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Greater Manchester couples may be “factoring in” fines for breaching lockdown restrictions into wedding costs

Weddings are currently limited to 15 guests in Greater Manchester.

The Manc The Manc - 8th October 2020
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The Deputy Mayor in charging of policing has revealed that couples may be “factoring in” fines for breaching COVID-19 rules as a “wedding cost” in Greater Manchester.

Baroness Beverley Hughes said that weddings “increasingly feature” in the list of police call-outs to illegal gatherings across the region, which is rising by the week.

Weddings are currently limited to 15 guests in Greater Manchester.

“Weddings increasingly feature [amongst illegal gatherings] and I don’t know of people who had to put off their wedding in the spring now feel that they’ve got to get on with it,” said Baroness Hughes.

“But it feels as if the fines that people will get are now being factored in as a cost people will bear in order to go ahead with their weddings.”

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She also said some funerals have become so large they have “required their own police operations”.

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Her comments come after Greater Manchester Police recorded its busiest period for lockdown breaches since the pandemic began last weekend, with a spokesperson for the constabulary stating that 85 fines were handed out between last Friday and Sunday.

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Included in the 85 fines was a wedding reception in Heaton Moor, Stockport where around 60 people were in attendance and one fine was issued.

It was confirmed to have brought the total number of fines issued to 400.

Last month, Greater Manchester Police also issued fines after 100 people were found at a wedding party in Bolton, and also said it prevented a wedding party from going ahead in a garden in Wythenshawe, before it breached the local lockdown restrictions in place.

A venue that held a wedding reception with about 70 guests in attendance in Longsight last month was also closed and fined £10,000.

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Morrisons introduces new quiet hours to make stores less ‘overwhelming’ for shoppers

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Morrisons has decided to extend its popular ‘Quieter Hour’ across the UK to help make its stores less “overwhelming” for shoppers.

Introduced earlier this month to mark World Autism Acceptance Week, and in a bid to turn what can be a daunting task for many people into “a calmer and more enjoyable experience”, the supermarket chain has announced an extension to its already popular initiative by adding new ‘Quieter Hours’ during weekday afternoons.

In case you weren’t aware, Morrisons first introduced its Quieter Hour all the way back in July 2018, and has been welcoming people who may struggle supermarket shopping environments through its doors ever since.

The initiative – which initially took place between 9am and 10am on a Saturday, and for the first hour of trade on a Sunday – originally began as part of the National Autistic Society’s ‘Autism Hour campaign’, after it was found that some neurodiverse people, including those with autism, can find shopping in a supermarket “overwhelming”.

Morrisons has introduced new quiet hours to make stores less ‘overwhelming’ for shoppers / Credit: Morrisons

Supermarkets can lead many people to experience increased sensitivity to light and sound, such as loud music, bright lights, and busy environments, and in turn, this can cause anxiety or, in some of the worst cases, even physical pain.

But now, after the trial has proved to be so successful and well-received, Morrisons has made the decision to extended the initiative to weekdays too, as well as weekends – with ‘Quieter Hours’ now also running every week from Monday to Thursday between 2-3pm.

The company says the extension is all with the aim of “helping even more customers”.

During ‘Quieter Hours’, Morrisons stores operate lower levels of lighting, turn music and radios off, avoid making tannoy announcements, reduce movement of trolleys and baskets, and turn checkout beeps and other electrical noises down.

“The weekly shop can be a daunting task for those who may struggle with noises associated with it,” commented Charlotte Exell, who is the Business Sponsor of Ability at Morrisons.

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“At Morrisons, we are always looking for more ways to support customers, and as the Quieter Hour is incredibly popular in our stores across the nation, we have listened to customers and will now help more shoppers in our extended times.”

Featured Image – Morrisons

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Freddos are on sale for 10p at UK supermarkets for the first time in nearly 20 years

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

It’s happening… it’s finally happening.

We never thought we’d see this again, but for the first time in nearly two whole decades, you can now walk into supermarkets across the UK and pick yourself up a Cadbury Freddo for the price of just 10p.

While it may sound a little too good to be true, due to the fact that the beloved chocolate treat has been creeping up in price for the past 19 years, and has very much gone onto become a classic British reference point for the state of inflation and the rising cost of living crisis, we couldn’t be happier to confirm it is.

But, of course, there is a bit of catch (because isn’t there always).

For anyone looking to get their hands on a slashed-price Freddo – which we imagine will be the vast majority of people reading this – you unfortunately won’t be able to pop into any supermarket, as the 10p offer is exclusive to Sainsbury’s and you’ll need a Nectar card to be eligible for it too.

Sainsbury’s announced the return of the 10p Freddo across its official social media platforms this morning, and as you’d expect, shoppers are absolutely losing their minds over it.

The caption of the now-viral post reads: “Some things from the mid 2000s should NEVER come back, but this is not one of them.

“Head to any Sainsbury’s superstore to pick up a Freddo for just 10p with your nectar card.”

Sadly, not only is this unmissable Freddo offer exclusive to Sainsbury’s for Nectar card-holders, it’s also only available in Sainsbury’s superstores too, meaning you won’t be able to find the cheap frog-shaped chocolate bars in little Sainsbury’s Local outlets.

The offer is also only for a very limited time too, as it’s available to make the most of from today (17 April) up until next Tuesday 23 April.

Freddos are on sale for 10p at Sainsbury’s for the first time in nearly 20 years / Credit: Sainsbury’s | The Manc Group

Thankfully, Freddos are the only chocolate treats that Sainsbury’s has slashed the price of currently.

As a way of celebrating the iconic confectionary company‘s 200th birthday this year, the supermarket has also put offers on a wide range of other products.

Dairy Milk bars, multipacks of Fudge, Curly Wurlys, and Flakes, Dairy Milk Trays, Chocolate Finger biscuits, and Mini Roll cake bars are the other much-loved Cadbury products currently on sale with up to 30% off their marked price.

Rachel Clark, who is the Director of Grocery for Sainsbury’s, said on the supermarket’s current Cadbury offers: “We’re delighted to be celebrating such an iconic moment for Cadbury, and its milestone of 200 years as a loved chocolate brand. We know that our customers love Cadbury so we’re very excited to be offering market-leading prices across selected Cadbury products, with savings of up to 60% off with Nectar Prices.”

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Keen to treat yourself to some cut-price chocolate this week then?

All existing Nectar customers need to do is scan their app or swipe their card at the Sainsbury’s checkout to save some pennies.

Featured Image – The Manc Group

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