Wintry showers are set to fall from 5pm as sleet before snow falls throughout the night, turning to sleet into the early hours and during the rush hour.
Temperatures will reach a high of five degrees and lows of two degrees.
Wintry showers are set to move in, with snow expected to continue throughout tonight, February 17, and into the early hours of Thursday, February 19, until approximately 8am.
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The Met Office has cautioned that there’s a slight possibility of delays on roads, potentially resulting in some vehicles and passengers being stranded.
Both rail and air services may also encounter delays or cancellations.
Snowfall could also isolate some rural communities.
Possible power cuts and disruptions to services, including mobile signals, have also been predicted.
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Snow showers are expected in Bolton on Wednesday afternoon.
By Thursday morning, sleet showers are set to begin, with an 80 per cent chance of precipitation at 6am.
Temperatures are forecast to peak at around 5C.
Conditions are expected to turn drier during the afternoon.
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However, spells of rain, sleet and snow will push northwards through the evening.
Tonight, rain, sleet and hill snow will continue to move northwards, turning lighter and more patchy towards the end of the night as winds begin to ease.
It’s time for your seasonal Spring love tarot horoscopes – are you ready?
I am using the unique forecasting system from my upcoming Zodiac Love Match deck to give you a full and frank love forecast covering what you need to know.
This three-card oracle system explores who is on the cards (or who you need to be like in your existing relationship), the action or step you should take, and the future outlook.
The guidebook with the deck explains how to do this yourself so you can make your own love readings anytime, anywhere. Or, come join my magical, mystical tarot club, free for a whole month when you sign up using this link.
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Aries
March 21 to April 20
A spring awakening (Picture: Kerry King)
Aries spring 2026 love life cards: Gemini, Power Couple, Set A Deadline
Meaning: Ready for a spark to be lit in your love life? A Gemini person or aura will enter the frame and bring fast-paced action, inspiring communication, new ideas and fresh thinking. It might feel like a total renewal of your relationship or feelings about love. For the better.
From here, you can build. And the potential to create a ‘power couple’ relationship, where you both build each other up, share resources and energy to create a greater whole than either could create solo, is unlocked. More than lovers, an alliance.
The key to this is setting deadlines, being aware of how much time you both have to spare/invest/share/create with. Time is the real currency of everything in life. With time, anything is possible. Spark things up, talk deeply, create an alliance, use your time together wisely. Anything is possible, aim high together.
Taurus spring 2026 love life cards: The Ex, Don’t Drink The Poison, Fading Feelings
Meaning: Whatever you do this spring, Taurus, don’t return eagerly to either the presence or memory of an ex, or an old habit in love, that you know doesn’t serve you well and is not right for you. The past always carries allure, we all gloss over things and reposition ourself in a main character light.
Your love life past is not a place that merits a place in your present. It all served a purpose but don’t drink the Kool Aid that things were better then – that’s not Kool Aid, it’s poison! If you’re experiencing fading feelings or a sense of loss or confusion in your current relationship status then work on it in the present, don’t seek rescue or distraction or answers from the past.
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The way ahead is built by looking ahead, not back. Be led by your best hopes, talk about whatever you’re feeling, ask for input, deal with what’s in front of you. Everything can get better in the future.
The excitement of a fling can be injected into an existing relationship (Picture: Kerry King)
Gemini spring 2026 love life cards: The Free Spirit, Pursue Passion, A Fun Fling
Meaning: All Geminis have a free-spirited approach to life, and love. That doesn’t mean you’re a cheater or unreliable, in fact Geminis are the most loyal sign going, and will do anything for folk they cherish, standing by them in all weathers. What it means is that you bring fun, openheartedness and spontaneity to your love life, which partners get to enjoy.
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Pursue passion this spring, Gemini, be it in your relationship or your single life. Make things light and fun. Nothing wrong with dating up a storm and a fun fling or two, and nothing wrong with bringing the notion of a ‘fun fling’ into your existing relationship if you’re attached — a long weekend away together, date nights every week, more emphasis on your physical relationship and anticipating your time together as you did in the early days.
Reinstate the sense of ‘we do what we like’ and follow your passions wherever they lead. Spring is a time to be abundant, light, and open-minded. Embrace that energy.
Cancer spring 2026 love life cards: The Free Spirit, Pause and Reflect, A Tended Garden
Meaning: Life’s short. Time is your greatest currency, so spend it wisely. Look around you at your relationships and figure out, if you were a total free spirit with all chores and commitments aside, where you get the most reward and fulfilment. Pause and reflect. Don’t just go through the motions, retread the same ground, fall into ruts and patterns with folk, play the same game you always have.
Stop and think about your love life, your family realm, your friendships. What’s working and what isn’t? Spring is your season for getting everything on track again — a tended garden in full bloom. Might need some pruning, cutting back, replacement, nurturing and feeding, encouragement and attention. Make a plan, put it in motion. New habits will yield new results.
You’ll know when this happens (Picture: Kerry King)
Leo spring 2026 love life cards: Aquarius, Serve The Relationship, A Fun Fling
Meaning: Aquarius is your opposite sign, so this card suggests either a hook-up with your ‘opposites attract’ person this spring (which will be very interesting) or a sense that your approach, needs and love language is reversing, shifting, changing totally. And that’s okay.
Serving your relationship, vs yourself, is the key. We are all different people to different people in our lives, and each new relationship unlocks another aspect of our personality. Chemistries change and evolve. Notice this and let it unfold, let yourself change and be changed by someone else.
Maybe it’s not your actual partner or love interest that changes you, maybe it’s a fun friendship/fling/intense moment with someone fleetingly. People make their mark on us in all kinds of ways, and you will know when this is happening to you. Take the lesson or input, use it, evolve with it.
Is it time for a new strategy? (Picture: Kerry King)
Virgo spring 2026 love life cards: Scorpio, Give In To Desire, Fading Feelings
Meaning: Maybe a sexy, dark and dangerous Scorpio is on the cards for you this spring, Virgo, which would certainly spice things up! Or maybe it’s you who is feeling super spicy and like you wish to fully and wholly give in to your desires, letting your pleasures and heartfelt yearnings lead you to the next phase of your love life’s story. And if so, do it.
We are all lustful, animalistic, physical beings and these strong urges are valid, useful and affirming – they are letting you know who and what you’re most attracted to. Why fight it?
Maybe you’re experienced fading feelings in love recently, felt like you’re going through the motions, or keep meeting the same obstacles or ‘type’. Let all of that go, let all of that wash away into the past. Resolve, from now on, to follow your heart, your yearning, your desire, and you won’t go far wrong. This is your love life sat nav and it’s designed just for you.
Libra spring 2026 love life cards: Gemini, Manifest Your Life, Burning Passion
Meaning: Ideas are your catnip, your passion sparker, your favourite way to connect with someone, and that is what spring will bring to your love life. A like-minded, airy, clever, analytical person with whom you can discuss anything and everything, and with whom you can sound board your own creations and opinions, and invent different angles and perspectives on life. Bliss!
They could be a Gemini, but if you’re happily attached then it’s conversation, dialogue and talking about weird subjects from weird angles that will unlock this happy state. Discover your shared burning passions, talk about what you wish to manifest in your lives, make wishes, feed back on the path you think the other should take, tell them how you see them as a person, open up analysis and discussion about the future.
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When you’re enthralled mentally, all the other areas follow suit. You could definitely fall in love with a person’s mind and this will be demonstrated and proven to you this springtime, and it’s conversation and dialogue that unlocks the whole chapter. Talk it up!
Scorpio spring 2026 love life cards: Capricorn, Take The Crown, Solitude
Meaning: Your relationship realm is asking you to take responsibility for the energy, effort and investment you put into it. Nothing can stand alone, carried by one person. A true bond is mutual, equally supported, and built together.
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The Capricorn card could suggest a new suitor of that sign (and this gives real ‘power couple’ vibes) or just this effort and dedication you’re going to overtly prove and demonstrate to your loved one. They need to hear you say it out loud! Take the crown and wear it well, take ownership, lead the way, guide your partner through your hopes, dreams and fears, take responsibility for making them feel good, understood, and trusted.
Open up. Solitude is a state we all need to feel comfortable with, because ultimately we have to bear our own peace of mind. Your partner can’t be there 24/7 or tend to your every need… give them space, give yourself the gift of your own company, and let this relationship breathe too. It’s a balancing act of giving more when you’re present, and being happier in your own company when you’re not.
Time to look at your priorities (Picture: Kerry King)
Sagittarius spring 2026 love life cards: The Soul Mate, Say Goodbye, A Tended Garden
Meaning: You have a soul mate in your realm, be that your current partner or a person waiting in the wings for their chance, which will unfold this spring. It may mean saying goodbye to someone or something else.
You carry so many options and juggle so many balls! Prioritising people, a person in particular, is hard for you because you love to feel free and available to do whatever comes your way. But partners need to feel like number one in your life. Are you ready for that? If so, you can create a beautiful private realm with your soul mate, nurturing a tended garden where you both roam, feel safe, and build beautiful moments together.
The relationship in question is a shared venture, a join project, a thing you both ‘serve’ (vs just serving yourselves), and if treated in this honourable way, it can flourish, bloom and bring great joy to both of your lives. It needs to be a priority.
Calm waters are on the horizon (Picture: Kerry King)
Capricorn spring 2026 love life cards: Leo, Do The Groundwork, Smooth Sailing
Meaning: You take great pride in your home, your family and your close relationship/s. Partnership is a sacred entity in your realm and you serve your loved ones well. A Leo sense of leadership, pride and regality is with you — folk are looking up to you, seeking your protection, asking for guidance, copying your lead. So, be the King or Queen you truly are!
Smooth sailing in your relationship realm comes from doing the groundwork, looking after the details, correcting the small issues before they get bigger, nipping disagreements in the bud sooner vs later.
If you’re single, maybe a Leo partner is on the cards this spring. Someone whom you gel with immediately and can quickly create a shared kingdom in which to play, love, develop and build. You always favour an ally as well as a lover, you want someone to build and share a wonderful life with. You deserve this.
Help your love life to blossom (Picture: Kerry King)
Aquarius spring 2026 love life cards: Pisces, A Tended Garden, Align Future Goals
Meaning: Peace and harmony are the key themes of your spring love life story. But that doesn’t mean passivity or total quiet, to tend your relationship garden, work is needed. Things need pruning, snipping, nurturing, moving to the light, feeding and arranging.
The undercurrent of this work is about aligning your future goals with your partner. Talking about what’s happening in your lives this year and beyond, what ambitions you carry, what you can do together and what is a solo mission, but needs support and understanding.
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Get it all out on the table. Examine the pieces, it’s like a jigsaw puzzle, if you can put it together, together, you’ll both be in synch. A Piscean vibe of wisdom, kindness and deep caring settles over you both when this work is done. And… if you’re single, maybe it’s a Pisces person who’s going to enter your life this spring and become a life partner in all arenas of your realm. A true ally.
Try to see things through their eyes (Picture: Kerry King)
Pisces spring 2026 love life cards: Virgo, Unlock New Insight, Uncharted Territory
Meaning: Definitely ‘opposites attract’ chemistry swirling around you this spring — maybe literally with your opposite sign of Virgo, maybe by taking a new route, direction, outlook or mindset with your current partner. Be different. Seek different. Act different.
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Unlocking new insight is probably one of the most valuable things a relationship can gift to us; the ability to see the world through another’s perspective. Rarely do we get that chance, except through folk we trust and are close to.
You are heading into uncharted territory with someone, maybe more commitment or more intensity or more unique chemistry than you’ve ever experienced before. Don’t get jumpy or nervous, stick with it, because this is growth, this is life changing even. Let them show you how they see the world. It will change everything.
Kerry King has been reading, teaching and creating tarot for 30 years. Join her magical, exclusive Tarot Club for forecasts, predictions, lessons and readings straight to your inbox. Enjoy one month free for all Metro readers (no lock-in or commitment) over on Patreon.
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Your daily Metro.co.uk horoscope is here every morning, seven days a week (yes, including weekends!). To check your forecast, head to our dedicated horoscopes page.
The plan will be considered on April 14 and aims to improve support and recognition for carers citywide.
The draft strategy focuses on four areas: better support for carers, improved identification, enhanced health and wellbeing, and stronger joint working across services.
Councillor Lucy Steels Walshaw, executive member for health, wellbeing and adult social care at City of York Council, said: “We recognise that caring can be rewarding, but it can also be challenging, isolating, and financially and emotionally demanding.
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“As a council, it is our responsibility to recognise and support carers.
“And as a city, it’s important that we work together to support the people who provide care; we help make York a place where carers can live well, not just in their caring role, but in their whole lives.”
There are thousands of unpaid carers in York, with many providing more than 50 hours of care each week, but only about a third are known to services or receiving formal support.
The strategy calls for York to become a city where carers of all ages and backgrounds are recognised and helped to live well.
A number of charity shop volunteers gave an insight into what working in a thrift store is really like – and one admitted there’s a specific rule which must be followed
While shoppers tend to snap up bargains, what is life really like for those who volunteer at their local charity shops? Many people wonder whether those working behind the scenes get first pick of donated items, but a volunteer has lifted the lid on what actually happens when clothes come through the door. In a social media post, one user posed a question to “people who volunteer in charity shops”.
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The Reddit post began: “When you’re in the back sorting through the new items, if you see stuff you want, are you allowed to put it to one side and buy it for yourself? Or do you have to stock it?
“Thinking about volunteering, but I love charity shopping and seeing good things that I’m not allowed to have would physically pain me.”
Further into the post, the user added: “I’m also interested in what type of interview questions they asked when you applied. I assume there is at least some communication before you start. Wondering what to expect.”
The comments section was quickly flooded with fellow volunteers sharing their experiences of working in charity shops.
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One revealed there is a strict rule they must follow, as they said: “I volunteered at one for a few months, and we were not allowed to put aside things.
“We had a pricing chart to price things. Honestly I never really saw anything I really wanted but the charity shop I volunteered used to put a lot of the really good stuff on eBay anyway.
“I’d seen other volunteers ask for things and be told that the items had to go on shop floor and then they could buy it from there. We didn’t get discounts either.”
Another person noted: “My grandmother worked in a charity shop for a while. Quite quickly everyone she knew had designer clothing.” Before continuing: “Okay, I’m exaggerating slightly, but the staff absolutely were putting all the good stuff to one side.
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“They still paid full price for it, but they certainly had first dibs on everything.”
A further commenter stated: “Honestly I think it depends on the manager of that particular shop – I volunteered for a bit that was really casual.
“The older ladies who were on the till seemed to really like me, so they’d often price stuff more cheaply if I wanted to buy it! Nothing was free, though – everyone there still wanted to support the charity to some degree.”
Ta’Niya Latson scored 16 and Agot Makeer added 14 points and South Carolina played stifling defense to beat UConn 62-48 on Friday night, ending the Huskies’ 54-game winning streak and advancing to the women’s NCAA Tournament championship game.
The Gamecocks will face the winner of Texas and UCLA semifinal on Sunday for the title, capping off another March Madness. South Carolina (36-3) will be looking to win its fourth national championship. Their other three have come in the last decade.
UConn (38-1) entered the Final Four undefeated for the ninth time in school history and for the third straight time left without a title. The Huskies also lost in the 2017 and 2018 national semifinals. This was the fewest points UConn had scored since putting up 49 points in a national championship game loss to the Gamecocks in 2022.
The Huskies and Gamecocks played last season for the title and UConn came away with an 82-59 rout for the school’s 12th national championship. UConn also beat South Carolina handily during the 2024-25 regular season.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
The budget hotel chain has come under fire in recent weeks after a female guest was sexually assaulted by a man who was given a key to her room.
Travelodge is hiring a string of experts to “embed change” and “transform cultures” – hours after the firm was hit with more sex abuse reports.
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The budget hotel chain has come under fire in recent weeks after a female guest was sexually assaulted by a man who was given a key to her room. Since then more women have come forward, with one claiming a man performed vile sex acts outside her door.
We can now reveal the firm is scrambling to protect its reputation, by hiring four Change Delivery Coaches. The vacancies – posted a day before CEO Boydell made another public apology – involve “truly embed[ding] change into [Travelodge’s] DNA,” “growing behaviours,” and “understand[ing] root causes when things aren’t going to plan.”
Other key responsibilities include “identifying implementation gaps and risks early,” “influencing people and transform[ing] cultures.” Bosses are also looking for a Senior Change Programme Manager, who will “be responsible for the high-level design of complex change, ensuring every initiative has a rock-solid foundation.”
The ad continues: “With a proven ability to diagnose behavioural gaps in real-time, you use analytical insight and a “can-do” approach to solve problems, lead through collaboration rather than just a job title, and drive results across multiple sites.”
Travelodge came under fire after Kyran Smith was jailed in February for sexually assaulting a woman at a Travelodge in Maidenhead in December 2022. The victim revealed he had been given a key card to her room after falsely claiming to be her boyfriend.
Chief Executive Jo Boydell claimed she only learned of the incident when Smith appeared in court, but it has since emerged the victim wrote directly to her a month after the incident, in January 2023. Travelodge said the email was “handled on her behalf.” Boydell apologised to the victim in a statement in March, adding that the company had made changes to its door key policy.
But since then, more women have reported alarming experiences at the hotel chain. Marketing consultant Wendy Griffith told how she was “trapped” in her Travelodge room for an hour last summer while a naked man banged on her door and performed “vile” sex acts in the corridor. She said Travelodge’s response was “categorically not good enough” and she felt “palmed off.” The man, Trevor Reece, 40, pleaded guilty to outraging public decency in September 2025.
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Another guest, Charlotte Bingley, told how a member of staff entered her room without knocking. “I’ve never been so scared in my life,” she said, “I really thought he was going to really hurt me and I was [shouting] ‘just get out of the room’.” She described the company’s response to her repeated complaints as “despicable.”
Keir Starmer last week wrote to Boydell urging her to “seriously engage” with the government on guest security at its hotels. The PM said he was “very concerned” some MPs did not hear from Boydell directly, adding it was “incredibly important” lessons were learned after the “utterly appalling” sexual assault at the firm’s Maidenhead branch.
When approached by the Mirror, Boydell said: “I am deeply sorry for the distress experienced by the survivor and I apologise for our handling of what happened to her. I have been very clear there were serious failures in our handling of every aspect of our response to her.
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“We have made some immediate changes to our room access security policy and incident escalation procedures and have commissioned an independent review led by Paul Greaney KC, a leading barrister specialising in public inquiries concerning security, serious violent crime, and health and safety, to examine our room security procedures and the lessons we can learn from how this incident was handled.
“The safety and security of guests is extremely important to me and our whole team, and Travelodge takes this situation with the utmost seriousness. Last month I met with a number of MPs and Ministers – including Jess Phillips MP, Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls; Alex Davies-Jones MP, Minister for Victims and Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls; Matt Bishop MP; Jen Craft MP; as well as Catherine Fookes MP and Helena Dollimore MP, Parliamentary Private Secretaries to The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, and the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves.
“We have offered that all MPs interested in this important issue can feed into the independent review in writing so their contributions can be fully taken into account. Our immediate priority is to progress this important work thoroughly and at pace, to learn from the independent review and further strengthen our processes.
“We also welcome the opportunity to work with Matt Bishop and MPs, and UK Hospitality, the body for the hotel sector, on his proposed ten-minute rule bill to help strengthen hotel security for Travelodge and also the wider sector. We have written to Matt to confirm that we want to work with him and MPs on his ten-minute rule bill.”
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There will be live entertainment, farmyard animals, a flower show and lots of tasty food stalls
Belfast City Council has announced the return of its annual Spring Fair, with this year’s event set to transform the city into a whimsical ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ experience.
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Malone House and Barnett Demesne will host the celebrations, featuring a range of activities inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Visitors can expect live music, entertainment, a Spring Flower Show, circus skills workshops opportunity to meet farmyard animals, and a variety of food and craft stalls.
Launching the event at Barnett Demesne, Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Tracy Kelly, describes it as a fantastic opportunity for families.
“Our annual free Spring Fair is always a highlight in Belfast’s event calendar, and this year’s Alice in Wonderland theme adds an extra layer of magic and imagination.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity for families and friends to visit our beautiful Malone House, enjoy the gardens and experience everything from beautiful blooms to lively entertainment.”
The free family event will take place on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 April 2026, running from 1.30pm to 5.30pm each day.
There will be no parking available at the venue. A free park and ride service will operate from Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park, Visitors can also travel via Translink Metro services from Donegall Square East, with routes 8A and 8B operating on Saturday and regular 8A services running on Sunday.
Organisers have confirmed that only assistance dogs will be permitted at the event.
Earl’s Night and Day Café was launched by Jonny Eckersley and Andy Partington who took inspiration from food hotspots like Lisbon, Sydney and Antwerp.
They brought their flavours and laid-back vibes to Chorley Old Road in Heaton and have made waves since.
With the pair now planning to expand to a new location in Farnworth, we spoke with Jonny to find out why Earl’s has been such a hit.
Can you introduce yourself and Earl’s?
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“I wouldn’t call us a pub – we’re a day and night café at the top of Bolton, we specialise in really, really big sandwiches, great coffee and beer.”
Earls is on the site of what was barber shop Common Barber and coffee shop Common & Coffee (Image: Newsquest)
How long have you been in hospitality?
“Earl’s is my first foray into hospitality as a business owner – I worked in hospitality a lot when I was younger and really enjoyed it.
“I have a close personal connection to the building Earl’s is in, my grandparents and my mum grew up around the corner on Moorside Avenue.
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“When it was Coleman’s Bakery I used to go in with my grandad – that’s where the Earl’s orange came from.”
How long have you been running Earl’s?
“We opened on December 20, 2024 – about 18 months now, so we’re doing pretty well.
“There’s been lots of ups and downs – really good days, and really bad days as well, which I think any hospitality owner can attest to, but ultimately I love it and I love what I do.
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“We love the community we’ve been building and the customers and the regulars who come into the business and keep it running really.”
Seating (Image: Newsquest)
Why did you decide to open it?
“Andy’s lived in Bolton his whole life – I’m from Bolton but I’ve lived in London and then Manchester city centre for about 15 years.
“We’ve seen lots of places come and go and we thought there needed to be somewhere a bit more neighbourhood focused.
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“We wanted somewhere small and more intimate that first into the fabric of the community.
“It should be somewhere where you could come in on a Saturday dressed up with your friends or family, or come in with a colleague or just have a drink by yourself.”
Current draft selection:
Earl’s Day and Night Lager
Earl’s Nitro Stout
Rivington Brewery Never Known Fog Like It
Rivington Brewery Another Night in a Row
Rivington Brewery Fall Out of the Sky
(Image: Supplied)
Do you serve food?
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“We specialise in sandwiches and they come in two sizes, whole and half – whole is 12 inches or like a footlong you would get somewhere like Subway for £12.
“Then half is six inches – that’s £6 – and you can add chips for a meal deal for £2.
“We also have Philly Fridays where we make 20 Philly Cheesesteaks and pack those out with as much Philly cheese as we can.
“You can pre-order online, come in for takeaway or sit down and we’ll serve you.”
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Do you host any regular events or clubs?
“We’re looking at doing that in the future, definitely – we’re open to people in the community reaching out to us and making suggestions.
“We’re really community driven and if anyone who’s reading this wants to make some suggestions, I’m all ears – you can send me a dm directly or message us on Instagram.
“We have a DJ on Fridays and Saturdays – we have a group of four or five, but we’re always looking for DJs so anyone who wants to DJ can message me.
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“We’re always looking for local talent and would be regular, and paid, for someone who is interested in it.”
What’s the best part about running a bar?
“I would say the customers – there’s so many different people who I’ve met owning and operating Earl’s.
“They’ve maybe fallen pregnant and then the baby has been born, we’ve seen whole lives – there’s so many amazing things about it.
“Everybody who walks through has a smile on their face and that’s definitely the thing that keeps me going.”
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What’s the worst part?
“Probably equipment or things breaking – there’s always a problem that needs your attention.
“But I’m a problem solver, so I like to fix things.”
Manchester City could be in for a hectic final few weeks of the season as they chase glory in the FA Cup and the Premier League
Manchester City might be out of Europe but the Blues could still face a fixture backlog in the coming weeks.
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The Blues were knocked out of the Champions League last month by Real Madrid but still have plenty to play for domestically.
Pep Guardiola’s side won the Carabao Cup at Wembley and face an FA Cup quarter-final tie with Liverpool at the Etihad on Saturday.
Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our City WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. You can also join our City Facebook page by clicking HERE and don’t miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.
If City beat Arne Slot’s side then they will be back at Wembley again for a semi-final later this month and potentially a final in May. Such a scenario would see two Premier League games need to be moved and the Blues already need to find a new date for the trip to Crystal Palace, which was originally meant to be played on Carabao Cup final weekend.
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That date is complicated by Palace still being in European action with the Eagles in the quarter-finals of the Conference League next week where they face Serie A side Fiorentina. Should Palace progress into the last four then that would further trim the options for slotting in the City fixture.
The Premier League this week confirmed that any games needing to be rearranged on FA Cup semi-final day would be played the week commencing April 20. Should City beat Liverpool, then they will face a last four clash on either Saturday, April 24 or Sunday, April 25. The trip to Burnley in the league would take place between Tuesday, April 21 and Thursday, April 23.
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That means City’s game with Palace would need to move into May, with the two options being the week beginning May 11 and the week beginning May 18.
The FA Cup final takes place on Saturday, May 16 and should City reach the showpiece then the game away at Bournemouth in the Premier League scheduled for that weekend would also need to be moved.
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That scenario would leave City facing a hectic schedule of nine games in just five weeks, starting with a huge Etihad showdown with Arsenal on Sunday, April 19 and running until the final day of the season on Sunday May 24.
Videogame Nation was the last of an already rare breed (YouTube)
A reader laments the death of mainstream TV coverage of video games and asks why shows like Videogame Nation and Cybernet were treated so badly.
It’s been near enough 10 years since the cancellation of Videogame Nation, the UK’s last original review-based television show about console gaming, back in the summer of 2016. Despite the popularity of gaming – retro gaming especially – being reflected on numerous YouTube channels and the like, and despite big companies such as Nintendo, Sega, and Konami releasing mini-consoles from yesteryear, mainstream television is still ignoring gaming for some bizarre and blinkered reason.
Now, before some people out there start rolling their eyes and muttering something about ‘not this old chestnut again’, yes, it is a real and continuing problem that television executives and producers demonstrably have towards anything that they essentially aren’t interested in. Or to be more precise, what their ill-informed market research tells them to not have an interest in.
Many gaming shows have been made over the last three decades, but nowhere near as many as other types of television shows, such as procedural investigatory police dramas, true life crime documentaries, hospital ward shows, lame unfunny middle class-centred comedies, and so-called reality shows that are nothing of the sort.
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Why are some sections of the television owning British public constantly overlooked by TV producers and executives while these same individuals think nothing about filling the TV schedules morning, noon, and night with programmes about American muscle cars, flipping property, or eating in New York restaurants? How is any of this related to British audiences? No wonder people interested in gaming absconded to YouTube and online forums years ago.
Television producers and executive suits don’t really care. I have a feeling they always had a contemptuous attitude towards those interested in computer and video games all along, as can be seen in how they handled the very few shows that actually got on to our TV screens.
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The over-touted GamesMaster was the one that started it all off for console television shows back in the 90s. Gaming shows that came after were almost without exception better though. Shows such as Bits (1999 to 2001), Thumb Bandits (2001 to 2002), and not forgetting my favourite Cybernet. That show was even my mum’s favourite gaming show, as it was full of driving games during the PlayStation era.
Cybernet. A show that comparatively few people actually saw (in Scotland anyway) due to the show being broadcast stupidly late through the night – usually after 3am, such is the contempt those in television decision-making departments had. That show was unprecedented though, in that it showed what we all wanted. Wall-to-wall games. No talking heads concerned about their career portfolios. Just a voiceover from the mysterious Lucy Longhurst.
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Gaming shows weren’t just something relegated to the past as Go 8 Bit (or Dara O Briain’s Go 8 Bit for the pedantic out there) that ran on Freeview channel Dave could have ran for far longer than it did (2016 to 2018), as it was essentially based on the tried, tested, and market oversaturation panel show format. The one that the British public are constantly reminded that they like so much, due to the sheer number of shows subscribing to that format over the years.
It’s important to note that I am not some media degree-clutching middle class hipster type who’s a chum of anyone who worked on Videogame Nation, or any of the other shows mentioned here. I’m just like countless other viewers out there, that have inadvertently given up waiting for television executives and producers to come up with anything worth bothering about when their track record ranges from appalling to self-sabotaging.
It’s not even that I thought Videogame Nation was particularly brilliant or good even. It was all we the British public had in the way of gaming on TV at the time and now we haven’t even got that. How does mainstream television survive? I don’t know, as nothing the mainstream channels show is likely to be pulling in much cash in the way of any big companies advertisements, outside of the captured audiences of maybe Coronation Street.
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People need to ask the question of what’s wrong with mainstream television channels and their constant absence of gaming shows. It would cost them next to nothing to do re-runs of old gaming shows such as GamesMaster, Bits, and Cybernet, even if it’s through the night, if needs be, as people search for this content on YouTube anyway. I suspect it never even crossed the minds of the majority of those working in TV land to do this, such is the level of their clueless detachment.
By reader R M
Cybernet was a difficult show to catch (YouTube)
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