Sport

All the free things you can get with a Great Manchester Run finisher’s medal this year

Be rude not too.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 17th May 2025

What’s the best part about doing the Great Manchester Run, we hear you ask? All the freebies, of course. You’ll be glad to hear there are more free things than ever for finishers this year.

More than 35,000 runners are set to take on the challenge, be it the half marathon or the 10k, and we firmly believe every single one of these legends should be entitled to as much free stuff as possible.

If it were up to us, they wouldn’t pay for anything all day, but hey, we make don’t make the rules.

So yeah, without further ado, here are all the freebies you can get for taking part in the Great Manchester 2025.

Free stuff and offers for Great Manchester Runners to cop in 2025

Without further ado, here are a tonne of freebies, discounts and deals you can grab by simply flashing your finisher’s medals:

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free cocktails great manchester run
salon madre cocktails
Credit: The Manc/Supplied
  • Dishoom – Complimentary 330ml Kingfisher/Kingfisher Zero (0.0%) for anyone with anyone dining with a finisher’s medal.
  • Blacklock – Free glass of fizz on us with your medal.
  • Maray –  Free glass of fizz/pint (or non-alcoholic beer/soft) for anyone with a medal who is dining on Sunday
  • Electric Shuffle – Free house wine, prosecco or pint for anyone with a 2025 medal.
  • Salon Madre – 2-4-1 margaritas all day Sunday for anyone with a race medal. 
  • Suki Suki – Free bao bun for anyone with a medal.
  • Refuge/Kimpton Clocktower Hotel – 100 free pints of Manchester Union Beer (first come, first served)
  • Hello Oriental – Discounted soft serve ice cream, plus a free beer or soft drink with any meal for all finishers
  • The Shack – Flash your medal to claim a free glass of Prosecco or beer, plus parties with medals get 20% off their food bill.
  • Dough Religion (House of Social) – half price slice at Manchester Jazz Festival on Sunday
Credit: The Manc Eats

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We’re sure a few free bits and bobs for half-marathon and 10k runners, but there are all the ones we’ve come across over the past week or so.

That being said, if you spot any, feel free to drop them in the comments and share the wisdom.

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Last but not least, participants and spectators alike can find all the important information they need ahead of race day down below.

And just know, no matter how the day goes, we’re SO proud of you already!

Great Manchester Run guide 2025 – everything you need to know
Go and smash it.

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

Featured Images — The Manc Group

Sport

Soccer Aid raises more than £15 million for Unicef as a familiar face stars at Old Trafford

Danny Jones Danny Jones How much did Soccer Aid raise this year 2025?

This past Sunday saw not only the closing night of Parklife and Outbreak Festival here in Greater Manchester, but also Soccer Aid 2025, which raised yet another incredible amount for charity.

It was also one of the highest-scoring games Old Trafford has seen in a while.

This year’s edition of the fundraising match for UNICEF, which has now been running for more than two decades, saw a record-breaking 14th win for the World XI, who have also emerged as champions from the last five Soccer Aid games.

Nevertheless, with more than £15 million raised in charitable donations to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which helps protect children’s rights, provide humanitarian and all-around support to kids across the world in developing countries, that was the real victory.

As you can see, the exact amount generated following donations during this year’s Soccer Aid fixture is £15,280,163, essentially matching the record-breaking figure raised in 2024.

Better still, this now takes the total raised for UNICEF thanks to the charity match, which became annual back in 2018, to beyond £115m. Incredible stuff.

Top performers on the night included Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney, who got the goals underway, ex-Man City Women’s star Toni Duggan and retired England striker Jermain Defo, who managed to score a brace on the night.

However, despite taking a two-goal lead, it was the World XI’s star man who happened to be both a once-friendly face at the Theatre of Dreams and a familiar foe.

Former Red and Blue, Carlos Tevez, scored four goals on the night to get his side in the game before, including an impressive free kick – not without receiving a hefty slide tackle from Player of the Match and die-hard United fan, ‘Angry Ginge’, though.

This winning, however, was probably our pick of the bunch, purely for the celebration alone:

Speaking on the staggering 2025 total, pop star Robbie Williams, who founded the event back in 2006, said: “As an original founder of Soccer Aid, I couldn’t be more proud of UNICEF…

“From the volunteers, organisers and talent, to the team on the ground; everyone who buys a ticket or makes a donation. Together, over the years, we’ve raised over £121m. Here’s to many more games and even more fundraising.”

Well done to everyone involved with another fantastic year for Soccer Aid and UNICEF, including local comedian Paddy McGuinness, who celebrated a record ninth appearance playing between the sticks for England. Big likey, big lighty.

You can watch the game back in full HERE or all the big highlights from Soccer Aid 2025 down below.

Cracking scoreline that. Man United vs Lyon, eat your heart out.

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

Featured Images — Press Shot (via Soccer Aid)/Sam Quek (via X)

Sport

Manchester’s National Football Museum to screen England’s Euro 2025 matches for free this summer

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant England women's football

England’s UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 matches are to be shown on big screens for free in Manchester this summer.

As England women’s national football team look to retain their title and continue to build on their ever-growing success as one of the best national football teams in the world, Manchester‘s National Football Museum is set to host a series of family-friendly watch parties after hours for the UEFA Women’s Euros this summer.

Visitors of all ages are welcome to support and celebrate England as they kick-off their campaign against France in the group stages on 5 July, followed by matches against the Netherlands on 9 July, and Wales on 13 July.

As Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses head to Switzerland with the hopes of being crowned European champions, you can head to the National Football Museum for some safe and inclusive fun.

Not only will the matches be shown in all their glory for free on a big screen, but you can also expect an on-site bar, and even the option to pre-order pizza ahead of time to feast on while you’re watching the action.

Watch parties will be taking place at the National Football Museum on the following dates:

  • France v England – 5 July at 8pm
  • England v Netherlands – 9 July at 5pm 
  • England v Wales – 13 July at 8pm

To mark the beginning of the tournament, the museum will also be hosting a vibrant weekend of events on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 July, so get ready to strike a pose in Lionesses’ kits, create your own dazzling banner, and drum-up support with your very own chant.

National Football Museum
Manchester’s National Football Museum is screening England’s Euro 2025 matches for free this summer / Credit: Wikimedia Commons

“This promises to be an exciting summer for football,” said Tim Desmond, who is the CEO of the National Football Museum.

“We want to bring the powerful sense of community that tournament football delivers to our museum, helping both new and returning visitors understand why football matters, and witness the impact our pioneering Lionesses can have in inspiring generations of budding young footballers.

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“That’s why we are so delighted to be able to offer watch parties for this year’s tournament, providing a safe, inclusive, and exciting place for all fans to cheer on England.”

Featured Image – Molly Darlington / The FA (via England on Facebook)

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