Manchester has always been a resilient city of tight-knit communities, but nothing has proved that more than what we’ve been faced with over the last year.
It almost feels redundant to say at this point, but the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has done just about everything to flip life as we once knew it on its head since the first national lockdown was imposed across England towards the end of March 2020.
And since then, our region hasn’t had it easy.
In addition to the three national lockdowns, Greater Manchester has been hit with some of the toughest restrictions for longer than anywhere else in the country, with sectors shut down for significant periods of time and strict social-distancing measures remaining place in most public and social settings, but still, despite all the obstacles presented and the hardships faced, Mancunians stuck together and showed their fighting spirit.
The brilliant people of this brilliant region sought to help out the most vulnerable and less fortunate in our communities.
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It’s shown us that the power of charity has never been stronger.
Which is why one Manchester-born and bred creative agency wants to lend a hand and offer its services to those local charities looking to get their feet off the ground and “transform their online presence” to reach a wider audience by running a competition that gives two initiatives / organisations the chance to have a custom-designed website built for free.
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Convertaroo is an award-winning creative agency based right here in the heart of Manchester city centre.
Founded in 2016, with “Manchester our home but the world our canvas”, Convertaroo offers website design, social media management and digital advertising to maximise brands’ online presence, with the main goal of helping businesses reach their true potential, no matter what field they are in.
“Our portfolio spans from Cheshire to Hollywood, but Manchester is always home.” Convertaroo’s Creative Director, Omar James Thompson, told us.
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“Many of our fellow Mancunians depend on the help and support from local charity organisations.
“As a creative agency, we know how vital an online presence is to get noticed, but we also understand that, right now, it’s something that small charities can’t afford or prioritise, so we are looking to help two local charities spread their message further with a brand new website design and build, completely for free.
He continued: “Since last March, we’ve been amazed with how our community has reacted to the lockdowns, [so] we’ve been looking for a way to help Manchester [and] this seemed like the obvious way to do so – help the charities grow their online presence to keep providing that essential support.
“Now, more than ever, is the perfect time to give something back to our city”.
And for a charity to be in with the chance of winning one of the free custom-built websites on offer, all they need to do is be nominated, or even nominate themselves.
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It’s as simple as that.
“We are looking for two small charities or organisations that help provide benefit and support to our fellow Mancunians.” Omar continued.
“Whether it’s a food bank organisation, mental health support, single parent groups or anything in between, the main rule of entry is that you provide support within our city, that’s all we ask, so please don’t hesitate to nominate, even if you’re not sure whether your chosen nominee fits the criteria”.
Keen to nominate a Greater Manchester charity into this exciting giveaway? Head to the Convertaroo website here.
The winners are planned to be announced at the end of March.
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You can also find out more information about Covertaroo and the services provided here, as well as keep up to date with the company on Instagram.
Southampton troll Manchester City after Ruben Dias’ frustrated interview
Danny Jones
Southampton FC have decided to respond to Manchester City star Ruben Dias with some casual trolling following his frustrated post-match interview this weekend.
In short, someone let the admin off the leash, and we’ll admit it caught us a little off guard.
Man City shared the points away at St Mary’s Stadium against the already relegated Saints – a fate which plays somewhat into the rather nonchalant nature of their social media this past Friday, 9 May.
Southampton hosted City for what turned out to be a beyond forgettable bore draw, although Dias himself was clearly still dwelling on it at least somewhat after the full-time whistle, claiming the home team put in very little effort. To which this was their reply…
While plenty of people online had already seen Ruben‘s review of their performance, the south coast side had no problem in drawing even more eyes to it by sharing the video above.
There’s one thing to disagree with/mock a single player’s response in a moment of tension, but putting together a mini blooper reel about last season’s Premier League champions and recent Treble winners to the rather out-of-tune flute version of ‘September’ by Earth, Wind & Fire felt pretty bold, to say the least.
Again, not that they’ll care one bit, given they won’t be even in the same division for at least another year.
It’s also just not all too often that you see football clubs’ official media channels memeing other teams, so it’s hard not to react when instances like this do happen.
Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola had a fair few of his own visibly frustrated feelings on the match as well, including some words for his own players, although stating that they should have been able to break down a team that’s already on their way to the Championship.
Pep’s post-match press conference following Southampton 0-0 City in full.
It’s also worth mentioning that while it may have felt like a bit of a damp rubber game, there was actually a lot more at stake in the grander scheme of things.
Not only did the draw rescue Southampton from setting a new record for the lowest points tally in the top-flight competition’s history, but much more importantly, it meant crucial points were dropped for the Blues in the race to secure Champions League football.
Most supporters would rightly assume Man City will be in UEFA’s premier continental competition next season, but it’s not a certainty just yet.
You can watch the highlights, or lack thereof, down below.
Who had more of a point, do you think – Ruben Dias or the Southampton admin?
Featured Images — Sky Sports (screenshots via YouTube)
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Why are people queuing HOURS for these viral toys in Manchester?
Thomas Melia
A viral craze has yet again struck the internet, and this time it’s a cute plush collectible toy character even causing queues in Manchester.
In Britain it’s safe to say we are accustomed to a queue or two, but this newest line which has started forming outside a toy and collectibles shop on Market Street has puzzled a fair few Mancs.
The queues aren’t appearing from nowhere either; social media users describe how they’ve walked past the store as early as 7:30am and seen dozens of people standing outside waiting.
The culprit of these queues? An adorable collectable plush toy character that goes by the name of ‘Labubu‘.
Here’s the reason why Market Street has those insane queues.Labubu has made her way to Manchester in all her variations.Credit: Pop Mart
If your follow-up question is, “What is a Labubu?”, don’t worry because we asked exactly the same thing before we ended up nose-deep in the world of these widely popular plush toys.
Labubu is the name of the viral plush toy created by Hong Kong-born, Netherlands-raised designer Kasing Lung, who drew inspiration from his love of fairytales to make this worldwide cuddly phenomenon.
Recognised by their bunny-like ears, large eyes and big smiles (which some people find off-putting), Labubu has become a bit of an overnight superstar and shows no signs of slowing down.
The general public aren’t the only ones all over these famous fur-balls either, as celebs and stars alike have been attaching them to their handbags and sporting them like a prized possession.
And these are some pretty big names too, everyone from global superstar Rihanna to pop princess Dua Lipa have been pictured with a variation of Labubu dangling from their handbag.
People don’t just want to buy these viral toys as they are, part of the reason people are so obsessed with Labubu is the surprise element as you’ll find thousands of unboxing videos online.
Avid TikTok users will come across plenty of unboxing style videos, where collectors predict which colour or variation of the viral toy they will get before inevitably find out for themselves.
Previous Love Island contestant, reality TV star and model Olivia Attwood has got involved in this current Labubu trend, making lots of videos on social media expressing her love towards these plush collectables.
Attwood has become an unofficial mascot for Labubu through her various videos on social media, where she either unboxes or makes reference to these ‘monsters’.
This adorable plush toy character has even made its way into the rap field with UK drill act Central Cee not only having one but five variations of Labubu.
Each Labubu falls under a category or ‘series’, Cench seems to be a fan of the ‘Have A Seat’ range with all his collectibles in a sitting position.
The series all have their own names and limited edition style characters too including ‘Wings Of Fortune’, ‘Big Into Energy’, Pop Mart even launched a collaboration with household brand Coca Cola.
Labubu toys are exclusive to Pop Mart and available in their stores nationwide including Manchester Market Street and soon in their brand-new Trafford Centre destination too HERE.
So, that explains all the queuing, at the very least.
Emily Sergeant -
23rd February 2021 
