A free same day delivery service for the morning after pill has been launched in Manchester for the very first time.
Available from now until Friday 30 September, it gives people the option to order emergency contraceptives to their home rather than going to a pharmacy, GUM clinic or GP surgery.
Delivering between 6-9pm in the week, packages will come straight to your door via discreet bike courier service.
Orders must be placed online before 5pm to qualify, then your free same day delivery will be confirmed separately via WhatsApp.
Rider Lucy will deliver your package between 6-9pm. / Image: The Lowdown
Free delivery will be available to postcodes M1, M2, M3, M4, M12, M13, M14, M15, M16, M21 and M20 during the week only.
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The service has been introduced by The Lowdown, a contraception review, advice and prescriptions platform trying to make women’s health “less of a minefield”.
According to Founder Alice Pelton, one third of women in the UK don’t currently have easy or convenient access to contraception.
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Inspired by her own experiences of struggling to find the right one, she launched The Lowdown in 2019 and has spent the last five years talking to thousands about the problem.
The Lowdown is a one-stop shop for people to choose, access and use the right contraception and reproductive healthcare for them, but it is not free at the point of use.
However, it offers the full range of brands of pill whereas on the NHS choice is more limited.
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On the website, a Levonorgestrel emergency contraceptive is priced at £9.50 and an EllaOne pill is £27. In total there are a choice of four morning after pills – Levonorgestrel, EllaOne, Ezinelle and Levonelle OneStep – whilst on the NHS you can get both Levonelle and ellaOne free of charge
Speaking on the Manchester trial, Alice Pelton, Founder of The Lowdown, said: “The Lowdown is all about making contraception less complicated, and this pilot is part of our bold plans to put control into the hands of women and people with vaginas.
“There’s so much unnecessary stigma around emergency contraception, and it’s too difficult for many women and their partners to access it quickly and conveniently. These medications are incredibly safe and effective, and getting hold of them should not need to involve travelling long distances or having an awkward public conversation with a pharmacist.”
Dr Melanie Davis-Hall, GP and Medical Director at The Lowdown, added: “Despite living in the 21st century there are still significant barriers to accessing contraception. And young people embarking on their university career may have even more difficulty accessing emergency contraception in an unfamiliar city at a vulnerable time of their life where many start having more sex!
The Lowdown hopes to destigmatise the issue of emergency contraception by making it more widely available to people who need it.
Its website is visited by 70,000 people a month, with all orders reviewed and approved by The Lowdown’s pharmacy team before dispatch.
Whilst you don’t need to speak to a medical professional before placing an order, you will be required to fill out a short questionnaire online to help the team identify which contraceptive will best suit your needs.
Sharing the news of the morning after pill same day delivery on its Instagram page, The Lowdon described the move as “Just Eat but for contraception”.
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It wrote: “BIG NEWS
“We’ve just launched a same day delivery of the morning after pill if you live in Manchester for the rest of September!
“Just make sure you order before 5pm on weekdays and double check your postcode is eligible (central Manchester postcodes please!).
“We will deliver your morning after pill straight to your door the very same day from 6-9pm.”
Fans are preparing to pay tribute to Mani from The Stone Roses ahead of his funeral service
Danny Jones
Stone Roses fans and Greater Manchester locals alike are getting ready to pay their respects to the late, great, Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, following his tragic passing last month.
As well as details surrounding his funeral being announced earlier this week, the iconic Manc musician’s cause of death has also finally been revealed.
While Hatton’s service featured a high-profile cortège which started all the way from his hometown of Hyde, past multiple landmarks and ending at the Etihad Stadium, those local to Mani’s family home on the edge of Stockport are also being welcomed to help send him off.
It's the funeral of Mani of the Stone Roses on the 22nd. He lived locally. This poster is asking people to line the route of his funeral cortege to "show that he truly was adored". pic.twitter.com/X0DYHl10Hp
He had been struggling with emphysema for some time; he was declared dead at his home in the suburb of Heaton Moor, and is said to have died peacefully in his sleep.
As you can see from the posters put in various places around the area, residents wishing to pay their own tributes to Mani before his private funeral service at Manchester Cathedral are encouraged to line the long street leading down from St Paul’s and Heaton Moor United Church as he heads towards the city.
Departing Parsonage Road from 10am on Monday, 22 December, before turning right onto Heaton Moor Rd, then Wellington and eventually on to the Cathedral, you can expect plenty of people to show up.
One of those people will be his former bandmate and another influential guitarist, John Squire, who is one of many famous musical names to have honoured him in their own way over the last few weeks.
Other members of The Stone Roses, as well as Primal Scream (who he joined in 1996), are expected to join the close family and friends at the service itself.
Nevertheless, we have no doubt that plenty will be observing the funeral in their own way.
So, for those of you also looking to honour him, you know what to do; and to quote the poster itself, “together we can show this local legend and his family that he was truly adored.”
Plans to transform Chorlton’s old shopping centre have been green-lit
Danny Jones
Yes, after a prolonged period of uncertainty, the plans put together for redeveloping Chorlton Cross Shopping Centre are now moving forward.
Following an extensive consultation period back in 2023 and planning permission having now been approved by Manchester City Council, the transformation of the long-neglected retail complex has been green-lit, and the project will be moving forward even sooner than you think.
As confirmed earlier this week, Stretford-based construction company PJ Livesey will be working in tandem with the Greater Manchester Pension Fund to deliver the major regeneration, which will see even more living spaces and leisure facilities arrive in the already thriving suburb.
Following an official press release on Thursday, 18 December, we’ve now been given a latest glimpse at what the developers are hoping the new Chorlton Cross district will look like.
Credit: Font Communications (supplied)
Plans for the transformation of both the high street and the old Leisure Centre date back to 2023 and even further when taking into account the Council asking the public for their thoughts on what should happen with the area, but Chorlton Cross, specifically, has been the subject of debate for some time.
The bulk of units in and around the largely forgotten shopping centre are now empty, with just a few hold-outs still clinging on to their space.
Now, following extensive feedback from native Mancs and those who have flooded into the South Manchester town over the past decade, the approved plans have now been revealed.
They include:
A mix of 262 one, two and three-bed apartments, all with access to outdoor space through balconies and gardens
20% affordable homes available through a mix of tenures, with 18.5% of these being available for social rent
Around 3,500 sq metres of public open space, including a fully walkable route through Manchester Rd and outdoor seating areas to encourage people to stop and dwell
A mix of flexible retail spaces, such as a new ‘Makers Yard’ suitable for smaller, start-up businesses
Up to 60 new trees across the site with maximised retention of existing trees
Manc filmmaker, Bernard Leach – who has been making videos about the region since 2007 – shared a longer look at how the vision for this next chapter in Chorlton‘s residential and retail history is currently shaping up earlier this month.
As you can see, some sections of the old Lancashire village and ‘cum-Hardy’ parish could look rather unrecognisable sooner than you think.
Should everything go ahead as scheduled, those involved are hoping to get work underway in the New Year, with the ‘decommissioning’ of all existing buildings, including Graeme House, undergoing demolition by early 2026.
With the majority vacating their premises in recent years, it’s fair to say that it’s been vastly underutilised for far too long.
Posting on social media back in September last year, nearby resident Nigel Woodcock wrote: “Serious question, not just councillor-baiting, but can anyone explain why the retail businesses in Chorlton Precinct were booted out before any decisions were made about what’s going to happen to it?
“It makes no sense to me. No plans have even been submitted, so far as I’m aware, so why kick out those businesses and leave it derelict for so long? The land and buildings are actually owned by the combined GM Local Authorities, so one might expect a modicum of political and business nous to be applied.”
Similar to the new plans being put together for the stretch of land between Castlefield and Salford, most are just glad something is finally happening with the space.
Commenting on the plans progressing, PJ Livesey’s Managing Director, Georgina Lynch, said in an official statement: “This is a landmark moment for Chorlton, marking the transformation of the former shopping centre into a vibrant new hub for the community.
“Working closely with Manchester City Council, we’ve carefully balanced the delivery of much-needed new homes – including 20% affordable – with the creation of lively, welcoming spaces to shop, relax, and spend time.
“This site is at the heart of Chorlton, and we’re bringing it back to life, cementing the area’s reputation as a truly great place to live.”
What do you make of the Chorlton Cross Shopping Centre regeneration plans?
Georgina Pellant -
22nd September 2022 
