If you order a takeaway with Deliveroo next week you could just be lucky enough to end up with a free holiday this summer too.
The delivery service is celebrating its seventh birthday in the city next week with a week-long ‘Deliv-air-roo giveaway’, which will see 21 different flight tickets, each worth £500, snuck into people’s takeaways at random.
Each day between 9 and 15 May, the delivery platform will celebrate one of Manchester’s most ordered global cuisines – and any customer who orders from participating restaurants in the offer will be in with a chance to win a free trip to the home country of the dish.
Throughout the week, Deliveroo will celebrate the cuisines of Italy, America, Greece, Thailand, Mexico, Germany, and Portugal, teaming up with some of Manchester’s favourite restaurants including Burgerism, Rudy’s and Just Natas.
There will be 21 different prizes up for grabs from 21 different Manchester restaurants, with three different holidays randomly given away in orders each day.
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These will come in the form of 21 Deliveroo branded flight tickets, which will be snuck into delivery bags by members of the Deliveroo team at random to ensure that the competition is fair.
New Deliveroo customers in Manchester that sign up to Deliveroo from today will also get £10 off their first delivery when they spend a minimum of £15, using the code ROO10OFF.
image: The Manc Eats
Which Manchester restaurants are participating?
Monday 9 May will see Italian cuisine celebrated with a strong focus on pizza, with prizes up for grabs for those ordering from Nell’s, Rudy’s and Corner Slice.
Tuesday 10 May will focus on American dishes, with Deliveroo partnering with Yard and Coop, Burgerism and Fat Hippo on the second day of its big birthday giveaway.
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Wednesday 11 May will look towards Greece, with Laros, The Athenian and The Real Greek all confirmed as taking part.
Image: Just Natas
Image: The Real Greek
Thursday 12 May’s prizes will be geared around the world of Thai food, with flight tickets hidden in orders from Rosa’s Thai Cafe, Tampopo, and My Thai.
On Friday 13 May, it’ll all be about Mexican food with Dons Tacos, Tortilla and Chilango all taking part in the big giveaway.
Saturday 14 May will see Deliveroo celebrate German food in Manchester, working alongside Donershack, Gyroland at Cargo and German Doner Kebab.
And to round off a big week of prizes, Sunday 15 May will be all about Portuguese dishes with tickets randomly hidden in orders from Just Natas, Pepe’s Piri Piri and Franguitos.
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Image: Rosa’s Thai Cafe
How can winners claim their prize?
The symbolic Deliveroo flight tickets will all have instructions on the back to tell the customer how to claim their prize.
Winners will be asked to send in a selfie of themselves with the flight ticket and tell Deliveroo their unique ticket number so that the company can then verify them as a winner.
Once they have been verified, Deliveroo will send every winner a flight voucher for £500.
Manchester United youngster Jack Fletcher apologises after red card for offensive language
Danny Jones
Manchester United academy player Jack Fletcher has issued an apology following his red card last autumn, having been sent off for using offensive language.
Jack – one of the two Fletcher twins and son of former Man United player and current coach, Darren – has been slapped with a six-match ban for a homophobic insult uttered on the pitch back in October.
The youngster and England youth player, who made his senior debut this past December, has also been fined £1,500 for calling another player “gay boy” in the under-21s side’s 5-2 defeat to Barnsley FC in the EFL Trophy.
Fletcher, 18, must now attend a mandatory face-to-face education as well. Following confirmation of the reasoning behind the dismissal, which was initially unclear, he has also shared an official statement apologising for his behaviour.
🚨 Jack Fletcher banned for SIX games following his red card at Barnsley in the EFL Trophy earlier this season.
He admitted to a charge that he acted in an improper manner/and or used abusive/and or insulting words to the match official.#MUFC
As shared via the Football Association (FA) and Man United, Fletcher said: “I am truly sorry for the offensive word I used in the heat of the moment. “I completely understand [that] such language is unacceptable and immediately apologised after the game.”
He also went on to say that “a momentary lapse of character absolutely does not reflect my beliefs or values”, insisting that he meant no offence to the queer community in the moment.
Fletcher told the FA that he’d been thrown to the floor in the fixture and that his Achilles had been ‘stamped on’ by the same opponent earlier in the knockout clash.
The disciplinary commission accepted his response, but still believed the six-match ban was required as sufficient punishment, which will be served in the youth ranks.
Should he ‘reoffend’ or fail to complete the compulsory training issued by the FA, he will face further suspension and more serious penalties.
In the aftermath of his apology, United’s officially recognised LGBTQIA+ fan group have also shared a reply of their own, adding: “We hope Jack learns from this and grows as a person and a player,” it said. His immediate regret and guilty plea suggest that he will.”
As for his employers, the club wrote online: “Manchester United has worked with Jack to strengthen his understanding of discriminatory language and why it is harmful.
“In addition to his ongoing participation in regular Academy programmes on diversity and inclusion, Jack will also take part in educational training through the FA.”
With Jack’s brother, Tyler, also having featured in the matchday squad for the men’s first team, and his dad, Darren, still currently coaching the U18s team, you can most likely still expect all the Fletcher boys to remain in United’s future plans.
Manchester reveals FREE programme of events to mark International Women’s Day 2026
Emily Sergeant
Manchester is set to mark International Women’s Day this weekend with a packed programme of free events.
In case you didn’t know, this Sunday (8 March) is International Women’s Day, with cities worldwide will be marking the important day in a series of different ways – and Manchester is no different.
Just as it chose to last year, the city has once again decided not to host its popular and once-annual ‘Walk For Women’ event, that used to see hundreds parade through the city centre in the name of equality, and instead organise a programme of events that both honour the importance of the event globally and this year’s theme.
Each year, International Women’s Day celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women, whilst also marking a call-to-action for accelerating gender equality.
Join us on Saturday 7 March at Central Library to celebrate International Women’s Day. 💜
Expect storytelling, performances, creative workshops, women’s history exhibitions, a keynote speech and more.
This year in Manchester, Manchester City Council is encouraging everyone to join for a community celebration co‑designed by local women, offering a space to appreciate women’s contributions, meet new people committed to lifting each other up, learn something new, get creative, and ultimately, find inspiration for the future.
Some of the events organised throughout the day – which will all take place at Manchester Central Library the day before IWD 2026 on Saturday 7 March – include a storytelling activity for women to share their personal stories, a special spoken word piece performed by a member of the IWD Co-design group, choirs and poetry performances, and even fireside ‘chats’ among other things.
There’ll also be a range of different events designed especially for mums and children, like the ‘Mums Matter’ wellbeing workshops, offering time to focus on your emotional wellbeing and mental health, and children’s drop-in sessions.
Manchester Central Library is hosting a wide range of IWD 2026 events this weekend / Credit: The Manc Group
You can also expect a selection of stalls by commissioned services and partner organisations promoting different services, and a period product donation point to tackle period poverty across Greater Manchester.
Everybody is invited to celebrate International Women’s Day in Manchester, not just women, and even children are able to attend some of the events too, as people of all ages are welcome.
Manchester’s International Women’s Day 2026 celebrations are taking place throughout the day on Saturday 7 March, and you can find out more and book here.