Laura Sagar

So we’ve all heard the Southern softies despairing about the crazy cost of houses down South, but it looks like house prices in Manchester have been sneakily creeping up too. A recent survey has revealed that half of the top ten most expensive streets in the North West are in our beloved Manchester. The priciest streets are in Wilmslow, Altrincham and Prestbury. The most expensive street in the North of England resides in Altrincham. Yep, ‘Park Lane’ in Altrincham has an average house price of a stonking £2,494,000. Ouch! Second prize goes to South Road (also in Altrincham) racking in an average of £2,025,000. No prizes for guessing where Manchester's footie players live then. But before you go running away searching for ‘affordable housing’ which we’re not sure actually exists anymore), you can all breathe a sigh of relief knowing that at least our houses aren’t anywhere near the price of Grosvenor Crescent in Westminster where the average house costs £16,918,000. Yeah, let’s not move down to London. If you're buying in Manchester, you'll need to look for some cool things to do. Here you go.

The results are in. According to You Gov’s poll of attractive accents in the British Isles we came tenth! Out of twelve. We demand a recount. Apparently one prefers the ever so correct pronunciation of the Queen’s English over our lovely warm, friendly Northern accents. Hmm, was this poll conducted mainly down South by any chance? Let’s put it this way, who would you rather listen to, David Cameron or Maxine Peake? Exactly. The survey asked 2018 British adults whether they thought each of the twelve accents were attractive or unattractive. Here’s the list from best to worst (in their opinion, not ours of course). Republic of Ireland Received pronunciation Welsh Yorkshire West Country Geordie Northern Irish Glaswegian Cockney Mancunian Scouse Brummie Rather than see it as third from the bottom, we’ve decided to see it as tenth place, so not bad, well done chaps. Could be worse, at least we beat the Scousers and Brummies (phew!).

Bit tired of waking up in the dark and it already turning pitch black by the time you get to leave work? Yeah we feel your pain. But this December The Long Dark night are returning to The Castle Hotel with a flicker of hope and an evening of tales exploring the various types of darkness. The Winter Solstice marks the longest and ultimately darkest day of the year. Though it’s tempting to just curl up under your duvet with one of your many boxes of deep filled mice pies, there is always the quirkier option of spending an evening listening to some awesome radio producers telling you tales of a world beyond the light (sounds intriguing right?). Question the loneliness of darkness, what lurks in the shadows and the colour of darkness at The Long Dark. £3 advance or on the door, Sunday December 21, 7.30pm, The Castle Hotel, 66 Oldham St, Manchester M4 1LE. For more info head over to inthedarkradio.org

Still on the lookout for some quality produce to impress your relatives on Christmas Day or a present for aunty Joan who already has everything and is a stickler to buy for? Don’t worry, Ramsbottom’s monthly artisan farmers’ market has got your back and is returning this Sunday. At 9am on December 14, the farmers' market opens and has told us to expect a festive twist. There will be over 50 stalls and produce sourced from all over the North West. As well as being a great place to pick up a few jars of conserve for aunty Joan, it’s also a great way of sticking it to The Man and helping out the farming community. See you there! December 14, starts 9am, Ramsbottom Civic Hall, Market Place, BL0 9AJ For more information go to www.visitramsbottom.org

'Frozen' fans, we’ve only gone and found the best Christmas prezzie out there. How do you fancy skating on ice with Elsa and Anna? Yeah, we thought you’d be interested in this one. Spinningfields Ice Rink is so cool that it has organised a live ‘Frozen’ show on ice for January 14 2015 at 12:30pm. Skaters from the Altrincham Ice Skating Club will perform routines to ‘Do You Wanna Build a Snowman’, ‘Love is an Open Door’ and of course, everyone’s new fave ‘Let It Go’. Prepare yourself for what’s sure to become a marvelous mass sing-along! The participation doesn’t stop there. If belting out your well practised 'Frozen' repertoire isn’t enough for you there’s always the opportunity to book on the 12:50pm ‘skate with the stars’ too. Kiddies will also get the chance to have their photographs taken with Elsa and Anna. We feel a dream come true coming... Tickets are on sale here NOW, you must book in advance and it’s first come first served, so you’d better get your skates on!

On the last Friday before Christmas Manchester’s street food collective Guerilla Eats are bringing us an Xmas Beer Bash that sounds like a right barrel of laughs.  There will be over 20 keg and cask lines from some of the North West’s best craft brewers including the likes of Magic Rock, The Five Points, Quantum, and First Chop. Once you’ve sampled some and picked your faves you’ll have the chance to take a few home from the carry-out bottle bar to impress your family over the festive weeks (or stash them away and crack them open when everyone’s passed out on mince pies). By this point we imagine you’ll be more than a little merry and on the verge of resembling Santa with your flushed cheeks and rotund beer belly. That’s where some of the city’s best street food comes in to sort out your drunken munchies. So far we know that there will be Fat Annies, Beastys, Dirty Food Revolution and Rudy's Pizza. Beer fans would be hopping mad to miss this one! Booking essential, £4 advance and includes a beer bash glass, December 19, 5pm- 11pm, Blossom Street, AncoatsM4 5AF. For more info and to book tickets go to billetto.co.uk/xmas-beer-bash

If you fancy yourself as the next Mary Berry get your firm buns over to the Clandestine Cake Club, who are now opening their doors to new members. Are you ready to prove yourself? The club is for all you baking beauties getting creative with your cupcakes, surprising with your sponges and innovative with your icing. Don’t be shy if you often get a soggy bottom though, this club promises a welcoming and friendly approach and joining up will give you the chance to hone your skills at all of the events rolling out across the city. Rather than mimicking The Bake Off’s competitive spirit, the Manchester Clandestine Cake Club is building a community of cake enthusiasts and offers plenty of opportunities to learn and become a rising star. The cherry on the cake is that - as the name suggests - the locations are kept top secret. And the illicit connotations? We reckon that’s on a knead to know basis. For more info check out clandestinecakeclub.co.uk

Daaaa, da da dadadaaaa! Oh hi there Corrie fans, up to much on December 17? Better cancel those plans because Coronation Street have only gone and organised a Corrie Christmas party. And yes, you’re invited. It’s taking place in The Rovers so you’ll get the chance to sup a pint at the bar and dance all night long (well, till 11:30pm) to its resident DJ. You’ll have full reign of the Street and the special Christmas walks will still be running so get your camera phone at the ready and prepare to fill your newsfeed with Street selfies. Will you see any cast members? We can’t be sure, but we reckon Noris might be poking his nose around. All of that excitement will probably get you rather peckish, but rather than a potentially stale on-screen hotpot you can feast on a hog or nut roast (sorry Betty, no offence) and wash it down with a glass of mulled wine. Tickets cost £35 and include food and a glass of mulled wine, 7:30pm-11:30pm, December 17, over 18’s only and ID required. Corornation Street, via Atherton Street, M3 4FD. For more information and to book tickets head over to coronationstreettour.co.uk

Start the New Year with a bang at The Horse and Jockey’s free New Year's Eve firework display. You’d better watch out, you’d better not cry, if left unplanned NYE is often a massive let down. So we've found an alternative to an evening watching Jools Holland on the telly, and a way to ensure your evening is a screamer. It doesn’t matter if you’re strapped for cash after Boxing Day’s epic sales shopping blowout, The Horse and Jockey’s fireworks are totally free. There will be music from their resident DJ from 8pm and the display starts at 12am. Group together a few mates and head down to the Green early for a good spot. There’s even the option to make a proper night of it by booking a meal (£40 each), but if you do then we’d advise booking asap. Free, Wednesday December 31, fireworks start 12am, 9 the Green, Chorlton, M21 9HS. For more info head over to horseandjockeychorlton.co.uk

Shine bright like a diamond as the Northern Quarter frosts over for Manchester’s very own glitter ball. Banish all thoughts of Disney’s 'Frozen', this is a seriously fashionable back street disco. House of Popular Disco returns with a host of DJs, a performance by Grace Oni Smith and an evening brimming with killer couture straight from the pages of Vogue magazine. The dress code is, of course, GLAMOUR! So grab your Chanel (fret not, nobody will realise it’s fake) channel your inner Moss and doll yourself up for a night of glitz and glamour. Drunk at Vogue: The Glitter Ball, Kraak, Fri Dec 12 10.30pm-4am, £6

O come all ye faithful carollers, take your pick of these joyful and triumphant Christmas concerts happening in Manchester this winter. Best for foodies and views Christmas Carols Afternoon Tea at Cloud 23, Sun Dec 21, £38 per adultIn the bleak midwinter enjoy some afternoon tea and a glass of premium champagne with your carols and a great view of the city. Best for performance The Snow Queen by Quantum Theatre at Tatton Park, Sun Dec 14, 2pm, £12 (child £8, family £30) For a real fairytale Christmas concert, Tatton Park’s take on Hans Christian Andersen's ‘The Snow Queen’ is brought to life with a performance by three actors.  Best for atmosphere and elegance Carols By Candlelight at Bridgewater Hall, Thu Dec 18, 7.30pm, prices varyDressed to the nines in full 18th Century costume, these vocalists belt out some concert carols as well as seasonal classics.  Best for families and a sing-along Family Carol Concert at Manchester Cathedral, Sat Dec 20, 7.30pm, £10/£8Listen to some classic carols and have a jolly good sing-along with the Cathedral Voluntary Choir and Northern Brass Quintet.  Best for ballet followers and classical music lovers Hallé: Opus One Series - The Nutcracker: complete concert performance, Bridgewater Hall, Wed Dec 10, 2.15pm, Thu Dec 11 and Sun Dec 14, 7.30pm, from £11For what’s sure to be a beautiful rendition of Tchaikovsky’s ballet 'The Nutcracker', head over to Hallé for their concert which includes the whole score. Less cheesy Mariah Carey and religi

Listen up guys! Manchester has beat London, Bristol, Plymouth and Sheffield in a ballot to win a whopping £120,00 to transform our city with a load of wild flowers. This blooming great cash injection is coming from the Big Lottery Fund following the national vote compiled by Grow Wild, a group launched by the Royal Botanical Gardens working to increase the number of UK native wildflowers. We aren’t alone in our victory, the winning scheme ‘The Tale of Two Cities’ also includes our mates over in Liverpool. So both cities will be united by this floral frenzy. Wondering where these blooms will be poppy-ing up? Keep an eye out for planting in Hulme and Moss Side, the Princess Parkway route and schools nearby. Or if you pop over to Liverpool then head to Everton Park. For more quirky Manchester news take a look at Manchester’s own ‘Berlin Wall’