It’s January and whether you’re a year-round gym bunny, trying to recapture your fitness mojo, or considering dipping your toe in the exercise world for the very first time, you’re probably getting a bit swept up in the New Year health hype.
Manchester is blessed with a plethora of options to keep active, whether you’re into a butt-kicking boot camp or a mindful yoga session.
But there aren’t many gyms in town where you can train in several different ways for one single membership cost.
Credit: The Manc GroupV1BE has two gyms, both of which are plenty spacious.
Now with two locations in the city centre, this is a gym space that marries boutique fitness classes with an open gym kitted out with all the equipment you need for a complete solo workout.
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V1BE’s original studio was down in a basement unit in the Northern Quarter and had built up a loyal following with its classes, which blend treadmills, free weights and boxing.
V1BE and Lifestyle Fitness joined forces a couple of years ago to launch a £1m facility in Ancoats, going on to open a second joint venue on Mosley Street.
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Considered one of Manchester’s best class-based gyms, the addition of an open gym area has made V1BE one of Manchester’s best gyms full stop.
In the free weights area on Mosley Street, you’ll find a stylish gym that may be compact, but one which has an impressive array of equipment (and properly nice changing rooms too).
There’s a huge rig in the middle of the room for pull-ups and callisthenics workouts, along with a track for sled pushes and pulls, resistance bands, battle ropes, paralettes, kettlebells, sandbags, gymnastic rings, weight belts and more.
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Fancy a blast of cardio? They’ve got it all: Wattbikes, assault bikes, stairmasters, treadmills, rowers and ski ergs.
Ready to move some weight? There’s a great range of machines plus a whole wall of dumbbells, two squat racks, many barbells, and an Olympic lifting platform.
Then when you’re done sweating you can grab your stuff from the digital-locking lockers, hit the showers, and blast your hair back to order with GHD hairdryers and straighteners.
V1BE has all the versatility and freedom you could want from a gym.
Back upstairs at V1BE you’ll find the studio area, hosting the classes that it built its name on. Classes range in length (30, 45 or 60 minutes) and intensity.
There’s IGN1TE, where you’ll flit between treadmill sprints and floor workouts. STR1KE does the same but also incorporates boxing drills. ADRENAL1NE skips the treadmills and focuses on free weight and bodyweight exercises. And then there’s BOOT1E, dedicated to lower body strength.
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V1BE has also just launched new pilates to its timetable in time for your 2024 health kick. With their full membership, it means that in one week you can lift heavy, stretch deep, or sweat hard, with whatever workout you fancy each day.
Memberships for V1BE start from £39 – you can find out more HERE.
Sensory-friendly Northern Lights to illuminate Printworks’ digital ceiling to mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week
Emily Sergeant
This week marks the start of Neurodiversity Celebration Week.
Approximately 15-20% of the population has a neurological difference, according to the most recent statistics, and Neurodiversity Celebration Week (16-20 March 2026) highlighting the importance of championing, raising awareness of, and accommodating neurodiverse people.
And Printworks is marking the occasion in its own special way, with a series of new initiatives designed to create a more ‘inclusive’ and ‘sensory-friendly’ environment.
You may already know that the popular indoor entertainment complex in the heart of Manchester city centre is home to more than a dozen bars, restaurants, and leisure activities – including one of the largest IMAX screens on the continent – and Europe’s largest digital ceiling too, of course, but this week’s experience is unlike anything the venue has welcomed before.
Throughout the week, Printworks will be transforming its digital ceiling with calming Northern Lights and constellations which have been specifically designed to create a relaxed, sensory-friendly atmosphere for visitors with additional sensory needs.
Northern Lights to illuminate Printworks’ digital ceiling to mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week / Credit: Supplied
As part of a long-term commitment to accessibility and inclusivity, Printworks is also introducing a weekly sensory-friendly hour every Sunday too, where lighting throughout the venue will be dimmed, and music and SFX volumes reduced for a reduced-stimulus environment.
200 free sensory packs – which can be collected at Vue cinema – with a pair of ear defenders and sensory-friendly toys, designed to support visitors who may benefit from sensory tools while enjoying the venue, are also on offer throughout the course of the week.
On top of this, there’s also a range of autism-friendly cinema screenings taking place on the last Sunday of every month at 10:30am.
An additional autism-friendly screening will be taking place with a showing of Hoppers this Sunday 22 March at 10:30am, with tickets now available from Vue’s website.
“Neurodiversity Celebration Week is an important time for brands and venues to recognise and support the diverse ways visitors and audiences experience the world,” commented Dan Davis, who is the General Manager at Printworks.
“We endeavour to ensure that all visitors feel comfortable and welcome when spending time at Printworks.”
Find out more about Neurodiversity Celebration Week on Printworks’ website here.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Lovely last-minute Mother’s Day ideas from Selfridges in Manchester
The Manc
Mother’s Day is this Sunday – and if those words have just sent you into a blind panic, just take a breath and head straight across to Selfridges.
The huge department store has come up with all sorts of things that make for perfect last-minute gifts and experiences.
That includes a carefully curated selection of gifts available in-store, plus a very special Morning With Mum beauty workshop so you can spend some quality time together on Mother’s Day.
Selfridges can be your one-stop shop for the big day.
In both Exchange Square and Trafford Centre stores, you can pick up lovely gifts like feast-filled hampers, fabulous accessories, luxury chocolates, candles, and even cards.
As always, there are gifts you can have personalised in-store for a sentimental present for the mother figure in your life.
If you’re really stuck, you can pop along to the Beauty Concierge and book her an experience.
And over in Selfridges Exchange Square, you can pick up a beautiful fresh bouquet from The Royal Exchange Florists.
Selfridges has loads of last-minute Mother’s Day ideas
There’s rarely a gift more precious than quality time together, which is why Selfridges will be hosting a special Mother’s Day floor-wide beauty event on Saturday 14 March.
Ticket-holders will receive expert beauty advice from your favourite brands, while enjoying complimentary drinks and sweet treats.
There’ll also be plus exclusive gifts with purchase available, and giveaways on the day, and you can redeem the £20 ticket price against products purchased on the day.
You can even grab an artist print for mum at the vending machine.
Tickets for the Morning With Mum beauty workshop are on sale HERE.
You could also share a moment over a glass of champagne at San Carlo in both locations, or grab a sweet treat from the bakery in the Trafford Centre store.
Daisy Jackson -
5th January 2024 
