A new loyalty scheme has launched at some of Greater Manchester’s top restaurants which promises to ditch the ‘tired points system’ in favour of much better discounts and offers.
Club IR comes from Individual Restaurants, the group behind Piccolino, Riva Blu, and Restaurant Bar & Grill, with 32 restaurants across the UK.
And with the new loyalty scheme, they’re offering members exclusive deals and experiences, such as a round of drinks on your birthday and special discounts running throughout the week.
For a limited time only, anyone who signs up to Club IR (which is completely free, by the way) will be in with a chance to win a £250 voucher to dine, along with a bottle of Champagne.
Club IR discounts that are available at its beautiful, newly-refurbished Piccolino restaurant and across all venues include 15% off dining on Mondays and Tuesdays, 50% off all wine and champagne on Wednesdays, and sharing roasts on Sundays with a complimentary dessert for members.
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Newly-launched is Club Friday, where Club IR members can get two courses and a drink for £25 every week at Piccolino.
Dishes on the exclusive menu include arancina and calamari fritti for your primi course, and a huge list of pizzas and pastas for secondi, like salami and nduja pizza or tagliatelle alla bolognese.
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There are also steak and Malbec evenings for just £35 on Thursdays at Restaurant Bar & Grill locations (the nearest to Manchester is the stunning Opera in Chester).
Club IR actually has three tiers of membership available, from Club to Black to Diamond, with different benefits and money-can’t-buy experiences for each tier.
There are VIP events aplenty, like parties, top sporting events, and once-in-a-lifetime trips to top culinary destinations.
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Club IR’s bespoke approach has been created following research into customer appetites, which has found that we all much prefer a variety of offers and discounts instead of a points-based loyalty programme.
It has an easy-to-use app that gets members easy access to offers, updates and perks.
If you sign up for Club IR now, you’ll be entered into a competition to win a £250 voucher to dine at the restaurant, plus a bottle of champagne.
Spend summer in space as 30ft rocket ship arrives at Science and Industry Museum next month
Emily Sergeant
Get ready to spend the summer in space, as Manchester’s Science and Industry Museum has announced its summer events programme.
And it’s full of free interactive events and activities to get involved with.
As the temperatures rise, schools across Greater Manchester get ready to break up for summer, and parents and carers gear up to entertain the little ones, the Science and Industry Museum has just announced its summer events programme – with some new space-themed activities on the lineup for the first time.
It’s time to embark on an unforgettable adventure through the Solar System, as families can blast off on a journey packed with hands-on experiences and cosmic fun.
Science and Industry Museum has announced its summer events programme / Credit: Science Museum Group
From live space shows and giant rockets, to tinkering activities Martian discovery trails, and the chance to visit the blockbuster exhibition Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos if you haven’t already, budding astronauts are in for a summer to remember.
By far one of the stand-out free events this summer is the arrival of 30-foot-tall rocket ship, Skybolt 2 – hosted by Manchester-based aerospace company, Starchaser – giving visitors the chance to revel at the real-life space craft and meet the team behind the rocket.
Designed to reach speeds of up to 3200mph, Skybolt 2 first flew in September 2017 and still displays some visible marks from its landing.
There’ll also be a new twist on the classic seaside puppet show, as artist Solar Sister brings space stories to life during interactive walkabout performances alongside an astronaut puppet companion.
Little Mancs can even get involved with draw-a-long workshops, take on space-inspired LEGO challenges, and even turn everyday items into instruments by joining a junk percussion jam inspired by space waste.
Then, on Wednesday 12 August, rocket activities will be swapped for a special event to mark the upcoming solar eclipse.
Expect live interactive shows, demonstrations, spectacular images of the Sun disappearing on giant screens, as well opportunities to discover more about this rare celestial event.
Science and Industry Museum’s Director, Sally MacDonald, said free and affordable experiences are ‘more essential than ever’ during the summer holidays.
“Our summer programme will offer families memorable days out to enjoy together, giving them the opportunity to explore the universe without even leaving Manchester,” she added.
The summer events programme will be running at the Science and Industry Museum from Saturday 18 July through to Tuesday 1 September, and you can find out more here.
Featured Image – Science Museum Group
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A dedicated anime, movie and gaming concert with a live orchestra is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
Calling all self-proclaimed otakus, cinephiles and gamers: a huge concert experience will see dozens of musicians bring classic anime, film and gaming soundtracks and scores to life later this year, right here in Manchester.
The city is no stranger to events celebrating these beloved kinds of media, but you’ll struggle to find another bringing all of them together in one place.
Brought to us Mancs by KIN Music Entertainment, a locally founded arts, events and music label, this celebration of all things pop culture – and specifically, the music tied to it.
Entitled ‘The Kin & Fushigi Anime, Film & Videogame Orchestra’, this passionate collective serves as not only a platform for rising artists but also to hear some iconic sonic moments like never before.
KIN have created a large-scale live concert experience which will bring together a 25-piece pop orchestra made up of emerging professional performers and conservatoire graduates.
Aside from the impressive total of people behind this production to begin with, they also form an immersive hybrid orchestral and live band capable of bringing.
Speaking on the upcoming date, KIN Entertainment said in a statement: “We wanted to create the kind of live experience that many anime and videogame fans in Manchester have been waiting for — something cinematic, emotional and community-driven that brings these sound worlds to life with the energy of both an orchestra and a live band.”
Kin was founded by bassist, composer and ensemble performer Alejandro Urbina Diaz, who first brought his talents and wider interests over from Mexico to the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) here in the city centre at the age of 23.
Citing Manchester’s multiculturalism and cosmopolitan cultural fabric as a big part of his inspiration, he and his team have ended up carving out this niche for themselves, and now they’ll be playing this beloved music to Mancs at none other than the O2 Ritz.
Credit: KIN Music Entertainment (supplied via Academy Music Group Digital)
With new arrangements inspired by anime, cinematic and videogame culture, not to mention orchestral and even rock crossover twists – including both vocalist and rhythm sections, by the way – it’s set to be a highly unique experience that most will have never come across before.
This event itself is suitable for audiences aged 14+, although under-16s must be accompanied by an adult, and it’s taking place at the Ritz on Sunday, 26 July.
We’re not going to spoil any more details about the show for you, so which particular pieces of pop culture they reference will just have to be a surprise…
Daisy Jackson -
21st June 2024 
