Young people across Manchester celebrated the official opening of the city’s newest charity HideOut Youth Zone last week.
Located in Belle Vue, HideOut Youth Zone is a brand-new youth charity which has been set up to provide young Mancunians with somewhere to go, something to do and someone to talk to, and it opened its doors on Saturday 26th September.
Following months of isolation – which has taken its toll on young people’s physical and mental wellbeing – the Youth Zone will play a key role in supporting young people for years to come.
Open to young people aged 8-19, and up to 25 for those with additional needs, the Youth Zone provides members with access to an indoor climbing wall, four-court sports hall, fully equipped gym, 3G all-weather pitch, music room with recording suite, training kitchen, dance studio, health and well-being room, arts and crafts area and much more.
All of these fantastic facilities are available for just 50p per visit too.
The £6.6million state-of-the-art youth facility – which is based on the successful OnSide Youth Zones model and will be the 14th Youth Zone in the national OnSide Network since the charity began in 2008 – was originally due to open in Spring 2020, however due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, plans for a spring opening were put on hold.
The HideOut Youth Zone was declared officially open in a ribbon cutting ceremony last week.
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The ceremony was conducted by Capital Donor Fred Done, representatives from Manchester City Council and young people from across the community.
Guests in attendance at the ceremony also heard from, Alex Kennedy, 16 – who is one of the young people involved in the development group that created the Youth Zone – as she shared a touching speech about her involvement with the charity.
“I’ve been part of the development group working on this Youth Zone for over a year now.
It’s amazing to see all our hard work has turned into a fantastic building which will help to support and encourage young people.”
Alex Kennedy
Fred Done – Capital Donor at HideOut Youth Zone – added:
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“I am fortunate that I am in a position to help set up this centre which officially opened today.
I’m from a working class background not so far away in Salford and know how important it is that young people get a chance to better their lives.
My message to youngsters in East Manchester is come on down and enjoy this fantastic centre that’s right at the heart of your community.“
All the photos from HideOut's amazing Grand Opening on Saturday 26th September 2020
In order to provide essential youth work support to young people, the team at HideOut Youth Zone has implemented new safety measures that are in-line with guidance from the government, Public Health England, the NHS, Health and Safety Executive, the National Youth Agency and wider stakeholders including Manchester City Council.
The COVID-19 safety measures in place at HideOut include capacity management, social distancing and hygiene stations throughout the building.
Initially, the Youth Zone will limit the number of young people able to attend and all members will take part in activities in bubbles of no more than 15. As restrictions ease and guidance allows, the Youth Zone will then implement an open offer, which enables young people to turn up and take part in as many of the 20+ activities on offer each evening.
Without restrictions on capacity, HidOut Youth Zones across the country can typically welcome up to 250 young people every evening.
Adam Farricker – Chief Executive at HideOut Youth Zone – said:
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“Although it is not the opening we had originally planned, we are proud to be welcoming young people into the building and provide much-needed support for many young people during this challenging time.
I’d like to say a huge thank you to HideOut’s supporters and funders for turning this dream into a reality for young Mancunians.
Today marks the start of a very exciting journey for the City’s young people.”
HideOut Youth Zone will now be open throughout the week, with different sessions for juniors (8-12) and seniors (13-19 and up to 25 for those with additional needs).
Annual membership costs £5, and then members pay just 50p per visit.
You can find out more information and book activities via the HideOut Youth Zone website here.
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‘Nothing is eternal’: Is Pep Guardiola hinting at the end of Manchester City’s supremacy?
Danny Jones
Pep Guardiola looks to have suggested that more than a decade of Manchester City’s supremacy and Premier League dominance at the very least might be coming to an end.
Speaking in his post-match press interviews after City were knocked out of the Champions League by serial European Cup winners Real Madrid, Guardiola cut a somewhat more deflated figure than usual following the 3-1 defeat.
A Kylian Mbappe hattrick which was closed out within an hour of play was enough to stretch the aggregate score to 6-3 over the two legs and Madrid doubling their lead across the tie proved yet again why, not unlike City domestically over the last decade, they’re the kings of the continental competition.
In contrast, however, Pep seemed to accept the loss much more easily than perhaps we’ve seen in the past and rather than appearing familiarly frustrated or defiant in the press conference; instead, he seemed rather reflective, responding to one reporter: “Nothing is eternal”.
🗣️ "Nothing is eternal" – Pep Guardiola.
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Insisting that they have to decide whether a significant rebuild is needed to keep competing at the very top level consistently as they have done since the 54-year-old arrived back in 2016, he argued that it is only with that they’ll be able to determine what comes next.
As for the result itself, he made no bones about Carlo Ancelotti’s side having “deserved it”, stating simply that “the best team won” and that fans and players alike have to “accept the reality: they were better.”
Having been a familiar foe for Pep long before he arrived in Manchester, both at Barcelona and Bayern Munich – not to mention City having faced Los Blancos a dozen times before Tuesday night since 2012 – there have been less surprising outcomes for supporters to come to terms with.
“With time, the club and everyone is going to accept what it is but for now we have 30/40 games for the Premier League next season to try and be here [in the Champions League] and to improve. Nothing is eternal”, said the Catalan coaching genius.
On the other hand, he also went on to add that it was merely a reflection on the night itself and not what his team have achieved in recent years.
He went on to remark that “when we were playing outstanding it hurt more” to be knocked out of the UCL when he felt they deserved to stay in it, but still insisted: “We have been unbelievable and we have to try step by step to get better from today.” Tonight just wasn’t the night.
Who knows? Perhaps it was just some more melodrama from a manager with an undeniable flare for pageantry and playing into/in the face of narratives when he doesn’t come out on top – which hasn’t happened all that often until their dip in form this season.
Plus, there’s certainly still plenty for him and the fans to be positive about; not only has the arrival of their ‘Egyptian Prince’ and the media’s Mo Salah successor, Omar Marmoush, got plenty of people excited – especially after that first-half hattrick against Newcastle – but so too have the other January signings.
In fact, for all of his downplaying in this particular presser (which you can hear in full HERE), it felt like there were only upsides after their victory over Newcastle, even going so far as to dub new signing Nico Gonzalez a ‘mini-Rodri‘.
You can watch the highlights from the game down below:
Pep is right, nothing is eternal – but sometimes you just come up against talents like Mbappe and there’s very little anyone can do about it.
Shepherd’s pie named among classic British dishes that could be ‘extinct’ within the next decade
Emily Sergeant
Shepherd’s pie has been named among the classic British dishes that could be ‘extinct’ within the next 10 years.
From a hearty roast dinner on a Sunday, to a slap-up full English breakfast to start the day, classic British dishes have become staples on dinner tables across the nation, all known and loved for their comforting flavours and cultural significance… but apparently, Google searches for ‘shepherd’s pie recipe’ are down 55% in the past year, indicating that less and less people looking to create this traditional dish at home.
So with this in mind, air fryer giants Ninja Kitchen decided to carry out a new study by surveying 2,000 people and studying search trends for popular British dishes to uncover which meals are still loved, and which might be nothing more than a distant memory.
Shockingly, the new study revealed that shepherd’s pie could be facing extinction from early as 2027, with several other favourites dying out within a decade.
Shepherd’s pie takes the fifth spot on the top 10 list, as according to the study, the dish is experiencing a 0.76% weekly decline, and due to the fact only 5% of Brits would name it a ‘favourite’, this classic risks extinction by 2027.
Shepherd’s pie has been named among the classic British dishes that could be ‘extinct’ within the next decade / Credit: Dennis J Wilkinson | Steven Depolo
Another shocker on the list has to been the beloved veggie dish cheese and onion pie, which takes the ninth spot thanks to its 0.41% weekly decline in searches.
However, the majority of the other dishes making up the top 10 list tend to be regional delicacies or dishes that are popular within certain dietary preferences, such as Glamorgan sausage – which takes the number one spot, with a 2% weekly search decline – Tatws Pum Munud, a nut roast, and a vegan roast dinner.
57% of the nation would be sad to see British staples fade away, according to the study, but 31% do appreciate the evolution of food trends.
The study also revealed that the growing popularity of takeaway and convenience food is the leading reason why people are moving away from traditional classics such as shepherd’s pie, with nearly half (46%) of respondents citing it as their main reason.
Emily Sergeant -
29th September 2020 
