A brand-new social dog walking club is launching in Manchester and dozens of other cities across the UK this week.
After research has suggested that walking your four-legged friends in groups with other likeminded dog owners can lead to a whole host of wellbeing benefits, Walkie Dogs is officially set to launch nationwide in a couple of days time, and will be turning the popular Park Run concept into its very-own series of its very-own “bark runs”.
The social dog walking club says it’s dedicated to “bringing the UK’s dog lovers together”.
Launching this Sunday (18 August), group walks will taking place up and down the country each week, with the first events in Manchester happening in Alexandra Park.
As part of the scheme, Walkie Dogs members will not only be able to embrace the outdoors and immerse themselves into the dog walking community, but they’ll also gain access to a variety of dog-friendly perks – including the ability to book onto weekly dog walks, and bespoke discounts on a range of products like dog staycations.
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They’ll also get access to the ‘The Dog Pages’, which is a service directory offering information on groomers, kennels, and pet shops to members all in one place.
Members will be able to book onto canine first aid training courses at a discounted rate too.
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And if all of this didn’t sound wholesome enough already as it is, the initiative also works closely with several charities too, most-notably partnering with animal welfare and dog rehoming charity, Blue Cross, and you can expect to see collection buckets to pop your donations into at every walking event.
The UK’s biggest social dog walking club is coming to Manchester / Credit: Pexels
Danny Silk, who is the Founder and Pack Leader of Walkie Dogs, said ahead of the club’s launch this week: “This project is the first of its kind on this scale and one that I hope will not only bring dog lovers together, but offer a supportive space which benefits local communities in lots of different ways, and we’re really excited to bring this to Manchester.
“We’re working closely with local communities across our 74 locations to ensure we create a genuinely positive space, and offer events which members can look forward to every week.
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“I can’t wait to welcome everyone to the first walks.”
Bookings are offered on a first-come, first-served basis, with a maximum of 30 dogs on each walk, and you can find out more information on memberships and upcoming events on the Walkie Dogs website here.
Home Bargains has announced a special two-day closure of all UK stores
Emily Sergeant
Home Bargains has, once again, announced it’ll be closing all its UK stores on both Boxing Day and New Year’s Day this year.
And it’s to make sure staff get a ‘well deserved break’.
After what has been yet another busy year for the retail industry, many workers have been left feeling like they could do with a little extra time off, which is why Home Bargains is following on with what has become a now-annual tradition by shutting up shop on two bank holidays.
All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day & New Years Day.
Announcing the move in a post on social media, the discount retailer confirmed: “All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day and New Years Day. We would like to thank all our colleagues for how hard you have worked this past year, and want you to relax and enjoy the Christmas break with your loved ones.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time the retailer has kept its doors shut on bank holidays.
Many shoppers will recall it has made the same decision to give hardworking staff a break every year since 2019.
Explaining a little more about the decision taken to close all its stores, Home Bargains said: “As a family-run business, we know the importance of being together at Christmas with those we care about most, now more than ever.
“This is our way of saying thank you to our colleagues for their continued hard work and dedication.”
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Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week
Emily Sergeant
Who says breakfast has to end at 11am?
In news that’s set to be music to the ears of breakfast lovers in Manchester, Greggs is giving them exactly what they want.
We all know that brunch is a ‘thing’ by now, so now it’s time for brinner to make a name for itself instead, as Greggs has teamed up with Heinz to bring its much-loved breakfast menu back for tea time, kicking off from 4pm onwards.
The move comes as a new survey has found that the majority of Mancs (69%) admit to enjoying eating breakfast food in the evening, saying it’s ‘convenient and comforting’ – even ranking breakfast as a ‘more important’ meal than tea, as well (38% vs 36%).
Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week / Credit: Greggs (Supplied)
Greggs says it has ‘lost count’ of the amount of customers that have tried to order breakfast items after the usual cut-off time, especially in Greater Manchester.
But luckily for those breakfast-loving Mancs, they can finally get their favourite breakfast and sauce pairing long after the morning rush is over next… but only at two Greggs branches, and only for a very limited time.
On Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 October, the Heinz x Greggs Brinner collab will be available at Greggs St Mary’s Gate and Greggs Oxford Road, from 4-7pm only.
“We’ve lost count of the number of customers who have tried their luck ordering breakfast after 11am, so when Heinz came to us with the idea of making Brinner a reality, it felt like the perfect excuse to give the people what they want,” explained Zoe Harris, who is the Customer Director at Greggs.
“And let’s be honest, a Greggs Bacon Roll just wouldn’t be the same without a squeeze of Heinz Tomato Ketchup.”
Emily Sergeant -
14th August 2024 
