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Totally Roarsome announces its next ‘socially distanced outdoor adventure’ for families

The smash-hit event was named by many as being one of the safest attractions in Greater Manchester.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 23rd February 2021
Totally Roarsome

One of Greater Manchester’s most raved-about “socially-distanced outdoor adventures” is back again this Spring and families are already excited.

Totally Roarsome took the region by storm last summer after it opened to the public following the initial lifting of coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown restrictions in mid-2020, with visitors flocking from far and wide to the COVID-safe family-friendly trail that was created in untouched woodland in Hyde.

The trail featured everything from dinosaurs, jungle animals and Arctic creatures, to superheroes, pirates and cartoon characters, and proved to be so much of a success that it was even transformed into a spooky spectacle for Halloween too.

It was named by many as being one of the safest attractions for all the family in Greater Manchester.

But as the temperatures began to drop and restrictions were imposed once again, the event was forced to temporarily shut down activity.

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For the many families left eagerly awaiting the news of when they can next pay a visit though, you’ll be excited to hear that the attraction has officially announced – following yesterday’s unveiling of the UK government’s roadmap for exiting lockdown – it will be returning in time for the Easter holidays on 12th April.

The attraction has also moved locations to Mottram Hall, just over the border into Cheshire.

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https://www.facebook.com/totallyroarsomeuk/posts/248925696845410

Providing families with an insight into what they can expect from the event in just a few weeks time, Totally Roarsome took to social media last night to say: “Enter into Jurassic Land, then onto the Jungle and once you’ve encountered our dinosaurs, lions, and tigers, it’s off on a Bear Hunt.

“Then take a trip through the Wild West and head down the rabbit hole into Alice’s Wonderland, before making your way into Neverland, where there are pirates everywhere you turn.

“Then we are off to the world of superheroes [where] Batman, Superman and Spiderman will all be there to greet you, before finally wandering through our fantasy land with dragons, unicorns and knights of the realm.

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“With Dinosaurs, unicorns and superheroes all on the same day, what else do you need?”

Totally Roarsome

Tickets are priced at £7.95 per ticket (+ £1.50 booking fee, per transaction), and they go on sale live from the Totally Roarsome Facebook page at 6pm this evening.

All tickets must be booked in advance online.

This is to manage and restrict the number of visitors / families being allowed around the attraction at any one at a time, with five minutes between slots, to allow for necessary COVID-safety precautions and social distancing measures to be upheld.

You can find out more information, and book your tickets from 6pm here.

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We rediscovered an old Boddingtons advert and now we’re gasping for ‘the cream of Manchester’

Danny Jones Danny Jones Old Boddingtons ad cream of Manchester canal

If you’re from Greater Manchester, the name Boddingtons likely needs no introduction, but if you’re new to the area or part of the generation that’s young enough to have never clocked the legendary logo before, the ‘Cream of Manchester’ was known for making a good advert or two.

Answers on a postcard? Yes, we of course are referring to the classic ice cream van ad that featured a young Melanie Sykes serving an ice-cold pint of Boddingtons to a thirsty athlete, played by former EastEnders actor Ken George.

In fact, the recognisable TV presenter and British household name went on to feature in a few of them, including a contemporary recreation back in 2017, but it isn’t any of her appearances that recently re-captured our attention.

The old ‘Boddies’ ad that we stumbled across in 2025, more than 30 years on from when it originally aired, is the Gondola/’Just One Cornetto’ spoof filmed right here in the city centre along Manchester’s famous canal network.

Circa 1993. Recognise where it is?

Just as beautiful as Venice, if you ask us – and that’s just the pint…

As you can see, not only did the once beloved Boddingtons advert capture a glimpse of the River Irwell near the old Granada Studios and how Manchester’s waterways used to look back in the day, but it was also a pretty modern, ironic take for the time.

Inspired by arguably one of the most famous ads of all time, the Boddies marketing team and director Jeff Stark didn’t just imitate or poke fun at Wall’s Cornetto ice cream: they played on the genuine nickname and imagery drummed up by locals who drank it week in, week out.

The famous frothy white head and the ‘do you want a Flake with that?’ is the kind of joke you still hear to this day when someone overdoes it with a Guinness, but turning the glass into a golden ice cream was a bit of genius.

In fact, the old Boddies ad even helped launch the career of stingy ‘Gladys Althorpe’ herself, Anna Chancellor, who went on to appear in What A Girl Wants, Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and many more.

She and Sykes weren’t the only ones either; another admittedly sexually-charged campaign released roughly a year later featured another familiar face in Sarah Parish (Doctor Who, Trollied, The Wedding Date) – again, always ending with a stereotypically Manc, if not at least Northern, punchline.

It was smash hits like these that saw Boddingtons dubbed not only Manchester’s most famous beverage but ‘the Cream of Marketing‘ for a time as well.

The beer may not be as prominent as it once was, but its legacy as part of classic UK telly is up there with R Whites Lemonade, Dairy Milk, Compare The Meerkat, and so many more.

You can see a super-cut compilation of some of their retro ads HERE.

Oh yeah, and if watching all this has made you get a thirst on like it did us, you’ll be glad to hear that while it may be difficult to locate these days, there are still a few places you can find a pint of Boddies in and around the area.

The lost art of Boddingtons, and which pubs still serve The Cream of Manchester
By ‘eck, it’s still gorgeous.

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Featured Images — advertarchive (screenshot via YouTube)

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Nearly 60% of Brits are too ‘uncomfortable’ to use the toilet at work, new survey finds

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Bathroom sign

The UK is currently in the middle of a toilet aversion epidemic, it would seem… or at least if the results of a new survey are anything to go by.

For some people, nipping to the loo at the work seems like a simple task as any, perhaps even a welcome break from the busyness or the monotony of their day-to-day duties, but for others it’s a much less pleasant experience – for a whole multitude of reasons, we might add.

Whether it be below-par facilites, a cleanliness choice, personal health reasons, or even something as simple as avoiding bathroom small talk with colleagues, a new survey by Victorian Plumbing has discovered that there is a widespread reluctance among UK employees to use workplace toilets – with more than half saying they find the experience ‘uncomfortable’.

The company’s new findings – taken from a survey of 1,000 Brits – uncovered that, overall, 57% feel uncomfortable using their workplace toilet. 

Nearly 60% of Brits are too ‘uncomfortable’ to use the toilet at work / Credit: Point3D (via Unsplash)

As a result, two in five employees say they’ll only use their work bathroom when they are absolutely desperate to go, and more than one in 10 (13%) of employees admit that they avoid it at all costs, preferring to hold it in instead.

There was also some gender disparities in the results, as the study found that 26% of women admit they never use the workplace toilet for bowel movements, compared to just 9% of men, as for many women, it apparently comes down to the fear of being judged or feeling embarrassed (57%), encountering colleagues (55%), and being overheard (54%).

More than 4% of women said they’re more likely to use the toilet at work while on their period, however, and 18% cited that they have to due to medical conditions like endometriosis. 

But do these actions have consequences? Of course they do.

Around one in 10 people will avoid going altogether / Credit: Victorian Plumbing

With the average employee spending more than 36 hours per week at work, according to recent statistics, avoiding the workplace toilet could likely cause some real damage, so it’s no surprise that 41% of Brits say holding it in during the work day causes them physical discomfort or pain.

A further 39% confessed that the habit leads to stress and anxiety, and three in 10 have found that it reduces their focus and productivity. 

The results from the survey are what prompted Victorian Plumbing to create the ‘Superior Stalls Policy’, which aims to inspire employers to reconsider their workplace bathroom setups so employees are more comfortable.

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“Brits feel far less comfortable using workplace toilets than their own at home, and this doesn’t sit right with us,” commented Alex Woods, who is a bathroom expert at Victorian Plumbing.

“Yes, there’s no place like your own toilet, but with the average Brit spending over 36 hours a week at work, everyone deserves to feel at ease – even in the loo.”

Featured Image – Possessed Photography (via Unsplash)

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