Manchester Museum will be celebrating the anniversary of its £15m makeover with a free birthday party – and it sounds pretty nostalgic.
The hugely popular cultural attraction down on Oxford Road officially reopened its doors a year ago next week.
While it’s still home to Mancunian icons like Stan the T-Rex, the museum now also has a new modern two-storey extension, plus a beautiful new entrance and gift shop, and a new dinosaur to keep Stan company, with April the Tenontosaurus back on all fours near the Fossils gallery.
The extensive redevelopment proved so popular last year, the museum had queues down the street for its opening weekend and its director was left an ’emotional wreck’.
In the year since Manchester Museum revealed its new galleries and exhibitions, more than 800,000 people have visited.
So now it’s time to celebrate. The museum is throwing a ‘party for the people’, complete with nostalgic party games and a red carpet.
Visitors on Sunday 18 February will first be encouraged to strike a post for the photographer as they sashay up the red carpet.
Then as you head inside you’ll see that all the museum’s spaces have been transformed for one big birthday party, which will run all the way from 10am until 5pm.
Even the creatures at Manchester Museum will be getting in the party spirit with their own custom hats. Credit: Manchester Museum
A gigantic game of pass-the-parcel will be taking place in the Living Worlds gallery, where you’ll be surrounded by cabinets full of taxidermy animals and watched over by the sperm whale skeleton who’s been suspended above it all for 130 years.
Stan the T-Rex will be overseeing a game of musical dinosaur statues in the Fossils Gallery (and he is an expert at this game).
There’ll be craft workshops where you can make your own party hats, with prizes handed out for the best efforts.
Other creatures inside the museum, including the Japanese spider crab who sits in the window on Oxford Road, will be getting into the spirit of the occasion, donning party hats specially made for them by artist Lucy Burscough.
More games at the party will be ‘pin the tail on April the Tenontosaurus’, plus performances from a magician and circus performers.
You can take part in poetry workshops and performances in the new South Asian Gallery, and learn the movements and exercises of Wuqinxi in the Chinese Culture Gallery.
Manchester Museum’s Party for the People is totally free of charge with no ticket required.
Jet2 and Greggs is offering Mancs the chance to win a luxury holiday for the price of a sausage roll
Thomas Melia
Jet2 has teamed up with Greggs to announce a new competition where you can win a holiday for the price of a sausage roll.
If you didn’t know by now, ‘Nothing beats a Jet2 Holiday’, and as the British budget airline launches its latest collaboration where you can win a holiday for the same price as a sausage roll, we’d say that’s pretty accurate.
Fancy laying down in the scorching heat and baking yourself just like a trusty Greggs sausage roll? Well it’s a good thing these two iconic companies have teamed up then, because now you can do just that.
Jet2 and Greggs are giving away a three-night all-inclusive holiday to Marbella for the same price as everyone’s flaky-pastry favourite priced at £1.30.
In a video shared to social media, internet personalities Charley Marlowe and Luke Hamnett announced this brand-new offer in an extremely on-brand way.
The video sees the pair taking on very different roles, quite literally, as Hamnett dresses as a sausage roll while Marlowe tries her hand as a cabin crew member.
This exclusive campaign sees you in with the chance of winning a three-night all-inclusive holiday to the luxury Spanish destination, staying at Iberostar Selection Marbella Coral Beach from 2 October – 5 October 2025.
Jet2 and Greggs is offering a luxury holiday for the price of a sausage roll / Credit: Laura Barry (via Unsplash) | Greggs
On top of this, you’ll also get a handful of Jet2 and Greggs co-branded goodies sent to your door before take-off, and there may even be a present or two in your hotel room as well.
I think it’s safe to say there certainly will be carbs in Marbs.
Trafford Centre launches school uniform drive to help disadvantaged Manchester families
Emily Sergeant
A school uniform drive has been launched at the Trafford Centre to support local families ahead of the new school year.
With schools across Greater Manchester soon set to be out for the summer holidays, many parents, guardians, and carers in the region may be looking ahead to the new school year in September, concerned about how they may be able to provide their children with the necessary uniform items needed.
According to a 2020 survey by The Children’s Society, 23% of parents reported that the cost of school uniforms led to their children wearing ‘ill-fitting, unclean, or incorrect’ items.
It’s these statistic that highlight the ongoing pressure faced by families.
This is why the Trafford Centre has partnered with both Manchester South Central Foodbank and local charity, Bridging the Gap, to launch a school uniform donation drive aimed at supporting more than 700 children across Manchester this summer.
The Trafford Centre launches a school uniform drive to help disadvantaged Manchester families / Credit: Trafford Centre
From now up until the 15 August, anyone heading to the region’s largest shopping centre is encouraged to donate new or pre-loved school uniforms.
“The cost of living crisis has deeply impacted our community, with more and more families unable to afford the essentials,” commented Emily Jeremy, who is the Assistant Project Manager at Manchester South Central Foodbank.
“As an anti-poverty charity, we recognised the need for school uniform support years ago. Though costs vary between schools, a full set of branded secondary school uniform can total around £150, which is a significant burden for many households.”
All items can be donated at the shopping centre’s Guest Services point / Credit: Darren Robinson Photography | Trafford Centre (Supplied)
Simon Layton, Centre Director at the Trafford Centre, added: “We’re proud to be working alongside Bridging the Gap and Manchester South Central Foodbank to support local families during these challenging times.
“School uniforms shouldn’t be a barrier to education, and we hope this initiative will ease some of the pressure many parents face as the new school year approaches.”
The school uniform donation drive is running up until 15 August.
All items can be taken to the Trafford Centre’s Guest Services Lounge, which is located on Lower Regent Crescent next to M&S, and they must be clean and free from stains or damage.
Daisy Jackson -
9th February 2024 
