Shopping

Someone is selling the life-size animal lanterns from Manchester’s Lightopia festival

How did they end up there?!

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 28th March 2024

You can now buy yourself a life-size light-up zebra, as seen at Manchester’s huge Lightopia lantern festival.

In what is undoubtedly the most unusual Facebook Marketplace listing we’ve seen in a hot minute, someone is selling off a flock of the animal-shaped lanterns.

These huge glowing beasts flocked the fields of Heaton Park for several years as part of the Lightopia festival, which created beautiful installations in a family-friendly light trail.

Probably the most popular of all the installations every year were the animal sections.

Because who doesn’t want to be walking in the dark through the woods and suddenly be faced with a life-size illuminated bull?

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Lightopia left Manchester for good in early 2023 (replaced last year by the Christmas at Heaton Park light trail, from the makers of Christmas at Kew), and we have actually been wondering what happened to all the massive lanterns that had filled the park.

Well, turns out they’ve ended up in what appears to be someone’s back garden in Bolton.

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And now they could be yours, if you have a couple of hundred quid in the bank and an urge to have a big fake lion in your garden.

The animal lanterns for sale include a massive bull, a zebra, and a lion, though the lion’s rear end looks like it’s seen better days.

It’s not cheap to adopt a light-up wild animal though – they’re asking £300 each, but £350 for the bull, but are open to offers for a bulk buy, if you fancy starting your own very stationary zoo.

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Someone is selling the huge animal lanterns from Manchester's Lightopia festival. Credit: Facebook
Someone is selling the life-size animal lanterns from Manchester's Lightopia festival
Someone is selling the life-size animal lanterns from Manchester's Lightopia festival
Someone is selling the huge animal lanterns from Manchester’s Lightopia festival. Credit: Facebook

The listing states: “These were part of Lightopia who ran lighting festivals throughout the year.

“All have internal lights (which will need checking).

“They will need some maintenance some the thin like plastic covering split or missing built on steal frames.

“Collection only you need big van I know a van man to.”

Brb, off to bring home a lion with a hole in its haunches.

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Featured image: Facebook Marketplace

Shopping

Shoppers shocked to spot Easter chocolate on UK supermarket shelves before new year

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A handful of UK supermarkets have already started stocking the shelves with Easter chocolate, and shoppers are losing their minds over it.

We may be in the middle of the so-called ‘twixmas’ period right about now, with Christmas Day almost seeming like a distant memory, our minds casting forward to the new year, and nobody really having any idea what day it is… but surely time hasn’t fast forward to spring already? Well, a walk around your local supermarket might have you thinking otherwise.

The immediate days following the big day itself is usually when we see shops slash the price of the remaining Christmas chocolate in a bid to try and shift it off the shelves, and it usually means you can grab yourself a bargain if you’ve still got some sugar cravings to satisfy.

But once again this year though, just like in years previous, it appears as though some supermarkets might’ve skipped this step all together and moved straight on to selling Easter chocolate.

Bags of Cadbury Mini Eggs, boxes filled to the brim with Creme Eggs, and lots of other Easter treats have been spotted on the shelves at several supermarkets nationwide, and it’s fair to say it’s left people a shocked and confused.

Many have been taking to social media to share their thoughts on the madness.

Sure, we all know us Brits do love to complain, but we can probably all agree that this time it’s warranted, right?

“It’s not even the new year and the Easter chocolate is out. Why?,” one person wrote on X, while another added on a similar note: “It’s happened already, the local stores have just put their Easter eggs out next to the Christmas gifts.”

Some, on the other hand, seem to be a little more excited at the arrival of Easter chocolate and are even planning on “stockpiling” their favourites.

“Is it too soon to start stockpiling Easter eggs? That chocolate just hits different,” one person said.

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“Easter chocolate is the best,” another added on X.

Featured Image – The Manc Group

Shopping

Stockport institution Yu & Me announces closure after 30+ years

Danny Jones Danny Jones Yu & Me closing down Great Moor shop Stockport

Stockport is preparing to say goodbye to one of its shopping veterans as the once-popular hardware store and discount retailer Yu & Me is closing after more than three decades.

The beloved bits and bobs shop catered to virtually everyone’s needs, selling everything from homeware and DIY to garden furniture and toys, as well countless other essentials and random nicknacks, serving generations of Stopfordian families to earn a legendary local reputation.

However, the “handyman’s paradise” – which has also been described as everything from “Aladdin’s Cave” and a “gold mine”, to the place you go for “everything you didn’t know you needed” – is now set to shut down for good at the start of the new year.

Announcing the closure on social media, owner Warner Yu confirmed that 5 January will be their final day of business.

Credit: Warner Yu (via Facebook)
Credit: AEW Architects via SMBC planning

The shop, located on Buxton Road in Great Moor, is set to be part of the expansion plans laid out for the Co-op situated next door, with the building set to be demolished and redeveloped from the ground up following a recent planning application.

Writing in the post shared on Boxing Day, Yu said: “Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and has a great new year, All the best to all our wonderful Customers.

“Sorry but we will be closing down on the 5th of January 2025 as our lease has finally run out. ‘The Great Yu and Me Sale’ is now on until then. Wish you all the best and thank you for everything.”

The comments were flooded with love, support and sadness, with one person writing. “Oh no this isn’t what I wanted to read. What will I do without you guys? My heart is broken, at least your dad will be able to relax, he is a wonderful man – end of a special era.”

Another said in a lengthy response: Really awful to do this to Yu & Me honestly. Big companies like Co-op shouldn’t have [the] power to get rid of someone else’s business like this. If anything, they should at least build them their own space since… You know, it’s been there around 30/40 years. Pretty awful thing for them to do to Yu & Me, I hope they can find somewhere nearby to continue on honestly…”

One person even shared a somewhat tongue-in-cheek but still heartfelt tribute song, bidding farewell to the no-nonsense odds-and-ends institution.

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Although it is obviously sad news, the number of people sharing memories of going in with their parents, grandparents, or even taking their own children in there over the years is touching to read.

Warner’s father who ran the shop before him remains a popular figure even though he hasn’t been out on the shop floor these days; he famously raised thousands as part of the 2005 tsunami appeal.

Pulling funds from three different Yu & Me shops across Greater Manchester at the time, he said: “Money is no good to us when we die and we are lucky that we are not born in such places. Some customers may have only donated pennies but all together it’s raised a lot of money. One day these people may help us.”

As a Stopfordian born and bred myself, I can only thank the Yu family for their years of service and for being the only place nearby to find last-minute spray paint for my year 11 art project. Yu will be missed.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Google Maps/Warner Yu (via Facebook)/Peter Barr (via Geograph)

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