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!”
Former GMP officer jailed after being found guilty of several online child sex offences
Emily Sergeant
A former police officer from Salford has been sentenced after being found guilty of a string of online child sex offences.
Following a trial back in July, 35-year-old Michael Aspinall was sentenced at Preston Crown Court earlier this week (Monday 14 September) after being found guilty of three counts of attempting sexual communication with a child.
It comes after Aspinall – who was employed by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) at the time of the offences – was arrested in October 2024 by detectives from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU), and was immediately suspended from duty following his arrest.
The investigation began after evidence was obtained that Aspinall had been communicating online with individuals that he believed to be children, but he was in fact communicating with a police officer.
Following this series of interactions, he was charged with various offences.
In addition to his eight-month sentence – which has been suspended for two years – Aspinall will also be placed on the sex offender’s register for 10 years, subject to a five-year serious crime prevention order, and have undertake 20 days of rehabilitation, GMP has confirmed.
He has additionally been added to the College of Policing’s barred list.
An application to request forfeiture of Aspinall’s police pension has also been made to the Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester.
“Aspinall’s offending was clearly unacceptable for any right-minded member of society and particularly inappropriate for a serving police officer,” commented Detective Chief Inspector Gareth Humphreys, from GMP’s Professional Standards Directorate.
“His actions put the whole police service under scrutiny, but thanks to the hard work and diligence of undercover officers, he was arrested, found guilty, and has now received his punishment.”
DCI Humphreys concluded: “[Aspinall’s] actions take away from the hard work of the men and women who work so hard for their communities every day, and it is only right that anyone committing these sort of offences are rooted out.”
Featured Image – GMP
News
Council announces return of FREE firework displays in Manchester parks
Emily Sergeant
The skies over Manchester will light up once again, as free firework displays are set to return to several of the city’s parks.
You may remember that major fireworks events throughout the city had been paused following the COVID-19 pandemic, due to funding challenges, with Manchester City Council choosing to invest in a range of other community-focused events across throughout the autumn season instead, rather than one-off firework celebrations.
But now, once this November rolls around, all of that is set to change.
That’s because, on Saturday 7 November, free fireworks events will return to Heaton Park, Wythenshawe Park, and Platt Fields Park.
First up, there will be a reduced-noise, low-impact display at 5pm for families and SEND audiences, and a main fireworks display then to follow a little later at 8pm.
The Council has announced the return of free firework displays in Manchester parks / Credit: Unsplash
Each of the three parks will host lantern making workshops in the weeks leading up to the events too, with family-friendly lantern parades taking place ahead of the 8pm firework shows.
The Council says that the return of the free fireworks events reflects residents’ recent feedback about what they want to see in their community and how they want funding to be distributed.
“It’s a chance, at the start of the shorter days and beginning of the dark winter months, to come together and resume a much-loved annual tradition as well as enjoying an evening of safe entertainment and spectacular fireworks displays,” Manchester City Council said in a statement.
Councillor Basat Sheikh, who is the Executive Member for Neighbourhoods, added: “We are delighted to announce and welcome the return of our much-loved fireworks celebrations.
It’s the first time they’ve returned since the COVID-19 pandemic / Credit: Elisha Terada (via Unsplash)
“Our parks should be shared spaces that create opportunities for Manchester people to gather, which is why bringing back the fireworks displays was top of our agenda. And we also recognise the importance of community which is why we will also continue to invest in a wide range of activities in our parks throughout the year.
“The return of these events is a wonderful opportunity for families and communities to create lasting memories and enjoy the long-standing tradition of fireworks in our parks in a safe way.”
Georgina Pellant -
9th November 2022 
