Apparently, more than a third of British mums consider gin and tonics their favourite spirit mixer. As such, it seems only fitting that a bar in Manchester is going to be handing them out for free this Mothering Sunday.
In celebration of Manc mums and everything they do, Manchester bar and arts venue HOME will be giving out complimentary goblets of Agnes Arber Gin and Marlish English Tonic Water on 19 March.
The hub of contemporary theatre, film, art and music has partnered with the award-winning distillers to offer all visiting mothers a glass of the good stuff for one day only.
To enjoy a drink on the house, all mums need to do is turn up and ask – although it is advised they don’t leave it too late, as drinks will be poured on a first-come, first-served basis.
Image: Agnes Arber Gin
Image: HOME
Located on First Street, HOME is known for hosting cool events and pop-ups throughout the year as well as running interesting exhibitions and screening some of the world’s best contemporary and independent films.
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With five cinemas, two theatres, and 500 square meters of gallery space, it is one of the few arts organisations to commission, produce and present work across film, theatre and visual art – and it’s right here on our doorstep.
This Mothering Sunday in Manchester, culture fans will find five very different art exhibits on display from artists such as solo filmmaker Chris Paul Daniels, whose work explores the theme of identity through clips of cultural traditions, procession and ceremony.
Elsewhere, you’ll find a mixture of new films, prints, photographs, painting and sculptural works from artist Nick Jordan; a brand-new solo exhibition exploring the impact of gentrification and the lack of affordable housing in our city from Tara Collette; and an immersive installation from Parham Ghalamdar bringing together new paintings in oil, ceramics and animation.
Cinema fans, meanwhile, can pick from a raft of different film screenings including Llenos de gracia, the story of a rebellious nun who arrives at a boarding school to take charge of an unruly bunch of orphan boys and changes lives with a make-shift football team.
With so much going on at HOME, it’s a great place to spend an afternoon on Mother’s Day and – if you ask us – the offer of a free gin and tonic only sweetens the pot.
Appeal launched to find the owner of live chickens found at Creamfields festival
Daisy Jackson
The hunt is on to find the owner of a pair of chickens who were discovered at Creamfields festival.
The two birds were spotted on the grounds of the huge electronic music festival by bewildered festival-goers.
The cockerel and hen were trapped in a hedge, after it appears they wandered onto the festival campsite before the security barriers were installed.
The birds then found themselves trapped inside as around 70,000 music fans poured into Cheshire for a line-up that included Calvin Harris, Swedish House Mafia, Disclosure, and Tiësto.
The chickens have been safely rescued from the Creamfields festival site and are recovering at a wildlife centre, and now the RSPCA is on a mission to find their owner.
Festival-goers first called the RSPCA on Saturday 29 August to alert them to the cockerel and hen trapped inside the festival, one of whom assisted in the rescue mission.
RSPCA Inspector Leanne Cooper: “I was surprised that they were inside the festival site and I needed to get through the road blocks and security before reaching them on foot through muddy fields. I met the caller who helped me as they were just running up and down the hedge line where there was a wire fence blocking access.
Where the chickens were discovered at CreamfieldsThe RSPCA wants to track their owners down
“We managed to guide them out and I caught both of them with my rescue net which was a bit of a sight for the festival campers.
“I don’t think they were abandoned and they’re more likely to be stray because it’s farmland all around the festival site. They don’t have any health issues, apart from being quite underweight.
“With the fences going up a week before the festival starts they’d probably been unable to get out for some time and had been left foraging in the hedge. Someone mentioned that a third bird was also trapped, although we couldn’t find any others.
“I am really grateful to the festival-goer who found them and alerted us to their plight.”
Manchester Airport issues update for anyone flying today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has issued an update for anyone catching a flight today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday.
In case you hadn’t heard, hundreds of flights at several major UK airports – including Manchester Airport – were disrupted by a technical fault at air traffic control provider National Air Traffic Services (NATS) yesterday (8 September 2026), with the incident grounding planes and resulting in numerous cancellations.
According to Flightradar24, more than 1,000 flights were cancelled nationwide, and many passengers were told to expect disruption for the rest of the day.
One of the worst-affected airlines was said to be Ryanair, with around 65,000 passengers affected by the cancellations and delays.
Manchester Airport issued its first statement addressing the matter at 3:15pm yesterday, stating: “We are aware of an issue affecting NATS’ air traffic control service at UK airports, which may result in delays to some departing flights from Manchester Airport today.
“Passengers due to travel are advised to check the latest status of their flight with their airline. We will continue to monitor the situation and share further updates as more information becomes available.”
Now, although the issue has been resolved, Manchester Airport has issued further statements informing anyone travelling today what they can expect.
The airport started off by saying that it is ‘operating as normal’ today, but that passengers are advised to ‘check with their airline for the latest information’.
Georgina Pellant -
28th February 2023 
