The Stone Roses frontman Ian Brown once famously said that Manchester has everything except a beach. Well, Mr Brown, you have been forced to eat your words (albeit some many years later) following an exciting announcement earlier this week.
Mancunians looking to get a bit of sun and sea later this month will no longer have to venture up to Blackpool or Southport as the city centre is going to get its very own beach. Well, kind of…
Not only will we be getting an indoor Miami beach-themed cinema in time for the new Barbie movie, Deansgate will be transformed into a seaside resort of sorts as Manchester Day on July 29 takes on a beach holiday theme.
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There will be sand sculptures, a helter skelter, live entertainment and plenty more beach-themed surprises to be revealed. There is no word on whether there will be donkey rides or pesky crabs trying to invade your personal space, which is probably for the best anyway.
For any city-dweller like me - who actually can’t stand the thought of finding sand between their toes for the next five years after a visit to the beach - this actually sounds pretty ideal. It’s like the best bits of the beach without the faff and the gulls (I once saw a child get viciously attacked by a gull on holiday and it's stayed with me ever since. I'll share that story once the therapy sessions have commenced).
Come the inevitable rain or shine, it will certainly be nice to enjoy Deansgate in all of its pedestrianised glory and soak up the fun. I’m certainly looking forward to the al fresco feeling and I’m hoping there’ll be plenty of chips on the menu too - purely only for the beach fantasy vibes, of course.
Since 2010, Manchester Day has celebrated everything that makes this city so special. It's a fun occasion to embrace the diversity and creativity behind what it means to be a Manc today and it's also a nice way to reflect on what we have going for ourselves.
Whilst we may not have a beach in the city after July 29, we certainly have the ability to bring it to us whenever we want it and that’s the Manc spirit in itself. But, like I say, let’s just hold back on the sand. It’s annoying.
In today’s Unwind, we’ll be looking at a big slice of money and a Love Island contestant who is making six figures after leaving a reality TV career behind. But, first up, we’ll be discovering an area of Greater Manchester that’s been described as being one of the country’s ‘most desirable’ places.
‘The community is amazing - everyone mucks in’
“It’s rural, but not too rural,” Alejandra Solis says of Bramhall in Stockport. “I’m originally from Mexico, so if I’ve moved from there to be here it must be good.”
Bramhall has been quietly rising up ranks in recent years. Only a few years ago it was named as one of the friendliest places to live in the UK. Last month, the area made The Telegraph’s annual list of the 50 ‘most desirable’ places in Britain.
For Alejandra, who set up Bramhall Dog Groomers two years ago after a successful career in PR, it’s easy to see why. “For me, Bramhall is perfect,” she tells What’s On editor Jenna Campbell. “It’s a lovely place and the community is amazing.”
She adds: “You have everything you need on your doorstep and you are only 25 minutes from Manchester or the countryside. It's well connected, has a good airport and you can be in London within a couple of hours.
“People are really open to things and supportive of local businesses, everyone is aware the village has a really strong community where everyone mucks in.”
But being friendly or desirable hasn’t meant that Bramhall has been able to avoid the cost of living crisis. Like other independent businesses, Alejandra is seeing rising costs and less profits as people make essential cuts.
“It is tough having an independent business at the moment,” she says. “People are watching their pennies and being very conscious of what they spend their money on. So it’s not for the faint hearted but if it’s something people want, people will succeed, and everyone here is so supportive.”
You can read more on life in Bramhall right here
From Love Island to climbing the property ladder
Going on Love Island can come with its own levels of quick fame and success. Despite having never watched even one episode, I know of Molly-Mae Hague, Maura Higgins and Tommy Fury (but that’s probably about it).
But with a new batch of contestants each year, not everyone who appears on the show gets thrown into a world of endorsements or red carpet appearances. Nor do they all want to.
Jordan Hames competed on the same season of Love Island as Molly-Mae, Tommy and Maura, but he now says that his party lifestyle following his appearance on the show back in 2019 left him without any savings. It led him to reconsider his career and make some changes to ensure his future was 'bullet-proof'.
With an interest in property, he began investing in the market and made £100,000 from his first deal alone. He's acquired three houses in two years and has his sights now firmly set on bigger prospects. As well as being a property investor, Jordan also has his own design company.
Speaking to the M.E.N’s Property Writer Phoebe Jobling, Jordan said it’s all part of his plan. “I looked at all my favourite high-performance celebrities and tried to figure out what the denominator was between them all achieving success over a long period of time,” he explained. “That denominator was multiple businesses.
"Conor McGregor is a good example. He opened his whiskey business, he’s got McGregor Fast where he does his strength and conditioning. He’s got a pub chain, and what’s he not done for the past three or four years? He hasn’t fought because he’s got all these other businesses that are working hard for him."
Jordan said he has Samuel Leeds, who is the multi-millionaire founder of the UK training firm Property Investors, to thank for his venture into property. He adds: “There are a few moments of my life that I will remember but that’s one of them where I got off the phone [with Samuel] and I was like… life’s going to be different now.”
You can read more about his journey here
Big winnings
More than 1,000 neighbours on an estate in Middleton are celebrating in unison after taking home a share of a whopping £3.2m lottery win.
They're not the only ones enjoying themselves this week either as 11 neighbours on Kingsway discovered their exact postcode, M24 1LS, was drawn out, meaning they'd landed a massive £145,454 each.
"I thought 'happy days', £70,000 each," dad-of-two Mark said. "But then Jeff pulled out another cheque and I was like, 'Oh my God!'
"I'm 17-stone six-foot-two, a big lad, and I did get quite emotional. [Mark Webster] was just shaking his head and saying, 'It's unbelievable', and that he was so pleased for me."
An overjoyed Mark now plans cut down his hours at work. Speaking to M.E.N reporter Damon Wilkinson, he said: "It's a life-changing amount of money. It's going to make things so much easier. I'm not getting any younger as I'm 57 next month, so I can now be more selective about when I work."
Read more about the big win here
Have a lovely weekend
That's it from me this Saturday morning. Take care - and have a wonderful weekend!
