A luxury hotel suite has been built at Old Trafford, offering some lucky fans the chance to spend the night at Manchester United’s home ground.
Marriott Bonvoy has created the Suite of Dreams accommodation, which will be the setting for the first ever overnight stay at the iconic stadium.
The hotel group is offering a lucky fan and a guest the chance to wake up in the football stadium, with a room overlooking the pitch.
As well as that, the package includes a number of behind-the-scenes experiences, including watching the team training and touring the stadium.
Inside the Suite of Dreams. Credit: Supplied
The winners of the Suite of Dreams stay will also be given match day tickets and hospitality.
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Whoever is chosen to spend the night will wake up at Old Trafford on the morning of the Premier League match against Chelsea in May.
Brian Povinelli, senior vice president of brand, loyalty and portfolio marketing at Marriott International, said: “Bringing our flagship brand, Marriott Hotels, to Old Trafford is just one of the ways we are bringing the extraordinary Marriott Bonvoy portfolio to life through our collaboration with Manchester United, one of the world’s most popular sports teams.
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“We’re thrilled to be creating this hospitality experience at this iconic location, giving a once-in-a-lifetime chance for fans to wake up in the home of Manchester United on the morning of a matchday.”
Victoria Timpson, Manchester United’s CEO of Alliances and Partnerships, added: “From the very beginning of our partnership, Marriott Bonvoy has created some truly unique experiences, and this is no exception.
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“Whoever wins this opportunity will receive the same first-class hospitality as they would at any Marriott Hotels property around the world, with the added excitement of being hosted at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’, one of the world’s most iconic football stadiums.”
To enter, visit ManUtd.com/SuiteofDreams and complete the form before 11:59 EST on April 15, 2022.
Featured image: Supplied
Trafford
Stretford’s popular festival with dozens of FREE events and activities to return next spring
Emily Sergeant
A popular festival for all the family is set to return and take over a buzzing Greater Manchester town next spring.
After a successful first run last summer, where thousands attended as a diverse array of music, art, dance, and interactive workshops descended on the streets of Stretford, The StretFest is back again for 2025, and will be taking over the whole Trafford neighbourhood with loads of free events and activities to get involved with.
This new spring edition of the neighbourhood festival will spread across Stretford’s favourite venues and public spaces to celebrate ‘new beginnings’.
Organised by Stretford Town Centre Forum – which is a new collaboration of local businesses and community groups, with support from Trafford Council and Bruntwood – the theme of next year’s festival has been chosen as a nod to the development work that’s now well underway across Stretford town centre.
The StretFest returns in 2025 / Credit: Supplied
Free events will be at venues such as Stretford Public Hall, the Mall, Victoria Park, St Matthew’s Church, and Stretford Library, alongside loads of local independent businesses.
The festival also coincides with the 10th anniversary of Stretford Public Hall’s transfer into community ownership, so you can celebrations at the Hall all throughout the day.
One of the main events on the day of the festival will be the popular ‘Stretford Socials’ from midday through to 4pm, where you’ll find an array of stalls featuring talented local makers, bakers, and community groups.
It’s here where you’ll also an also enjoy a variety of free family-friendly activities that organisers say “promises fun for all ages”.
More information is set to be announced in the new year, so keep your eyes peeled.
The StretFest returns on Saturday 1 March 2025, and you can find out more and apply to be a part of it by submitting an application here.
Featured Image – Adrian Michael (via Supplied)
Trafford
A local baby bank is holding a vital fundraiser to stop it from closing for good
Danny Jones
A Greater Manchester baby bank is holding a vital fundraiser in hopes of preventing from it closing for goodimminently.
For anyone unaware, baby banks are crucial organisations run largely by volunteers who help provide vital supplies to families in local communities, with more than 300 in use across the UK at present.
Through delivering much-needed aid such as clothing, prams, nappies and baby food, right through to direct financial support, they help keep parents and their children in good supply of essentials and much more – hugely important work at any rate, let alone during the winter and a cost of living crisis.
However, the Little Green Sock Project over in Trafford is at risk of permanent closure if they don’t raise £200,000 come the New Year.
As seen in this moving video, the baby bank based over in Stretford Mall is in dire need of support and right now after being given until January to find new premises.
Fundamentally operated as a non-profit and volunteer-led charity, they naturally don’t have the means to just take over a new space on their own and with the current site set to be demolished very soon, a minimum of £200k is needed to find and fund a new location.
Urging people to donate what they can and share their fundraiser where possible, as well as welcoming corporate sponsorships should other local businesses wish to back them or get stuck through volunteering days, time is of the essence.
The Little Green Sock Project was only started back in 2022 and has already supported over 1,300 children, redistributing more than £240,000 worth of essential items like clothing, cots, prams, and stair gates to local families, as well as saving 20 tonnes of items from landfill.
It’s no exaggeration to say that they’ve changed and saved lives, both parents and children, and with the often difficult festive period approaching their work is needed now more than ever.
There are just under a dozen baby banks in all of Greater Manchester, many of which are facing similar pressures. (Credit: Supplied)
Speaking on their efforts and the fundraiser, founder Catherine D’Albertanson said: “We believe that essentials needed for the health and wellbeing of children should not only be for those that can afford them. Our work ensures that no child in our community goes without essentials, but without new premises, we will have no choice but to close.”
Moreover, Little Green Sock Project is the only baby bank in the Trafford area and of the families it serves, 58% are single-parent households already struggling with the cost of raising children, while 29% are fleeing domestic abuse, often leaving their belongings behind to protect their family.
With their circular economy model, they also help reduce waste whilst providing “a trusted link between the families that have items to give, to those that need them the most”, with D’Albertanson adding, “If we lose this charity, we lose a vital safety net for many in our community.”
A service user commented: “It was a truly terrifying time when I was pregnant with my first child, I found myself completely alone, with a baby on the way, wondering how I could possibly provide for my son. Then I found Little Green Sock Project, and everything changed. Everything was carefully chosen, colour-coordinated, and presented in such a thoughtful way. It felt so special—like someone truly cared about me and my baby. That feeling is indescribable, especially for someone in my position.
“There are so many people like me with stories like this. It breaks my heart to think that Little Green Sock Project might have to close its doors. I can’t imagine what my life would have been like without your help, and I hope with all my heart that the community comes together to keep this lifeline alive.”
Manchester parents need this much-loved baby bank – let’s not it fall away on our watch. (Credit: Andy Bate at Royal Foundation)
Every pound donated goes towards helping find the Little Green Sock Project a new home but people can help contribute in other ways, once again, by spreading the word or getting their hands dirty in person.
Greater Manchester never fails to amaze when it rallies behind causes like this and we’re sure you won’t let us down this time either. Let’s keep the lights on the lifelines for local families intact.
You can donate now or to find out other ways to do your bit, click HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
7th April 2022 
