Theatre tickets
A chance to win tickets to see 'Allo Allo' at the Lowry's Quay Theatre.
FIND OUT MORESee How They Run
Win tickets for the hilarious festive farce, See How They Run, at the Royal Exchange.
FIND OUT MOREChampagne afternoon
The Calico Cafe Bar is offering one reader a free Champagne Afternoon Tea for two, worth £45.
FIND OUT MOREAspiring entrepreneur?
Chartered Accountants Lucas Reis are offering an hour's free business consultation.
FIND OUT MOREHot off the press
This month's hottest stories. Manchester is chosen for new super casino. The reds take on the world in celebration match. And Manchester University number one in the country.
Viva manchester
When Manchester was selected by the Casino Advisory Panel to host the UK's first regionalcasino in the face of intense national competition a few weeks ago, everyone was shocked. Everyone except Mancunians, that is. Now the city is pushing ahead with plans to create a £250 million Las Vegas-style casino and entertainment development in East Manchester, creating 2,700 jobs and a multitude of community facilities.
Manchester City Council leader Sir Richard Leese said: "This regional casino will be an international destination bringing many more visitors to the North West, as well as providing a whole range of much needed jobs to one of the UK's most deprived communities."
The license is subject to parliamentary approval, but if Manchester gets the thumbs up, it is envisaged that the casino will form part of an array of leisure and community facilities such as a multipurpose arena, a swimming pool, restaurants, bars, a nightclub and a hotel.
Manchester City Council is hoping to launch a competition this summer to select both the site of the regional casino and the operator who will run it.
Still number 1
The University of Manchester is still the UK's most popular university, and for good reason - its graduates are on the wish list of the biggest employers in the country, according to a new survey.
The recently published 'The Graduate Market in 2007' survey by High Fliers Research reveals that The University of Manchester is still the higher education institution most targeted by the UK's top 100 graduate employers.
The news comes as the latest figures from the Universities Central Admissions Service show that Manchester received nearly 63,000 applications to its undergraduate courses for 2006 entry, retaining its position as the country's premier student destination.
The future is CGI
A BAFTA award-winning visual effects team from Manchester has recently been singled out for praise by the Royal Television Society and presented with a Craft & Design Award. Founded ten years ago to produce computer generated imagery (CGI) for film and television, Red Vision has earned a raft of industry awards. The latest accolade was received for the company's visual/digital effects in ITV's 'Titanic - Birth of a Legend' programme.
According to the Royal Television Society: "The winning programme was hugely impressive in its ambition. The integration of CGI and live action was flawlessly seamless." Red Vision's commissions now come from as far away as Hollywood, where the team has just completed work for Warner Bros Pictures' hotly anticipatedOcean's 13.
Art with a conscience
They fought and died in a war that many feel was not justified. Now the British soldiers who lost their lives in Iraq will be honoured in a Steve McQueen exhibition commissioned by Manchester International Festival and the Imperial War Museum North. It took McQueen three years to create a fitting memorial to those whose lives have been lost in Iraq. He travelled to Basra and worked closely with the families of the deceased to produce a set of postage stamps featuring a photographic portrait of each dead soldier.
The McQueen exhibition, entitled 'For Queen and Country', is the final pre-festival commission prior to the launch of the Manchester International Festival on June 28. The exhibition has just opened to the public at the Central Library, where it will remain until July 15.
The European connection
A galaxy of football stars from across Europe, managed by Marcello Lippi, will descend on Old Trafford to take on Manchester United in a special charity match on March 13. Manchester United v Europe XI celebrates the Reds' move into European football 50 years ago and the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, which established the European Community.
Tickets are priced from £17 for adults and £5 for children, and all profits from the game will go to help the Manchester United Foundation improve the lives of young people locally and in Europe. You also have the opportunity to dine with the players and managers of both teams in a prematch meal. Tickets cost £125 per person, including a commemorative gift and a match ticket for the game. To find out more, visit www.manutd.com.
Chic in the city
Manchester has no shortage of luxury hotels, but the city's latest serviced apartment company seems to have found a gap in the market. The brain child of Manchester entrepreneurs Justin Reyner and Michelle Chadwick, City Centre Chic offers luxury short stay accommodation for the discerning traveller in two of the city's most iconic residential buildings - The Edge and Beetham Tower.
The apartments range from studios to triplex penthouse suites, but they all feature uber-stylish interiors and state-of-the-art technology, including plasma screen televisions. They appeal to visitors who want to be pampered in the privacy of their own temporary pad in the city. For details visit www.citycentrechic.com.