With its origins dating back hundreds of years, traceable to Italy, bingo has been enjoyed in halls and community centres throughout Manchester for generations.
The entertainment and leisure culture of Manchester is made of a rich and ever-changing tapestry that accommodates all tastes and ages. Some fads come and go, while others stick around and become part of the city’s fabric.
One of the city’s first loves is football – you’re either red or blue – while Manchester continues to produce some of the world’s finest musicians, with each leaving their own indelible mark on the city.
In this article, we will focus on another evergreen part of Manchester’s leisure culture and explore how it has evolved to stay relevant in a changing marketplace. Though it doesn’t have the same glamour traditionally attached to it, the game of bingo remains a major part of our city.
A changing game
With its origins dating back hundreds of years, traceable to Italy, bingo has been enjoyed in halls and community centres throughout Manchester for generations. But although the basic rules of the game remain largely untouched, new versions of it have emerged to help keep it relevant in a digital world.
The game has effortlessly made the leap online, which has helped connect the game to a younger audience, including the city’s student population. New versions of the game, like bingo slots, offer something fresh and exciting, while quick-fire versions of the classic rules, where sessions last no more than a couple of minutes, are a better fit for many modern players.
But bingo’s move online has not been at the expense of the classic bingo halls, which you will find throughout the city and Greater Manchester. The classic bingo hall is a true hub for communities, helping friends socialise and providing laughter and companionship for thousands.
The facilities play important roles in the lives of many and, although many younger players are more engaged with the digital offering, traditional bingo hall games continue to boast a charm all of their own.
Another way that bingo has remained relevant and trendy in modern Manchester is through the innovation of Bongo’s Bingo. Originating a few short miles away in Liverpool, Bongo’s Bingo features live entertainment, including live music and dancing.
The concept has taken the UK by storm and events have been held frequently in our city in recent years. In many ways, the events would be alien to traditional bingo players, but at the heart of everything remains the classic game beloved by so many.
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The future
In such a competitive entertainment marketplace, staying relevant and appealing to an ever-changing audience can be incredibly difficult. And in a city like Manchester, where there’s just so much to do, it’s perhaps doubly difficult.
But the simplicity of bingo’s rules, its adaptability and its accessibility to people of all backgrounds will likely ensure that it retains some kind of presence in the consciousness of local people. Whether that’s through digital media, Bongo’s Bingo or the bingo halls of old, we feel confident that Bingo will remain a part of our city’s culture for generations yet to come.
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Morrisons introduces new quiet hours to make stores less ‘overwhelming’ for shoppers
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.
“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
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.
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.”
The Manc -
26th November 2020 
