News

McVitie’s is launching a new range of ‘luxury’ digestive biscuits

The humble Digestive biscuit is having a 'luxury' glow-up and there's three new flavours.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 8th July 2020

McVitie’s is launching a new range of ‘luxury’ chocolate Digestive biscuits and they’re hitting shelves at supermarkets across the UK next week.

The humble Digestive biscuit is having a bit of a ‘luxury’ glow-up.

Leading British snack food brand McVitie’s announced the brand new biscuit range, aptly named the V.I.Bs, or the ‘Very Important Biscuits’, on social media this week and fans are already very intrigued.

The three new flavours are – Classic Caramel Bliss, Heavenly Chocolate Hazelnut, and Luscious Blood Orange.

The Classic Caramel Bliss is described as the “ultimate combination of golden baked biscuit, topped with a generous layer of delicious chewy caramel and finished off with a thick coating of McVitie’s iconic silky-smooth milk chocolate”; the Heavenly Chocolate Hazelnut has “agenerous layer of Heavenly Chocolate Hazelnut flavour chewy caramel at the heart of this golden baked biscuit, finished off with a thick coating of McVitie’s iconic silky-smooth milk chocolate”; and the Luscious Blood Orange mirrors the Hazelnut option, only with a “generous layer of Luscious Blood Orange flavour chewy caramel” instead.

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McVitie’s

Emma Stowers, Brand Director at McVitie’s, has called the V.I.Bs the manufacturer’s “finest biscuits to date”.

This isn’t the first Digestive biscuit upgrade we’ve seen in 2020 either as McVitie’s introduced a ‘Best of British’ range earlier on this year, which combined nostalgic flavours such as Cherry Bakewell, Marmalade on Toast and Strawberries & Cream, with the iconic biscuit.

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The McVitie’s V.I.Bs will initially be available from Asda stores next week on 12th July, retailing at an RRP of £1.79 per 750g packet, and then a later nationwide rollout across other major supermarkets is set to follow in August.

If you are looking to treat yourself and get your hands on the new range, it’s advised to check the opening times of your local Asda branch before making any trips and you can do so via the store locator here.

To find out more about the V.I.Bs Digestive range, head on over to the McVitie’s website here.

News

How and where to recycle your Christmas tree in Greater Manchester 2024

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

There comes a point in time where you’re all ‘spruced’ out and it’s time for a home interior refresh, so here’s all the ways you can recycle your Christmas tree in Greater Manchester.

Christmas has been and gone, but there’s no party blues yet, as the new year is just around the corner, there’s still plenty of fun to be had.

After taking down all those decorations from your tree, you may be stumped on what to do with it next, but don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

They say you learn something new every day, so if the ‘Twixmas’ period is when you like to take down your Christmas decs and start anew, then let us tell you about all of the different ways to dispose of your once-decorated greenery.

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Recycle your real Christmas tree in food and garden bin

You can pop your real Christmas tree into your food waste / garden bin, as long as its chopped and trimmed, with the trunk needing to be thinner than your wrist – but only if it isn’t possible take it to a Christmas tree recycling point instead.

Or you could continue the Christmas spirit by replanting your tree into your garden and keep it as a reminder of the fun of the festive season all year long.

Additionally, you can try returning your tree to the retailer or vendor you bought it from, whether that’s a shop or garden centre, but just make sure you check you can do this beforehand.

There are loads of different ways to recycle your Christmas tree in Greater Manchester / Credit: Flickr

Take it to your local tip

Christmas trees are accepted at all 20 recycling centres within Greater Manchester for free.

How ever you choose to give your tree the big send-off, make sure to apply for a specific vehicle permit if you’re giving your tree a more spacious mode of transport – such as a van, pick-up truck or a twin-axle trailer.

You can also drop off any unwanted ornaments here too, including that one that’s progressively been making its way to the back of the tree each year (we’ve all got one).

Artificial trees will be welcomed at all these locations too, so all that’s left to do is find your nearest recycling centre here.

You can find more information and register your tree here.

Greater Manchester residents can get all the advice they need online / Credit: Sean Foster (via Unsplash)

Donate to charity

Local charity, Just Helping, is providing collection services in some of the key Greater Manchester areas.

Everyone at this charity – which launched in 2012, and operates 106 collection areas nationwide – is not only helping to raise money for other Greater Manchester charities, but they’re also eco warriors too, as recycling Christmas trees prevents 82,000 kg of carbon dioxide emissions.

Anyone thinking of utilising these services can do so here.

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Advice from your local council

If you’re still struggling on what to do with your Christmas tree, you can find more tips and advice on your local Council’s website with a link to each borough’s Council here.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons

News

Andy Burnham declares 2025 as Manchester’s year for ‘restoring local control’

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Andy Burnham has declared 2025 as the year where our region continues on its journey to ‘restore local control’.

With only a day of 2024 left to go, the Greater Manchester Mayor has been reflecting back on the past 12 months, and is now setting some goals and intentions for the new year – which he expects to be a “busy” one full of change and historic milestones, starting with the introduction of Bee Network buses to the southern part of Greater Manchester from 5 January.

“Four decades of deregulation will be over,” Mr Burnham declared. “We will finally be back in charge of our entire bus network.”

The Mayor says that completing this first phase of the transport network “on time and on budget” is a “huge achievement” for the region, and he hopes this means that 2025 can “begin on a much-needed optimistic note”

“It proves things can indeed be fixed, moved forward, and made to work better,” he added.

Andy Burnham has declared 2025 as Manchester’s year for ‘restoring local control’ / Credit: Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash)

Looking ahead beyond the first week of the new year, this is where the Mayor is keen to tackle train travel, housing, and education across the region.

Once all the region’s buses are under local control, Mr Burnham will be shifting his transport focus onto phase two of the Bee Network – which involves integrating eight commuter rail lines by 2028 – as he claims “we all know the railways can’t continue in their current chaotic state”.

When it comes to housing, you may remember that 2024 was the year Andy Burnham declared as the time for Greater Manchester to “get serious about housing”, but its 2025 where some of the most crucial changes are set to take place, especially with the upcoming introduction of the GM Good Landlord Charter in May.

In a bid to “show a new determination to face up to the housing crisis”, Mr Burnham is urging all politicians to speak explicitly about ‘Council housing’ instead of just saying ‘social housing’, as this is what he feels will help to restore local control to the system once and for all.

Beyond that, the Mayor says local residents should expect to hear much more in the new year about the Greater Manchester Baccalaureate or MBacc – which is Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s (GMCA) plan for an equal alternative to the university route.

Mr Burnham says Greater Manchester is going into 2025 “with a spring in our step and a can-do spirit” that he hopes becomes “infectious” to the rest of the UK.

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“If the local control achieved with our buses starts to bring similar benefits to housing and skills, then perhaps the country can draw a line under these dysfunctional recent times and start to look to the future with more confidence and optimism,” he concluded.

Featured Image – GMCA

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