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Coronation Street legend Hilda Ogden has been recreated from flowers at The Royal Exchange in Manchester

It’s part of the Manchester Flower Festival this weekend.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 26th May 2023

A floral tribute to Coronation Street great Hilda Ogden has appeared in the heart of Manchester this week. 

The iconic soap character has been recreated from flowers, grasses and other plant life, down to her ever-present hair curlers. 

The floral Hilda is in position at The Royal Exchange this week, ready for the Manchester Flower Festival. 

The beautiful building will also be hosting a Bee Trail treasure hunt for the occasion on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 May. 

Friends, families, couples and any other fun-seekers are invited down to solve the clues and find the bees, with prizes up for grabs like a £100 voucher to spend at French Connection, Afternoon Tea for Two at Annies, a £50 floral bouquet from Royal Exchange Flowers, a meal for two at Pastan, vouchers from TGI Fridays and Michaels coffeehouse, and gifts from Hotel Chocolat, L’Occitane, The Body Shop and Sostrene Grene.

All you need to do is come along, pick up an entry form from one of the above-mentioned participating stores and get stuck in.

The floral Hilda Ogden at the Royal Exchange. Credit: The Manc Group
The Royal Exchange is taking part in the Manchester Flower Festival
The Royal Exchange is taking part in the Manchester Flower Festival. Credit: The Manc Group

The entire city will burst into colour with blooms installed all over our shops and streets for the late May bank holiday weekend. 

You can find the floral Hilda in the Royal Exchange Arcade from today.  

The Coronation Street sculpture has been created by Royal Exchange Flowers, the stunning little florist that opened in the building earlier this year. 

She stands in a garden of late spring flowers, alongside an armchair where people can capture a selfie, with hair fashioned from various grasses wrapped around curlers underneath her head scarf and her tabard recreated from a mosaic of fresh flowers including orchids, craspedia, thistles, Limonium and chrysanthemums. 

Anyone who snaps a selfie with Hilda, then posts it on Instagram tagging @royalexchangemanchester (you need to follow the page too), could win a £50 voucher to spend at The Royal Exchange. 

How to take part in the Bee Trail for the Manchester Flower Festival

  1. Grab an entry form on the day from any of the participating outlets*
  2. Each of the clues will, when solved, direct you to a specific outlet. 
  3. Once there, locate the hidden Bee picture and note its unique number down on the entry form next to the store or eatery’s name.
  4. Once you’ve completed the Trail, fill in your contact details and hand your entry form back in to one of the participating stores so that you will be entered in to the draw.
  5. Keep your fingers crossed that you’ve won a prize! 
  6. Winners will be drawn and notified within two weeks of the closing date. 

Participating outlets: French Connection, Annies restaurant, Pastan, Royal Exchange Flowers, L’Occitane, TGI Fridays, Michaels coffeehouse, Hotel Chocolat, The Body Shop and Sostrene Grene.

The Royal Exchange Manchester Bee Trail runs all day on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 May. 

And don’t forget your Hilda selfie for an extra chance to win! #HildaSelfie

Featured image: The Manc Group

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12 exciting new openings you NEED to know about at Cheshire Oaks over this past year

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Cheshire Oaks is hosting a FREE exclusive gig this summer to celebrate its 30th anniversary

Cheshire Oaks is already the UK’s largest designer outlet, but it’s been getting even bigger and better this past year.

Since originally opening back in 1995, the iconic shopping destination has gone from strength to strength over the past 30 years, having been extended on a number occasions to now boast more than 400,000 sq ft of retail space.

With over 4,000 employees and more than 21 million items sold annually across 140 stores and 19 food outlets, it’s safe to say Cheshire Oaks stands as the go-to destination in North West – and if it wasn’t already a shopper’s paradise enough as it is, 12 businesses have either opened their doors or had a refurb at the Designer Outlet within this past year.

If you were thinking of planning a trip to Cheshire Oaks, then now couldn’t be a more ideal time, so let us bring you up to speed on everything you may have missed.

We popped over recently to check out all the new openings.

Nike

There’s not much we need to say about Nike, really.

It’s already a world-famous sportswear brand, and has been a popular presence at Cheshire Oaks for a good number of years now, but late last year in October, the store had itself a show-stopping upsized refit, and is now the largest Nike outlet in the UK, so it’s well worth a visit.

PANGAIA

This is an exciting one, as this is the only Pangaia outlet store in the UK.

Opening its doors at Cheshire Oaks in early November last year, PANGAIA is an ethical clothing and lifestyle brand that designs products for ‘living in’, and prides itself of producing products with smart technology and using as many sustainable materials as possible.

Lindt

Lindt was already a go-to destination for chocolate lovers at Cheshire Oaks, but last summer, it moved to a bigger – and many would say, better – new location at the outlet, and has been satisfying the sweet tooth of thousands of shoppers this year.

The new location has an ice cream window, and was even one of the first few stores to get the limited-edition Dubai Pistachio Chocolate when it first released.

Nike, Joe & The Juice, and Lindt are three of the brands to open new or bigger stores at Cheshire Oaks / Credit: The Manc Group

Joe & the Juice

You may remember that Joe & The Juice opened its doors in Manchester city centre early this year, and it was a huge deal, with juice and Tunacado-loving fans lining the streets to become one of the first to step inside – but before that, the viral brand actually arrived at Cheshire Oaks fist.

Joe & The Juice opened at Cheshire Oaks last August, making it the brand’s first outlet location at the time, and it’s the perfect place to stop off for a bite to eat.

Gail’s

Another viral brand to open its first-ever outlet location at Cheshire Oaks last year was Gail’s Bakery, bringing its artisan bakes into the heart of the shopping experience and providing customers with a comforting place to refuel.

The opening of Gail’s at Cheshire Oaks last October was one of a number of other North West openings, including several in Greater Manchester and Cheshire.

Crocs

Arguably no brand has had a bigger resurgence these past couple of years than Crocs, which is why it was such a big deal that the first dedicated Crocs store to open in the UK since its return to the country was at Cheshire Oaks last summer.

Opening its doors in June 2024, Cheshire Oaks’ Crocs store is the perfect place to hit up if you’re looking for a pair of your own.

Viral bakery chain Gail’s, and English luxury clothing brand Sunspel have also opened doors / Credit: The Manc Group

Barbour

Barbour is a family-owned British heritage brand that was established in the North East of England all the way back in 1894, and since then, has gone on to become a beloved part of the country’s fashion landscape.

So it was only right that Barbour got to move into an even bigger and better store at Cheshire Oaks last summer.

Abercrombie & Fitch

We may have already talked about one brand’s big resurgence, but Abercrombie & Fitch is another global label that’s also been enjoying renewed popularity in recent years – so it only made sense that it would open an outlet location at Cheshire Oaks.

The American fashion brand known for its trendy, collegiate-inspired casualwear and accessories opened last November.

Sunspel

Founded in Nottingham back in 1860, Sunspel is an English luxury clothing brand that’s best known for boxer shorts, t-shirts, and polo shirts, and it opened its first and only outlet location over at Cheshire Oaks last August.

You can also shop inside new Abercrombie & Fitch, ESPA, and Crocs stores / Credit: The Manc Group

ESPA

A staple in spas nationwide, ESPA is a well-loved luxury skincare brand producing products that go beyond the everyday skincare regimen to nourish and nurture your skin – but up until April of this year, you could only ever find the products online or in spas themselves.

That was until ESPA opened its first-ever – and to this day, only – physical store at Cheshire Oaks, and it’s so stunning inside.

Kids Around

Cheshire Oaks isn’t just a Designer Outlet for grown-ups, its a kids’ shopping paradise too.

That’s why Kids Around opened its doors last June with a ‘unique experience’ bringing together the most beautiful high-end children’s fashion collections – with brands such as Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, Kenzo Kids, Hugo Boss, and Chloé to choose from.

Chit ‘n’ Chaat

Chit ‘n’ Chaat is an absolute Manchester institution at this point – no arguments there.

The beloved Indian street food restaurant is Manchester born and bred, and already has a number of popular locations in places like Cheadle, Rusholme, Deansgate Square, and most-recently the Trafford Centre, but in case you didn’t know, it also opened a new site at Cheshire Oaks earlier this year in April too.

So if you’re looking for a place to stuff your face before shopping till you drop, then stop off here for a proper Indian feast.

Read more:

You can find out more and plan your next trip to Cheshire Oaks by heading to the Designer Outlet’s website here.

Featured Image – Cheshire Oaks

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Rochdale to become colourful canvas as internationally-acclaimed artists bring mural festival to town

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

Some of the world’s best artists will descend on Rochdale soon, creating beautiful artwork on buildings and turning Rochdale town centre into a huge urban art gallery.

The ‘Common Walls’ International Mural Festival will give Rochdale locals and visitors a chance to see artworks being created up close by the world-renowned artists who’ll be in the Greater Manchester town for a week bringing their masterpieces to life. 

Set to run from 7 through to 14 September, a collection of artists are descending onto the streets of Rochdale to give walls around the town centre a lick of paint that will not only brighten up the space, but also leave a lasting legacy.

10 of Rochdale’s notable town centre buildings will undergo a drastic change as part of this art-focused event.

Each art piece will pay homage to moments in Rochdale’s captivating history.

Rochdale-raised artist AYLO and Manchester-based talent Le Mai are two of the creatives getting involved / Credit: Supplied
Rochdale-raised artist AYLO and Manchester-based talent Le Mai are two of the creatives getting involved / Credit: Supplied
Rochdale-raised artist AYLO and Manchester-based Le Mai are two of the creatives getting involved, alongside Smug / Credit: Supplied

The artists involved in this creative, colourful, and cross-continental campaign include Greek artist Insane51, Swiss-born Onur, Manc-based Lei Mai, and so many more.

This new initiative is fronted by local artist Hayley Garner, known by her artist pseudonym AYLO, who was raised in Rochdale.

The festival’s main celebrations are taking place on Saturday 13 September, when you’ll be able to walk through the town and admire all the pieces of art dotted around.

There will also be BMX stunt shows, a live grafitti jam, pop-up galleries, artist talks, and live music, as well as street art workshops so you can unleash your inner Bansky.

Insane51 and Smug are two more artists coming to Rochdale for the upcoming mural festival / Credit: Supplied
Insane51 and Smug are two more artists coming to Rochdale for the upcoming mural festival / Credit: Supplied
Insane51 and Smug join AYLO as just some of the other artists involved / Credit: Supplied

“I’ve painted murals all over the world, but nothing compares to painting in your hometown alongside artists I have looked up to and admired, especially during Rochdale’s year as Greater Manchester Town of Culture,” commented lead artist and curator of Common Walls, Hayley Garner aka AYLO.

“I’m excited to see every day spaces transformed into landmarks of creativity and connection.

“What makes this even more special is welcoming world-class artists I’ve met on my journey, many of whom will be painting in Greater Manchester for the first time. They are amongst the best in the world and to bring them to my hometown is a real honour.”

Read more:

Common Walls International Mural Festival is coming to Rochdale from Sunday 7 September to Sunday 14 September, and you can find out more information and further Greater Manchester Town of Culture listings online HERE.

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

Featured Images – Publicity Pictures (via Supplied)

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