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New streaming platform launches to showcase Greater Manchester’s best talent

Greater Manchester’s trailblazing United We Stream project is launching a streaming platform for the region’s talent.

The Manc The Manc - 24th March 2021

The minds behind Greater Manchester’s trailblazing United We Stream (UWS) have launched a streaming platform to showcase region’s emerging and established talent to the world. 

Hosted at Digital City Festival on April 12, StreamGM aims to build on the incredible achievements of UWS – which was launched in lockdown to raise funds for the creative sector.

The platform proved to be a wild success – reeling in millions of viewers and raising £583,000 throughout its run.

StreamGM will be picking up where UWS left off – offering a soapbox for singers, dancers, musicians, poets and artists across GM.

Andy Burnham – an early backer of the project – said that Stream GM would “play an essential role in our recovery throughout 2021.”

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The Mayor of Greater Manchester stated: “Many venues will not be able to reopen fully until the second half of the year.

“So, by prioritising digital development such as this, we can continue to support our culture sector so they can later support us all through our personal recoveries from what we have experienced through the pandemic.”

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Poet Tony Walsh performing in Our City Speaks on United We Stream

Whilst showcasing local talent, StreamGM will also include specialised ‘hands on’ industry experience for young people in the production and promotion of digital broadcasting.

Greater Manchester Night Time Economy Adviser, Sacha Lord said: “In an incredibly hard year for many, United We Stream Greater Manchester provided moments of escape and joy and I’m incredibly proud of all we achieved.

“It’s now time to look to the future and, as we start to gradually unlock, how some of the partnerships and projects developed during 2020 adapt to complement live events. 

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“StreamGM is a perfect example of this, providing a platform for emerging Greater Manchester talent to perform to global audiences, taking talent beyond venue walls, helping our amazing city-region emerge from the pandemic in the strongest possible position.”

Driven by a shared love of music and culture, StreamGM will continue to “bang the drum” for Greater Manchester from its launch at Digital City Festival – an annual event series exploring what makes a leading digital city. 

Production for the festival is based at state-of-the-art studios in Salford’s Media City with all events broadcast online.

DJ Woody – United We Stream 24 hr The Hacienda House Party 

StreamGM will kick off proceedings at Digital City Festival on April 12 with a thrilling audio-visual DJ set from DJ Woody – who wowed audiences with his performance during UWS’ NYE Hacienda House Party.

Manchester Jazz Festival, Showhawk Duo and Jodrell Bank’s Blue Dot festival favourites ’Science in the House’ will also be turning in performances on the StreamGM virtual stage.

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A StreamGM panel will be hosted on April 13 – featuring UWS Global founder Lutz Leichsenring; Hacienda legend Graeme Park; Tom Besford from English Folk Expo, DJ Rebecca Swarray, Artistic Director of the Met David Agnew and United We Stream/StreamGM’s producer Marie-Claire Daly.

The festival finale on April 22 will host the first ever StreamGM talent showcase.

Digital City Festival Director, Martyn Collins said: “We’re delighted to have StreamGM curating the entertainment for our delegates at Digital City Festival. Despite lockdown, the amazing United We Stream project showed that innovation, creativity, music and performance could still be created, shared and enjoyed by all. 

“Using digital as the core platform and reaching a global audience, StreamGM is perfectly in sync with Manchester’s digital city status and also recognising that people are at the heart of everything we do.”

To join Digital City Festival, register for access here.

For more information about StreamGM, visit the official website.

News

Scouting For Girls announce stacked UK tour with Manchester date

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

British boyband Scouting For Girls are heading out on an extensive UK tour with dates up and down the country, including right here in Manchester.

If the first thing that pops into your mind when you read this headline is “I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know how we’ll make it through this”, then you’re on the right side of history.

Nearly 20 years since their single ‘She’s So Lovely’ reached catastrophic heights and had everyone putting on their best Roy Stride accent, Scouting For Girls are heading back on the road.

This UK tour announcement comes two years after their last project, The Place We Used To Meet, reached our ears and was coined by the band as “Our best work since our debut”.

It’s been 18 years since this Brit trio captivated our hearts with their eponymous debut album, which sold over one million copies and went number one on the UK official charts for two weeks.

Whether you know them for ‘Heartbeat’ or ‘Elvis Ain’t Dead’, it’s clear to say this band had their fair share of smash hit singles throughout the noughties.

This tour, however, celebrates the sophomore follow-up: Everybody Wants To Be On TV, which went on to continue their legacy and secure them their only number one, ‘This Ain’t A Love Song’, back in 2010.

Now, the boys are treating UK fans to an array of live performances, and if you can’t make one date, fear not because there are 20 different locations for you to choose from.

Belter.

The group will also be playing the likes of Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle and a whole host of other Northern cities, so you have plenty of chances to catch them.

If you can’t wait all the way until March 2026 for your next Scouting For Girls fix, lead singer Stride has his own cameo account where you can get the star to read out a message or even sing you a song: “‘Michaela Strachan’ in full, please?…”

Scouting For Girls are coming to O2 Apollo in Manchester on 21 March 2026, with tickets going on sale next Friday, 2 May at 10am HERE.

Read more:

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Featured Images — Wikimedia Commons/Press shot (supplied)

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Manchester Marathon 2025 guide – all you need to know about the ‘UK’s biggest day of running’

Danny Jones Danny Jones Manchester Marathon guide 2025 important info

It’s nearly here… The 2025 adidas Manchester Marathon is just days away, and the mix of pre-race nerves, excitement and general hysteria is palpable, so much so that the only way we can think to calm both us and all you lot down is putting together a helpful guide.

Take no notice of those anticipatory jitters: don’t worry, they’re completely natural, but it’s worth reminding you that the Manchester Marathon is known worldwide not only as one of the flattest and fastest in Europe but also one of the most well-attended and fun to run full stop.

With London’s counterpart taking place simultaneously, the Manchester Marathon this Sunday, 27 April, is set to make up the single biggest day of running in UK history – what a thing to be part of.

All the hard work’s been done, you’re coming towards the end of the taper; supporters, we hope your homemade signs are primed and ready; there’s just one long run left, so with that in mind, here’s all the important info you need to know for this year’s Manchester Marathon.

2025 Manchester Marathon – everything you need to know

How about we start with the start times, eh?

MCR Marathon waves – colours, times and more

By now, those of you taking part should have all received/picked up your event packs, including your bib number and wave colour.

These are essential not only in order for your chip time to be recorded but for you to enter the start process before you actually begin your marathon and, of course, for your loved ones to track your progress throughout the day. Here’s where you need to be at what time, depending on your wave:

manchester marathon start times
manchester marathon waves
You can also find info on your pacers HERE. (Credit: Manchester Marathon)

2025 Manchester Marathon route

Now, the main headline this year is that the Manchester Marathon has a brand-new finish line, with the annual race relocating from the home stretch near the Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground to the iconic Oxford Road.

Wrapping up proceedings in the shadow of one of the city’s most beautiful buildings, we can’t think of a more picturesque place for a box office finish.

You can see a quick run-through of the route down below:

A section of this year’s route will even be named after Jamie Lang.

Refill stations, toilets and bag drop

As for the points where you’ll be able to grab extra fluids and even back-up HIGH5 energy gels, there will be a total of eight water stations throughout the marathon, spread out as evenly as possible across the various parts of Greater Manchester that the route runs through.

There will be portable toilets available at every single water stop in case of emergencies too, and there is also a full map of where to find them.

As for bag drop, a new system is in place for the 2025 Manchester Marathon, with belongings from each wave being carefully loaded onto separate lorries and transported from the initial drop point near the starting area over towards the finish line, saving your tired little legs from doing any extra work.

Participants will first drop their bags off near the front of Manchester United’s Old Trafford Stadium, on Wharfside Way – it’s recommended you arrive at least 45 minutes before your actual start time – before being given a wristband and picking them up over at the Oxford Road finish line. More info HERE.

There is an even more comprehensive participants’ guide available too.

Fan zones, cheer points and activities

As for this year’s dedicated Manchester Marathon fan zones and cheer points, you’ll find popular spectator hotspots, including the Deansgate Interchange, the Chester Road strip leading up past Stretford Mall and a main section of Chorlton’s high street, just to name a few.

Thankfully, you can find lots more tips on where to cheer on your friends and family via the online Supporter Hub, including help when it comes to tracking them.

In addition to the multiple signposted junctures and atmosphere hubs seen in the virtual route tour above, with more live music and festivities from artists, charities and local organisations than ever, the 2025 equivalent of previous years’ event village comes in the form of an all-new fan zone on Oxford Rd.

An all-day fan zone is being set up for the 2025 Manchester Marathon with freebies for runners
Find out more about what those taking part and cheering from the sidelines can enjoy in and around the action.

It’s also worth noting that the new ‘Adizero: For The Fast‘ pop-up will be open all the way from Thursday, 24 April to race day at Impossible Bar on Peters Street in the city centre.

The space is open to all and will host shake-out runs, exclusive product ranges, panel discussions and a variety of other activities; a collaborative adidas and Made Running cheer point will also be located at the one-mile mark on the corner of Deansgate.

If, for whatever reason, you can’t help line the streets yourself on the day, then you’ll be glad to hear that you can watch the whole thing online via a livestream on the Manchester Marathon YouTube channel – including Atherton’s very own Olympian getting the runners underway.

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MCR Marathon road closures

As for the part of the city, Trafford and other sections of Greater Manchester that will be impacted by the Manchester Marathon road closures, here at the key points to know:

Parts of Oxford Road, Hulme Street, Grafton Street and other city centre streets will shut from 8am on Saturday and noon before the race on Sunday. As for the event itself, the route will go on to shut down the likes of Deansgate, Chester Road, and various other sections of road from 4am onwards.

You can find a full guide along with specific timings for each road closure HERE.

Further travel advice and public transport info

Last but not least, if you’re travelling into or across the city region for the action, Transport for Greater Manchester have recommended using our brilliant Bee Network to get around wherever possible.

Not only will this help reduce congestion in and around the city limits, but it also helps contribute to the adidas Manchester Marathon’s commitment to making the event as green as possible.

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There are plenty of park and ride facilities at your disposal, and TfGM have also put together an interactive map for you to consult when planning your journey:

Read more:

Final housekeeping

Now, we’re not trying teach you how to suck eggs, but it goes without saying that you should eliminate all panics possible, so get those phones, smart watches earphones and so on charged up, get your safety pins sorted early and so on.

Make sure you take in plenty of carbs for those much-needed energy stores in the days leading up to the race, lots of water too, not to mention as much rest and actual sleep as possible.

As for active preparation, you don’t need to be doing much more than a casual 5k jog or some light exercise in the last few days before the actual race – a steady little shakeout run the day prior at most. Lastly, ensure your race kit is washed and ready because a wardrobe dilemma is the last thing you need.

No matter what happens on the day, we’re already so proud of you all, whether you’re a returning runner, a first-timer, a dedicated fundraiser, or even just walking those magnificent 26.2 miles. Now go and SMASH it and we’ll see you for a refreshing reward at the pub!

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

Featured Images — adidas Manchester Marathon (supplied)

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