The people's voice of Greater Manchester

X

Kids & Family

A parade of dancing candy canes and breakdancing elves is coming to the Arndale

Daisy Jackson - 24th November 2021

Manchester’s enormous shopping hub the Arndale will be throwing a Christmas parade this weekend.

The busy shopping centre will welcome walking candy canes, breakdancing elves and roller-skating robins as part of its festive celebrations.

Throughout the day, performers will pop up to surprise shoppers across the shopping centre.

The Arndale is also hosting its own King, Queen, Prince and Princess characters too.

Manchester Arndale. Credit: Jason Lock Photography www.jasonlock.co.uk

Santa Claus himself will fly in for the festivities, along with Mrs Claus, to meet with local families.

ADVERTISEMENT

The musical parade is due to kick off at 2pm on Saturday, and will see all sorts of Christmas characters marching through the city centre.

Nutcrackers, ballerinas, and elves will all be in the mix.

ADVERTISEMENT

There will also be festive food on offer this weekend.

Read more: The happiest towns in the UK have been revealed – but Greater Manchester doesn’t feature

It’s set to be one of the busiest shopping weekends in the calendar as people gear up for Christmas and the Black Friday sales.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Arndale centre is also positioned close to the Christmas Markets, which have taken over Market Street, Piccadilly Gardens and Exchange Square nearby.

Manchester Arndale’s Christmas parade is taking place from 2pm on Saturday November 27.

Featured image: Supplied

Kids & Family

Stretford’s popular festival with dozens of FREE events and activities to return next spring

A popular festival for all the family is set to return and take over a buzzing Greater Manchester town next spring.

After a successful first run last summer, where thousands attended as a diverse array of music, art, dance, and interactive workshops descended on the streets of Stretford, The StretFest is back again for 2025, and will be taking over the whole Trafford neighbourhood with loads of free events and activities to get involved with.

This new spring edition of the neighbourhood festival will spread across Stretford’s favourite venues and public spaces to celebrate ‘new beginnings’.

Organised by Stretford Town Centre Forum – which is a new collaboration of local businesses and community groups, with support from Trafford Council and Bruntwood – the theme of next year’s festival has been chosen as a nod to the development work that’s now well underway across Stretford town centre.

The StretFest returns in 2025 / Credit: Supplied

Free events will be at venues such as Stretford Public Hall, the Mall, Victoria Park, St Matthew’s Church, and Stretford Library, alongside loads of local independent businesses.

The festival also coincides with the 10th anniversary of Stretford Public Hall’s transfer into community ownership, so you can celebrations at the Hall all throughout the day.

One of the main events on the day of the festival will be the popular ‘Stretford Socials’ from midday through to 4pm, where you’ll find an array of stalls featuring talented local makers, bakers, and community groups.

It’s here where you’ll also an also enjoy a variety of free family-friendly activities that organisers say “promises fun for all ages”.

Read more:

More information is set to be announced in the new year, so keep your eyes peeled.

The StretFest returns on Saturday 1 March 2025, and you can find out more and apply to be a part of it by submitting an application here.

Featured Image – Adrian Michael (via Supplied)

Kids & Family

You can send messages of hope to a veteran in Greater Manchester this Christmas

A Manchester veteran is urging local people to show support by writing messages to other veterans who suffer with physical and mental challenges.

Lamin Manneh, who served in Afghanistan, is fronting this initiative alongside Help For Heroes with the aim to deliver as many uplifting messages as possible to veterans who need a little pick-me-up this Christmastime.

The Manchester-born veteran experienced his own struggles while serving for the Armed Forces losing both legs and an arm whilst on patrol.

There are at least 7,700 veterans in Manchester and there are even more that can be supported by Help For Heroes.

Their latest campaign ‘Send A Christmas Message To A Veteran’ allows anyone to upload their own words and pictures of support that veterans can access virtually.

It’s easy to access and the message is uploaded straight away meaning people can reach it through any digital or desktop device whenever they need.

Last year, Christmas cards with some inspiring messages and words of support were distributed between more than 9,500 veterans and the Armed Forces charity are hoping to reach even more.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Help for Heroes (@helpforheroes)

These cards are vital to any retired soldier as Help For Heroes knows for some people this may be the only card they receive this year.

Pairing this with the fact that many veterans are affected by both physical and mental challenges which limit socialising, Christmas can be a tricky time for them.

Some of the messages posted to the online wall have images attached to them too, which you can also do, including some of the cutest dogs, that’s sure to put a smile on anyone’s face.

Manneh said: “During military service, service men and women have a strong support network and a close-knit community, but transitioning to civilian life can destroy that.

“Coupled with physical and mental health issues, which can prevent them from socialising, Christmas can become a time filled with dread rather than a celebration.

“Loneliness can lead to unnecessary thoughts coming to you, which can cause so much harm. Therefore, it is paramount for anyone who needs help to reach out.

“I know from last year that receiving messages from Help for Heroes supporters made a massive difference to some people and showed there are people out there who care. It also encouraged veterans to come forward and get support.”

If you want to get involved and show your support with a few words of encouragement and empathy, you can do so via their virtual message wall here.

Read more:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image: Supplied