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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How will the Government’s new digital ID alternative for alcohol sales work?
Emily Sergeant
All licensed venues across England and Wales now have the choice to introduce digital proof of age for alcohol sales alongside physical.
Instead of having to hand over physical ID that contains personal information, such as names and home addresses, customers now have the choice to simply provide confirmation that they are 18 or over on their phone – helping to better protect privacy and personal safety in the process.
This means that, no matter whether you’re buying a drink at your favourite pub, heading to a festival, or enjoying a night out at a concert, you won’t need to worry if you’ve left your ID at home.
According to the Government, this new change will benefit businesses greatly too, as certified digital services are able to check that an ID is genuine and belongs to the person presenting it much easier than the alternative can, which therefore helps to reduce the risk of any fake or borrowed IDs going undetected.
Well, according to the Government, it could be as simple as a customer showing a QR code for staff to scan, or tapping their phone against a compatible reader, where staff will then receive a clear confirmation on their device that the customer has passed the age check.
This change follows a 2024 Government consultation where it was reported that 72% of respondents supported the use of digital identities for age verification when buying alcohol.
Digital Government Minister Stephanie Peacock reiterated that ‘it will remain an individual or business’ choice whether to use or adopt [digital ID]’ and that physical ID will ‘still remain a valid way’ for customers to prove their age.
“This groundbreaking change in the law will mean you do not need to carry a physical ID, nor hand over sensitive personal information such as your name or address just to prove your age, allowing everyone to feel safer on a night out,” she concluded.
Featured Image – Robin Worrall (via Unsplash)
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Manchester to host G20 Summit in 2027 with more than a dozen world leaders descending on the city
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been confirmed as the host city for the G20 Summit next year.
It was already announced back in November last year that the G20 Summit would be coming to the UK in 2027, and plans were apparently already being discussed to host it in Manchester even before Andy Burnham became Prime Minister and Number 10 North was set up.
But now, ahead of this year’s leaders’ summit being held in Miami in December, it has been confirmed that the G20 Summit will arrive in Manchester in November 2027.
Manchester is said to have been picked to host the leaders’ summit because of its ‘cultural heritage’.
Bringing together 19 of the world’s largest economies and two major multilateral bodies – the European Union and the African union – G20 members who will be invited to attend the summit next year make up 85% of global GDP, 75% of international trade, and two-thirds of the world’s population as a whole.
Manchester has been confirmed to host the G20 Summit in 2027 / Credit: 10 Downing Street | Paul Kagame (Flickr)
G20 members are also some of the UK’s closest economic partners, the Government insists.
17 of the UK’s top 20 global export markets attend the summit, as do 18 of the UK’s top 20 sources of foreign direct investment.
The presidency of the G20 is currently held by the US but will pass to the UK after the leaders’ summit hosted by the president at his Trump National Doral Miami golf resort in December.
The 2027 summit will be held at Manchester Central, it has been confirmed, and other locations across the UK will also host other G20 events as part of the year-long presidency, but these are yet to be announced.
Emily Sergeant -
11th February 2022 
