Even in the face of the pandemic, one Chorlton-based not-for-profit has continued to do its bit to improve the fashion industry, one stitch at a time.
Stitched Up’s sustainable clothing mission started in 2011 – as six women joined forces with the goal of encouraging individuality and sustainability through style.
Almost 10 years later, the organisation has proven that sustainable clothing is accessible for everyone – and there’s no need to compromise on style in the process.
Stitched Up offers a creative, environmentally-friendly alternative to chain retail stores, educating Manchester’s population about the pitfalls of the fast fashion industry.
This is achieved through their countless upcycling workshops, clothes swaps, and educational talks dedicated to people of all ages and abilities.
Stiched Up ordinarily offers workshops across Greater Manchester, but the pandemic has prompted the team to rethink their strategies and focus on their social platform.
Staff have been using their online space to host a variety of resources – from video tutorials on how to rework old clothing to petitions and campaigns for important movements within fashion.
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They have even started fundraising to create a sustainable sewing group for locals struggling with mental health and social isolation during the pandemic.
“This was very challenging for some of our participants because they’d never even heard of Zoom,” says Bryony, a member of the Stitched Up team.
“…they were suddenly taking part in a very different project than the one they signed up for.”
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Stitched Up has also passed on clothing repair expertise online through video tutorials that are released weekly – allowing people to upcycle their wardrobe from home.
“Each guide takes you step-by-step through a project from start to finish. Our subscribers pay £3 per month to access a new video every Friday.”
“It’s been really fun thinking up a new project every single week – luckily, we have no shortage of ideas!”
Sustainability is more important now than ever for the team at Stitched Up, as the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the use of disposable face masks and made ordering from fast fashion sites easier whilst charity shops have faced mass closures.
Manchester has always felt like a fitting home for the Stitched Up project – which has been welcomed with “open arms” into the area.
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“Generally, Mancunians have a really strong sense of style and individuality, as well as resilience and resourcefulness, and all of these things lend themselves really well to thinking more independently about fashion and what we wear.”
It appears that Manchester is at the forefront of sustainable fashion, but the use of digital platforms has also enabled Stitched Up to bring their missions to a wider audience.
“Our weekly video guides have enabled us to reach people from further afield than Manchester or even the UK,” says Bryony, “and we’re glad to have found a way to reach people online during the pandemic.”
However, nothing can quite replace the experience of face-to-face upcycling within Manchester.
“The social interaction with the people of Manchester is a hugely important part of what we do – so we can’t wait to get back to seeing people’s faces in real life!”
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Whilst the team are looking forward to normality returning and their in-person workshops resuming, there are also various new launches on the horizon for Stitched Up.
“Next month we’ll be launching some new kits with accompanying video tutorials to help you repair and rework your clothes at home and our reclaimed fabric store is going online.”
A dozen of the best and most popular gyms in Manchester, ranked by price
Daisy Jackson
You do not need to wait for January to get your body moving again – there’s no time like the present.
The trick to sticking with your health kick is often to find the right routine for you, and when it comes to exercise, finding the gym that will make you feel supported as well as pushed physically is key.
There’s no shortage of brilliant gyms here in Manchester, from the do-it-yourself commercial gyms to the fitness facilities manned by highly qualified trainers who will guide you every step of the way.
Whether you’re a fancy girl who needs fancy facilities to coax you into the gym, or you’d rather get your head down and save some cash, we’ve got you covered.
Here are a dozen of the best gyms and health clubs to try in 2024 – and how much it’ll cost you.
12 of the best and most popular gyms in Manchester
12. Ultimate Performance – Spinningfields (bespoke prices available on request)
Ready to transform your body or lay the foundations for lifelong health, and feeling pretty serious about it? Ok, game on.
Ultimate Performance is the gym in Manchester to join if you want to stick to your plan and achieve whatever goals you set yourself, from fat loss to muscle building to general health, with some of the world’s best personal trainers coaching from here.
Barry’s is the gym loved by all the famous LA-dwelling beautiful types, and first opened here in Manchester in 2018.
Workouts take place in the ‘red room’, where rows of benches, dumbbells and treadmills promise a total body workout.
It’s now a global phenomenon, with gyms everywhere from the USA to the UAE to Australia to Mexico.
It ain’t cheap though: memberships start at £125 per month, which gets you eight classes, or you can book a drop-in class for £20. The most expensive membership will set you back £308. Check out all the offers here.
10. Blok – Piccadilly (£205/month for unlimited)
Blok in Manchester has a mix of classes and is one of the city’s best gyms. (Credit: Blok)
This gym is genuinely very beautiful, taking over a corner of the historic Ducie Street Warehouse.
It’s another one with three different studios to choose from – you can do pilates and yoga, take on full-body strength-focused or boxing workouts, or try out barre and cardio exercises.
There are top-notch changing rooms for getting refreshed in afterwards too.
Unlimited membership is £205 a month, but if you’re happy to commit to a set number of classes there are cheaper packs available too. Check it out HERE.
You will not find a nicer or more supportive group of trainers than the ones who work at FORM – you also won’t find any who take away your ability to walk up stairs quite so efficiently.
As well as one-to-one training, they offer their ‘reload’ programme with small groups training together at their New Bailey Street gym, and the best pilates and yoga classes in town at their Reset gym on Marble Street.
FORM promises a long-term change to your life – this is no flash-in-the-pan fitness phase.
Memberships start from £168 a month and we promise you get a lot of bang for your buck. Find out more on the FORM Manchester website.
First created in Australia, there are now more than 1,000 F45 studios all over the world, creating what it claims is the most innovative fitness gym on the planet.
Each 45-minute session blends cardio and HIIT-style workouts for ‘sweat-dripping, heart-pumping fun’.
The circuits in their Manchester gyms will kick your ass, in a good way.
It’s £165 a month if you commit to six months, otherwise you’re looking at £195 a month – check it out HERE.
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7. Zeno Training Clubs – Angel Gardens (£99/month)
Hero/Zeno Training Club gym in Manchester. They even do protein/health smoothies to go.Credit: The Manc Group
With four different fitness studios to choose from, Zeno (formerly known as Hero) offers a little something for everyone.
You can seriously test your cardio in their spin studio or in the Athletic studio (where you can also take on boxing classes), push your strength in the Stronger studio (which is basically like small group PT sessions), or reset a bit in the Rejuvenate studio. There’s also an open gym upstairs.
Zeno has some of the best facilities in the city – seriously, there are more squat racks in here than in some of the biggest commercial gyms – and a bloody lovely group of trainers to guide your every move.
Memberships start from £99 a month, and there are class bundles available too. Find out more HERE.
This ‘next-level fitness studio’ follows a pretty similar model to V1BE, but factors in assault bikes (ouch) and has classes with a more tailored focus.
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There are three different TRIB3 classes to choose from – upper body and core, lower body, and full body – broken down into three zones: treadmill, resistance and intensity.
It’s proving to be a very popular option for Mancs.
Unlimited memberships are £79/month but there are loads of other options too. Find out more online.
5. V1BE – Central (£39/month)
It’s all about the cardio at V1BE, Manchester’s boutique gym group that will literally display your heart rate on a giant screen for all to see.
Most workouts are spread between sprint sessions on the treadmills and weighted circuits on the floor, but they also have ‘STR1KE’ classes that factor in some intense boxing drills.
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You will be sweaty, you will get competitive with yourself, and you’ll definitely love it (once the hill sprints are over).
Membership starts used to be £59 a month, but since they’ve reduced to just one site over on Mosley Street, prices are now just £39 for unlimited access to the gym and their range of classes. You can go find out more here.
4. The Y Club – Castlefield (starting from £35/month)
Over in Castlefield, you’ll find one of the most decked-out gyms and health clubs in Manchester city centre at one of the best value-for-money price points too. Put simply, it’s an old-school YMCA with plenty to offer.
The Y Club, which is attached to The Castlefield Hotel – where you also have access to 20% off food and drink with your membership – features a comprehensive range of gym equipment and facilities, as well as a large pool, five courts, football, badminton and more in the large sports hall, as well as studio classes.
There are also in-house personal trainer and physiotherapy sessions available; they even offer free health checks and lunchtime fitness classes as part of their corporate packages where employees can even get a 9.6% discount on selected memberships.
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Standard prices start from £35 a month for a 12-month contract and full access to all facilities, but you can go cheaper with the £30 off-peak rate (6am-3:45pm). You can see the various tiers including reduced student rates HERE.
3. Nuffield Health – Printworks and Didsbury (£51/month)
Nuffield is one of Manchester’s biggest gyms, with its own pool.
What makes Nuffield Health so extraordinary of all the gyms in Manchester is that it has a real-life swimming pool, which is quite a luxury in a city centre as crammed as ours.
The gym has an army of treadmills and bikes, plus a functional fitness room, a free weights room, and several different studios.
There are also physiotherapists and personal trainers based here to help you build the healthiest body possible. They also have a Didsbury site too, if that helps.
It’s £51 per month, or you can go off-peak for £43 a month. You can sign up HERE.
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2. JD Gyms – Central (£19.99/month)
Doesn’t need much of an intro this one (Credit: JD Gyms)
With a rapidly growing number of gyms nationwide, it’s easy to see why JD Gyms are becoming more and more popular – and it’s got a lot to do with the price.
Their refurbished gym in Manchester city centre over on Whitworth Street has more than 300 classes a month, a sauna, and literally hundreds of pieces of strength and cardio equipment.
There’s a large free weights zone, a sprint and sled track, boot camps, boxing, and personal trainers. They also have a smaller Salford outpost over on Regent Retail Park.
Basic membership is £19.99 a month – which includes classes – but for £25 a month, you can also get 10% off at JD Sports online and use any of their gyms nationwide – find out more HERE.
1. PureGym – Central and Salford (£14.99/month)
PureGym has several gyms around Manchester. (Credit: PureGym)
As one of the country’s biggest gym groups, they’re famed for being cheap and practical, with 24-hour opening times.
Facilities are very good for the price and there are four PureGym gyms in the city centre alone – make that 14 in Greater Manchester. You just have to get used to their weirdly futuristic ‘beam me up, Scotty’ entrance vestibules.
You can get a base membership for just £14.99 on average depending on which venue but you can find out exact details for each place online.
The billboard in Manchester that’s turning the city into a real-life Love Actually scene
Daisy Jackson
A new billboard has appeared in an iconic location in Manchester that’s suddenly making everyone go all lovey-dovey.
Iconic haircare brand John Frieda has taken over a spot on the city’s beautiful King Street, with a stop-you-in-your-tracks advert.
Mancs passing through this part of town over the coming festive season will spot the eye-catching sight of… themselves.
John Frieda has installed a huge mirror (complete with mistletoe) where Mancunians can show off their style, check out their festive ‘fit, or pucker up for a selfie with loved ones.
And the adorable concept is already creating some heartwarming moments in town.
You’ll spot groups of friends posing for photos in their finery, couples sharing a cute smooch, and families taking a moment to capture themselves all back together for Christmas.
You can see some of these adorable exchanges in the video below.
John Frieda has installed the mistletoe mirror to encourage Mancs to show off their style, and individuality.
The decades-old British haircare brand has set out to show off all hair types, because everyone’s ‘hair is worth celebrating’.
And, of course, John Frieda has products tailored to all hair types.
Their expertly formulated products cater to all kinds of haircare and styling needs. Whether you want to repair damaged hair, refresh your color, boost volume in fine hair, embrace your curls, or tame frizz and flyaways, they’ve got you covered.
With tailored solutions, you can have your best hair every day – not just at Christmas!
Make sure this festive season that you swing by King Street to pucker up with John Frieda’s mirror billboard.
Daisy Bradbury -
25th November 2020 
