stands out as being one of the most incredible events that we ever did, partly because you look at the stage and go, that’s Tina Turner. She had these big, massive heels, and went striding out to the audience, incredible!
Prince was the one that made me cry. We had three weeks notice that we were doing Prince’s concerts, and because of my age and where he sat in my life, that made me cry. That was amazing. Those two shows just make me sit back and take a breath.
Kylie Minogue has played more than 30 shows at AO Arena. Credit: Supplied
Living legends and rock royalty alike have stepped out and played shows here over the years, have there been any pinch me moments in your career that still leave you feeling starstruck to this day?
Billy Bragg. He was always one that made me laugh and made him laugh, I suppose it’s who you grew up listening to, isn’t it? Spice Girls were an interesting one too, because I was too old for the Spice Girls, when they were first around and but when they had their reunion tour, and I stepped out again and had a listen, there was just that swooping moment.
It’s the audiences, almost as much, if not more, than the artists, because when you have that many people all singing all at the same time its magical. When Coldplay did an arena tour I’d never seen seats behind the screen and stage sold before. That’s how much people wanted to be in that room and that crowd, because they all wanted to sing their heart out.
Spice Girls at AO Arena. Credit: Supplied
I had my first ever concert experience here at AO Arena, my first ever show was Ariana Grande all the way back in 2014, who was the first artist you saw play here?
The first concert I worked here was Richard Ashcroft in 2006 followed very quickly by Christina Aguilera, two massive shows!
What are some of the strangest requests the team have received from a performer?
Most of those requests go to the promoter. We’ve had artists install doors and temporary walls to cut off certain parts of the room. We have a we have a wire that runs around the dressing room walls, because some artists like to style the dressing rooms the same everywhere they go. Most artists have a curtain that they then would normally bring a framework to hang things on to make the room more homely but in our venue, they don’t need to. They can just clip it around the walls. Whatever it is that makes the artists feel the most comfortable, we’ll do it.
What’s the most surprising event that you’ve ever held here?
The World Taekwondo championships, Disney on Ice the day after, and then, Cirque du Soleil was coming in the day after that, Oh my God!
We had to start building ice which we then covered up with wood, carpet and plastic so that we could then build the Taekwondo mats all on top of that, we did the Taekwondo on top of the ice. As soon as the event finished, we whipped it all out, carried on making the ice, did the ice show, brought in mini diggers, to break the ice up,and then loaded in Cirque du Soleil. I suppose those back-to-back days showed a really good range of the of the kind of events that we do.
David Haye at AO Arena, highlighting just the range of events this entertainment space can do. Credit: Supplied
We’re only in the first few weeks of 2025 but I know music lovers like myself will be buzzing to fill up their concert calendars, what artists can we expect to see at the arena so far this year?
We’ve got, again, that range of things, from James Blunt to Toto to Sean Paul and Ashanti. Olly Murs, The Lumineers, Twenty One Pilots, Busted head to head with McFly, Lynnyrd Skynnyrd, Parkway Drive and Deacon Blue.
As Director of Operations for AO Arena, you will have spoken to plenty of attendees that have walked through the door and into this incredible live entertainment arena, which seat/view have people said is the best?
I mean that changes depending on your taste. When it comes to tennis some people want to be on the net line in 103 and 114. 108 and 109 are just brilliant, if you’re struggling for tickets, the front rows of the upper tiers are brilliant with a great view. The good thing about the front rows of of 102, 103, 114 and 115 is that you can feel like you’re part of the standing floor, but you still get your own seat.
You’ve worked in the music industry for more than a decade so you will be more than aware of how much planning goes into events and concerts, but if you could pick three individuals to play a special one night only show at AO Arena who would you choose?
If I could have David Bowie here, then, then that I could end my career! Billy Connolly, I have never laughed so much as I have watching him, people talk about crying laughing, I was almost sobbing laughing. And finally, The Dalai Lama, I’ve got this photo of him holding my hand, if they could come back and I could do that again, that’s a once in a lifetime, opportunity.
Another living legend, Madonna performed at AO Arena, opening her European leg of her ‘Invention World Tour’. Credit: Supplied
AO Arena turns 30 on 15 July 2025 and to celebrate they want you to submit your favourite pictures and memories in return for a chance to win free tickets, more info HERE.
The Manc -
11th February 2021 
