If staying active was one of your goals for the new year, then luckily, Joe Wicks is coming over to our city to give us a helping hand with that, as he’s got a brand-new fitness experience called MOVE Manchester that’s taking over Aviva Studios, home of Factory International, this weekend.
Kicking off on Friday 26, and running until Sunday 28 January, this three-day immersive experience includes a range of sessions that are fit for all ages and abilities, coached by some of the best in the business.
You’ll first be able to get your weekend off to a flying start the MOVE Manchester community hub.
Here, you can get involved with a range of events and activities, completely free of charge – including ice baths with ice bath experts, Brass Monkey, cooking and wellness sessions, a giant hopscotch obstacle course, quick HIIT workout sessions, and a self-care lounge.
Not only that, but lululemon will also be hosting a pop-up shop and personalisation station, so you can get your fitness gear looking fresh for 2024.
Joe Wicks’ new fitness experience ‘MOVE Manchester’ is taking over Aviva Studios next week / Credit: Supplied
Saturday and Sunday kick off with a 40-minute high-energy workout, and afterwards, you can get to know The Body Coach himself with a Q&A. Then, once you’ve got your blood pumping, you’ll be able to slow things down with a restorative flow and stretch yoga class, accompanied by a wonderful violin and cello duo.
Fitness experts like Joe Wicks will always tell you that rest and recovery are equally as important as physical activity itself, which is why wellness-conscious Jasmine Hemsley will be on hand to help you utilise your senses in a calming session using crystal alchemy singing bowls that provide the ultimate lullaby to unwind.
Of course, Joe will be hosting a number of his famous ‘PE With Joe’ high-energy workouts for the whole family in the Warehouse, also followed by a Q&A, so little Mancs will want to make sure they have their questions ready.
Arguably the showstopper of the weekend will be ‘Joe’s HIIT Party’, which is a high-tempo blast that will leave you feeling fitter, stronger, and happier than when you walked through the door – but this isn’t your standard body pump-style class, as it features a live DJ that’s guaranteed to get you moving and singing along.
“My goal is to show people that fitness can be fun, and to inspire everyone to keep moving in 2024 to boost their physical and mental health,” Joe commented ahead of next week’s event.
“This event is going to be really special and like nothing I’ve ever done before”.
Tickets are still on sale and you can grab them from as little as £10 per class / Credit: Supplied
MOVE Manchester will take place in the Warehouse, an enormous 5,000-capacity space inside the state-of-the-art Aviva Studios, that feels almost like entering a colosseum. It’s taller than four double-decker buses, the length of a jumbo jet and set to be bouncing for MOVE Manchester when Joe Wicks is in the house.
If you’re looking for a full action-packed day though, then you can buy a day pass priced at £90, where you’ll be able to participate in two sessions, receive a signed copy of Joe’s latest book, ‘Feel Good in 15’, the opportunity to experience an ice bath with Brass Monkey, and get a one-year subscription to The Body Coach App.
MOVE Manchester is happening down at Aviva Studios this Friday 26 – Sunday 28 January, and you can find out more and grab tickets here.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Hit theatre production set at a house party to visit Manchester on UK tour
Daisy Jackson
Alright then, 24 hour party people, we’ve found a theatre production you might like the sound of – it’s called The House Party, and it’s set in (you guessed it) a house party.
This smash hit production by pioneering theatre company Headlong is set to land at HOME in March as part of the arts venue’s 2025 theatre season.
It tells the tale of a wild 18th birthday party, where Christine is trying to pick up the pieces of her best friend, a newly-dumped Julie (who happens to be the birthday girl).
Themes of class, power and privilege are all explored with a raw intensity as the cast on stage plough through shots and dive head-first into a night that will change everything they know.
The House Party, which has received glowing reviews from previous showings, is filled with ‘privilege, desire and destruction’.
When it stops off in Manchester, its cast will include Bridgerton’s Sesley Hope as Christine, Synnøve Karlsen (Miss Austen, Last Night in Soho) as Julie, and Tom Lewis (Gentleman Jack, Patience) as Jon.
The ensemble of Frantic Assembly performers includes Ines Aresti, Oliver Baines, Cal Connor, Micah Corbin-Powell, Rachael Leonce, Jaheem Pinder and Jamie Randall.
The House Party is written by Laura Lomas and is a reimagining of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie for today’s generation.
It’s directed by Headlong’s artistic director Holly Race Roughan, who directed the Royal Shakespeare Company’s world premiere of David Edgar’s major new political play The New Real.
The House Party. Credit: Ikin YumThe production will be at HOME. Credit: Supplied
Movement direction will come from Frantic Assembly’s Scott Graham.
Prior to the UK tour of The House Party, Headlong celebrated its 50 year anniversary, including the hit production of A Raisin in the Sun which played nationwide.
The House Party will be at HOME in Manchester between 25 and 29 March, 2025 – you can get your tickets HERE.
Greater Manchester’s annual Repair Week is back to make you fall back in love with your stuff
Daisy Jackson
If you’re not a handy person, when something breaks, the temptation is often to abandon or bin it straight away.
But that’s just not how we’re gonna do it here in Greater Manchester any more, with the return of the annual Repair Week to help you learn valuable repair skills and save money at the same time.
Whether it’s tinkering with your bicycle, fixing up your small tech items, or having your furniture re-varnished and upcycled, there are so many places and people who are on a mission to help you fall back in love with your belongings.
There are even workshops to help you put flat-pack furniture together.
Taking place between 3 and 9 March, Repair Week will be the chance to learn skills, fix your stuff, gain repair confidence and find local fixers.
Events throughout the week (and beyond) will be hosted by community groups, businesses and plenty more.
You can sharpen knives, fix zips, and un-wobble chairs with a little hand from local repair heroes.
JillyGDesign Jewellery in Heaton Moor will fix up your sentimental and special jewellery items, while Rag Revival will help you turn unusable textiles into new creations with basic sewing skills.
There are repair cafes popping up all over Greater Manchester where you can take your belongings.
Greater Manchester’s annual Repair Week is back to make you fall back in love with your stuff. Credit: Supplied
Repair Week will highlight schemes like the Manchester Library of Things, where you can borrow the tools and equipment you need for those repair jobs at home.
During the week you’ll also be able to take a behind-the-scenes tour of the incredible Renew Hub, the UK’s biggest reuse hub, where donated items are brought back to life.
Similarly, you’ll be able to get inside the textile recycling centre run by homelessness charity Emmaus Bolton, where you can choose your own fabric from the scrap store and turn it into a very handy draught excluder to keep costs down and your heat in.
Recycle for Greater Manchester’s Repair Week will take place between 3 and 9 March, with workshops, events and resources to help you revive your belongings.
Harry Quick -
22nd January 2024 
