Mancunians can’t stop laughing at this picture snapped by a lad during a “casual walk” alongside Ashton Canal this past weekend.
Well, this isn’t what we were expecting to see on a Sunday morning.
Given that we’re firmly within our third national lockdown amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic here in England – with all non-essential retail and hospitality closed, accompanied by restrictions on outside household meeting, exercise and travel, with guidance to “stay home” – it stands to reason that many of us have embraced the chance to get outside into the fresh air for walks over this past year, as it’s one of the few things we’ve been permitted to do.
This also probably means that you’re used to seeing your social media timelines filled with pictures taken by friends and family while out walking, but there’s something about this now-viral photo that’s really got people talking.
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And it’s really not hard to see why – or maybe it is.
Despite how dirty and litter-filled the canals and waterways of Greater Manchester are known to be, there’s really no denying that this photo – which was taken by Kyle Walkden-Blythe and shared to the over 44.7K members of the ever-popular Mint Manchester group on Facebook yesterday – shows as clear as day, among all the other twigs and bits of rubbish floating, an adult toy sitting above the water.
No further context was given as to where along the canal the picture was taken, or any insight as to why or how the adult toy had made it there, but really, do we even want to know?
Ashton Canal is NSFW at the best of times, but this on another level.
Of course, as you would expect with this not being an encounter you come across everyday, the hilarious photo has since gone viral in the Facebook community, amassing over 950 interactions and hundreds of comments by entertained group members throwing out their best phallic-themed puns.
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One commenter wrote: “Some n*b messing about on the canal”.
Another added: “Didn’t know we had c**kodiles in our canals”, with a third chipping in with: “There’s some right d***s out there in the morning floating about” and a fourth exclaiming: “Love feeding the d***s on a Sunday with the kids”.
“Who freed Willy?” another commenter cleverly wrote, just proving that no one beats us Mancunians when it comes to having a cheeky sense of humour.
At least we can have a laugh about it.
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Embrace announce intimate live show in beloved Bury music venue
Danny Jones
British alternative veterans Embrace have announced another intimate show here in Greater Manchester, only this time it’s over in Bury at a stunning small-cap arts venue.
It’s not often you get to see such a long-standing band play outside of the city centre so far into their career, especially in gorgeous grassroots spaces like this one.
A fellow Northern outfit, they’ve often been lumped in with that ‘post-Britpop’ era of music, and plenty throw around the so-called ‘dad rock’ label, but honestly, we couldn’t care either way: they remain among the UK’s perennially underappreciated underdogs that never get old, as far as we’re concerned.
Revealing a handful of new live dates for their album launch this summer, they’ll be making just two appearances in the North West on the run.
Writing in the post, the group said: “We’ve lined up a run of exclusive UK dates in venues that are some of the smallest we’ve played in years. It’s going to be special, but capacity is extremely limited.”
As you can see, besides the Jacaranda Baltic in Liverpool, the only other place in this region where they’re set to play for this mini tour is The Met over in Bury.
One of the most beautiful gig spots, not just in the town but in all the 10 boroughs, for our money, the room only holds around 400 standing and roughly 250 seats.
For seasoned artists like this lot, who are more used to playing big festival stages and big domestic headline tours – which they’re also doing later this year – it’s sure to be a special night.
Toasting the release of their ninth studio LP, Avalanche, this spin-off on the tried and tested in-store format wouldn’t be possible without the help of local record store, Wax and Beans, who are promoting and hosting the show.
But we can’t lie, there’s something about the idea of seeing them decades on from when they first tightly-packed out crowds of this size.
If you want to be part of the Embrace album launch tour, you can get ready to grab your tickets at 10am this Friday, 27 March, right HERE. And speaking of great record shops…
Salford RLFC issue statement as head coach Mike Grady departs after less than three months
Danny Jones
Salford Rugby League Football Club have issued an official statement following the departure of head coach Mike Grady, who has left the role after less than three months in the job.
It has been insisted that this is not a sacking, but rather a joint decision to terminate his contract.
Grady, who took up the mantle at the start of this project following the end of the Salford Red Devils era, was only appointed on 5 January.
He had previously been in charge of the Red Devils’ women’s side over the past couple of years, but moved over to hopefully lead this new era forward.
As you can see, the club confirmed in a statement that they and Grady have “mutually agreed to part ways due to changes in his personal circumstances.”
They go on to write: “We are forever indebted to Mike for his unwavering commitment to the club. We want to thank him for all his hard work since taking on the role as Head Coach in very challenging circumstances in December.”
Also sharing a comment from former player turned CEO, Ryan Brierley, he said: “Mike came in as Coach at a time when the club had just come through one of its toughest times with the double impact of relegation and liquidation.
“He was willing to roll up his sleeves and bring stability to the club on the pitch. The fact we were able to field a team against Oldham in January, after only three weeks, speaks volumes about his commitment and determination. To beat Hunslet at home only four weeks later was a fantastic achievement.
“Mike will always be remembered as the person [who] strived and achieved the objective of sending out the first Salford team of this new era. A team running onto the pitch, after so much hard work, gave us all something to cheer about. We also remember how well he successfully guided our women’s team to third and fourth place finishes in the Championship.”
Sharing his own farewell message, he went on to add: “I want to thank Ryan for the opportunity to represent this great club and fan base. What we created at the start of the year was pretty special, and I’m proud to have built that.
“I’m happy to leave the club in a better place than I found it and wish the club all the best for the future.” Salford RLFC have already assured that they are now recruiting for his replacement.
Emily Sergeant -
18th January 2021 
