The people of Greater Manchester have been heaping praise on a local mum after her “random acts of crochet kindness” help to brighten their day.
Sarah Sharples – a 38-year-old mum of two – has been perfecting her crochet skills for the past six years, after teaching herself the tricky craft by simply watching tutorials on YouTube.
And earlier this week, the Salford-native decided to set aside some spare time from her full-time job at NatWest and her recently-acquired side gig as her sons’ homeschool teacher to put her keen crochet hobby to good use and help lift the spirits of her hometown’s residents by hand-crafting over 200 crochet creations and leaving them at several popular places around the city for passers-by to discover.
From MediaCity, all the way to Lightoaks Park, members of the public have been thrilled to find Sarah’s work.
It’s all part of her contribution to the UK-wide Random Acts of Crochet Kindness project and with it, she wants to convey the message of “sending love in tough times”.
“I’ve been crocheting for about six years now,” Sarah told us.
“I first bought some wool to donate to a group who crochet items for stillborn babies in hospital and thought I’d love to have a go and at least make one blanket myself maybe [so] I’m totally self-taught from YouTube videos”.
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She continued: “I decided that leaving an items at MediaCity and Lightoaks Park would just be a lovely act for kids to find while they are out and about in a time where they have struggled [with] home schooling and not seeing friends and family.
“I have made over 200 items now [including] ducks, whales, ladybirds, flowers, birds and elephants [and] my kids love to come with me and hide them either at night or early morning to be found later on”.
Sarah Sharples / Random Acts of Crochet Kindness
This isn’t the first time Sarah has using her crochet creations for the greater good though.
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Even before the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic first flipped life as we once knew it on its head and temporarily locked down the world last March, Sarah would often make items to donate to various hospitals, neonatal units and maternity wards in the area, as well as creating little catnip mice for the cats at the RSPCA in Salford.
Then, when the pandemic hit, she made hundreds of ear savers – “to take pressure off ears” – for Salford Royal Hospital, local nursing homes, doctors, hairdressers and other local businesses in need.
“I also made 100 crochet hearts durning the first lockdown,” Sarah added.
“I donated [them] to the Salford Palliative Care team who planned to use them in nursing homes to give to family members who couldn’t visit and then one to the nursing home resident.”
“I also made a crochet heart for every house on my street [which is around 100], with a message of sending love in tough times… and when I saw people had put them up in their windows and that they loved them, I made every house a crochet robin for Christmas too”.
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Sarah Sharples / Random Acts of Crochet Kindness
Sarah Sharples / Random Acts of Crochet Kindness
Although the act of crocheting is known to be pretty skilled and often time-consuming work, it’s something Sarah finds great enjoyment in.
Even more so when all the effort goes towards putting a smile on the faces of Salford’s citizens, and after one of her ladybird creations was spotted in MediaCity and a photo of the find was shared to The Manc’s over 700,000-strong community of loyal Mancunians on Facebook, the praise came pouring in.
The photo amassed over 8K interactions, 475 shares and counting, and hundreds of positive comments from members of the public who were touched by Sarah’s kindness and generosity towards the fellow residents of her local community.
Sarah admitted that reading all of comments “made every second of making them so worth it”, and now, she has some big plans for the future.
“I still want to carry on leaving items at MediaCity and Lightoaks Park for as long as I can,” she revealed.
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“[But] I am also supporting #AHEART4MCR this year, where I am hoping to have 200 crochet hearts to leave around my local area as a random act of kindness to remember the [victims of the 2017 Manchester Arena Bombing]”.
Keep an eye out, Manchester.
Feature
Mercury Prize 2026 review: RAYE takes home the crown as Newcastle celebrates the very best in music
Clementine Hall
One of the biggest nights in music kicked off last night as the Mercury Prize 2026 was awarded.
If there was ever a night to fall head over heels in love with British and Irish music, the 2026 Mercury Prize made a very convincing case.
Bringing together some of the country’s most exciting artists under one roof in Newcastle, this year’s ceremony was a reminder of just how much talent is packed into the current music scene.
From established legends to the names shaping what comes next, it was an absolute belter.
Images: Audio North
Held at the Newcastle Utilita Arena for the second year running, I think everybody in that room felt very lucky to be there to see firsthand who took home the coveted prize.
The shortlist brought together an impressive mix of artists, with Florence + The Machine, Olivia Dean, JADE, Suede, Pulp, Dave and Sir Paul McCartney among the big names making the lineup very star studded indeed.
Suede kicked things off with ‘Dancing With The Europeans’, bringing their unmistakable energy to the ceremony, while Pulp delivered ‘Begging For Change’ as part of the HELP(2) charity compilation.
It was a line-up that demonstrated the sheer range of music being made across the UK and Ireland, from contemporary pop to established rock and even jungle thanks to Bradford’s own Nia Archives.
And of course, there was one woman who had every reason to leave with a smile on her face.
RAYE took home the coveted Mercury Prize for THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE., an ambitious, genre-hopping album that blends jazz, soul, R&B and classical influences into something so fabulously unique.
Image: Audio North
Newcastle’s own Knats performance was definitely a highlight of the evening, combining slick jazz with spoken-word poetry against a projection of The Tyne Bridge.
A fitting image, and one that underlines the importance of holding such huge events in the north and highlighting the obvious talent that thrives here.
The 2026 Mercury Prize was a brilliant showcase of the country’s music at its best.
And with RAYE taking home the trophy, it’s clear there is plenty of ‘hope’ left in British music.
The most magical Christmas displays have now landed at one of the North West’s best garden centres
Emily Sergeant
Christmas has officially arrived at one of the best garden centres in the North West, and it’s just as magical as you’d hope it would be.
Just outside of Greater Manchester in the village of Glazebury in Warrington, you’ll find Bents Garden and Home – a multi award-winning destination garden centre that’s often voted one of the region’s best. It’s great place to visit all year round, but as anyone who has ever made the trip there will tell you, this place really comes alive during the festive season.
Bents first started out life all the way back in 1937, when Alfred and Margaret Bent began growing and selling roses in the front garden of their terraced house in Glazebury.
Ever since then, the business has gone from strength to strength – opening its first dedicated garden centre building in the early 1950s, and then undergoing several expansions in the 60 years that followed to create the place we know and love today.
A place that’s home to everything you need to kit out your home and garden, several cafes and restaurants, a food hall, a cook shop, a children’s boutique, and plenty more.
Christmas has arrived at Bents Garden and Home for 2026 / Credit: The Manc Group
And then at Christmas time, you can also get to wander around all the magical festive displays and stop for a bite to eat at the winter food markets.
Christmas at Bents originally began in the 1970s, establishing what would become one of the garden centre’s most successful – and favourite – times of the year, with people travelling in their thousands from all across the North West to visit, making it an annual tradition in the festive events calendar for many families.
With a jaw-dropping display to suit everyone’s festive decor tastes, Christmas at Bents really does need to be seen to be believed.
Expertly decorated trees form the centrepiece of each display, with all the baubles and decorations adorning them for sale by the side for you to recreate yourself at home.
Walking around the centre, you’ll also find every type of artificial tree (both normal and pre-lit), an array of fairy lights, wreaths, and garlands, before you arrive at what is sure to be one of the best Christmas Lemax Model Village set-ups you’ve probably ever seen.
A trip to Bents is an annual festive tradition for thousands across the North West / Credit: The Manc Group
Then, once you’ve filled your basket up with all the decs you need, you have to stop off at the Winter Food Markets before you head home.
There’s a wide array of different street food options to choose from like bratwursts, giant filled Yorkshire puddings, loaded fries, nachos, mac and cheese, crepes, churros, and build-your-own crumble, before taking a pew in one of the little wooden huts and washing it all down with festive-themed hot chocolates and mulled wine.
Don’t forget to stop off at the food hall, farm shop, and deli counters to stock up on plenty of goodies there before you leave too.
Basically, if you’ve never been to Bents before, we honestly cannot recommend it enough – even more so during Christmas time.
Don’t forget to stop off at the Winter Food Markets before heading home / Credit: The Manc Group
But it is really important to note that it does get very busy here, especially on weekends and at peak times like the run up to Christmas.
So you may have to be prepared to patiently wait for parking spaces and cooperate with your fellow shoppers, as well as join queues at the cafes and restaurants, all while respecting the hard-working staff at all times.
Let’s be as respectful as possible, and make this a place where everyone can enjoy a magical festive experience in 2026.
Emily Sergeant -
4th March 2021 
