Manchester-based property developers and community-led residential brand, Affinity Living, are bringing the world of renting and pets closer together with their brand-new dog adoption fair this month November.
The first of its kind Manchester city centre has ever seen, the ‘Doggy Adoption Fair’ by Affinity Living is part of their new charity partnership with Manchester Dogs’ Home (MDH) and is totally free to attend.
Aiming to find rescue dogs their fur-ever home, the event of open to anyone interested in taking the leap and adopting a dog as well as any furry friends they might want to have a sniff around as well.
Visitors will be able to learn more about the wide range of breeds up for adoption at Manchester Dogs’ Home and, of course, there will be plenty of pictures and information on all of the rescue pups who are ready to be picked up and petted as soon as possible.
Credit: Affinity Living
MDH will also have a team of experts on hand to chat with guests about the prospective adoptee doggos and give special insights into the quirks and unique personalities of each pooch looking for a new home and loving family.
ADVERTISEMENT
Guests will also be able to meet some of the happy hounds who have recently been successfully rehomed with the help of the organisation and there’ll even be an urban-pup masterclass giving top tips on how to best raise a dog in an urban environment — especially in apartments like Affinity’s.
Volunteers from the dogs’ home will be able to introduce guests to the dogs being brought along on the day, provide eye-opening stories of rescue dog adoption in action and stress the importance of rehoming dogs in need of a home rather than shopping around for one.
ADVERTISEMENT
Manchester Dogs’ Home will even be selling customisable mugs on the day, with guests and potential pet parents able to take home a custom-printed mug for just £5 featuring themselves and their four-legged friend. 100% of the proceeds go straight to the charity, of course.
But the fun don’t stop there. As well as Affinity Living’s on-site Loaf MCR coffee shop serving up refreshments for humans and their ever-hungry guests — pupcakes and puppicinos incoming — there’ll also be pop-up stalls organised by Manchester-based dog treat brand, All You Need is Woof.
Once again, proceeds will be going towards Manchester Dogs’ Home and whilst you’re busy deciding whether you need a new companion around the flat, there’ll be a host of canine carnival games to keep them busy throughout the day.
ADVERTISEMENT
At Affinity Living, unlike most other city centre apartments, pets (not just dogs) of all shapes and sizes aren’t just allowed: they’re welcomed with a warm embrace only man’s best friends themselves can rival.
With no additional fees and almost instant pet agreements on offer, Affinity Living not only want to put an end to the anti-pet landlord culture, but they also want to help make sure all dogs have a chance to find their forever home.
Taking place at their Riverview Apartments on New Bailey Street over in Salford, right next to Spinningfields, their dog adoption fair won’t just be the first Manchester city centre has ever seen but hopefully it will be the start of a change when it comes to pets and renting policies.
Better still, the entire event and all of the funds raised will go straight back into one of the region‘s most beloved charities in Manchester Dogs’ Home who continue to carry out their vital work for the purest souls on this planet year in, year out.
The 2023 Doggy Adoption Fair starts at 2pm and runs until 5pm on Sunday, 26 November. You can grab your completely free tickets HERE.
Sir Ian McKellen pays emotional tribute to long-time friend and fellow northern actor Sir Patrick Stewart
Emily Sergeant
Sir Ian McKellen has paid an emotional tribute to his long-time friend and fellow northern actor, Sir Patrick Stewart, following his death.
Sir Patrick Stewart – who was born and bred in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, and is best-known for his theatre work alongside an illustrious 60-year screen career, taking on prominent roles in franchises such as Star Trek and X-Men – sadly passed away at the age of 86, with his death being announced publicly yesterday evening (29 October).
And now, his long-time friend and fellow northern actor, Sir Ian McKellen, has paid tribute.
Sir Patrick and Sir Ian shared the stage together countless times over their decades-long careers, but also famously starred alongside each other in the X-Men franchise, and subsequent Marvel movies, as Charles Xavier/Professor X and Magneto.
The tribute, shared across Sir Ian’s social media platforms, reads: “Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end. You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues. He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love.
“We first met as ambitious young actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company half a century ago but we weren’t in the same productions.
“My first strong memory was a few years later, meeting him in the street in central London when he told me about an offer to take over a leading part in ‘Star Trek’. “But Patrick think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?”
“Well, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did, for not just his devoted Trekkies, but film and theatre audiences who marvelled at his using international celebrity to star in a string of cinema successes (‘X-Men’ of course) and in great classical plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Peter Shaffer, Pinter and Beckett at Stratford-upon-Avon, in London’s West End and on Broadway.
“America was his adopted home, where he met his adored Sunny who has cared for him through sickness and health, through thick and thin.
“But he never forsook his origins: and the proudest achievement of the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic, was his appointment as Chancellor of Huddersfield University in Yorkshire.”
Sir Patrick Stewart’s farewell performance will be in Avengers: Doomsday, which is being released in UK cinemas on 18 December 2026
Featured Image – Gage Skidmore (via Flickr)
News
Manchester announces ‘poignant’ plans to mark Remembrance Sunday with free city centre service
Emily Sergeant
Manchester is set to honour the ‘service and sacrifice’ of members of the armed forces community during this year’s annual Remembrance Sunday commemorations.
With Remembrance Day only a couple weeks away now, just as it does each year, Manchester City Council has now revealed how the city will mark this important occasion, and has confirmed all the details of the annual Remembrance Sunday Parade.
Proceedings will start on John Dalton Street at 10:30am, and run right through until midday – with the service itself being held at 11am.
Veterans, military personnel and cadets, all led by Greater Manchester Police‘s Band, will march from John Dalton Street to the Cenotaph St. Peter’s Square.
This will be followed by a short return march to Mount Street across St Peter’s Square.
The service will begin at the Cenotaph at 10:58am, and a two-minute silence will be observed at 11am in tribute to those who have lost their lives in conflict. The start and conclusion of the silence will be marked by the firing of a maroon.
/ Credit: Manchester City Council
Following the service, veterans, military personnel and cadets will take part in a short return march across St Peter’s Square to Mount Street.
As the Council marks another year of its partnership with the Royal British Legion, further the Remembrance Sunday events will take place across the city following the service – including arts and crafts sessions, memorial services, and performances.
“Remembrance Sunday is one of the most important occasions in Manchester’s civic calendar,” declared Councillor Shaukat Ali, who it the Lord Mayor of Manchester.
“It is a time for us to come together as a city to remember and honour the courage, sacrifice and service of those from our diverse communities who have given so much in times of conflict. I want to encourage residents, families and visitors to join us at the Cenotaph as we pay our respects and ensure that the contribution of past and present generations is never forgotten.”
Danny Jones -
3rd November 2023 
