The heartwarming moment Phil Foden invited an elderly Manchester City fan to watch a game inside his box at the weekend has been racking up thousands of views online.
Charlie Gibson’s 84-year-old grandad Barry is a massive fan of the The Sky Blues and has been watching the team in action for much of his life – but since his ‘gramps’ was diagnosed with dementia and his condition has been steadily deteriorating, Charlie has been taking him to see his heroes play at the Etihad Stadium pretty regularly instead.
Barry already captured the hearts of football fans after a video Charlie shared of taking him to watch City’s final game of the 2021/22 Premier League season – which saw them clinch the title in a against Aston Villa – has been viewed nearly eight million times on TikTok.
The adorable video of Barry celebrating the title win also caught the attention of many at the club.
And one of those who was moved by the viral video was City’s very-own star player Phil Foden, who has since gone “above and beyond” to welcome Barry into the football family.
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The 22-year-old was first captured coming over to greet Barry at the side of the pitch at one of the team’s Community Shield earlier this season, in a video that now has over 3.9 million views – but its the Stockport-born midfielder’s latest gesture that has really been praised for.
Foden invited Barry, Charlie and Charlie’s mum to watch City’s 6-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest on Wednesday from his box with the rest of his family.
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During the video of the matchday experience that Charlie once again shared to TikTok, the England star is seen greeting and hugging Barry before the match as the players walked into the stadium, and then taking the time to come into the box after the game to speak with him, take some pictures, and give him a very-special signed shirt.
The latest video has been watched by over 1.3 million people and counting in less than 24-hours.
Charlie says he shares his match day videos with his grandad to social media to raise awareness of dementia and Alzheimer’s’ charities, and to show that there can be many positive moments among the lows of living with a family member with the disease.
“I’m trying to show that despite living with dementia, that person’s still there,” Charlie explained.
He told the MEN: “Gramps has been having such a great time, it’s what football is all about.
“People can only see parts of the experience on the TikToks and what I am trying to do. It’s all about trying to have that connection with him that you can’t always have with someone living with dementia.”
Data reveals Manchester hotel prices have ALREADY surged by 462% on rumoured Oasis tour dates
Emily Sergeant
Manchester hotel prices have apparently already surged by 462% on rumoured Oasis tour dates, some new data has revealed.
Of course, absolutely nothing is set in stone yet and we are still yet to receive any form of announcement.
But with rumours having been swirling for months now that Oasis will be touring again in 2027, and several videos shared on the band’s social media platforms this week also hinting at that, it’s been revealed that searches for ‘when are Oasis tickets going on sale?’ have soared by 5,000% in the last seven days alone.
After recent data has pointed towards soaring searches for tickets, the experts at SeatPick decided to analyse the average cost of accommodation in Manchester on the suspected concert nights in June 2027 to uncover if prices have surged along with the searches.
Data reveals that Manchester hotel prices have already surged by 462% on rumoured Oasis tour dates / Credit: The Manc Group | Simon Emmett (Press Picture)
And lo and behold, it appears that they have.
The ticketing platform has revealed that hotel prices have surged by up to 462% during Oasis’ rumoured concert nights in Manchester.
The rumoured weekend date of 19 and 20 June has experienced the most noticeable price surge – with a two-star hotel costing an average of £216 for just one overnight stay.
The data also reveals that the rumoured finale on the 27 June has just a £95 difference between two-star hotels (£200) and five-star hotels (£295).
“Our analysis uncovered an enormous markup for local accommodation on nights that Oasis is rumoured to perform in Manchester,” explained Gilad Zilberman, who is the CEO at ticket platform SeatPick.
“Being aware of these accommodation costs and additional expenses can help fans plan and avoid being caught off guard by inflated prices on concert nights.
“To find the best deals on hotels, concertgoers should scan budget chains in the city or look slightly outside of the centre in hotspots served by local bus routes or regional trains, such as Salford and Trafford.
“Booking early might also be beneficial for fans dedicated to seeing the band perform.
“You can opt for free cancellation options, in case rumoured dates change, or you’re no longer able to attend.”
Featured Image – Point3D (via Unsplash)
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Aldi confirms ‘special’ 62-hour closure of all its 1,000+ stores across UK
Emily Sergeant
Aldi has announced that it’ll, once again, be closing the doors of all of its stores across the UK for 62 hours this year.
Christmas is always known to be one of the busiest periods of the year for the retail industry, and Boxing Day has a reputation for being the ultimate day for shopping deals and discounts in the UK – but this year, just like it has done on several years in the past, Aldi has made the decision to close all of its stores nationwide on this bank holiday.
The supermarket retailer says it wants to thank its colleagues ‘for all their hard work’ throughout the year by giving them some extra time to spend with their families.
This means that all Aldi stores will be closed on both 25 and 26 December.
That’s not all though, as stores will also be closed on New Year’s Day, and will reopen once again on Saturday 2 January 2027.
Aldi has announced a ‘special’ 62-hour closure of all its UK stores / Credit: Aldi UK
Opening hours at different Aldi stores across the UK will vary in the lead-up to Christmas, so it’s important to check the times for your local store, but the retailer has confirmed that most branches will be operating extended hours to ‘ensure customers can stock up ahead of the big day’
In the interim period between Christmas and New Year, stores will reopen as usual on Sunday 27 through to Wednesday 30 December, with reduced hours also likely on Sunday and New Year’s Eve.
Speaking on the decision to shut up shop for a full 62-hour period this festive season, Rachel Geary, who is the Communications Director at Aldi UK, said: “Christmas is a special time for our customers, but it is also one of the busiest periods of the year for our teams.
“Our colleagues work incredibly hard to ensure customers can pick up everything they need ahead of the big day.
“We never take that effort for granted. Closing our stores on Boxing Day is one way of saying thank you and giving colleagues a proper chance to rest, switch off and spend more time with the people closest to them.”
Emily Sergeant -
2nd September 2022 
