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
The hillside farm in the Peak District making its own ice cream
Daisy Jackson
Did you know there’s a 300-year-old farm in the Peak District serving up some of the freshest ice cream you’ll ever taste? And yes, you can meet the cows that made it while you’re there.
Welcome to Hope Valley Ice Cream, a family-run gem where things are kept refreshingly simple: happy cows, proper farming, and seriously good ice cream.
Set in the heart of the Peak District countryside, this place is about as wholesome as it gets.
The ice cream is made on-site in the farmhouse, literally just metres from where the dairy herd are out grazing.
You can watch the animals, wander around the farm, and then tuck into a scoop or three perched on a milk pail stool, or a picnic bench (or even a decorative tractor).
Hope Valley Ice Cream has some amazing seasonal ice creams, like lemon curd, elderflower, and blackberry, alongside all the classics and a rather delicious tiramisu.
You can grab a cone, sit down with a coffee (again, made with milk from the nearby cows), or go all in with a freshly-made waffle if you’re feeling fancy.
Takeaway tubs from Hope Valley Ice CreamYou can get a mini pail of ice creamMeet the newborn calves at Hope Valley Ice CreamTuck into your ice cream on a milk pail stoolHope Valley Ice Cream
And if you’re the type who really loves ice cream? You can actually order a full pail of it, with four huge scoops plus whipped cream and sauce.
The farm itself is run by the Marsden family, who’ve been working this land for generations. It shows in everything – they’ve created a place that feels genuinely welcoming, not just another tourist stop.
Beyond the ice cream, you’ve got plenty of reasons to stick around. There are calves (including the newest tiny arrivals), plus donkeys and pigs to say hello to.
Whether you’re heading out on a hike or just fancy a drive into the Peaks, this is one pitstop that’s absolutely worth it – and honestly, it’s worth the trip on its own.
A ‘legacy walk’ in memory of the Joe Thompson is taking place across Greater Manchester
Danny Jones
The ‘Walk With Me for JT’, a.k.a Joe Thompson ‘Legacy Walk’, is back next month, and Greater Mancunians are being encouraged to take part.
Returning this year following his tragic passing last April, the now annual charity walk has already raised thousands for charity and is set for another big turnout.
Joe Thompson, an ex-Rochdale AFC and Bury FC player, sadly died at just 36 following a long battle with lymphoma, having been diagnosed three different times in 12 years.
While the young husband and father of two’s story is a heartbreaking one, it has also become a source of inspiration for so many across the North West and, indeed, across the UK, with people once again gearing up to complete a fundraising walk in his name.
Set to honour him by making the journey from his adopted home of Rochdale all the way to Old Trafford, with Thompson having come through Man United’s youth academy, the 15-mile trek will start at his former club’s Crown Oil Arena and stop at Bury’s Gigg Lane as well as Salford City’s Peninsula Stadium.
First held in 2024 under the ‘Walk With Me for JT’ banner, the initial legacy walk saw the Bath-born footballer and countless others complete 21 miles in an effort to raise money for treatment.
Gone but never forgotten, the charity walk survives not only in the hearts and souls of his family, friends and other people’s lives he touched, but in the community spirit that his struggle and immense bravery in the face of illness helped spur on throughout the region and beyond.
Writing on social media, the Thompson family and the Foundation in his memory said, “Last year, he walked beside us. This year, we walk for him. This isn’t just a walk… It’s a promise. A promise to carry his strength, his belief, his light forward.
For every family facing illness. For everyone experiencing loss or hardship. For anyone who needs hope right now. Every step matters. Every mile has meaning. Whether you’ve walked before or this is your first time. You won’t walk alone.”
Join the annual Joe Thompson legacy walk on Saturday 2nd May 💙
Departing from the Crown Oil Arena, the 15-mile walk will finish at Manchester United's Old Trafford 🏟️
They signed off by adding: “Be part of something bigger. Be part of Joe’s legacy. Be part of the movement. Get a team together, invite your friends, colleagues and family and let’s raise funds to support The Joe Thompson Foundation.”
With the event beginning at 11am on Saturday, 2 May, there have already been numerous sign-ups, and you can expect even more to lace up their shoes and pay tribute to a local hero.
If you want to join in the effort and help do your bit, you can register for the 2026 Joe Thompson Legacy Walk right HERE.
The Manc -
6th August 2021 
