New research has recently revealed where in the UK has the most luxurious shops, restaurants, and hotels.
And Manchester has bagged a place in the top spots.
The study – which has been conducted by price comparison website Money.co.uk – has rounded up the top 10 cities across the country that offer the most luxury, which includes everything from designer label stores, to five-star hotels, and Michelin restaurants.
The company analysed the number of lavish venues in a city to find out where those with the cash to splash can spend it with ease.
While it probably comes as no surprise that the country’s capital of London tops the list as the most luxurious city in the UK, Manchester has taken the runner up spot as it offers 12 Michelin restaurants, six five-star hotels, and 11 stores that sell luxe brands.
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Manchester has 12 Michelin restaurants, six five-star hotels, and 11 stores selling luxe brands / Credit: Hermes UK | The Lowry Hotel
This is a pretty impressive achievement when you consider that Manchester city centre is just 115 sq kilometres, compared to the giant 1,572 sq kilometres of London.
As mentioned, Money.co.uk’s ranking lists were calculated by counting the number of five-star hotels, Michelin-awarded restaurants, and designer stores of the top 10 most luxury brands – Cartier, Rolex, Tiffany & Co, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Burberry, Valentino, Versace and Hermes – found each city, and then those with the highest total number across all three categories were ranked the most luxurious city in the world.
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Manchester city centre is known for being a top shopping spot for luxury lovers thanks to the glass-fronted designer stores and stockists around Exchange Square and on New Cathedral Street.
Manchester city centre is known for being a top shopping spot for lovers of luxury brands / Credit: Castle Wharf
The price comparison company also noted Manchester’s first Michelin-star restaurant Mana in Ancoats as a reason for its top two placing.
Manchester is also home to six five-star hotels, with Money.co.uk highlighting the award-winning The Lowry Hotel as a top pick – which currently has a treasure hunt to win 20 luxury prizes worth over £5,000 – and the historic Midland Hotel, which has recently had an impressive £14 million revamp.
Featured Image – Flickr
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Former GMP officer jailed after being found guilty of several online child sex offences
Emily Sergeant
A former police officer from Salford has been sentenced after being found guilty of a string of online child sex offences.
Following a trial back in July, 35-year-old Michael Aspinall was sentenced at Preston Crown Court earlier this week (Monday 14 September) after being found guilty of three counts of attempting sexual communication with a child.
It comes after Aspinall – who was employed by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) at the time of the offences – was arrested in October 2024 by detectives from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU), and was immediately suspended from duty following his arrest.
The investigation began after evidence was obtained that Aspinall had been communicating online with individuals that he believed to be children, but he was in fact communicating with a police officer.
Following this series of interactions, he was charged with various offences.
In addition to his eight-month sentence – which has been suspended for two years – Aspinall will also be placed on the sex offender’s register for 10 years, subject to a five-year serious crime prevention order, and have undertake 20 days of rehabilitation, GMP has confirmed.
He has additionally been added to the College of Policing’s barred list.
An application to request forfeiture of Aspinall’s police pension has also been made to the Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester.
“Aspinall’s offending was clearly unacceptable for any right-minded member of society and particularly inappropriate for a serving police officer,” commented Detective Chief Inspector Gareth Humphreys, from GMP’s Professional Standards Directorate.
“His actions put the whole police service under scrutiny, but thanks to the hard work and diligence of undercover officers, he was arrested, found guilty, and has now received his punishment.”
DCI Humphreys concluded: “[Aspinall’s] actions take away from the hard work of the men and women who work so hard for their communities every day, and it is only right that anyone committing these sort of offences are rooted out.”
Featured Image – GMP
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Council announces return of FREE firework displays in Manchester parks
Emily Sergeant
The skies over Manchester will light up once again, as free firework displays are set to return to several of the city’s parks.
You may remember that major fireworks events throughout the city had been paused following the COVID-19 pandemic, due to funding challenges, with Manchester City Council choosing to invest in a range of other community-focused events across throughout the autumn season instead, rather than one-off firework celebrations.
But now, once this November rolls around, all of that is set to change.
That’s because, on Saturday 7 November, free fireworks events will return to Heaton Park, Wythenshawe Park, and Platt Fields Park.
First up, there will be a reduced-noise, low-impact display at 5pm for families and SEND audiences, and a main fireworks display then to follow a little later at 8pm.
The Council has announced the return of free firework displays in Manchester parks / Credit: Unsplash
Each of the three parks will host lantern making workshops in the weeks leading up to the events too, with family-friendly lantern parades taking place ahead of the 8pm firework shows.
The Council says that the return of the free fireworks events reflects residents’ recent feedback about what they want to see in their community and how they want funding to be distributed.
“It’s a chance, at the start of the shorter days and beginning of the dark winter months, to come together and resume a much-loved annual tradition as well as enjoying an evening of safe entertainment and spectacular fireworks displays,” Manchester City Council said in a statement.
Councillor Basat Sheikh, who is the Executive Member for Neighbourhoods, added: “We are delighted to announce and welcome the return of our much-loved fireworks celebrations.
It’s the first time they’ve returned since the COVID-19 pandemic / Credit: Elisha Terada (via Unsplash)
“Our parks should be shared spaces that create opportunities for Manchester people to gather, which is why bringing back the fireworks displays was top of our agenda. And we also recognise the importance of community which is why we will also continue to invest in a wide range of activities in our parks throughout the year.
“The return of these events is a wonderful opportunity for families and communities to create lasting memories and enjoy the long-standing tradition of fireworks in our parks in a safe way.”
Emily Sergeant -
20th September 2021 
