Temperatures across the UK have been hotting up this week and there’s nothing Brits love more than a BBQ in the back garden during the summertime.
We’ve had the hottest day of the year so far recorded twice this week and it’s truly started to feel like summer.
As we head into July and the further lifting of lockdown restrictions on 4th July edges closer and closer, there’s definitely a smell of barbecues on the horizon and if you’re looking to take your BBQ game up a couple of notches, then we’ve found some must-have tools and equipment pieces on Amazon that are pretty cost-effective and definitely worth getting your hands on.
If you’re going to have a BBQ, you might as well have a bloody good one, right?
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BBQ Stainless Steel Tool Set
Amazon / Fixget
This 20-piece set really is the ultimate all-round BBQ starter kit.
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It comes with all you need to get right into grilling in just one package and is manufactured with premium quality stainless steel to make it a worthwhile purchase that’s long-lasting under the right care instruction. It’s a sturdy and durable set that won’t bend, break or rust and is really easy to clean up after using too.
The set comes with BBQ tongs, a BBQ fork, skewers, grill brushes and more, and is retailing at £20.39 + postage/packaging.
You can get your hands on the Fixget 20Pcs BBQ Tool Sethere.
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BBQ Tools Apron Set
Amazon / NJ
If you’re looking for convenience and you’re also prone to a spillage or two when cooking up a feast, then you really need look no further than this 2-in-1 BBQ Apron / Tools Set.
This set is perfect for all budding outdoor chefs and it comes with a spatula, fork, tongs, cotton glove and salt & pepper shakers, all which sit in their own individual compartments of a heavy-gauge nylon apron. The apron also has adjustable locking fasteners and extra built-in storage pockets too.
It’s retailing at £24.90 + postage/packaging and is also eligible for Amazon Prime delivery perks too for those subscribed to the service.
You can get your hands on the NJ 7Pcs BBQ Grill Apronhere.
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Heat Resistant BBQ Gloves
Amazon / AOMEES
The ideal purchase for the accident prone amongst us – we all know one.
Sitting firmly at #1 on top of Amazon’s Best Seller list, these BBQ gloves are specially designed to not only be resistant to extreme heat, but they’re also resistant to cuts too. They’re non-toxic, anti-slip, flexible and are perfect for all types of outdoor grilling and barbecuing
They’re retailing at £12.49 + postage/packaging and they’re eligible for Amazon Prime delivery perks too for those subscribed to the service.
You can get your hands on the AOMEES BBQ Gloveshere.
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XL Heavy Duty Grill Tongs
Amazon / Mountain Grillers
If you’re pretty serious about upping your BBQ game, these is what you need to be forking out for.
The heavy duty grilling tongs are extra long extra long metal tongs with a non-slip grip. The quality design allows for easy handling at safe distances from the flame and the varying size gives your tong set the versatility that all great grill masters look for in their tools.
You get x2 tongs in this set – a 12″ pair and a 16″ pair.
They’re retailing at £9.69 and they’re eligible for FREE delivery too at the moment, so that’s worth taking advantage of.
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You can get your hands on the Mountain Grillers Heavy Duty Grill Tongshere.
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Beer Bucket / Drinks Cooler
Amazon / Bar Craft
If the temperatures are hotting up, then let’s make sure the drinks are ice cold.
This large acrylic bucket is ideal for chilling bottles of beer, wine, champagne and soft drinks. It has a huge 10 litre capacity, twin handles for easy lifting, and the tub is tough enough to be used for all BBQ’s, parties and get-togethers with confidence.
It’s retailing at £16.96 + postage/packaging, is listed as an Amazon’s Choice product and is eligible for Amazon Prime delivery perks too for those subscribed to the service.
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You can get your hands on the BarCraft Large Drinks Coolerhere.
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Cool Plate
Amazon / Tomorrow’s Kitchen
If you’re going to be spending prolonged periods of time outside whilst you’re barbecuing, which of course you are – it’s summer – then this ‘cool plate’ is perfect for keeping food fresh.
It’s ideal for meat, poultry, fish, cheese, cakes, salad and many other foods that require low temperatures.
It includes a removable cooling element that is stored in the freezer for six hours, before being applied to the stainless steel plate, in order to keep food as fresh as possible and ready to serve whenever.
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It’s retailing at £34.70 + postage/packaging, is listed as an Amazon’s Choice product and is eligible for Amazon Prime delivery perks too for those subscribed to the service.
You can get your hands on the Tomorrow’s Kitchen Cool Platehere.
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A ‘legacy walk’ in memory of the Joe Thompson is taking place across Greater Manchester
Danny Jones
The ‘Walk With Me for JT’, a.k.a Joe Thompson ‘Legacy Walk’, is back next month, and Greater Mancunians are being encouraged to take part.
Returning this year following his tragic passing last April, the now annual charity walk has already raised thousands for charity and is set for another big turnout.
Joe Thompson, an ex-Rochdale AFC and Bury FC player, sadly died at just 36 following a long battle with lymphoma, having been diagnosed three different times in 12 years.
While the young husband and father of two’s story is a heartbreaking one, it has also become a source of inspiration for so many across the North West and, indeed, across the UK, with people once again gearing up to complete a fundraising walk in his name.
Set to honour him by making the journey from his adopted home of Rochdale all the way to Old Trafford, with Thompson having come through Man United’s youth academy, the 15-mile trek will start at his former club’s Crown Oil Arena and stop at Bury’s Gigg Lane as well as Salford City’s Peninsula Stadium.
First held in 2024 under the ‘Walk With Me for JT’ banner, the initial legacy walk saw the Bath-born footballer and countless others complete 21 miles in an effort to raise money for treatment.
Gone but never forgotten, the charity walk survives not only in the hearts and souls of his family, friends and other people’s lives he touched, but in the community spirit that his struggle and immense bravery in the face of illness helped spur on throughout the region and beyond.
Writing on social media, the Thompson family and the Foundation in his memory said, “Last year, he walked beside us. This year, we walk for him. This isn’t just a walk… It’s a promise. A promise to carry his strength, his belief, his light forward.
For every family facing illness. For everyone experiencing loss or hardship. For anyone who needs hope right now. Every step matters. Every mile has meaning. Whether you’ve walked before or this is your first time. You won’t walk alone.”
Join the annual Joe Thompson legacy walk on Saturday 2nd May 💙
Departing from the Crown Oil Arena, the 15-mile walk will finish at Manchester United's Old Trafford 🏟️
They signed off by adding: “Be part of something bigger. Be part of Joe’s legacy. Be part of the movement. Get a team together, invite your friends, colleagues and family and let’s raise funds to support The Joe Thompson Foundation.”
With the event beginning at 11am on Saturday, 2 May, there have already been numerous sign-ups, and you can expect even more to lace up their shoes and pay tribute to a local hero.
If you want to join in the effort and help do your bit, you can register for the 2026 Joe Thompson Legacy Walk right HERE.
Manchester rent is now ‘41% more expensive than five years ago, according to a recent study
Danny Jones
Yes, that’s right, as per some of the latest data on leased housing in central Manchester, it’s now approximately 41% more expensive to rent here than it was half a decade ago.
If you’ve lived in and around the city centre for long enough, chances are that you’ve already been feeling that difference, especially of late.
The ongoing cost-of-living crisis roughly began in 2021, following the economy and the world essentially opening back up after multiple lockdowns, so it’s little surprise that new research has shown affordability when it comes to renting has been on a slump ever since, too.
As well as the price of seemingly most things in everyday life going up post-pandemic, the average rental rate for even just a one-bedroom flat/apartment has jumped up significantly between 2020 and 2025.
Even some ‘available’ housing in town is being hampered by claddin (Credit: Valienne via WikiCommons)
That’s according to the numbers crunched by credit card experts, Zable, anyway.
Not only did their recent report cite the rent prices going up even before the cost of living crisis – essentially following the outset of the Covid-19 outbreak – but if their figures, the rate of inflation and the unwaveringly high demand for housing are anything to go by, this trajectory is likely to continue in 2026.
As of February this year, around one in three UK households is now a single-person occupancy, which already comes with its challenges (the Manchester City Council tax discount being a thin lifeline for countless), not to mention energy bills and the cost of groceries continuing on an upwards trend.
Put in the simplest and most reductive terms, it’s now almost £300 dearer for most people to live on their own than it was back in 2020, and besides Liverpool clocking in as second on the list of increasingly expensive cities to live (a 42.12% increase), Manchester came in third.
You can see the full table down below:
Rank
City
% increase – 2020-2025
Difference from 2020 to 2025 in £
Average rental cost for a 1 bed 2025
1
Newport
47.39%
£2,611
£8,121
2
Liverpool
42.12%
£2,290
£7,727
3
Manchester
41.00%
£3,364
£11,569
4
Edinburgh
40.28%
£4,620
£16,090
5
Leicester
39.93%
£2,391
£8,379
6
Wolverhampton
39.22%
£2,049
£7,273
7
Nottingham
39.07%
£2,400
£8,543
8
Glasgow
38.02%
£2,679
£9,725
9
Colchester
37.63%
£2,617
£9,572
10
Cardiff
37.06%
£2,828
Average rental cost for a 1-bed 2025
Another fear is that with lots of people finding it hard to manage living in other major cities like London, even those moving to Manchester are also having an impact on how available affordable housing is here.
That’s why schemes such as the new ‘social rent’ development over in Wythenshawe are so important to the current generations of renters, with the possibility of owning your own property in the future becoming increasingly difficult for so many.
It’s also worth noting that Manchester ranked fourth among the British locations where the cost of living is said to have increased the most over the past five years, with the average difference in annual spend growing by an estimated 22.84%.
Emily Sergeant -
26th June 2020 
