In April 2020, everyone in Manchester seemed to come to the same conclusion – it was time to get fit.
The world was closed for business and everyone was cooped-up inside until further notice. There had never been a more ideal time to shed some pounds and pack on some muscle.
Demand for fitness equipment was insane. Dumbbells, exercise bikes and yoga mats all vanished within a matter of weeks, meaning people had to improvise.
People filled water jugs to use as weights, used resistance bands instead of cable machines, and hit the tarmac instead of the treadmill.
And it worked.
ADVERTISEMENT
Those who embraced a street-style fitness regime saw some of the best results and found the workouts more fulfilling – and it’s this raw, urbanised form of training that Urban Reform has been running since setting up in 2018.
Inside the industrial unit on Pollard Street is where it started for Urban Reform.
ADVERTISEMENT
Fitness fanatics were flipping tyres, swinging kettlebells and throwing about heavy weights, and although seemed a tricky task, people who’d never lifted in their life were squatting like pros and doing walking handstands. But that’s just the way things are at Urban Reform – progress is fast.
People went to the facility looking to transform their lives, and within weeks, they knew more about themselves and their bodies than ever before.
Urban Reform was set up by Dean Ashton and Ricky Gibbins, and began life offering outdoor fitness programs / Credit: The Manc Group
“We want people to leave the gym feeling good about themselves,” co-founder Dean Ashton tells us.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Our ethos is to educate people so they can take full ownership of a healthy lifestyle with simplified and tailored programs [and] we offer the right info, at the right pace, at the right time – it’s as simple as that.”
Urban Reform was set up by Dean Ashton and Ricky Gibbins, and began life offering outdoor fitness programs.
Personal Trainer Dean decided he wanted to bring fitness to the doorstep of the Manchester community, and so he started conducting classes in car parks and green areas – which would grow in attendance almost every week – and meanwhile, on the other side of town, Ricky was running an enormously-successful Personal Training business that transformed lives from his home garage.
The pair decided to put their heads together, merge their respective followings, and set up Urban Reform – a fitness centre that retained a grassroots feel while offering a more holistic kind of service.
“Our ethos is to educate people so they can take full ownership of a healthy lifestyle.” / Credit: The Manc Group
“PT businesses can be narcissistic sometimes,” Dean says.
ADVERTISEMENT
“They can push vanity and perfection. We wanted to do it right. We wanted to utilise our skills of understanding people and put them into Manchester – using fitness as a way to help people develop a balanced lifestyle, keep fit and healthy.
“As fitness trainers, we’ve got a duty of care to busy people living and working here, which is why we’ve brought in staff in different areas, including mental health specialists, transformation coaches, weightlifting coaches, lower back pain experts, trainers adept in helping young and older adults, and nutritionists.”
The multifaceted fitness centre has been a smash-hit with Mancs throughout 2020 and into 2021, with programs in physical and wellness transformation having been hosted both online and on site, depending on tier restrictions.
“During COVID, we offered online services that have proven extremely popular; such as online exercise plans and videos,” explains Dean.
“And after lockdown, all our classes were fully booked – now, we want to grow and develop.”
ADVERTISEMENT
The multifaceted fitness centre has been a smash-hit with Mancs throughout 2020 and into 2021 / Credit: The Manc Group
Both Dean and Ricky’s determination to support the mindset of busy city centre lives has led to a number of collaborations with businesses to support the resilience of staff on a wider scale across Manchester.
Dean continued: “We’re launching a new service at Exchange Quay with AJ Bell to offer a wellbeing service for all their staff, as well as working with Capital and Centric to provide services for their residents.
“We are now located in a new facility near Piccadilly Train Station that’s double the size of our current venue, and it’ll have a focus on creative fitness, strength and offering consistent wellbeing messages.”
Urban Reform is has a number of packages to engage all levels, including physical and mental transformation programs, strength-based classes, urban fitness outdoor bootcamps, and even weight lifting programs that teach beginners to lift like a pro. So whether you’re brand new to training, or a top level athlete, the team is more than equipped to support everyone and provide the highest level quality.
Urban Reform is has a number of packages to engage all levels / Credit: The Manc Group
There’s just as much focus on the mental side as well as the physical.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Every one of our coaches are put through a mentorship program which involves mental health courses, so they can recognise anxiety and depression,” Dean explains
“Mental health first aid is essential in this line of work. As a PT – you’re a support worker, too [and] you need to understand or be aware if someone is struggling.
Thousands of Mancs found solace by working out in their gardens or streets during lockdown, and Urban Reform is taking the spirit of this training, cranking up the intensity, refining the focus – and making us a fitter region as a result.
___
Urban Reform’s open day is taking place on Saturday 11 September, and you can find more information by heading over to the website here.
ADVERTISEMENT
There’s also a chance for one lucky fitness fan to bag themselves a 12-week transformation program worth £1,000.
You can find more about the competition and get your entries in here.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
Manchester
A groundbreaking new multi-use entertainment and leisure venue is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
A new multi-purpose food, drink, entertainment and leisure destination is coming to Manchester city centre and the Salford border this autumn, and you won’t find many places that roll so much into one spot.
Mancs, get ready to welcome ‘Tangerine’.
Conceived by an impressive collective of local creatives, indies and those with plenty of experience catering to the Northern masses, Tangerine is promising everything from multiple resident kitchens, a live music hall, an arthouse stage, a specialist martini bar and more.
Better yet, after a year in the making and quietly chipping away at the striking space, it opens later this month, so you don’t have to wait long to try it for yourselves.
Located on New Bailey Street, just on the edge of Spinningfields and Salford Central, this groundbreaking new venue features two main platforms (utilising the integrated charm of the historic railway arches), each boasting its own selection of attractions.
While platform one will offer a bakery, coffee roastery, wine store and bottle ship, the ‘Canteen Club’ and even a florist, number two will contain the music hall, arthouse stage and the stylish ‘Grand Departures’ bar – serving seven espresso martini alone – Tangerine will deliver a seamless day to night transition.
Arguably, however, the centrepiece is the ‘Cantina Collective’. The food and drink hall promises seven in-house kitchens, showcasing a variety of cuisines.
The opening line-up already confirmed includes Vanda: a family-run Parisian-inspired Ukrainian bakery; Mexican taqueria, Panthera, burger joint Juicy, as well as Yo Dutchie (a unique fusion of Dutch-Japanese food) and a new Korean/ramen concept from local sushi favourites, Unagi.
Our stomachs are already grumbling just thinking about it.
CGI renders of the completed space. (Credit: Supplied)
Designed not only by the brains behind Northern Quarter’s beloved Mala hidden garden but WANT STUDIOS, who will be ensuring local artists, independents, and traders will be regularly spotlighted, the site will boast a capacity of well over 300 people.
Artyom Dmitrijev, owner of Tangerine and Mala, said in a statement: “Over a year in the making, we’ve used all our experience in design, interiors, architecture and hospitality to create our dream project. A place for all the independents to come together and thrive.”
Andy Windsor, Director of WANT STUDIOS, added: “Tangerine unites the city’s independent kitchens, bar tenders, bakeries and entertainment specialists. It is a unique showcase of what we do in the city. This is a new space for creativity, food, and culture, and we’re proud to be part of it.”
Debuting to the public with a big Halloween weekender on the evening of Friday, 31 October, with another launch event the following Saturday, you can sign up for exclusive early access for free, which could see you score a few freebies to boot.
Featured Images — Press shots (supplied)/Tangerine MCR (via Instagram)
Manchester
First vendors confirmed Glossop Market Hall, including two indie Manc traders
Danny Jones
The first vendors for the upcoming Glossop Market Hall have been announced, and the lineup includes two beloved Greater Manchester independent businesses.
Better still, the third is another noteworthy name from the North West.
Glossop Market Hall is scheduled to launch later this year, setting up shop in the historic town hall complex, where the High Peak Borough Council, a retail shopping arcade and various other municipal buildings have stood in various different iterations for nearly well over a century.
With the Derbyshire town set to celebrate the opening of the newly revamped market hall, those behind the new Glossop attraction have now revealed the first three names set to take up residence there.
As you can see, the biggest names already signed on to cook from one of the six kitchens is a Manchester favourite food hall in its own right: Hello Oriental.
The Pan-Asian paradise not only has a subterranean space below Circle Square, but also at The Trafford Centre, as well as a dessert spin-off in Freight Island.
Indie trader number two comes in the form of B&V Trading, who are based at Stanley Square in Sale and specialise in eco-friendly, UK-made treats, toys and essentials for four-legged friends.
After proving a hit with the locals, their small stall at nearby Altrincham Market has grown to see them open up not just a second site in the leafy Cheshire suburbs of Knutsford back in 2022, but now boast a third location in neighbouring Macclesfield.
Speaking of Macc, local gin and whisky makers, Forest Distillery – based up at the famous Cat and Fiddle Inn pub towards the Peaks – they round out the first wave of regional businesses set to pop up in Glossop Market Hall (GMH) when it finally arrives this winter.
And once again, as the update on social media reads: “This is just the beginning”.
Natives, day-trippers and tourists from all over are bound to visit this place when it opens sometime in November (exact date still TBC), and with space not only for a dedicated bar, dining space and a coffee shop, but a total of 17 retail spaces, we can’t wait to see what comes next.
GMH becomes just the latest among a growing trend of food and drink halls popping up all over our part of the country, with virtually every Greater Manchester borough now boasting at least one of their own – or, in the city centre’s case, what feels like a dozen now.
Exhibit number… not sure, we’ve lost track at this point.