It’s not a cocky or off-putting confidence, necessarily, it’s just the kind of confidence that gives them the guts to move through the world with their head held high – and now, a recent survey has proved what we know to be true when it comes to one particularly important aspect of daily life… DIY.
DIY is a skill that needs to be fine-tuned and perfected over time, and it turns out Mancs have got that covered better than the rest of the UK.
The ‘Home Truths’ study by power tool specialist Black + Decker – which polled thousands of Brits on their household habits to reveal who are the handiest when it comes to ‘doing it yourself’ – found that just over half (51%) of those who responded in Manchester said they think they’re better than average person at DIY, while 40% say they’re determined to work out how to do every repair themselves.
One in 10 reckon they’re just as good as a tradesperson, and a surprising 9% of Mancs even said they would consider themselves DIY ‘experts’.
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Mancs have been named some of the ‘best’ in the UK when it comes to DIY / Credit: Black + Decker
Again, one in 10 Mancs said they feel comfortable using all household DIY equipment – with 86% claiming they can handle a drill with ease, 75% can operate a jigsaw, and 64% would be un-phased when using a handsaw.
Overall, of those polled across the UK, 50% said that doing home repairs and improvements gives them a great sense of achievement, and 62% feel motivated to do so without hired help in order to save money, while a further 38% said they actually enjoy it.
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The enjoyment of it all – and, of course, knowing that practice makes perfect – is probably why one in five (19.1%) Mancs admitted to getting involved with DIY projects at least every couple of months, and a further 13% said they complete a DIY task fortnightly, 18% claiming to have taken on a new DIY challenge every day for the last year.
One in 10 Mancs reckon they’re just as good at DIY as a tradesperson / Credit: Malte Luk (via Pexels)
In terms of tasks people wouldn’t get a tradesperson to help with, 80% of those polled would never get help when putting up a shelf, 74% are confident they can unblock a drain alone, and 55% would find a way to fix a leaky tap.
“After a decorating boom in lockdown, it’s great to see that the passion for home improvements and home projects has remained the same for people of Manchester,” Tim Winstanley, the Senior Brand Manager at Black + Decker commented on the survey’s findings.
Home Bargains has announced a special two-day closure of all UK stores
Emily Sergeant
Home Bargains has, once again, announced it’ll be closing all its UK stores on both Boxing Day and New Year’s Day this year.
And it’s to make sure staff get a ‘well deserved break’.
After what has been yet another busy year for the retail industry, many workers have been left feeling like they could do with a little extra time off, which is why Home Bargains is following on with what has become a now-annual tradition by shutting up shop on two bank holidays.
All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day & New Years Day.
Announcing the move in a post on social media, the discount retailer confirmed: “All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day and New Years Day. We would like to thank all our colleagues for how hard you have worked this past year, and want you to relax and enjoy the Christmas break with your loved ones.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time the retailer has kept its doors shut on bank holidays.
Many shoppers will recall it has made the same decision to give hardworking staff a break every year since 2019.
Explaining a little more about the decision taken to close all its stores, Home Bargains said: “As a family-run business, we know the importance of being together at Christmas with those we care about most, now more than ever.
“This is our way of saying thank you to our colleagues for their continued hard work and dedication.”
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Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week
Emily Sergeant
Who says breakfast has to end at 11am?
In news that’s set to be music to the ears of breakfast lovers in Manchester, Greggs is giving them exactly what they want.
We all know that brunch is a ‘thing’ by now, so now it’s time for brinner to make a name for itself instead, as Greggs has teamed up with Heinz to bring its much-loved breakfast menu back for tea time, kicking off from 4pm onwards.
The move comes as a new survey has found that the majority of Mancs (69%) admit to enjoying eating breakfast food in the evening, saying it’s ‘convenient and comforting’ – even ranking breakfast as a ‘more important’ meal than tea, as well (38% vs 36%).
Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week / Credit: Greggs (Supplied)
Greggs says it has ‘lost count’ of the amount of customers that have tried to order breakfast items after the usual cut-off time, especially in Greater Manchester.
But luckily for those breakfast-loving Mancs, they can finally get their favourite breakfast and sauce pairing long after the morning rush is over next… but only at two Greggs branches, and only for a very limited time.
On Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 October, the Heinz x Greggs Brinner collab will be available at Greggs St Mary’s Gate and Greggs Oxford Road, from 4-7pm only.
“We’ve lost count of the number of customers who have tried their luck ordering breakfast after 11am, so when Heinz came to us with the idea of making Brinner a reality, it felt like the perfect excuse to give the people what they want,” explained Zoe Harris, who is the Customer Director at Greggs.
“And let’s be honest, a Greggs Bacon Roll just wouldn’t be the same without a squeeze of Heinz Tomato Ketchup.”
Emily Sergeant -
26th October 2023 
