Sport

Manchester Remembers Foundation announces its return for a special anniversary charity match

'We’ve decided that we just couldn’t go out like we did...'

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 13th October 2025

The Manchester Remembers Foundation has announced the return of its charity football game in 2027, which will coincide with a special anniversary close to all Mancunians.

For those unaware, the MCR Remembers charity matches were set up in memory of the Manchester Arena victims, helping raise funds for the families of the 22 who sadly died in the attack.

While the fifth iteration of what started out as an annual vision, set for this past summer, was sadly cancelled back in May and the Foundation itself seemingly shut down, the co-founders have decided they’re not ready for it all to end just yet.

Somewhat quietly confirming the return of the fundraising footy match on social media, the next fixture will be returning next year, which marks a full decade since the tragedy.

Writing a slightly lengthier statement on Instagram, MCR Remembers creators Aaron Lee and Paul Corrigan said: “No matter how difficult things get and how little support we get from people in positions to help, we have to keep going.

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“We take inspiration from the brave and courageous people who were so closely involved with the arena attack. We will continue to remember those affected and celebrate their legacy.

“We are planning a spectacular return for the 10th anniversary in 2027. Plans and talks to begin shortly
We will reassess after that event. As always, thank you to those that stuck by us. We see you, and we appreciate every single one of you. Stay tuned. Aaron / Paul.”

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Lee – a local and a former police officer on 22 May 2017 – set up the organisation with his friend and fellow fundraiser (10 marathons in 10 months) with the aim of not only honouring those lost but also to help raise vital funds for their families and native bereavement charities.

They’re two incredibly inspiring individuals who have done a lot to help those in and around Greater Manchester, as well as keep that date in our heads and hearts.

Now a firefighter and having helped raise more than £200,000 for the six associated charities overall, he was presented with the Chief Fire Officer’s Commendation award in August 2024.

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Although information is still scarce in these early stages, The MCR Remembers Foundation has assured that details regarding exactly when and where the game is set to take place will be shared over the coming week and months.

It goes without saying that we here at The Manc are glad to see the moving charity match being confirmed for a comeback, even if it’s only for a one-off, and can’t wait to see which ex-pros and celebrity players get involved.

Then again, who knows? A successful return could signal the start of a fully-fledged revival, and we sincerely hope it does.

Watch this space and see you next year for the anniversary edition of Manchester Remembers 2027.

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Featured Images — The Manc Group

Sport

Five fantastic freebies and offers for the 2025 Manchester Half marathon

Danny Jones Danny Jones Manchester Half marathon freebies finisher's medal

It’s nearly time: not just for the Manchester Half but, more importantly, the freebies and offers you can get for running it.

Let’s be honest, not everyone loves running for literal miles just for the sake of it; a lot of people need motivation, and besides an inspiring cause, you’d be surprised how many people will get out of bed for something as simple as free stuff.

You might be one of them – you are here reading this, after all.

There’s no long-winded preamble or intro needed to set this up, so let’s just crack on. Here are five brilliant freebies you can get with a 2025 Manchester Half Marathon medal.

What freebies you can get with a Manchester Half finisher’s medal

Now, you’ll be glad to know that most of these are completely gratis, but we thought we’d mention some others that stuck out to us as well.

1. Free fizz on The Refuge

First up, how about some free fizz? Well, that’s exactly what you can get this Sunday, 12 October, if you’ve just run the 2025 Manchester Half-marathon.

Participants can head to The Refuge inside the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel after the race to claim a well-earned glass of prosecco – available to the first 100 finishers on a first-come, first-served basis. 

free prosecco manchester half marathon
refuge kimpton clocktower hotel

2. Complimentary food and drink at Circolo Popolare

Next up, it doesn’t get much better than a free pizza and a cold one; that’s what Circolo Popolare in Gary Neville’s stunning St. Michael’s building are offering.

Just show your medal and enjoy a free margherita pizza plus your choice of either an ice-cold beer or a refreshing virgin cocktail. Prego!

3. You’ve got to be quick to get House of Social’s freebie

Speaking of free drinks, the first 50 runners who use the last of their energy to dash over to House of Social this Sunday and enjoy a pint on the house.

All you have to do is present your medal when ordering to snap up a beer at absolutely no cost. So we’ll see you there, basically.

4. Free pints at The Grosvenor

Self-explanatory, really. The student favourite that used to be the old Footage pub on Oxford Road is offering up a limited amount of free pints to runners, just make sure you show your medal at the bar.

To be honest, even if it wasn’t free, we’d still probably spend a good few hours here sinking affordable pints because it is absolute VIBES at this gaff.

@the.manc Live sport at The Grosvenor is BACK ⚽️ Round up your mates, and book one of their drinks tables to watch your team on their super screen. #themanc #thegrosvenor #championsleague #derby ♬ act slowed – kyra

5. Starter on the house at Italiana Fifty Five

Last but not least, if you’re looking for a lovely carby reward in the city centre, you’re obviously spoilt for choice, but Italiana Fifty Five are offering a free starter when booking and presenting your 2025 finisher’s medal upon arrival.

Available at all Greater Manchester locations, the Italian eatery formerly known as Cibo always delivers good offers, and race day for the MCR Half is no different.

Honourable mention…

Bonus breakfast butties at The Wharf

Oh yeah, it might not be a freebie per se, but as one of the busiest post-marathon celebration spots anywhere in Greater Manchester, The Wharf is obviously getting involved beforehand as well.

This year, the canalside Castlefield favourite is serving up sausage and bacon butties from 10-11:30am before the usual Sunday roast service kicks in as normal from 12pm. Now we’ve just got to pray for good beer garden weather.

the wharf mcr half marathon finishers model
manchester half marathon offers

We hope you get to make the most of these freebies and others Manchester Half offers after your race is run, because let’s be honest, running 13.1 miles (21 and a bit kilometres for you metric heads) is a fair bit of effort, so you deserve a treat.

It goes without saying that there’s probably plenty more SWAG to be snapped up in and around the city that we’ve missed, so make sure to let your fellow runners know about them down in the comments.

Finally, if you’re still feeling uncertain about anything to do with the race itself, you can find our full Manchester Half Marathon guide down below.

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Manchester Half 2025 guide – route, waves, start times and everything you need to know

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Featured Images — The Manc Group/press shot (supplied)

Sport

Manchester Half 2025 guide – route, waves, start times and everything you need to know

Danny Jones Danny Jones Manchester Half marathon guide 2025 everything you need to know

The Manchester Half, the largest of this marathon distance in the entire North West, is back for 2025 this weekend, and literally tens of thousands of Brits and more are set to descend upon 0161 for the big race. And that’s just the runners…

It’s estimated that 26,000 participants are set to lace up their running shoes for the ninth edition of the Manchester Half, which also marks the third and final year of their ‘Express Yourself’ campaign.

This year’s event is also expected to raise £1.5 million for various organisations, with thousands running in support of partnered charities like the Alzheimer’s Society, Cancer Research UK and The Christie. One of the best days of the year and all for a good cause.

With all that in mind, whether you’re taking part or just spectating, we want to do everything we can to help to get ready for the event; here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 Manchester Half.

Manchester Half 2025 guide – all the important info

What time does the Manchester Half start?

Elite wheelchair participants will set off first at 8:55am, followed promptly by the elite wave at 9:00am.

Following this, the rest of the participants will get going in roughly 10-minute intervals, depending on their allocated colour, with staggered waves setting off up until approximately 10:48am.

You can see all the waves and their relevant start times below:

Credit: MCR Half (supplied)

The Manchester Half route: start and finish line + key checkpoints

Access to the start process is adjacent to Trafford Town Hall; those wishing to use the bag drop can enter the Emirates Old Trafford (Lancashire Cricket Club) stadium via gates 5 and 10.

Marshals will then direct participants to the start line from both locations.

On the route, participants will head towards the city before looping back, passing through Stretford,
Sale, Chorlton-cum-Hardy and eventually the finish line back along Talbot Road.

The full participant guide, containing start times, a detailed breakdown of the route and more, can be viewed here, but you can see a helpful map of the Manchester Half route down below.

Where are the toilet locations, water and nutrition stations on the MCR Half?

As you can see, there will be a total of four drink stations along the half-marathon course. Isotonic Energy Gels from Applied Nutrition will be available at stops two and three.

Similarly, there will be portaloo toilets at each of the water stations, as well as plenty at the Event Village for those pre-race precautions (time that morning coffee carefully, folks…)

Road closures for the Manchester Half

Road closures will be in effect along and around the half-marathon route starting from early on Saturday, 11 October.

Those affected should allow extra time for journeys, as open roads in the surrounding areas will be busy.

Many bus services will also be diverted due to these closures, and you can also expect added congestion further out into Greater Manchester, especially towards Trafford.

Full details of road closures can be found HERE, and you can consult an interactive map below:

How to get to Event Village for the Manchester Half

The tram network will allow both runners and spectators the best access to and from the event.

For a quieter journey, the Imperial War Museum stop is a 15-minute walk to the Event Village. The closest tram stations are Old Trafford (a 3-minute walk) and Trafford Bar (a 10-minute walk), but these will be very busy and will likely have significant queues.

As mentioned, buses will be disrupted by road closures, meaning those arriving in Manchester by train are advised to take the tram directly to the Event Village if and wherever possible.

Participants are advised to avoid driving to the event due to the increased level of traffic already brought about by the well-attended annual event.

For those who do plan on driving, however, there is no official parking, but Manchester United do offer pre-paid parking spaces at Old Trafford. They are available for £18 when booked in advance.

You can find further information and parking recommendations online.

Make sure to double-check your Manchester Half guide on race morning, too. (Credit: Supplied)

How to track runners and watch the 2025 Manchester Half remotely?

Once again, countless numbers are expected to line the Manchester streets in support of those running the MCR Half, but for those who can only cheer on from afar, the race will be available to view via livestream on the full Manchester Marathon YouTube channel.

If you’re looking to see where a participant is along the route, you can find more help on how to best utilise all the recommended tracking features like the ‘Find My’ app, ‘share my location’ on WhatsApp and the Strava beacon function HERE.

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Supporter hub and dedicated cheer zones

As for where is best to cheer on the 26k or so legends running the Manchester Half, the temporarily re-named Deansgate ‘Inter-rave’ (Deansgate-Castlefield Interchange) will see hordes of spectators amping up the atmosphere at mile 1 with a Cybertruck DJ and ‘kick-off cam showing live starts.

Over at Wharfside, the ‘Buzz Hub’ will enable spectators can see participants twice on their journey past
the iconic Old Trafford stadium, before heading toward Stretford. There will also be inflatable dancing
bees and a DJ.

Other prime viewing spots include Stretford, Sale and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The Event Village at LCCC will also have a large screen showing live finish line coverage, as well as food outlets and activities from partners for everyone to enjoy.

It’s highly recommended that supporters avoid going directly to the finish line, where viewing will be
limited due to large crowds and one-way systems.

Easy bit of advice that often gets forgotten for you here: organise a specific meeting point to reunite with those runners beforehand – saves a lot of time and faff among the crowds.

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What/who else to look out for at this year’s Manchester Half…

Other things to keep in mind include the official Manchester Half shakeout run, which is being hosted by lead sponsors PUMA and Runna, and takes place the official Manchester Half shakeout run will take place on Saturday, 11 October.

Having set up another pop-up for this year’s event, where top-end running trainers, merch and other goodies can be picked up, they’re just one of many brands getting involved with the wider 2025 Supporter Hub.

For instance, ERDINGER’s – who will be handing out alcohol free beers for those crossing the finish line – are also serving as this year’s team of pacers.

If you’re looking to get a certain time in your race, as well as assembling with the rest of your wave at the start line, look out for your relevant pacer at the start on the day.

That should be just about all the key details you need to know for this year’s Manchester Half-marathon guide, but if in doubt, you can always check the event website for more info.

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Last but not least, make sure you get a good breakfast in, prepare your race kit all ready the night before, get plenty of rest and drink even more water.

Best of luck to all those running, not that anyone needs it – you’re going to absolutely SMASH it and we’ll see you at the pub for plenty of celebrating afterwards!

Read more:

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

Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied)

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