And it’s doing so in a way that only Point Blank knows how by giving visitors the chance to book shooting simulation sessions for free all day every day when you spend over £15 per head on food and drink at the Manchester and Newcastle branches.
This unmissable offer isn’t sticking around for long though, so you’ll have to be quick on the draw and head down there this week if you want to take advantage of it.
Not only that, but for the first time ever, it is opening its doors to those under 18 years of age and offering free shooting over the half term break to experience a family-friendly and COVID-secure day out that is quite literally like nothing else in the country, let alone Manchester.
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If you’re looking for somewhere completely different to occupy the kids’ minds and let off some steam during the school holidays, then you really need look no further.
This newly-established player in the city’s activity and hospitality scene – which arrived with a bang last summer and has sold out almost every Friday and Saturday that it has been open since – is the UK’s first fully-immersive shooting simulation range based on Deansgate.
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It offers customers the chance to experience the very latest first-person firing technology, but that’s only half the story.
While there’s no doubting it’s certainly a hive of activity for thrill-seekers, it’s also a spot for the cocktail crowd looking for something new, a den for the foodies hoping to try a different spin on classic night-time cuisine, and in a time pre-COVID, it was also quite the popular pre-drinks space for the party people looking to warm up before the nightclub.
And now, you can add family-friendly day out destination to that list too.
Point Blank
As well as it’s impressive Prohibition era-inspired bar serving an eclectic collection of tipples and mocktails, Point Blank’s extensive menu takes inspiration from our transatlantic cousins.
It specialises in hot wings, hot dogs and hot cheese nachos – which remain firm-favourites among customers – and there’s also mac and cheese nuggets, lemon sole bites, BBQ belly pork, and wide selection of top-notch veggie and vegan dishes to get stuck into as well.
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With all of this on offer, and the free shooting sessions available for a limited time only this week, you’re going to want to get your slot secured now as Point Blank has said that the ranges are booking up fast.
To book your slot in advance of your visit, head to the Point Blank Manchester website here.
What's On
Science and Industry Museum announces new major exhibition taking visitors on an ‘epic space adventure’
Emily Sergeant
A major new exhibition taking visitors on an ‘epic space adventure’ is making its world premiere in Manchester next year.
Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos will invite visitors to explore our wondrous Solar System when it launches at the Science and Industry Museum next February.
Fresh off-the-back of the new BBC Children’s and Education TV show, Horrible Science, the ‘thrilling’ new exhibition will encourage visitors to ‘do science the horrible way’, and join both scientists and supervillains to unveil the secrets of space.
The new exhibition will propel families up into space where mystery, intrigue, and rocket-loads of silly and surprising science await. You’ll get to venture through a series of cosmic zones, walk in the shoes of astronauts, explore the life-giving energy of the sun, marvel at mysterious moons, and discover far-off weird worlds.
Left teetering on the edge of our Solar System, explorers will then find themselves staring into the dark depths of space, on the lookout for any extra-terrestrial life that could be staring back.
Whether its sniffing astronauts’ smelly socks, dancing on an alien disco planet, feeling the tremors from a mysterious moonquake, or launching a space rocket, organisers say this new adventure will engage all the senses in a truly immersive experience.
This is the first time Horrible Science has been brought to life as a major exhibition.
The Science and Industry Museum has announced a new major exhibition taking visitors on an ‘epic space adventure’ / Credit: BBC | Science Museum Group
Visitors will get to see familiar characters from the BBC series – like Dr Big Brain, in particular – on their mission to find out more about our fascinating Solar System through interactive experiments, playful challenges, and sensory exploration.
The exhibition is being developed by the Science and Industry Museum in collaboration with producers of the Horrible Science TV show, BBC Children’s and Education, and Lion Television, together with Scholastic, who are publishers of the much-loved Horrible Science book series by Nick Arnold and illustrated by Tony De Saulles.
‘Unmissable’ objects from the Science Museum Group’s world-class space collection will also be on show when the exhibition premieres.
Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos will open at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester on 13 February 2026 for an 11-month run before heading down to London, and tickets are now on sale priced at £10 – with family discounts available, and under-threes going free.
Manchester Cathedral to host charity Christmas carols service to raise money for local NHS hospitals
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Cathedral will be hosting a charity Christmas carols service to raise money for our local NHS hospitals.
Organised by Manchester NHS Foundation Trust Charity and now in its twelfth year, Christmas Carols in the City will take place in the spectacular surroundings of Manchester Cathedral in a couple of weeks time, and it’s sounding set to be an enchanting experience for the whole family to be involved with this festive season.
The Grade I-listed Manchester Cathedral is one of our city’s most unique buildings, with the Gothic architecture truly being a thing to behold.
Christmas Carols in the City is being described as a ‘great way’ to start the festive season in style.
Hosted by Hits Radio’s Mike Toolan and sponsored by PG Tips, performances on the night will come from local Manchester choirs.
The event is family-friendly and festive fun for everyone, all while raising funds for the Foundation Trust’s family of NHS Manchester hospitals.
Every penny raised from this year’s event will help to build and run a MediCinema on the Oxford Road hospital campus, which will aim to bring the ‘therapeutic magic of the movies’ to patients of all ages cared for by hospitals such as Manchester Royal Infirmary, Saint Mary’s Hospital, Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, and Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
Manchester Cathedral is hosting a charity Christmas carols service to raise money for our local NHS hospitals / Credit: Supplied
With room for wheelchairs, hospital beds, and medical equipment, and supported by dedicated nurses and trained volunteers, the new MediCinema will offer 260 screenings a year of the latest releases, alongside much loved film favourites.
In recognition of the MediCinema Appeal, Christmas Carols in the City will feature some much-loved Christmas movie classics at this year’s concert too.
Christmas Carols in the City will return to Manchester Cathedral for 2025 on Tuesday 11 December, with doors opening from 7pm and tickets now on sale.
Emily Sergeant -
15th October 2020 
