An incredible £36,000 has been raised by a group of daredevils this past weekend for one of Manchester‘s most iconic charities.
It certainly wasn’t for the faint-hearted or those with a fear of heights, but last weekend, over 100 brave individuals decided to properly test their mettle by abseiling off one of the city’s tallest residential skyscrapers, the 26-storey One Regent Tower in Castlefield – and it was all for a brilliant cause.
As mad as it sounds, these daring Mancs took on the task with the goal of raising as much money as possible for one of the city’s longest-standing charities, We Love MCR Charity (WLMC).
It was part of the charity’s 2022 ‘Challenge Event Series’.
The abseil was just one of a set of mind-over-matter challenges that have been, and will continue to raise vital funds for the charity’s work supporting Manchester’s communities and young people.
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Given that people love to test themselves, and the fact that abseils are normally done by mountaineers and not in the heart of city centres off multi-storey skyscrapers, the demand to take part was high and places ran out really quickly – but in the end, a total of 105 people completed the challenge on both Saturday and Sunday, with a number of notable names taking part.
We did it!! This weekend 100+ daredevil We Love MCR supporters raised £36,000 for our work and completed Manchester's biggest EVER abseil 💪
Thanks to all the participants + volunteers who made it a special weekend ❤️ To the next challenge…
The Lord Mayor of Manchester, Donna Ludford, and Deputy Lord Mayor, Yasmine Dar, were two of the famous faces to complete the challenge, as well as Leader of Manchester City Council, Bev Craig.
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The staggering 26-storey challenge was officially the biggest top-to-bottom abseil in Manchester history.
Footage and pictures from the events not only show how incredible Manchester’s skyline is from the One Regent roof, but also just how daring the challengers actually were to take part.
105 brave individuals tested their mettle by abseiling off one of the city’s tallest residential skyscrapers / Credit: Amber Hulme & Dylan 4 Photography (via WLMC)The daredevils abseiled down the 26-storey One Regent Tower in Castlefield to raise funds for We Love MCR Charity / Credit: WLMC
Although the charity only set a fundraising target of £30,000 for the challenge, this has already been smashed, with a whopping £36,000 raised by the daredevils’ impressive efforts, and the total continuing to rise by the day.
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Just like all the other events in the 2022 ‘Challenge Event Series’, We Love MCR Charity says that all the money raised from the abseil will go directly towards its two flagship funds – the Stronger Communities Fund and Manchester’s Rising Stars Fund, which are all about empowering local community projects, and helping to change the lives of ambitious, but sadly disadvantaged, young Mancunians.
You can find out more about We Love MCR Charity and its different funds on its website here, and follow the charity on Twitter for news on the next challenge in 2023.
Featured Image – Dylan 4 Photography (via WLMC)
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This Manchester hotel has a Bonfire Night ‘escape’ package for pets to help keep them calm
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most luxurious hotels is transforming into the ultimate pet refuge again over the firework season.
Bonfire Night is loved across the UK for the spectacular firework displays and all the festive-themed activities that go along with it, but the November annual event isn’t so fun for our four-legged friends, as fireworks can be frightening to pets due to loud bangs, flashing lights, and the unpleasant strong smell of spent explosives.
With multiple bangs occurring from numerous displays too, pets are rarely able to pinpoint where the booming explosions are coming from, only making it more terrifying for them.
This is why, after becoming a huge success following its launch last year, Kimpton Clocktower Hotel in the heart of the city centre has brought back its special ‘Bonfire Night Escape’ escape package, turning the already pet-friendly hotel into a firework-free sanctuary.
The hotel‘s year-round ‘PAWfect Stay’ package includes any dog staying at no extra cost, plus a pet tuckbox, a guide to the best dog-friendly places in the city, and a toy waiting for them in the room, but this fireworks season, pet owners will also get a luxury hamper including Pet Remedy’s ‘Party Season Survival Kit’
The kit comes together with a range of fast-acting products to help immediately in stressful situations such as fireworks, and includes calming spray, a plug diffuser, and some calming wipes too.
On top of that, dog owners can also take advantage of the hotel’s Music Concierge service, which allows guests to request a record player and vinyls to be placed in the room ahead of check in – with lots of classical and relaxing music records available to distract anxious pets from the noise of Bonfire Night celebrations.
Kimpton Clocktower Hotel has a Bonfire Night ‘escape’ package to help keep pets calm / Credit: Elisha Terada (via Unsplash)
The award-winning The Refuge Bar and Restaurant inside the hotel also offers a menu of carefully-curated dog treats throughout the week, as well as doggy Sunday roasts all Sunday.
David Lockhart, who is the General Manager at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, said he likes to think of the hotel as a “home-away-from-home for our guests”.
“Our top priority is making sure everyone is feeling safe and comfortable,” he added. “We can’t wait to welcome our November guests and help them care for their four-legged family members, giving them everything they need.”
The Bonfire Night Escape package at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel is available to book from Friday 1 November, subject to availability, and you can request the package via the hotel concierge or by emailing [email protected] to book.
Scissor Sisters confirm reunion after more than a decade ahead of massive Manchester gig
Danny Jones
Still a firm cult favourite from the 2000s, Scissor Sisters are officially back and are bringing a special reunion tour to Manchester and the UK and Ireland at large.
The American outfit were one of the biggest and most well-known pop groups on this side of the Atlantic during their heyday, notching three BRIT Awards and two number-one albums.
Starting out in New York, like many bands in an oversaturated music market, they ended up proving to be much more popular here in Britain than they ever did in the US, not to mention becoming real icons among the LGBTQ+ community.
And now, over a decade later, the Scissor Sisters are set to repay the likes of Manchester, Leeds, London and more with a series of comeback shows, including one at Co-op Live arena – a gig which the venue has already teased earlier this week.
Confirming the reunion on social media on Thursday, 10 October, the band said: “Exciting news, for the first time in over a decade, we will come together again, live next May across the UK and Ireland.
“And for the first time ever, our debut album Scissor Sisters will be performed in full in celebration of its 20th anniversary – alongside all the other Scissor hits from along the way… See you very soon. Jake, Babydaddy, Del.”
Long-time fans were quick to notice that there was no mention of fellow founding member Ana Matronic nor former drummer Randy Real; the band themselves told BBC that the current lineup following their indefinite hiatus is by no means a way of replacing anyone but does give them a chance “to get some people on stage and ask some friends to do fun things.”
Frontman Shears’ 2023 Cabaret co-star, Rebecca Lucy Taylor, was also teased with a possible appearance on the Scissor Sisters reunion tour. Either way, they’ve promised a “little bit of chaos, anarchy” and an “‘anything can happen’ energy again.”
It’s been 12 whole years since we last saw them out on the road, so it’s only fitting that they give us a dozen UK/IE dates, starting at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena before bringing the comeback party down the home stretch in Dublin.
Scissor Sisters are set to stun the Manchester crowd with their Co-op Live debut on Wednesday, 21 May 2025, with special guest support from Alison Goldfrapp of the iconic electronic music duo, and we truly really can’t wait to roll back the years with them.
Pre-sale goes live on Wednesday, 6 November at 10am which you can access via their website and general admission tickets will be available from the same time the following Friday, 8 November.
We can’t wait to hear all the favourites – ‘Filthy/Gorgeous’, ‘I Don’t Feel Like Dancin”, ‘Take Your Mama’ and more – but, until then, the announcements coming out of Manchester’s biggest new music venue just don’t stop…
Emily Sergeant -
19th July 2022 
