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Enabling works at the UK’s biggest spa and wellbeing resort are finally going ahead

Feeling revitalised just looking at it.

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia - 19th October 2024

Work on the highly anticipated spa project making waves in Trafford has finally started and with buzz for the project building ever since its announcement in 2020, Therme is without a doubt one of the biggest coming to Greater Manchester.

Located right next to The Trafford Centre, this £250 million spa and wellbeing complex is proposed not only to create more than 5,000 jobs and span a total of 28 acres but will also be the biggest of its kind anywhere in the UK.

Set to be delivered by the global wellbeing leader, Therme – who have nine sites in total four of which are operational and five of which are in development, including two in the UK – it’s a development that’s been watched closely at every stage.

It might still be early days but here’s what the large plot looks like at the moment:

The Manchester spa resort will be erected here.
Hard to picture right now, we know.
Enabling works have begun to clear the land and underground obstacles ahead of construction starting. (Credit: Rule 5 – supplied)

Opening destinations in both Glasgow and Manchester as well as across the globe, the Therme Group is making its resorts accessible to people wherever and whenever they need them.

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The Manchester site, which is replacing the prior EventCity, is set to hold over 25 specific areas, 15 waterslides, 10 pools and plenty more.

These areas and rooms all boast wellbeing benefits ranging from saunas and health areas to steam and snow rooms – even multi-sensory showers, whatever that means.

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Inside the massive health and well-being building, the temperature will be kept at a constant 33 degrees all year round using advanced technology to preserve the heat.

At the Manchester resort, the grounds are set to contain warm water lagoons, botanical gardens and palm trees, giving the site a real tropical feel. Now enabling works have officially started, the path towards seeing CGIs like these brought to life feels more real:

Therme Manchester – Incredible new images show approved plans for £250m wellness resort
Enable this!

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Throughout the location, wireless RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology will be used to make payments for vendors, retailers and food inside the retreat on the fly.

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It sounds like an arbitrary thing to note initially until you learn that this all works through individual bracelets which are directly paired with lockers in the venue to ensure purchases and belongings are kept safe and secure.

But what exactly has been done so far? Well, following full approval last year, an initial 200-metre borehole has now been drilled on the site next to the Greater Manchester shopping centre, meaning the spa resort build is underway at last.

Once started, construction is set to be completed within the next 24-30 months. Therme is eventually hoping to have a destination available within a 90-minute commute for all UK residents. It also looks set to have a similar and super exciting neighbour at some point in the future too.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Rule 5 (supplied)

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Manchester musicians, celebrities and more are uniting to help save Salford Lads and Girls Club

Danny Jones Danny Jones Save Salford Lads and Girls Club from closing fundraiser

Salford Lads and Girls Club is under threat and Manchester musicians, celebrities and other important local figures are uniting to help try and save it.

An absolute institution and the site of some of the most important moments in Manc music history, Salford Lads and Girls Club is sadly facing the risk of closure simply due to a lack of funding and the rising costs facing so many organisations around the country.

As the place where countless local artists attended as youngsters and played some of their first gigs, not to mention the same spot where the most iconic photo ever of legendary Manchester band The Smiths was taken, the importance of this location to our region’s culture cannot be overstated.

That being said and with the news that they need to raise serious finances to keep the club going, those who know full well how much it means are doing what they can to keep it afloat.

Much-loved DJ Mike Sweeney, AO founder and CEO John Roberts, The Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess and local musician-turned-journalist John Robb from Louder Than War are among those calling for support.

In fact, 82-year-old Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills and Nash has already put money where his mouth is by donating £10,000 to the cause and his generosity has since been surpassed by Salford City Council themselves, who are setting aside a whopping £100k to help steer the club to safety.

As the constituency’s MP Rebecca Long-Bailey told the That’s TV network earlier this week, it is Salford Lads and Girls Club is “one of the most iconic buildings and organisations in Salford and it’s transformed countless lives with their activities.”

Be it the regular sports teams, music events, own charity fundraisers or their annual summer camp which has provided an outlet to generations of those less fortunate who may never have travelled outside their hometown without it, the club has had a huge impact on so many around Greater Manchester.

Indie-rock five-piece and fellow Mancunian band Rolla are also going out of their way to try and help the Grade II-listed by putting on a special one-off gig at the venue itself next month, with “every single penny” going towards keeping the doors open. It sold out almost immediately.

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Whether you’ve ever been there or not, it’s evident how much people care about this place and it’s moments like these when the community bands together that we’re most proud to be Mancs.

We have until the end of November to save Salford Lads and Girls Club and with more than 120 years of history, heritage and culture behind it, letting it die out simply isn’t an option.

The fundraiser has now reached over £130,000 of their overall £250,000 target with the help of council money, so please donate to the official GoFundMe page HERE if you can and help do your bit by resharing wherever possible.

Since 1903, their motto has been “to brighten young lives and make good citizens” – those values aren’t going anywhere. Let’s make a difference.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group

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Major Metrolink shutdown as tram and Manchester bus collide in the city centre

Danny Jones Danny Jones Tram and bus crash in Manchester city centre collision

Alarming scenes in central Manchester after a Bee Network tram and a local bus looked to have collided in a serious crash.

The incident between the Metrolink carriage and the Stagecoach bus occurred around Mosley Street near Primark right in the city centre.

Judging by photos, the tram looks to have been heading towards the Market Street/Piccadilly Gardens stop when it crashed virtually head-on into the oncoming bus.

The bus driver’s seat looks to have been completely caved in by the oncoming tram and while the vehicle itself has been evacuated, passengers can be seen on the tram.

tram and bus crash manchester city centre
Credit: Supplied/The Manc Group

Although full details are still unknown, the official Bee Network account shared a post detailing “severe disruption”, explaining that both Metrolink and bus services will be heavily affected as a result and have apologised for any inconvenience.

We have reached out to Transport for Greater Manchester, Metrolink and Stagecoach for comment but are yet to receive a response. Meanwhile, the North West Ambulance Service shared the following statement: “We’re responding to an RTC at Piccadilly Plaza, Manchester, following a 999 call at 14.13.

“Three ambulance crews, a consultant paramedic, a senior paramedic, a critical care team in an air ambulance and the Hazardous Area Response Team have all attended. Four patients are being treated, one with suspected serious injuries.”

An eyewitness in the area told The Manc that one of the drivers was being airlifted to the nearest hospital; new images show the bus driver receiving oxygen whilst being carefully cut from the cockpit by emergency responders.

You can see images of the emergency helicopter landing on Piccadilly Gardens down below:

airlift manchester city centre
helicopter lands in piccadilly gardens
Credit: Supplied

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Several firefighters, ambulances and police officers are still currently at the scene and the area has been taped off from the public.

For those of you still in need of travel on public transport, keep an eye on Bee Network‘s social media for the latest updates.

We sincerely hope everyone else onboard during the incident is ok and wish those who were unfortunately injured a speedy recovery.

Featured Images — Supplied/The Manc Group

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