A popular restaurant in the city centre has announced it will be serving up a Girls Aloud cocktail dedicated to Sarah Harding to coincide with the band’s three shows in Manchester this week.
Fried chicken favourite Yard & Coop, which is located on Edge Street in the Northern Quarter, has added the limited edition drink to its menu for two week’s only - and all proceeds will be donated to the charity set up at The Christie in Sarah’s name.
Sarah tragically passed away at the age of 39 in September 2021 after she was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer. She had been part of Girls Aloud since their formation on ITV’s Popstars: The Rivals in 2002.
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Cheryl, Nadine, Nicola and Kimberley are currently embarking on their The Girls Aloud Show tour, which has been described as a celebration of the band’s career as well as a special way for fans to remember Sarah. The group will perform at Manchester’s AO Arena this Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
Whilst coinciding with the tour dates in Manchester, Yard & Coop’s special cocktail will also raise money for The Sarah Harding Cancer Appeal for The Christie Hospital, which is where Sarah was treated.
All proceeds of the Wear It Like A Crown cocktail, named after the last song the singer released, will go to the charity appeal. Speaking to the M.E.N, Yard & Coop co-owner and founder Laura Morris said she hoped the drink would raise awareness of cancer amongst young people and encourage more people to get checked out.
Laura explained: “I’m a huge Girls Aloud fan, I’m going to see them on Thursday, but I was just thinking about the fact that Sarah Harding was treated at The Christie in Manchester and, for a number of reasons, that place has always been something that’s close to our hearts.
“It’s just a really nice opportunity for us to do something to get a message out there amongst young people to get themselves checked out and keep an eye out for the early signs of breast cancer. It really felt like the right thing to do.”
The £9 cocktail will feature gin, tequila, elderflower tonic, watermelon and cucumber all served in a big gin bowl. Laura says it’s a ‘really summery drink’ that she hopes will go down a storm.
“It’s a really lovely zesty and fun summer drink,” she explains. “Hopefully we’re going to raise some money and at the same time, use our little bit of influence to inspire people to check themselves out. Even if it just encourages a couple of people then that’s more than worth it.”
Last month, street artist Deggy created a mural of Sarah in the Stockport town where she grew up. Situated on the side of the former Royal Oak pub on High Street near the town’s Underbanks, the artwork features the singer in front of a pink background whilst the logo of The Christie sits on her shoulder.
Laura said she hoped both the mural and the cocktail would open up the conversation around breast cancer in young people. According to Breast Cancer Now, more than 10,000 women under the age of 50 are diagnosed with breast cancer every year in the UK - with around 2,400 women aged under 39 diagnosed each year.
“Sarah’s charity appeal is all about raising awareness of cancer amongst younger people,” Laura explains. “A lot of people still think that cancer is an older person’s thing but it’s not.
“This is our way of hopefully raising some money for The Christie. She was from around here and she was treated here so I think that it’s really poignant that we do something to recognise that.”
Yard & Coop is on 37 Edge Street, Northern Quarter, M4 1HW.
More information about The Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal can be found here. You can find more details on the symptoms of breast cancer via the Cancer Research website here.
