Manchester's mini Christmas market traders plead with people to follow the rules after an 'awful' year

direct to your inboxA cyclist is in a critical condition after a collision involving a bus in south Manchester. The 20-year-old woman was rushed to hospital following the crash on Wilmslow Road in Rusholme on Monday evening.

direct to your inboxA group of teenage lads are stood around chatting in the bus station at Piccadilly Gardens.They don't seem to have noticed, but sat on the pavement below them begging is Alex Tomlinson.'Excuse me', she says angrily as they almost step on her, 'I'm f****** sat here'.Alex, 23, has been homeless since she left care as a teenager."Because I'm sat on the floor people look down on me.

direct to your inboxTis the season to be jolly.But that's not the case for everyone.Manchester's Christmas past is steeped in grisly and terrifying tales of revenge, lust and betrayal. Here Michala Hulme, an associate lecturer in history at Manchester Metropolitan University and author of Manchester: Bloody British History, takes a look back at some of the darker Christmas episodes in Manchester's history. On December 25, 1880, chemist and druggist Alfred Hartley was spending his first Christmas

direct to your inboxLike this entire year, Christmas Day in 2020 is anything but normal.It's a restricted, and for some quite sad time.But Greater Mancunians did have something to smile about today...

straight to your inbox every day for freeManchester United fans have spotted Eric Bailly's unusual request to Edinson Cavani after he scored against Everton.Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side took the lead in their Carabao Cup quarter-final on Wednesday night through Cavani, with Anthony Martial adding a second late on.The Uruguayan found the net with a fantastic left-foot strike into the bottom corner, and Bailly's reaction in the aftermath has got United fans talking.The defender made his first start

straight to your inbox every day for freeThere's no rest for Manchester United, who were last to play on Wednesday night and are first to kick off on Boxing Day. That gives Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's squad little time to prepare for a tough test at Leicester tomorrow, let alone fit in a proper Christmas Day with the family.

direct to your inboxThe Bishop of Manchester urges us to seek comfort in simplest and most ordinary things in his Christmas message.Reflecting on a tumultuous year for the region, Rt Rev David Walker says that political intervention has veered towards being 'too little, too late, or too London' in the last 12 months.Yet he warns against 'blame and criticism' and instead urges people to find 'joy and comfort' as best they can this Christmas.Here is the Bishop of Manchester's Christmas message in

hereWhile Tania will be mostly answering emails from often desperate members of the public who need help over Christmas, Andy Smith will be answering the phone.“For me being here is in part about giving, to give back to people,” the volunteer told the M.E.N.“People need somebody to talk to, and I’m happy to listen and try and give them a sense of warmth for that short period of time we’re on the call with them.”“While most of the country enjoys the festivities of Christmas Day, it’s important

Ariana Grande has brought some Christmas cheer to hundreds of young hospital patients in Manchester.The pop star has surprised hundreds of children at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital and Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) with an Amazon voucher each worth £100.Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, the father of one of the patents said his daughter was “absolutely delighted” with the kind gesture, describing the ‘7 Rings’ singer as “a wonderful human being”.“She said, ‘look dad, I’ve got a

direct to your inboxA man in a Manchester United mask stands alone with his holdall bag in an empty, closed check-in hall. His story is anything but festive.He tells me he he left home following a row with his girlfriend and decided to jet off on a flight abroad on a whim.But now that he is in Manchester Airport with no ticket, he just wants to get back home to east Manchester.Last year I visited the airport on December 24 to capture the heartwarming moment couples reunited for the festive

Ariana Grande is proving the people of Manchester are very much in her heart this holiday season.

direct to your inboxTwo men from Greater Manchester who won £20,000 on the hit BBC show Race Across the World have donated their prize money to charity.Emon Choudhury, 36, from Stockport, beat four other teams to win the race alongside his nephew Jamiul Choudhury, 25, from Oldham.The pair beat the odds to complete an epic 54-day journey from Mexico City to the south of Argentina for the second series of the BBC2 show.On their travels, the men were visibly moved by the number of homeless children

direct to your inboxDreaming of a white Christmas?Sadly, forecasters have predicted there will be no snow on Christmas Day this year.But the Met Office has said Greater Manchester is likely to see widespread frosty conditions that will bring a 'seasonal feel' to festivities on the day.Temperatures across most of the country will stay in mid-single figures on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but no snow is expected to settle, Met Office forecasters have predicted.They said that despite a wet

direct to your inboxThree people were taken to hospital after a flat went up in flames in Burnage.Firefighters were called to the property on Burnage Lane, near to the junction of Green End Road, shortly after 6pm on Friday.Three residents were evacuated from the building and then taken to hospital by ambulance crews.It's understood that they were taken to hospital for precautionary checks.The cause of the fire is unknown.

straight to your inboxManchester City have given a Christmas present to every primary school kid in East Manchester and every child in in care across the whole city.Staff, players and coaches have paid for, wrapped and delivered more than 5,500 gifts.And with the coronavirus pandemic meaning the traditional Christmas visits to hospitals are off the cards, stars including Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne have been video calling patients on children's wards at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital,

direct to your inboxCouncils across Greater Manchester have outlined their plans for bin collections over Christmas and the New Year.With Christmas Day and New Year’s Day falling on bank holidays this year, many town halls are having to change their schedules.Bins are being collected in the days leading up to - and after both days - though the exact dates differ from borough to borough.All councils are still urging residents to keep recycling food, cardboard and paper and other recyclable items

straight to your inbox every day for freeOle Gunnar Solskjaer insists he is unaffected by what Mino Raiola said about Paul Pogba's future at Manchester United. Pogba, 27, started United's Champions League defeat to RB Leipzig on the bench a day after the emergence of an interview in which Raiola claimed the Frenchman was 'unhappy' at the club and would not sign a new contract.

A Grand Life, Heard, where some of Greater Manchester's most inspiring older residents tell their tales.

straight to your inbox every day for freeManchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has been named in the FUT 21 TOTW 11 line-up after his fantastic goal against West Ham United at the weekend.Pogba scored United 's equaliser at the London Stadium on Saturday evening, which sparked the visitors' comeback. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 's side eventually won the match 3-1, with Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford also adding goals.

will take place this year. But while many fans of the markets were delighted to hear they'll return in some capacity yesterday, there have been many raised eyebrows and criticisms of the decision to go ahead.