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Rudy’s toy-swap – You can swap toys for pizza in Manchester this Christmas

Daisy Jackson

You’ll be able to claim a free pizza in exchange for donating a toy to charity this Christmas, with the return of Rudy’s toy-swap initiative.

The popular pizzeria is teaming up again with Cash for Kids, for a community-led toy-swap initiative.

Mancs who take an unwrapped, new toy (worth £10) into any Rudy’s pizzeria will be able to claim a pizza on the house as a thank you.

One toy = one free Neapolitan pizza.

The toys collected in the charity drive will be donated to the Cash for Kids charity, spreading a little festive cheer to children in need.

When Rudy’s held a similar toy-swap scheme last year, they gathered 6,500 toy donations.

The donations and free pizza will be available from Monday 1 December to Thursday 4 December between 12pm and 5pm.

Commenting on the toy-swap initiative, Managing Director of Rudy’s Pizza Neal Bates, said: “We’re delighted to be bringing back our festive toy swap this Christmas in partnership with Cash for Kids.

“The campaign is a simple way for our guests to give back and help bring a little joy to children who might otherwise go without.

“Community has always been at the heart of Rudy’s, and this initiative is a small way for us to say thank you and spread kindness throughout our community, all with delicious pizza in hand.”

There’ll be new festive pizzas to try in every Rudy’s too, including the Porchetta (with Emilia-Romagna porchetta, sage-roasted potatoes and cranberry sauce); the Pesto Rosso (homemade sundried tomato red pesto base with capers and tomatoes); and the Pizza Sorbillo, inspired by Naples’ legendary Sorbillo Pizzeria.

There’ll also be seasonal cocktails including the spiced red berry spritz, the white Christmas margherita, and a winter spiced negroni.

Rudy’s toy swap initiative will run from 1 – 4 December across all of Rudy’s pizzerias in the UK – Manchester pizzerias include Ancoats, Peter Street, and Portland Street, plus branches in suburbs across Greater Manchester.

Read more

• Stockport County’s Christmas dinner in a cup returns for 2025 as part of new festive food range
• Inside The Head of Steam as huge new pub opens in Northern Quarter
• Joe & The Juice opens at the Trafford Centre as viral brand’s comeback continues

Featured image: The Manc Group

Greater Manchester stadiums included in the bid to host the Women’s World Cup confirmed

Danny Jones

The locations for the official UK bid to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup have been revealed, along with the Greater Manchester football stadiums chosen for the honour.

Not exactly a ground-breaking spoiler, but the FA did make a somewhat curious choice when they shared the news.

In case you hadn’t heard the news earlier this year, our nation has officially thrown its hat into the ring for the Women’s World Cup (WWC) in 2035, with England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all set to offer up their arenas as part of the record-breaking proposal.

Naturally, a region as footy-obsessed as ours and with two of the biggest stadiums in the country was always going to be included, but as mentioned, there was a particular detail that lots of people quickly noticed following the announcement.

Have you spotted it yet?…

Yes, in a slightly bizarre but ultimately innocuous turn of events, Etihad Stadium – home of Manchester City FC – has been selected, as was the world-famous ‘Theatre of Dreams‘, the only difference being that it was listed separately from the city itself.

Instead, Man United’s iconic home turf, Old Trafford, has been listed as just that: in Trafford, specifically, as opposed to simply being listed in the same section as its sky blue counterpart.

Now, while it’s true that all 10 boroughs have their own identity, culture (not to mention some subscribing to still being part of Lancashire or even Cheshire), it did strike us and others as a bit odd to put that rather iconic and equally historic venue down as almost separate from the city.

Many would argue that one of the things Manchester is best known for around the globe is the team of Red Devils that play at that ground.

Naturally, ‘Cityzens‘ have had their fair share of fun with the post and, conversely, there’s been plenty of retorts regarding ‘supporters from Stockport’, as you would expect…

pic.twitter.com/PKjh7lL8ZA

— The Manc (@TheMancUK) November 28, 2025

Nevertheless, we’re just glad to see the Etihad and Old Trafford continuing to cater to some of the biggest dates on the sporting calendar.

Some have actually argued that the region should have been given opportunities to host more stadiums and/or games as part of the market pitch, as the likes of both Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic’s stadiums were floated as viable or even better alternatives, capacity-wise.

Either way, with the 22 venues that have been selected for the UK’s bid for the 2035 Women’s World Cup and us Brits currently unopposed in the race to secure the tournament, the FA are going all-in for the 48-team competition, which would be “the biggest single-sport event ever staged in the UK.”

You can read more down below.

Our shared ambition: to host the largest single-sport event ever staged in the UK, and the first FIFA World Cup in this country since 1966.#AllTogether pic.twitter.com/y6GOPEPDdG

— The FA (@FA) November 28, 2025

Read more:

• Stockport County’s Christmas dinner in a cup returns for 2025 + new menu additions
• Sale Sharks sign Joe Marchant in massive boost for England national team
• Manchester City FC opens brand-new club shop at the Trafford Centre

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Featured Images — The Manc Group