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Daredevils raise £36,000 for Manchester charity in the city’s biggest abseil ever

105 brave individuals abseiled down the 26-storey One Regent Tower in Castlefield to raise funds for We Love MCR Charity.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 19th July 2022

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’.

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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.

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.

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.

Read more: Three success stories since the launch of We Love MCR Charity’s ‘Rising Stars’ fund

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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Crown Paints hit with more than 100 complaints over new ‘misogynistic’ and ‘offensive’ advert

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A Northern-based paint company has been hit with more than 100 complaints over its new TV advert, which has been branded “offensive”.

Crown Paints – which is based in Darwen in Lancashire – released the advert in question earlier this month, and through a cast of actors, singers, and spoken word performers, it tells the story of a young couple named Hannah and Dave.

The couple were said to have met at an illegal rave, and are now expecting their first child together.

Lyrics from the advert’s jingle include: “Now a baby’s coming and they don’t know what it is. Hannah’s hoping for a girl, Dave’s just hoping that it’s his.

“They’re happy that their spare room’s no longer grey because there’s a baby on the way.”

Since its release and airing on TV screens across the UK, an Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) spokesman said it had received 150 complaints about the advert – which it is “currently assessing to determine if there is a potential problem under our rules and, if so, whether there are grounds for further action”.

The ASA says the majority of complaints are mainly focused on whether the content in the advert is appropriate to be shown on television, as well as many taking to social media and calling it out for being “totally derogatory” towards women.

Read more: PrettyLittleThing advert banned for ‘sexualising’ teen TikTok star

Comedian Jennie Eclair was one of the more prominent figures to complain to Crown Paints on social media earlier this week, tweeting: “Hey Crown Paints, get that offensive baby ad off air – what were you thinking!!!? What on earth possessed you?”

Author and podcast host, Daisy Buchanan, was one of the many people to welcome Eclair’s tweet and say in response: “I honestly thought it was me being mad”.

One viewer took to Twitter and said: “Totally derogatory of women, questioning her fidelity. Take it off because it won’t sell much paint.”

Others said it was “offensive”, “misogynistic”, and a “serious error of judgement”.

Crown Paints then responded to Eclair’s tweet saying: “Our ads are intended to give a humorous account of our characters’ stories. We appreciate that people have differing tastes when it comes to humour and whilst the ad has been broadly well received, we apologise if the remark has caused offence to anyone.”

But Eclair still said she felt that the advert “set up a scenario that implies a woman has possibly conned a man into fatherhood”.

Following both the growing online backlash, and the 150 official complaints about the advert, Crown Paints has issued a formal statement addressing the claims.

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A spokesperson said: “This ad is one in a series that is intended to celebrate special moments in life in a humorous way.

“The characters of Hannah and Dave are shown to be in a happy relationship and preparing for their new arrival. There are no negative connotations intended from any of the lyrics and whilst the ad has been broadly well received, we recognise that people have differing tastes in humour.

“We apologise if any of the lines have caused offence.”

Featured Image – Crown Paints

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Experts warn that Flying Ant Day is imminent and it could be ‘any day’ now – but what is it?

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Gardening experts are warning that the annual phenomenon known as Flying Ant Day is right around the corner, and it could be “any day” now.

With temperatures having been soaring in Greater Manchester over the past couple of days, as the UK experienced the second heatwave of the summer, pest controllers were warning that an influx of “sugar-crazed” wasps was likely to come with the warm weather – but now, it turns out the wasps aren’t the online insects we need to brace for.

Flying Ant Day is apparently on its way too, and it could be here before we know it.

As a thunderstorm warning now in place for much of the country, with heavy rain, wind, and general stormy conditions forecast set to bring potential flooding, damage to buildings, and disruption, the change in weather could also bring flying ants.

Post-heatwave is usually considered to be the ideal time of year for the creatures fill the air in swarms, according to experts, but while the annual occurrence is called Flying Ant Day, most of the time, it isn’t just a one-day thing.

Read more: UK told to brace for ‘worst’ wasp invasion in years as heatwave arrives

But what actually is Flying Ant Day? What should we be expecting? And is there any way to make sure flying ants don’t get inside our homes?

What is Flying Ant Day?

To sum it up simply, Flying Ant Day – which is scientifically referred to as nuptial flight – is a natural annual event that sees countless of the flying insects take to the skies in a bid to avoid the heat.

It marks the day or time of year where virgin queens mate with males to start new colonies.

While it’s impossible to predict an exact day for the annual occurrence, there have been warnings that 2022’s Flying Ant Day could take place any time from 15 August, so we’re already a day overdue and it’s worth keeping an eye out.

Flying Ant Day – which is scientifically referred to as nuptial flight / Credit: Flickr

What are the experts saying?

“Most of us have been enjoying the heatwave, but while we’ve been making the most of the sun, a storm has been brewing,” explained Chris Bonnett – founder of Gardening Express.

“There is no specific day for Flying Ant Day, it’s usually just around mid to late August and it typically happens after a heatwave [and] the reason for this being that ants prefer humid weather and they use this time to get on the lookout for a new home and whilst that’s all well and good, it becomes a real nuisance for those of us who enjoy spending time in our gardens and outdoors.

“Ants in the UK aren’t dangerous, but they can be extremely irritating.”

How can I stop flying ants getting into my home?

Gardening Express has also given a handful of top tips to keep flying ants outside and stop them from entering into our homes.

  • Clean kitchen surfaces
  • Seal bins
  • Keep food out of sight
  • Mop floors
  • Deter them with peppermint oil

Featured Image – Flickr

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