Four-legged friends of Manchester are in for a real treat as a popular dog salon and boutique is set to open at one of the city’s newest neighbourhoods.
Opening up at KAMPUS, The Barkside is looking to be a “one-stop-shop for city-dwelling dogs”, with a grooming salon, and a shop stocking The Barkside’s signature street-fashion, own brand of nutritious foods, luxury grooming products, and quality accessories arriving at the new rental community.
That’s not all either, as pups will also get to let their hair down with doggy mud baths – which is known to be a usual de-shedding treatment – and frothy puppuccinos, so they don’t miss out on the cafe culture KAMPUS is fast-becoming known for.
Unfamiliar with The Barkside?
First opening as a day care back in 2013, owners Elkie, Leah, and Lauren – along with their team – have gone from strength to the strength, and have since opened a doggy day care, salon, and shop on Travis St in Manchester, and in Heaton Chapel in Stockport – both of which now have a lengthy waiting list of would-be clients.
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The Barkside’s permanent stay at KAMPUS comes after the company has been hosting monthly pop-up events at the neighbourhood – which has plenty of pet-friendly apartments.
“Dog friendly communities like Kampus are leading the way,” says Elkie Davies – founder of The Barkside.
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“Other renters across Manchester are no longer banned from having pet companions and tonnes of people are working and spending more time at home [so] it’s meant that whether you love Dachshunds or Dobermans, you can have a place in the city centre and experience the pure joy of having a dog in your life.
“We fell in love with the space and garden at KAMPUS and can’t wait to bring The Barkside to the neighbourhood alongside a load of independent businesses.
“We’ve been turning customers away because the demand for quality grooming and daycare in Manchester is so high [so] it’ll be awesome to bringing top-notch products, pampering and puppuccinos to our expanded puppy family.”
The Barkside is the latest independent venture to arrive at KAMPUS, and joins Manchester favourites Pollen bakery and General Stores, alongside the recently-opened Nell’s Pizza & Bar, wine bar Beeswing, and recently-announced Cloudwater Brewery.
The Barkside is looking to be a “one-stop-shop for city-dwelling dogs” / Credit: Instagram (@thebarksidemcr)
The KAMPUS neighbourhood is being developed by HBD and Capital&Centric.
Speaking on The Barkside’s arrival, Adam Brady from HBD, said: “We’re a friendly and diverse neighbourhood and the indie businesses joining our community reflect that ethos.
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“That welcome extends to our four-legged friends and the army of dogs that now call KAMPUS home, with a dog-walking services for residents, and The Barkside joining the community means people will be able to drop their dog for a grooming session have a coffee and pastry at Pollen while they wait.”
Featured Image – KAMPUS / The Barkside
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Bolton Wanderers sign young Celtic striker on loan
Danny Jones
Bolton Wanderers have signed young Celtic forward Johnny Kenny on loan for the rest of the season, rounding off a busy January transfer window with a final bit of business on deadline day.
All told, that’s seven new arrivals brought in this month as the League One side looks to continue their promotion push.
The Republic of Ireland international Johnny Kenny is just the latest among a number of offensive reinforcements, with Steven Schumacher looking to both increase his side’s goal output and further shore up the defence.
Still just 22, Kenny has already shown plenty of potential back in the Scottish Premiership, and now the fans will see how he takes to life in the English third tier.
Already scoring six times and registering a couple of assists in 22 appearances across all competitions so far this campaign, the Sligo-born striker is just a couple of contributions away from chipping in with his best overall tally in the league over a full term.
His best senior spell overall came on loan in the Republic of Ireland, where he scored a baker’s dozen of goals and assisted three times for Shamrock Rovers.
While perhaps not the most competitive league, he’s certainly taken some of that form back to his parent club in 2025/26, and now Celtic will get an even better sense of where his level is at right now – as will Bolton Wanderers.
Addressing the supporters deal in a club statement, Schumacher said: “We’re delighted to have signed Johnny to continue a really strong month. He is a player who we rate very highly and is someone we identified last summer as someone who would really strengthen our attacking options.
“He’s since played regularly and scored goals at a high level, so [he] will be a big addition for us. We didn’t think he would be available during this window, but once we were made aware Celtic would allow him to leave on loan, we acted really quickly to get the deal done.”
With other acquisitions such as attacking midfielder Ruben Rodrigues and winger Corey Blackett-Taylor, who has already scored on his debut, there’s suddenly some real squad depth to draw from.
As for Kenny, the promising youngster has every intention of quickly becoming the main man at the Toughsheet Stadium, taking on the number nine shirt.
Speaking in his first full interview as a Trotter, Kenny admitted that the interest has been there for some time and that the deal has been a longer process than the eleventh-hour nature might suggest, but reiterated that Bolton “reached out to [him] a lot during the summer.”
He’s made it clear that his aim is not only to increase his regular first-team minutes but also to make sure he is well and truly in the final national team picture.
Ireland are yet to find out if they qualify for the 2026 World Cup – pending a tricky playoff tie this March – but Kenny clearly wants to make sure there’s no doubt in terms of selection should they make it through the challenge.
Elsewhere in the EFL, another big attacking loan deal was done by local promotion rivals Stockport County, who have managed re-sign Louie Barry for a third spell.
Louie Barry returns to Stockport County for a third loan spell
Danny Jones
One of the most popular Stockport County stars, whether that be a permanent player or a loan signing, has returned to the club by popular demand: Hatters, rejoice, because Louie Barry is back at Edgeley Park.
In one of the most heavily rumoured January transfer deals of this window, Aston Villa youngster academy product Louie Barry has been confirmed for a third County stint, getting reacquainted with Stockport on deadline day.
Having come through not only Barcelona’s famous ‘La Masia’ system, but West Brom’s youth setup and then Aston Villa, his most successful spells of senior football have come at the Greater Manchester club.
Parent club Villa recalled him only to send the youth prospect back out on two other lacklustre loans (much to the disappointment of County supporters), but now he’s going back to well, and is hopefully set for a return to form. Unveiled in a dramatic video at the local Plaza Theatre, fans are already buzzing.
Who doesn’t love a bit of old-fashioned paegantry, eh?
Still just 22 years old, Louie Barry remains highly rated by his foremost employers, but has had few opportunities to try and impress his parent club.
Barring a handful of cup appearances, the Sutton-born attacking midfielder – often deployed as a winger during his two previous terms – the majority of his professional minutes have been with County.
His second visit to the then-League Two side was even better than his first, and all told, he scored 25 goals in 45 games, not to mention more than a dozen assists across his appearances off the bench and an increasing number of starts as he became an increasing talisman in the team.
Unfortunately, one thing that has been consistent throughout his professional career thus far is struggles with injuries, which have certainly derailed his last two loan deals to Hull City and Sheffield United.
It remains to be seen whether he is at the level of the Championship or beyond, but with the now third-tier outfit currently chasing promotion, this may prove to be the perfect test.
Should be able to stay fit, it goes without saying that he’ll quickly knit back into the first-team squad, and with fellow fan favourite Isaac ‘Tanto’ Olaofe having also been re-signed on a half-season loan deal, it’s been a popular period of recruitment overall.
Pair these deals with the signing of Adama Sidibeh, and suddenly, manager Dave Challinor has some real strength in depth when it comes to offensive options.
What do you make of the acquisition, Hatters? Will three prove to be the magic number, and could another promising visit to SK3 be the start of a potential permanent deal somewhere down the line?
You can see Louie Barry’s first full interview back as a Stockport County player down below.
Barry is aiming to be back fit soon, though it’s unclear if there is an option to buy in the contract.
Emily Sergeant -
16th February 2022 
