Trafford

You can win a spooky overnight stay at the Trafford Centre in this Halloween competition

This unique competition is offering you the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get all cosied-up in the Trafford Centre for an evening of Halloween fun.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 22nd October 2021

Who fancies the chance to spend a spooky overnight stay at the Trafford Centre this Halloween? 

Yes, you read that right.

The shopping mall may have already been suitably celebrating the spooky season over the past few weeks with the arrival of it its large-scale outdoor event SPOOKFEST – which has brought plenty of “hair-raising horrors” for thrill seekers to get involved in, including a scary selection of rides, escape rooms, hook a pumpkin, and a spooky hay bale maze, as well independent food and drink traders serving up some “deliciously devilish dishes” – but it’s fair to say this new competition is taking things to the next level.

This unique competition is offering you the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get all cosied-up in the Trafford Centre for an evening of Halloween fun, as well as an access-all-areas tour of the centre.

And if that wasn’t good enough as it is, there’s also an exclusive VIP prize package too.

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So, what prizes are up for grabs then?

  • Exclusive, access all areas tour around the Trafford Centre.
  • A spooky sleepover experience in your own teepee tent.
  • Free entry and unlimited rides at #TCSpookFest.
  • A spooky supper at Oh My Glaze.
  • Goody bags packed with tricks and treats from brands – including John Lewis, Lush and Molton Brown.
Who fancies the chance to spend a spooky overnight stay at the Trafford Centre this Halloween? / Credit: The Trafford Centre

If you’re keen to get a chance at winning this amazing Halloween experience and prize bundle, and, most importantly, think you can hack being the first people to ever spend a night in the Trafford Centre, then here’s what you need to do to enter:

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1. Head on over to Instagram, and like The Manc & The Trafford Centre’s collaborative post here.
2. Tag the ghoul you’ll be bringing with you in the comments.
3. Both of you must be following @thetraffordcentre and @the.manc
4. For an extra entry, share the Instagram post to your story – and make sure you tag both accounts so we see it.

Reckon you can hack it? Enter if you dare.

This unique competition is offering you the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get all cosied-up in the Trafford Centre for an evening / Credit: Pinterest

If you’d like to apply, you’ll need to be over 18 years of age.

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The competition officially closes on Saturday 23 October, with the winners being contacted from The Trafford Centre’s official Instagram account only on Monday 25th October.

Winners must be available on Friday 29 October from 7pm, as this is when the sleepover will take place.

The full T&Cs can be found on the Trafford Centre’s website here.

Featured Image – Trafford Centre

Trafford

Altrincham FC name new interim coach after sacking long-serving manager Phil Parkinson

Danny Jones Danny Jones Phil Parkinson sacked by Altrincham FC for new interim manager

Altrincham FC have sacked their long-term manager Phil Parkinson after eight years and an unfortunate winless run.

The Greater Manchester club dismissed ‘Parky’ after nearly the best part of a decade, following the loss on penalties in the tie against Winsford United (6-5) and a long series of defeats and a couple of draws.

For context, they’ve picked up just a single point in the National League, and they haven’t won since the 2-1 victory over Sutton United on 6 September.

Subsequently, Alty FC had little choice but to change things up, with Parkison and his right-hand man being reluctantly let go and his temporary replacement having already been restored.

Confirming the decision on Thursday, 24 October, the club wrote in a statement: “Altrincham FC have today parted company with Manager Phil Parkinson and Assistant Manager Neil Sorvel.

“Given recent form and the current league position, it is clear that results have not met expectations. The Board therefore believes a change of direction is necessary at this point in the season.

“The Board wishes to place on record its sincere gratitude to Phil and Neil for their outstanding contribution over the past nine years. Their achievements, professionalism, and commitment have played a major role in shaping the modern-day Altrincham FC.

“A full tribute reflecting on their time with the club will be published on the official website in due course.”

More importantly, they have assured that the hunt for a new full-time “leadership team within the football department – one fully aligned with the Board’s long-term vision for the club” – has begun.

Chairman Mark Luby also made sure to reiterate that Parkinson and Sorvel have left the club “in a much stronger position than when they arrived” and, as well as recognising their achievements in that time, assured that the decision was “extremely difficult”.

As for who has been tasked with lifting them from 20th in the table, former Wealdstone FC duo Neil Gibson and his assistant Lee Jones are now in place.

Having already navigated a side to safety from the drop zone last season, Luby clearly believes the pair to be a shrewd appointment.

“The impact they had under challenging circumstances at Wealdstone was impressive by any measure”, he says, “and they demonstrated clear leadership under pressure”, adding that Gibson’s contacts in the game and vision on how to improve things on the pitch should help steady the ship.

Quickly put in post and preparing for the game against Braintree Town this weekend, the new Robins boss said: “I’m proud to be here. When the club shared its ambitions and the immediate challenges ahead, I felt there was an opportunity to make a meaningful impact, and I was excited to accept.

“While the Board focuses on the recruitment of a permanent Manager, Lee and I will give everything to move this team up the table and build momentum as quickly as possible.

“I know how passionate the supporters are, and I look forward to speaking with them more fully in due course and to seeing the travelling fans at Cressing Road on Saturday.” Principal sponsors AO are also helping fund the 600-mile round-trip journey for 57 supporters next month against Truro City, too.

Read more:

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

Featured Images — Alty TV (screenshot via YouTube)/Altrincham FC (via X)

Trafford

A very wholesome record was seemingly smashed by a group of runners at the Manchester Half

Danny Jones Danny Jones Runners break Guinness World Record for fastest caterpillar time Manchester Half Marathon 2025

It’s been a few days since the 2025 Manchester Half, and news of personal bests and records being matched/broken continues to flood in, but nothing quite beats the fastest caterpillar EVER getting themselves in the Guinness book.

Yes, we did say caterpillar.

In case you have no idea what we’re talking about (it’s pretty much what it says on the tin), a caterpillar refers to when multiple runners stick themselves in a daft bit of fancy dress and race in a line while joined together in a suit that looks like, well, you get the gist…

Fun and wholesome in itself, right? Indeed, better still, though, it appears as though this particular group of fundraisers not only completed this year’s Manchester Half-marathon with the added challenge of running behind one another in a caterpillar outfit, but have just smashed the Guinness World Record.

As you can see, the four top blokes – Matthew Athersmith, Eddie Evans, Andrew Cairns and Jimmy Craig – didn’t just get the 13.1-mile feat completed quickly; they were absolutely RAPID.

The 2025 MCR Half saw plenty of people breaching the 90-minute mark or going even faster, but we were not expecting to see the familiar caterpillar fancy dress sight finishing in 1:14:08.

Utterly ridiculous, boys.

Other notable bits of history made, besides the largest ever crowd of 28k racers and more than £1.6 million raised for different charities, included runner Sophie Godley smashing the women’s record for the fastest time while carrying (*checks notes*) 13 golf clubs. Silly and inspiring – like it.

Although they’re still waiting for full confirmation from the official Guinness World Records organisation, the Manchester Half media team seemingly verified that they beat the previous caterpillar half-marathon record by nearly 15 whole minutes.

Dubbing themselves ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’, the group of mates from Skipton in North Yorkshire ran in memory of one of Matthew’s friends, Darren, who sadly died back in 2022.

Speaking to the BBC following the remarkable achievement, Matt said: “Darren was so loved by everyone; we just didn’t know what was going on beneath the surface.”

Applauding the “unbelievable” and incredibly uplifting atmosphere on the day, they were one of many participants who added on extra caveats to the already impressive fitness and fundraising challenge.

It was nevertheless an emotional day for all of them. For instance, one quarter of the caterpillar, Jimmy, also had a heavily pregnant wife waiting at home that he had to race back to.

Generating money for male mental health organisation and suicide prevention charity, Andy’s Man Club (AMC), which has continued to grow year on year, they went on to add: “It’s OK to talk, and people shouldn’t suffer in silence. We all would have tried to help.”

Andy’s Man Club outposts are popping up all over the place, including many here in Greater Manchester, so for anyone struggling, please know that you are NOT alone and can always speak to someone. If you’re interested in giving AMC a go, you can find your nearest support group HERE.

Last but not least, for those of you local to the region who are ready to reward yourselves now that the big runs are all said and done, look no further.

Read more:

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

Featured Images — Manchester Half (supplied)/Andy’s Man Club

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