A warning has been issued to those planning on hitting the town for a Mad Friday night out in Manchester city centre.
Mad Friday – the nickname given to the last Friday in December before Christmas eve – is always known as the most popular night for end-of-year Christmas parties, which inevitably makes it one of the busiest nights of the year in Manchester city centre, and for ambulances and the police service too.
But this year, just the same as last, things are set to look a lot different.
This year’s Mad Friday comes the day after the UK recorded the highest number of new COVID cases since the start of the pandemic at 88,376.
It too comes after the UK government has now introduced all ‘Plan B’ measures in England in an attempt to curb the spread of the virus, and it also comes amid an ongoing conversation around the hardships once again being faced by the hospitality sector and the question of “where is the Chancellor?”, as pubs and restaurants in Greater Manchester and right across the UK are hit by a surge of cancelled bookings in the lead-up to and at Christmas.
Yet, despite all of this, the message from one Councillor to clubbers and partygoers heading to Manchester city centre tonight couldn’t be clearer.
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Everyone has to remain “cautious”.
A warning has been issued to those planning on hitting the town for a Mad Friday night out in Manchester city centre / Credit: Flickr
Cllr Pat Karney – city centre spokesperson at Manchester City Council – told the MEN that people need to “be their own public health service” in the fight against the new Omicron variant, adding that: “For young people, Mad Friday is a big night out in the city, but people need to take into account that they will then probably be seeing family and older family members over Christmas.
“People will have a great time but must bear in mind who they will be spending time with over Christmas.
“We are all confused by the guidance but we need to be our own Public Health Service and look after ourselves and follow the guidance as best we can,” he concluded.
This year’s Mad Friday also comes two days after NHS COVID passes / or a proof of a negative Lateral Flow Test have been introduced for entry to nightclubs, unseated indoor venues with more than 500 people, unseated outdoor venues with more than 4,000 people, and any venue with more than 10,000 people in England.
Cllr Pat Karney said that although the passes are “bound to cause problems”, he believes it is worth it to “protect the health of the country”.
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“People will have a great time but must bear in mind who they will be spending time with over Christmas.” / Credit: Unsplash
The North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) has also urged a simple message to revellers: “Try to avoid needing us,” as they also anticipate tonight and this weekend to be “much busier than 2020”.
Ged Blezard – Director of Operations at NWAS – said: “We have already experienced a very challenging year with more people calling 999 than ever and our staff have been working exceptionally hard. However, the festive period traditionally brings with it an increase in a certain type of 999 call as people can get carried away while celebrating the time of year.
“While we want people to enjoy themselves, we want to use this opportunity to ask the public not to add any unnecessary extra burden on the service by behaving irresponsibly or treating our staff with disrespect if they are called to help.”
“Remember, 999 is for life-threatening incidents and emergencies only,” he concluded.
Greater Manchester Police also confirmed that force will be continuing its high visibility patrols across the city tonight and over this weekend.
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“We expect people to drink and act responsibly while enjoying their night – remembering to plan their journeys home in advance and not to get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol above the legal limit,” a spokesperson told the MEN.
Featured Image – Factory Manchester
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Free roses are being handed out at a Manchester train station this Valentine’s Day
Danny Jones
In an effort to spread the love this Valentine’s Day, free roses are being hands out to commuters at a Manchester train station this week.
Add that to the ever-growing list of why we absolutely adore this place.
Not everyone is coupled up come the most mush day of the year, nor do they need to be – self-love, Galentine’s and even just a whoelsome pint or two with the boys – but it’s nice to see Greater Mancs going out of their way to make things nicer for each other.
In our eyes, in a relationship or otherwise, this day is just about sharing the love with everyone and if you happen to arriving or leaving Manchester (excuse me, why would you ever?) from Victoria station this Friday, you could be in for a lovely little surprise.
The brains behind the touching little gesture is the city’s legendary live music and entertainment space, AO Arena.
Although many arrive at the venue via the Trinity Way Tunnel on the other side of Arena, the AO is already directly attached to Victoria by a simply set of stairs, meaning you can arrive in the city centre via train or tram and arrive directly at your destination.
It’s also one of the busiest stations in the North West, so for commuters looking to start the day with a little love, whether that be to treat their significant other, brighten a colleague’s day or just make themselves feel good, these roses are set to be handed out on Valentine’s Day morning.
100 of the most romantic flowers will be up for grabs from 8am at Manchester Victoria Station on a first-come, first served basis, naturally, Simple as that – but it gets better…
There is also an exciting chance to win a handful of surprises, including free tickets to a show at the arena, which will be given away with a select few lucky roses.
This year marks an extra special milestone for the AO Arena, as they are celebrating thirty years of spreading joy in the city as Manchester’s longest standing large music venue.
With that in mind and tying together the arena’s history and love for entertainment, each rose will be individually wrapped in a special 30th birthday edition print.
This design features the names of all artists and acts who have performed there over the last three decades; consider it just a small token of AO‘s love and affection for 0161, wrapped in nostalgia.
Happy Valentine’s Day, Manchester – you’ll always be ours x
Hundreds turn out for dying guide dog’s final walk along Blackpool seafront
Emily Sergeant
Hundreds of people and their pets gathered on the Blackpool seafront for a terminally-ill guide dog’s final walk.
‘Ginger prince’ Labrador retriever Ian had been working hard guiding his owner, Mark, through the world and providing him with the independence needed to take on each day, and was not long off his retirement and getting to spend the rest of his days in a loving home.
One Ian got to around 10, he was set to hang up his harness and go on to live with his former Puppy Raiser, Gemma Fairhurst, along with her family and her other guide dog pups in training, so that Mark would still get to keep in touch with Ian and Ian would get to pass on his wisdom and teach the youngsters how it’s done.
But sadly, this plan won’t become a reality, as Ian was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer.
Hundreds turned out for a dying guide dog’s final walk along Blackpool seafront / Credit: Gemma Fairhurst (via GoFundMe)
Vets told Mark and his wife Kerry around Christmas 2024 that Ian would sadly only have four-eight weeks to live.
Once Ian’s owners got in touch with Gemma to tell her the devastating news, she knew she had to do something to honour and celebrate him – and ultimately, raise funds for Guide Dogs to name another puppy Ian once he’d passed.
So, Gemma and Mark planned one last special walk for Ian along the Blackpool Promenade – the place he called home.
More than 200 people and 80 dogs joined in the walk / Credit: Sarah Summerton (via Guide Dogs)
“He’s led such a wonderful life and brought happiness to Mark and Kerry, but also to everyone that he’s met,” Gemma explained in her fundraiser.
“For me, he’s changed my life, and in many ways, he’s saved my life. He gave me the strength to carry on and he’s given Mark love and support that cannot be measured… so I’d like to raise the money it takes to name another guide dog, and the most perfect name I can think of is Ian.
“The cost to sponsor and name a guide dog is £5,000, so that’s what I’m trying to raise.”
The ‘big old doggy walk’ took place this past Sunday (9 February) from 2pm, and was open for any and everyone who would like to come along… and come along they did, as more than 200 people and 80 dogs arrived to walk along the seafront.
The walkers all contributed towards the ‘5,000 steps for £5,000’ target, with Ian leading the way at the front and being pushed along in a special troller by Mark and Gemma.
For the last leg of the journey, Ian even got out of his stroller and walked along the Promenade himself, with the walkers creating a guard of honour for him.
Ian’s story touched the heart of so many people across the North West, that Gemma absolutely smashed her target of £5,000, and at the time of writing, has raised more than £7,230 to name another guide dog puppy Ian.
Gemma said she’d been ‘overwhelmed’ by the support she’s received, and that people from all over the region turned up – including other guide dog puppies she raised in the past.