The owner of an independent Manchester restaurant has shared a heartfelt thank you to the visitors that showed their support over the weekend.
Hundreds of hungry people were spotted queueing around the block for a chance to get into The Thirsty Korean restaurant in Chorlton this past Sunday after Sacha Lord announced he’d be footing the bill and paying for everyone’s food and drink.
The Parklife and Warehouse Project co-creator told people to the most of his card being behind the till at the Manchester Road restaurant as he promised to cover all costs on the night from between 4pm and 10:15pm, regardless of how many visitors turn up.
Lord revealed he had chosen The Thirsty Korean to support as he had previously met with the owner, Eunji Noh – who he called “amazing” and said has “great pride in what she does” – and explained that he first became aware of the restaurant after Eunji was reported as having been bullied and was suffering racist abuse in the midst of advertising her business.
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The Altrincham-born businessman encouraged Mancs to “stand up to the bullies” and “rinse me” by turning out to show their support for the beloved indie restaurant.
After the event proved to be so successful, with hundreds making their way down and many even struggling to get in, owner Eunji Noh has taken to The Thirsty Korean’s official social media pages to share her “thousand thanks” to the public in a heartfelt message.
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She also explained why the support means to her.
We’ve seen neighbours coming out and offering people in the queue cups of tea. Manchester at its finest.
“A thousand thanks… no no no…. a zillion thanks for visiting us,” Eunji said on social media, as she revealed her difficulty journey to this point after founding the restaurant in 2019.
She continued: “I arrived in Manchester in October 2018. Opened The Thirsty Korean in June 2019, and I was busy for five weeks until lockdown started due to COVID in March 2020.
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“All I had was the money I made over the last five weeks [plus] a Government grant, which I spent on venue lease and standing bills. When I was able to reopen again in June 2020, I had about £700 left in my business bank [which] I had to decide [if I would use to] buy a flight ticket to go back to Korea and drop everything here, no more The Thirsty Korean, or buy minimum ingredients for food and pouring beers as possible just to reopen.”
Eunji explained that she chose the latter of the two choices, but then made a “wrong decision” by working with a marketing company that “didn’t guarantee any outcome” and had to continue not being paid and doing everything she could and using all she had just to “maintain the business”.
She continued: “Since last year, I was hit by energy price hikes and the expensive prices of all imported ingredients. I am very honest here now, I had to put all of my money just to pay electricity bills which was charging us over £1,600 only for three weeks… [and] this year, we are facing alcohol prices being more expensive again.
“This is not only my story. This is what every independent business is going through. Many of them went through much worse and had to close forever.
“I am lucky that I have survived this far.”
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Closing out her statement, Eunji thanked everyone once again for visiting The Thirsty Korean over the weekend, and urged people to continue to “be supportive to local indies” and praised those businesses for helping to make local communities “diverse and beautiful”.
Club de Padel to close current Manchester location to make way for more Deansgate Square skyscrapers
Daisy Jackson
Club de Padel, the first padel club to open in Manchester, will be relocating from its Deansgate Square home.
The wildly popular sports club will close next week, as landowners Renaker begin the next phase of development of the skyscraper district.
Club de Padel is keeping its new location under wraps for now – but will be going out from its current Manchester home with a bang.
The club, which welcomed more than 100,000 people in the first year alone, will be offering free padel for all before it closes at Deansgate Square.
Club de Padel launched back in 2023, with four competition-grade courts, and has since added a Finnish sauna experience with Good Sauna, launched a best-selling clothing range with UN:IK, plus become the home for Manchester’s most popular run club with MADE Running.
As well as that, the club has been donating free courts and coaching during the school holidays to local children’s charity Wood Street Mission, and hosting events with the likes of adidas, REFY and Blank Street Coffee.
It’s been one of the city’s top sporting success stories, attracting attention from the likes of The Sunday Times, The Guardian, Hypebae and the BBC.
But now Club de Padel will be leaving its current home ahead of Renaker’s expansion of its luxury skyscraper district.
Club de Padel ManchesterClub de Padel is at the foot of the Deansgate Square towers
As for that new top-secret location opening later this year – they’re promising an ‘indoor and outdoor space in an incredible location, featuring an expanded padel experience, high-end wellness and social spaces, and a year-round programme of events’.
Club de Padel founders said in a statement today: “We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve built here in Manchester — bringing padel to the city centre for the first time and introducing tens of thousands of people to the sport during our time on Deansgate.
“But this site was never meant to be permanent, and we’ve been limited in what we can build here, so the time is right to move on, grow and improve.
“We’ve learned a huge amount from our time in Manchester and from opening our second club in Sheffield last year, and we’re excited to reveal the locations of our new sites — including the new Manchester club — and begin the next phase.
“In the meantime, we want to thank everyone who has made this club so special, and invite them to enjoy a free game of padel on us.”
Club de Padel will close to begin its Manchester relocation on 14 January.
You can book a free hour of padel between 9 and 14 January, through the usual Playtomic system – you’ll be refunded for your booking in full on arrival.
A remote uninhabited Scottish island is looking for a new ranger to patrol it
Emily Sergeant
Looking for a change of career in 2026? A fan of solitude? Well, this might be just what you’re after.
A new year often brings fresh perspectives, and with 2026 being right round the corner now, many may be exploring the idea of a job or change of career, and for those who consider themselves to be independent workers and are keen on their own company, the Scottish Wildlife Trust is currently hiring for a new Ranger.
The Ranger will work on Handa Island – which is a small, remote, and publicly uninhabited island in Eddrachillis Bay, just off the west coast of Sutherland in Scotland.
The role is described as being an ‘outstanding opportunity’ for a passionate and highly motivated individual.
They will be tasked with effectively managing this remote and beautiful island, along with all its incredible wildlife, and 8,000-plus annual visitors.
Handa Island needs a new ranger / Credit: Donald Macauley (via Flickr) | Wikimedia Commons
The successful applicant will boast excellent organisational skills, coupled with a high degree of flexibility, and will be responsible for organising work programs for themselves and a team of volunteers – with the ability to constantly adapt their plans according to changing conditions.
This role is described as being ‘physically demanding’ at times, yet hugely rewarding for anyone with the desire to work outdoors in a remote location.
Familiarity with Handa Island would be an advantage however not essential.
Accommodation for the post is provided free of charge in the purpose-built Ranger’s bothy, but weekly trips the nearest village are ‘necessary’ to do laundry, banking, shopping, and exchange gas bottles, therefore a current driving licence and access to a vehicle are both ‘essential’ for the role.
Fancy it then? To find out more about the specials skills and interests required for the roles, as well as benefits and also salary, you can head to the Scottish Wildlife Trust website.
Apply for the role of Ranger – Handa Island before the deadline on 7 January 2026 here.
Emily Sergeant -
22nd August 2023 
