Kids & Family

A giant game of Alice in Wonderland is taking over the streets of Manchester

The escape room-style game is coming to Manchester later this year

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 29th July 2022

Have you ever wanted to follow the white rabbit down that mysterious hole? Well, now is your chance.

For one day only the streets of Manchester will be transformed into a giant Alice In Wonderland-inspired game, where teams will be invited to complete challenges styled on the weird and wonderful world of Lewis Carroll’s topsy turvy children’s tale.

Bringing to life beloved characters from the story like the Cheshire Cat, Queen of Hearts, Mad Hatter and Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, the game will spread out across the city centre over the course of a day.

Image: Clued Up

Playing in teams of six, groups will find themselves scrambling around town, using the CluedUpp Games app to navigate their way to victory.

As the Cheshire Cat feeds out clues that seem to get curioser and curioser you and your team will need to solve riddles and take on some baffling challenges from the Mad Hatter in order to uncover a dark secret at the heart of Wonderland.

Taking place in Manchester on Saturday 26 November, team tickets are priced at £60, but for a limited time only you can get 50% off by using the code ‘TAKE50’ at checkout.

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All in the spirit of fun, dressing up as characters from the tale is very much encouraged – with adults, children and even dogs all welcome to play along.

Image: Clued Up
Image: Clued Up
Image: Clued Up

The one-off event is being hosted by CluedUpp Games, an award-winning games studio that creates unique, outdoor experiences in over 80 countries across the world.

Known for turning city streets into unmissable adventures, their immersive events are part mystery-solving and part escape-room, making them perfect for groups of friends and families alike.

Read more: Manchester to host the world’s largest Banksy exhibit

Conquer challenges, test your puzzle-solving skills and play against hundreds of other teams in a unique city-wide experience.

To find out more and purchase your ticket, click here.

Feature image – Clued Up

Kids & Family

Council organises thousands of FREE activities for Greater Manchester kids this summer

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Thousands of free activities are planned ready for local families to take part in this summer.

With it only being a couple of weeks to go until schools right across Greater Manchester break up for the summer holidays, many parents, carers, and guardians will likely be looking for ways to keep the kids entertained for the six whole weeks before the new term starts – and even better if those ‘ways’ don’t break the bank too much, either.

Thankfully, Manchester City Council has relaunched its Holiday Activity and Food programme (HAF) to help keep little Mancs active during the summer break.

From arts and crafts, to sporting events and plenty other physical activities, there is a whole host of entertaining things for everyone to get involved with, no matter your budget, making sure no one gets bored over the holidays.

The Council has organised thousands of free activities for Greater Manchester kids this summer / Credit: Senjuti Kundu (via Unsplash) | Yan Krukau (via Pexels)

If you’re unfamiliar with HAF’s long-term goal, it’s to ensure that some of the most vulnerable children and young people in Manchester, aged between 5-16 years old, get the support they need when the school term is over.

Last year alone, the Council says it was able to support a whopping 29,224 local children in accessing nearly 4,000 holiday sessions.

Although HAF is usually reserved for those eligible for free school meals, an extensive range of these free or low-cost activities taking place in Manchester this summer open for everyone to join in with.

For those families who are eligible and a part of the HAF programme, a free and nutritious meal will also be provided at these free events, ensuring that no child has to endure holiday hunger.

“We know the holidays can be a real pinch point for families, which is why schemes such as the HAF programme are so important,” commented Councillor Julie Reid, who is the Executive Member for Early Years, Children, and Young People at Manchester City Council.

“Providing free activities can be a real boost for children of all ages throughout the holidays, allowing them to meet new friends and try out new things – both hugely significant in terms of their personal wellbeing and mental health.

Read more:

“There’s lots of great events that will be running over the summer holidays with a free meal or snack included, so if you have not already been contacted to take part, I’d urge families to have a look at our Loads to Do website and see what they think their child would enjoy over the break.”

Check out all the free activities planned on the Loads To Do website here.

Featured Image – Artem Kniaz (via Unsplash)

Kids & Family

Liam is paying a subtle nod to another member of the Gallagher family in the Oasis reunion set

Danny Jones Danny Jones Liam Gallagher tribute to dog Buttons during Oasis reunion gig Cardiff

In yet another cute and rather unexpected moment about the Oasis reunion set during the first two nights in Cardiff, Liam Gallagher paid a lovely tribute to an unsung member of the musical family: his adopted dog, Buttons.

Because rock stars do whatever they want.

That’s right, while most people were understandably keeping their eyes firmly fixed on Liam and Noel as they still try and get to grips with the fact that they’re both actually there, on stage, in the flesh, other eagle-eyed viewers noticed a subtle nod playing on the massive telly behind them.

Flashing up right in the middle big screen was a technicolour image of none other than Buttons himself, whose adorable little face appeared during ‘Roll With It’ on night one at the Principality Stadium.

This video from Niall Harbison – the person who was responsible for putting the two together in the first place – was likely something the animal rescuer was made aware of ahead of time, but it’s nevertheless still a very lovely touch.

For anyone unfamiliar with the full story, Niall has spent years saving dogs and other pets from poverty and the street over in Thailand, and one of those was Buttons.

During a visit from Liam and partner Debbie Gwyther (also his manager), the pair ended up being introduced to the pup and instantly fell in love.

Arranging to have what would soon be his favourite pet shipped over to the UK, he and LG have now been pretty much inseparable since September 2023.

This isn’t the only touching gesture seen so far on the Live ’25 tour:

Gallagher brothers pay touching tribute to Diogo Jota on first night of Oasis reunion tour
Buttons the dog wasn’t the only soul that Oasis paid tribute to.

The Burnage boys’ comeback was always going to be unforgettable, even if they just got up there and did little more than play the songs, but it’s extra touches like these that are helping make the memories even more special.

In the case of Niall, regardless of whether he knew this was going to happen or not, it must have been an incredible feeling to see one of the countless street dogs he’s saved, not only now rehomed and happy but quite literally getting his own moment in the spotlight.

There were a lot of little details we noticed on night one of Live ’25 in Cardiff, and who knows how many of them will remain in the set for the rest of the reunion tour, but it’s great to see Oasis being reactive and the crew going the extra mile.

Read more:

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Featured Images — Niall Harbison (via X)

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