Heaven for some, hell for others, Mars’ coconut-filled and chocolate-covered Bounty is always the most controversial chocolate in the tin at Christmas time – and its creators have finally acknowledged this with the creation of a return scheme.
Mars, the maker behind the Celebrations tin and its ‘most hated’ coconut-filled candy, has seemingly accepted the poor old Bounty’s fate after a recent survey found 52% of people admitted to leaving them for last and 32% chuck them away after Christmas.
So now, instead of letting them go to waste, Mars has launched a Bounty return scheme that will allow Christmas chocolate lovers to swap their unwanted bars out for alternatives in January 2022.
Celebrations has launched a Bounty ‘return scheme’ for ‘most hated’ chocolate in tin / Image: Open Food Facts
Those who find themselves strongly opposed to the soft coconut and chocolate delight will be able to exchange the bars for Maltesers at selected Co-Ops in major cities including Manchester from 17 January.
To really hammer home the poor old plight of the Bounty, and perhaps even create some sympathy for the unloved chocolate bar, Mars has even gone so far as to create an advert in an attempt to sway public opinion and save it from getting axed from the tin altogether.
ADVERTISEMENT
Called ‘The Lonely Bounty’, the tongue-in-cheek 1 and a half minute advert depicts a tearful, rejected Bounty man spending Christmas all alone – that is until his equally-hated Christmas counterpart appears holding cards covered with a Love Actually-style message of hope.
A Love Actually-style message of hope saves the day as the brussel sprout and Bounty find one another / Image: Mars / Youtube
Soundtracked by a mournful cover of In the Bleak Midwinter, the ad begins with the Bounty looking for love online but finding no matches.
ADVERTISEMENT
We see him sitting alone in a park, at a school play, then a romantic restaurant, where he blows out his candle all alone before he’s finally shown sobbing on his sofa.
It seems all hope is lost, then there’s a sudden ring on the doorbell. It’s the brussel sprout, who in a nod to one of the UK’s favourite Christmas films is holding up a card reading “call me old fashioned”.
The next proceeds to say “but I wouldn’t go out with any of these guys”, before showing a picture of all of the other (more popular) Celebrations chocolates.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ultimately, the pair find love and walk off down the street hand in hand – showing that whilst many dislike a Bounty for some, there’s nothing better.
Mars added following the ‘return scheme’ announcement: “No Bountys will be sent to landfill as a result of the returns.”
The Chestergate pub in Stockport is at it again with some of the most wonderfully Manc scenes you’ll ever see
Danny Jones
The legendary Chestergate pub in Stockport is back with another belter of a video, following on from their viral belly-flashing clip of 2022.
The Mersey Square boozer has painted yet another quintessentially Northern depiction of UK pub culture with the latest Manc scenes they’ve captured around the karaoke machine.
If you’ve never had the pleasure of stumbling into The Chestergate in Stockport town centre, the long-standing boozer currently operated by publican chain Blind Tiger Inns, you’re seriously missing out.
While it might not be the flashiest of pubs, when it comes to entertainment, it always delivers.
Whether it’s stunts like renaming themselves ‘The Southgate’ whenever the Euros or World Cup rolls around, or the locals just genuinely having a whale of a time no matter what day of the week it is, it really sums up the best of pub culture.
The Chestergate went viral for some of the most British footage ever caught on film back in 2022 and the videos saw a huge wave of love and support flooding in for the pub, as well as a healthy amount of chuckles. Safe to say we were chuffed to see them pop back up on our feed again recently.
Karaoke night at The Chestergate literally never disappoints.
Forget ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ or ‘Champagne Supernova’ for karaoke songs – we’ll take a cacophony of inaudible throwback pop music, whilst another bloke and his hype man try and MC over a totally ill-fitting beat any day of the week.
And that’s handy because you’ll find those kinds of shenanigans happening at this place all the time.
It’s simultaneously one of the most no-nonsense and somehow a non-stop shenanigan-filled paradise. They also look after their own and consider their regulars part of the family. Case and point: they threw their very own ‘Dancing Queen’ Molly a big bash for her 86th birthday and it’s such wholesome viewing.
At this point, it’s worth flagging that we have nothing but envy for these folks and anyone who’s just out there having the time of their lives on any random weeknight.
Yes, it produced plenty of laughs for those watching online in recent times but this lot won’t mind one bit – not only is the pub seeing more and more new faces through the door but that’s the whole point of a pub, isn’t it? Going for a pint with your nearest and dearest and having a laugh.
Not only is it very Manchester but it’s Britain at its very best.
We hope to see you at The Chestergate pub in Stockport for a pint or two sometime soon and we’re making a bit of a prat of ourselves, don’t worry, we’re sure they’ll have the cameras ready for you.
Tailgaters and middle lane hoggers warned to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style
Emily Sergeant
A warning has been issued to tailgaters and motorway middle lane hoggers urging them to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style.
Do you find yourself guilty of two of the biggest driving sins from time to time?
Well, according to the latest figures released by National Highways, one in three motorists have admitted to middle lane hogging in their lives, while one in four have committed acts of tailgating on some of the UK’s fastest roads.
These shocking survey findings – which were released back in early March as the Government-owned road management company launched a new campaign – showed that lane hogging was among the behaviours that are most likely to cause motorists and passengers to feel ‘frustrated’, and tailgating was most likely to cause feelings of unease, stress, and anxiety.
Nearly a third (32%) of drivers admitted to lane hogging ‘at least occasionally’ while driving on England’s motorways and major A roads, according to the survey – which polled 2,500 adults between the ages of 16-75.
On top of this, almost seven in ten adults in England (67%) said close following or tailgating is a ‘serious problem’ on these types of roads, but nearly a quarter (23%) admitted to doing it from time to time.
Tut-tut.
Tailgaters and middle lane hoggers have been warned to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style (Credit: IPTC/Ronald Hudson)
It’s these very statistics which have led National Highways to issue an urgent warning that calls on these motorists to “carefully consider” their driving habits, as “little changes can change everything”.
Lane hogging and tailgating both fall under the offence of ‘careless driving’ in England, with the country’s police forces having the power to hand out on-the-spot fines of £100 and three penalty points to those who commit such offences.
“Middle lane hogging and tailgating are far more than mere annoyances for drivers,” warned RAC road safety spokesperson, Rod Dennis, adding that these actions “put everyone on the roads at risk.”
If you’re too close to the vehicle in front, you’re tailgating. This is very dangerous and could lead to a collision. Always leave at least a two-second gap and make sure you follow the advice from The Highway Code.
He continued in his reaction to the release of the latest National Highways figures: “Closely following another motorist could easily result in a serious collision should the driver ahead need to brake sharply for any reason, so the fact nearly one in four drivers admitted to doing so on some of England’s fastest and busiest roads is frightening”.
Mr Dennis said he understands that offenders “might find these habits hard to kick”, but that’s why the urgent calls for motorists to make changes are “so important”.
“By understanding that how we choose to drive affects others, we can each make a real difference to the safety of our roads,” he concluded.
Georgina Pellant -
10th November 2021 
