Getting all cosy and sitting down to watch some festive films is such an important part of Christmas for so many of us.
But after we’ve made our way through Home Alone, Elf, Love Actually, It’s A Wonderful Life, and all those other classics that we just have to stick on every time the festive season rolls around, we usually end up turning to some of the newer releases that have popped up various streaming platforms in recent years.
Films made for TV have historically had a bit of a reputation for not being that good, with people tending to avoid them unless they fancy wasting a couple of hours they won’t get back, but the rise of streaming and, of course, the global pandemic has changed that – with many filmmakers now even favouring the powerhouses of Netflix and Amazon Prime over a cinema release.
It seems festive films are no different either.
For better or for worse, Holidate, The Princess Switch, Single All The Way, The Knight Before Christmas, and A Castle For Christmas are just a few of the seasonal flicks to have made it onto streaming platforms and garnered millions of views over the past few years.
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But there’s a new Christmas film that’s just come out on Amazon Prime this year, and a big part of it might look familiar to people from Greater Manchester and the north west.
That’s because Macclesfield has got itself a starring role in Your Christmas or Mine?
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It might sound a little odd at first, but you could argue that the north west town near Stockport that’s just over the border into Cheshire is as much of a star of the new film as its leads Asa Butterfield and Cora Kirk are.
Your Christmas or Mine? follows the story of young student couple James and Hayley, played by Butterfield and Kirk, who both decide to surprise the other at Christmas time, only to have to accidentally spend the festive season with each other’s families instead.
Hayley ends up with James‘s military father, Lord Humphrey The Earl of Gloucester, at his country house, while James, on the other hand, is stuck with Hayley‘s dysfunctional working class family.
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And that family just so happens to be in Macclesfield.
While the mid-sized Cheshire town isn’t often on a lot of people’s radars, or can’t claim to be famous for much more other than being the hometown of late Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis, the magical Macclesfield Forest, and the home of Jodrell Bank, it now has an unexpected heavy feature in a 2022 Christmas film to add to that list.
Your Christmas or Mine? is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video now / Credit: Amazon Prime
For those familiar with Macclesfield, the film features regular mention of the town’s name, given that one of the main character’s is from there and the it provides the backdrop for a good chunk of the film, as well as featuring plenty of the cast speaking with a classic north-western accent throughout.
Unfortunately though, if you were looking to actually see the town on the big screen, you might be left a bit disappointed, as filming didn’t actually take place in Macclesfield.
Instead, the famous Pinewood Studios provided the backdrop for most scenes filmed inside, while Buckinghamshire and the capital London were used for the majority of the external shots.
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A romantic gesture turns into a Christmas nightmare 😨 If he's not on this train… 🤬 Your Christmas or Mine?, coming 2nd Dec!@asabfbpic.twitter.com/CTWtSEQjNz
Released earlier this month, reviews for Your Christmas or Mine? seem to be somewhat mixed, but if you’re looking for a feel-good festive rom-com to stick on this Christmas, and you fancy seeing Macclesfield shine, then there’s no harm in giving it a watch.
Featured Image – Amazon Prime
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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.”
Emily Sergeant -
13th December 2022 
