Manchester is set to welcome around 80,000 new and returning students to the city over the next couple of weeks as the new term begins.
Each university in the city has quite rightly been working hard in recent weeks to ensure that campuses and facilities are as COVID-safe as possible for both staff and students arriving to the institutions, and while there’s no denying that is the number one priority, one university is making sure to prepare for something else that’s pretty important too.
As Mancunians, it’s safe to say we’re pretty proud of our lingo, right?
For anyone visiting or living in our city, it’s a good idea to study up on the words and phrases commonly used around town, and this is probably why The University of Manchester has decided to release a ‘Manc Dictionary’ for those new to the area.
The ‘Manc Dictionary’ comprises a collection of 19 of the most-used words by Mancunians.
Featuring on the list of ‘Mancisms’ is of course mint, r kid, mither, bobbins, ginnel, skriking and more, as well as a couple of Mancunian rhyming slang words like Salfords – meaning socks and rhyming with Salford Docks – and Newtons – meaning teeth and rhyming with Newton Heath – which are all commonly used in day-to-day conversations.
The university also then invited contributions from members of the local community to chip in any other words and phrases they believe newcomers to the city should add to their repertoire.
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What’s your favourite ‘Mancism’ on the list? Which one do find yourself using most?
Would you add any others?
You can stick in any additional contributions to the dictionary for The University of Manchester’s new students on social media here.
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Speaking ahead of freshers week coming up, Sir Richard Leese – Leader of Manchester City Council – said: “We are used to welcoming an influx of students but obviously this year is like no other.
Thousands of students will return to Manchester over the next couple of weeks.
The Student Strategy Partnership have worked closely with partners & the council to make sure students return safely.
“A great deal of planning has gone into ensuring that the return of students to Manchester is as COVID-secure as possible and that they can have a great experience in our city without putting themselves or others at risk.
“In particular I want to commend the universities, who have done some brilliant work around communications with students and their own on campus arrangements. They have engaged really constructively with wider planning around off campus elements. They have also shown leadership by making clear to students that while everything is in place for them to learn and enjoy themselves safely, any irresponsible behaviour which flouts COVID-19 restrictions, such as holding house parties while restrictions are in force, will not be tolerated and could have disciplinary consequences.”
You can find more information via the Manchester City Council website here.
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8 million Brits are predicted to write their Christmas cards using AI this year, new research finds
Emily Sergeant
Millions of Brits are predicted to use AI to help them write their Christmas cards this year.
According to some new Royal Mail research, AI is most likely to be used for researching gifts (19%), festive party ideas (13%), and decoration inspiration (13%) throughout this festive season, but in what is a revelation many will find surprising – and even alarming – it’ll even be used for the timeless tradition of sending Christmas cards.
2,000 UK adults who celebrate Christmas were surveyed by the postal service early last month on how they plan to make use of technology this festive season.
The new research found that 11% of respondents will be using AI to help write the messages for their Christmas cards, which works out to be around eight million people.
It’s the under-55s who are driving the trend, as you can probably imagine – with 57% of this age group planning to lean on AI for guidance, compared to just 14% of those over 55.
Oh, and you’ll want to keep an extra eye on the Christmas cards that come from the men in your life too, as men are 67% more likely than women to use AI to help them.
Eight million Brits are predicted to write their Christmas cards using AI this year / Credit: KoolShooters
Although it may be largely frowned upon, it’s fairly easy to see why people are turning to tech to find the right words, as the Royal Mail’s research found that nearly one in five (19%) Brits say they don’t know what to write in cards, and this figure rises even further to 31% when it comes to 18-24-year-olds.
Despite the use of AI as a helping hand, three quarters of Brits (74%) do still think it’s important to keep the tradition of sending handwritten Christmas cards alive.
“AI is becoming part of everyday life for many people,” says technology journalist and broadcaster, Georgie Barrat. “So it’s natural we’ll see it used during the festive season. When it comes to writing cards, it can help you go beyond a simple ‘Merry Christmas’ and choose words that feel more unique.
“Often, people know what they want to say – they just need a little help expressing it.”
Richard Travers, who is the Managing Director of Letters at Royal Mail, concluded: “No matter what you include in your card, or how you choose to write your message, cards are truly a way of spreading festive cheer.”
Featured Image – Richard Bell (via Unsplash)
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Manchester’s 2025 Christmas Parade in pictures as tens of thousands turn out for festive event
Emily Sergeant
Tens of thousands of residents flocked to the city centre this past weekend for Manchester’s annual Christmas Parade.
Over the past few years since it first took place in 2022, Manchester Christmas Parade has become a festive favourite with both locals and visitors alike, and with more than 400 participants and performers gracing the city’s main shopping streets this year, it’s really not hard to see why it’s a much-loved fixture in the city’s countdown to Christmas.
Seen by many as the heartwarming event of the festive season, Manchester Christmas Parade was even ‘bigger and better’ than last year’s fantastic crowdpleaser.
Even a drop of the classic Manchester rain didn’t stop play on the day, as the fabulous festive Parade made its way through the packed city streets to the smiles and cheers of all those watching.
Despite the Manchester weather, tens of thousands of you turned out to make Sunday’s Christmas Parade truly magical. 🎅 👼 🥁
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for the heart-warming event of the season.
“I remember thinking at the end of our fabulous Manchester Christmas Parade last year that we would never be able to top it,” commented Cllr Pat Karney, Manchester City Council’s Christmas spokesperson. “But this year’s parade has been off-the-scale brilliant – it was so much fun and you could see how much all the children loved it.
“The city centre was heaving, it felt like millions of Mancs had turned out for the parade, and what a performance we put on for them.”
The streets were filled with music and laughter this year, as well as the return of Manchester’s very-own Elf Express, complete with VIP passenger Santa hitching a ride on his way to the North Pole, together with his trusty team of elves.
Tens of thousands of people turned out for Manchester Christmas Parade 2025 this past weekend / Credit: Manchester City Council
Not only that, but Nutcracker-inspired toy soldiers also sweept their way through the Parade on segways, alongside a roaming Christmas tree, a pair of gentle giant-sized reindeer, a stunning arctic fox, and Jack Frost himself.
Brand-new for this year will be the fantastic Festive Fantasy Candyland Castle, which stood over three-meters tall and truly was the stuff of fairytales.
“Manchester once again helped make the magic and the memories for a whole generation of families from across the city and beyond,” Cllr Karney concluded.
Emily Sergeant -
17th September 2020 
