With the highest population out of anyone on the list, a buzzing nightlife scene, and our unquestionable Manc charm, you might expect us to make the top 10… and you’d be right, as Manchester has ranked in 4th place as one of the most infected areas, with 771 new diagnoses per 100,000 people.
That’s not far from 1% of our 550,000 Mancunians diagnosed recently.
To put that in perspective, that’s 18 people of a sold-out Albert Hall, 168 of the crowd at the AO Arena and 427 fans on a matchday at the Etihad Stadium.
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Leading the way for most recorded cases is Lincoln, with approximately 2% of its just over 100,000 population diagnosed, and it seems the East Midlands proved to be a bit of a hub for the STI, as nearby Nottingham and Ashfield both placed within the top six.
Manchester has been named one of the ‘chlamydia capitals’ of the UK / Credit: PickPik
The North West is never far from the top of a table in anything, and in this case, it’s Liverpool flying the chlamydia flag for the region, finishing in second place, as the port city just down the ship canal saw 4,191 STI diagnoses in 2023 – which is far higher than first-place Lincoln, but its much larger population resulted in a lower overall rate.
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London is obviously in a league of their own, as the capital’s numbers are so impressive (or unimpressive, shall we say) that even their individual boroughs are far exceeding major cities, with Lambeth, Southwark, and Hackney not only being the highest in London, but also the UK, with all reporting over 3% of residents to have been infected.
Chlamydia is by far the most common STI in England, accounting for just over half of all infections, and this is more than double that of the next most common STI – which is gonorrhoea (if you wanted to know).
Chlamydia is by far the most common STI in England / Credit: shawnanggg (via Unsplash) | PickPik
Navin Khosla, who is a pharmacist at NowPatient – the company that has released these shocking new stats, has commented on the signs and symptoms of chlamydia and what you should do if you think you have the STI: “Chlamydia is transmitted through unprotected sex and is particularly common in sexually active teenagers and young adults, and it is recommended that those age groups should take a test once a year, and or when they have sex with new or casual partners.
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“Most people with chlamydia do not notice any symptoms and therefore do not know they have it, however, there are symptoms to keep an eye out for:
Pain when urinating
Unusual discharge from the vagina, penis or bottom
In women, stomach pains, bleeding after sex and bleeding between periods
In men, pain and swelling in the testicles
“If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, or think you are at risk of having an STI, contact your GP for an appointment, or visit a community contraceptive service or local genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinic to get tested.”
We are always looking out for you at The Manc, so take our advice, and if we’re back in the top 10 for 2024, you can know what to keep an eye on and stay protected.
Featured Image – Pxhere
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Co-op Live has been named the number one arena in Europe following its debut year
Despite a rocky opening month or so, Manchester’s Co-op Live made the ultimate instant recovery and has now been named the number one arena not just in the UK but all of Europe.
Manc music venues being best in class? Sounds about right.
Yes, even despite some obstacles, delays and early hiccups, Co-op Live‘s debut year as a live music and indoor entertainment venue has seen it beat out the likes of the long-established and iconic O2 in London to take the top spot.
The inaugural 12 months of the arena have not only seen it welcome all manner of music legends, as well as live sporting events such as the UFC and WWE, but the arena welcomed more visitors than any other venue across the continent during that time.
Names to have graced the industry-leading stage so far include Liam Gallagher, Stevie Nicks and Take That; Peter Kay, Elbow, Sabrina Carpenter, Paul McCartney, and so many more.
Commenting on the successful start, Tim Leiweke (CEO and chairman of the Oak View Groupbehind the venue) said: “Our ambition was to bring the world’s best music arena to one of the world’s greatest music cities and we are thrilled with the reaction from fans and artists alike over this past year.
“Co-op Live’s revolutionary acoustics investment has already attracted some of the world’s biggest artists and events to Manchester, with many more to come. And our sustainability commitment will ensure we remain responsible contributors to Manchester and the planet for years to come.
“We believe that amazing venues can transform cities for the better, and Co-op Live has done just that.”
It’s fair to say we’ve had some truly unforgettable nights in there already – and that’s just in the last month alone. Case and point:
With a continued commitment to achieving ‘Net Zero’ status too, the venue’s carbon reduction technologies, solar panels, heat pumps and rainwater harvesting, not to mention the recently refreshed CityLink walking in partnership with the Climate Pledge, are all things we can be proud of.
Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, went on to add: “We are delighted with the success of Co-op Live’s first year, and to see it taking the top spot off London.
“It shows Manchester is the home of live music in the UK, with Co-op Live bringing so many exclusives from artists like Bruce Springsteen to the city and Oasis playing massive hometown shows this summer – 2025 is going to be one of the biggest ever for our city’s music scene.”
Meanwhile, things are feeling less fortunate at the grassroots end of the spectrum, as the Music Venue Trust is imploring people to get behind a vulnerable Manc music institution.
A total of 25,000 free footballs are up for grabs this month as part of a new scheme from Barclays, who are giving them away to mark a special anniversary.
The British multinational universal bank, which boasts over 850 branches and more than 48 million customers worldwide, has been supporting the beautiful game for a quarter of a century now and has been the primary Premier League sponsor since the 2001/02 season.
Approaching 25 years helping fund and promote English football, they’ve come up with a new initiative to celebrate, simply called the ‘Lost Ball Project‘.
We’ve all seen scenes like these before.
Credit: Barclays (supplied)
Tapping into the national and generational memory of losing a ball to a pond, up a tree, over a fence or on a roof and so on, Barclays are making up for those heartbreaking little losses – one ball at a time.
Lost Ball will see the bank give away 25k footballs across the UK, with Barclays customers able to claim a free ball for themselves or someone else who has lost theirs.
Already up and running, the scheme is off to a flyer and free footies will be available until Thursday, 22 May, so we wouldn’t wait around.
The bank has played an integral role throughout the British football pyramid for decades now, sponsoring to only the Premier League but also the WSL, Barclays Women’s Championship; the Northern Irish Women’s Football Association, Scottish Women’s Championship and the Scottish Women’s League One
They’ve even put together this emotive, albeit a bit tongue-in-cheek video:
As they put it, the mission of the Lost Ball Project is simple: “Let’s keep the nation playing the beautiful game. Because there’s no football without grassroots football.”
In addition to backing established leagues, they have continued to support the country’s footballing community at large, especially in terms of the women’s game.
For instance, the Barclays Girls’ Football School partnership with The FA has seen the number of participating schools rise from 3,000 in 2019 to 20,000 in 2024, helping more than 2.5 million schoolgirls access football.
Important work done from the ground up.
Credit: Supplied
Barclays’ Group Head of Sponsorship, Tom Corbett, said in a statement: “We are immensely proud of our pioneering work and funding to grassroots football over the past 25 years.
Giving away 25,000 balls to replace our customers’ ‘Lost Balls’ means they will never be without the one thing you need to be able to play the game we’ve supported at Barclays for all these years.”
If you bank with the group, you can find out how to claim your free football HERE.
Harry Quick -
10th January 2024 
