Whether you can believe it or not, we’ll be getting ready to say goodbye to 2025 and welcome in a new year next week.
2025 has been quite the year, and with the working world getting ready to wind down for the festive season, many are no doubt already looking ahead to the new year, and planning all the holidays and time off work they want to book.
Fancy making the most of it though? For those looking to play their cards right and hack the system a little bit, some clever clogs has worked out a way to secure yourself a whopping 59 days off work by using just 28 days of your annual leave allowance – and it’s pretty impressive.
With most full-time employees who work a five-day week having a minimum of 28 days (5.6 weeks) of paid annual leave each year, travel experts have figured out how these people can effectively double their time off in 2026.
How to get 59 days off work in 2026 using only 28 days of annual leave / Credit: Road Ahead | Kaitlyn Baker (via Unsplash)
January
It may be a tad too late for some, but if you’re still able to extend your new year celebrations, then you’ll want to book Friday 2 January off to create a long weekend.
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Easter
Saturday 28 March to Sunday 12 April – Thanks to those two Bank Holidays we get off around Easter time, by booking Monday 30 March to Thursday 2 April, and then Tuesday 7 April to Friday 10 April off, you can enjoy a massive 16 days off work by just using eight days of annual leave.
Saturday 28 & Sunday 29 March – Weekend
Monday 30 March to Thursday 2 April – Annual Leave
Friday 3 April – Good Friday
Saturday 4 & Sunday 5 April (Easter Sunday) – Weekend
Monday 6 April – Easter Monday
Tuesday 7 to Friday 10 April – Annual Leave
Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 April – Annual Leave
May
Saturday 2 to Sunday 10 May and Saturday 23 to Sunday 31 May – Thanks to the two Bank Holidays in May, there’s two ways for you to enjoy nine days off in a row by only using four days of annual leave.
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August
Saturday 29 August – Sunday 6 September – With another Bank Holiday in August, by booking Tuesday 1 though to Friday 4 September as annual leave, you can enjoy nine days of summer holiday in total.
December
Saturday 19 December 2026 – 3 January 2027 – With the Christmas Day and Boxing Day Bank Holidays, as well as the Boxing Day substitute day, and New Year’s Day too, you can book just seven days off on from 21 to 24 December, and 29 to 31 December, to enjoy a whopping 16 days off in total.
Saturday 19 & Sunday 20 December – Weekend
Monday 21 – Thursday 24 December – Annual Leave
Friday 25 & Saturday 26 December – Christmas Day and Boxing Day (& weekend)
Sunday 27 December – Weekend
Monday 28 December – Bank Holiday (Boxing Day substitute)
Tuesday 29 – Thursday 31 December – Annual Leave
Friday 1 January 2026 – New Year’s Day
Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 January – Weekend
Wellbeing Coach Lorna Wilkins has explored the health-boosting benefits of going on holiday and taking time off from work.
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“One of the key health benefits of going on holiday is that it reduces stress,” Lorna explains.
“Having a break from your daily routine can make you feel more relaxed and therefore improve your mental wellbeing. A change of environment and getting away from the pressures of day-to-day life not only helps you to clear your mind but can also help to improve your sleep quality as you’ll be feeling more relaxed.”
Iconic Manc movie 24 Hour Party People is set to return to cinemas for its anniversary
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most iconic movies is set to return to the big screen next month.
Remastered in 4K and returning to UK cinemas to mark 24 years since its original release, Michael Winterbottom’s 2002 biographical comedy drama film, 24 Hour Party People, tells the story of Manchester‘s popular music community from 1976 to 1992 – specifically about Factory Records‘ founder Tony Wilson.
The film begins with the punk rock era of the late 1970s, before moving through the 1980s into the rave and DJ culture, and of course, the ‘Madchester‘ scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The narrative largely follows the career of Tony Wilson, played by Middleton-born actor Steve Coogan, while also covering the careers of the major Factory Records artists – especially Joy Division and New Order, as well as A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, and Happy Mondays.
If you haven’t seen 24 Hour Party People before, it’s a dramatisation based on a combination of real events, rumours, and urban legends, as the film is sure to make clear.
Coogan is joined by a cast by a mixture of big names and, at the time, rising stars like Paddy Considine, Shirley Henderson, Lennie James, John Simm, Ralf Little, Andy Serkis, Sean Harris, John Thomson, and even Peter Kay, alongside cameos from other figures connected to the Manchester music scene.
Before it returns to cinemas, the film will first open music and media festival/conference, Beyond The Music, at MediaCity in Salford on 6 October.
The screening at the festival will also be followed by a Q&A with Coogan, Winterbottom, and producer Andrew Eaton.
24 Hour Party People will then be re-released in UK cinemas from 9 October, and you can check your local cinema for screening times and book tickets online now.
Featured Image – Altitude
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Bury actress Kate O’Flynn wins big at 2026 Emmys with record-breaking comedy show
Emily Sergeant
Did you know that one of the big winners at the 2026 Emmy Awards last night was actually an actress from Bury?
In case it wasn’t on your radar, American television‘s biggest night, the Emmys, took place yesterday evening over in Los Angeles, and several records were broken in the process – including Apple TV’s comedy horror Widow’s Bay taking home the most Emmys ever for a single series of a comedy show, with 14 of them.
Widow’s Bay tells the story of mayor Tom Loftis, played by Welsh actor Matthew Rhys, who is trying to boost tourism on his rugged New England island, but must navigate several strange events that suggest it might be cursed.
Created by Katie Dippold, and executive produced and directed by Hiro Murai, Widow’s Bay was released in late April to widespread critical acclaim.
At the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards last night, the show scooped a record 14 awards, including for Outstanding Comedy Series, several acting wins, and wins for directing and writing too.
One of those acting wins was Kate O’Flynn for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series – an actress who hails from the Greater Manchester town of Bury.
Kate stars as Patricia Moyer, mayor Tom’s eccentric assistant in the show.
She grew up in Holcombe Brook near Ramsbottom, and was educated at Bury Grammar School, before she went on to train at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Acting in 2006.
Taking to the stage to accept her award last night, Kate said in her speech: “I want to thank our mayor [Matthew Rhys] and all the residents of Widow’s Bay, in front and behind the camera – you’re amazing. This is the role of a lifetime, thank you Katie and Hiro for trusting a Lancashire lass to play a sassy broad like Patricia. And thank you Apple [TV] for saying yes.
“Thank you Nicky and Tony for looking after me, my family back home, my mum and dad, and the loves of my life, my husband and our darling daughter – another sassy broad in the making.
Emily Sergeant -
23rd December 2025 
