A couple from Altrincham have just been crowned Great British Entrepreneurs of the Year for their vegan chocolate brand.
The founders of the vegan chocolate brand, LoveRaw, have also been named Family Business Entrepreneurs of the Year, as well as the coveted Great British Entrepreneurs of the Year – both for the North West region – at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2020.
They are now in the running to be named overall Great British Entrepreneurs of the Year 2020 at the National Finals.
With an amazing success trajectory, co-founders – husband and wife team Rimi and Manav Thapar – started LoveRaw in 2013 with a budget of just £600.
They adopted the mantra “chocolate first, vegan second”.
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Since then, the couple’s transparent approach has allowed the business to become an established provider of all-vegan, 100% natural chocolate with no palm oil, no dairy and “no compromise”.
The annual Great British Entrepreneur Awards – now in its eighth year of running – aims to celebrate the inspiring stories of entrepreneurs across the UK and recognises the hard work, determination, creativity and resilience required to rise above the rest.
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With the current restrictions in place due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic preventing the regional finals taking place at a live event, Rimi and Manav won the award during a virtual ceremony.
They were joined by all other regional finalists online.
Despite complications with the global pandemic, LoveRaw launched its first vegan milk chocolate bar range back in April – alongside the unveiling of a major re-brand – and their most recent product is the first to launch exclusively online.
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The delicious Cre&m Wafer Bar is a world first and it was created right here in Greater Manchester.
LoveRaw
Speaking on the win, Rimi Thapar – CEO of LoveRaw – said: “We are beyond thrilled to have won not only one but two GBEA awards. We didn’t think we were in with a chance, so we watched the ceremony in our pyjamas, eating vegan yoghurt out of the tub.
“For the past seven years, we have been hamsters in a wheel going round and round, unable to take a step back and acknowledge our achievements. We couldn’t be prouder that our hard work has been recognised and we are ecstatic to have been selected as the winning entrepreneurs for the North West.
“Congratulations to all the winners – we look forward to the finals!
Manav Thapar – Managing Director at LoveRaw – added: “I cannot believe we won.
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“Rimi and I consider our dedicated team to be part of our family, not just our family business. From all of us at LoveRaw HQ, we’d like to thank our suppliers and advisors for allowing us to create something special. We cannot wait to see what the coming months bring.
“2021 is going to be an exciting year for us as a company – keep your eyes peeled.”
From everyone here at The Manc, a massive congratulations goes out to Rimi and Manav – you’re flying the flag for Manchester.
You can find more information about LoveRaw via the website here.
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Castlefield is being transformed into Gotham amidst more Hollywood filming in Greater Manchester
Danny Jones
Castlefield, with its iconic viaduct and cobbled streets, is once again being used for big-budget filming as the latest Batman/DC Universe title, Clayface, looks to be setting up in the eye-catching Manc corner.
Whether it’s football kit reveals and brand shoots, BBC dramas or the next upcoming Netflix series, production crews can’t get enough of Castlefield, it would seem.
For those who hadn’t heard, work on the new Clayface movie revolving around the cult favourite Batman villain is well underway, and the North West has been used as the backdrop on multiple ocassions this month already.
You can see early glimpses of the set being put together down below.
Come on, how cool is it that we get to stumble on stuff like this right on our doorstep so often?
Speaking to The Manc, a source detailed that the set is being assembled today (Tuesday, 16 September) ahead of a single day of principal photography on what we can only assume is more Clayface filming sometime tomorrow.
While she could not confirm with us directly, she said, “If you’re a comic book nerd and look at the posters, you’ll be able to figure it out.” We’ve certainly been studying all the easter eggs already.
It might not quite be as dark and gritty as Gotham City, but this particular part of Manchester has been used in TV and film – especially period dramas – many times for good reason.
The Victorian-era steel structure, dark red brick and overall industrial aesthetic work so well when it comes to creating a believable and cinematic world.
Besides perhaps the most famous instance of Peaky Blinders shooting in these parts, you can add multiple music videos, several Manchester United and Man City shirt launches, and so many more that we’re starting to lose track.
As for Clayface, this isn’t even the first time the upcoming DC ‘body-horror’ flick has popped up in Greater Manchester.
Last week saw the equally striking Art Deco facade of the old The Plaza Super Cinema in Stockport turned into a fictional movie premiere to stunning effect:
Speaking of, another childhood favourite is filming here in Manchester right now, too.
Besides perhaps the most famous instance of Peaky Blinders shooting in these parts, the new Narnia adaptation by Greta Gerwig may just be one of the biggest projects that has ever landed underneath the familiar ‘birdcage’.
ln fact, it just so happens that there are actually multiple noteworthy small and silver screen works fighting over the Castlefield shooting schedule at the moment…
Manchester City staff member sacked after wearing Man United shirt to shift
Danny Jones
Man City have divided a fair few supporters after they sacked a barman for wearing a United shirt to their shift during the Manchester derby.
Although it’s not exactly surprising, the decision has ruffled plenty of feathers on both sides, as well as among neutral fans.
The Blues emerged victorious in the 197th clash between the two local rivals, winning 3-0 on an evening that paid tribute to the late, great Ricky Hatton, but another backstory looming over the fixture that caught the attention of football fans online was the City staff member who lost his job.
Working on concessions inside the Etihad Stadium before the game, the barman was made known to the official MCFC Matchday Support channel on X, who quickly confirmed he had been let go before the game even began.
In the since-deleted post, the home fan who reported the worker wrote: “Absolute joke – letting one of the bar staff in block 315 wear a United shirt on Derby Day.”
Although many City fans applauded the fast action by the club on the day, it’s fair to say that sacking him so soon that he didn’t even last until kick-off has rubbed many others the wrong way.
One Liverpool fan commented: “I hate United way more than City, but to sack him from a job because of an item of clothing is crazy. So, so poor from Manchester City, this. It’s just football lads, he’s not wearing a political or derogatory symbol. It’s literally a football team…”
Another neutral added: “Getting a minimum wage worker sacked for having a bit of fun instead of just winding him up is the absolute sad state this country is in.”
Even the ‘Out Of Context Football Manager‘ parody account chipped in, writing: “The guy’s been sacked for this. All he needed was a formal warning. I get he’s taking the p*ss – but losing a salary he might really need over this?!
While many have been even more outspoken in their response, as you can see, many supporters – be they Red or otherwise – have come up with arguably the perfect solution:
Manchester City are yet to comment on the backlash, apart from the initial confirmation that the still-anonymous staff member has been released from his position, but as for Man United, simply sticking him on the kiosks in the Stretford End could prove to be a very easy bit of positive PR.
Besides the growing frustration around the fanbase, as Ruben Amorim has yet to turn things around at Old Trafford (pressure was growing even before the derby day defeat), the Red Devils could no doubt do with some positive press for a change.
In fact, it was only earlier this year that co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, CEO Omar Berrada and the wider INEOS Sports administration sanctioned a second round of redundancies at United, with approximately 450 individuals losing their jobs.
That being said, although some have labelled the sacking of the now ex-City barman as “absolutely horrendous behaviour” for Man City, many jumped to quip back that “[United are] more likely to sack more bar staff, not hire them”, as well as simultaneously taking aim at their significant transfer spending.
Emily Sergeant -
2nd October 2020 
