In what can only be described as a throwback to the nostalgic drinks of our student years, this week in The Manc office we’re getting excited about the return of an especially festive limited edition flavour of VK.
Get ready for your tongue to turn an insatiable bright red because, in preparation for the Christmas season, the VK team has re-released a popular limited edition flavour.
Yes, we’re talking about the sweet strawberry and peppermint VK Candy Cane. What’s more, we don’t expect they’ll be hanging around for long – so VK fans need to be quick off the mark to get their hands on this festive fan favourite.
First created in homage to the iconic Christmas sweet back in 2019, the last time they were released Candy Cane mixed packs sold out across the UK by 15 December following unprecedented demand
Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats
The fruity-flavoured alcopops already come in a variety of flavours, with VK Blue, Watermelon, and Orange & Passionfruit all firmly established as cheap party staples, but now there’s a new one for shoppers to hunt out on supermarket shelves.
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The bottles are available in limited edition festive Mixed Packs, available from Tesco, ASDA, B&M, and Home Bargains from the start of November.
The festive VK Mixed Pack, which contains 10 x 275ml bottles of the 4% drink, have an RRP of £10.
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Flavours include VK Candy Cane and a selection of VK favourites – Blue, Strawberry & Lime, Orange & Passion Fruit, Tropical Fruits, Apple & Mango, Watermelon, Black Cherry, and Raspberry & Peach.
Those purchasing a festive Mixed Pack this year will also be in with a chance of winning their very own VK Christmas jumper.
There are over 100 Golden Tickets placed randomly in the festive Mixed Packs – and all that winners have to do is take a picture of their ticket and send this to @VKdrink on Instagram to claim their jumper (while stock last).
There are also hundreds of Christmas prizes to be won in multiple giveaways across VK’s Instagram this Christmas, including VK Santa hats.
Charlie Leaver, Head of Brand at Global Brands Ltd: “At VK we love all that Christmas brings, from celebrations with friends and family through to fun flavours like gingerbread and candy cane. Following huge demand for candy cane in 2019, we couldn’t help but bring it back for fans to try this year.
“We hope you enjoy celebrating Christmas with this fan favourite!”
Greater Manchester’s heritage railway issues statement as it’s forced to cancel services this week
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester’s iconic heritage railway has been forced to cancel its services this weekend due to the heatwave.
In case you hadn’t heard, Amber Extreme Heat warnings and heat-health alerts have been issued by the Met Office and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) through to Thursday this week – with temperatures widely exceeding 35°C nationwide, and in some areas – particularly on the south coast – potentially even reaching 38°C.
Heatwave conditions in the UK are met when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days with temperature values meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold for that location.
It does seem, however, that northern parts of the country – especially the North West – are missing most of the extremely hot conditions.
Current forecasts indicate that the peak temperatures for Greater Manchester this week will be tomorrow and Thursday, with highs of 33°C in the city centre.
Despite not reaching the heights of the south, East Lancashire Railway (ELR) has still had to act in advance and has taken the decision to cancel its scheduled services for the next two days as the forecast is ‘too severe’.
Taking to social media to share its decision today, ELR wrote: “Due to the current weather warning for the UK, the decision has been taken to cancel all services on Wednesday 24th and Thursday 25th June 2026, including the afternoon tea and mid-week luncheon dining experiences.
“The welfare of both staff and customers is paramount to the ELR, and we believe that the risk in the extreme heat that has been forecast is too severe to allow for the running of our ordinary services.”
As things stand, ELR says its current plan is to have services resume with the evening dining train on Friday 26 June, but this will still be ‘subject to review’, and further updates on this will be issued later in the week.
Visitors who have already pre-booked services over the two cancelled days will be contacted via email to have their options explained to them.
“We apologise for any inconvenience,” ELR closed out its statement.
Featured Image – ELR
News
TfGM issues safety warning and advice for travelling on public transport during extreme heat wave – including ‘get off’
Daisy Jackson
Transport for Greater Manchester has urged passengers to ‘stay safe’ when travelling as the city braces for an extreme heatwave this week.
As well as issuing some safety advice, TfGM has also warning that delays and disruption are possible across the network as temperatures climb as high as 36ºC on Wednesday and Thursday this week.
Customers are being advised to carry water with them when travelling, and to wear light clothing.
Also included in the travel advice is to ‘get off’ public transport at the next stop if you feel unwell, to seek fresh air.
It’s also advised to allow more time for your journey and to check the latest information and advice before setting off.
And most importantly, passengers are asked to look out for each other, especially those who are vulnerable.
The Bee Network may experience disruption later this week as the overhead lines that power the trams and trains are often adversely affected by high temperatures.
TfGM’s Customer and Growth Director, Fran Wilkinson, said: “Very high temperatures are forecast this week that can affect both people and the transport network.
“We will have staff out to help those who need it, and I would encourage customers to take a few simple steps to stay safe and comfortable while travelling, such as by carrying water, travelling at cooler times of the day and looking out for others.
“Due to the heat, there may be some disruption to Bee Network or local train services and I would encourage people to check for the latest information and advice before making their journey.”
TfGM advice for travelling in heatwave
Carry water and drink plenty of fluids
Avoid travelling during the hottest part of the day where possible
Wear light clothing and stay in the shade
If you feel unwell while travelling, get off at the next stop and seek fresh air
Plan your journey, check for the latest information and advice before setting off and allow extra time to make your journey
Look out for other passengers who may need help, especially those who are more vulnerable
Bee Network staff will be out across the network to help passengers, who can get the latest travel information and advice by checking the website or app.
Georgina Pellant -
9th November 2022 
