Sport

A brand new gym in Manchester city centre is offering free yoga and HIIT classes this August

A warm wellbeing-focused welcome.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 16th August 2024

A world-renowned gyms has just launched their latest location right in the heart of Manchester city centre and to celebrate the opening of their new home, they’re offering a series of free yoga and HIIT classes for the remainder of August.

Many of you may be familiar with the name Jetts Fitness already as the franchise currently has hundreds of gyms all over the world – 270 to be specific, with 17 of those in the UK and an existing Greater Manchester site over in Levenshulme.

Founded in Australia back in 2007, the brand has gone on to become huge and now they’ve finally opened up their first gym in central Manchester over in Circle Square.

The ever-growing neighbourhood just off Oxford Road has recently welcomed a whole host of new openings over the past few months, and now Jetts Fitness is really helping put that green, open-air space to use with these free workout classes.

Promising to bring a unique fitness environment that combines state-of-the-art facilities with unrivalled classes to us Mancs, the new 24/7 gym is hoping to showcase exactly what it is they do best with these free yoga and HIIT classes.

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Plus, it’s also a great chance to try these unrivalled classes for free whilst taking in some of the rare vitamin D on Circle Square‘s Symphony Park, which is starting to become an increasingly more frequented city centre green space.

Kicking off the free classes next week on Monday, 19 August at lunchtime, you can dive into an invigorating ‘Vinyasa’ flow yoga class with trainer Jay, which has been designed for all abilities and end the session with a serene singing bowl meditation helping to keep you refreshed and re-energised.

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Then, on the following Monday (26 August), you can take on a stretch and strengthening yoga lesson with Lynsey followed by a calming meditation class.

But fear not, if yoga isn’t your thing, HIIT (high-intensity interval training) classes will also be taking place after work on Tuesdays, providing the perfect full-body bodyweight workout that will push you to your limits — and trust us, these things will make you SWEAT.

free yoga classes manchester
free workout classes manchester
Free yoga classes and HIIT workouts happening right in the heart of Manchester city centre this month. (Credit: Supplied via Vita Group)

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Last but not least, make sure to keep your eyes peeled for a recognisable trainer in amongst the midst of gym-goer, with ex-Love Islander Adam Maxted on hand to push you to your limits alongside the club’s General Manager, Karolina.

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All classes are bookable to the public on the following link HERE.

Jetts Fitness Oxford Road is now officially opening to the public and, as mentioned, it’s completely 24 hours so you can head there any time of day or night all throughout the week.

You can find out more about their membership options online and find the full list of classes and the timetable down below:

  • Yoga — Monday 19 August 12-12:45pm 
  • Functional training (HIIT) — Tuesday 20 August 5-6pm 
  • Yoga – Monday 26 August — 12-12:45pm
  • Functional training (HIIT) — Tuesday 27 August 5-6pm 
jetts fitness free classes circle square oxford manchester
Credit: Supplied

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Featured Images — Vita Group (supplied)

Sport

The annual Manchester Remembers Foundation charity football match has shut down

Danny Jones Danny Jones Manchester Remembers charity game 2025 cancelled

The annual Manchester Remembers charity football match has been cancelled for 2025, and unfortunately, the wider Foundation has also shut down for the foreseeable.

Set up back in 2020, the Manchester Remembers charity game was created to help raise funds for the families of those lost in the tragic 2017 Manchester Arena attack, raising nearly £200,000 in donations for multiple organisations.

It has been a truly treasured community event across Greater Manchester, welcoming thousands to the likes of Manchester City Academy Stadium and Oldham Athletic‘s Boundary Park, as well as spotlighting local musicians and notable figures volunteering their help for a deeply important cause.

However, the Foundation is now set to hang up its boots. Confirming the news over the bank holiday weekend, founders Aaron Lee and Paul Corrigan shared “a difficult statement to make and a decision not taken lightly.”

As explained in the lengthy and emotional post, it is with a “heavy heart” that this year’s charity match has now been officially cancelled, and tickets already purchased up to this point are now being refunded.

Having played a small part in helping spread awareness around the game and the Foundation since it began, we were gutted to learn of this sad news.

The 2025 MCR Remembers game was scheduled to take place this June at a new venue for the event, Bury FC’s home ground at Gigg Lane, but following what they have labelled “a lack of support” from Greater Manchester leaders and “influential people needed to carry the event forward.”

Lee – a former police officer turned firefighter who was one of the emergency responders on 22 May, 2017 – went on to share a follow-up video reflecting on the announcement.

As he puts in the piece to camera, he says that even if those who had been reached out to in recent times were to suddenly respond, that it is “sadly too late.”

Taking time to thank not only past sponsors, managers, ex-pros and celebrity players who have been part of the event in the past, but everyone who bought tickets to the event(s) over the past few years, stating simply: “We cant thank you enough.”

Lee, who was given both a Chief Fire Officers Commendation and British Citizen Award in 2024, went on to address those “so-called leaders and influential people” in a subsequent post, adding: “All we needed was a bit of help. But we were ignored. Thanks for the memories.”

Unsurprisingly, the comments on social media have been awash with messages of love, support and sadness upon learning of this year’s cancellation and the end of The Manchester Remembers Foundation after more than half a decade.

There is some hope, though, as he ends the video by saying, “Who knows if this is the end or not? […] I dare say we’ll be back at some point.” We can only keep our fingers crossed he’s right and the MCR Remembers charity game won’t be shut down for good.

Manchester will always remember.

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Featured Images — The Manc Group/Manchester Remembers Foundation

Sport

25,000 free footballs are being given away across the UK

Danny Jones Danny Jones Barlcays bank giving 1000 free football across the UK

A total of 25,000 free footballs are up for grabs this month as part of a new scheme from Barclays, who are giving them away to mark a special anniversary.

The British multinational universal bank, which boasts over 850 branches and more than 48 million customers worldwide, has been supporting the beautiful game for a quarter of a century now and has been the primary Premier League sponsor since the 2001/02 season.

Approaching 25 years helping fund and promote English football, they’ve come up with a new initiative to celebrate, simply called the ‘Lost Ball Project‘.

We’ve all seen scenes like these before.

barclays free footballs
lost ball project
Credit: Barclays (supplied)

Tapping into the national and generational memory of losing a ball to a pond, up a tree, over a fence or on a roof and so on, Barclays are making up for those heartbreaking little losses – one ball at a time.

Lost Ball will see the bank give away 25k footballs across the UK, with Barclays customers able to claim a free ball for themselves or someone else who has lost theirs.

Already up and running, the scheme is off to a flyer and free footies will be available until Thursday, 22 May, so we wouldn’t wait around.

The bank has played an integral role throughout the British football pyramid for decades now, sponsoring to only the Premier League but also the WSL, Barclays Women’s Championship; the Northern Irish Women’s Football Association, Scottish Women’s Championship and the Scottish Women’s League One

They’ve even put together this emotive, albeit a bit tongue-in-cheek video:

Excellent song choice.

As they put it, the mission of the Lost Ball Project is simple: “Let’s keep the nation playing the beautiful game. Because there’s no football without grassroots football.”

In addition to backing established leagues, they have continued to support the country’s footballing community at large, especially in terms of the women’s game.

For instance, the Barclays Girls’ Football School partnership with The FA has seen the number of participating schools rise from 3,000 in 2019 to 20,000 in 2024, helping more than 2.5 million schoolgirls access football.

Important work done from the ground up.

Credit: Supplied

Barclays’ Group Head of Sponsorship, Tom Corbett, said in a statement: “We are immensely proud of our pioneering work and funding to grassroots football over the past 25 years.

Giving away 25,000 balls to replace our customers’ ‘Lost Balls’ means they will never be without the one thing you need to be able to play the game we’ve supported at Barclays for all these years.”

If you bank with the group, you can find out how to claim your free football HERE.

We quite fancy a kick around now.

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Featured Images — Barclays (supplied)

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