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New £250m Manchester waterpark resort to bring UK’s first ‘all-season’ beach
Plans for the UK’s first all-season beach with real lapping waves has been unveiled for the new £250 million Manchester waterpark resort- and it won't be too far for us in Leeds.
Late last year, Therme confirmed the water park will be just an hour from Leeds.
Plans for the UK’s first all-season beach with real lapping waves has been unveiled for the new £250 million Manchester waterpark resort- and it won't be too far for us in Leeds.
The upcoming Therme Manchester resort and spa at TraffordCity- which has been dubbed an ‘urban oasis’ – will feature a whopping 35 water slides, 25 pools, and 30 saunas and stream rooms across its 25-acre site, new CGI images have now been released to show the vision of the country’s first indoor all-season beach.
The beach is billed to include “lapping waves” and “soft sands”.
Developers say the ‘urban beach’ element of the new highly-anticipated resort will form part of Therme’s “next generation waterpark”, that’s also set to include thermal bathing, a wellbeing spa, an on-site urban farm, botanical gardens, and “immersive digital art features”.
Bosses say the new aims to be “far more” than a waterpark and spa, and will “create an integrated experience to benefit physical and mental health”.
Plans for the UK’s first all-season beach have been unveiled for the new £250 million Manchester waterpark resort / Credit: Therme Manchester
Therme’s updated plans – which are being delivered in partnership with Peel L&P – are said to adopt the very latest technology to make the development even more sustainable and deliver additional exciting features for visitors.
It includes the world’s first ‘living waterslides’ with a 3D printed superstructure to house thousands of plants.
Therme has also announced that the resort will also include a visitor and education centre where school and community groups can learn about sustainability, food and nature.
Manchester is getting an all-season beach thanks to @ThermeGroup!
Therme Manchester, the wellbeing resort at @TraffordCity, will bring the urban beach to fruition as part of a series of additions to existing plans.
“Our commitment to bring Therme Manchester to the UK is as strong as ever,” said Stelian Iacob, Senior Vice President of Therme Group and CEO of Therme Group UK.
“Expert independent studies have shown the hugely positive economic and social impact that Therme Manchester will have, helping to create jobs, economic prosperity and bringing health and wellbeing to the daily lives of millions of guests.”
James Whittaker – Executive Director of Development at Peel L&P – added: “We are proud to be working in partnership with Therme Group to develop this exceptional wellbeing resort in TraffordCity.
The beach is billed to include “lapping waves” and “soft sands” when it opens in 2025, according to developers / Credit: Therme Group
“Therme Manchester will lead the way in health and wellbeing.
“With the updated plans now including the UK’s first all-season urban beach and the world’s first living waterslides, we are excited to continue working with Therme Manchester to deliver this innovative health and wellbeing experience in TraffordCity, the UK’s foremost retail, leisure and commercial destination.”
Construction on Therme Manchester is still expected to begin in 2023, with a build time said to be of around two years.
Featured Image – Therme Manchester
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New study crowns Leeds as one of the friendliest cities in the UK
New research has revealed a global ranking of cities with the best customer service, with Leeds taking one of the top spots.
If you've been wondering which cities across the world are the friendliest of them all, then look no further because MoneySuperMarket have done the work for us in a new study.
In a world where social media culture plays a huge part in people's lives, online customer reviews are pretty important to local businesses.
To uncover the global locations that are home to the best customer service, the businesses insurance experts analysed over 100,000 reviews of leisure and hospitality businesses in 107 cities worldwide.
They looked at the language in the reviews to see how often friendly workers and staff were mentioned, building a global ranking of the cities where customer service truly stands out.
Out of a whopping 107, Leeds came in at a very respectable number 12. Now we think that's pretty good going.
Outside of the UK, Hanoi, Paris, Montreal and Abu Dhabi were highlighted for their friendly customer service whilst Edinburgh tops the global ranking, with Liverpool, Birmingham and Bristol also making the world’s top 10.
The top 10 cities in the UK with the best customer service are as follows:
Edinburgh
Liverpool
Birmingham
Bristol
Belfast
Leeds
Glasgow
Cardiff
Manchester
London
Alicia Hempsted spoke on the study: “As businesses grow and engage with more customers, it’s important to make sure they’re protected. Public liability insurance is an important safeguard for those working with the public, helping to cover costs if something goes wrong, while also showing customers that their experience is taken seriously - from the moment they walk through the door to long after they’ve left.”
Prime Minister expected to announce extra bank holiday if England win the 2026 World Cup
Danny Jones
Prime Minister Keir Starmer is reportedly set to announce an extra bank holiday if England win the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
What a way to sign off from the highest office in Great Britain, eh?
According to Sky News journalist Beth Rigby, the outgoing PM is expected to reveal an extended period of celebration across the country if/should/WHEN (you’ve got to believe) the Three Lions reach this year’s World Cup final and lift the biggest prize in global sport.
Starmer may be gearing up to leave No. 10 Downing Street soon, but he can certainly earn himself a few more points in the pros column should this familiar rumour come to fruition.
As Rigby states in her post on X, this decision would fall just before the transition in leadership, with Greater Manchester’s own Mayor Andy Burnham all but confirmed at the head of the table already within the Labour Party cabinet.
The incumbent announced he would resign last month, with Burnham declaring himself in the running not long after, winning the Makerfield seat and marking his return as an MP after nearly a decade away from Parliament.
Regarding the still only potential bank holiday – Thomas Tuchel’s side still need to make it through the quarter-final and the semis, remember – the Sky reporter states that the following Friday, 24 July, is the most likely date.
Understandably, plenty on social media are already rejoicing over the prospect, but some aren’t content with waiting a week to carry on the post-trophy lift party, with many arguing that it should be the Monday morning immediately after the final next Sunday (19/2/2026).
Let’s be honest, there’ll be lots of people pulling sickies regardless of whether or not their bosses are left to grant a day off.
Many have already rightly argued that such decisions should have been made in the past after the Lionesses won not just one but two back-to-back European Championships; we’re willing to forgive and move on if the powers that be make it happen this time.
Starmer recently said that despite always believing England will “go all the way”, he didn’t want to jinx anything, simply telling the BBC’s Chris Mason: “Ask me again if we make the final.”
Either way, the general jubilation should England end 60 ‘years of hurt’ will be nothing short of colossal, and it would only feel right given the sheer gravity of the would-be achievement.
We’re even getting excited merely by the idea of some additional and, at present, strictly hypothetical pre- and post-match entertainment…