I hate cars. Well, hate is a strong word. I’m very uninterested in cars. As long as they get me from A to B without blowing up, I’m happy.
So when Tesla got in touch to see if I would be interested in trying one out, I was a little apprehensive. Surely it’s just a bit of a gimmick? The tech isn’t quite there yet? It’s just a car, who cares? I was wrong. After about four seconds, I cared.
Arriving at the Tesla showroom on Wellington Road in Stockport was like stepping into the future. Everything was sleek and clean with free coffee from one of those fancy pod machines where they’re all a different colour and you don’t really know what you’re getting but it’s free so who cares?! I did feel slightly out of place with all the fancy cars – how did this lad who grew up in Hazel Grove end up in here?
But the keys (well… a credit card-shaped key, because Tesla LOVES fancy tech) to my shiny blue Tesla Model Y in my hand, I was off to explore the north west and test it out.
The newest Teslas come with so many features, from built-in ‘Camp Mode’ to Netflix, that I thought I may as well just not leave the car for a day – bar bathroom breaks and other essential errands.
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With so many features to try, my first stop was Leeds to visit the team at The Hoot for some car-eoke. The drive there was super smooth and I even let the car’s autopilot do most of the work for me. It was scary to begin but once you’re used to it it makes motorway driving a dream. The car-eoke feature is a great opportunity to blast out some ballads and keep everyone entertained.
Then it was back across the M62 to pick up a couple of Manc mates, heading off to Chaiiwala’s new drive-thru in Bolton.
Let me tell you, there is nothing more entertaining then unexpectedly flooring it and seeing your co-workers’ shocked faces as they’re soaked with colourful iced tea. Fuelled with delicious Indian street food, we sat and played around with the settings, finding it hilarious (because we are overgrown children) that you can set everything from the indicators to the horn to make fart noises. Less hilarious when I forgot to undo the settings and turned up to a client meeting with the car farting everywhere…
The Model Y is big enough to sleep in, with mattresses available from Tescamp on Amazon. My husband and I took it to a field in Rochdale to sleep under the stars – which you can see through the Tesla’s expansive sun roof. The Tesla has camping mode, which keeps the car cool and comfortable throughout the night.
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With all the driving around and camping overnight, the Tesla needed a charge. Handily, the built in Google Maps could direct me to my closest Tesla supercharger, which can be found at the Trafford Centre. The perfect opportunity to get a bit of shopping in and catch an episode of something on Netflix IN THE CAR while it charged, which only took about 40 minutes.
Car charged, it was time to recharge my own batteries, driving on over to Oldham to try out the incredible cakes at Wonderlust Bistro & Bakery – a true hidden gem that everyone should check out.
Surprisingly, we were still hungry after that and luckily for us the Tesla has an ‘I’m hungry’ button (which I would like to have by my side at all times), so we let the car decide. It chose the delectable Lily’s Vegetarian in Ashton, where we could barely make a dent in the huge menu of Indian dishes.
I ended up having the car for around two weeks and I was genuinely heartbroken to give it back. It drives so well, has so many cool features and you feel special driving it. Everyone looks at you with awe when you’re in it too… even if you then startle with them with a very loud fart noise.
About the car
The Model Y is their fully electric, small crossover SUV
It can drive up to 330 miles on a full charge
It can do 0-60 in as little at 3.5 seconds
Has surround HD cameras – perfect for manoeuvring and showing your blind spots when changing lanes
Build in HD screen with access to Netflix, Disney+ and games
Autopilot for self-driving fun
5 star rating for safety
Huge boot capacity with storage in the bonnet too
Individually collapsible seats in the rear
Pet mode to keep your pets cool and comfortable if they have to be left in the car
Camping mode – so you can take the Tesla anywhere and sleep in it
Off Roading capability with superior traction control
Dual motors independently controlling the torque for the front and rear wheels
Superfast charging – charge up to 150 miles in just 15 mins
Tesla vision – detects nearby cars to help prevent collisions
Expansive glass roof
15 inch touchscreen display
Over air software updates
Fully customisable to each driver – it remembers your seat position and everything!
Four Manchester museums and galleries shortlisted for the ‘Oscars of the museum world’
Danny Jones
It’s official: four museums and galleries in Manchester have been shortlisted for what this particular scene dubs as the ‘Oscar’ equivalent of annual awards.
All located right here in the city centre, the quartet of cultural institutions are all famous not only in their own specific fields here in the North West, but nationwide and, indeed, all over Europe and beyond.
That being said, having this fantastic four-piece all nominated for the 2026 Museums + Heritage Awards together in the same year is a testament to just how blessed the Greater Manchester region is in this department.
Sponsored by Altair Media Ltd, the places in question are the Science and Industry Museum, Manchester Art Gallery, as well as the National Football and Manchester Museum. Congratulations!
Credit: Publicity picture/Lee McLean/PA Media Assignments (supplied)
While the National Football Museum and Manchester Art Gallery have been nominated for group-wide accolades – the Visitor Welcome and Team of the Year awards, respectively – the other two have been selected for a pair of specific projects.
In the case of Science and Industry (SIM), they’ve been spotlighted for the highly anticipated opening of the new and improved ‘Power Hall’, finally relaunched this past October, along with the accompanying Andrew Law Gallery, which could win both Permanent Exhibition and/or Sustainable Project of the Year.
What a haul that would be.
As for Manchester Museum, their memorable world premiere of The Cat That Slept for a Thousand Years has been shortlisted for ‘Temporary or Touring Exhibition of the Year’.
Debuting back in July 2025, it wrapped up last September and has since moved over to the likes of the Wakefield Exchange in Yorkshire, where it’s still on display until Sunday, 12 April.
If you fancy a day trip to see a big, glowing and very cute cat, it’s well worth booking a day out to go and see it for yourself.
Shazia Butt, Manchester City Council‘s Executive Member for Culture, Corporate Property, Crime and Policing, said: “We’re very lucky in Manchester to have so many incredible, creative and world-class museums and galleries right here on our doorstep, providing inspiration, learning, energy and fun, as well as spaces to rest and reflect, free of charge every day of the week.
“We know that visiting museums and heritage sites is the most popular cultural pastime for our residents, with over 73% of people saying they loved to visit in a recent survey – and with the calibre of these amazing spaces and what they offer in the city, it’s not hard to understand why.
“It’s fantastic to see this backbone of our cultural offer in Manchester being recognised in this way up there amongst the very best of museums and galleries nationally and internationally.”
Once again, well done to all those involved in making these venues so amazing and well worthy of the already award-winning status, as this particular nomination is just the latest in a lasting lineage of recognition that all of these wonderful spaces have earned over decades. Long may it continue.
The awards ceremony itself will take place on Wednesday, 13 May at the Park Lane Hilton down in London; best of luck to those flying the Manc flag for us – not that they need it.
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied)/The Manc Group
Travel & Tourism
Thanks to Terminal 2’s major upgrade, now holidays really do start at Manchester Airport
Danny Jones
It’s a phrase that’s almost as old as air travel itself, but luckily, Manchester Airport are well and truly getting your holidays started early, courtesy of the new and improved Terminal 2.
T2‘s massive upgrade technically finished in 2025, but with other bits debuting already this year and even more to come in 2026, Manchester’s biggest terminal is a more fully-fledged travel hub than ever.
Complete everything from the essentials and a healthy supply of food and drink, to lots of luxuries and plenty of ways to unwind and kill time between both before and after flights, you can feel extra smug about getting to the airport early.
As part of their latest ‘Terminal Explorer’ campaign, we recently paid a visit to see just how much fun we could get up to in and around T2. Spoilers: quite a lot.
With a little help from their wayfinding screens dotted around the various areas, from the World Duty Free section and ever-growing internal shopping district, to all the bars and restaurants that have opened since the big refurb, we took ourselves on a very fun day out.
And that was without even having an actual holiday booked to look forward to, so just imagine how good it must feel to top all this off with a real trip away.
In fact, you don’t even need to think that hard about it; roughly 80% of all passengers heading in and out of Manchester Airport now come through T2, and with the experience improving all the time, they’re seeing a serious uptick in visitors and their time spent enjoying some leisure before their getaway.
From additions like the LEGO store to keep the kids entertained, as well as numerous places to grab a brew, a bite, or even your first adult beverage of the holiday, it’s up to you how you choose to explore – they’ve just given you plenty of options.
There’s no bigger testament to the latest hospitality offerings in Terminal 2 than the recently opened Great Northern Market, which brings a rather big taste of the Mackie Mayor vibe to Manchester Airport.
A VERY comfortable place to wind down any wait times before you fly.
You’ll be blown away by the amount of choice on offer in here – we certainly were – and, of course, the multi-vendor culinary destination epicentre is just one of many fantastic food and drink offerings now boasted by the T2 ‘2.0.’
For instance, we could happily spend most of the time before our next hypothetical flight just chilling in the super stylish Fever-Tree Bar, which includes a wonderful range of breakfast and light bites, charcuterie boards, small plates, sandwiches and so on – plus a cocktail menu perfect for any occasion.
Put simply, you’ve now been given all the tools and means to turn downtime of almost any duration into an excuse to explore Manchester Airport at its best; in fact, scratch that: it’s an opportunity to go for a wander and make the most of it – and it’s one you don’t want to waste.
Whether it’s stocking up pre-flight or kicking back with your first drink of many, don’t just be another person sitting watching the departures board, be a terminal explorer.
Kristen MacGregor-Houlston -
4th June 2023 
