For many people, when they think of the hub of esports activity they are transported to the glitz and glamour of huge US-based tournaments, with thousands of screaming fans watching their heroes battle it out on their favourite game in an effort to win potentially millions of dollars.
The last thing you’d imagine is that an esports publisher would be based right here in Manchester. Unbelievably, an up-and-coming website named GGRecon is making waves in the industry, with the help of a familiar face.
The website was launched back in December 2019, after the man behind Betfed, Fred Done, invested in a scrappy young Manc lad who’d been working for him since 2013 – Chris Young.
Chris had started off in Betfred’s customer services department, but had worked his way up to Head of Product. He introduced massive changes in retail to overall grow revenues across the group from millions to tens of millions. After Fred decided that he wanted to make Manchester’s best esports publisher, alongside his other sport-focused website – funnily enough called The Sportsman, he decided that Chris had proved he was the person for the job.
GGRecon takes the title of Manchester’s best esports publisher due to the fact that it’s really an untapped market here in the buzz of media outlets. We have word-class talent all over our great city, but only one that is focused solely on esports. The team, which only consisted of two people back in December, has now grown to 14 people.
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With an average age of 25, the team is certainly young. In fact, their Head of Operations is 22 years old. Jake Bannister founded the company alongside Chris after working his way up from being a shop manager for William Hill at just 19, before moving to Betfred. An esports fan from the age of 16, it was always a passion point for him.
GGRecon’s editorial team has experience from other Manchester-based media powerhouses such as LADbible and Social Chain, but also Digital Spy, Esquire, BBC, Sky News, and Radio Times.
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Their video team is a mix of former-UNILAD staff, as well as brand-new gaming talent, with a combined total of over 20 years’ experience in social media and video editing.
They have been making waves in the industry, recently being made media partner for a VALORANT invitational, covering the tournament with bespoke articles, videos, and other content.
The company is currently working on a brand-new website, which will take inspiration from other sporting sites. There will be a widget that shows current tournaments, former tournaments, and upcoming ones, similar to how football sites format their games.
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GGRecon is also moving into a new office in the next few months, with a state-of-the-art gaming room. There will also be a studio dedicated to live-streaming the latest games, and daily news content.
If you’re a Manc into esports, make sure you keep an eye on these guys. They’re changing the game.
Feature
The inflatable floating obstacle course you can splash around on near Manchester
Daisy Jackson
There’s a giant inflatable floating obstacle course less than an hour from Manchester, where you can slide, jump, and fall straight into a lake.
At Wild Shore Delamere, you can tackle obstacles like monkey bars, the ninja-jump, the tyre run, and a giant 3.8 metre-tall inflatable tower, all floating on the surface of the picturesque lake.
The adventure hub opened back in 2019, offering families a chance to play on Delamere Lake, or try new watersports right here in the North West.
Let’s head to that inflatable Aqua Park – even as a full-grown adult, this is one of the silliest afternoons you can imagine.
Squeeze yourself into a wetsuit then launch yourself into the lake, ready to clamber all over a course that is essentially a gigantic floating bouncy castle.
The trickiest part is managing to stay on your feet as you slip and slide your way around the course in your 50 minute session – but really, where’s the fun in staying on your feet?
Monkey BarsThe Ninja JumpThe Tyre RunThe Figure EightFeatures of the Aqua Park at Wild Shore Delamere
While you’re on the lake, you can also try other activities like the Ringo, which whips you up and down the water on a huge inflatable, while the operator seems dead-set on flinging you off.
As well as the inflatable Aqua Park, there’s the Aqua Chimp ropes course for the more gymnastic types, plus wakeboarding, paddle boarding, and open water swimming.
Wild Shore Delamere has also added a new sauna this year, which overlooks the water – you can enjoy contrast therapy, switching from the warm sauna to the lake itself.
Wetsuits and life vests are included, so all you need to pack is a swimsuit, towel, and a bit of reckless abandon as you crash beneath the surface.
Paddle boards at Wild Shore DelamereThe sauna and cold plungeThe RingoAqua Chimp
Family behind Salvi’s launch new concept, weeks after iconic restaurant closure
Daisy Jackson
Just weeks after the closure of its iconic, 16-year-old Italian restaurant in the Corn Exchange, the family behind Salvi’s have revealed a brand-new concept.
And this time, the reins are being handed over to the next generation.
Salvi’s founder Maurizio Cecco has helped to shape Amò, but it’s all the brainchild of his daughter, Sienna.
Sienna will run the business out of a unit up on Deansgate Mews, serving fresh pasta dishes, pizza sandwiches, tubs of tiramisu, and two-for-£10 spritzes.
The deli aspect of the original Salvi’s has been carried over to Amò too – you’ll find shelves almost to the ceiling filled with Italian pasta, wine, olive oils, pistachio spreads, and more.
Sienna has grown up in restaurants, with her parents launching Salvi’s when she was just two years old.
She said she wants the space to be a livelier, fresher version of the Italian restaurant that has been so loved by Mancs for so many years.
Sienna outside AmòFresh pasta dishesInside Amò by Salvi’sTheir viral frozen crema di caffeLemon granitaInside Amò by Salvi’sTiramisu pots
Amò, which is Neapolitan slang for ‘my love’, will have loads of fresh Italian dishes, including arancini, gnocchi, and hearty pasta plates.
At lunchtimes, guests can order from a £10 lunch menu, with dishes changing daily depending on the best produce the kitchen can get – it could be a pizza sandwich with proscuitto and tomato, a spicy pasta, or a gnocchi bake, always served with your choice of soft drink.
With its position on Deansgate Mews, Amò basks in the sunshine at lunchtimes.
And while it’s definitely a different concept to the original Salvi’s, Amò looks set to carry the family’s Italian food legacy into its next generation.
The Manc -
30th July 2020 
