Ever wondered what it’s like as a fully grown adult to cycle from Glasgow to Manchester on a little pink bike designed for a toddler?
Our guess is probably not.
It’s safe to say it’s not something you think about everyday, but it’s certainly what’s been at the forefront of Wesley Hamnett’s mind over these past few days as he successfully managed to complete this incredible journey from Scotland’s largest city to his home in Wythenshawe for a number of very worthy causes.
As mad of a challenge as it may initially seem though, there’s actually a very good reason as to why the father-of-two decided to embark on the cycle of his life.
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After the devastating loss of his Grandad to a second fight with cancer last year, Wesley knew he wanted to do something to pay a worthy tribute to him and his three other grandparents who are also all at peace, and it was from this that the challenge was born.
It wasn’t always the Manchester-native’s plan of action though.
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Wesley Hamnett
While the challenge of cycling from Manchester to Glasgow is certainly no easy feat, he had actually embarked upon the much greater task of cycling all the way to Russia instead.
This was originally due to place in a few weeks time, but just as the majority of planned events this year have had to be put on hold due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the veteran cyclist regrettably had to postpone the ride until Spring 2021 and so, settled on a much shorter journey instead, but with a unique twist in the form of a little pink bike.
A unique twist that has seen him become a local hero in the process.
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After arriving back home to his family and deservingly tucking into a Full English Breakfast this morning, we caught up with Wesley to gather his thoughts and see how he’s feeling after an experience he’ll never forget.
At the starting point ?
Glasgow 2 as far as this bike takes me (hopefully Manchester) ?
As the sun rose on Wednesday 16th September, Wesley said goodbye to his partner and two daughters before catching the train from Manchester Piccadilly up to his starting point in Glasgow.
He then set off on his five-day journey “with seat adjustment and the kids’ lucky mascot”.
And what a journey it was.
The ride. With seat adjustment and the kids lucky mascot ?? What the hell was I thinking ???
“[The] highlights were definitely the help I received fixing the buckled wheels and without doubt the skydive [too], which was a last minute cancellation [and did mean] a slight detour” explained Wesley.
As well as some of the large hills he had to scale – which as you can imagine were about as tough as they come – he also admitted that the trickiest aspect of the ride was not being with his family, but luckily, he met some real characters along his travels that helped to make up for it and remind him why he was tackling the challenge after all.
“The funniest moment [of the ride] was about five miles outside of Lockerbie,” he recalls.
“I saw an elderly lady stood at a very quiet village bus stop and said good morning to her so she wouldn’t be scared and think I was crazy [and then] she came back waving and shouted the she had seen me on Facebook.
“[It] made my day.”
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After a few technical difficulties – including a buckled wheel which needed replacing – and stopping off for a quick spot of lunch at the Scottish border, he finally arrived on English soil in Cumbria on the Friday afternoon.
He then went on to make his way through some of Northern England’s most-notable towns.
As yesterday evening rolled around – with the finish point in sight and eager to be reunited with his loved ones – he decided to put in a real shift on the home-stretch.
“All I could think about was seeing my [partner] and kids since hitting Manchester city centre,” he said.
“[So] I picked up the speed on the last leg into Wythenshawe massively”.
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And then, after 32 hours of cycling and almost 229 miles later, he finally crossed the finish line outside his home.
“I felt on top of the world when I finished,” said Wesley.
“The general public in Scotland and England have helped me do this in how good they have been to me – I couldn’t have done this without them”.
As well as the funds accumulated on his GoFundMe page – which have surpassed the £4,000 mark and counting – he even managed to raise a grand total of £350.91 in notes and spare change from those he met along the way, which just proves how much the public has been rooting for him.
How brilliant is this?
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It’s stories like this that make Manchester so great.
Whilst the challenge has certainly earned Wesley a place in the heart of many Mancunians, the journey was about so much more than that to him.
From his Grandparents’ passings, teamed with a number of other situations he has previously experienced and had to overcome in life, Wesley identified four charities he is keen to give back to with the funds raised from the ride and the four chosen charities are Macmillan Cancer Support, the Christie Charitable Fund, the British Heart Foundation, and the MFT Charity at Wythenshawe Hospital.
And with a target set to raise £5,000, Wesley’s GoFundMe page is only a couple-hundred pounds from reaching that all important milestone too.
So, if you are able to spare a few pounds, then you can find more information and donate here.
Come on Manchester – let’s help out one of our own.
Feature
Review | Snow Patrol roll back the years at Co-op Live for a mini-Manc’s first gig
Danny Jones
This weekend we enjoyed a new kind of live music experience: rediscovering the joy of listening to a childhood favourite by watching it through the eyes of the next generation – that was how we witnessed a fully-fledged arena return to Manchester for Snow Patrol at Co-op Live.
And it was special for lots of reasons.
Taking a little one to their first gig is something you’ll never forget and sharing a new-found connection with a band that you loved when you were their age is one of those magical things about music that we’re eternally grateful for.
You might assume the Snow Patrol crowd one skews a little older for the most part but we were pleased to see there were more than a few kids and teenagers donning tour tees, looking wide-eyed at the sheer size of the Co-op Live arena, and singing the words back better than Gary Lightbody at times.
Sees the sign: ‘Race you there!’ (Credit: Audio North)
Yes, the Belfast-born frontman made a few mistakes on the night, but it did add a rather laid-back quality to what many acts might have found a daunting performance: playing a sell-out night to around 23,500 fans inside the enormous state-of-the-art venue.
But, obviously, there wasn’t even a whiff of nerves from these lads.
You don’t get to have been around for this long and become as successful as they are without being able to relax on stage and lean into those idiosyncratic perfections that feel more like private moments shared between the artist and the crowd.
The young lad sat watching it with us certainly got a kick out of it and though we might not have been able to cover his ears in time to censor some light but ever-charming swear words (it always sounds better in Irish, don’t you think?), it made for some nice banter between him and the crowd.
Big props must go to Johnny McDaid on the keys too, who besides having written for the likes of Ed Sheeran, Robbie Williams, Alicia Keys, Biffy Clyro and countless others over the years, also managed to impress by playing the majority of this entire tour after having trapped his hand in a train door. OUCH.
Credit: The Manc Group
Not only was that little interlude up there with one of the most applause-worthy parts of the entire show, but we were always pretty blown away by what we saw, as we all as what we heard.
Be it watching a digital tree come to life, shed its leaves and then fall as petal confetti, two sheer semi-opaque paper-thin screens swirl to create the album cover art for their latest album, or kicking the gig off with ‘Take Back The City’ as a multicoloured skyline appeared behind them, it was all pretty incredible.
We even got to hear a personal favourite of ours, ‘Set Fire To The Third Bar’, complete with a virtual performance from the voice that truly makes the song: Martha Wainwright.
It was in moments like this when we turned to see a 10-year-old’s face not quite sure of what it was seeing but an open-mouthed expression confirming they were finding it as stunning as we were.
We thoroughly enjoyed going through the back catalogue and working our way right up to plenty of the songs from The Forest Is The Path – which Gary himself firmly believes is their best work yet when we interviewed him – but it was as visually stunning as it was to the gorgeous sonically.
Up there with one of the prettiest gig snapshots in our memory.Not quite a hologram but very cool nonetheless.The production levels are always top-tier at Co-op Live but the Snow Patrol set was much more impressive than we expected.
Both proved to be a brilliant way to see the contemporary rock, indie and alternative veterans, but there’s something about giving them a stage as big as this that reminds you of just how much they deserve it.
Last but not least, thanks to Co-op Live not just for having but for creating a little boy’s memory that he’ll never forget.
Flashbacks: The timelapse of the Trafford Centre construction that’s gone viral
Danny Jones
The Trafford Centre might look like some decadent Roman emperor’s palace or as if it was plucked from the heart of Ancient Grecian city, but as anyone old enough to remember it’s opening and/or construction will tell you, it seems strange to think its not even been around for three decades yet.
As Greater Manchester’s and one of the North West’s most famous shopping centres full stop, the iconic attraction first began being built back in 1996, when John Major was Prime Minister, Manchester United were still Premier League champions, Britpop was at its peak and George Michael was number one.
It’s fair to say that a lot has changed since then and although Oasis might be back come 2025, The Trafford Centre and surrounding area are pretty unrecgonisable compared to nearly 30 years ago.
All told, it took approximately 27 months to erect the neo-classical epicentre of all things shopping, leisure, food and fanciness – and here’s what the process looked like:
With the initial 14 million sq ft shopping centre being completed in September 1998 following approximately 810 days of work, The Trafford Centre debuted to the Manc public and beyond.
It took more than 3,000 builders to bring the 60 hectare site to life at the peak of construction and since then the plot has only grown bigger, bolder and more ambitious over time.
Present day, it has everything from cinema screens and a mini Legoland to a Sea Life location, multiple bowling alleys and countless other forms of entertainment beyond just rows of shops and restaurants – hence why it remains busy pretty much year-round.
Back then, British celebrities, popular local names of note, politicians, dignitaries and prominent figures from the retail industry got to visit as part of exclusive preview events in the days before its launch date.
You can see the spectacle and fascination surrounding the official opening event here:
Seems surreal watching this today but the construction of the Trafford Centre was a huge moment not just for 0161 but all of the North.
But of course, the entire complex itself has seen multiple extensions over the years, including massive developments such as Barton Square and The Great Hall.
At the outset, it cost more than £600 million to build The Trafford Centre; the major renovations mentioned above which took place in 2008 cost another £100m and the Trafford Palazzo revamp around a decade later came in at around £75m.
There has and always will be lots of money put behind this intruguing monument to modern consumerism, and big brands will continue to flock to open units within the huge expanse whenever they can: some of the most recent being Archie’s, Flying Tiger, Sephora, Tiffany, Gymshark and more.
We’ll admit the aesthetic still makes us double-take from time to time (though not as much as confused Londoners visiting for the first time), but it’s not like this part of the world hasn’t boasted plenty of other curiosities in the past…
Emily Sergeant -
22nd September 2020 
