An “inspirational” charity initiative backed by residents and famous names in Greater Manchester has donated the equivalent of 10,000 meals to foodbanks in the region.
As part of the now-viral #NoWasteofSpace campaign – which was created by electric car brand, Polestar, after staff at the company’s Trafford Centre-based hub in saw Manchester United and England star Marcus Rashford’s recent Feeding Britain’s Children documentary and felt inspired to help local residents in need – empty boxes were delivered to unsuspecting residents and celebrities in Greater Manchester, with a request for them to be filled with non-perishable food and personal care items.
A total of 325 food boxes – weighing 2.2 tonnes in total – were donated to FareShare UK hubs in Greater Manchester and Merseyside.
If that wasn’t brilliant enough as it is, the car company then matched the public’s donations kilo-for-kilo and delivered the 4.4 tonnes of supplies via a fleet of ten Polestar 2 models – which would have otherwise sat idle due to the Trafford Centre remaining closed to the public until its planned reopening next month – earlier this week.
As well as hundreds of residents taking part in the campaign, Manchester comedian Jason Manford and actress Emma Samms were among some of the celebrities to fill up boxes, while Manchester United player Victor Lindelöf, Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and Chelsea F.C Women players Pernile Harder and Magdalena Eriksson all dug deep for the cause.
“We could never have envisaged the incredible response this campaign received,” Jonathan Goodman, Head of Polestar UK, said.
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“And the generosity of all who took part is truly heart-warming,”
“In 2021 it’s awful to think that some of the nation’s most vulnerable are having to go without basic items, so I’m glad the Manchester team were able to use our resources to help such a worthy cause”.
Polestar Manchester
Miranda Kaunang – Head of Development at FareShare Greater Manchester – added: “The COVID-19 crisis has been particularly challenging for those we work with, so Polestar’s #NoWasteofSpace campaign is particularly timely [and] the efforts of the Polestar Manchester team while they wait to re-open has generated an incredible response.
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“With over 10,000 meals donated through their initiative, this campaign will make a real difference to those in need”.
Polestar added that it would continue to use its resources to help worthy causes in the local community and hinted that more plans for the #NoWasteofSpace campaign in store for the rest of the year, with Jonathan Goodman adding: “We’re looking forward to continuing this effort once the Trafford Centre has re-opened, working with the other retailers and centre management to support the community around our latest space”.
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Polestar Manchester is due to re-open at the Trafford Centre in accordance with government guidelines on 12th April 2021, at the earliest.
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UK’s most popular commuter towns named and four are in Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
The UK’s most popular commuter towns have been named, and four of them are here in Greater Manchester.
Where are the most popular commuter towns in the UK right now?
Well, new data collated based on the number of people enquiring about available properties on Rightmove has revealed the locations where buyer demand is highest, and with Manchester being one of the largest cities in the country, of course there’s some Greater Manchester towns on the list.
Rightmove says that choosing the best commuter town requires buyers to balance a number of factors – including property prices, travel times, and local lifestyle
To narrow it down, the property platform has chosen to focus on commuter towns within a 45-minute rail journey to the target city, and with at least 20,000 people living there.
For Manchester, it’s Stockport that’s taken the title as the city’s most popular commuter town, as amazinly, it generated 70% more enquiries per listing than Manchester itself.
The UK’s most popular commuter towns have been named / Credit: James Feaver (via Unsplash) | Manchester City Council
Being just an eight-minute journey from Manchester Piccadilly, Stockport has an average property price of £308,299.
Elsewhere in Greater Manchester, the picturesque Stockport town of Marple takes second spot on the list, while the Tameside town of Stalybridge comes in third place, and Rochdale also features in the top five, alongside Warrington – which is just outside of our region’s borders, but is only a short 22-minute train journey into the city centre.
Transport options is obviously one of the most important factors in what makes a town a so-called ‘commuter town’.
Stockport benefits from around six fast trains per hour, while Stalybridge and Rochdale offer four per hour. Marple is less frequent at two per hour but still attracts strong interest, likely due to its lifestyle appeal and stunning setting on the edge of the Peak District.
Price growth has been strong across most of the Manchester commuter towns, with Stalybridge (+6.1%) and Rochdale (+5.8%) seeing notable increases year-on-year.
However, average prices for four out of the five commuter locations on the list were higher than the average Manchester property price (£261,891), suggesting that lifestyle factors were a stronger draw for Manchester’s surrounding towns.
Featured Image – Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)
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Noah Kahan begs fans to ‘just go to the bathroom’ ahead of Manchester shows
Daisy Jackson
Noah Kahan has had to issue a bizarre warning on concert etiquette ahead of his UK tour, after a fan apparently defecated on the floor at his show.
The Stick Season singer-songwriter, who will headline two massive gigs in Manchester this year, has begged his fans to ‘just go to the bathroom lmao’.
He’s had to speak out after videos circulated online that appeared to show human faeces beneath a chair and in the walkway at one of his US gigs.
According to witnesses at his Philadelphia show, one concert-goer relieved themselves onto the floor, then tried to kick the faeces under the seat in front.
Noah Kahan has now released a statement online that says: “If you have to poop at a show please dear god just go to the bathroom lmao.
“I’ve pooped my pants as much as the next 29 year old but you guys gotta understand there’s a venue worker out there with a 1000 yard stare after dealing with that.”
The star has since gone one step further, and addressed the poop incident on stage in Toronto.
He told fans inside the venue: “This is awkward. When you enter this building, you enter a social contract, right?
“And rule number two besides ‘don’t literally f**king kill each other’, is ‘don’t s**t on the floor’.
“So we’re gonna do some therapy type thing where we all repeat after me, okay?”
He then led the crowd to repeat the following chant: “I solemnly swear, I will not s**t my pants, and if I do, I won’t take it from my pants and put it on the floor.”
Emily Sergeant -
15th March 2021 
