A petition campaigning for an extra Bank Holiday next Monday should England win Euro 2020 is rapidly racking up signatures.
It may seem like a long shot at the very last minute, but after England triumphantly defeated Denmark 2-1 last night to advance to their first major tournament final since 1966, an ecstatic football fan has taken to the UK Government and Parliament website to set up a petition.
Well over 25,000 people and counting have put their names down so far.
The petition – which has been set up by Lee Jones – was actually started ahead of last night’s semi-final tie, but has understandably started picking up more speed this morning.
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“England may be playing a European Championship Final at 8pm on Sunday 11th July,” the petition reads.
“It would be beneficial and sensible to give the country the day off the next day if England win, in the form of an extra Bank Holiday Monday.”
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Credit: UEFA Euro 2020 / England
The government is required to respond to all petitions that get more than 10,000 signatures.
And whether you can believe it or not, reports have started emerging this morning to say that it’s actually being considered.
According to POLITICO: “Some in Whitehall want a Bank Holiday on Monday.”
This isn’t the first time a call for an extra Bank Holiday has gained traction either, with the idea also being bandied around during England’s journey to the 2018 World Cup semi-final and then-leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, backing the campaign.
Given how last-minute the change would be this year though, it’s fair to say it presents logistical challenges.
No formal statements have been made by the government regarding the growing petition.
England’s semi-final victory means they will now face Italy in the final at Wembley Stadium this Sunday – with a kick off time at 8pm.
It has already been confirmed earlier this week that pubs showing the Euro 2020 final in England are permitted to remain open until the later time of 11:15pm on Sunday, anticipating the match heads to extra time and penalties.
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged the nation to support the Three Lions “enthusiastically, but in a responsible way”.
28 major cities were ranked based on a number of different factors, including the average cost of a pint, venue ratings, and a ‘footy-mad’ score determined by Google Trends – and Manchester unsurprisingly clinched the top spot.
Looking for somewhere to cheer on the Three Lions this weekend?
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We’ve picked out 20 of the best spots to watch Euro 2020 in Manchester city centre here.
The shop where people queue OVERNIGHT for viral toys is coming to Trafford Centre
Thomas Melia
There’s a viral shop in Manchester where people queue for hours to get their hands on viral toys, and it’s now making its way to the Trafford Centre.
After already taking Manchester by storm when it initially opened back in March this year, viral toy shop Pop Mart now has its sights set on another new spot in one of the North West’s most iconic and popular shopping malls.
Known for stocking all the latest viral collectable crazes, Pop Mart is set to open its second Manchester site at none other than the Trafford Centre (TC) and will definitely bring in the same queues as its Market Street predecessor.
The Chinese toy and collectable shop has become in high demand for stocking just one certain toy character: Labubu
This cheeky toy character is quite a marmite topic for some, with many finding the plush toys to be cute and cuddly, while others deem Labubu ‘monsters’ to be a bit creepy and off-putting.
Are we pulling from an internal office debate? Maybe…
Regardless, Labubu are widely recognisable around the world, famed for their bunny-like ears and big, wide eyes; soft, shiny fur and, most notably, a large smile with their teeth on display.
It seems everyone is after one of these Labubu character toys, with Mancs making their commute to work through the city centre, startled by the sheer length of the queues at Pop Mart.
There’s a huge amount of Labubu characters to collect.Labubu has blown up online and will now be stocked across two Pop Mart locations across Greater Manchester.Credit: Pop Mart
One social media user even commented, “I went past on the tram at 7.30 this morning and there were half a dozen people in the queue already!”
Trends may come and go, but it seems this latest viral craze is here to stay as it’s now having a second resurgence thanks to lots of celebrity endorsements, including Love Island star Olivia Attwood.
We’re sure the Trafford Centre venue will be just as healthily stocked.
At present, there’s no official opening date for Pop Mart’s Trafford Centre store besides the ‘Coming Soon’ signage outside the shop front, but we’re sure it won’t be too long before you can get your next Labubu fix – we wouldn’t be surprised to see even more Greater Manchester locations follow.
Manchester United to wear special one-off shirt for important awareness campaign
Danny Jones
Just to pre-empt any Manchester United fans fearing they’re still in total delirium the next time they see that iconic red shirt, we can confirm it isn’t just your rose-tinted glasses deceiving you – the club will be wearing a special one-off shirt with a notable difference very soon.
All eyes may now be on Wednesday, 21 May but this limited edition kit has already caught the eye of many supporters for one very obvious reason.
In case you haven’t seen it for yourselves already, Man United have confirmed that both the men’s and women’s squads will be will be wearing a slight variation on their home shirt for their next two matches as part of a special campaign for an important charitable cause.
Joining forces with their usual primary shirt sponsors Snapdragon and global health campaigners Product RED, this one-off alternative strip will be unveiled on the pitch this week.
Product Red, or simply (RED) as it will read on the jersey itself, is a worldwide charity that’s been working to fight global health crises since 2006.
(RED)’s key aim is to end the AIDS epidemic and related injustices by raising money for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
The organisation officially partnered with the club and Snapdragon back in January in an effort to help drive awareness and generate further backing for their work – it just so happens that teaming up with one the planet’s biggest brands and one synomyous with that colour made for the perfect collaboration.
With that in mind, putting together a one-off Man United kit with (RED) slap bang in the middle as is close to a commercial/charitable tap-in as you’re probably ever going to get.
Set to be debuted by Manchester United Women in their WSL fixutre against Arsenal this Saturday, 10 May and then again by Ruben Amorim’s side in the Premier League the following day (Sun, 11 May); plus, a select few limited edition replicas shirts will be made available for fans to purchase.
Be first in the know, Reds 👀
Get notified when our limited-edition @RED collection drops ⤵️#MUFC || @Snapdragon
It goes without saying that given the nature of the front-of-shirt sponsor swap, these will no doubt become somewhat of a special item among kit collectors from the off.
More importantly, however, the funds raised through selling these one-off Man United shirts will provide much-needed income for the non-profit and their crucial efforts.
The unveiling of the comes not long after the bedlam that ensued inside Old Trafford during the second leg against Athletic Club, in which United booked their return trip back to Bilbao for the Europa League final, leaving plenty of fans of seeing nothing but the colour red ever since.
MUWFC also sealed their spot in the Women’s Champions League next season to with an important point in the Manchester Derby this past weekend, confirming a finish above Man City this year.
Safe to say it’s been a good few days to be a (RED).
Emily Sergeant -
8th July 2021 
