With a significant number of social media savvy millennials having kids – there are a rising number of parents venturing into the world of influencing.
But how are dad influencers matching up to their mummy counterparts? New research from gifts and gadgets retailer Menkind explores the untapped potential of the dad influencers by revealing a ranking of the UK’s top InstaDad content hotspots.
New ranking reveals top locations where dad life Instagram content gets shared most
Greater Manchester ranks fifth in the chart, based on number of posts
Town of Wigan ranked in top 10 cities for most active InstaDads
Greater Manchester ranks fifth in the top InstaDads chart
The new study analysed publicly available Instagram posts based on their geo-location tags, and crunched the numbers on the top UK regions, counties and cities where dads share fatherhood related content the most.
Greater Manchester ranks fifth amongst the top counties where InstaDads are most active, posting the most about dad life or being featured on their families’ feeds. At a city level, two locations in the county were shortlisted as hosts for some of the most social-media savvy dads, who clearly love snapping their proudest family moments – Wigan, ranking fifth in the top cities for InstaDads, and Bolton, ranking 12th in the chart based on number of Instagram posts.
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Relative to the size of the population, however, Greater Manchester dads come third in 14th our ranking of dad life content per 1000 county residents, with Northumberland and Southampton dads splitting the podium. Nevertheless, Essex dads still share over two times more family content on Instagram than Londoners.
North West ranks third among regions with most InstaDads
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Overall, InstaDads in the North West are the third most active on Instagram in the UK, whilst the North East and Northern Ireland are home to the least active Instagrammer dads, according to the regional data. When it comes to the most popular Instagram posts, North Western dads rank seventh in the top, with over 5,000 likes for geo-located posts.
At a county level, Milton Keynes, Stirling, Hartlepool, Monmouthshire, Caithness, Peterborough, South Gloucestershire, Wrexham, Thurrock and Falkirk all split the last position in the ranking, with the lowest amount of fatherhood related content shared.
Top five proudest InstaDads revealed
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The social media study also crunched the numbers on the profiles with the most liked public Instagram posts which used dad related hashtags in the last three months, and shortlisted the top dads that get most recognition on the platform for their heart-warming family life content.
Top InstaDads
InstaDad
Number of likes
Location
@ed_stafford
11167
Leicestershire, East Midlands
@daddiesonamission
3686
Blyth, Northumberland, North East
@jj.chalmers
2353
Scotland
@the_running_dan
1085
Chester, North West England
@harvey_and_adam
1068
Doncaster, Yorkshire and the Humber
*Top five InstaDads based on most liked dad-life Instagram content in the UK
Sankeys nightclub is returning to Manchester
Danny Jones
It’s officially happening: iconic local club Sankeys is coming back to Manchester city centre almost a decade on from its gutting closure.
The iconic ‘Sankey’s Soap’ nightlife space – which started out over in Ancoats during the mid-’90s – enjoyed numerous stints during its time in the clubbing world, as well as opening multiple partnered venues in the country and even overseas.
Now, approaching nine years after the shutdown, Sankeys is returning to Manchester in the new year, and Mancs are currently losing their minds.
Whether you are one of those who ‘remember it when’, or someone who sadly missed out on the halcyon days in the old Beehive Mill, we assure you that everyone is in agreement that this is nothing short of massive news…
First teasing the comeback back in July, as our city and the world at large were gripped by ‘Britpop Mania’ 2.0, the largely dormant Instagram account posted: “This week Manchester, and the UK, has been blessed with a homecoming of our very own, Oasis.
“We think Manchester deserves another homecoming… Definitely, maybe?”
The North West corners of the internet and veteran revellers alike were understandably quick to get excited by the potential revival, but nothing else had been said for months – until now.
Confirmed on Tuesday, 25 November, the infamous and storied nightclub’s social media team began by writing, simply: “The Legend Returns” and beckoning “a new era for Sankeys”.
It is still unclear as to where exactly the new and improved club(s) will be, but we do know that the events will be in the city centre. However, we do know we’ll be getting a familiar matrix grid installation as part of the design once again.
They will also be enforcing a strict new no-phones policy, which has become increasingly popular across the scene, thanks to the likes of Amber’s right here in Manchester.
Sankeys first opened in Manchester as "Sankeys Soap" in June 1994.[3] It was so called due to its residence inside Beehive Mill, Ancoats, which once was used to manufacture soap. The basement of the mill was transformed into a club and live music venue#pub#historypic.twitter.com/cnM6Nt23uZ
Sankeys may have remained an active promoter in the days since the building on the corner of Radium and Jersey Street (M4 6JG) closed – going on to become an unsuspecting office development – this will be the first event of the aforementioned next chapter in a flagship venue.
Promising a limited capacity of no more than 500 people, Sankeys is set to make its landmark return on
“We will only be open one night a week on Saturday. There will be no VIP or phones allowed on the dancefloor — everyone is a VIP. People need to stop taking pictures and start dancing to the beat.”
Hordes of clubbers, ravers, students and more are already signing up for early access and general admission tickets for the first two nights on Friday and Saturday, 30-31 January 2026 go on sale at 9am this Friday (28 Nov).
Get ready to grab yours HERE and party like it’s, well, 1994, 2017 – take your pick.
Manchester set for its busiest weekend of the year with people urged to ‘plan ahead’
Emily Sergeant
Manchester is gearing up for what’s set to be its busiest weekend of the year, and people traveling into the city centre are being urged to ‘plan ahead’.
It’s officially a month to go until Christmas Day is here, and with the festive countdown now well under way, especially with Black Friday coming up at the end of this week (28 November) too, shoppers will be eager to bag a bargain and get some Christmas gifts for their loved ones – heading to the city centre shops or Christmas Markets.
This weekend, and Saturday (29 November) in particular, is traditionally one of the busiest of the year, and even saw the highest footfall in the city centre last year.
As well as people heading to the city centre to shop, there are also several other events happening across the weekend.
Manchester City host Leeds in a 3pm kick-off at the Etihad Stadium, while Bad Omens, and Sonny Fodera play Co-op Live on Friday and Saturday night respectively, while Wolf Alice are also set to return to Manchester for a Black Friday performance at the AO Arena.
Manchester city centre is set for one of its busiest weekends of the year with Black Friday shopping, festive markets, football at the Etihad, and major gigs at Co-op Live and AO Arena.
To keep the city moving, We're offering: ✔ Park & Ride carparks with shuttle buses ✔… pic.twitter.com/zy0bnWCDDw
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), Manchester City Council, and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) are all working together to manage the volume of people expected into the city centre this weekend – but even despite their efforts, people are still being urged to plan ahead, especially when it comes to transport.
Anyone looking to beat the traffic is encouraged to make use of the Bee Network, with trams and buses being both the quickest and cheapest way to travel this weekend.
TfGM says roads are expected to be ‘very busy’ during peak times this weekend, so it’s important that anyone planning to make their way into the city centre by vehicle avoid the busiest periods if they can.
The busiest times are predicted to be 3pm to 7pm on Friday, 4pm to 9pm on Saturday, and 3pm to 6:30pm on Sunday.
Manchester is set for its busiest weekend of the year with people urged to ‘plan ahead’ / Credit: Manchester City Council
Some of the extra measures currently in place to help people get in an around the city centre this week include free pop-up park and ride services, later trams and all-night buses, dedicated matchday shuttle buses, and changes at key locations to help improve congestion.
It’s also worth noting that some TfGM staff are currently taking part in strike action until this Friday (28 November) meaning some facilities – such as ticket offices and toilets – may be closed, however bus and tram services will run as normal.
“The countdown to Christmas is now in full swing and Black Friday weekend is always sure to be one of the busiest times of the year for the city centre,” commented Danny Vaughan, who is TfGM’s Chief Network Officer.
“Public transport will be the best way to get around, save money, and avoid getting stuck in traffic [which is why] we’re providing 1,000 additional parking spaces with our pop-up park and rides, putting on late night services, and running as many buses and trams as we possibly can.
“We want to help people enjoy everything the season has to offer, so please remember to plan your journeys and leave yourself plenty of time to get where you’re going.”
Get all the latest travel updates this weekend on the Bee Network website here.