Sportswear giants Nike, size? and the We Love MCR Charity are launching an exclusive new rendition of the classic Air Force 1 to celebrate and support the City of Manchester.
The new collaboration pays homage to the Manchester ‘Worker Bee’.
The well-known ‘Worker Bee’ has been an emblem for the city since the Industrial Revolution and a symbol of Manchester’s hard work, resilience and unity.
As part of the launch, footwear company size? is donating 10% of sales from the Nike Air Force 1 Manchester shoe to the We Love MCR Charity and its ‘Manchester’s Rising Stars Fund’, which helps ambitious young Mancunians from disadvantaged backgrounds take their next steps to success in work, qualifications and entrepreneurship.
The Air Force 1 Manchester design has a premium leather and suede upper – featuring a neutral colour palette of tan and brown tones, with a sail midsole and a grey outsole – and, in a nod to the bee and the city of Manchester, the tongue is decorated with a honeycomb-like mesh, and sits alongside an embroidery of the ‘0161’ area code.
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The iconic silhouette is finished off with the ‘Worker Bee’ motif on the lateral as a way of celebrating everyone who is proud to call themselves Mancunian.
Nike / size? / We Love MCR
Speaking on the release of the shoe, Councillor Tommy Judge – Lord Mayor of Manchester and Chair of We Love MCR Charity – said: “This fantastic initiative unites Manchester’s iconic Worker Bee with a world-class product.
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“It is our greatest brand collaboration so far, by far”
“The funds we raise from every pair bought means we can support young Mancunians from disadvantaged backgrounds to fulfil their potential. Our Manchester’s Rising Stars Fund awards grants to ambitious young people, to help them take their next steps to success in work, qualifications or entrepreneurship.
“With this help from size? and Nike, we can give a leg-up to even more talented young people looking to succeed in Manchester.”
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Nike / size? / We Love MCRNike / size? / We Love MCR
Fancy getting your hands on a pair?
With only 3,000 pairs of the shoes up for grabs, the Nike Air Force 1 Manchester size? exclusive – priced at £130 – will be open for raffle entry to reserve a pair from 8am on Sunday 15th November.
This must be done via the size? ‘launches’ app, which you can download here.
The raffle will then officially close at 8am on Thursday 19th November, and the lucky chosen raffle winners will then be given access to purchase a pair of these limited-edition trainers.
To find out more about We Love MCR Charity’s ‘Rising Stars Fund’, and how your purchase of the exclusive Nike Air Force 1 Manchester can truly make a difference to those who need it, head on over to the We Love MCR Charity website here.
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Peter Kay adds MORE hometown charity gigs in aid of Bolton Hospice
Danny Jones
Local comedy icon Peter Kay has added even more homecoming charity gigs, adding some extra shows at the historic Albert Halls.
You can guarantee these tickets will be snapped up quicker than you can say garlic bread.
Performing on behalf of his hometown’s Bolton Hospice, the Lancashire legend and stand-up veteran might be winding down his hugely successful career on stage, but not before raising as much money for charity as possible.
Confirmed on Monday, 13 July, a further four ‘Peter Kay: Better Late Than Never (Again!)’ dates have been tacked on the regional tour run – but there’s a catch.
Yes, in case you missed the initial announcement back in April, the 53-year-old from Farnworth is only catering to his native Boltonians.
With seats being made exclusive to those with specific postcodes only – after all, his previous record-breaking tour saw people all over the country treated to plenty of dates – this latest update gives them even more of a chance of getting tickets.
Speaking ahead of the sets scheduled for early next year, Peter says, “There was such a big demand for tickets for the shows that I really want to do more and give the people who missed out the chance to come along.”
If you want to check if you’re eligible to grab one, you can read more down below.
The Phoenix Nights and Max and Paddy creator goes on to add: “I’m putting on four more shows in the New Year and playing at the weekend means I can also perform matinees, as well as evening shows and increase funds for the hospice, which is what it’s all about.”
Kay has already raised huge sums for various charities throughout his career, and with all proceeds from these upcoming performances going to the organisation, these funds can make such a difference in so many lives.
Adding matinee and evening slots on Saturday and Sunday, 9-10 January 2027 (3:30 and 7:30pm), respectively, the quartet of additional comedy shows go on sale at 10am this Friday, 17 July.
A Wigan dad is searching for the ‘hero’ who helped calm his son’s panic attack while on a busy train
Emily Sergeant
A former rugby player from Wigan is searching for the ‘hero’ who came to his son’s aid when he was having a panic attack on a busy train.
Shaun Ainscough – a former rugby player who played for Wigan Warriors at the start of his career from 2009-10 – was on a packed train home from the match between his former team and St Helens at the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Sunday 5 July when his son started having a panic attack.
The 11-year-old boy was crying, screaming, shaking, taking his clothes off, and begging to get off the hot train carriage that was full of people travelling home from the match.
“All the fans [on the train] were singing and we were having a laugh, although because we were all stood up, we literally couldn’t sit anywhere,” Shaun explained to the BBC in an interview.
Shaun says he then became overwhelmed with emotion himself as he saw his son in distress, to the point where he also started crying.
But then, a woman – whose name is still unknown – came to the rescue and spent the entire rest of the journey trying to calm the boy, reassuring him with words and using a handheld fan to calm him down.
Shaun has since put out a post on social media – which has been seen by thousands of people – asking for the woman to come forward, as the pair are desperate to thank her in person and ‘give her some flowers’.
“It might not have seemed like a big deal to her but the small act was massive and we just want to say thank you,” Shaun explained.
“She could read something over text, but in person means so much more, and maybe we could give her some flowers just to show how much we appreciated her that day.”
He concluded: “This hero came over and ended up being the strongest person on the train.”
Emily Sergeant -
13th November 2020 
