News

Three diners at Salford pub The Black Friar win over £1000 of prizes in 2 days

Two regulars, John and Steve, at the Black Friar won £200 off their bill yesterday alongside a table of 7 winning £500 off their bill last night.

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 4th August 2023

Three diners at a pub in Salford have won over £1,000 worth of prizes in the space of two days.

The Black Friar, a historic pub that reopened in 2021 following a stunning £1.4m refurbishment, is currently giving away £72,000 worth of prizes to celebrate its second birthday.

Two regulars, John and Steve, at the Black Friar won £200 off their bill yesterday alongside a table of 7 winning £500 off their bill last night, whilst another table also won their meal for free the night before.

The boozer and restaurant – hailed by Guardian critic Jay Rayner as a ‘riot of Victoriana lite’ with cooking that is ‘big, bullish and beautiful’ – is currently running a special £22 menu and giving away over £72,000 worth of scratch card prizes.

Throughout August every customer receives an free, instant win scratch card with their bill, giving them the chance to win prizes including free meals on the spot, free cocktails, or vouchers giving the winner between £10-£200 off their next visit.

Whether you’re dining or drinking, it doesn’t matter – all guests get a scratch card regardless, with the pub saying visitors are ‘guaranteed’ to win one of the prizes on offer.

black friar winners
Image: Supplied
black friar winners
Image: Supplied

With its kitchen headed up by award-winning chef Ben Chaplin, formerly of 20 Stories, The Black Friar has a well deserved reputation for serving excellent food.

Throughout August, it is running a special birthday menu with two courses for £22 featuring a mixture of summery à la carte dishes and pub grub favourites, such as pig’s head croquette with curried apple, katsu chicken schnitzel, grandma’s pork sausage with mash and onion gravy, and its famous Black Friar pies.

Elsewhere on the £22 menu, you can also dig into the likes of beer battered fish and chips, the Black Friar’s burger, potato and cauliflower curry, and salt and pepper squid.

As for puddings, think Eton mess loaded with Chantilly, macerated strawberries and a cucumber and mint sorbet, a lime chocolate tart, or affogato with vegan vanilla ice cream.

The birthday menu is available every day Monday and from 12-6pm Tuesday to Friday.

Image: The Black Friar
Image: The Black Friar

Neil Burke, owner and operator of The Black Friar, said: “We are so excited to celebrate The Black Friar’s second birthday. We can’t wait to see all of our friends, neighbours and loyal guests this August – come to visit us and you’re guaranteed a prize!”

Read more: Peter Kay surprises chip shop staff as he pops in for tea unannounced

“At the Black Friar, our main focus (other than top-quality drinks and grub) is to give back to our local community. We hope that by offering some amazing prizes that our guests will feel the love.”

The grade II listed pub dates back over 200 years and was originally known as the School Inn, but burned down.

It was renamed the Black Friar when it was rebuilt in 1886. It was open continuously from then until 2001, when it burned down a second time.

Read more: Rack is opening a sandwich stall in the Manchester Arndale Market

The building has since been refurbed to include a huge award-winning beer garden and outdoor tavern, cosy pub, and grand glass dining room.

Featured image – supplied

News

The Manchester charity that’s championing the community one step at a time

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia Forever Manchester charity work

There’s a Manchester-based charity which is helping uplift and champion communities throughout the city centre and wider Greater Manchester region.

Us Mancs certainly know a thing or two about community, whether it’s our influential music scene, football clubs, our hospitality scene and so on, but Forever Manchester takes this to the next level.

This charity has been consistently funding and supporting community initiatives throughout Greater Manchester by helping people achieve the extraordinary, all while maintaining plenty of local pride.

Forever Manchester was born from a mission to support the people and places that make Greater Manchester magic, and is all about making sure the community is at the forefront of everything they do.

Credit: Forever Manchester

The community-first charity has invested over £65 million into local communities and awarded £517,968 to over 100 different community groups.

This isn’t a new charity either, Forever Manchester has been deep in our city’s culture for quite some time since launching in 1989, most notably commissioning local poet Tony Walsh’s ‘This is the Place’.

The piece was originally published in 2012 before finding a very special place in our hearts back in 2017 when Walsh performed the poem at a vigil for the Manchester Arena attack.

This love letter to Manchester has not only gone on to become a part of the city’s history but also reaffirmed this organisation’s place throughout communities in the region.

Credit: Supplied

Now, the community-minded charity is ready to make a mark in 2025 with a whole host of initiatives, including a Forever Manchester lottery, pub quizzes, comedy nights and disco bingo.

Anyone looking to find out more information about this community-first charity and see some examples of the work it does can visit Forever Manchester’s official website.

Remember, this is a city that looks after its own – that’s the kind of energy we want to see you keeping up all year long.

And, if you have a soft spot for a tote bag or wall art prints, look no further than Forever Manchester’s shop, where every purchase directly contributes to community activities in Greater Manchester HERE.

Read more:

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

Featured Images – Forever Manchester (supplied)

News

Billie Eilish at Co-op Live, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

Billie Eilish is ready to take over Co-op Live for four nights of tear-jerking, heart-wrenching, belly-aching hits right here in Manchester.

Ms. ‘Ocean Eyes’ herself is coming to Manchester this month, and we’re on hand with all the info you need so you don’t have to ‘Guess’ anything on the day of your show.

Billie Eilish has cemented her position in the music industry as one of the leading hitmakers, and at only 23 years old, this artist has won nine Grammy Awards and racked up three UK number-one singles.

The American star has been grafting since her early teens, dropping her first ever EP, don’t smile at me, in 2017 at only 16 years old and has reached height after height ever since.

Billie Eilish gig guide

Billie Eilish Co-op Live Manchester tickets
Billie Eilish is playing at Co-op Live in Manchester on 19, 20, 22 and 23 July.
Credit: Press shot (supplied)

Her latest album ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’, which is also the name of the tour, is Eilish’s third studio album and it’s stacked with bangers like ‘Birds of a Feather’, ‘Lunch’ and ‘Wildflower’, just to name a few.

Now, Eilish is ready to play four nights at Manchester’s largest indoor entertainment venue, Co-op Live, and join a roster of acts in the top 10 biggest gigs in Manchester music history.

Billie Eilish UK tour dates

  • Tue 8 July – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
  • Thu 10 July – London, UK – The O2
  • Fri 11 July – London, UK – The O2
  • Sun 13 July – London, UK – The O2
  • Mon 14 July – London, UK – The O2
  • Wed 16 July – London, UK – The O2
  • Thu 17 July – London, UK – The O2
  • Sat 19 July – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
  • Sun 20 July – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
  • Tue 22 July – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
  • Wed 23 July – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live

Are there tickets left for Billie Eilish tickets in Manchester?

Anyone after tickets to any of the upcoming Billie Eilish gigs in Manchester might be in for a ‘not-so-lovely’ surprise, as you can expect, as most general tickets are sold out.

However, anyone who’s missed out on tickets for Billie’s FOUR-gig run in Manchester can still take a look at a variety of premium ticket packages.

You can grab your ‘Birds of a Feather’ and a ticket or two for the Saturday, 19 July show HERE.

Pack your ‘Lunch’ and put on your best outfit because there are exclusive tickets for the Sunday, 20 July gig HERE.

Your friends will be calling you ‘The Greatest’ when you let them know about the premium tickets still left for Tuesday, 22 July right HERE.

Finally, grab ‘L’amour De Ma Vie’ and sing your heart out with a range of hospitality tickets to choose from on Wednesday, 23 July HERE. And breathe…

Billie Eilish setlist

  • Chihiro
  • Lunch
  • NDA
  • Therefore I Am
  • Wildflower
  • when the party’s over
  • The Diner
  • ilomilo
  • bad guy
  • The Greatest
  • Your Power
  • Skinny
  • TV
  • bury a friend
  • Oxytocin
  • Guess
  • everything i wanted
  • lovely / Blue / ocean eyes (Medley)
  • L’amour De Ma Vie
  • What Was I Made For?
  • Happier Than Ever
  • Birds of a Feather

What are the stage times for Billie Eilish in Manchester?

Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning concertgoers can be safe knowing ‘when the party’s over’ it won’t be well into the early hours.

Doors for ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft’ tour are scheduled for 6pm with support acts Syd and Magdalena Bay on hand to soundtrack your evening and leave you feeling ‘Happier Than Ever’ before Billie at 8pm.

The first act, Syd, is known for co-founding influential R’n’B band, The Internet (big fans, by the way), and has just dropped a new solo single ‘Die For This’ ahead of her Billie Eilish tour stint.

How to get to Co-op Live

Tram

For those of you heading to Co-op Live, you’ll be glad to know it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.

Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.

Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre until 01:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

The ‘Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour’ will mark Billie Eilish’s first ever Co-op Live appearance.
Credit: William Drumm (supplied)

Bus

You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus, which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live. You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event ticket.

Getting there by car and parking

If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue,e but this must be pre-booked ahead of time and there are designated drop-off areas.

The postcode is M11 3DU, and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.

Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide come event day – though estimates will vary, obviously:

  • Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
  • Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
  • Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.

There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live, but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:

  • Ashton Moss (Ashton line) – 183 spaces and 12 disabled spaces
  • Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
  • Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces

Walk/cycle

Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly, and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.

Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes via the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.

For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.

Read more:

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

Featured Images – Publicity Pictures (supplied)

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