Atlas Bar, located on the corner of Deansgate-Castlefield, has been a cornerstone of Manchester city centre nightlife for more than 25 years.
Now, the popular gin bar is teaming up with charity HUMEN, alongside dozens of other Heineken Star Bars and Pubs for a mental health walk in the hope of raising awareness surrounding male suicide.
Starting from Atlas on 4 December, Manchester-based supporters of the organisation will be walking 5,151 metres (i.e. just over 5k) to and from the venue to remember every man who lost their life to suicide in the last year.
Dubbing the initiative the ‘Pub Pilgrimage’, Atlas Bar and HUMEN are aiming to raise £500,000 for men’s mental health as part of their annual Rise Against Suicide campaign.
Part of the reason Atlas Bar and Heineken have signed up to promote the pilgrimage is a result of HUMEN’s most recent study, which found that 24% of men in Manchester don’t feel comfortable having serious conversations in pubs and only 16% say they can speak honestly about their feelings.
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Their research also yielded the following findings:
29% of men in Manchester admitted to their friends that they are worried about their personal lives and futures, specifically in the social settings of pubs.
12% of Manchester men admitted to needing some kind of support in relation to their feelings and mental wellbeing.
47% of men across the region admitted that they don’t think a pub is the right place to talk about worries or stresses.
78% of Manc men believe their gender should speak more about personal matters between one another in a pub.
As well as promoting sincere and open conversations while socialising in pubs, the organisation is also hoping to promote healthier relationships with drinking, with HUMEN insisting that you don’t need to be teetotal to look after your mental health.
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A staggering 14 men are estimated to take their own life every single day in the UK, making up around 75% of all suicides in the country, and simply having a dialogue when it comes to issues like mental health, loneliness and suicide can help combat that number.
Despite being one of their favourite places to socialise and destress, with the average man spending at least two hours a week in a pub, 33% say they simply won’t share how they’re really doing over a pint. Landlords like the people in charge of Atlas are hoping to change that culture.
Owner Mark Wrigley and Joint MD Elain Wrigley (Credit: Supplied)
Speaking ahead of the event, owner Mark Wrigley said that pubs are an “essential part of communities” and their business in particular is working hard to “create a safe place for our guests to socialise – one where they can talk openly about the issues that matter to them.”
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Beyond Manchester, pubs in London, Cardiff, Edinburgh; Brighton, Birmingham, Nottingham; Leeds, Bristol, Glasgow; Newcastle, Liverpool and Southampton are all getting involved with the Pub Pilgrimage. The Rise Against Suicide campaign is aiming to reach further than ever this year.
Furthermore, set up by actor River Hawkins, other notable names supporting the campaign include the likes of Andrew Scott and Bill Nighy, rugby player Danny Cipriani, musician Tom Odell and many, many more.
Hawkins insists that “we all need friendly spaces to talk, listen and connect”, stating that pubs and bars can act not only as the “cornerstone of communities”, but as progressive gathering places that refuse to encourage the ‘drink and forget’ mentality that regularly plagues male social circles.
He went on to remark that, hopefully, by getting people talking and pointing them in the direction when it comes to professional help, the number of metres they’ll have to walk will be lower than next year.
HUMEN isn’t just about trying to encourage men to talk, it’s about providing them with a safe space and outlet to do so. Furthermore, the charity is all about moving beyond the false and limiting notions of what it means to be a ‘man’, a ‘lad’, or a ‘bloke’.
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Their work serves as a reminder to value inner health just as much as outer, helping create a better world for both men and women.
All that being said, Atlas, HUMEN and its supporters are now calling on Mancs to join the initiative and walk a metre for every tragic suicide that could have been avoided with the right help.
Atlas Bar’s ‘Pub Pilgrimage’ starts at 10am on Sunday, 4 December. To do your bit for men’s mental health, you can register to join the walk HERE and, if you can, donate to their JustGiving page — any amount can help make a big difference.
UK pub chain announces bottomless Guinness for the 2026 Six Nations
Danny Jones
As we all know, Guinness and the Six Nations go hand in hand, so pubs not only showing all of this year’s games, but also serving bottomless pints of the good stuff here in Greater Manchester, is an absolute match made in heaven.
With the 2026 Six Nations tournament kicking off this Thursday, 5 February – a France vs Ireland opener in Paris – Manc rugby fans are already nailing down their go-to spots to watch the fixtures.
However, we can’t think of many other places offering bottomless black gold in town, let alone anywhere else in and around Manchester.
So, if you were still unsure of where to watch this year’s tournament, the Social Pub and Kitchen group might have just made the decision for you…
That’s right, this widespread British chain is looking to keep the pints flowing throughout the duration of this year’s competition, thanks to a twist on their standard bottomless brunch format.
Running for every single televised meeting between the much-loved half dozen rugby union teams, all 103 of their locations across the country will be providing this impressive offer on pints.
Here in central Manchester, that includes Tank and Paddle in the Printworks, Crafty Pig on the edge of the Northern Quarter, The Beech Inn in Chorlton, and The Director’s Box right in the heart of the city – and dangerously close to The Manc office…
As well as these nearby venues, there are obviously plenty more around the North West for those slightly further afield, including the likes of Cheshire and Derbyshire.
With a new food menu too, which features several honey-based dishes like the sweet sriracha pizza, chipotle loaded fries, as well as honey chipotle chicken wings, the matchday scran is on point.
So too are the drinks, clearly, and if any of your party wants to stray away from the bottomless Guinness, there are series of special Six Nations-themed cocktails, such as the ‘Midnight in Dublin’, a ‘Peach on the Pitch’ margarita, Baby Velvet, and the bold ‘G-Bomb’.
Yes, we suspect it is as boozy as it sounds.
Running throughout February and March whilst the games are on, we imagine plenty of people will be making at least one Social Pub and Kitchen site their chosen destination for watching all the action.
Even if you happen to be reading this outside of Greater Manchester, you can find your nearest Social Pub and Kitchen and book your table right HERE.
And if you’d still like some other alternatives here in the city centre, you can do no wrong with our helpful little round-up.
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Publicity picture (supplied)
What's On
CBeebies is bringing its popular Bedtime Stories show live to Manchester for FREE this month
Emily Sergeant
CBeebies will be bringing a live version of its popular Bedtime Stories show to Manchester in a couple of weeks time.
With it not being long to go now until February half term arrives, it’s time to get ready for Manchester city centre to transform into a giant playground this month, as The Super Duper Family Festival brings four free days of fun.
The popular event will feature a series of pop-up play zones at a variety of outdoor spaces and popular venues across the city centre, all of which will be free to use and ready to explore.
Taking place from Wednesday 18 February through to Saturday 21 February, there’s set to be more immersive play areas than ever before at this year’s festival – with nine different zones providing unique experiences for all ages.
CBeebies is bringing its popular Bedtime Stories show live to Manchester for free / Credit: Supplied
Families can dive into high-energy challenges in The Sports Hall at Great Northern, level up in The Arcade at Printworks, whirl and twirl through The Carnival on St Ann’s Square, and get playful in The Playground with Waterloo Road on Exchange Square, just to name a few.
And now, two hugely popular CBeebies shows are adding live events into the mix.
First up, families are invited to snuggle down and enjoy the power of storytelling with CBeebies Bedtime Stories LIVE, as stars from CBeebies, alongside some special guests, host sessions filled with stories and songs at Manchester Central as part of The Story Den festival zone.
Four shows will run each day, with sessions lasting approximately 20 minutes, and to ensure the experience is accessible to as people as possible, a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter will be present at all sessions on Wednesday 18 February.
Then, for those who’ve always wondered what goes on behind the cameras, there’s exclusive access to one of the BBC’s most iconic programmes on the lineup too – with Blue Peter Behind the Scenes guided tours on Saturday 21 February at the legendary Blue Peter set at Versa Campfield Studio 2, where guests can enjoy surprise meet and greets with the Blue Peter team throughout the day.
You can also expect everything from gaming and crafts, to pop-up performances, hands-on workshops, fun children’s activities, and so much more over the course of the four-day event.
The Super Duper Family Festival is returning from 18-21 February 2026, and you can find more information about everything happening here.
With limited spaces available for both CBeebies experiences, families are encouraged to book their free tickets, which went live earlier today (Wednesday 4 February) at 11am, and you can get your hands on them here.
Danny Jones -
25th November 2022 
