Residents in Urmston and the surrounding areas are being encouraged to help local traders get back on their feet by continuing to support a series of fully COVID-compliant community pop up markets.
The markets are taking place on the Market 41 site, on Railway Road in Urmston, throughout August.
The first pop-up market event took place last Saturday and was met with huge success. Showcasing a total of 15 local traders selling a mix of cakes and bakes, gifts, flowers, crafts, home décor and jewellery and complemented by a fully-licensed bar, it attracted more than 1,000 people from the local community coming out to show their support.
Further markets will follow the same format and take place from 10am-4pm on Saturday 15th, Saturday 22nd and Saturday 29th August.
Gemma Marshall, from Gems Delicious Treats, and Mark Rackham, from The Barking Dog, are the driving force pair behind the initiative. Both felt that Urmstonians would welcome the chance to support their local traders and reignite the retail and hospitality sector by attending a well organised, socially distanced and COVID-compliant market to enjoy a bite to eat and drink, and a bit of shopping during the summer months.
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Designed to provide a much-needed boost to the local economy and encourage people back out to shop and socialise in a safe, open air environment, the pop-up markets are being held in association with the Urmston Partnership, Love Urmston and Market 41.
Urmston Community Pop-Up Markets
Gemma said: “We had originally planned to host a pop up market on the Market 41 site earlier this year, but it was cancelled due to lockdown. I always have such a great response to pop up markets, both from local traders, many of whom do not have a shop front, and local residents.
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“Saturday was a huge success and it was super to see so many people enjoying the event [so] we really hope more people will come out and show their support over the next three weeks.”
Mark added: “We followed government guidelines closely in the development of the market and are confident that the format works well to ensure everyone can enjoy the event fully without any concerns about overcrowding or personal space.
“We really hope that these events enable local traders to get back up and running again in safe and well managed open air environment.”
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Urmston Commuity Pop-Up Markets
Working closely with Trafford Council, organisers have ensured that pop-ups comply fully with current COVID-19 guidelines. This means that trader stalls and gazebos are carefully positioned two metres apart, there is a two-metre distance between dining and seating areas, and a one-way system with two-metre floor markers is in operation to ensure appropriate social distancing.
Numbers in and out of the markets were also carefully managed to ensure the designated maximum capacity for the site was never exceeded and everyone had enough space to enjoy the event safely.
The McGoff Group was also happy to support the initiative by providing the Market 41 site free of charge for the events.
Paul Danks – Business Development Director at McGoff Group – said: “We are pleased to be able to provide the Market 41 site for the pop up community markets and wish the events every success. As an Urmston resident myself, I’m looking forward to dropping in.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDvxJ1CD-fS/
Come on Urmston – Make sure you show up in style this weekend.
Are you a local trader interested in a stall at one of the forthcoming Urmston Community Pop-Up Markets? You can contact Gemma Marshall on 07873 297590 to discuss more.
What's On
Club de Padel to close current Manchester location to make way for more Deansgate Square skyscrapers
Daisy Jackson
Club de Padel, the first padel club to open in Manchester, will be relocating from its Deansgate Square home.
The wildly popular sports club will close next week, as landowners Renaker begin the next phase of development of the skyscraper district.
Club de Padel is keeping its new location under wraps for now – but will be going out from its current Manchester home with a bang.
The club, which welcomed more than 100,000 people in the first year alone, will be offering free padel for all before it closes at Deansgate Square.
Club de Padel launched back in 2023, with four competition-grade courts, and has since added a Finnish sauna experience with Good Sauna, launched a best-selling clothing range with UN:IK, plus become the home for Manchester’s most popular run club with MADE Running.
As well as that, the club has been donating free courts and coaching during the school holidays to local children’s charity Wood Street Mission, and hosting events with the likes of adidas, REFY and Blank Street Coffee.
It’s been one of the city’s top sporting success stories, attracting attention from the likes of The Sunday Times, The Guardian, Hypebae and the BBC.
But now Club de Padel will be leaving its current home ahead of Renaker’s expansion of its luxury skyscraper district.
Club de Padel ManchesterClub de Padel is at the foot of the Deansgate Square towers
As for that new top-secret location opening later this year – they’re promising an ‘indoor and outdoor space in an incredible location, featuring an expanded padel experience, high-end wellness and social spaces, and a year-round programme of events’.
Club de Padel founders said in a statement today: “We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve built here in Manchester — bringing padel to the city centre for the first time and introducing tens of thousands of people to the sport during our time on Deansgate.
“But this site was never meant to be permanent, and we’ve been limited in what we can build here, so the time is right to move on, grow and improve.
“We’ve learned a huge amount from our time in Manchester and from opening our second club in Sheffield last year, and we’re excited to reveal the locations of our new sites — including the new Manchester club — and begin the next phase.
“In the meantime, we want to thank everyone who has made this club so special, and invite them to enjoy a free game of padel on us.”
Club de Padel will close to begin its Manchester relocation on 14 January.
You can book a free hour of padel between 9 and 14 January, through the usual Playtomic system – you’ll be refunded for your booking in full on arrival.
‘Big John’ is bringing his ‘BOSH’ bingo to Manchester
Danny Jones
Attention, all you ‘Big John’ lovers, the man himself is coming to Manchester this year for his very own ‘BOSH Bingo’ show.
Excessively large takeaway order not included*
That’s right, ‘Big John’ Fisher has gone from being a viral sensation famous for eating shedloads of Chinese and saying that one catchphrase to hosting his very own live bingo tour.
Even by his standards, his announcement video was an eye-catching one, to say the least – and we expect the event itself to be equally hilarious.
— big john the boshfather (@Johnfis08605918) January 7, 2026
For anyone somehow unfamiliar with ‘The Boshfather’, there isn’t a single sentence that isn’t completely accurate, and that doesn’t sum up pretty much everything you need to know about the man, the myth, the legend.
Besides his son, Johnny Fisher Jr., being an aspiring boxer and fellow influencer on the side, as well as having appeared on Newsnight to talk about the UK’s multiculturalism being what makes this ‘Great Britain’ (legend), his legacy will very much be written online and on the back of a take-out menu.
Or will it?…
Riding the back of his growing popularity and being quite literally the physical representation of a British bulldog, he’s now preparing to do live shows all over the country.
Set up at the start of the New Year, the 51-year-old will be heading to Manchester city centre and more throughout 2026 for his debut BOSH Bingo tour.
Visiting 12 locations in total, he is promising “rave intervals, on stage competitions, ‘bosh’ prizes and, of course, a sprinkle of chicken balls for good measure.”
Put simply, not only the chaos of everyone’s favourite Bongo’s, “This is not your average bingo night, it’s BOSH BINGO!”
Sounds ridiculous… We’re SO there.
Coming to The Grosvenor on Oxford Road on 21 February, before heading to the likes of Leeds, Liverpool and Sheffield, just to name a few, you can grab your tickets right HERE.
Let’s just say there’s some very silly but nevertheless fun and fantastic stuff happening in town this year.
Emily Sergeant -
12th August 2020 
