In an amusing bit of PR, Stockport County and Runaway Brewery have collaborated to come up with a brand-new beer to sell at Edgeley Park ahead of the new season.
Teaming up with the local Stopfordian brewing company based just down the road from County‘s home ground, the club have created a tasty new pale ale inspired by their promotion-winning manager, Dave Challinor, and his now-famous post-match catchphrase.
Challinor, 47, is known not only for his honest and very matter-of-fact approach to post-match press conferences but also for ending virtually every single interview by saying, “Cheers, thank you”.
Having become a bit of a running joke amongst the staff, the players and the fan base, the club decided to lean into the gag and as they were looking for a name to give their beer, it turned out the answer was staring them in them right in the face. Introducing the ‘Cheers, Thank You’ pale ale:
🍻 We've teamed up with @RunawayBrewery this season, to bring you a brand new pale ale!
'Cheers, Thank You' will be available exclusively from the County Courtyard on a matchday, starting this Saturday ahead of our game against Gillingham!#StockportCounty
The Stockport County manager might have been hoping to have his name next to a trophy this season, but we’d hazard a guess he wasn’t expecting to have inspired a beer.
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It’s not the first time they’ve had some fun with this particular pun, either: the club previously sold a limited edition run of Dave Challinor-inspired ‘Cheers, Thank You’ mugs not long ago too.
Now, though, the Chester-born coach’s signature sign-off phrase has given its name to the new 4% pale which is said to offer “citrus notes with a clean and refreshing bitterness, delivering a modern, hoppy beer, perfect for a Saturday afternoon.” Can’t lie, sounds glorious.
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Being sold exclusively at the stadium on matchdays and joining the likes of Great North Pie Co. at the not long opened County Courtyard, the ‘Cheers, Thank You’ pale ale with be available all season long starting from the Hatter’s opening League Two game against Gillingham this Saturday 5 August.
Speaking on the collaboration, Mark Welsby, Head Brewer at Runaway, said: “The club sits at the heart of the town in every sense, so we jumped at the chance to collaborate on this speciality beer.
“County fans create an amazing atmosphere out of the Cheadle End, which we can often hear down at the brewery. We’re both proud and excited to know our beer ‘Cheers, thank you’ will be a part of the fans’ match day experience”.
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As for the club’s chief exec Jonny Vaughan, he said that “partnering with Runaway further enhances our commitment to supporting local businesses and we are excited for fans to try the beer in our first match of the season against Gillingham.”
But it isn’t just beer and pies they’ll be serving along Hardcastle Road, the County Courtyard is promising a rotating menu of the very best street food in the world. We’re still thinking about that PCD (portable Christmas dinner — obviously)…
Salford City FC have been bought out by a new consortium
Danny Jones
Another era beckons for Salford City as a buyout of the Greater Manchester football club by a new consortiumhas been announced.
Well, sort of.
Salford City FC were famously the subject of a joint takeover by Singaporean businessman Peter Lim and members of Manchester United’s Class of ’92 over a decade ago, and now 11 years on from that last milestone moment in their history, the local side has a new administration once again.
It is a fresh chapter for the club, but supporters will be glad to hear that there will also be some continuity and key throughline of consistency among some of those at the top.
Salford City announces that the Club has been acquired by a new ownership group led by David Beckham and Gary Neville, and includes US-based businessman Declan Kelly and Lord Mervyn Davies who will both serve as new Co-Chairs of the Club’s board.
Led by Man United legends Gary Neville and David Beckham, who have been involved with Salford since 2014, the new nine-member consortium consists of the Dream Sports Group – a leading sports technology company based in India – along with a number of other key figures.
One of those is Lord Mervyn Davies, a former Labour MP and Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Small Business, who still serves as a trade envoy between the UK and Sri Lanka.
Another is Irish-American entrepreneur Declan Kelly, who is Chairman and CEO of The Consello Group, a global advisory and investing firm.
While the previous co-owners and fellow Class of ’92 United graduates are no longer shareholders at Moor Lane, it is said they will still play important roles at the club.
As the official statement reads, “The acquisition includes a commitment by the new shareholders to invest significantly in the Club, the team and its facilities”, meaning there will funds will likely be sweet aside not only for some healthy transfer business but more updates to the Peninsula Stadium.
Commenting on the announcement, Neville said: “I’m passionate about Salford City. This is a unique partnership with a diverse range of minds and expertise, held together by a love of football.
“Football will come first, however, it’s critical that we drive the Club towards sustainability in the next 4-5 years. I can’t wait for the next part of this journey.”
Meanwhile, Beckham went on to add in the excitable Instagram post seen above: “Salford played such an important role in my life growing up… It’s where I trained with United alongside my best mates every day, it’s where I bought my first house and where me and Victoria lived.
“I’m so proud to be part of a new ownership group alongside my mate [Neville] as we begin the next chapter of Salford’s journey. Football is at the heart of this community and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for the Ammies.
Chester Zoo’s sellout 10k charity run returns this summer with three new routes
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo has announced that its popular Run For Nature is back again this summer, and this year, there’s three new routes to run.
The UK’s biggest charity zoo saw success with similar sold-out events in 2023 and 2024, and is now looking for 2,500 runners to sign up for one of the North West’s most unique athletic experiences when it returns later this year – with all funds raised from the popular event going towards efforts to protect highly-endangered giraffes in Africa.
Participants will this year take on a brand-new route winding through more of the zoo than ever before, and enjoying glimpses of elephants, lemurs, and other incredible species along the way, before heading out into the picturesque Cheshire countryside.
Chester Zoo is inviting runners of all abilities to take part this year, as there’s a new 5km run added to the usual 10km route, and even a one-mile ‘Zoom’ fun run for kids aged four-15.
With only 2,500 places up for grabs, organisers say the event is expected to sell out quickly, just like it has the past two years, as runners race to support a very special cause.
All proceeds from this year’s Run For Nature in September will go directly towards protecting Nubian giraffes in East Africa – a species which has seen drastic population declines in the wild due to habitat loss, poaching and conflict with humans.
Chester Zoo’s sellout 10k charity run is returning this summer with three new routes / Credit: Chester Zoo
Runners will receive a wooden medal at the finish line and free entry to the zoo for the remainder of the day, so they can relax and celebrate their achievement among 30,000 amazing animals.
If that didn’t all sound brilliant enough as it is, top fundraisers from the day will also be in with a chance of winning some exciting prizes too, including annual zoo memberships, animal adoptions, and even special behind-the-scenes zoo experiences.
“We’re thrilled to be bringing back Run For Nature for a third incredible year,” explained Sarah Jones, who is the Fundraising Lead at Chester Zoo.
“We’ve now doubled the distance runners spend inside the zoo, so they’ll pass by even more iconic animals, [making it] a really special experience you won’t get anywhere else.”
Run For Nature is back at Chester Zoo this Sunday 21 September, and you can find out more and sign up to take part here.
Danny Jones -
4th August 2023 
