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A huge board game festival is happening in Manchester this weekend

Tabletop Gaming Live is taking over the historic Cotton Sheds at Victoria Warehouse on Saturday 17 & Sunday 18 September.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 16th September 2022

There’ll be over 100 different games to play when a huge board game festival sets up shop right here in Manchester this weekend.

Run by the teams behind the Tabletop Gaming and Miniature Wargames magazines, and with games across the whole hobby, from must-see miniatures, to incredible indie RPGs and hot new board games, this epic two-day gaming convention gives the people of Greater Manchester and beyond the chance to play some of the most exciting games out right now.

The show is set to bring together gamers from across the country to our city centre for the first time.

Tabletop Gaming Live is taking over the historic Cotton Sheds at Victoria Warehouse on Saturday 17 & Sunday 18 September – which festival organisers say offers ample space for the 5000+ expected hobbyists and 100+ traders, publishers, and designers.

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A huge board game festival is happening in Manchester this weekend / Credit: Tabletop Gaming

So, what can you expect to see this weekend then?

Well, as Tabletop Gaming’s inaugural Manchester show is sponsored by local hobby titans Steamforged Games, they will be demoing Bardsung and showing-off upcoming titles, while Fanboy 3 – which has been at the heart of the Manchester gaming scene for years – will be presenting some of the biggest publishers from the US.

They are joined by Manchester indie legend Hall or Nothing – who will be showing new titles like the historical battler 1815: Scum of the Earth, and Manchester’s biggest gaming group Tabletop Manchester.

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Some of the other new games at the 2022 festival include – Amelia’s Secret (Hachette Board Games UK), Star Wars Villainous: Power of the Dark Side (Ravensburger), the new edition of Kingmaker, Call to Adventure: Epic Origins (Brotherwise Games), and Cartaventura Caravans (BLAM!).

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There’ll be hands-on games demos and events happening all weekend at various different stands.

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You can also roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty with a variety of workshops too, including learning how to make your first game with James Wallis (The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen), create an RPG in an afternoon with Chris McDowall (Into The Odd Remastered), or even make your own miniature with Kit-bashing YouTube star Bill Making Stuff.

Tabletop Gaming Live is promising to bring a huge weekend of gaming where you can “get stuck into the hobby like you never have before”.

Fancy it then? There’s still time to grab tickets from £11 here.

Featured Image – Tabletop Gaming

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A new Mediterranean grill restaurant has opened in the Northern Quarter

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant

A new Mediterranean grill restaurant has just opened in the Northern Quarter, bringing an exciting mixture of smoky charcoaled meats and ancient wines to the former Solita burger site.

Called Pupa Restaurant, it celebrates a full range of European flavours: serving up plates of grilled halloumi, mixed meats, and whole grilled fish alongside a list of carefully chosen wines, many made by its owner’s uncles back home in Albania.

Opened by Armando Pupa, a 27-year-old chef who has worked for a number of different restaurants in and around the city, the eponymous site boasts its very own signature wine list with a choice of four different vintages: Puls i Arte i Beratit, Serina red, Dodona red and Serina rose.

Each comes with its own recommended pairing. The Puls i Arte i Beratit is a white, perfect with raw and grilled seafood or white meat, whilst the Dodona red, a blend of three different grapes, pairs best with ham, grilled chicken and red meat.

Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats

Elsewhere, a more extensive list of wines sit alongside solid selection of classic and signature cocktails, beers and softs – but the main draw here has to be vintages, all imported from a family winery of the same name in Berat, Albania.

On the menu, you’ll find a sizeable grill section with various marinated skewers, tender lamb cutlets, premium cuts of steak, and plump king prawns slathered in spiced garlic and herb butter, with sides like chips, salad and rice all served separately.

Elsewhere, a list of light starters including calamari, mixed olives, and homemade croquettes stuffed with cheese and bacon promise to set your meal up perfectly, before you finish off with desserts like creme brulee, cheesecake, salted caramel mousse and chocolate cake.

Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats

Alongside a list of flavourful Mediterranean plates, diners will also find a list of towering dirty burgers and a mammoth sharing platters, featuring melt-in-the-mouth meats that have been marinated for hours before going on top of the restaurant’s specially-built charcoal grill.

Sitting just off the beaten track of the Northern Quarter, just one row behind the ever-busy Thomas Street. under the stewardship of its new owner Pupa is breathing new life into a site that has sat empty for years.

Read more: Free school meals extended in Manchester over the Christmas holidays

With huge boards of Spanish chorizo, chicken and lamb skewers, chicken wings, Mediterranean rice, Greek salad, and blackened veg sure to tempt large groups of diners in, it’s certainly bringing something a little bit different to this corner of the city.

Image: The Manc Eats

Whilst it has already been open for a month, this Friday 7 October, the restaurant is hosting a launch party to meet its new Northern Quarter neighbours.

From 5pm, Pupa will open for a knees up that will see the team handing out complimentary glasses of prosecco on arrival alongside an array of tempting Mediterannean plates and desserts.

Staff will also be handing out vouchers for 10% off food and drink that will be valid for use until the end of November.

Read more: A Manchester pizzeria is selling a giant SPAM pizza with pineapple jam

Pupa is open seven days a week from 5-10pm Monday to Wednesday and 12-10pm Thursday to Sunday. To find out more and book, visit the restaurant’s website here.

Feature image – The Manc Eats

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You can get a free therapy session in Manchester on World Mental Health Awareness Day 2022

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson

Monday will mark World Mental Health Awareness Day 2022, and a new high street mental health service will be offering free therapy sessions here in Manchester.

Locals will be able to spend 30 minutes with Self Space’s qualified experts, to reflect, reconnect, and maybe just find out what therapy is all about.

The free sessions will be taking place at Feel Good Club in the Northern Quarter, a cafe that was set up with a focus on well-being (as well as belting sandwiches).

Self Space itself was founded in 2019 and has just expanded into Manchester, with four stylish and welcoming therapy rooms in Ducie House. 

The aim is to create a simple, straightforward, modern and flexible approach to therapy. 

Self Space has opened in Manchester and is doing pop-up therapy sessions at Feel Good Club. Credit: Supplied

Founder Jodie Cariss says she wants to make therapy as ‘everyday as going to the gym, getting a haircut or grabbing a coffee’. 

There are loads of barriers and reasons that prevent people from seeking mental health help, whether it’s long waiting lists or expensive therapy sessions.

At conventional mental health services, there’s an average waitlist of four months.

But at Self Space’s high street therapy centres – in London, Brighton, and now another here in Manchester – you can see a therapist the same day as booking, seven days a week. 

A 70-strong clinical team of multi-disciplined therapists makes it all possible. 

And that’s another thing that sets Self Space apart – you can be paired with a therapist that is the right fit for you using their free therapist-matching service, saving you scrolling endlessly through directories. 

There are other barriers standing between people and the mental health help they need, beyond the logistics of actually getting an appointment.

Some people will be put off by the fear of the unknown. Others might not feel ‘low enough’ to seek professional advice.

Read more: Why following Feel Good Club is the biggest favour you can do yourself

The pop-up therapy sessions will open the door to the benefits of seeking professional help.

One in four of us will experience a mental health condition at some point in our lives, so the free Self Space pop-up is a brilliant chance to see how you can arm yourself with the tools and professional help that could make the world of difference. 

Their therapy sessions encourage a Mental Maintenance approach which will support you when life gets a bit messy, whether it’s burnout, stress, anxiety, grief or something else.

The pop-up, free therapy sessions will take place at Feel Good Club in the Northern Quarter in Manchester on Monday 10 October. You can book your session here.

Featured image: Supplied

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