An open call for people across Greater Manchester to contribute to a new national touring art installation has been issued.
Wild in Art – the global art producer behind the much-loved Bee In The City trail – is inviting people from right across the UK to submit real-life stories and poems about key workers during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic for a chance to be included in the ‘Gratitude Stories’ installation, which is arriving in Manchester later this year.
The Gratitude art installation – which is a collection of 49 uniquely-painted human form sculptures, all designed by individual artists, and curated in partnership with creative ambassador Dame Zandra Rhodes – will be free for all the public to visit and accompanied by a selection of stories recorded by a host of well-known local voices, designed to thank NHS staff and all key workers for their ongoing courage and dedication.
Gratitude is hoping to connect people, communities, artists and businesses to reflect and show their appreciation.
The chosen stories will become part of the spectacular public art installation that thanks all key workers for their courage and dedication during the pandemic. Key figures voicing the stories so far include @KTTunstall, @adilray & @juliehes further names to be revealed soon.
Visitors to the installation will be able to listen to stories and poems that pay tribute to all key workers, from doctors on the front-line to shopkeepers, carers and teachers, via the Gratitude app and the website.
ADVERTISEMENT
Key figures lined up to voice the stories so far include singer-songwriter KT Tunstall and actors Julie Hesmondhalgh, Christopher Eccleston, John Thomson and Shobna Gulati – with further names to be revealed soon.
Time for quiet reflection will also be built into the installation’s daily opening schedule when the exhibition comes to Manchester in September.
ADVERTISEMENT
One of the first audio stories to be announced as part of the installation is from Matt Kelly, a Wigan Council service manager who last year penned a poem named ‘Our Heroes’, which was initially for his partner – a district nurse – but then shared on social media and brought to life on BBC Radio 5 live by one of the UK’s most prominent actors, Christopher Eccleston.
Daniel Graves Photography
“I am delighted that ‘Our Heroes’ will be part of this fantastic project.” Matt Kelly said.
“During this last year, our doctors, nurses, carers and support staff have quite literally saved us from this awful pandemic [and] the war-like effort of the NHS and the scenes I was seeing on the news helped inspire me to write the poem at the start of the pandemic.
ADVERTISEMENT
“At the time, it was a poem of hope, but one year on, it is becoming a poem of nostalgia and gratitude.
“This project is a fitting tribute to our wonderful heroes”.
Charlie Langhorne – Managing Director and co-founder of Wild in Art – added: “We’re delighted to have the support of so many well-known figures to help us to bring words and art together to tell the story of this unprecedented time [and] we hope people will be inspired to submit their stories and poems and we look forward to listening to them as part of Gratitude this summer”.
Daniel Graves Photography
Keen to take part?
Wild in Art is now accepting submissions from all over the UK, which should be no longer than 500 words in length, must tell a personal story about a key worker, and showcase the amazing work they have done during the pandemic.
ADVERTISEMENT
It can also be a story about yourself, for example, if you work as a key worker or if there is something a key worker has done for you personally that has made a difference to you life.
You have until 5pm on 20th May 2021.
All details and guidelines for submissions can be found on the Gratitude website here.
Featured Image – Scott Kershaw Photographer
What's On
Five fantastic freebies and offers for the 2025 Manchester Half marathon
Danny Jones
It’s nearly time: not just for the Manchester Half but, more importantly, the freebies and offers you can get for running it.
Let’s be honest, not everyone loves running for literal miles just for the sake of it; a lot of people need motivation, and besides an inspiring cause, you’d be surprised how many people will get out of bed for something as simple as free stuff.
You might be one of them – you are here reading this, after all.
There’s no long-winded preamble or intro needed to set this up, so let’s just crack on. Here are five brilliant freebies you can get with a 2025 Manchester Half Marathon medal.
What freebies you can get with a Manchester Half finisher’s medal
Now, you’ll be glad to know that most of these are completely gratis, but we thought we’d mention some others that stuck out to us as well.
1. Free fizz on The Refuge
First up, how about some free fizz? Well, that’s exactly what you can get this Sunday, 12 October, if you’ve just run the 2025 Manchester Half-marathon.
Participants can head to The Refuge inside the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel after the race to claim a well-earned glass of prosecco – available to the first 100 finishers on a first-come, first-served basis.
2. Complimentary food and drink at Circolo Popolare
Next up, it doesn’t get much better than a free pizza and a cold one; that’s what Circolo Popolare in Gary Neville’s stunning St. Michael’s building are offering.
Just show your medal and enjoy a free margherita pizza plus your choice of either an ice-cold beer or a refreshing virgin cocktail. Prego!
3. You’ve got to be quick to get House of Social’s freebie
Speaking of free drinks, the first 50 runners who use the last of their energy to dash over to House of Social this Sunday and enjoy a pint on the house.
All you have to do is present your medal when ordering to snap up a beer at absolutely no cost. So we’ll see you there, basically.
Self-explanatory, really. The student favourite that used to be the old Footage pub on Oxford Road is offering up a limited amount of free pints to runners, just make sure you show your medal at the bar.
To be honest, even if it wasn’t free, we’d still probably spend a good few hours here sinking affordable pints because it is absolute VIBES at this gaff.
Last but not least, if you’re looking for a lovely carby reward in the city centre, you’re obviously spoilt for choice, but Italiana Fifty Five are offering a free starter when booking and presenting your 2025 finisher’s medal upon arrival.
Available at all Greater Manchester locations, the Italian eatery formerly known as Cibo always delivers good offers, and race day for the MCR Half is no different.
🏃♀️ Running the MCR Half this Sunday?
Celebrate your finish line moment at Italiana Fifty-Five, Manchester 🇮🇹
Show us your medal and enjoy a FREE starter with your meal! 🍝✨
Oh yeah, it might not be a freebie per se, but as one of the busiest post-marathon celebration spots anywhere in Greater Manchester, The Wharf is obviously getting involved beforehand as well.
This year, the canalside Castlefield favourite is serving up sausage and bacon butties from 10-11:30am before the usual Sunday roast service kicks in as normal from 12pm. Now we’ve just got to pray for good beer garden weather.
We hope you get to make the most of these freebies and others Manchester Half offers after your race is run, because let’s be honest, running 13.1 miles (21 and a bit kilometres for you metric heads) is a fair bit of effort, so you deserve a treat.
It goes without saying that there’s probably plenty more SWAG to be snapped up in and around the city that we’ve missed, so make sure to let your fellow runners know about them down in the comments.
Finally, if you’re still feeling uncertain about anything to do with the race itself, you can find our full Manchester Half Marathon guide down below.
Featured Images — The Manc Group/press shot (supplied)
What's On
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 13 – 19 October 2025
Emily Sergeant
October is in full swing, and we’re loving how autumnal it looks everything.
The air has a chill, the leaves have changed colour, and spooky season’s right around the corner now, so that means there’s plenty of exciting activities to be getting up to in Greater Manchester in the coming weeks and beyond.
Finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though? No worries. We’ve chosen a few of the highlights for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide.
Both free things and those that’ll set you back a few pennies are featured.
___
Pumpkin Lanterns
Manchester City Centre
Monday 13 – Friday 31 October
Pumpkin Lanterns / Credit: CityCo / Manchester BID
Have you noticed that Manchester’s adorable little pumpkin lanterns have already started popping up around the city?
If you’re looking to get in the mood for Halloween, but want to keep things a little on the cheaper side this week, then you need look no further than up above in the city centre as the annual decorative pumpkin lanterns are back once again.
Going on a little tour to see the lanterns in the trees in St Ann’s Square, Market Street, and beyond is the perfect activity for all the family, easy to plan, and great for pictures – and it’s free too.
Feeling brave? Scare City has returned to the North West with yet another ‘immersive’ horror experience in the lead up to Halloween.
Taking over the grounds of the abandoned Camelot Theme Park for ‘another year of terror’, just as it has done for the past four years following the success of its initial 2020 launch as a drive-in cinema, this year’s event features a selection of terrifying zones to weave your way through – some familiar, some brand new.
Tickets are now available to book at £29.50 for standard entry, or £44.50 for the ‘Gold Entry’ (both plus a booking free).
Find out more and grab tickets to this year’s event here.
___
Pumpkin Festival 2025
Kenyon Hall Farm
Monday 13 – Friday 31 October
Pumpkin Festival 2025 / Credit: The Manc Group
What could be more cute and autumnal than rummaging around in a field in the October sunshine, hunting for your perfect pumpkin? Nothing, if you ask us.
If you’re liking the sound of that, then good news, as Kenyon Hall Farm’s annual Pumpkin Festival has officially kicked off and they’ve got THOUSANDS to choose from.
As well as the fields full of pumpkins, there’s loads of seasonal items in the award-winning farm shop too (alongside masses of fresh produce), like tattoo transfers for your pumpkins, gonks, keyrings, and more.
And don’t forget to stop off at the cafe for their seasonal pumpkin specials.
Multi award-winning musical Sunny Afternoon is kicking off its UK tour here in Manchester at the iconic Palace Theatre.
ADVERTISEMENT
Following a sell-out run at Hampstead Theatre, the musical production featuring all the hit songs by legendary rock band The Kinks opened to critical acclaim at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London’s West End, where it ran for two years ahead of its sensational UK and Ireland tour throughout 2016/17 – and now it’s heading out on tour.
Set against the backdrop of Britain on the cusp of the rebellious 60s,Sunny Afternoon is described as being an ‘exhilarating and moving’ celebration of the music, life, and the band that changed it all.
Dare you enter the haunted Big Top? Gandeys Circus is back at the Trafford Centre this spooky season, and is bringing along with it a brand-new spine-chilling and action-packed Halloween Spooktacular.
This legendary show will be filled with frights, delights, and dazzling sights for the whole family.
Prepare for jaw-dropping thrill acts that will leave you gasping, grand production numbers bursting with eerie enchantment, and of course, plenty of laughter and screams along the way, as this is Halloween entertainment like you’ve never seen before.
Want to know what other Halloween-themed events are happening at the Trafford Centre throughout this month?
Spooky season is nearly upon us, and the Trafford Centre has now announced its lineup of Halloween activities to get stuck into, and from creepy crafts, to hair-raising rides and eerie evening entertainment, there’s something for every brave soul.
The Oast House’s popular teepee draped in twinkling lights is back for the festive season.
Complete with two roaring fires, twinkling fairy lights, faux fur throws, The Teepee will be made up of four tents joined together to create a huge open hub, complete with a stage area for guests to dance the night away in festive spirit.
It’s all sounding set to be a popular spot for locals and those who’ve finished a hard day at work during the autumn and winter months.
NEW OPENING – Power Hall / Credit: Science Museum Group
It’s been a long time coming, but this week, the Science and Industry Museum will be welcoming visitors back inside one of the UK’s most significant industrial heritage buildings – the Power Hall.
Power Hall: The Andrew Law Gallery is a free working gallery where visitors can immerse themselves in the sights, smells, and sounds of the engine-driven ideas and industry that started in Manchester and went on to change the world.
Have you noticed any ‘street nipples’ popping up around Manchester in recent weeks?
Yes that’s right, we did say ‘street nipples’, you heard us correctly.
In case you weren’t aware, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and as a way of marking this hugely crucial event, pavement studs across major UK cities like Manchester have been transformed into nipples as part of a bold conversation-starting initiative from charity Breast Cancer UK.
Pavement studs often go unnoticed, just like the early signs of breast cancer – but this clever new campaign is already stopping people in their tracks.
Need a spot for breakfast? Manchester’s newest food hall has got you covered.
House of Social now does breakfast – and my lord, are you lot in for a treat with this one.
From Ok Taqueria, there’s breakfast burritos packed with jalapeño sausage patties and all manner of other breakfast items, there’s a taste of New York from Dough Religion in the form of pancake stacks and in-house bagels.
And last but not least, Burger and Beyond has the hangover cure sent from the heavens, with breakfast buns and the most PERFECT hash browns on the side.
Summer may be over, but guess what? Now that autumn is well and truly here, that means we get to wear layers, cosy up in our favourite places, and eat heartwarming plates piled high with all the major food groups.
Roast dinners / Credit: The Manc Group
Whether you want the likes of Banyan’s bottomless Yorkshire puddings bigger than your head, or swapping your meat out for a pie (you heard us), we’ve got something to suit everyone… tou can even get dog roasts too, if you ask The Refuge nicely.
Check out our top 25 best places to head to for a perfect roast in Greater Manchester here.
___
Does your sweet tooth needing satisfying instead? Look at these spooky bakes.
Manchester’s most creative bakery has delivered the goods again this autumn, with a whole menu of seasonal treats and spooky pastries.
Half Dozen Other’s Halloween-inspired specials include a pistachio choux bun with a wobbly brain inside, an adorable pumpkin and pecan danish, and cherry cookie pie complete with witchy marzipan finger on top.
And beyond that, this month’s menu features a pistachio twist on their sell-out honey toast twice-baked croissant, a blood orange pain au chocolat, and a vegan charcoal cookies and cream croissant.
Emily Sergeant -
6th May 2021 
