A competition to discover the photo that best captures the nation’s experience of lockdown has begun and the chosen picture could win a grand prize of £1000.
As social distancing measures continue to transform the daily activities we all once took for granted including how we work, socialise and raise our children, the public are being asked to share snaps that document these extraordinary times.
The competition is hosted by Stockport-based printer company Cartridge Save.
Speaking on the competition launch, Managing Director of Cartridge Save, Ian Cowley, said: “Recent months have transformed our nation beyond recognition.”
“We have a responsibility to future generations to document these changes for posterity [and] I’m really looking forward to what our hunt for the nation’s most iconic lockdown image produces.”
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The competition will be split into three categories – under 18s, 18-50, and over 50s.
Up to 25 photos will be shortlisted. These entries will then be made available for public vote, which will account for 25% of the final judging and then a judging panel will then make their final decision by selecting a winner of each category, as well as an overall winner who will take the cash prize.
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Cartridge Save
The competition will be judged by national journalist Deborah Linton and national press photographer Mark Waugh.
Deborah Linton, whose work regularly appears in The Guardian, Sunday Times, The Telegraph, Grazia and The Huffington Post, said: “The coronavirus outbreak has had a huge effect on ways of life across up and down the country, in countless different ways.”
“It is the role of storytellers to document what these changes looked and felt like so we can share in one another’s experiences.”
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Mark Waugh added: “My career has been built on a very simple formula: that the most captivating stories are the ones that unite photos with words, and there’s no bigger story in our lifetime than the coronavirus outbreak.”
“Photos are incredibly powerful storytelling tools [and] as they say – a picture is worth 1,000 words.”
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The competition is now open to the public and entries must be submitted before Monday 20th July.
Entrants under 18s category will need to submit their entry with written parental permission.
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The top 25 entries will be open to the public vote from 6th August, the panel of judges will be making their final decision towards the end of August and winners will be announced on 8th September.
You can read full T&Cs and submit your entries via the Cartridge Save website here.
What's On
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 30 December 2024 – 5 January 2025
Emily Sergeant
Can you believe it’s time to say goodbye to 2024, and welcome in 2025 this week?
The presents have been opened, the mince pies eaten, and you may have even taken down your tree too, but while all the fun of the festive season may’ve been and gone by now, this doesn’t mean there isn’t lots of things to look forward to in 2025, as Greater Manchester‘s events calendar already seems very exciting.
Finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though? We’ve chosen a few of the best bits for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide to help you out.
Here’s some of our recommendations.
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Skate Manchester 2024
Cathedral Gardens
Monday 30 December 2024 – Wednesday 1 January 2025
Skate Manchester 2024 / Credit: Matt Eachus (via Supplied)
Skate Manchester is festive staple, and this is your last few days to get on the ice.
This year, skaters can glide across a gleaming ice path and spin around a dazzling seven-metre Christmas tree taking centre stage in the middle of the rink.
Families, friends, and festive fun seekers will be able to enjoy the sights and sounds of Christmas whatever the weather has in store for our city this year too, as although the rink will be outdoors in the heart of Cathedral Gardens, the ice is fully covered.
Bar Hütte’s legendary karaoke cabins are back in Manchester once again.
Bringing Alpine vibes, cosy furnishings, twinkling lights, live music sessions, and flowing drinks to two city centre locations from this Thursday onwards, dozens of cosy private hüttes neatly-positioned under twinkling lights are now open down at both Kampus and Great Northern Square.
There’s also a handful of other events on the lineup throughout the festive season, including live music and DJs, wreath making workshops, and movie nights.
Wicked The Musical / Credit: Jennifer DiNoia / Limited Engagement
Wicked The Musical has landed in Manchester and has taken over the iconic Palace Theatre stage for the festive season.
Sure, there may be a major motion picture adaptation starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande currently on in the cinema right now, but if you’re keen to see the beloved musical production on stage in the way it was originally intended, then you can head on down to the Palace Theatre to see the story of Elphaba and Galinda live.
Of course, this has been one of the hottest tickets in town for quite a while now, but there’ll still some last-minute seats left to get your hands on, so keep your eyes peeled.
Winter Holiday Programme / Credit: Science Museum Group
One of Manchester’s most popular museums has been transformed into an immersive ‘Light Lab’ for the festive season.
This is your chance to escape the cold and brighten up the winter holidays with an adventure though light and colour, as the Science and Industry Museum is currently running its full festive events programme and there’s loads to get involved with.
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You can also explore a gaming extravaganza, and be engrossed by festive-themed science shows at the city centre-based museum this December.
A major Jurassic World exhibition that’s been mesmerising visitors all over the world has now arrived here in Greater Manchester, and it’s recently been announced that it’ll be sticking around until the new year.
Based on the beloved blockbuster film franchise, this official award-winning experience is one of the fastest-selling exhibitions in history.
Manc visitors will be able to walk through the iconic Jurassic World gates, explore some richly-themed environments, and encounter a life-sized Brachiosaurus, Velociraptors, and the most fearsome dinosaur of all, the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex.
A groundbreaking new immersive exhibition exploring our relationship with the natural world is now open at Manchester Museum.
‘Wild’ look at how people are creating, rebuilding, and repairing connections with nature, and how the natural world has traditionally been presented and idealised through Western art, as well as looking at some unique approaches to environmental recovery too.
The exhibition will also crucially look at how we can tackle the climate and biodiversity crisis by making the world more wild.
Across each of Greater Manchester’s 10 boroughs, there’s plenty of ways to welcome in 2025, but we’d be here all day if we tried to list them all, so instead, we’ve decided to just share a few with you – including fireworks, countdowns, and more.
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Manchester’s New Year’s Eve Fireworks
St Peter’s Square
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Tuesday 31 December
Manchester’s New Year’s Eve Fireworks / Credit: Chris Curry | designecologist (via Unsplash)
Manchester city centre is hosting one of its famous fireworks displays to “say goodbye to the old and welcome in the new” this year.
Families from all across Greater Manchester are invited to the “fun-filled event” from 10pm.
This year’s end of the year celebration marks the first time St Peter’s Square has been used for the New Year countdown event, and also the first time that New Year fireworks will be let off from the roof of Manchester Central Library.
Find out more about the FREE event here, and check out all the road closures and parking suspensions that will be in place on the night here.
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Fireworks Extravaganza
Mayfield Park & Freight Island
Tuesday 31 December
Fireworks Extravaganza / Credit: Freight Island
Freight Island is taking New Year’s Eve into its own hands and kicking 2025 off with a bang by hosting a big fireworks display to remember.
Taking place in Mayfield Park as soon as dusk hits, there’ll be lots of family-friendly festivities – including free sparklers and marshmallow roasting for the little ones to enjoy as midnight nears – all before a spectacular 12-minute firework display lights up the night sky above Manchester to welcome in the new year.
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Find out more and get your last-minute tickets here.
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Featured Image – Bar Hutte | Chris Curry | Skate Manchester
What's On
10 of the best theatre shows to see in Greater Manchester in 2025
Thomas Melia
Greater Manchester already has a jam-packed 2025 theatre schedule, and in the words of Hairspray, Manchester really can’t stop the beat.
There’s no denying that Manchester and its surrounding areas are no stranger to a live performance or two, after all, with three cracking theatres to choose from, it would be hard to miss one of these spell-bounding tours.
Without further ado, here’s a brief overview of 10 of the best theatre shows to see in Greater Manchester in 2025.
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Wicked
Palace Theatre Manchester
3 December 2024 – 12 January 2025
Wicked / Credit: Matt Crockett
The smash-hit blockbuster of the year is continuing its reign even into the New Year for two weeks of gravity defying awesomeness.
Currently nearing the end of its remarkable cinema run, thanks to leading ladies Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, continue the magic of the two witches in the form of live theatre.
Expect all the usual hits like ‘Defying Gravity’, ‘Popular’ and ‘What Is This Feeling?’, get lost in the world of Ozian storytelling and recline in your own comfy bright red theatre seat.
It’s all about star power with this musical as Johannes Radebe from Strictly Come Dancing playing Lola and the music and lyrics handled by pop icon Cyndi Lauper.
The musical follows the life of a struggling businessman who’s inherited his family’s shoe factory, all seems dire until he meets Lola a drag queen who might just solve all his problems.
‘Come Fall in Love – The DDLJ Musical’ as its titled is directed by Aditya Chopra, the film’s original director.
Since its big-screen release in 1995, the show has never left cinemas in Mumbai, becoming the longest-running title in Indian cinema.
This stage adaptation has a huge emphasis on colliding cultures, with the Bollywood production following the love story of two lovers from different backgrounds.
Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, back in Manchester LIVE.
The six wives of Henry VIII have a special place in Manchester’s hearts, becoming a returning favourite since its not-so-quiet 2018 debut. For those who haven’t been lucky enough to see it, imagine Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour but a few centuries earlier – it’s a pure pop celebration.
Something’s just go hand in hand – Fish and chips, tea and biscuits, and thespians and The Rocky Horror Show.
This musical carries alongside it one of the biggest fandoms of all time, and with Jason Donovan playing the role of Frank-N-Furter, the love for this production is set to grow much stronger. Manchester is no stranger to doing the ‘Time Warp’ and with the musical returning in summer 2025, they’re most definitely about to do it again.
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe / Credit: Matt Crockett
Start filling your Christmas calendar for 2025 early and enrich yourself in a classic novel set in the fantasy land of Narnia.
Watch Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter tackle enemies, face foes and create solutions while venturing through a world of wonders. You’re about to be in awe as you get whisked away to this mystical land and watch the story unfold on stage with a live cast and some mesmerising set designs.
Dates for this show are very flexible too, meaning theatregoers have lots of opportunities to see the miracle worker that is Ms. Poppins fly about the streets of London.
It’s a double Australian bill as both Stefanie Jones and Jack Chambers who are reprising their roles as Mary Poppins and Bert, respectively, are both from down under.
‘What’s Love Got To Do With It?’, ‘Proud Mary’ and ‘The Best’, you can’t deny the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll has certainly earned her royal musical status.
This monumental singer achieved 12 Grammy awards during her musical career and grew a strong cult fanbase who stuck with her through thick and thin.
Now fans and musical lovers alike can enjoy a show all about the life of the vocal pioneer while also reminiscing on some of the biggest hits of her career.
Pride and Prejudice (Sort Of…) / Credit: Mihaela Bodlovic
There are lots of fantastic productions happening throughout the year and but we had to include this one because it’s Pride And Prejudice… well sort of.
Jane Austen’s groundbreaking novel has seen itself take on numerous adaptations since it’s original hardback debut from the big screen release in 2005 to this new stage musical coming in 2025. The drama will feature some of pop’s greatest records throughout the tale like ‘You’re So Vain’, ‘Young Hearts Run Free’ and ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’.
Emily Sergeant -
11th June 2020 
