Some new baby penguins have just be born at Chester Zoo, and they’re hands down the cutest things we’ve seen all week.
But, let’s be honest… would you expect them to be anything less?
The 11 new Humboldt penguins – which are one of the world’s 17 penguin species, and are described as being “highly threatened” – are not only really flipping adorable, but they’re also history-makers too, as they are the most to hatch during ‘hatching season’ at the UK’s biggest charity zoo for more than a decade.
Keepers at Chester Zoo say they’re “delighted” to report that each of the chicks have been nurtured beyond the first 40 days of their life, and this means they’re now ready to take on the world.
Unfamiliar with Humboldt penguins?
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11 new ‘highly threatened’ penguin chicks have hatched at Chester Zoo / Credit: Chester Zoo
This fluffy lot are usually found on the rocky coastal shores of Peru and Chile – but sadly, they are now listed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the species is becoming increasingly rare due to threats from climate change, over-fishing of their natural food sources, and rising acidity and temperature levels in the oceans.
All of these factors are causing the penguins to search further from their nests for fish, which, unfortunately, increases their vulnerability.
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To help keepers at Chester Zoo stay on track of their newest arrivals, a different naming theme is chosen each year – with some previous innovative topics having included NHS heroes, brands of crisps, chocolate bars, and British Olympic athletes.
Keepers at the zoo say all the new chicks are looking “really healthy” / Credit: Chester Zoo
This year, they’ve gone with a Spring plants theme, as the chicks have been named after plants such as Nettle, Thistle, Dandelion, Tulip, and Daffodil.
Zoe Sweetman, who is the Team Manager of Parrots and Penguins at Chester Zoo, said all the chicks are looking “really healthy” and the parents have done a “superb” job of caring for their new arrivals up to this point.
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She continued: “As keepers, our main role in raising the new youngsters is to ensure the adult penguins have all they need. We also weigh the chicks regularly so that we can monitor their development, and on average, they’ve gone from a mere 80g to 2.5kg in just 40 days.
“It’s been a huge team effort.
“Each year, the team chooses a new naming theme for the chicks, and with 11 to name, we could have chosen to name them after an entire football team, but this year we’ve decided to go with plants.”
You can visit the new penguins at Chester Zoo and all the other animals by booking tickets here.
Manchester’s popular board game festival returns this month with hundreds of games to play
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s popular board came festival is set to return later this month, with hundreds of games free to play.
Manchester Board Game Festival is set to kick off 2026 in style, returning for the first festival of the year with a full weekend of board games, role-playing games, indie traders, and community-led fun in the heart of the city.
The festival features a huge board game library, giving fans access to hundreds of games to try out across the weekend – with ‘Library Bees’ on-hand to help people find games, learn the rules, or jump into sessions with other players.
There’ll also be bookable sessions, like RPGs and Blood on The Clocktower, and seminars to take part in over the three-day event.
Manchester’s popular board game festival returns this month with hundreds of games to play / Credit: MBGF (via Facebook)
As well as gaming, visitors can browse the festival’s popular Geek Fayre too, open on the Saturday and Sunday of the event, which showcases indie traders, artists, and tabletop creators from across the UK. From games and accessories, to artwork and geeky gifts, it’s a chance to support small businesses all while discovering something new.
Running from Friday 27 February through to Sunday 1 March, this opening weekend festival marks the start of five events planned throughout 2026.
Events are designed to bring together players of all experience levels for three days of tabletop gaming and social play.
“There’s something really special about the first festival of the year,” commented festival organiser, James Oxley.
“People are excited, they’re ready to play, and there’s a real buzz in the room. Manchester Board Game Festival has always been about bringing people together through games, and we can’t wait to see everyone back in the halls enjoying themselves.
“Whether attendees come for a single afternoon or the full weekend, the focus is on playing at your own pace, meeting new people, and enjoying games in a relaxed and friendly setting.”
Further festivals will follow throughout 2026, including themed Halloween and Christmas editions later in the year, so keep your eyes peeled, but until then, February’s event marks the first chance for players to roll some dice, discover new favourites, and start the year with a table full of games.
Manchester Board Game Festival takes place from Friday 27 February through to Sunday 1 March at Sachas Hotel in the Northern Quarter, with tickets starting from just £13.
Trailer released for new romcom Finding Emily set and filmed all across Manchester
Emily Sergeant
The first trailer for a new romcom that’s set and filmed all across Manchester has been released.
The film, titled Finding Emily, tells the story of a lovesick musician, played by Spike Fearn, who meets his dream girl on a night out, but ends up with the wrong phone number, and so teams up with a driven psychology student, played by Angourie Rice, in a bid to find her.
Together, the unlikely duo spark a hilarious campus-wide frenzy that tests their own hearts and ambitions along the way.
The film – which is directed by Alicia MacDonald, and based on a screenplay written by Rachel Hirons – is produced by Working Title Films, is set in the fictional Manchester City University, and is due to be distributed by Focus Features and Universal Pictures across the UK and internationally this spring.
The talented ensemble cast groups together big names like Minnie Driver with rising stars like Ella Maisy Purvis, Yali Topal Margalith, and Kat Ronney, as well as other established actors including Timothy Innes and Nadia Parkes.
Filming took place in Manchester between August and September 2024.
The two and a half-minute trailer has been shared with the world today, and when we say it’s a Manc film, we mean it… we quite literally lost count of how many of our city’s famous locations can be spotted in just the trailer alone.
The trailer has been released for new romcom Finding Emily set and filmed in Manchester / Credit: Universal Pictures & Focus Features (via YouTube)
There’s everything from Manchester Central Library and Piccadilly Records, to Canal Street and the Gay Village, the Northern Quarter, the Crown & Kettle pub in Ancoats, and even the Emmeline Pankhurst statue in St Peter’s Square featured for all to see, alongside what’ll, presumably, be dozens of other famous locations.
Oh, and not to mention, if you keep your eyes peeled when watching the trailer, you can even see a small clip of Stockport band Blossoms playing a gig in there too.
Emily Sergeant -
31st May 2024 
