Manchester has been named one of the best UK cities for dog walking this spring.
As the sun shines and the flowers bloom, dog owners across the UK looking for perfect spring walking locations should head to Manchester, according to some new research which has ranked the city among Britain’s best destinations for dog-friendly spring strolls.
Pet-sitting platform TrustedHousesitters analysed a range of factors including dog-friendly venues, trail ratings, walkability scores, access to green spaces, and even the average April rainfall.
Our city particularly excelled when it came to walkability, with a perfect 100/100 score, as well as rating highly for its access to nature, with 20.42% of the city dedicated to green space.
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Manchester has been named one of the best UK cities for dog walks this spring / Credit: Mylo Kaye | Sarah Duffin (via Unsplash)
Despite the higher average April rainfall (68.36mm), which let’s be honest, is hardly a shock to us all, even if the weather has been particularly glorious in recent weeks, Manchester’s combination of excellent urban green spaces and strong trail ratings (4.2/5) helped to secure its top five position.
Manchester is also home to an impressive 117 dog-friendly pubs, restaurants, and cafes too, meaning dog walkers and their furry friends will be spoilt for choice when choosing somewhere to unwind after their springtime stroll.
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Bristol, Nottingham, Brighton, and Edinburgh were the other four cities to make up the top five list, meaning Manchester is the only northern city to feature.
“Giving your pup a chance to explore new paths and experience new scent trails, sceneries, and different terrain is great for their active minds,” explains Dr Lily Richards, who is veterinary surgeon.
The city rates highly for walkability and access to nature / Credit: Gustavo Fring (via Unsplash)
“A good walking trail has lots of opportunities to rest out of the heat and in the shade, as well as wide paths, no steep cliffs, and soft surfaces to prevent paw injuries.”
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While taking in nature is beneficial for owners and their pooches alike, Dr Richards does encourage pet owners to avoid stoney or boggy areas, due to the risk of injury or environmental diseases.
“After your walk, remember to wash off any mud for disease prevention and check for ticks to prevent tick-borne diseases such as Lymes disease, babesiosis, and rocky mountain fever,” Dr Richards continued.
She also advised owners to “be aware of grassy or wooded areas with lots of leaf litter where natural dangers or predators can lie”.
Featured Image – Hiro Takashima (via Unsplash)
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The UK’s top 10 biggest Christmas ‘icks’ have been revealed
Emily Sergeant
The UK’s top 10 biggest Christmas ‘icks’ have been revealed, according to the results from a hilarious new survey.
Christmas may be the most wonderful time of the year, but it can also have its fair share of icks.
From tinsel on the tree, to cheesy Christmas jumpers, and everything in between, there are plenty of Christmas traditions that we simply love, and some we love to hate – and now, new research conducted by online retailer Haypp ahead of the festive season has revealed exactly what it is that Brits find the ickiest.
The research reveals that the number one ick is a controversial one – putting ketchup on a Christmas dinner, as nearly a third of respondents (32%) claim it makes them feel grim and that they’d judge someone for it.
Wearing Christmas jumpers is one of the UK’s biggest Christmas ‘icks’ Credit: Julia Larson (via Pexels)
It may cause controversy in a few households nationwide, the second biggest ‘ick’ is adults in matching festive pyjamas, with just under a third of Brits cringing, while some of the other similar traditions to this on the list being family photo Christmas cards, and wearing Christmas jumpers in public.
Elsewhere on the list, it was revealed that 27% of Brits find it unbearable to talk about politics over dinner, and lots of us don’t like it when others watch us open presents.
Around 18% also can’t stand it when people argue over festive games.
The UK’s top 10 Christmas ‘icks’
Having tomato ketchup on your Christmas dinner – 32%
Adults in matching pyjamas – 29.2%
Talking politics during dinner – 27.9%
Undoing your trousers at the dinner table – 24.4%
Leaving the dinner table to smoke – 23.2%
Everyone watching you open your presents – 20.4%
Being hungover on Christmas Day – 19.5%
Arguing over a game – 18.1%
Family photo Christmas cards – 15.2%
Wearing Christmas jumpers – 13.2%
Bad habits at the dinner table also feature heavily on the list, as a quarter of Brits hate it when people undo their trousers after the Christmas meal, and just over a fifth find it rude when someone leaves the table to go and smoke.
What’s your take then? How many of these ‘icks’ do you agree with? Are there any others you feel need adding to the list?
Featured Image – Karolina Grabowska (via Pexels)
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Lola Young shares first public statement since cancellations and stepping away from the spotlight
Danny Jones
UK pop star Lola Young has shared her first public statement since cancelling the remainder of her tour and stepping away from the spotlight.
Lola Young, 24, took a break from her still-burgeoning career after numerous concerning incidents on stage, including throwing up and even passing out in the middle of a performance.
The BRIT School graduate announced the unfortunate cancellation of her upcoming shows “for the foreseeable future”, including a gig here in Manchester, at the end of September.
Breaking her silence after the best part of three months, the London-born singer-songwriter took to social media in a fairly brief but heartwarming statement.
As you can see, the time away from the public eye certainly seems to have been beneficial, telling her followers that “it has helped more than you will ever know”.
In addition to embracing ADHD – even labelling her hit song ‘Messy’ as an “ADHD anthem” in multiple anthems – she was also diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder at just 17.
The latter can include symptoms such as psychosis, hallucinations, intense mood swings, bipolar mania, depression and more.
All that being said, we’re glad to hear that she’s on the mend; we saw her back in March, and you could tell from the crowd that she’s already got a very passionate cult following.
Both conditions and their associated obstacles have obviously affected her, but have equally helped influence her music and lyrical material, certainly, too.
Responding in the comments, fellow artist SZA wrote: “Love you, starfire angel. Your music is FULL of longevity and substance! We’re so grateful for you”.
Joining in support, ‘dark pop’ musician Carter James added, “Your wellbeing comes before anything. So excited for your next chapter whenever it arrives!”
We hope she’ll be doing better enough soon to get back on stage when she’s ready.
Emily Sergeant -
7th April 2025 
