An interesting new study has seen Manchester named as one of the best cities in the UK for sober students.
There’s no denying that the stereotypical student experience has a bit of a reputation for its hardcore drinking culture, but nowadays, recent studies and trends have shown that there’s an ever-growing number of young people who are opting to stay away from alcohol – especially when they’re studying at university.
It obviously makes sense then, that when it comes to picking which university to spend their next three years at, drinking culture could be something that some students are keen to consider before sticking an application in.
So, which universities actually offer the best environments for sober students then?
In a bid to get to the bottom of this, student housing provider, This is Fresh, has carried out a new study and analysed the 20 UK universities, which are home to the largest numbers of students, to find out which have the highest number of societies where drinking is not part of the specified culture
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The numbers of pubs and bars in the area, and the support services available for students who may be struggling with the drinking habits and their mental health, was also taken into consideration during the study.
Manchester has been named the best city in the UK for sober students / Credit: Pixabay
And Manchester has claimed the joint top spot on the list.
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Tying with the Scottish capital of Glasgow, the University of Manchester has been named the best city in the UK for sober students.
While it may be a little surprising, especially due to the fact that both of these universities are in cities where drinking culture is generally a focal point, these two institutions were actually found to be the most well-equipped for students looking for activities that don’t involve alcohol, and on top of this, they’ve also been commended for providing a wide range of support services for those who may want to reach out for help with their drinking habits.
Top 10 universities in the UK for sober students
University of Manchester
University of Glasgow
University College London
King’s College London
University of Edinburgh
University of Leeds
Nottingham Trent University
University of Nottingham
University of Bristol
Coventry University
Sure, drinking culture may be big in Manchester, with a total of 1912 bars that are accessible from the university’s campus and student hub areas, but there’s also plenty of support for sober and sober-curious students too, to counteract this.
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The University of Manchester was found to have 415 sober societies, and 33 support services available to students.
University College London (UCL), King’s College London (KCL), and the University of Edinburgh round out the top five, while the fellow Northern city of Leeds also features in the top 10, as does Nottingham, Bristol and Coventry.
Featured Image – University of Manchester
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Stockport County defender Brad Hills ruled out for the rest of the season
Danny Jones
In a big blow to their promotion push, Stockport County have been hit with a major injury and loss to their first-team squad, as defender Brad Hills has been ruled out for what looks to be the remainder of the season and then some.
Not what Hatters will want to hear with crunch-time in and around the playoffs now well underway.
Having emerged as even more of a starring centre-back this year, following his initial loan spell with the club during the previous campaign, Brad Hills has arguably been one of Stockport’s best and most reliable players in 2025/26 thus far – but not County will have to do without him.
Although the exact severity is yet to be fully revealed, the former Norwich City youth academy graduate is said to have hurt his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
Confirming the news on social media, the Greater Manchester side stated: “We regret to inform supporters that Brad Hills sustained an ACL injury in Saturday’s draw at Luton Town that will rule him out for the foreseeable future.
“Our full focus is on supporting Brad throughout his recovery – we know he’ll come back stronger”
For anyone unaware, ACL tears/ruptures are among some of the worst injuries in football, and depending on the extent of the damage, it can take anywhere between six months and a full year to bounce back.
Safe to say, therefore, that supporters have been left gutted by the update, with one commenting, “Awful, awful news”; another simply wrote, “FFS”.
After typing a very long expletive following the show news, fan podcast The Scarf Bergara Wore wrote: “Wishing Bradley Hills a speedy recovery – come back stronger!
Since becoming a permanent signing back in August, he’s earned multiple man-of-the-match awards in blue and white, not to mention contributed to a decent number of clean sheets. He’ll be a big miss in their backline.
While it’s no doubt a big setback as the League One team looks to get promoted into the Championship, the absence could see manager Dave Challinor reshuffle the pack and perhaps even the formation for the remaining fixtures.
One option is Louie Barry, who – depending on the setup – could finally be set for a return to the pitch after he was signed on a third loan deal this past January, but is still continuing his own rehab following a knee operation.
Put it this way, with not many games left, lots of County fans are probably wishing that the pending and potential further changes in the EFL could have come sooner…
Embrace announce intimate live show in beloved Bury music venue
Danny Jones
British alternative veterans Embrace have announced another intimate show here in Greater Manchester, only this time it’s over in Bury at a stunning small-cap arts venue.
It’s not often you get to see such a long-standing band play outside of the city centre so far into their career, especially in gorgeous grassroots spaces like this one.
A fellow Northern outfit, they’ve often been lumped in with that ‘post-Britpop’ era of music, and plenty throw around the so-called ‘dad rock’ label, but honestly, we couldn’t care either way: they remain among the UK’s perennially underappreciated underdogs that never get old, as far as we’re concerned.
Revealing a handful of new live dates for their album launch this summer, they’ll be making just two appearances in the North West on the run.
Writing in the post, the group said: “We’ve lined up a run of exclusive UK dates in venues that are some of the smallest we’ve played in years. It’s going to be special, but capacity is extremely limited.”
As you can see, besides the Jacaranda Baltic in Liverpool, the only other place in this region where they’re set to play for this mini tour is The Met over in Bury.
One of the most beautiful gig spots, not just in the town but in all the 10 boroughs, for our money, the room only holds around 400 standing and roughly 250 seats.
For seasoned artists like this lot, who are more used to playing big festival stages and big domestic headline tours – which they’re also doing later this year – it’s sure to be a special night.
Toasting the release of their ninth studio LP, Avalanche, this spin-off on the tried and tested in-store format wouldn’t be possible without the help of local record store, Wax and Beans, who are promoting and hosting the show.
But we can’t lie, there’s something about the idea of seeing them decades on from when they first tightly-packed out crowds of this size.
If you want to be part of the Embrace album launch tour, you can get ready to grab your tickets at 10am this Friday, 27 March, right HERE. And speaking of great record shops…
Emily Sergeant -
9th January 2024 
