All Mancs know of Boombox Barry – but his latest upgrade has caused quite a stir around town.
It’s become so normal in the city centre to hear the far-away thrum of bass music growing louder and louder, until the bucket hatted-figure of Barry whizzes past, that most of us don’t even blink.
The local character spends much of his time cycling around town blasting tunes from a boombox that he totes around in a bag-for-life hung from his handlebars.
No genre is off-limit, from jungle to thrash metal, as long as it’s played a maximum volume.
He’s a familiar face on our streets and, without fail, brings a smile to everyone’s face.
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Boombox Barry on his new wheels. Credit: Joe Craven, Twitter @Joe__Tennis
In fact, he’s so popular that someone has recently suggested he should be the new face on our bank notes.
Boombox Barry is often seen cruising down Market Street, past the universities on Oxford Road, and zooming past commuters on Deansgate.
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But recently, his usual bicycle has been swapped out for a much swankier upgrade.
He can now be seen travelling around on an e-scooter.
Boombox Barry's got an eScooter. (Boombox Barry rides around town, usually on a pushbike, with, you guessed it, a boombox blaring. Good tunes always). A Manchester institution. pic.twitter.com/nbzjt8dhVX
Now quicker than ever, Mancs are only catching snatches of Boombox Barry’s playlist as he flies past them with his speaker.
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His new ride has absolutely stumped a lot of people who have seen him recently, with one person tweeting: “Apparently boombox Barry has swapped his bike out for an e-scooter and I just don’t know what to do with this information.”
Someone else said: “Boombox Barry has upgraded from a bike to an E SCOOTER! No way”
An entire ‘BREAKING NEWS’ Reddit thread was even started last month to discuss his new wheels.
One user commented: “The use of the word “breaking”, and it being in upper case, correctly convey the importance of this information.”
Another wrote: “Haha I’m equal parts sad for the end of an era, and excited at the birth of a new chapter in Barry’s travels.”
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Someone else posted: “I moved to Manchester from Baltimore, Maryland few months back. First time I saw him in Piccadilly I was like ‘What the…’. Fast forward 4 months later, I’m like ‘There’s my man!’.”
One in 10 Brits are fired or disciplined after their work’s Christmas party, new survey finds
Emily Sergeant
We’re in peak office Christmas party season right about now.
With just under two weeks to go until the big day itself is here, many businesses across the UK are treating their staff to night out to celebrate both the festive season and all of the hard work they have been putting in throughout the year… and as you can expect, these are usually quite eventful gatherings, shall we say.
But now, a survey by has shed light on just how ‘eventful’ they actually are, as a new survey has revealed that, apparently, one in ten Brits face some sort of disciplinary action or dismissal due to their behaviour at Christmas parties.
The study was conducted by After Drink, and included more than 2,000 participants.
During the research, it was highlighted that 89% of employees admitted to drinking alcohol at these events, Lad Bible reports – with 65% of these confessing that they drank “excessively”.
One in 10 Brits get fired or disciplined after their work’s Christmas party / Credit: Kraken Images | Mimi Thian (via Unsplash)
There are a multitude of incidents which could lead to disciplinary action in the workplace nowadays, but according to the survey, some of the common reasons following festive celebrations with colleagues included inappropriate comments (23%) and even getting into fights (21%).
16% of these incidents were because of drug use during the event, while inappropriate interactions with colleagues accounted for 14%.
Some of the legal reasons you can be fired from your place of work after a Christmas party include gross misconduct, drunken behaviour, and fighting of any kind.
Despite all these risks, however, Christmas parties still remain as popular as always, and a whopping 79% of respondents said they are planning to attend theirs this year.
Clearly, the moral of the story here is , enjoy yourself… but just not too much.
Featured Image – The OurWhiskey Company (via Pexels)
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Half of Mancs don’t know how to cook Christmas dinner, new survey reveals
Emily Sergeant
Christmas dinner is one of the key parts of any festive celebration.
No matter whether you choose to tuck into a traditional roast with all the trimmings and lashings of gravy, or you prefer to go for something a little different like a curry or a Chinese instead, your Christmas dinner is a chance to gather round with your loved ones and enjoy one of the heartiest meals you’ll likely have all year.
However, some shocking new figures have revealed that half of Manchester residents have no clue how to even cook a Christmas dinner.
Through a major study by the UK’s leading electrical retailer, AO.com, it was revealed that the majority of our city’s residents are “losing confidence” in preparing even the simplest of British dishes – with a traditional roast or Christmas dinner being one of them.
A new survey has revealed that half of Mancs don’t know how to cook Christmas dinner / Credit: Freepik | GoodFon
As part of its new campaign to get Brits back into the kitchen, AO found that just 57% of respondents reckon they would be able to make a roast dinner, 52% could whip up a classic shepherd’s pie, 58% could cook bangers and mash, merely 61% could prepare a full English breakfast, and again, only 57% could tackle fish and chips.
Classic desserts are clearly a struggle for us Mancs too, according to the survey, as only 19% of respondents said they’d feel confident cooking a Christmas pudding.
The survey also found that nationwide, it was Gen Z – those between the age of 16 and 27 – that are the least confident in their ability to cook great British classics, while on the other end of the spectrum, Baby Boomers are the most capable, proving that culinary confidence increases with age.
Our region’s residents are apparently ‘losing confidence’ at cooking simple British classics / Credit: Freepik
Commenting on the results, Jay Lockton, oven expert at AO.com, said: “Kitchens should be a place of creativity and joy, but our data shows that a lot of people in Manchester are losing confidence in preparing even the simplest of British dishes.
“Based on our findings, many younger people may be opting for convenience foods or takeaways due to their busy schedules and the perception that cooking from scratch is time-consuming or difficult.
Daisy Jackson -
10th October 2022 
