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.”
Yellow weather warning issued for Parklife weekend with thunderstorms forecast
Daisy Jackson
A yellow weather warning has been issued for Greater Manchester over the weekend – just as Parklife festival gets underway.
The Met Office has predicted thunderstorms may hit the region on Saturday, the first day of the two-day party up at Heaton Park.
There’s a yellow weather warning in place across much of the UK over the coming days, but it doesn’t come into force in Greater Manchester until Saturday.
The Met Office is currently predicting wet weather for Parklife festival-goers on day one, with a 70% chance of light rain from the time the gates open until early evening.
It’s then might to brighten up and is likely to be dry, if a little cloudy, into the evening.
The yellow weather warning for thunderstorms is in place from midnight until 6pm on Saturday 14 June.
Temperatures are expected to peak at around 21°C
As for Sunday at Parklife, which will be headlined by none other than Charli XCX, the weather is looking a lot more settled, if a bit cooler.
There are forecasted highs of 18°C and lows of 12°.
While the day will begin quite overcast, it’s expected to really brighten up with sunny intervals in the afternoon and into the evening.
Back in 2023, when thunderstorms hit Manchester during Parklife, the entire festival had to be momentarily halted.
On that occasion, festival-goers were told to ‘keep away from metal structures’ and all the live music was paused.
Poundland facing ‘significant store closures’ after being sold for just £1
Danny Jones
Long-standing British bargain brand Poundland could be set to close a number of locations across the UK after being sold for just £1.
The franchise famed for selling things for just a quid has been a mainstay on the high streets for what feels like it’s been around for as long as most of us can remember, but has been struggling to compete in the discount market.
Opened in 1990, Poundland was eventually bought by Polish variety store chain Pepco Group back in 2016, but has now been auctioned off after struggling sales over the past few years.
As per a press release from the company, Pepco decided to sell the business to American investment firm Gordon Brothers for what reports cited as a “nominal fee” – a figure now revealed to be £1.
Credit: The Manc Group
Poundland’s former boss, Barry Williams, left the brand in 2023 but was reinstated in at the start of this year to help the business and the Group’s European counterparts (Pepco and Dealz).
Sharing an official update with The Manc, the returning MD and CEO said, “Poundland is a UK and Ireland retailer of real significance, serving 20 million customers each year with a much-loved brand.
“Although recent trading has been challenging, we have built a turnaround plan with a simplified and more focused Poundland at its heart, as we aim to deliver the amazing value our customers expect.
“In due course, we’ll share more details of the proposed restructuring and turnaround. I’d like to thank Pepco for its stewardship of the business. We welcome Gordon Brothers and look forward to working with them as we implement our turnaround plan.”
As for Gordon Bros themselves, the American group with outposts all over the globe, says it is “delighted” to be providing the bargain brand with “the financing to support the substantial turnaround of this iconic retailer.”
Even with their own hardships, Poundland stores have still been providing a much-needed cut-price place to shop for those looking to save wherever they can amid the cost of living crisis, not to mention taking over previous Wilko stores and helping bail out others in need.
Before Poundland were sold, they also helped prop-up those hit by the Wilkos falling into administration.
According to Retail Gazette, an approximate £80 million cash injection has been pledged to help support their 800 stores and roughly 16,000 staff across the UK and Ireland.
Nevertheless, BBC sources understand that the even with the new backing, the proposed restructuring of the company which will be put before the High Court here in England could still “involve a significant number of store closures.”
Meanwhile, an official statement from Pepco’s Stephan Borchert reads: “The agreed sale of Poundland marks an important milestone in our strategic plan to move away from FMCG and focus predominantly on Pepco, our higher margin clothing and general merchandise business…
“Poundland remains a key player in UK discount retail, with millions of customers annually and a well-loved brand and proposition. We want to sincerely thank Poundland for their ongoing commitment and contribution to the Group and wish Barry Williams and his team all the best for the future.”
Georgina Pellant -
22nd September 2022 
