Work on the UK’s first city-based waterpark and wellness resort right here in Manchester has finally begun this week.
It’s been a long time coming, especially with plans for the development having been first unveiled all the way back in early March 2020 – but it’s now been confirmed that regeneration business Peel L&P has finished clearing the 28,000 sq m former EventCity conference and exhibition centre at the Trafford City site on Barton Dock Road.
And this means that work to bring the £250 million flagship Therme Manchester development to reality has finally begun.
Dubbed an ‘urban oasis’ and spanning a whopping 28-acres opposite the Trafford Centre and Trafford Palazzo, Therme Manchester – which is being built by global developer and operator, Therme Group – is gearing up to be “a beacon for the North West”.
A wide range of attractions for all ages and budgets form part of the plans.
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Work finally begins on Manchester’s huge new £250m waterpark and wellness resort / Credit: Therme Manchester
Greater Manchester’s first all-season urban beach, and an indoor waterpark with dozens of water slides, thermal pools, spas, and saunas and steam rooms are just some of the attractions in the works.
There’s also plans for an education centre at the resort, which is being designed especially for schools and community groups to learn about nature and sustainability.
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Access to local cycleways and paths is also set to be improved as part of Therme Group’s commitment to creating active connectivity to Manchester and nearby neighbourhoods to encourage the concept of ‘Wellbeing Cities’.
Therme Manchester is gearing up to be “a beacon for the North West” / Credit: Therme Manchester
“We are delighted to see the demolition works complete,” says Richard Land – Chief Development Officer at Therme Group UK.
“It’s fantastic to see the site cleared and showing its amazing potential to be a global wellbeing destination. It defines a key milestone for us as we continue our journey to bring Therme to Manchester, a perfect location for our first facility in the UK.”
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Peel L&P says it’s “proud to help bring such an amazing attraction to the North West” – with Executive Director of Development, James Whittaker, adding: “We know will be enjoyed by so many people across the country whether it’s for a fun family day out, relaxation or educational trips.”
Therme Group is known for its state-of-the-art wellbeing destinations, and has huge success with similar resorts across Europe over the past 20 years.
According to Peel L&P, Therme Manchester’s economic impact is estimated to be worth £4.5 billion to the region, and will include the creation of 1,200 jobs, as well as being forecast to save over one million hospital admission days per year.
There’ll be a strong focus on health, wellbeing, and sustainability once the resort opens.
Featured Image – Therme Manchester
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Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…
Emily Sergeant -
6th March 2023 
