Dogs Trust Manchester has made a heartfelt special appeal to find a “forever home” for its longest-term resident as lockdown begins to lift in the UK.
Meet Charlie.
The five-year-old Labrador Collie Cross – nicknamed “cheeky Charlie” – has now been a resident at the Denton-based rehoming centre for over 500 days after being taken into care in October 2019, and since then, has seen more than 1,000 of his canine companions head off to their forever homes.
He has already been adopted himself on two other occasions, but sadly though, it was not meant to be for the lively youngster.
The team are now hoping it’ll be third time lucky for the lively youngster.
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Although the centre is still currently closed to the public, as lockdown begins to ease even further across the region and throughout the country, the staff at Dogs Trust Manchester are hoping they will soon be waving a fond farewell to Charlie.
“Charlie is an adorable but anxious boy, so we are looking for a very patient and loving home for him,” said Dawn Bishop, Manager at Dogs Trust Manchester.
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“He is truly part of the Dogs Trust family – but what we really want is for him to have a home and family of his own”.
🐶Dogs Trust Manchester’s longest term resident hopes to find love as lockdown lifts!
She continued: “Charlie loves fetching a tennis ball and he is really clever, so picks up new things quickly in return for a tasty treat. He thoroughly enjoys travelling in the car so will be an ideal companion for owners who like to get away from it all to the quiet of the countryside for lovely long walks.
“He will take time to build a bond with new owners but once you have that trust he is very affectionate and loves to cuddle up, which is adorable.
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“Charlie has come on in leaps and bounds since coming to us and we cannot wait to see what the future holds for him in his forever home.
“He truly is one of a kind and has bags of potential.
“He will make a loving and rewarding pet for owners who are willing to take the time to work with him, and we will be by their side every step of the way”.
Charlie will need a home in a quiet, rural area with a predictable routine and few visitors, but for those apprehensive about adoption, Dogs Trust Manchester assured that it will “always be here to help if Charlie or his family need support” as it provides lifelong behavioural support for adopted dogs over the phone or in 1-2-1 sessions to help make sure they can live their best life together with their family.
16-year-old Manc busker, Alex Spencer, bags record deal with the same label that launched The Lathums
Danny Jones
16-year-old busker Alex Spencer’s career has gone from strength to strength in the past couple of years. Now, after starting out singing on the rainy streets of Manchester, he has managed to bag himself a record deal.
You absolutely love to see it.
Young Alex from Droylsden has been entertaining passersby on Market Street and people all around Greater Manchester for some time now, and after years of graft that only a true music-loving Manc could muster, the local lad is taking the next step in his promising career.
Having made the step up from being one of many talented Manc buskers to playing plenty of proper gigs and even serenading the likes of the City squad, he has now been signed by record label Modern Sky and is set to release his first official single this April.
Credit: Alex Spencer (via Instagram)
Since stepping out of his home with a borrowed guitar under his arm as a young boy, Alex Spencer has gone from covering classics by 10CC, Arctic Monkeys and Sam Fender, to playing at the likes of New Century, Band on the Wall, Manchester Academy 3 and even in front of 20,000 at the AO Arena.
After securing an Arena slot as part of Young Voices’ ones to look out for in 2022 and even getting some airplay on Radio X, the teenager was spotted by the very same record company that launched The Lathums, Jamie Webster, Brooke Combe and even The Coral back in the day.
Now, Alex is focusing on writing songs of his own and has recently finished five for his upcoming EP, one of those being his lead single, ‘A Night To Waste’, with all of them set to be released via Modern Sky.
This, however, isn’t the first time we’ve come across Alex; The Manc Audio has had the pleasure of chatting and watching him busk on a number of occasions. This was the most recent.
We’re beyond chuffed to see how far he’s come in such a short space of time and can’t wait to see him go far — which, of course, he definitely will.
Speaking ahead of the release of his debut record, Alex said: “It’s about the life of a teenager who wants to live their life a little and get out of the same old boring suburb. It’s about enjoying a good time with your friends and reminding you that none of us have a night to waste.
“It’s the same for so many people my age, especially after all the setbacks we’ve had over the past few years with lockdowns stopping us in our tracks.”
‘A Night To Waste’ drops on 25 April 2023; we were fortunate enough to get a sneak peek and, believe us, you’re in for a treat. This boy’s going to be big, so be sure to keep up to date with what he’s got coming next.
Viral sportswear brand Gymshark is holding a huge free fitness event in Manchester this weekend
Daisy Jackson
Some of the biggest names in the fitness community are coming together for a huge Gymshark event at Manchester Central this weekend.
The fitness brand’s previous Lift events have had queues stretching down the street as thousands flock to see figures from the worlds of lifting, fitness and bodybuilding.
Gymshark’s first post-pandemic Lift event is taking place right here in Manchester, featuring a programme of athlete seminars, meet and greets, competitions, challenges, and prizes – and it’s free.
It promises to be their biggest event yet, with the huge events space split into four zones.
There’ll also be a pop-up shop selling the brand’s activewear range, loved by fitness influencers across the globe.
A previous Gymshark event with Whitney Simmons. Credit: SuppliedGymshark Lift in Manchester in a previous year. Credit: Supplied
Famous faces appearing at Lift this weekend will include Whitney Simmons, whose hilariously honest and educational fitness content has pulled in 3.5m Instagram followers (plus another 2.1m on YouTube and 1.4m on TikTok).
Also taking part are Gymshark’s creative director of lifting David Laid, Instagram star Libby Christensen, and power lifter Jamal Browner.
More than 10,000 tickets have already been sold for Lift at Manchester Central.
Gymshark itself was founded by Ben Francis in his garage in 2012. He used YouTube tutorials – and a little help from his grandmother – to learn to sew.
Now, there are more than 18 million Gymshark customers across 180 countries, and it’s achieved ‘unicorn’ status after being valued at more than £1bn.
The brand turned over around £500m in its last financial year and employs around 800 people worldwide.
You can book your spot at Gymshark’s Lift event at Manchester Central, taking place on 1 and 2 April, here.
Emily Sergeant -
19th April 2021 
