Jason Manford and Paddy McGuinness are among the local stars set to play in a charity football match honouring the Manchester Arena attack victims.
With this year marking the fifth anniversary of the bombing that saw 22 people tragically lose their lives on 22 May 2017, the match, which is named ‘Manchester Remembers’, has been put together by local business owner Paul Corrigan and firefighter Aaron Lee – who has already raised over £40,000 for charities and also established the ‘Hive 22 Running Club’ in the aftermath of the Arena attack – and will feature will feature star-studded teams of ex-professionals and celebrities.
The match will be played on Sunday 3 April at Manchester City’s Academy Stadium, and will be raising funds for five different charities set up by the victim’s families – Chloe and Liam Together Forever Trust, Liv’s Trust, The Megan Hurley Foundation, The Remembering Nell Foundation, and Eilidh’s Trust.
Former Manchester City players Peter Reid and Joe Royle will be in charge of coaching the celebrities’ team, while longtime football ‘Big Sam’ Allardyce will head up the team of ex-players.
On April 3rd, our Academy Stadium will host ‘Manchester Remembers’, a charity football match between footballing legends and celebrities to commemorate the victims of the Manchester Arena attack 💙
Famous Manc comedian Jason Manford will play for the celebrity team, alongside Bolton-born actor, comedian, and TV presenter Paddy McGuiness, while ex-City stars Shaun Goater and Trevor Sinclair will feature for the former players team, along with other ex-professionals Paul Merson and Clayton Blackmore.
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‘King of the Jungle’ Danny Miller, Love Island star Callum Jones, and comedian Steve Royle will also star for the celebrities.
Manchester United legend Wes Brown has also put his name down for the ex-players team.
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Event organiser Aaron was one of the first responders on the scene at the Manchester Arena five years ago, and since then, has continued to have a close relationship with the victims’ families and has taken part in several activities to raise funds for the charities.
The match has been organised by firefighter Aaron Lee, and local business owner Paul Corrigan / Credit: Manchester Remembers
He explained: “Since the attack we’ve raised over £44,000 for charities that directly support the victims’ families and young people across Greater Manchester, and the Manchester Remembers football match is a massive opportunity to try and double that total.
“What happened on that night shocked not just Manchester but the world.
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“As we approach the five-year anniversary, Paul and I knew we had to do something special and remember those that were so sadly taken from their families and felt launching a city-wide football game would help us raise funds that could really make a difference.”
Tickets are now on sale, with adult tickets priced at £20, concessionary tickets £10, and hospitality packages starting from £100, which include a three-course meal, drinks before and after the game, and the chance to take part in a raffle where all proceeds will be donated to the five charities the match is supporting.
You can get your hands on both standard and hospitality tickets from the Manchester City website here.
Featured Image – Manchester Remembers
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Police reinvest record £18m seized from criminals back into Greater Manchester’s communities
Emily Sergeant
A record £18 million seized from criminals within the past year has now been reinvested back into Greater Manchester’s communities.
Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) confirmed that its dedicated Economic Crime Team recovered a whopping £18,150,322.56, to be precise, from criminals in the past year alone, and it’s cash that will be now be reinvested as part of the successful Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS) back into communities across Greater Manchester.
This is a record figure for the police service.
Throughout the past year, GMP says it has conducted more than 850 Proceeds of Crime (POCA) hearings.
As a result of these hearings, police have recovered millions from convicted drug dealers, fraudsters, crime gangs, and money launderers, as well as recovering a ‘significant’ amount of gold.
Police have reinvested record £18m seized from criminals back into Greater Manchester’s communities / Credit: GMP
You may remember that, back in May last year, officers working at Manchester Airport stopped a man found to be carrying five gold bars weighing more than 15kg in his hand luggage as he prepared to fly abroad.
Following this seizure, GMP was then granted in February its largest-ever forfeiture order for gold bars – valued at £1.8m.
Some of the other seizures and forfeitures over the past year include just over £135,000 from a suspect after his car was stopped on the M62 in November 2025, and another £138,144 was recovered from a man after he pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of class A drugs.
GMP was granted its largest-ever forfeiture order for gold bars – valued at £1.8m / Credit: GMP
“The work of our Economic and Cyber Crime Unit in the last 12 months to recover over £18 million in criminal assets has been nothing short of outstanding,” commented Assistant Chief Constable Rick Jackson, who is GMP’s lead for crime.
“This record figure reflects the hard work and dedication of our officers and staff to investigate, solve crime and bring offenders to justice.
“As we move into a new financial year, we will continue to maintain an ambitious and innovative approach while adapting and developing with partners to target criminal assets and embrace technology to remain a step ahead of changing criminal activity.
“Through using the ARIS process, this criminal money can be reinvested back into local communities for the benefit of the public we serve.
“This work reflects GMP’s continued drive to deliver an outstanding service to our Greater Manchester communities while building public trust and confidence in the service we deliver.”
Featured Image – GMP
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Dispute over Manichester now ‘resolved’, say Mounfield family
Danny Jones
The family of the late, great Manchester musician, Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, have said that the drama surrounding the highly-anticipated tribute festival in his name, Manichester, has now thankfully been settled.
Now the focus can once again return to remembering him as best as possible.
Following plenty of talk about the project following his passing late last year, a live music festival honouring Mani was finally confirmed in March, and the reaction following the event’s announcement has been unsurprisingly phenomenal.
Well, at least for the most part, as there was also some confusion over whether or not Manichester was still a charitable effort as advertised, with son Gene Mounfield disputing claims online. Fortunately, it all seems to have been put to bed now.
On behalf of the boys, and as their legal guardian, I want to thank everyone for the kind messages and concern for their wellbeing. There was a misunderstanding regarding the upcoming Manichester tribute concert, but we’re pleased to share that everything has now been resolved. pic.twitter.com/j8jEMrFzsD
Being organised by Madchester.com and locally-founded fashion label, GIOGOI, the debut edition was said to have the total blessing of Mani’s family, including his brother, Greg Mounfield.
It was also said that the funds raised by the show would be going to the legendary Stone Roses and Primal Scream bassists’ twins, George and Gene, but the latter recently argued that “nothing” was going to either him or his brother and that the news was “dropped” the plans just a fortnight prior.
Gene also said that “if it was a charity gig it would be at Co-op [Live] or Heaton Park, and it would be done by SJM [Concerts]”: a Manchester-based promoters and events company.
All of this was also wrapped up in ever more paper talk and sensationalism, as some were reporting that Noel and Liam Gallagher, as well as other members of Oasis, would be surprising fans as the still yet to be revealed ‘major headliner’.
These rumours have since been quashed, as has whatever miscommunication caused the misunderstanding between the parties concerned, and we are now back to simply looking forward to seeing an already stacked lineup here in the city centre this May.
Damon Minchella of Ocean Colour Scene (a fellow bassist who also tours with Richard Ashcroft) is helping organise and will also be performing on the night itself. As for the surviving Mounfields, they went on to add in an accompanying Instagram post: “We would also like to express our gratitude to PH.
“It means a great deal to all of us that so many people loved Mani enough to give their time and energy to honour his memory in this way. We are genuinely touched by the support.
“It has been an incredibly difficult few years for the boys and for our whole family. We hope this event will bring some much‑needed joy and create new, positive memories for everyone who cared about him.
“With love and thanks – The Family”
It goes without saying that we can’t wait for this city and Greater Manchester as a whole to honour a Manc icon and are looking forward to another year celebrating the thing that never fails to bring us all together: music.
Emily Sergeant -
11th February 2022 
