"It’s heartbreaking. We do this for the kids" - Football club's pitches 'ruined' as thieves steal £20k of equipment

Manchester city council is asking the people of Manchester to get involved in a new discussion about the future of the city's arts and culture. The new initiative is looking for locals to give their feedback and ideas on what Manchester's cultural scene from music festivals to museum exhibitions should feature over the next 10 years.

A woman who used to walk the streets of Manchester as a homeless teenager says her life has taken a “surreal” turn after being accepted into Oxford University. Chloe Pomfret, 20, grew up in foster care during her early school years after becoming estranged from her family after the death of her grandfather.

Manchester United players have been urged to find Rasmus Hojlund more often as getting him in the goals could be a golden ticket to improving their chances this season.

From bobs to pixie cuts, layers to extensions – the average woman is said to change their hairstyle up to 36 times in their lifetime.

A family who has run a pub in Stockport for four generations has handed over the reins to new owners.

The Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer have shared details of a joint tour in the UK and Ireland next summer.Both bands played headline sets at California’s BeachLife festival last year and will come together again for a short tour that kicks off in Birmingham on June 7, 2024.The US acts will then take in shows at London’s The O2, Dublin’s 3Arena, Glasgow’s OVO Hydro, Manchester’s Co-op Live and Cardiff Castle across the rest of the month.Tickets for the UK and Ireland 2024 tour go on general sale this Friday (October 20) at 10am BST here. There is also a pre-sale at the same link opening this Thursday (October 19) at 10am BST.The Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer’s 2024 UK and Ireland tour:JUNEFriday 7 – Birmingham Utilita ArenaSaturday 8 – London The O2Monday 10 – Dublin 3ArenaWednesday 12 – Glasgow OVO HydroThursday 13 – Manchester Co-op LiveFriday 14 – Cardiff CastleIn other news, last month The Smashing Pumpkins re-staged the release show that they held for their ‘Siamese Dream’ album 30 years ago and performed numerous rarities at the event.Taking place on September 17, the band had the tea house made to look like the original Tower Records set.

The Smashing Pumpkins and Weezer have today announced a summer tour of the UK and Ireland in 2024.

October half term is almost here, which means you're probably on the hunt for things to do with the kids.

For Manchester’s many bars, restaurants and pubs, we are coming up to what can be a bit of an uncertain period.

Daniel Sturridge has released a statement after a Los Angeles court issued a warrant for his arrest. On Thursday, the former Manchester City and England striker failed to appear in court over money he allegedly owes to a man who found his dog.

S Club have been forced to cancel the second show on their comeback tour just hours before they were set to take to the stage.

Tool have announced the dates for their scheduled 2024 US arena tour – see the full list of dates below.Yesterday (October 10), the band took to social media to announce the new dates, which will see the legendary progressive metal band perform 20 arena shows across the United States between January 10 and February 18, with support from Elder.Tickets to the 2024 run of shows will go on sale this Friday (October 13) at 10am local time via the band’s official website – get your tickets here. The tour will also notably include the band’s first shows at the Madison Square Garden in New York since 2001.A post shared by Tool (@toolmusic)Tool are currently on tour across North America, and are scheduled to end their current run of shows on November 22 in Toronto, Canada.

Gemma Atkinson was seen swapping Gorka Marquez for his Strictly Come Dancing co-star as they posed for a smiling snap at the Pride of Britain Awards. The Hits Radio host was finally reunited with her fiance after four weeks apart due to him working on the BBC One dance contest.

Bedraggled, befuddled and beaten. No, not Manchester United traipsing off in midweek but the Reds leaving the Brentford Community Stadium a little over a year ago.

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Blink-182 have paid homage to the legendary New York rock band the Ramones in the video for their latest single ‘Dance With Me’.The track is a fresh take on a classic Blink song packed with a tapping guitar riff, heavy drums and catchy, anthemic lyrics such as: “Olé, Olé. Olé, Olé, Olé, Olé / Yeah / We’re doing it all night long“.Directed by The Malloys, the song’s accompanying video is billed as a love letter to the famous New York punks – one of Blink’s favourite bands – and sees Mark Hoppus, Tom DeLonge and Travis Barker dressed up in Ramones cosplay.

Stormzy and Adidas have announced the expansion of #Merky FC by sharing a report highlighting the impact of allyship within the football industry.The Croydon grime artist teamed up with the athletic apparel and footwear corporation last year in a bid to improve diversity in the sport.At the time, the initiative said it was aiming to address “the lack of diversity off the pitch in football, and provide access to a host of multi-year, paid professional placements across the industry”.Today (October 5) Stormzy and Adidias have ushered in the next chapter of their #Merky FC partnership. They’ve said that the scheme will “broaden its scope and impact by tripling the number of roles available”.A new report published by #Merky FC highlights “the barriers faced by young Black people” in football, as well as the initiative’s “approach to changing the game” to make it more inclusive.#Merky FC will this year increase the number of off-pitch roles from 15 to 50, with both Adidas and Stormzy bringing together a collective of allies to form part of a careers programme kick-starting in January 2024.These include placements at 25 leading brands including Manchester United, Arsenal, Sky Sports, LADbible, EA, ITV and Women In Football (see the full list below).Candidates can visit merkyfc.com to find more information and register their interest in the roles from today until October 19.Each placement will provide work opportunities spanning operations and community to creative and marketing, in an effort to change the game for Black and Black mixed heritage youth.#Merky FC is back, but this year, we've got to go bigger.Share one of the 50 #MerkyFC roles with a friend now to change the game.

Brunch - subjectively the best invention of the 21st century.

The Gaslight Anthem have shared news of a 2024 UK and European tour as well as a headline slot at next year’s 2000Trees festival – find ticket info and more below.The New Jersey rockers will head to cities including Stockholm, Brussels, Dublin, Manchester and Glasgow from March 2024, with two stops at London’s Roundhouse venue (March 25-26). Emily Wolfe supports the band for the spring shows.Later that summer the band play Nottingham’s Rock City (July 10) ahead of their headline show at Cheltenham’s 2000trees festival (July 11).Tickets for the 2024 UK and European tour go on sale this Friday (October 6) at 10am BST here.

There should be a dedicated cabinet minister for the north a group of Tory MPs have claimed. They are also calling for half a million new homes to be built in the region as part of a 'manifesto for the north' which is to be unveiled at party's conference in Manchester.