This city can stand up and pat itself firmly on the back after this year’s 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness raised a whopping £50,000 for the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity.
Manchester, you truly are incredible.
Returning for the sixth time last week, the 2024 edition of Manchester’s annual fundraising 24-hour relay event was a bumper year and then some, as not only did they cruise past their initial target of £25k but there were records all over the place for distances covered and attendance.
With well over 1,000 runners from all over the region descending upon host venue Freight Island and the city centre route at various different points during the 24 hours, we can well and truly say us Mancs ran our absolute socks off for a crucial cause.
Starting from 12pm on Wednesday, 13 November and running until noon the next day, those involved completed a total of 40 consecutive laps with some of those taking part barely stopping for even a moment’s rest in between each one, no matter how dark, cold or painful it got.
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Translating to the equivalent of 1,666 beds for those in the Greater Manchester homeless community and counting, the team – comprised of 86 volunteers, hugely supportive overnight security staff and countless runners – managed to generate nearly double the amount of donations raked in last year.
If you want more context, prior to the 2024 event, The 24 Hour MCR Run had raised approximately £52,807.99 over the course of its entire first five years, meaning they’ve basically just matched that overall tally in just one day – albeit a very long one.
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The frankly ridiculous tally couldn’t have been reached without help from donation-boosting sponsors AutoTrader and Together Co. (as well as help from Accenture and Mistral), but even without those additions, it was still by far and away the most successful year in the event’s history.
Countless runners booked time off or got laps done on their lunch hours, with many even coming after work on the Wednesday to then return and put in even more graft the following morning before their shift. Simply inspirational stuff.
Volunteers and run leaders like Marv Lucas, Shomak Chakrabarti, Jay Orriss, Molly Glenister-Doyle and many others each smashed 100km or more; even The Manc managed to rack up 110k between us.
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The Manc doing their bitRunners doing their 5k laps of Manchester city centreStill hundreds there come nightfallBurnham gave a rousing and emotional speech(Credit: The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness)
One Chorlton Runner, 55-year-old Ian Sharpe, set the men’s record with a simply staggering 150k, while Natasha Barclay smashed the women’s record with an unbelievable 117k just 10 days after running almost the same distance at The 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness‘ debut event in Birmingham.
Joining for the busy 7pm, when hundreds of people from Greater Manchester-based run clubs, local businesses and more lined the steps of Freight Island, Mayor Andy Burnham was in attendance and admitted that the immense turnout brought “a tear to the eye.”
Labelling the ever-growing initiative a prime example of “Greater Manchester in action” and community engagement at its finest, it was visible to see how taken aback he was not only by the sheer number of runners but by how much the event has grown since its inception.
Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity (GMMC) CEO, Dr Fran Darlington-Pollock – who also put in some laps herself along with members of her team – was equally blown away by the 2024 event.
Talking to The Manc, she said: “The 24 Hour Run raises vital funds to support our flagship scheme, ‘A Bed Every Night’ (ABEN), providing far more than just a bed for the night but vital wrap-around support to help get people back on their feet.
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“No one should have to spend a night on the streets, particularly as we head into the colder, harsher months. Raising funds for ABEN helps to get us closer to a point when we can say we have truly eradicated the need for rough sleeping.” Safe to say a big dint was put in the problem this month.
Speaking on an overwhelmingly successful 24 hours, co-founder Tom Lewis said: “I’m genuinely overwhelmed with the support we received for this year’s event and the Manchester running community and local companies coming together to help make a real impact in the region.
“As for the future, we plan to come back bigger than ever each year. We’ve set an ambitious precedent by doubling our fundraising total for the last few years, which could mean we’re looking at £100,000 next year. At the moment that seems like a dream, but I said the same about £50,000 and here we are.
It goes without saying that raising this much money for such a vitally important problem in the space of 24 hours is phenomenal and we couldn’t possibly be any prouder of all those who took part.
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The supplementary JustGiving page is actually still active for 2024, so you can still donate if you want to add to that already huge sum but, for now, well done to everyone and we’ll see you next year.
Luxury Manchester gym and pilates studio mysteriously closes
Daisy Jackson
One of Manchester’s most premium fitness facilities appears to have closed down, leaving members and instructors in the dark.
A forfeiture notice has appeared at the entrance of Blok, a boutique gym and pilates studio in the city centre.
Members have been arriving for classes this week to find the luxury facility at Ducie Street Warehouse closed up.
Native Places, which owns the beautifully restored mill building near Manchester Piccadilly and operates the upper floors as an aparthotel, has confirmed that it’s taken ‘formal possession of the ground floor gym’.
Blok has said they believe that the forfeiture of their lease by landlords is ‘illegal’ and that the team are ‘working to get this resolved as a matter of urgency’.
The gym also stressed the Manchester is a ‘profitable site, which we have collectively worked hard to grow into a thriving, healthy business’.
With three different studios, Blok opened in Manchester in 2019 offering classes ranging from dumbbell-based weight training to barre and pilates, as well as boxing, calisthenics and HIIT workouts.
Last year, the gym introduced reformer pilates to its premium offering.
And just last week, Blok had been running a Crowdcube campaign selling shares in the business in exchange for exclusive investor rewards.
Blok Manchester is inside Ducie Street Warehouse, owned by Native Places
Their investment campaign cited 175% growth in membership over the last 12 months, and promised four new flagship sites forecast to generate £1.5m in profit annually.
Alas, it appears Blok Manchester is now closed. Members have been leaving comments on their Instagram posts asking for updates, and several people are posting TikToks saying they were unable to attend their class.
One person wrote: “Hello I’ve lost my personality as Blok is closed *cry*.”
She added: “You can still book but it’s all locked up, no one can enter the premises … I got one email that they’re having ‘trouble accessing the building’, confused why they’re still allowing people to book??”
Hello I’ve lost my personality as Blok is closed *cry* Good Pilates/Mat/Barre/ reformer studios in Manchester. Also please no say a place that costs the same as my kidney, because that’s not cool 🙂 #BLOK#manchesterpilates#MCR#FYP
A statement from Native Places said: “Native Places has taken formal possession of the ground floor gym following the sustained non-payment of rent by the tenant.
“This action marks the end of a six-year relationship during which Native has consistently supported the tenant in their occupation of the space.
“Unfortunately, due to continued non-payment, we have had no option but to follow the appropriate legal process. The premises have now been secured, and access is restricted.”
In a statement provided to The Manc, Ed Stanbury, CEO and Founder of Blok, said: “The closure of BLOK Manchester is due to the forfeiture of our lease by our landlords, an action that we believe to be illegal. We are working with our lawyers to get this resolved as a matter of urgency.
“Whilst there has been speculation around financial pressures that may have led to this situation, we want to be clear: BLOK Manchester is a profitable site, which we have collectively worked hard to grow into a thriving, healthy business.
“We’re incredibly proud of the team and community we’ve created in Manchester, and our focus right now is on supporting them as we navigate this.”
Patrice Evra issues passionate plea to Manchester United as he must miss the Europa League final
Danny Jones
Ex-Manchester United star Patrice Evra has issued a passionate appeal to his old club ahead of the Europa League final, as he reluctantly prepares to miss the game.
Evra, 44, has remained an avid Man United fan even since he left the club back in 2014 and doesn’t miss a game if he can, often lending his punditry services to the likes of Sky Sports of TNT Sports.
However, despite the biggest game of their season coming up this Wednesday, 20 May, the Frenchman has been forced to skip the match due to a recent bereavement.
Nevertheless, Evra has taken time to issue a rallying cry to Ruben Amorim and his Red Devils, urging them to “be United” and “fight” just like his loved one.
As explained in the short video, the retired left-back’s sister recently passed away at just 56 after a long battle with cancer.
Visibly emotional but determined in the clip, Evra starts by sharing his “positive energy” before trying to inject some defiance.
Noting that his sibling fought for her life for more than two decades, he goes on to add, “That’s what I want from you [United players and fans] tomorrow: just fight — bleed for this shirt, for the fans, the staff, for the people of Manchester.”
Stating that there is “no excuse” for failure and that winning their first European trophy in seven years is their “duty”, he called on the team to channel the commitment and dedication of those travelling from all over the world to see them take on Spurs in Bilbao.
As for the former French international himself, he will be making his return to sport only in an entirely different arena, with a combat sports debut coming very soon.
Wait until you see who he called out… To be fair, I think we’d prefer to watch the Evra fight even more than the Europa League final.
While the comments underneath the post are obviously filled with lots of condolences for his loss, lots of supporters are also taking further faith and motivation from his competitive spirit.
It’s a big game for the club and so many across Greater Manchester; you only have to glance at social media to sense the palpable tension. For instance, if you’re a Red, you don’t want to scroll past the video down below.
Go on then – do you think United are going to do it?
Danny Jones -
18th November 2024 
