Affordable luxury eyewear brand IOLLA has launched a new eco collection, and you can see it in all its glory in the new Manchester store.
Shoppers may remember that the innovative Scottish brand – which offers affordable quality glasses and sunglasses for a single price point – last summer chose Manchester as the first place to open a showroom outside of its native country.
IOLLA Manchester opened its doors on St Ann’s Square in August 2022, and has already brought a fresh take on eyewear retail to the shopping and fashion scene in our city centre.
While the brand prides itself on offering “a spectacular shopping experience like no other”, IOLLA says it’s also committed to making sure its products are as sustainable as they are stylish – and that’s why it’s launched a brand-new ‘Eco-Collection’.
While 69% of people in the UK wear glasses, recent research has revealed that 3,000 tonnes of lenses go to landfill each year.
With a pledge to make 25% of its range eco by the end of 2023, IOLLA’s new collection features fully biodegradable eco-acetates, which means that frames can be broken down naturally without causing pollution.
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‘Butter Tortoise’ and ‘Crystal Fade’ from the Douglas Collection are the first two pairs to have been added to the new Eco-Collection, while all of IOLLA’s black frames are also made from 70% recycled acetate – which is produced from off-cuts that would usually be discarded during the frame manufacturing process.
Alongside developing more sustainable materials for the new Eco-Collection, IOLLA is also offering a new ‘Refresh Service’ aimed at “breathing new life” into your old IOLLA frames, so whether it’s a change in prescription or a scratched lens to your beloved pair, there’s range of services to repair, reuse or, recycle your glasses.
And with summer round the corner, you can also switch your lenses to transform old specs into a stylish set of new shades as part of the service.
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Affordable eyewear brand IOLLA has launched a new ‘Eco-Collection’ / Credit: IOLLA
On top of all of this, IOLLA is also encouraging customers to take advantage of its new recycling programme, so your old glasses can be reused responsibly and prevent any from reaching the landfill.
“We are delighted to launch our Eco-Collection and are committed to ensuring at least 25% of our range is eco-friendly by the end of the year,” said Stefan Hunter – founder and CEO at IOLLA.
“At IOLLA, we’re passionate about delivering an experience unlike any other, and that’s reflected in our unique flat-fee pricing structure, next-level customer service, and handcrafted designs – but our focus within product development now is to lead the way in developing stylish, sustainable eyewear and minimising our impact on the environment as much as possible.”
IOLLA opened its Manchester showroom on St Ann’s Square last summer / Credit: IOLLA
What makes IOLLA different to lots of other high street glasses labels is that it prides itself on keeping its pricing “simple and honest” by refusing to include any hidden costs or added extras.
All Eco-Collection prescription lenses and coatings are included within the standard £85 flat fee.
Thousands of FREE tickets to The Big Night of Musicals at AO Arena have been released
Thomas Melia
There are thousands of free tickets up for grabs to attend ‘The Big Night of Musicals’ in Manchester next year which features a variety of theatre classics.
The curtain has risen once again as returning favourite, The Big Night of Musicals, is coming to AO Arena for a fourth year.
Hosted once again by the one and only Jason Manford, this event contains segments from some of the world’s greatest theatre productions.
Fronted by The National Lottery, this showcase is a thank you to all players whose money has supported more than 20,000 theatre-related projects totalling £1.3 billion.
These funds have been used on many performing arts resources including restoring theatres and enabling hundreds of musical-related projects to commence.
This isn’t something to be missed out on as the bill is shaping up to be one of the event’s biggest to date featuring stars from the West End and some of the most notorious shows.
Attendees can expect to hear some familiar favourites in the likes of Bat Out of Hell, Here & Now: The Steps Musical, Mean Girls and more.
There’s even an exclusive preview of the upcoming theatre adaptation of a Disney superhero as snippets from ‘Hercules’ will be performed live.
Guests even have a chance to be in the same room as musical theatre legend Carrie Hope Fletcher as she takes on the role of Calamity Jane in the theatre show of the same name.
Dear Evan Hansen is also on the bill and if you aren’t free for the musical ensemble, it’s running at Palace Theatre Manchester from 18-22 February next year and tickets are available right now.
This event has a super varied lineup too, from throwback pop bangers to Wild West heroines, this night really caters to everyone.
In true musical style, there will be big, bold performances and, of course, lots of excellent surprises all set to make a fantastic night of live music at the AO Arena.
All National Lottery players have the chance to reserve up to four tickets, the only cost is proof they’ve purchased a product from the National Lottery and a £2 booking fee per ticket.
Tickets for the ‘Big Night of Musicals’ on 25 January are already on sale you can try your luck at grabbing some free seats HERE.
Manchester locals appealing for more information over a month after from finding family member’s body
Danny Jones
A Greater Manchester family are still calling for more information now over a month on from the discovery of a man’s body at his Chorlton home.
William Riddell, 49, was found dead in the bedroom of a property on Astbury Avenue at approximately 11:35pm on Sunday, 10 November after being found by his stepdaughter, Sarah Hayden.
Details surrounding his passing are still scarce but a 47-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder but has since been released on bail “pending further enquiries”, leaving Sarah and the rest of her family still none the wiser as to the exact nature of his death.
Preparing to spend their first Christmas without him, they have issued a desperate appeal for more information, urging anyone who might have information to come forward.
#APPEAL | The family of a man who died last month are appealing to the public for information as they face their first Christmas without him.
Billy Riddell was sadly found dead at his property in Manchester, with enquiries continuing.
Riddell, more commonly known as Billy by those close to him, was described as a “good, caring man with a big heart” and a popular figure in the local area.
Speaking via Greater Manchester Police, Sarah, said: “I want to be Billy’s voice and get answers for him. Billy was a nice and lovely man and all the community knew who he was. He was well-liked and we gave him a good send-off at his funeral.
“I would just ask anyone who knew him or has any information to come forward and tell police. Even if you think it’s a little or small thing – please come forward. We just want to get to the bottom of what has happened.”
Detective Inspector Alex Wilkinson, who serves on GMP‘s Major Incident Team, added in an official statement: “The family of Billy deserve answers following his death and we are working hard to ensure they get exactly that.
“We have closely supported Sarah and the wider family over the last month, and we will continue to provide assistance wherever we can as they face their first Christmas without him.
“While a suspect has been bailed, we are still working flat-out to understand more about Billy’s life, the people he was close to, and events leading up to his death just over a month ago.”
With that in mind, both GMP and Riddell’s family are asking anyone who might know anything or have information regarding people associated with Billy to come forward, reiterating that “even if you consider something to be small – your help could greatly benefit our investigation.”
You can contact police via 101 or by using the live chat function HERE, quoting log 3227 of 10/11/24.
Alternatively, you can contact the UK’s independent charity, Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online.
Emily Sergeant -
8th March 2023 
