A bar in Stockport has banned drinkers from wearing sportswear, caps and ‘manbags’ from entering in a move that has led to some mixed reactions from punters.
Bask, opened by DJ Gareth Books on Stockport Exchange last year, announced on Twitter that it would no longer be “admitting anyone with trackies, hoodies, caps, sportswear, manbags” during the evenings on Friday and Saturday nights.
The new rule has been introduced as the bar implements what it calls a “smart casual dress code” from 7pm on the two busiest evenings of the week.
The full post read: “From 7pm on Fridays and Saturdays we’ll be running a smart casual dress code. For the weekend nights we won’t be admitting anyone with trackies, hoodies, caps, sportswear, manbags. We look forward to seeing you all this weekend when @mrgarethbrooks returns to the decks.”
However, the new rule has sparked outrage amongst some with customers taking to Twitter to voice their thoughts – and quite a few of them are saying the same thing.
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A number joked that Bask owner Gareth Brooks – a self-proclaimed sneakerhead whose Twitter bio reads “Yeah I got on sneaks but I need a new pair” – will now be turned away by bouncers himself as a result.
The XS Manchester DJ is regularly pictured in a cap, trainers, and other sportswear, and has shared numerous pictures of new Nike trainers on his Instagram over the years.
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For this reason, some people couldn’t help but point out the irony of his bar’s new rule.
Image: DJ Gareth Brooks via Instagram
Image: DJ Gareth Brooks via Instagram
One person asked if he would start “DJing from outside” on the weekends, whilst another replied: “Manbags! That @mrgarethbrooks not getting in!”
Others, meanwhile, accused the management of generalising against sportswear fans, with one user replying: “Bit vague innit. Plenty of folk wear caps out nowadays that aren’t chavs or scrotes.”
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Another person simply replied with a link to Scottish comedian Limmy’s Smart/Casual sketch, which depicts a group of middle-aged men in shirts and blazers brawling, wolf-whistling, being sick in the toilets and then, finally, waking up on a bench in a state the following morning.
From 7pm on Fridays and Saturdays we’ll be running a smart casual dress code.
For the weekend nights we won’t be admitting anyone with trackies, hoodies, caps, sportswear, manbags.
However, some have replied in support of the post with one person tweeting: “manbags should just be a barring offence full stop.”
Another called the rule a “good choice”, before adding: “Trackies, hoodies and caps are for lazy people who don’t care about their appearance or their surroundings. It’s become Stockport’s uniform of choice and is simply a lack of class.”
Owner Gareth Brooks has told The Manc that he feels that trainers do not count as sportswear and that customers can wear these to the bar as part of their ‘smart casual’ look.
However, punters wearing other items in the athleisure category such as caps, trackies and ‘manbags’ attempting to enter after 7pm on Friday and Saturday nights will be turned away.
It’s not the first time a bar has caused uproar by banning trainers, but as we’ve seen in the past – where there is a will, there is often a way.
Last year, a local lad managed to sneak his way into a club after being turned away for wearing white trainers but pulled his friend’s black socks over them so it looked like he was wearing a different pair of shoes.
Who knows, perhaps this technique will soon be adopted in Stockport too. For now, only time will tell.
Feature image – Bask / Gareth Brooks
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A Manchester-based runner has broken an ultramarathon record by running across the desert
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester has a growing obsession with running and endurance events, in particular, did you hear about a locally based runner who’s set the record for legging it across a literal desert?
That’s some ‘Hardest Geezer’ stuff right there.
Yes, whether it’s the likes of the Great MCR Run and October Half, the fully fledged Manchester Marathon, or dare we say it, an extra hard ultra, the region seems to be absolutely chock-full of runners and events these days.
That being said, despite being inspired by countless individuals over the past few years, the feat that has impressed us most this year is the incredible achievement by one man: Alex Welch from Wilmslow.
We’re pretty sure this is the bloke The Pretenders must have been talking about.
Based right here in 0161, by day Alex Welch is employed as a senior cyber security sales specialist at a major European IT services company, SCC, over in Stretford.
However, by both day and night for a full working week late last month, the 29-year-old swapped his computers for a very sturdy pair of running trainers; trail shoes, to be specific, as he trekked across the Namib Desert in Africa.
Stretching more than 2,000 kilometres in total, spanning the reaches of Angola, Namibia and parts of South Africa, the talented distance runner ran approximately 12.5% of that entire landmass over the course of five days.
Broken up into five stages – 50km, 50k, 42k and 22k, as well as a truly brutal 92k day to finish – not only did the indefinable Cheshire-born bloke reach the finish line, but he did so in record time.
Let’s be honest, anyone challenging themselves with the course is clearly an absolute machine, but as seen above and now fully verified, Alex here did so in 24 hours and 27 minutes.
Taking just over a day to complete the entire thing, Alex led every beating everyone else in every single stage and ended up surpassing legendary American ultra runner and now race director Adam Kimble’s time from 2018 by almost 40 whole minutes. Utterly staggering stuff.
Signing up as an official OOSH-sponsored athlete for the event, having only just podiumed at the Ice Ultra round the Arctic Circle back in February, AND the Mountain Ultra across Kyrgyzstan this past June, he’s quite literally ‘endured blistering cold and scorching desert’ (one for Shrek 2 fans, there).
Commenting on the unbelievable achievement, the local lad said: “Namibia was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. The heat was on another level, and every stage demanded absolute focus. To come away with the win – and a course record – is overwhelming.
“After the Arctic and Kyrgyzstan, this was the challenge I had been building towards all season. I’m grateful for everyone who has supported me, particularly my colleagues at SCC who have backed me every step of the way.”
Well done, Alex – we’re off to have a lie down because we’re tired just thinking about what you’ve just done, so hope you’ve at least got a few weeks of relaxation and victory pints lined up. That’s how we toasted our taste of an ultra, anyway…
8 million Brits are predicted to write their Christmas cards using AI this year, new research finds
Emily Sergeant
Millions of Brits are predicted to use AI to help them write their Christmas cards this year.
According to some new Royal Mail research, AI is most likely to be used for researching gifts (19%), festive party ideas (13%), and decoration inspiration (13%) throughout this festive season, but in what is a revelation many will find surprising – and even alarming – it’ll even be used for the timeless tradition of sending Christmas cards.
2,000 UK adults who celebrate Christmas were surveyed by the postal service early last month on how they plan to make use of technology this festive season.
The new research found that 11% of respondents will be using AI to help write the messages for their Christmas cards, which works out to be around eight million people.
It’s the under-55s who are driving the trend, as you can probably imagine – with 57% of this age group planning to lean on AI for guidance, compared to just 14% of those over 55.
Oh, and you’ll want to keep an extra eye on the Christmas cards that come from the men in your life too, as men are 67% more likely than women to use AI to help them.
Eight million Brits are predicted to write their Christmas cards using AI this year / Credit: KoolShooters
Although it may be largely frowned upon, it’s fairly easy to see why people are turning to tech to find the right words, as the Royal Mail’s research found that nearly one in five (19%) Brits say they don’t know what to write in cards, and this figure rises even further to 31% when it comes to 18-24-year-olds.
Despite the use of AI as a helping hand, three quarters of Brits (74%) do still think it’s important to keep the tradition of sending handwritten Christmas cards alive.
“AI is becoming part of everyday life for many people,” says technology journalist and broadcaster, Georgie Barrat. “So it’s natural we’ll see it used during the festive season. When it comes to writing cards, it can help you go beyond a simple ‘Merry Christmas’ and choose words that feel more unique.
“Often, people know what they want to say – they just need a little help expressing it.”
Richard Travers, who is the Managing Director of Letters at Royal Mail, concluded: “No matter what you include in your card, or how you choose to write your message, cards are truly a way of spreading festive cheer.”
Georgina Pellant -
9th November 2022 
