An action-packed family fun day where kids can try out science experiments, get to grips with cool technology, learn how different machines work and more is coming to Stockport town centre and the tickets are super affordable.
Make Stuff is a series of free coding, making and tech events for both adults and young people brought to locals by homegrown innovation organisation, MadLab, who are kicking off their 2024 programme of activities with a festival right here in Greater Manchester.
Taking place across two different dates at Stockport Central Library this month and then again in March, no experience is necessary — just roll up and get the whole family involved with fun stuff to do for people of all ages.
With over 20 activities to choose from, including the experience of 1000 watts of bass power buzzing through your fingers, watching a dancing alien oobleck (corn flour), creating laser-blaster sounds with a slinky; making robot chickens or ‘auto-strummer’ using upcycled computer guts and so much more.
Credit: Make Stuff
Arriving at Stockport Library first on 10 February with a second event on 9 March, each festival aims to create a space where knowledge and enthusiasm can be shared and judging by everything they’ve got going on, they both look like they’re going to be a fantastic day out.
As well as offering all manners of science and tech-curious Mancs the opportunity to learn things learn the basics of soldering, crafts, coding and discover the joy of making stuff in general.
Guests can also learn how sound waves work, play a mechanical violin, connect their friends to an electrical circuit to learn about their own frequencies and even discover amazing hidden sounds in everyday objects. There will also be pop-ups from Noisy Toys and Manchester Metropolitan University.
MadLab themselves have been helping inspire the next generation into the world of digital and creative exploration through tech, art, design, marketing and more since 2016 and offers a range of engaging experiences throughout Greater Manchester communities.
Brought to life with funding from Greater Manchester Combined Authority secured as part of the UK government’s wider ‘Levelling Up’ agenda, MadLab has gone on to win the ‘Best Tech for Good Project’ at the Big Chip Awards in 2017, as well as ‘Volunteering Team of the Year’ and ‘Best Community Space’ at the Spirit of Manchester Awards the following year.
With Make Stuff itself having a bit of a break during and after the pandemic, they’re now back in full force for 2024, planning over 100 events this calendar year in their adopted hometown of Stockport alone.
The Make Stuff family fun days take place on Saturday, 10 Feb and Sat, 9 March at Stockport Central Library (Wellington Road South, Stockport, SK1 3RS) from 11am-3pm, you can grab your tickets for the first event HERE and the March date HERE.
Admission is just £5 (refundable) and if you cannot afford a ticket, please email [email protected] with your name and postcode and they will be in touch. Legends.
Drinks prices for Manchester Oasis gigs announced – and you’ll be pleasantly surprised
Daisy Jackson
The prices of drinks at Heaton Park for the five huge Manchester Oasis shows have been released in advance.
With the Gallagher brothers reuniting on stage in their hometown for the first time this weekend (and then again next week), it’s a huge moment for our city.
Those lucky enough to snag tickets have already forked out a small fortune to witness this moment in history (still scarred from the dynamic pricing debacle).
And most of us were probably bracing to spend another small fortune on beers at the Oasis Manchester gigs.
But you might be pleasantly surprised at the drinks prices up at Heaton Park for Oasis Live ’25.
It’s now been confirmed that pints of lager and cider will be just £6.50.
Before you turn your nose up, remember that pints at our two arenas – the AO Arena and Co-op Live are now sitting around the £9 mark.
Prices for other drinks, like wine and spirits, we’ll have to wait until Friday to see.
Heaton Park will also be the home of the ‘largest beer garden’ and the longest bars in the city for the Oasis reunion.
With a major heatwave predicted for the first shows, fans are being encouraged to stay hydrated (on WATER, not beer, please).
Ticket-holders will be allowed to bring a sealed bottle of water up to 500ml in with you, but it must be collapsible plastic.
Solid plastic and metal containers will be rejected on safety grounds.
There’s a free water point on site where you can fill up your bottles again.
Oasis will perform at Heaton Park in Manchester on 11, 12, 16, 19 and 20 July.
Dates announced as resident doctors prepare to stage strikes this month
Emily Sergeant
Resident doctors in England have voted to stage strike action over pay, and the dates for the industrial action have now been confirmed.
The British Medical Association (BMA) says doctors have ‘spoken clearly’ after the results of a vote published today revealed that 90% of resident doctors have voted in favour of a potential return to industrial action.
It comes after the ballot – which ran from 27 May until 7 July – saw a turnout of 55% members, with almost 30,000 (29,741) votes cast.
26,766 of those votes endorsed the use of strike action as part of efforts to restore pay, while just under 3,000 voted against it.
The result means that resident doctors have now secured a fresh mandate to stage industrial action when they choose from now until January 2026.
BMA resident doctors committee co-chairs, Melissa Ryan and Ross Nieuwoudt, said that, while no doctor took the possibility of striking lightly, a clear majority of members felt that they had ‘no other choice’ given the ongoing failures to restore pay.
They added that Health Secretary Wes Streeting has the power to ‘make the right decision’ on pay, and urged the Government to return to negotiations ‘as soon as possible’.
It’s now been confirmed that resident doctors will stage a full walk out from 7am on Friday 25 July until 7am on Wednesday 30 July.
These upcoming strikes come after resident doctors – formerly known as junior doctors, until 2024 – in England participated in an unprecedented 11 rounds of strike action after negotiations with the previous Conservative Government over restoring pay repeatedly stalled.
“Doctors have spoken and spoken clearly – they won’t accept that they are worth a fifth less than they were in 2008,” the committee co-chairs said. “Our pay may have declined but our will to fight remains strong.
“Doctors don’t take industrial action lightly, but they know it is preferable to watching their profession wither away.
“The next move is the Government’s – will it repeat the mistakes of its predecessor? Or will it do the right thing and negotiate a path to full pay restoration and the restoration of doctors’ confidence in our profession’s future?”