One of the city’s most iconic charities has announced an exciting new partnership with HideOut Youth Zone to support Manchester’s “ambitious young people”.
We Love MCR Charity has welcomed HideOut Youth Zone as the latest referral partner for its unique ‘Manchester’s Rising Stars Fund’ – which launched for 2021 back in January, and offers the region’s 16-25 year olds grants of up to £2,000 to help them take their next steps to success in work, qualifications or entrepreneurship.
It has joined over 30 of Manchester’s leading youth organisations providing the city’s most ambitious young people with the best possible start by removing financial barriers to their success.
We're delighted to share the news that we've partnered with HideOut Youth Zone in Gorton!@HideOut_YZ's state of the art youth provision will direct talented young Mancs to apply to our unique Manchester's Rising Stars Fund 🌟
HideOut Youth Zone in Gorton is a flagship £6.6 million youth centre for young people across Manchester, which overcame all odds by opening during the height of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
It is dedicated to supporting young people with three core provisions they all need and deserve – “somewhere to go, something to do, and someone to talk to”.
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HideOut Youth Zone
The Manc Group
HideOut supports young people to fulfil their potential, and the Manchester’s Rising Stars Fund is the perfect stepping-stone to help young people progress from the Youth Zone into a successful career or business.
The centre’s state-of-the art catering department, media studio, and health and beauty facilities offer unparalleled development opportunities for young people.
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“HideOut Youth Zone offers incredible support and guidance for young people across Manchester”. Councillor Tommy Judge, Lord Mayor of Manchester and We Love MCR Charity’s Chair of Trustees, said.
“Now, our Rising Stars grants will help their ambitious young Mancunians to take their next steps to success.
“Our grants ensure that money will not be the barrier to ambition in Manchester”.
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We Love MCR Charity
Adam Farricker – CEO at HideOut Youth Zone added: “We’re excited to link with We Love MCR Charity to add their fantastic Rising Stars grants to our offer, building on the vital support we already offer.
“It’s a perfect partnership and I can’t wait to see the first grants awarded to some of our members”.
Keen to learn more about We Love MCR Charity’s unique offer?
You can read all the Manchester’s Rising Stars Fund page on the We Love MCR Charity website here, and explore HideOut’s amazing opportunities here.
Featured Image – The Manc Group | We Love MCR Charity
News
Spike in antisemitic incidents reported after Manchester synagogue terror attack
Emily Sergeant
A new report has revealed that there was a rise in antisemitic incidents reported following the Manchester synagogue terror attack.
In case you need a reminder, the shocking knife and car attack took place on 2 October 2025 on Yom Kippur – the holiest day in the Jewish calendar – at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, and during the incident, two men sadly lost their lives during the attack – Adrian Daulby, 53, who was shot dead by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) while trying to stop the attacker from entering the synagogue, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, a worshipper who also helped stop the attacker.
The attacker was named as 35-year-old Jihad al Shamie – a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent who lived in Prestwich – who at the time was on bail for an alleged rape, before being shot dead by police.
In the wake of the attack, the Community Security Trust (CST), which monitors antisemitism in the UK, said 40 antisemitic incidents were reported on 2 October last year, and a further 40 were reported the day after – more than half of which involved direct reactions to the deadly attack.
These were the highest daily totals in 2025.
A spike in antisemitic incidents were reported after the Manchester synagogue terror attack / Credit: Google Maps | GMP
Three of the reported incidents on 2 and 3 October involved ‘face-to-face taunting and celebration of the attack to Jewish people’, according to the CST.
39 of the reported incidents were antisemitic social media posts referencing the attack, abusive responses to public condemnations of the attack from Jewish organisations and individuals, or antagonistic emails sent to Jewish people and institutions.
The Manchester synagogue attack was the first fatal antisemitic terror attack in the UK since the CST started recording incidents in 1984.
Overall, 3,700 anti-Jewish hate incidents were recorded in 2025 – which is said to be up 4% on the incidents recorded in the year before – and the CST revealed that this the second-highest annual total ever recorded.
There was also a spike in reported anti-Jewish hate incidents following the Bondi Beach killings in Sydney in December of last year too, the CST said.
Dave Rich, who is the director of police at CST, told Sky News in a statement: “We need a more robust approach to the kind of extremism that drives antisemitism.
“Jewish people in Britain used to be able to go about their lives without ever thinking about antisemitism, and now it’s the topic of conversation around every dinner table. That’s new.
“It feels for a lot of Jewish people like we’re in a different world now, the atmosphere is different, the climate has changed for Jewish people and the amount of antisemitism is part of that.”
Featured Image – GMP
News
Trailer released for new romcom Finding Emily set and filmed all across Manchester
Emily Sergeant
The first trailer for a new romcom that’s set and filmed all across Manchester has been released.
The film, titled Finding Emily, tells the story of a lovesick musician, played by Spike Fearn, who meets his dream girl on a night out, but ends up with the wrong phone number, and so teams up with a driven psychology student, played by Angourie Rice, in a bid to find her.
Together, the unlikely duo spark a hilarious campus-wide frenzy that tests their own hearts and ambitions along the way.
The film – which is directed by Alicia MacDonald, and based on a screenplay written by Rachel Hirons – is produced by Working Title Films, is set in the fictional Manchester City University, and is due to be distributed by Focus Features and Universal Pictures across the UK and internationally this spring.
The talented ensemble cast groups together big names like Minnie Driver with rising stars like Ella Maisy Purvis, Yali Topal Margalith, and Kat Ronney, as well as other established actors including Timothy Innes and Nadia Parkes.
Filming took place in Manchester between August and September 2024.
The two and a half-minute trailer has been shared with the world today, and when we say it’s a Manc film, we mean it… we quite literally lost count of how many of our city’s famous locations can be spotted in just the trailer alone.
The trailer has been released for new romcom Finding Emily set and filmed in Manchester / Credit: Universal Pictures & Focus Features (via YouTube)
There’s everything from Manchester Central Library and Piccadilly Records, to Canal Street and the Gay Village, the Northern Quarter, the Crown & Kettle pub in Ancoats, and even the Emmeline Pankhurst statue in St Peter’s Square featured for all to see, alongside what’ll, presumably, be dozens of other famous locations.
Oh, and not to mention, if you keep your eyes peeled when watching the trailer, you can even see a small clip of Stockport band Blossoms playing a gig in there too.
Emily Sergeant -
28th April 2021 
