Greater Manchester residents are being urged to take part in huge UK-wide ‘spring clean’ that’s happening this month.
We all know that a new season brings with it a chance for a reset, and the term ‘spring clean’ is a pretty popular one that hasn’t come from nowhere – but now, residents across the region are being encouraged to “roll up their sleeves” and join in with the annual UK-wide ‘Great British Spring Clean’ that’s taking place from next week.
Only, the difference is, this is actually a big ‘spring clean’ of our local communities instead, rather than a call to clean up your own property.
Run by Keep Britain Tidy, and having been happening all across the country – including here in Greater Manchester – for several years now, the volunteer organisation has just kick-started its annual campaign, The Great British Spring Clean, for 2024 and is calling on locals to get stuck-in by helping to tidy up local parks, pathways, and other green spaces.
Since 2018, the annual community clean-up has been supported by Manchester City Council in partnership with Keep Manchester Tidy (KMT) following a turnout of countless volunteers – who have proudly become known as as ‘litter heroes’.
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The ‘litter heroes’ across the UK have pledged to “banish lingering litter to the bins for good” by aiming to pick up 400,000 bags of waste.
Back in 2023, there were 155 litter picking events across Manchester city region, 1,564 litter pickers loaned out, and 300 litter picking sets gifted to individuals and families – with a whopping 2,500 bags given to volunteers, which were later collected by the Council’s partner, Biffa.
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Greater Manchester residents are being urged to take part in huge UK-wide ‘spring clean’ this month / Credit: Keep Manchester Tidy (via Facebook)
But for this year’s Great British Spring Clean – which is running from next Friday 15 March, right through to the end of the month – it’s hoped to be even more successful than ever before.
This year’s theme is focused on ‘Diversity and Inclusion’ to encourage even more Mancs to join the national movement.
Speaking ahead of the UK-wide event launching next week, Councillor Lee-Ann Igbon, who is the Executive Member for Vibrant Neighbourhoods at Manchester City Council, commented: “It is fantastic to see the Great British Spring Clean make a return to our city.
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It’s part of the ‘Great British Spring Clean’ organised by Keep Britain Tidy / Credit: Keep Manchester Tidy (via Facebook)
“Every year, we are reminded of how important the work of volunteers and our partners who pledge to keep Manchester tidy truly are, and we hope to encourage more volunteers this year.”
Fancy it then?
If you’re keen to join in, volunteers are advised to wear sturdy shoes and dress appropriately for the weather, and high vis jackets and gloves can be supplied by the Council too, if requested.
Follow and share your ‘pledge to pick’ with hashtags #GBSpringClean2024 and #MCRSpringClean24 on social media too.
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
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The cheapest Christmas Markets in the world for mulled wine have been revealed
Daisy Jackson
The most affordable Christmas Markets for drinking mulled wine have been revealed – and Manchester is nowhere in sight.
With Christmas markets across Europe preparing to welcome millions of visitors, festive fans looking to enjoy a warming cup of glühwein without breaking the bank might want to take note of the latest findings.
Festive experts at Christmas Tree World have analysed mulled wine prices at Christmas markets around the world to discover where visitors can enjoy the seasonal favourite for less.
Topping the rankings is Brussels’ Winter Wonders, where mulled wine is available for as little as £2.14 – about a third of the price of a mulled wine at the Manchester Christmas Markets.
Cologne Cathedral Christmas Markets and Strasbourg’s Christkindelsmärik share second place, with starting prices of just £2.56.
Other European favourites also feature prominently in the rankings. Budapest’s Christmas Market at the Basilica takes fourth place, with mulled wine costing £3.19, while Prague’s Old Town Square Christmas Market comes in sixth at £3.55.
Germany makes another strong appearance, with Dresden’s Striezelmarkt and Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt (which handily just launched new direct flights from Manchester) both offering mulled wine for £3.85.
Meanwhile, Vienna’s Christmas World rounds off the European entries in ninth place, with prices starting at £4.28.
For those planning a festive adventure further afield, Tokyo’s Christmas Market also makes the top five, with mulled wine costing £3.22.
However, not every destination offers such a bargain. Across the Atlantic, New York City’s Winter Village takes the title of the most expensive market in the study, with mulled wine costing a rather less festive £11.74. Chicago’s Christkindlmarket isn’t far behind, charging £8.80.
Manchester Christmas Markets start on Friday 6 November – we’ll see how our prices stack up then.
Sir Ian McKellen pays emotional tribute to long-time friend and fellow northern actor Sir Patrick Stewart
Emily Sergeant
Sir Ian McKellen has paid an emotional tribute to his long-time friend and fellow northern actor, Sir Patrick Stewart, following his death.
Sir Patrick Stewart – who was born and bred in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, and is best-known for his theatre work alongside an illustrious 60-year screen career, taking on prominent roles in franchises such as Star Trek and X-Men – sadly passed away at the age of 86, with his death being announced publicly yesterday evening (29 October).
And now, his long-time friend and fellow northern actor, Sir Ian McKellen, has paid tribute.
Sir Patrick and Sir Ian shared the stage together countless times over their decades-long careers, but also famously starred alongside each other in the X-Men franchise, and subsequent Marvel movies, as Charles Xavier/Professor X and Magneto.
The tribute, shared across Sir Ian’s social media platforms, reads: “Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end. You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues. He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love.
“We first met as ambitious young actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company half a century ago but we weren’t in the same productions.
“My first strong memory was a few years later, meeting him in the street in central London when he told me about an offer to take over a leading part in ‘Star Trek’. “But Patrick think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?”
“Well, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did, for not just his devoted Trekkies, but film and theatre audiences who marvelled at his using international celebrity to star in a string of cinema successes (‘X-Men’ of course) and in great classical plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Peter Shaffer, Pinter and Beckett at Stratford-upon-Avon, in London’s West End and on Broadway.
“America was his adopted home, where he met his adored Sunny who has cared for him through sickness and health, through thick and thin.
“But he never forsook his origins: and the proudest achievement of the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic, was his appointment as Chancellor of Huddersfield University in Yorkshire.”
Emily Sergeant -
7th March 2024 
