Skip to main content

Month: September 2012

60 seconds with… PINS

This week Keir caught up with Pins’ Lois and Faith at MCR Scenewipe’s ‘All Killer, All Dayer’ event In Aid of Mental Health Research UK.

How did you guys form?

Faith: We just met and started playing music together really (laughs). Went through some band changes as it didn’t work out and then settled on us four.

Some music critics have labelled your music feminist. What’s your take?

Lois: We didn’t really set out to be a ‘feminist’ band. We just found that we worked better generally with girls and that’s how it took off. But at the same time we appreciate the cause. It’s pretty annoying when people describe us as a ‘girlband’ though. If you going to do that then you should probably call all bands with just boys in ‘boybands’ as well then.

Have you got any tips for people wanting to make it big in a band?

Faith: You’ve just got to write lots of material and be prepared to chuck it away (laughs)! Just practice all the time and get as many gigs as possible. It’s not easy that’s for sure and you need a bit of luck along the way as well.

Any up and coming events on your calendar?

Lois: We’ve got a tour coming up in October (Ed – playing Manchester Soup Kitchen on October 13th) which is in the UK and then a couple of dates at the end of the month in France as well.

Faith: We also have our LUVU4LYF ep coming out on October 1st which you can pre-order online.

PINS website is wearepins.co.uk and tickets for their upcoming tour are available now

Ask Keir: Freshers’ weight gain

Ask Keir is a column aiming to answer all your health questions. If you want to know about that funny looking lump that won’t go away, why that student doctor keeps poking you or anything at all to do with health get in touch at

[email protected]

All questions will of course be kept confidential and anonymous.

Question of the Week

Hi, I’m a Fresher and so just starting out at university. My brother gained a ton of weight during his first year and I really don’t want to do the same. Have you got any suggestions?

Most people will have known someone that will have gone to uni and come back a bit on the heavier side by Christmas. The principle culprit for this is almost always the tasty takeaway. As with most foods, moderation is the key but being away from home and not being used to cooking for yourself everyday can lead to takeaways becoming the staple of any students’ diet. To prevent the pounds piling on keep it simple and stick to three meals a day and drink lots of water. It all sounds like common sense but common sense can easily go out the window in your first semester away.

Further help can be found by getting a student cookbook for some quick, easy and healthy recipes to cook on those evenings you aren’t prepared to cook a gourmet feast. I personally recommend “Nosh for Students: A Fun Student Cookbook” which you can get for as little as £6 online. There are plenty of others to have a look at that might suit you more.  Having a good diet can also help keep away the freshers’ flu, which is always a bonus, so get cooking!

Diary of a Fresher

A week ago I left a tiny town in the Midlands to go to the big city of Manchester, armed with three suitcases of clothes, 15 pairs of heels and tales from my second year predecessors ringing in my naïve ears. I knew I was in for the most hectic week of my life so far, but I now know that no stories or advice can really prepare you for the carnage that is Freshers’ Week!

I never would have thought, in the moments after my parents had abandoned me and I was quietly sobbing into my alien single bed, that I would spend the night completely wasted in the halls’ bar with a group of people I don’t know from Adam. From that first night I knew that university would be like no other experience; people from all walks of life come together (aided by a bottle of Glen’s finest vodka) and make the best of friends. I found myself dancing on stage to the Cha Cha Slide, which seemed like a brilliant idea at the time; but in the morning, during a cheeky vimto-induced haze, I realised I actually just looked like a complete idiot. But it’s all okay, because everyone is drunk and makes a fool out of themselves – that is the beauty of Freshers’.

From then on it’s been a whirlwind of pre-drinks, flat parties, dancing on tables (and almost getting kicked out of Birdcage for doing so) and painful dissections of the night before with my flatmates at the kitchen table. Forget learning how to cook a healthy meal or remembering to clean my room, my time has been occupied by mastering the art of climbing down three flights of stairs with six-inch heels on, finding the best chicken dinners in Fallowfield and taking twenty minute detours to avoid a head-on collision with the stranger I shared a rather intimate, drunken moment with in 5th Avenue the evening before.

It has been a long and strenuous week, worsened by having to drag myself out of bed while Kanye West and Jay-Z are still ringing in my ears. Catching the bus and sitting through induction talks, while wondering whether anyone would notice if I vomited in my pencil case, have proved to be particularly difficult. One week in and uni has already become a hindrance to me; a second priority to ensuring I get to Boots to buy false eyelashes before Pout. One can only hope that I pull myself together in time to pass the end of year exams.

Now, lying in bed with a box of multivitamins, a free Domino’s pizza and a bunch of everlasting memories, I can finally reflect on my Freshers’ Week. I think that whilst everyone will have their own take on the week I feel we are all united in describing it as one word: unforgettable. Roll on the next three years, and here’s to the many more hazy nights, embarrassing moments and life lessons sure to come!

The naughtiest places you have had sex

Charlie

I had sex under a tree in Hyde Park during the Olympics, while policemen were patrolling the area. Risky business…

Shauna

After a night out, my boyfriend and I couldn’t wait until we got home so he pinned me up against a wall in an alley way. I had to be reminded of this the next morning, I was mortified.

Jack

 After a workout in the gym, I headed to the steam room to relax. I got more than I bargained for when I ended up having sex in there with a total stranger who had had the same idea. More calories burnt, I guess!

Kyle

I once had sex in a library, which felt very naughty. Still to this day, I do not know how we managed to get away with it. Thankfully there weren’t too many people around and we avoided getting caught.

Harriet

I once had sex in a club toilet – not my finest hour.

Tristan

I got chatting to a guy on Grindr, a gay networking app. We decided to meet up and ended up having sex in a suite at the London Hilton. The best kind of room service…

Olivia

While on holiday last year, I had very public sex on a balcony in Magaluf, or should I say Shagaluf. Classy…

John

 My girlfriend and I once had sex in the back of a cinema during a fairly quiet viewing. That was pretty bad behaviour…

William

 I had sex in a lift, which was a pretty interesting experience…

Lauren

During a late night gym session when no one else was around, I had sex in the jacuzzi. There were CCTV cameras, which was quite thrilling.  Some poor soul somewhere has probably had to view the footage!

My week at a national women’s magazine

After a long summer of anticipation it was finally time for me to start my week as an intern at a national women’s magazine. As scenes from The Devil Wears Prada flashed before my eyes, I carefully studied the magazine from back to back during the nerve-wracking train journey up to London. As I tottered up the steps at Tottenham Court Road tube station in my high heeled boots and leggings (how do you do ‘smart casual’?) I could only think about one thing, and that was how determined I was to make this in to an every day journey.

As I entered the magazine office I was greeted by never ending rows of Apple MACs, clothes rails, walls covered by magazine covers and draft layouts, and of course, chatter. Everything that I had dreamt of was becoming a reality. The sheer amount of effort and management that is put in to a weekly publication cannot be underestimated- my initial thought on entering this almost fantastic, organised chaos. I introduced myself and before I knew it, found myself talking away about last night’s Olympic Closing Ceremony.

The next few hours were a whirlwind of sourcing celebrity gossip, fashion trends and diet crazes for the magazine’s website. It barely felt like work. The tasks were enjoyable and something I had always wanted to do. And the most rewarding aspect? Seeing your post go live to a reach of thousands, knowing that you were responsible for informing them and generating their opinions around a topic. I was experiencing the power of journalism, first-hand.

The excitement didn’t stop there. I would come into the office each day, unaware of who would walk through the door and what I would be writing about that day. A quick trip to the kitchen became memorable as I passed an interview with Peep Show’s Robert Webb. I put on a few pounds as I devoured complimentary glitter brownies sent to the office in the hope that the magazine would promote a new product. I had a mini heart attack as a topless male model arrived to promote a cooking tool.

I suppose it is surprising to say that my real desire to work in magazine editorial was not awakened by semi-naked models and celebrity spotting, but rather by a meeting. Away from the creative aspect of the magazine, it was time to analyse its success through the Audit Bureau of Circulations media performance report. It soon became clear that magazines were not solely publications, but business empires. Strategies were taken to ensure maximum consumerism. Every step of the magazines journey, from draft publication, to its appearance on the shelves, to being absorbed by the reader, were taken in to consideration.  Every single person had a role in the process, from marketer, to writer, to reader.

 

Dream Job: Football Correspondent

Qualifications: Sports Journalism, Journalism, Media Studies, English Literature, Sports Marketing, NCTJ

Location: Worldwide

Salary: 10K-100K

Oh, the joys of being Henry Winter. A job with The Daily Telegraph as football correspondent, opportunities to travel the world and paid slots to talk about football games watched by millions. Fancy this lifestyle? Prepare to work your socks off.

Any job related in sports journalism will entail long hours, a more-than-often low starting salary and often the dreaded requirement of having to work weekends.  Team that with the added pressure of meeting deadlines and many wannabe journalists give up before they have even properly begun.

To be in with a chance of working in this field, early preparation and signs that you can commit are key. Start a blog. Showing that you can write regularly will highlight both your sports terminology and ability to commit to a writing schedule. Next time you’re watching the football, turn off the commentary and see if you can write a match report within five minutes of the final whistle. Cover live matches by researching opportunities with magazines, newspapers and websites. Do not underestimate the potential of Twitter and networking; a polite request to a well-known sports correspondent could land you with your dream placement.

The privileges of working as a sports correspondent are endless. Ultimately, you are getting paid for a job that more than likely feels like a hobby. You may even get the chance to interview a sporting hero. You can never predict today’s news, so working in such a field is unlikely to get boring.

The most important thing to remember is that journalism is competitive. Stand out from the crowd by taking advantage of every opportunity that you can. You should never be short of real life examples in a cover letter or interview that highlight your abilities to be a sports correspondent.

Student 101: Northern monkeys and southern fairies

Before I came to university, I found it almost impossible to distinguish between the Mancunian, Liverpudlian and Sheffield accent. It wasn’t until I unconsciously offended someone that I realised that accent and identity had such great importance. After just a couple of weeks at The University of Manchester, another thing was obvious… a clear divide between students from the North and South.

Overseas students evidently find it difficult to understand our rivalry (and our accents!) In all sincerity, if asked, I would not be able to pinpoint the exact source of this unexplainable divide. Assuming it was simply based on old stereotypes, I took to social media to find the real reason behind ‘northern monkeys’ and ‘southern fairies’.

According to my northern friends on Facebook, southerners are stuck up, more competitive, over- sensitive and arrogant. Northerners, according to my southern friends, are unhygienic and borderline alcoholics. What on earth were these views based on? Shameless and the people on Jeremy Kyle ?!  As for southern competiveness, I can quite honestly say that I have never experienced a rivalry as strong as the one I have experienced first-hand between Manchester United and Manchester City football fans.

Fortunately, the majority of these views are said by students in a light-heartedness that doesn’t affect their choice of friends. I have met people over the duration of my course from all areas of the country who I will undoubtedly be friends with later down the line. If anything, students should take advantage of coming across the nation’s ‘mini cultures’ at university, an opportunity that many of our parents and grandparents have not had and thus become ignorant towards ‘the other side’.

With the celebratory feeling brought upon us by both the Queen’s Jubilee and Olympics this year you’d hope that the country’s unity would be stronger than ever. And I’m confident that it will be, despite not knowing where is “rate” good to visit in Sheffield or that “nowt” matters when it comes to your accent.

Craving & Saving

Craving: Orlebar Brown Jeremy Reversible Jacket – £260

Contrary to the September heatwave that we had this time last year, it is about time we thought about investing in a statement jacket for the winter months ahead. Warm up your wardrobe with shades of orange and this jacket by Orlebar Brown offers just that. The ‘Jeremy’ jacket is completely reversible; the photo exhibits the belize orange block colour on the outside and the inside is a bold chevron print by David Hicks (featured in last week’s issue). The timeless design means you can also wear it in the warmer months. What I love most about this jacket are the visible trimmings of the chevron print that you can see when wearing the solid orange. Blend with monochrome colours, especially hues of navy or grey so that your ensemble is not too overbearing.

 

Saving: H&M Orange Overcoat – £79.99

More formality, less money. Photo: www.hm.com/gb

Whilst this H&M alternative appears more formal, it still prevails in offering the much-needed splash of colour that we are looking for. The collar has a black underlining to correspond with the black buttons on the front that become concealed when the jacket is worn closed. What we love most about this jacket is that it has the potential to be worn in both formal and casual ensembles. Team this with dark-wash denim and a cream coloured chunky knit jumper and you are ready to go. We would love to see this coat around campus rather than the assumed Barbour jacket with rolled up jeans outfit.

Come Have Dinner With Me – Will

Will Chambers, a fresher studying Politics, Philosophy and Economics, was first to host The Mancunion’s Come Have Dinner With Me. The night included one tipsy host and his intriguing dance video. We’ll upload it once we’ve bullied it out of Will.

The starter was to be a pea and lemon risotto, the main an Italian-style beef stew, and the pudding a raspberry sorbet fizz. We asked the guests what kind of person they thought would serve this menu. Rachel, a Music student, thought risotto was impressive fare – ‘he’s probably been on a cooking course gap year if he can cook risotto’. Well, Rachel, risotto isn’t that hard. But Ollie, Economics student, was impressed too – ‘what kind of fresher can cook risotto; what kind of fresher wants to cook risotto?’ Linguistics student Catherine said ‘he must be quite a sophisticated guy’.

Will welcomed everyone in, an open bow tie slung casually around his neck as his notion towards fine dining. The table was set, food prepped, nibbles at the ready (Asda Smartprice peanuts; surprisingly tasty) and it wasn’t long before the soothing, mellow sounds of Jack Johnson were flowing through Will’s kitchen. Looking up at a makeshift screen fashioned from a duvet cover and gaffa tape to conceal the kitchen from the dining area, Ollie remarked ‘you’ve thought of everything’.

Will’s innovative duvet divider

A pre-dinner game melted the ice, the first of three stages in a name-guessing competition. Will then reheated the risotto that he had made earlier, stirred in some Parmesan along with some suspect black olives that were supposed to have gone in the beef stew, and served it up to some ravenous guests. We noticed Catherine gingerly pick out her olives. We also spotted leftovers from Rachel; it soon transpired that this small mound was also riddled with olives. Ollie, who ate it all, admitted ‘I’ve never been a big risotto man, but then I found I was quite enjoying it. I shocked myself’.

Pea and lemon risotto, complete with unintentional olives

The Italian beef stew with ciabatta had mixed reviews. Whilst Catherine proudly said ‘I don’t like peppers and I ate them all’, Ollie confessed that ‘it lacked a compliment and it was semi-flavourless -but it was quite nice! Will recognised the seasoning problem and ran to get the salt and pepper, but it was too late’. Oh the woes of under-seasoning. They all questioned the Italian authenticity of the dish and wanted something else on the side, suggesting ‘mashed potato or green beans, even a salad’. We asked if the bread (which was slightly singed under the grill in an overzealous attempt to crisp it up) was nice and Catherine said, ‘Well, Asda did a great job’.

We love the tasteful crockery for Will’s Italian-style beef stew

Raspberry sorbet fizz comprised a wine glass filled with mixed berries nestled under a spoonful of bought raspberry sorbet, topped up with sparkling elderflower pressé. Ollie was happy – ‘there’s a party in my mouth and everyone’s invited’. Whilst the dessert complimented the richness of the starter and main, Catherine pointed out that not much skill was involved in putting it together.

The raspberry sorbet fizz… notice the love rogue in the background, buttons undone, chest out

Overall opinion: The food was nice, but not perhaps as nice as it sounded on the menu. The atmosphere was relaxed and Will was very good at entertaining, despite suffering the throes of a mild fresher’s flu and feeling pretty tipsy after just two glasses of wine.

Scores will be announced when everyone has had a chance at hosting!

Bizarre Sports #3 – Cheese Rolling

For 364 days of the year, Brockworth in Gloucestershire is a sleepy rural town surrounded by beautiful Cotswold countryside. One day each year however, thousands of raucous people from Gloucester – and further afield – descend on Cooper’s Hill, famous for  the Cheese Rolling competition to which it plays host.

The main premise of the contest is that a 7-8lb round of Double Gloucester is rolled down the hill, chased by around 20 participants, all of whom aim to catch it. In reality the first person down the hill is crowned the winner, as the cheese has never actually been caught!

The hill itself is incredibly steep, with a gradient of 1:2 and stretching to 200 metres long. The cheese tumbles down the hill at speeds of up 70 miles per hour and poses a genuine threat of injury to spectators watching at the bottom of the course. Injuries are frequent, but limited mainly to minor sprains and bruises, although you wouldn’t think it after a quick gander on YouTube! The day consists of three downhill races, one ladies race and an uphill race for children. Local Stephen Gyde has won it an impressive twenty times.

The annual event supposedly came from a pagan ritual of rolling objects down the hill to commemorate spring. The exact date of the first organised rolling is not known but the event is thought to originate from the early 19th century. In recent times, many would suspect that the whole event has taken on new meanings of maintaining English tradition, by putting a middle finger up to health and safety.

The cheese rolling contest evokes real passion from the locals, who continued to run the competition when official management failed to support the event due to insurance problems. Helen Thorpe, the 2011 ladies winner, summed it up: “No-one’s going to stop us doing it. They say it’s not official but we are all Brockworth people and we’re running the cheese today. We strongly believe in it.”

Not many people would say that about a bit of Double Gloucester.

A postgraduate’s guide to Manchester

There comes a time in every student’s life when he or she experiences an epiphany. The situation: You’re standing in a nightclub (let’s, without wishing to cast ugly aspersions, call this club 5th Avenue), the lights have just gone up, your feet are glued to the floor by a viscous mixture of vodka and Red Bull, and all around you stand individuals whom it would be generous to describe as the millstone round the neck of human evolution, arms thrown across each other’s shoulders as they bellow out the words to Don’t Look Back in Anger. The epiphany: “I’m too old for this.”

If you’re about to start a postgraduate degree, you should have already experienced this, in which case, it might be useful to know some places where it’s possible to eat, drink and dance without resenting every other person for having a good chance of outliving you while showing no outward signs of deserving it.

Given that this guide purports to cater to the more ‘mature’ crowd, it might seem counterintuitive to begin by recommending a club which contains a full-scale Dalek and lets you watch Thundercats while you dance. However, Fab Café (Portland Street) is a real gem, providing refuge from the fresh-off-the-boat indie crowd along with a hefty injection of all things geek. Retro arcade machines line the walls, there’s a TARDIS in the corner, and the DJs play your requests: in short, it covers all the bases. If, however, you’re too cool for all that, then Tiger Lounge (Cooper Street) provides a healthy mix of rock, soul and funk, as well as putting on a range of live music, such as the excellent and eclectic band/club night White Light White Heat (first Tuesday of every month). Prefer pubs to clubs? Then you’ll love The Castle (Oldham Street): from the outside it looks like an impenetrable and unwelcoming old-man’s pub, but step inside and you’ll discover an ample jukebox, a range of real ales and regular live music, while any shaggy, unkempt beards are more likely to be attached to hipsters than decrepit student-hating locals.

Fringe, Great Ancoats, is of a similar, though less crowded, nature. Just round the corner on Dale Street lies Nexus, an underground café which hosts a variety of events such as live music, theatre, exhibitions and book groups. It was also, until recently, home to the Nexus Night Café, perhaps the only place in Manchester where it was possible to drink coffee, play board games and generally procrastinate until 6am. Recent funding cuts aside, Nexus promise that the Night Café will return… Head towards Piccadilly and you’ll find the Port St. Beerhouse, Port Street, with its assortment of Czech-style Buxton-brewed beers, and Jackson’s Wharf, which faces onto the Rochdale canal; ideal if you like narrowboats and watching people fish in water which hardly looks capable of sustaining life, let alone edible life.

Of course, you don’t have to go into town to have a good time. Three excellent bars lie but a stone’s throw from central campus.

The first is a dive named Big Hands, which is one of those places you feel you shouldn’t like – it’s loud, it’s often rammed, you sometimes lose your seat to the resident dog – but inevitably do. Furthermore, if pestering rock stars is your thing, the bar’s proximity to the Academy means that this is the place to spot them. If you’d rather at least pretend to be working, then you could do a lot worse than The Contact Theatre or The Ducie – behind the library; check out the exotic burger menu whilst there. A little further south, off a side-road in Rusholme, you’ll find The Antwerp Mansion. In its time it’s been the Belgian Consulate, the Rusholme Conservative Association, and now it’s a jack-of-all-trades venue hosting live music, festivals, parties and jam nights.

Keep on south and you’ll get to Fallowfield, an area distinguished by pub golf and first-years vomiting down their fronts. The bars aren’t great, but if you’ve never been you could do worse than to give it a look, if only to remind yourself that, if you really think about it, perhaps getting older isn’t the very worst thing in the world.

Lavish perks offered to peddle club nights to students

A company promoting club nights to Freshers offered exclusive perks to Halls committee members (JCRs) in an attempt to sell their welcome week packs.

JCRs are responsible for delivering a quality and value-for-money Welcome Week and receive a budget generated from student’s rent fees.

The Welcome Week Company, a subsidiary to Social Junkies, insisted the contract dates back two years and they have since demanded the practice stop, but the leak emerged from two Fallowfield halls committee members who claim it was offered to them for last year’s Welcome Week.

The perks included free entry to all Social Junkies events for the remainder of their university life, as well as discounts to SKUM events and free entry to all clubs involved in the pack, which was priced at £45.

A spokesperson for Social Junkies said: “It is not attributable to anything that occurred for this current (or last year’s) Welcome Week. This was raised as an issue two years ago and as such, both Social Junkies and The Welcome Week Company have expressly stated in all of their meetings there will be no incentives for any JCR or RA to work with either party.”

But the JCR who leaked the contract was organising last year’s Welcome Week for a prominent Fallowfield halls, meaning they would have been offered the deal a year after Social Junkies claim to have dealt with the matter.

No official perks are thought to have been offered to JCRs this year, though several Halls of Residence committees again teamed up with The Welcome Week Company.

The committee member who spoke to The Mancunion also claims that after rejecting the offer, they alerted the University to the practice and offered an alternative proposal to running Welcome Week.

But despite the Vice Chancellor wishing the initiative “every success”, the Pastoral Care Support Worker for the halls in question refused to recommend JCR members to cooperate.

Nick Pringle, General Secretary at the Students’ Union said: “I’m extremely concerned about reports that students were pressured into signing deals with club promoters for their welcome week packages.”

He added: “As a Students’ Union we’re committed to supporting and developing residences associations and JCRs so that they remain student-led. As every student pays into their association through accommodation fees, students must always be in control of the activities and finances of these associations. It’s clear that a change is needed and we’ll be working with the students involved and the university to find a solution.”

Brendon Jones, General Manager for Pastoral Care, said in a statement: “Residents Associations and Junior Common Rooms are autonomous bodies with constitutions and are elected by the residents in the Halls. We always offer them support and advice in all matters that are drawn to our attention including entering into any agreements with third parties.”

“Over the previous year meetings have been held to offer advice on managing approaches from promoters because we are aware that RAs and JCRs are regularly targeted.”

This is not the first time Social Junkies have made The Mancunion headlines. In 2010, students and the University condemned their promotion tactics, heavy emphasis on drinking, and their event entitled ‘Fuck a Fresher’.

The best night spots in Manchester

Freshers, take note, for I am about to impart unto you some of the most useful tips for the start of your new lives in Manchester. Picture Oxford Road as a mighty river – stick with it, it will soon make sense. It flows chaotically past the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan, multiple halls of residence, and then morphs into Wilmslow Road, before spluttering into the student ghettoes of Fallowfield and beyond. Many buses filled with whey-protein-pumped morons line the banks of this river; advertising nights out in the whirlpools that are The Bop and 5th Avenue, whirlpools that will drain both your wallet and your soul. But young freshers, there are many smaller, cooler, less frequented tributaries and streams. Streams that are waiting to be sailed down, and yes, this guide will be your metaphorical canoe, paddle and GPS app, all in one. I told you the metaphor would be good.

Now imagine your first night out in Manchester. This might even be your first night-out in a place that’s not your home town. You can head to the Printworks to find out for yourself that it is rubbish, or you can determine that the Printworks is rubbish without going there, in order to save time. Instead, while it may be turning into a yuppie paradise, The Northern Quarter still remains the focal point for most of the best nights you’ll find this side of the Pennines. Just five minutes walk from Piccadilly Gardens, the Northern Quarter is filled with bars and clubs offering quality live music and even at the club nights the music remains a cut above the rest. For fans of live music, The Roadhouse, The Ruby Lounge, Matt & Phreds (groovy jazz bar), Moho Live, Soup Kitchen, Gullivers, and the Night & Day café all offer an antidote to the DJ’s who are paid to do nothing more than press play on the latest Carly Rae Jepsen track. While Revolver, a successful 60s club night which takes over The Roadhouse every Monday, deserves at least one visit during your first year.

The Castle Hotel, Oldham Street, offers the best of both worlds: the cramped and bustling atmosphere of a local pub (they sell an ale called ‘Old Tom’ which is so strong they can only sell it in half pints!) as well as an intimate venue that often hosts great local musicians. Meanwhile, sitting on the fringe of the Northern Quarter, Band on the Wall puts on some fantastic live bands, as well as regularly hosting the tea-loving, Manchester resident and music pioneer, Mr. Scruff; and Craig Charles’ ever-popular ‘Funk and Soul Club’ night – which will be in Manchester on September 28th.

Moving away from the city centre, with an atmosphere that manages to find a balance between the horrific mass of Barbour jacket-clad students called Bippy and Spliffy on the one hand, and the strangely appealing feel of an ever so slightly mangy student pub on the other; The Ram manages, despite its Fallowfield location, to be an enjoyable place to visit. Used by many as a watering hole before a larger night out, The Ram & Shackle is bedecked with granny décor, namely crumbling chairs and peeling wallpaper. A question of taste for sure, but it certainly provides first week icebreakers such as “Isn’t this chair mad?” Yes, I’ve had some slow nights there. But the best thing about this pub is that it offers bands that are free to see. Although the quality does suffer somewhat/entirely, it provides students with the perfect night of sitting on a manky chair whilst delivering a vitriolic critique of an out of tune student band from afar.

“But I don’t want to go where all the other students go!” I hear you cry. Well here’s a tip: The Islington Mill, actually located in Salford, but only a 10-minute walk from the city centre, offers exhibitions, film showings, galleries and great bands. The staff are friendly and one never gets the sense that this is a moneymaking enterprise. I saw the brilliant band ‘F**** Up’ here, a hardcore punk band who got the moshing crowd to chant “safety first!” after a crowd surfer almost broke through an electrical pipe. Albeit a tad out of the way, it is definitely a lesser-known highlight.

A club that will be hard to avoid will be The Deaf Institute; a fantastic venue that was indeed a former institute for the deaf. Cool café in the daytime, hip club when the sun goes down. I guess the only negative point that one could draw upon is that it can get busy, really busy, especially on established events like hip-hop night Gold Teeth. What I can also recommend is to sit upon the raised seating in the main dance floor, a perfect spot to observe from above the wonderful and sometimes tragic dance of the students.

So there you have it, my top tips for some great nights out in Manchester. You’ve never had it so easy. I do sincerely hope that as many of you will avoid the multitude of ‘whirlpools’ that this city has to offer. But hang on: I don’t want all you freshers to spoil my evenings! Just don’t go when I do. I’m the guy scowling behind a pint glass.

The Didsbury’s

When you’re fed up of campus life you don’t need to trek all the way into the city centre for a change of scenery. Instead, catch a bus to the café culture atmosphere and independent shops of East and West Didsbury.

The 60s style tea room And The Dish Ran Away With The Spoon, Burton Road, West Didsbury, offers freshly baked cupcakes, brownies and slices with local, organic and fairtrade ingredients where possible. From 1pm every Thursday-Sunday you can also get afternoon tea at a set menu and price, but arrive early as the best cakes always go first! Their menu is also seasonal, offering iced coffees, shakes and ice-cream in the summer and warming treats in the winter. Much better than your average Starbucks.

Everybody loves a good Italian restaurant and the family-run Azzurro, Burton Road, is just that. They offer a traditional Italian menu with a variety of starters, pastas, main courses and desserts. However, it is the specials board that makes Azzurro stand out with fresh seafood being a particular highlight.

If your parents are in town, or if you’re just feeling affluent, head to The Rose Garden which can also be found on Burton Road in West Didsbury. Decorated in a contemporary fashion, the surroundings echo their modern approach to cooking and although it’s pricier than your average restaurant – a main course usually sets you back around £18 – the quality of the food and service definitely makes it worth a visit. Alternatively, The Rose Garden also has a set menu from Sunday-Thursday between 5-7.30pm, which costs £14.95 for two courses and £16.95 for three. Like most eateries in Didsbury, they believe in sourcing their food from local suppliers and keep their menu seasonal.

The best bars and pubs can be found in Didsbury Village around the clock tower or around Burton Road in West Didsbury. A variety of independent and well-established places such as O’Neill’s, The Didsbury and The Dog and Partridge can be found in Didsbury Village. Friday and Saturday nights will inevitably involve groups of people, most probably in fancy dress, stumbling up and down the road attempting to complete what is known locally as “The Didsbury Dozen”.

Otherwise, on Burton Road, there’s The Violet Hour, where you’ll find deep leather sofas and an impressive range of cocktails, wines and spirits. The Metropolitan is also a great pub and, as it was formerly a Victorian railway hotel, it is spacious and has a great outdoor area (complete with an al fresco bar) for those rare sunny days in Manchester.

For shopping, Didsbury has a range of independent and vintage shops, my favourite being Junk Shop on Burton road. Junk Shop is a vintage boutique selling second-hand and remade/re-modelled clothes, predominantly for women, selling pretty dresses, tops, weird and wonderful jumpers and a great range of quirky jewellery as well. They pride themselves on sustainable, affordable fashion and have an in-house design team who have developed the three unique labels of Junk Boutique, Jumble and Label of Love.

So why not try the Didsburys for something alternative. Hop on the 42, 43, 45, 142, 143, or what I quickly picked up from a bus driver when I first arrived in Manchester: “pretty much any bus with its number in the 40s”.

The City for free

So you’ve made it to Manchester, the greatest student city in Europe. But after all of the frivolity of Welcome Week you come to realise that the student loan doesn’t stretch as far as you would like, that your budget does not seem as large as you once imagined. Fear not! There are a great many fun and free things in our fair city, so put away the iPlayer and basics noodles and go explore it.

People’s History Museum

You could expect nothing less of the city at the very forefront of the industrial revolution than to have a museum largely devoted to telling the story of the working class people who shouldered the hard work that made it what it was. Formerly known as National Museum of Labour history, the Spinningfields-based museum it spans the past two hundred years, telling the tale of the growth of democracy in the UK through key events and topics such as the Peterloo massacre, the Women’s Suffrage Movement, popular radicalism, the 1945 general election, the Cooperative retailing movement and football. A recurring theme throughout the museum is various banners of political movements and trade unions, which are both works of art in their own right as well as being telling insights into the great political and societal issues of the day. There’s even a dress up bit complete with bus conductor uniforms, Victorian dresses and Edwardian straw hats.

Whitworth Art Gallery

The art gallery is a favourite for a lazy afternoon; the gallery being one of seven major art galleries in Greater Manchester. Situated in between Whitworth Park Halls and the Park itself, the gallery regularly hosts major exhibitions to go alongside its permanent pieces. The ‘Building On Things’ exhibition, which runs until the January 6th 2013. Contains work from world class artists like Patrick Caulfield and Tacita Dean, and focuses on the relationship between ruins and not only their effect on the past but their enduring legacy into the present.

Afterwards, you can use the money you saved not buying an admission ticket to enjoy a cup of tea in their lovely café (the cake is particularly glorious).

RNCM free recitals and concerts

Sandwiched between the UKs two biggest Universities in the midst of Oxford Road’s hustle and bustle is the Royal Northern College of Music, containing some of the most talented musicians in the country. You can enjoy top class musical performances from students at the conservatoire frequently during term time, from just short recitals to fuller concert repertoires. The concert orchestra particularly plays informal lunchtime concerts free to members of the public. In fact, every Wednesday lunchtime during term time there are performances from soloists and small ensembles in St Ann’s Church, just around the corner from RNCM itself.

John Rylands Library (Deansgate)

One of the more historic buildings of the University of Manchester, this library is both a tourist attraction and also one of the University’s libraries. There are numerous events and tours at the library, including a Harry Potter event on whether or not cloaking is a possibity, which may well excite the inner child in you. There is also an exhibition in September called the ‘ever open door’ about the Manchester based charity ‘The Together Trust’ – of which Mr John Rylands himself was a committee member at its founding in 1870 – through from its inception to the present day. The charity has worked to provide an ever open door to the city’s young poor people, in the beginning primarily to those who lived through the horrific workhouses and the grinding extreme poverty of the era.

Built in a Neogothic style and first opened to the public in 1900, it was given Grade 1 listed status in 1994. As a side note, it is also a very quiet place to study over exam time, quite unlike the main University library, not that that needs to be thought about until the winter and summer exam seasons.

The Museum of Science and Industry

Since 1983 the museum has been providing the best steam train rides in Manchester. Located in Liverpool road station (vacated by British rail in 1975), one of the original terminuses of the Liverpool and Manchester railway, the world’s first passenger railway. But the museum does have more than just trains to offer in its telling of the city’s industrial contributions, with year round exhibitions including everything from domestic appliances to x-ray equipment.

Withington

Away from the noisy, fresher-infested Fallowfield, the more refined student finds his home in Withington after a hedonistic first year. With its mixture of charity shops, takeaways and bars, Withington provides a happy medium between student life and young professionalism.

Food and Drink

Withington’s selection of bars and pubs caters to all tastes. For the trendy, veggie brigade Fuel is the go-to place south of the city centre, with its extensive vegetarian menu matched only by its fine selection of foreign beer. It proves perfect for nights with friends and remains the only place I have ever managed to acquire lemon drizzle cake at 11:30pm. Live music nights are regular, especially at weekends while there’s also a weekly pub quiz, traditionally seen as one of the most challenging in the area!
Across the road is Solomon Grundy, a bar with a similar feel to Fuel, but without the vegetarian element. A well-priced yet cultured menu awaits you with a chilled vibe that is welcoming to all. The bar also often doubles as a jewellery shop during the day.

For those looking to dance into the early hours, the underground bar Indigo is open most evenings and has live jazz on weekends.
For more traditional pub fare The Victoria and the Red Lion provide local ales, pool and live Premier League football. A hidden gem is The Turnpike, which despite its scruffy unwelcoming exterior is well worth a visit, serving Sam Smith’s beer of all varieties at ridiculously cheap prices.

Withington is well-stocked in good restaurants, with Coriander providing arguably the best curry south of the eponymous mile, and at a much more reasonable price. And Aladdin’s, while not looking like much from the outside, provides excellent Middle Eastern cuisine and a lively atmosphere.

Shopping

For all your grocery shopping needs, there’s both a medium-sized Co-operative and a Sainsburys Local. But looking beyond these mainstream options, Withington’s local food shops help the student on a budget in particular. Withington Fruit and Veg provides vegetables of all shapes and sizes at much better prices than their larger competitors.

There’s also a wide array of pound shops which provide for bargain-hunters.

Withington is known for its charity shops, where both the fashion-conscious hipster and the standard student will find great value. Deco, Egerton Crescent, is another fine place to discover a bargain. Offering discount DVDs meticulously sorted into their respective genres, rare vinyl and a collection of old and new CDs, Deco is regularly filled with Manchester DJs looking for inspiration for their latest set.

Withington also has a library which, while perhaps not satisfying all your literary needs, is a quiet oasis for study if the journey to university seems too far, plus membership is free.

Many Fallowfield urchins will turn their nose up at Withington-dwellers, but that’s only because they’re jealous they missed a trick. Enjoy your first year in Halls but I urge you to then make the smart choice, and allow yourself to be taken in by Withington’s charms. You won’t regret it. And if you do feel nostalgia for the glory days, 256 is only a 10-minute walk away.

Parks

People say Manchester is all rain and no sun, rubbish. Sometimes there is a whole week of unbroken sunshine. Should you be lucky enough to witness such a time, the abundance of parks that cover the city are a great place to take it all in.

Platt Fields: one of the biggest and perhaps best known parks is Platt Fields. Its close vicinity to University of Manchester and MMU halls of residence makes itan obvious attraction to students. As well as being a great place for runners, there is plenty of space to relax with friends, kick a ball around – or weather permitting – have a barbeque. The park includes a couple of basketball and tennis courts, a (private) BMX track, a well-equipped skatepark, and a large boating lake open in the summer. It also plays host to the annual June music-festival Parklife and an impressive fireworks display on Guy Fawkes Night.

Ladybarn Park
: more of a hidden gem, Ladybarn Park is nestled between residential streets popular with 2nd and 3rd year students. Accessible off Ladybarn Road, a few hundred metres down from popular fish & chip shop The Battered Cod, Ladybarn Park is quieter and much smaller than nearby Platt Fields. This means the three basketball hoops and two tennis courts are often free. It’s also popular with Slackliners (where you tie a rope between two trees and bounce around on it) and Frisbee-ers, and is generally a perfect place to escape from the bustle of city life.

Whitworth Park: slap bang in the middle of the main student commuter route Oxford Road, Whitworth Park is a welcome break between the chaos of the Curry Mile and the main UofM and MMU campuses. The majority of the park is covered with large trees, so offers plenty of shade on a sunny day. The nearby universities on Oxford Road and UofM’s Victoria Campus and Whitworth Park Halls of Residence make it popular with students. The park gets its name from the famous 19th century engineer, entrepreneur, inventor and philanthropist Sir Joseph Whitworth. A statue commemorating him stands in the park and can often been seen with a traffic cone on his head or defiled in some other way.

Heaton Park
: approximately 600 acres, Heaton Park is not only the biggest park in Manchester, but also one of the largest urban parks in Europe. It made headlines this summer as it hosted the Stones Roses reunion concert. Naturally, it is a great place to go when the sun is out and perfect for a game of football and even has a public golf course. However, Heaton is not the most easily accessible of Manchester’s parks being about a 30-minute bike ride from Salford Uni. So its location and family appeal mean Heaton Park is not the most popular student park. Nevertheless, on a sunny day, if you don’t mind lots of dogs, it makes for a good day trip.

Peel Park: adjacent to the University of Salford, Peel Park is a stone throw south of Castle Irwell Student Village. Despite its central location, enter Peel Park and you won’t feel as if you’re in a city environment – bordered by Salford University and the River Irwell and with the sound of the nearby dual carriageway muted, it makes for a beautiful park come summer or winter. Opened in 1846, as one of the first public parks in Manchester it now includes the David Lewis Sports Ground. Together, the two offer numerous football pitches and vast open areas for relaxing with friends and perhaps some casual sports (whatever they may be).

Queen’s Park: located a short walk north of University of Bolton’s Deane Campus is Queen’s Park. Spotted with trees and a picturesque pond it’s the nearest respite from the urban setting of Bolton University. Although relatively small, there is plenty of space for a kick around, to chat with friends, or to just sit back relax and read a book on a sunny day.

Leverhulme Park: To the east of Bolton proper, a short bus ride away from the Uni is Leverhulme Park, the largest area of public parkland in the Bolton area. With its vast open spaces and river running through it, Leverhulme is a stunning park with plenty of space for whatever you feel like doing, whether you fancy a bit of footy, ultimate Frisbee or some extreme kite flying. The park is also home to a number of unique leisure facilities, including a cycling-track and running track; and hosts many of the local annual fairs and festivals, such as the Leverhulme Park fireworks display and funfair on November 4.

These are just a sample of the multitude of public parks in Greater Manchester and just a few of the places you can relax and spend your time while at university in Manchester.

Oxford Road

Oxford Road stretches from Manchester City c+Centre to the edge of Rusholme, where it morphs into Wilmslow Road and the legendary curry mile. Odds are you’re going to live either on or within spitting distance of this road at some point so let’s get a head start on the best places to know.

Famed for being the busiest bus route in Europe – one every 11 seconds – you might think you could just glide by on the Magic Bus, but really everything is within five to ten minute walking distance of the University.

The main campus’ of both MMU and the University of Manchester are situated on Oxford Road; with the University of Manchester Students’ Union being the hub of student life for UofM students. During Welcome Week you literally won’t be able to move two inches along the stretch of pavement outside the building without someone thrusting some kind of voucher into your hands! Opposite the Students’ Union is the International Society which has a café serving hearty, cafeteria style lunches complete with, predictably, dishes from around the world. The society also hosts a number of cultural events which are open to all students; from showing French films with the Francophone society to Caribbean evenings complete with delicious Jamaican cuisine.

Walking towards the city centre, you’ll pass the Manchester Museum. Well worth checking out if you have a couple spare hours and fancy a culture fix. Up until November the museum will be hosting a special exhibition on British war hero, computer pioneer and one-time Manchester scholar, Alan Turing. It’s free entry for all, and the gift shop is a great spot for Christmas shopping.

The Royal Northern College of Music is located just on the crossroads from the Precinct, where you can catch free afternoon performances from gifted young classical musicians, and opposite that is the Aquatics Centre. Built for the Commonwealth Games, it has two 50m pools and a 25m diving pool, as well as a gym. With the Manchester Leisure Pass (available for FREE) you can receive discounted prices, and membership starts at £120. Around the corner from the Aquatics Centre is the Sugden Sports Centre, with great membership rates for students and a whole range of facilities available including an extensive list of workout classes. A nine month membership comes in at £165. During Welcome Week and for some time after, a lot of the classes will offer free taster sessions at all of the sports facilities in Manchester, so make sure to check these out before signing up.

Skipping past Manchester Metropolitan University, you start hitting the spots which make Manchester the best student experience. Just off Oxford Road, on Grosvenor Street, you’ll find the slightly dilapidated Footage, a place to catch a live sports match with a cheap burger and a pint. If you fancy catching an intimate gig, head to The Deaf Institute, which has regular and low priced gigs, usually of the alternative/indie vibe. It also has some great food. Opposite Deaf you find The Pub/Zoo, two venues in one and a regular student night out with Mondays being “Acceptable in the 90s”, £1 entry and £1 drinks all night. Bargain. Next to The Pub, you have Sandbar, tad pricy, but with a cosy atmosphere, and a beer garden out back. It’s a stereotypical student haunt, trying to capture the Northern Quarter vibe with a fair amount of success.

Back on Oxford Road, keeping a northward bearing, you’ll pass by the 8th Day vegetarian health-food shop and café. Being the birthplace of modern vegetarianism, it is perhaps no surprise that Manchester has really jumped on the vegetarian/vegan bandwagon, and this is just one of many havens for the leaf eaters among you. Another being The Thirsty Scholar, a vegan pub tucked under the railway bridge which crosses over Oxford Road.

Around said railway bridge, you’ll find one of my favourite places in the world – Font. £2 cocktails? Yes please. Check out the Font challenge! Next door is a newly opened expansion for Northern Quarter legend Black Dog Ballroom. Featuring a roof terrace, with summer BBQs, and 2 for 1 cocktails at happy hour, this place is going to be big.

Just in front of Oxford Road rail station, you’ll find the Cornerhouse, an international cinema and gallery which screens indie films from around the world, and welcomes thought provoking exhibitions and festivals all year ‘round. It is a great place to have a coffee with a friend, perusing the latest exhibition, and feeling all intellectual.

The last stretch – technically Oxford Street – has an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet at Tai Wu, for about £6 during the day time, and the former Victorian public toilet, and now trendy city-centre watering-hole Temple Bar; which offers up a terrific range of bottled beers in a bohemian atmosphere. Elbow singer Guy Garvey can also be spotted in here regularly, so there’s another incentive to pay a visit.

Chorlton

Filled with an excessive amount of vegan food shops, bars that seem to cater solely for floppy haired twenty-somethings, and twee cafes; Chorlton is not only a Guardian readers idea of paradise, it’s also a safe haven for anyone looking to escape the vodka-red-bull-swilling, Jack-Wills-wearing brigade that haunt most of south Manchester during term time.

For shopping your best bet is Beech Road, with McQueen offering rare labels and Nood, which stocks an eclectic mix of accessories and dresses, including owner Alison King’s own ‘AKA’ label. Coming off Beech Road and into the more affordable end of Chorlton, Fred’s, Wilbraham Road, is a small boutique which sells specially selected clothes that you won’t find on the high street for affordable prices. Meanwhile, the award for the most stereotypical shop in the area has to go the Creative Recycling Gallery, which sells fashionable trinkets and other goods made from recycled material with the broader aim of promoting “ethical and sustainable living”. I told you it was a Guardian reader’s paradise.

If traipsing around fashion boutiques and eco-friendly galleries isn’t your idea of fun, Chorlton also has a number high-quality charity shops stocking good books, clothes and other items donated by the neighbourhood’s liberal, middle-class inhabitants. While it also enjoys a number of characterful, independent café’s and restaurants; such as the wonderful On The Corner on Beech Road.

Selling afternoon meals and a varied selection of tea and juices, On The Corner also doubles as an independent record shop and regularly hosts live music, DJ-ing and art shows. Battery Park on Wilbraham Road offers a similar selection of food and drink to On The Corner, and boasts a menu containing locally sourced produce and fresh juices.

If you manage to pop into Chorlton on a sunny day, and that will be rare occurrence in Manchester, you can head to one of Chorlton’s lunchtime institutions to prepare for a picnic in Chorlton Meadows.

Barbakan Delicatessen, Manchester Road, and Unicorn Grocery, Albany Road, specialise in freshly baked bread and sell ingredients from all over Europe. Though because selling predominantly organic, fair-trade produce doesn’t come cheap; prepare to be taken aback by prices. In Unicorn you can even buy a vegetarian haggis, though whether that’s an incentive to visit the shop or not I don’t know.

If you’re planning an evening out, Yakisoba, on Barlow Moor Road, is a fantastic Asian fusion restaurant offering Thai and Chinese cuisine at reasonable prices. A bowl of soup so large that you could swim in it and a sizeable bento box will only set you back £10. For something less formal Pi, Manchester Road, is a smallish bar which sells a range of excellent beers and serves up tasty pie and mash for a fiver.

To get to Chorlton you can catch either the 85 or the 86 from the RNCM. It’s just 15 minutes from Oxford Road by bus. Alternatively you can get on a tram to St Werburgh’s Road from the city centre; a journey which only takes between 15-20 minutes.

Fallowfield

Presented with the task of writing an introductory guide to Fallowfield I panicked, thinking that I had been too unadventurous in my first two years as a Manchester student. I had found things that I liked and I had stuck with them. Why fix what isn’t broken? So I pulled a group of friends together and quizzed them on their favourite places in the area. And as the answers began to pour in I realised that none of this was new to me. There is so much to do in Fallowfield but it is easy to forget or brush over it because it is all right under your nose. Especially in first year, living on the Fallowfield campus, everything is only a short walk away, and becomes so familiar. As friends told of their favourite night out takeaway or the best place to spend a lazy Sunday morning I realised that I had no reason to panic. While I may not have sampled every topping from each takeout pizza shop or carefully analysed and compared the drinks prices of every bar, I knew that there was a reason that I had chosen to carry on living there for a third year running. Fallowfield is the perfect location for a student who wants to throw themselves in, have fun and enjoy their new found freedom.

What makes Fallowfield attractive to many students is the number of bars it hosts in such close proximity. The ‘Fallowfield Fifteen’ bar crawl is therefore a popular night out for many sports teams, with its involvement being pretty self explanatory. If a rowdy night out following rugby boys dressed up as babies wearing nothing but nappies and spooning each other their own concoction of ‘baby food’ isn’t your thing, then Fallowfield still offers a more chilled night out. Font, on Wilmslow Road almost opposite the entrance to Owen’s Park, boasts a large menu of tasty cocktails, which is forever expanding, and at little over £2 each it makes it hard to say no to “just one more”.

If you’re looking for something a bit different to a standard overdressed night out in Revolution but don’t want to venture into town towards the Northern Quarter, then head further into Fallowfield, past Sainsbury’s, to The Ram. From the outside it is easy to be unsure of what to expect and this doesn’t change when you step inside, with odd mismatching furniture and graffiti artwork on the walls. Half of the pub is even a gutted out industrial size kitchen which is now given over to pool tables. But with wine served by the pint and regular live music and open mic nights, it is definitely a night that should be given a go.

Just a few meters down the road from Font, Fallow also offers live music. Serving up eclectic mix of beer and cider as well as affordable cocktails, an evening at Trof is a little different from your standard night-out in Fallowfield; but once you’ve discovered it you’ll almost definitely return. Not only do they often have alternative bands playing in an area that leads onto a heated, cosy balcony, but they will welcome you back in the morning with their tempting breakfasts.

For something a bit different, Squirrel’s Bar in Oak House offers a comedy night every other Sunday which is open to all. Hosting comedians who are just starting out as well as established names, including Jack Whitehall, it’s important to get there early to avoid being stuck in the front row and making yourself the target of ‘hilarious’ put-downs from the stand-ups.

If a break is needed from heavy nights out, then Platt Fields Park, just before Owens Park on Wilmslow Road, provides some green, wholesome fun. In good weather the lake is open for boating and pedalos, the park is perfect for BBQs, and every few months it is visited by a fair. The park also plays a large part in the local community and hosts events such as an annual Diwali celebration which includes a large firework show, complete with bonfire. On the last weekend of the final term, Platt Fields is turned not so green or wholesome but with added fun for Parklife Festival, which has big name headliners, nationwide visitors and ends the year with an unforgettable bang.

A guide to Fallowfield would not be complete without a mention of Gaffs, the infamous off-licence. Known for selling £1 bottles of wine, Gaffs is your go-to for cheap alcohol, tickets for nights out, food, DVDs and anything else you could possibly be in desperate need of.

So really apart from the attendance of university when it really is necessary, there is no need to leave Fallowfield when you have everything you could possibly need no more than a few hundred meters away from you. For a guaranteed good night out, I suggest you head to Gaffs to stock up, pop into Font for a few cocktails, dance down to 256 where the music will keep you on your feet all night, and then stagger into your choice of takeaway. (I recommend Venice Pizza or Allan’s Chicken although there is always the trusty Dominos). Wander back to your halls and wake up ready to do it all again tomorrow.