Opinion

A night at Bongo’s Bingo

Stepping into the wild world of Bongo's Bingo.

Dolly Busby Dolly Busby - 10th December 2021

Bongo’s Bingo is hands-down a cracking night out. Mix up some cocktail pitchers with a rave in a historical hall and you’ve got a recipe for success.

But it’s also more than your average Manchester event. Bongo’s Bingo is mad, unadulterated entertainment: A Year Six disco crossed with an office Christmas party. Only this time, boys and girls are not lingering in opposite corners and the teachers are stood on tables singing ‘Sweet Caroline’ – fuelled up on Woo-Woos and jaeger bombs whilst waving glow sticks.

With Rich Furness and his two hype-men dressed in drag headlining the show, Bongo’s cranks up the volume and turns Albert Hall into an absolute riot.

Rich Furness and his two hype men dressed in drag are experts in entertainment.

Bongo’s is always that night-out where ‘that crazy thing’ happened.

During the event we attended, a lad stopped the game and proposed – a gesture greeted by hoots from an auditorium of smashed strangers and awarded with a pat on the back from Rich.

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And that’s the best thing about Bongo’s – nothing is off-limits, and no one cares. Everyone is there for one thing and one thing only – to get smashed and have a cracking night out.

Oh, and to play Bingo, of course.

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Bongo’s version of bingo is on steroids – and so are the prizes.

Here’s a bit more about what’s involved…

It’s a game of chance, anyone could be walking out with a serious cash prize

The Game:

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Bongo’s version of bingo is split into five games with three rounds.

First round is won by crossing off just one horizontal row, the second is won by two rows and the third by getting a full house.

Huge numbers flash up on the screen and are read out seriously quickly, so you’ve got to be on the ball. But that also means the more tequila consumed by your competitors, the higher chance of winning the later prizes (just a tip from us).

Then, the steroids kick in. Bongo’s takes a pensioner’s hobby and makes it wild, verging on an X-rated Mad Hatter’s party.

One false call and the crowd shouts “D*ckhead!” repeatedly at you – public humiliation you won’t forget.

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Shout “Bingo!” at the same time as someone else, and you’re in for a dance off.

Coco Pops that were won were immediately sprayed over the crowd.

The Prizes:

Prizes at Bongo’s range from a box of Coco Pops (sprayed over the crowd) to a life-size cut out of Michael Bublé – that’s right, you could win the king of Christmas himself.

If you’re really lucky, you might even wheel home a new Henry Hoover or a huge set of Disney Princess Barbies. There’s even a karaoke machine up for grabs – if you’re willing to sing for it.

Lucky winners can take home £50, £200 and £1,000 – and all you have to do is get drunk and turn up.

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Everyone’s a winner at Bongo’s, though. Singing Take That whilst ordering in another round of shots… it’s a class night out.

Sound like your bag? Find out more online.

Opinion

Come From Away at The Lowry – a 9/11 musical full of heart and hope

Oli Lowe Oli Lowe Come From Away at The Lowry - a 9/11 musical full of heart and hope

Let’s start with a summary of Come From Away – this is a theatre show about a small town on the coast of Canada, that when disaster shook the world on September 11th 2001, offered accommodation to over 7,000 passengers whose flights had been diverted due to the American airspace being closed.  

On the surface, you wouldn’t read the above summary of events and think ‘Let’s turn that cheery story into a musical’ but you simply have to believe me when I tell you that it just works.

Come From Away isn’t a story about disaster or tragedy (although both do feature heavily for obvious reasons) – it’s a story about community, hope and how when faced with the toughest of circumstances people are capable of extraordinary things.

The show opens in the unsuspecting town of Gander, Canada on the morning of 9/11. Gander was once home to the world’s largest airport, in a time gone by, when planes used to have to stop immediately after crossing the Atlantic.

This meant that Gander was the first place in North America that people such as The Beatles or even The Queen, ever landed. However, as we begin our story, Gander is now a small town with a population of about 11,000 and a derelict Airport, barely fit for purpose.

These circumstances changed very quickly when at 8:46am on September 11th 2001, a terrorist attack was committed on the World Trade Centre, New York. With the US airspace immediately closed, with all airborne planes now suspected to be terrorist weapons, all flights crossing the Atlantic had to be diverted to the nearest Canadian airport… Gander.   

Come From Away at The Lowry - a 9/11 musical full of heart and hope
Come From Away at The Lowry – a 9/11 musical full of heart and hope

This creates a scenario whereby within minutes a quiet unassuming town on the coast of Canada is expected to welcome over 7000 passengers from 38 different flights, without warning, without proper preparation and without any indication as to how long they’ll be staying.

When this tale is brought to life, it’s one that will bring you to tears. I have never in my life cried so much at a musical, which I know might not sound like the most resounding endorsement but it’s truly meant to be. There were of course sad tears, heartbreaking tears and sorrowful tears but there were also tears of joy, tears of quiet happiness and tears of hope.

When you think of the horrific events of 9/11, your thoughts immediately turn to the epicentre, to New York. I’d never considered the wider implications of that day, how thousands of people flying must have had their lives turned upside down, how panicked loved ones all across the world must have been, how communities globally were affected and how a small town in a completely different country was called into action.

I don’t want to give too much away in regards to the actual characters within this story or how their journeys play out through what must of been an incredibly tough time, but what I will say is that the characters in this story, all of whom are directly based on real people (more on that later), are some of the most inspirational human beings I’ve ever come across.

Come From Away is at The Lowry until 5 January
Come From Away is at The Lowry until 5 January

The show stars an extraordinary ensemble performance, with no leads or ‘main characters’, instead each of the twelve actors play a multitude of characters, whose stories inevitably intertwine with one and others. 

The staging and choreography for this show are also fantastic, very minimalist with the set mainly being made up of just chairs and small props, leading the audience to use their imaginations to fill in blanks.

I sadly can’t guarantee this at every performance of Come From Away but at the curtain call the night we watched, the real residents of Gander from whom the story is based on, came onto stage and gave a speech about how ‘none of them are heroes but instead just people who decided to do the right thing’… Which inevitably led to more tears from me and an even deeper appreciation of the show. 

I think this story is truly needed in the world we’re living in at the moment, with global tensions high, an economy that doesn’t favour most of us, and a lot of the world feeling more separated than ever before. This story, this beautiful, heartwarming and inspirational story shows us how even through the toughest of circumstances, we can work together for the betterment of everyone.

Please go and watch Come From Away. It’s one of the most beautiful stories I’ve seen brought to the stage and it deserves endless support from us Mancs whilst here in Salford.

It’s running throughout the festive season till 5 January and I guarantee you’ll walk away from it feeling just that little bit more hopeful about the world we live in. 

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Opinion

Carden Park – The award-winning Cheshire hotel with a stunning outdoor garden spa

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Hot tubs in the outdoor garden spa at Carden Park

Carden Park has long been one of the UK’s best spa hotels – in fact, just in September it was named Spa Hotel of the Year… again.

In the last 12 months its shelves have begun to groan under the weight of all the awards it’s accumulating, with its fine dining restaurant The Vines at Carden earning a third AA Rosette, placing it within the top 10% of venues in the UK.

And now Carden Park has unveiled the first phase of its £6.5m refurbishment, boosting its status even further with smart new bedrooms decorated in soft hues of blue and gold.

Carden Park is famed for its golfing and its outdoor pursuits, as well as its outdoor garden spa (we are very much here for the latter).

The luxury spa opened back in 2020, and features staggering features like a vitality pool, heated relaxation beds, Finnish sauna, a salt steam room, an aroma steam room, aroma showers, and a beautiful bio sauna with panoramic windows overlooking the hotel’s sweeping grounds.

And that’s just the indoor spa at Carden Park – I’m just getting started.

Carden Park's indoor pool
Carden Park’s indoor pool
The Finnish sauna at Carden Park
The Finnish sauna at Carden Park
The indoor pool at night
The indoor pool at night

Its crowning glory is its outdoor garden spa, where footpaths weave between sunken hot tubs and heated thermal pods.

There’s an outdoor pool, also heated, with body massagers built in, and the sight of the steam rising from the pool over the frosty lawns is one for sore eyes and limbs.

From the all-weather Bollinger champagne bar, you can order a mulled wine or a glass of fizz, to sip around the fire pit or on a sun lounger (maybe not the latter at this time of year).

There’s also a panoramic herbal lounge, with sweeping views of the 1000 acre estate at Carden Park.

A panoramic herbal lounge
A panoramic herbal lounge
The fire pit
The fire pit
The Bollinger Bar at Carden Park Spa
The Bollinger Bar at Carden Park Spa
Carden Park's outdoor pool
Carden Park’s outdoor pool
A heated outdoor pod with Carden Park in the background.
A heated outdoor pod with Carden Park in the background.

A current package running until the new year – the Comfort & Joy Spa Experience – includes access to this incredible spa as well as a 50 minute ‘Time to Pause’ treatment.

Here, your sore muscles are scrubbed and loosened before you flip over for an invigorating facial, using cold stones to cool, soothe and drain toxins from your face.

It’s one of the most thorough and efficient treatments I’ve had at a spa and will leave you feeling pampered, relaxed and invigorated all at once.

The Comfort and Joy Spa Experience package also includes overnight accommodation, dinner in either restaurant, breakfast, a mulled wine or hot chocolate, and loads more.

A refurbished bedroom at Carden Park
A refurbished bedroom at Carden Park
The view from the refurbished bedrooms
The view from the refurbished bedrooms
A refurbished bedroom en suite at Carden Park
A refurbished bedroom en suite at Carden Park

And back across at the main hotel, Carden Park’s 197 rooms are slowly being refurbished and crafted into luxury spaces with plenty of British details.

From the premium beds to the huge marble bathrooms, you’ll want to stay forever.

While The Vines at Carden might be the hotel’s more lavish restaurant, its Redmond’s Brasserie is also exceptional, with a menu full of British dishes including steaks, pies, and puddings.

This is also where guests head for breakfast, where there’s a full buffet of hot food, continental items and even a pancake-making machine.

The bar upstairs at the Carden Park spa
The bar upstairs at the Carden Park spa
Dinner at Redmond's Brasserie
Dinner at Redmond’s Brasserie
Redmond's Brasserie
Redmond’s Brasserie

And after your breakfast, you can stroll around the hotel’s magnificent grounds, where there’s a vineyard, tennis courts, a lake, and a full sculpture park.

Director and general manager of Carden Park Hotel Hamish Ferguson said of the new
refurbishments: “The overhaul of our hotel bedrooms marks a significant chapter in Carden Park Hotel’s
journey.

“We are thrilled to embark on this exciting project to enhance our luxury accommodation, reinforcing our commitment to providing an exceptional and rejuvenating experience for our guests.

“Sustainability has been at the forefront of all previous renovations at the hotel, and we endeavour to continue this trajectory in all future transformation projects.”

The Comfort and Joy Spa Experience at Carden Park

  • A morning garden spa experience between 9am and 1pm (8.30am arrival)
  • Overnight luxury accommodation
  • A divine 50-minute Time-to-Pause ritual treatment; including back exfoliation and calming facial. Learn more about the treatment here.
  • £30 dinner allowance to be used in either Redmond’s Brasserie or The Vines (Thursday only) – Cheshire’s award-winning fine dining restaurant
  • Full English and Continental breakfast included in your stay
  • Access to the hotel state-of-the-art leisure club and 20-metre pool
  • Either a mulled wine or luxury hot chocolate included in your spa experience

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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