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.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCAj7A6gPWR/
“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.
A local Manchester run club is holding two special running routes to see the total eclipse
Danny Jones
With the highly anticipated total eclipse fast approaching, people not just here in Greater Manchester but all over the UK, Europe and the rest of the world are gearing up to try and watch it – but this native running club are doing it a bit differently.
Eclipses occur once every 12-18 months, but this is set to be the biggest since 1999.
The moon is set to cover approximately 96-98% of the sun this coming Wednesday, 12 August, 2026, and rather than try to watch it from a window at home or drive to somewhere with supposedly ‘the best view’, local sports club Manchester Road Runners are turning it into their latest one-off event.
Sharing details online, the free-to-join local organisation, which boasts thousands of members on Facebook and various other platforms, will be timing things to make sure they catch the phenomenon.
Writing in the accompanying caption, the Road Runners say: “We’ve pulled some strings and have a very special event taking place on August 12th, a solar eclipse! Come run with us under a darkened sun next Wednesday from The Wharf at 18:30, with peak moon coverage expected at around 19:10.”
Better still, they’re also teaming up with their trail running spin-off club for an even more scenic twist on the evening excursion.
“If you prefer to experience your solar phenomena under the wide open skies”, they go on to write, “our friends over at Trail Division will be holding a hike/run off road, meet at Piccadilly Station at 18:00 to get shady in the great outdoors.”
Fortunately, they have issued an important disclaimer, going on to remind runners that “while beautiful and majestic, the sun should NEVER be directly looked at in the face unprotected”, signing off by adding, “Respect the sun, respect your peepers, stay ocularly safe out there.”
If you’ve never come across MRR before, they’re probably the biggest run club in the entire Greater Manchester region and their social-first jogs, intervals, track sessions and more revolve around meeting back up with your mates for a wholesome pint and a chat.
For many, it’s the biggest and the best in the city.
As for the eclipse run, it’s set to be a very magical variation on their usual Wednesday evening meets.
Quite rightly, they also point out in the post that you can actually buy certain glasses to view eclipses on these rare occasions, with search traffic often ramping up in and around these events.
Meanwhile, the Trail Division branch is yet to confirm the route for their run/hike, but it will most likely remain in the nearby North West vicinity; keep your eyes peeled on their social media pages (linked above) for more information and other upcoming trail events.
Speaking of trail runs, there’s a pretty beautiful albeit challenging one coming up next month…
Stunning vistas, walkers welcome, and multiple distances available.🏃♂️🥾
And the best part? It's less than 90 minutes away from Manchester. 🏞️
Oasis promoters drop biggest Knebworth hint yet after securing license around key date
Danny Jones
Not that we’re the type to get carried away, but we’ll confess that our curiosity, interest and general levels of anticipation have been piqued, as Oasis’ main promoters have recently renewed the license to host events at the infamous Knebworth.
My word, is this it? Like the reunion, is it ACTUALLY going to happen?…
We’re sure the raw, uncontrollable excitement will come should it be fully confirmed, but for now, all we know is that our colleagues in music media, SJM Concerts, have renewed the land in and around Knebworth Park and House for live entertainment once again.
Moreover, the company have also done so on a rather fitting date decades on from the original and legendary outdoor gigs.
As can be found on the planning application section of the North Hertfordshire Council website – the county in which the storied Britpop gigs took place – a fresh license to hold new events.
If/when the announcement happens, the already granted permission will allow for a capacity of up to 125,000 and a curfew of 3am.
We know the original Knebworth shows were beyond iconic, but let’s say this would be nailed on to be nothing short of absolutely box office.
Besides having also helped promote Oasis’ colossal Live ’25 reunion tour last summer, it’s also worth noting that they secured said license just over a week before the 30th anniversary of the pair of nights back in 1996: 10-11 August, to be specific.
The licence is said to have come into effect this past Saturday (1 Aug) and is believed to be indefinite.
What added even more fuel to the fire of these well-established rumours over the past year was when Baroness Sharon Taylor of Stevenage told the House of Lords the band would be playing FIVE whole nights at Knebworth in the future, before later clarifying that she was speaking in “hypothetical terms.”
All that being said, it’s fair to say we’ll be keeping a very keen eye on socials over the next few days, in particular, just in case.
The Manc has reached out to SJM for an official comment (surprise, surprise), but we are yet to receive a response regarding the matter.
Your silence speaks volumes, just saying.
This coming Monday, 10 August 2026, will mark the official 30th anniversary of Oasis at Knebworth 1996, and with the likes of ‘Wonderwall’ seeing a chart resurgence as the go-to England anthem at this year’s World Cup, we’re choosing to be optimistic. What about you?
Emily Sergeant -
23rd February 2021 
