Episode 2 Christmas City

It's that magical time of year.

It's Christmas.

Up and down the UK, in towns and cities,

families are gearing up for that big special day.

They're buying presents, eating and drinking and generally making merry.

But as we know, Christmas is a major undertaking that takes planning,

organisation and a lot of hard work.

But for some people,

it can be a pretty challenging time of the year, too.

Hold it, hold it...

I hate it when things like this happen, cos you want it to run smoothly.

We are 7,000 covers short of our target.

-SHE GASPS

-Sorry, I knew that would happen.

So we're in the heart of Britain's biggest Christmas market,

in Manchester,

to show you just what it takes to get that festive season on track.

Just get this lady going.

Yeah.

I've got a guy just on the right-hand side here, guys.

You want to just check he's all right?

If we didn't do our job, the city would come to a standstill.

We're going to be meeting stallholders, police officers

and organisers who all work tirelessly behind the scenes

to make this special time of year safe and joyful for us all.

We're almost ready.

I feel a little bit like Father Christmas.

-BOTH:

-Welcome to the Christmas City.

Christmas has arrived.

On today's show I'll be meeting up with a team from a mental health

charity who've come up with a fantastic line of wooden Christmas

decorations, and I'm going to have a go at making some myself,

admittedly with mixed results.

It doesn't look much like a Christmas tree yet, I'll be honest.

And I'll be joining a team of Trading Standards officers

as they make sure that the alcohol we get from the shelves

really does contain what it says on the bottle.

Christmas brings some sparkle and a very welcome financial boost

to Britain's high streets.

It's a chance for the towns and cities to look their best

and draw in the crowds. Shops are booming,

restaurants are busy and towns are buzzing with activity.

It's also an opportunity to attract people to the less well-known spots,

places which might be overlooked at less lively times of the year.

There are currently over 1,000 important historic buildings at risk

in the UK.

Here in Manchester, one of its oldest locations has been brought

back from the brink with a little sprinkling of Christmas magic.

The old London Road Fire Station is a stunning Grade II listed gem,

built in 1906 as the headquarters for the police,

ambulance and fire services until its closure 30 years ago.

Since 1986,

this site has been largely closed to the public and left to deteriorate.

But this Christmas,

this long-neglected Manchester masterpiece will be transformed into

a winter wonderland with a stunning ice rink as the centrepiece.

And the man with the plan is its new owner, Michael Ingall.

So this room is the garage where the engines, whether they be

fire engines, ambulances or police cars, were actually serviced.

I don't think this room has changed for 60, 70 years.

When we first walked into this particular room,

we thought it was sort of a dairy but it actually isn't,

it's the drying room for the firemen.

You basically stripped naked and you hung all your clothes on here,

shut the door and it would dry it.

Over the next few years,

Michael plans to spend millions of pounds renovating this site

to accommodate a restaurant, a bar, a spa,

a coffee shop and a boutique hotel.

But before that happens,

he's going to show the public what they've been missing

in this magnificent building for the last three decades.

Christmas is actually big here in this city so what we want to do is

be part of a Christmas here.

What we're going to try and do here is something a little bit different.

Maybe a little bit more original with sort of a Dickens meets fantasy

meets sort of cool.

And he's got just 21 days to make the magic happen.

In sort of three weeks' time you'll actually walk through the entrance,

there'll be sort of foliage, maybe sort of fires, maybe flames,

it'll have that sort of Christmas feel.

The structure being put up over there is a sort of temporary bar

and within the middle will be restaurants, pop-up street food.

Below will be an ice rink. Just a sort of melee of activity,

basically Christmas.

Michael has all the ideas, but it'll be down to the site manager,

Joe Shiels, to pull it all together in time for the Christmas deadline.

It's all about respecting the fact that it is Grade II listed and also

just to take into account the fact that we do have supporting

scaffolding around and there are areas where we shouldn't be going.

Christmas is a time for rejoicing and having fun but for some people

it can also be a difficult time.

I've come to the mental health charity Start Creative in Salford,

which helps people suffering from mental health problems to overcome

the stresses in their lives by teaching them to make things.

The products they make are sold in stores throughout the UK and at this

year's Manchester Christmas Market,

and the man behind the charity is Ben Thomas.

Ben, lovely to meet you.

This place looks amazing.

-Tell me what you do here.

-We work with people and encourage them to do

creative activity that's good for wellbeing,

raises aspirations and builds confidence.

-What do you make?

-We make a variety of things.

The idea is people come through the charity and they get an experience.

We do wood turning, we do wood carving, we do joinery,

it's all about the kind of process and the materials

geared about creativity, but we also salvage products.

So we train people how to make things -

chopping boards, Christmas trees.

The idea being is that it's really good for people's wellbeing to make

something and feel that kind of sense of achievement

from doing that, but equally it's really good for then that thing

to be valued and sold and then that money given back to the charity

that's helped those people develop.

And here's some of the items that would go out for sale.

Yeah, that's exactly right.

This has come out of the woods a few weeks back,

-a piece of oak.

-A Christmas tree.

-Yeah.

-Fantastic.

-I'm going to get you to make one, I think.

That was going to be my next question. I'm itching to have...

-Can I really have a go?

-Yeah, yeah, brilliant.

Fantastic.

I'm going to get the chance to try my hand at one of their bestsellers.

But I'm not sure it will be this year, if I've made it.

Right, let's fire it up.

The wood's not, like, a complete, smooth cylinder

so it's, like, dragging on the tool.

It doesn't look much like a Christmas tree yet, I'll be honest.

Come on, tree. I know you're in there.

But it's not just their products that impressed me,

it's Ben's reasons for starting up the charity.

We're also here to combat prejudices around mental health

and so it's really great to spread the word in a really positive way.

We're not out there shaking a tin, saying, "Come and help us,

"we're a charity." We're out there saying,

"These are really great things, come and buy them, but by the way,

"we work with people and it improves people's wellbeing."

I think I've cracked it.

I think that looks great. I think you've made a tree.

-Got a tree.

-Got a tree.

Well, there is my first effort

at a Christmas tree.

Not sure how much you're going to raise at a market

but hopefully we'll get a few quid.

-A couple more hours, you'll be all right.

-Yeah!

At this time of year,

Christmas counterfeiters are gearing up for the festive period.

The international trade in counterfeit goods costs the UK

economy around £1.3 billion a year.

And as much as 5% of all the goods imported annually

into the European Union could be fakes.

Christmas is a pretty busy time of year for Trading Standards officers,

whose job is to ensure that the products and the services

that we pay for are safe and legitimate.

Well, here at Tameside in Greater Manchester,

the team are gearing up for a big operation today.

These Trading Standards officers, supported by the police,

are planning to raid two premises

they suspect may be selling counterfeit alcohol.

We've had a complaint about some suspect vodka so we've got reason to

believe that there's probably something in there

that we need to have a look at.

With two visits to two premises planned at the same time,

the team will need to split up, so it's up to Trading Standards officer

Nicola Briers to pick the teams.

You two are with myself and Carl and then we've got Kush, Tracy,

Bob and Steve, who are going to go up to the second premises.

Right?

-So we're happy to go?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

I'm heading out with Trading Standards officer Carl Jones.

-Right, Carl? Are we ready to roll?

-We certainly are.

Carl has been a Trading Standards officer for the last 25 years.

Even with his experience,

operations like this can uncover something or nothing.

-So you don't really know what you're going to find?

-We don't really know what we're going to find.

-Until you essentially break in.

-Until we actually get in there, we don't know.

It could well be we don't find anything, but having said that, it could be.

We just don't know what we're going to find.

Mounted police have been part of British policing for nearly two

centuries. They're used for a broad range of tasks,

from public order to crowd control

and from high-visibility patrols to ceremonial duties.

Currently, there are 240 horses employed by the police forces

across the UK.

And 18 horses used by the police here in Manchester are in regular

use at this time of the year to deal with the nine million visits

to the city over the festive period.

The officers build up a special relationship with their horses

and today PC Kerry Dawson and her horse, Maxwell,

are getting ready for a day patrolling the city centre.

Everybody loves to come and meet them and say hello

and pat a police horse. They're just so regal and they're so big,

people just find they're in awe with them, they find them amazing.

My allocated horse is police horse Maxwell.

The fact that I have a best friend at work that I get to spend

every day with, it just assists with the bond.

You build up that friendship and trust, and they do trust you,

so you will be able to get the best out of that horse.

So Maxwell is all ready for his patrol now.

Good boy.

The horses are all loaded on the horse box, all secure.

So we're now going to lift the back of the ramp,

secure everything and then we're ready to go.

Millions of visitors will be coming into the city centre over

the Christmas period, so keeping the public safe

is a priority for Greater Manchester Police.

So today, Kerry is being joined by PC Sarah Fitzpatrick,

riding her horse, Steel.

Good lad.

Clever boy.

So we've arrived at the Christmas markets in Albert Square,

and we've just positioned ourselves at the entrance,

just outside the Town Hall.

The mounted police ideally use horses

which are at least 16 hands high.

It means the officers have a perfect viewpoint to watch out

for any criminal activity.

It's more opportunistic-type crimes in the day, I would say.

Just looking out for anyone that looks suspicious,

individuals that usually we know are committing crimes,

so we'll look out for those as well and make sure that we go

and have a chat with them if we see them knocking about,

not necessarily because they are doing anything wrong, but we go over

and have a nice chat with them and ask them how their day's going,

which usually puts them off.

The public are six times more likely to engage with officers

-on the beat...

-Hello! You OK?

..if they're on a horse.

Nice and soft. There you go.

The horses love people.

People mean food for the horses.

They get a lot of Polo mints, a lot of carrots and treats off people,

so it's nice for them.

They get a lot of fuss and a lot of attention.

You can come and say hello if you want. We don't bite!

But it's not all about selfies.

The officers and their horses have a serious job to do.

Unfortunately, this time of year crime does increase

around the festive period. There's a lot of thefts and pickpockets,

so all those types of things we try and prevent

by merely being around the city centre on patrol in high visibility.

It's also the responsibility of Kerry and Sarah

to tackle the problem of illegal begging on the streets.

Hey, buddy.

I can see your cup.

Will you do me a favour, will you keep moving about?

He concealed his cup under his leg, his begging cup.

So obviously it's a criminal offence to beg, you shouldn't be doing it.

He started complaining, saying,

"I'm just doing it to get a coffee," and stuff. I do feel sorry for him.

You're kind of stuck because it is an offence.

We've done some really good jobs on the mounted unit.

We've caught burglars in the act when they're coming out of windows,

because they don't expect to see us.

We've chased people across parks,

and we do a nice job whereby we visit schools on a regular basis,

so we teach the children things about the horses.

So we have a nice part to our job, as well.

Good boy!

Just by us standing here now

and walking the route that we've walked into town, into the markets,

we could've stopped countless things from happening.

We could have deterred five, six, seven, ten, 20 crimes. Who knows?

Us just being here with the horses makes them feel a lot safer.

-We'll go to the left, won't we?

-Yeah.

-Thanks.

Good boy.

It can be a thirsty job, patrolling the streets,

and sometimes the temptation can prove just too hard to resist.

Sarah!

Sorry, I knew that would happen.

-Look at all the mess he's made.

-He's not broken anything.

It's been a nice, positive patrol.

I'd like to think we've prevented things from happening.

We've stopped offences from occurring

probably that we don't even know about,

and we've made the public feel a little bit safer.

It might have been a quiet day on the crime-fighting front,

but it's been a sociable day for Steel and Maxwell.

And now it's time to hit the hay.

For the past 30 years,

this historic city-centre building has been left to rack and ruin.

Now, thanks to its new owners, it's about to get a new lease of life.

Manchester's former crowning glory, the London Road Fire Station,

once on the English Heritage "at risk" register,

will be transformed into a Christmas winter wonderland

in just ten days' time.

And it'll be up to the site manager, Joe Shiels,

to put this plan into action.

So if we come out here,

we're already a metre further that way than we intended to be on the

drawing, but we've still got another two-and-a-half metres there.

Joe's got a lot to squeeze in and not a lot of time to do it.

Just sort of trying to get my head around where everything's

going to fit...

..checking that the measurements that I have on the drawing tally

with what we've got in reality.

The centrepiece of this Christmas spectacular is a 300-metre-square

ice rink, which will sit in the middle of the courtyard.

It's the first thing that needs to go in.

Today's the first day on site for the installation of the ice rink

and what you can see behind us is the temporary deck

that goes in first of all, which will have the ice on top of it.

Building the ice rink is a two-day, eight-man job,

starting with the aluminium bars being placed down.

These bars will be filled with 2,000 litres of glycol

chilled to around minus ten Celsius,

cold enough to freeze water.

Fingers crossed, I think it's going to be really, really special.

It's such an iconic building

and you don't get the opportunity to get a Christmas feeling,

a Victorian redbrick building in the centre of Manchester, very often.

It's a massive undertaking to get everything ready

in time for the grand opening,

from the ice rink to the food stalls to the bars.

It's pretty tight.

We're looking at nine to ten days from today

to get it completely up and running.

With advance tickets already sold,

and just days to go until the doors open to the public,

for operations manager Gabriel the pressure is on.

It's a massive project

sat in the most architecturally significant building in Manchester.

It's right in front of the main train station into Manchester

and we can only fit 800 people in at one time.

That is what keeps me up at night.

The Manchester markets are the biggest in Britain,

with over 300 stalls selling everything

from German sausages to Welsh blankets.

It can be a real money-spinner,

with some stalls turning over more than £3,000 a day.

But for some of the businesses, it's about more than just the cash.

This charity in Salford runs a workshop all year round

producing wooden items that are sold across the UK.

At this time of the year,

they're making a Christmas product line to sell on the market.

You and Josh are kind of working on the market,

getting things ready, aren't you?

The aim of the charity is to help people overcome mental health issues

by being creative.

And Dennis has been one of their regulars for the last 18 months.

It started to go wrong for me a long time ago.

I was, as well as...

..being her son, I was a carer for my mum.

And with various other things happening in my life,

I think it...

..just got too much.

Dennis's confidence has been given a boost

thanks to the work of the charity.

Today he's mastering one of their bestselling Christmas decorations from last year -

a wooden Christmas tree.

Tim is his instructor.

So you're working handle down.

Handle down, tool at roughly the angle of that bevel.

You can do it like that, you can do it like that,

and that should almost be a cylinder already.

The workshop will produce over 1,000 Christmas presents and ornaments

over the coming weeks.

It's not too difficult, as long as you're focused and concentrate.

But for Ben, who runs the charity,

the most important function of the centre is to give support

and confidence to the people who use it.

We have a range of people come through the door

who have experienced trauma in their life in some way.

And everyone experiences trauma and sometimes that affects

their wellbeing long term, sometimes quite short term.

We help people by improving their wellbeing and we generate income for our charity,

but we also try to break down stigmas around mental health.

So that's his first tree.

There you go. Look at that. Well done, that man.

Now he's mastered last year's festive bestseller,

it's time for Dennis to move on to the new product.

The longer the piece on the lathe,

the more flex you'll get in the middle.

He's working with Ben on the prototype.

So I've got an idea in my head that we have, like, a string of bells

that are maybe going to be hung up on a door or a window.

The bells will be made from tree branches sourced locally...

-Maybe something like that?

-Yeah, I mean, that could work, couldn't it?

..and involves precision movements at the lathe.

Hope I don't make a clanger!

No!

I want you to just have a little play with it,

sort of feel the shape.

We've got our drawing over there.

I'll bring it over, and you can just have a try. We'll just prototype it.

I really want you to be involved in that design process.

It would be easy for me just to say, "That's what I want made,"

but that's not the point here.

What we're doing is it's about the experience that Dennis is getting.

I think that lends itself to the product.

I think Dennis's experience comes through in that product.

And when someone buys that, they're not just buying a bell made out of wood that's been made locally,

they're buying a little piece of Dennis's journey.

I think that's really nice, the idea of having a small one,

and tapering down, or tapering up and getting bigger as you go down.

It wasn't intentional, but...!

Well, that's all right, it's a happy accident.

But Dennis's work won't end here.

That's great, Dennis, isn't it? Look at that.

I think, as a prototype, that is absolutely fantastic, Dennis.

You've done a brilliant job, I'm really chuffed.

Markets are looming, we need to get making.

With the prototype complete,

Dennis, Ben and the rest of the team now need to head out to collect wood

to make enough bells to sell at this year's Christmas market.

That stack there I'm almost certain is ready for our Christmas trees,

but there's a load of stuff here that hasn't been graded and sorted out.

Ash, hazel, beech,

sycamore, oak, cherry, elm.

Ben has a fresh approach to helping people

who suffer with mental health issues.

I find that this kind of work and the work in the workshop is great

because you get in a flow of doing, making.

There's been jokes about me being a taskmaster, but I find that actually

that process of getting involved in the task and doing it allows people

to relax a little bit,

which means they might talk and, actually, talking's really good.

We've not been drying it but it'll still turn nicely.

You can go a bit bigger, as well.

Oh, you want bigger?

You can go slightly wider, yeah. We can get more wood out.

That's quite a nice piece.

But for Dennis, finding the right lengths of wood

isn't the toughest challenge he's faced in recent years.

I've been suffering anxiety and depression

from various things that had happened in my life

and that's basically why I started coming here.

I would advise other people if they can possibly do something like this,

it is a...

it is a great help.

It's good to get out and meet people

and also to make the various things in wood.

I was always interested in DIY and wood, really.

Start's helped me basically having somewhere to go, having a purpose.

It makes you get up in the morning to come somewhere.

And, as I say, meeting other people.

That's been good.

For Dennis and other volunteers,

helping out at the centre is an important part of their journey

to recovery, and makes a huge difference to improving their wellbeing,

raising their confidence and building their self-esteem.

That's an ash pole there.

With a section like that, when it gets turned on the lathe,

-we'll get pieces out of it like that.

-It wants to be as straight as possible.

Straight as possible, cos it's going to go on the lathe in one length.

Rule of the woods is keep it as long as possible for as long as possible.

-Just put that to one side.

-I'll put that to one side.

Okey doke.

Dennis's job isn't limited to the woods and the workshop.

Our Christmas markets are a peak in our calendar, they're the kind of highlight,

not just in that that's our biggest time to meet the public,

face-to-face,

but actually in...

..the excitement of it all, the drive.

It's something to aim for for everybody.

So for Dennis, his next step will be selling to the great British public.

Some of our guys have no self-belief, no self-worth,

and that's what great about markets, because it's that barrier,

it challenges that barrier,

and forces people to engage with the general public.

And that really raises confidence

and that's what our members feel when they sell their work.

Dennis has put in a tremendous amount of effort,

but will his hard work pay off at the Christmas market?

I'm on the road with Trading Standards officer Carl Jones.

We're on the way to a shop

that could be selling counterfeit alcohol.

Do you want to serve your customer, sir?

And then maybe close the shop, if that's all right?

While the cashier shuts up shop,

Carl grabs the opportunity to have a quick look around.

'This shop looks no different to many thousands of others.

'It's hard to believe that they could be selling anything more dodgy

'than an out-of-date pasty.'

It's the sort of shop that I'd stop at as I was driving past

and get something, and I wouldn't think anything of it at all.

A lot of them are like that, to be honest with you.

I mean, you have to look at the size of it.

Obviously they are turning over a massive amount of alcohol

and there's lots of money to be made if that stock is smuggled or counterfeit.

'But the burgeoning trade in knock-off booze could leave consumers

'with more than just a hangover.'

The danger is that somebody, a business that will deal in smuggled goods,

will deal in dangerous alcohol.

If the alcohol has chemicals in, it can be quite serious.

The organs can start to fail, the vision's affected.

All sorts of different symptoms depending on what's in it.

'The shop floor has been thoroughly checked

'and given a clean bill of health.

'Now we're heading upstairs.'

So Carl's not sure what he's going to find up here.

So we're just going slowly.

'A call comes through from one of Carl's fellow Trading Standards officers,

'currently at a second suspect location.'

So the other team are showing Carl what they found in the other premises.

That was under the counter, right?

She's found a bottle that looks like genuine stock on the shelves,

but under the counter is old stock.

Some of the old stock can be counterfeited.

-That rings alarm bells with you?

-It does, absolutely.

'A look around the upstairs rooms hasn't turned up anything of interest.

'Back downstairs, Carl wants to question the shop owner

'about some boxes of wine in his stockroom.'

Do you have paperwork for this?

-Er... I can check.

-There's a suspicion it might be illicit.

That's the only thing.

Still I have it upstairs, the stocktaking.

You've got the paperwork here?

Oh, right, smashing.

The owner has produced receipts for the wine.

Carl is satisfied that the booze in the stockroom isn't counterfeit,

but the lack of detail on the paperwork is a concern.

I mean, the thing is that doesn't tie it down, does it - "beers, wine and spirits"?

It's no good having three words: "beers, wines and spirits, 40 grand."

You need a breakdown of the stock you're buying.

Say we come in six months and there's items here,

you don't have paperwork, then we'll review your alcohol licence, simple as that.

'The owner of this shop has done nothing wrong

'and everything is above board and legitimate.

'So the shop can open for business.'

So everything me and you have seen today you think is above board?

Yes, basically.

We've not found any illicit goods, the alcohol was OK,

all our suspicions have been explained, if you like.

However, we've got Team B that went to another premises.

Now, they think they've found something, don't they?

They've got what they think is suspicious items that they need to check,

which is why we are heading back to the office now for debrief.

-Right, let's check out what they got.

-Absolutely.

-RAV:

-It's estimated that over 500,000 people have used a food bank

in the UK over the last year.

And a charity based here in Manchester

believes that an extra 40% of families used their services

over the Christmas period.

The Trussell Trust operates food banks

from 51 different locations across Greater Manchester.

This branch, in Withington, has fed almost 2,000 people

in the last 12 months.

The food they give out comes from donations.

Today, food-bank manager Colin is out on his regular collection run.

It usually begins at Greggs, the bakers.

So if we could have 35 of the white...?

The charity also collects from churches and supermarkets

but they still rely heavily on public donations.

Washing liquid tablets, sanitary towels.

Lovely.

Washing-up liquid.

When I found out there was a food bank here, I just thought,

you know what, I can give extra, I can give something.

This food bank has been operating for over two years,

and as well as providing essentials,

it also supports and helps people through tough times.

And then this is the food that needs to replace

what we've taken out of the cupboard.

As the charity manager,

Colin knows all too well about the difficult circumstances some people

face, and how the service they provide can be a lifeline for so many people.

Families are living in difficult circumstances.

I think the use of bed and breakfasts,

where people are actually holed up in one room

with no real proper cooking facilities,

is really, really difficult,

and I can't see an end to food banks at the moment.

When we first started, we thought 12 months.

Here we are two-and-a-half years down the line, numbers increasing.

I can't see an end, but the hope is always there.

A whole range of people come through the doors of the food banks.

But one of the growing groups are people in work,

but still struggling to make ends meet.

One of them is 31-year-old Martine.

Hello.

-Good morning.

-Come and sit down.

How are you today?

Even though Martine holds down two part-time jobs,

she still needs to rely on the food bank to feed her family.

I've got one of these.

I'm on a minimum wage, so it isn't a lot.

And by the time you've paid your rent, and your water,

and your TV licence and put gas and electric...

It's a never-ending list.

Martine was getting by on her wages and top-up benefits

until they were suspended.

Thank you very much.

One of my children was poorly and I couldn't make it to certain

appointments, like these work programmes.

They just decide that they're going to stop your money for three months.

-Have you got cooking facilities?

-I have, yeah.

And if we've got any of these items here, you can have them.

-Do you want washing powder?

-Yeah, please.

The first time I came to the food bank I had all those mixed emotions.

I felt embarrassed, I felt ashamed,

I felt like I wasn't doing right by my children,

that I wasn't being a proper mum and whatnot, because I couldn't cope.

Christmas can be stressful for most parents, but for Martine,

with four daughters to care for,

this time of year can be especially difficult.

You just have to carry on, really,

because you don't want to let the children see

that you're stressed out or that you're hurting,

or make them feel that they're going to have, like, a bad Christmas

because they haven't got the same.

I have to just try to paint a smile on

and just hope for the best, really.

Oh, not today, I've not got the girls with me.

Christmas is going to be a really, really difficult time for families.

So if we are able to give a child a selection box,

I've actually seen the joy on their child's face.

It's not a big deal to some people.

OK, thank you. Bye, take care.

I'm hoping that in the future I will be able to change my role

with the food bank and rather than having to receive the help,

I'll be able to be somebody

that can start giving the help to other people.

HAYLEY: We're back at Tameside Borough Council HQ.

There was no counterfeit alcohol for sale at the shop

that Trading Standards officer Carl Jones and I have just visited,

but some suspect bottles have been seized

from the other premises targeted by Trading Standards today.

At the back of the counter we did find a few bottles of vodka,

which were not on the shelf.

In my opinion there isn't...

There's something not quite right with them.

Under the counter is more than just shorthand for something dodgy.

It's also the first place Trading Standards

will look for counterfeit booze.

It's easy to get hold of, sell it to a customer and it's gone.

But a normal stock would be on a shelf.

But some bottles that were out on the shelves

are also a cause for concern.

-If you run your hands across the label, it's quite smooth.

-Right.

And the other bottles next to it were very, very embossed.

Oh, right.

-So even the bottles next to each other were different?

-Yes.

The seized bottles will now be sent off to the manufacturers

for testing, to see if they are the real deal.

So if it comes back as a no,

that's when we get them in for an interview

and we either prosecute or do a licence review on the premises.

-This one, it says "spirit drink".

-Yes.

-Is that unusual, then?

-Yes.

It's about 7% less in proof than a normal bottle of vodka.

It's not claiming to be a vodka but they're using similar...

you know, the same colour cap, everything.

-At first glance, you'd presume it would be vodka.

-Yeah.

But my suspicions were that it's not actually a brand.

I wouldn't be happy people drinking it if I'd left that on the shelf.

So at Christmas time, we're obviously all out shopping,

all looking for a bargain maybe.

What kind of tips can you give us as the general public

so that we could tell if something is a fake?

Always buy from a reputable retailer.

I think that's the big one.

And we always say if a deal's too good to be true, it probably is.

Well, what a real eye-opener today has been.

I've gained a proper insight into the battle that the Trading Standards officers

actually have with keeping counterfeit goods off our shelves

and keeping us safe at Christmas.

A few weeks later,

and the investigation into the suspicious bottles of vodka closed.

The shop owner produced invoices to prove that the alcohol

had been purchased from a legitimate wholesaler.

Dennis has left the workshop

and has taken his place on the Start Creative market stall.

This one went a bit wrong so it ended up very small,

but it's not too bad, is it?

But I'm about to join him

and find out which of their festive favourites is going down best

with the Christmas shoppers.

-How is it all going?

-It's going well, yeah.

We've done a few sales today.

Have you had a lot of interest in the bells so far?

Do you know what, they've been out literally half an hour

and we've had a few people coming up, stroking them and touching them.

-Well, they certainly look the part.

-We've got your tree, Rav.

-You've actually got it?!

-Yeah, it's in the back there.

-Let's have a look at my tree.

-We've even put one of our logos on it.

-Is this mine?

There's your tree, there you go.

I'll be honest, it doesn't look quite as good as your ones over there, Dennis.

But that's amazing.

But the proof of the pudding is in the eating,

and Ben has set us both a challenge.

It's Dennis's bells versus my tree.

And who can get the tills ringing first?

So is that the challenge, then?

You want me to try to sell this tree which I actually made

against Dennis's bells that you just put out in the last few minutes.

Yeah, that's the challenge.

I'm going to go backstage, then. I'll take the money when you've done it.

OK, then!

Within minutes, Dennis has reeled in a customer.

-Can I buy some?

-Yeah, that'll be fine, yeah.

Which would you prefer? They're all the same price.

-These ones.

-You prefer these?

-Yeah.

The big ones.

-Dennis actually made those.

-Did you?

This was a prototype we started off with.

-Yeah.

-Erm...

Various sizes.

Some of our guys are so skilled, so talented,

yet they have no self-belief, no self-worth.

And that's what's great about the markets, because it breaks that

barrier and forces people to engage with the general public.

It's really rewarding when you see that little snippet of self-value

and someone sees that product being bought by someone in Manchester city centre.

Thanks a lot. Bye-bye.

Does it make you feel quite proud, Dennis,

-when you've made it yourself, to sell it to the public?

-Definitely.

When it's something you've not done before, they've not turned out too bad, really.

Yeah, I'm really pleased with that.

-You beat me, though, didn't you?

-Sorry about that.

I'm in for a long night, Dennis.

-I think I'll be standing here all night.

-We can have a replay!

'Dennis was a bit quick off the blocks bagging a sale.

'I think I'm going to have to offer extras to shift my Christmas tree.'

-If you buy it, I'll sign it.

-I'm going to buy it.

All right, thank you very much.

-£5.

-£6, cos he's signing it for charity.

And it'll go pride of place at Christmas.

Would you buy my bells if I signed them?

-"To Jenny, merry Xmas! Love Rav."

-Ah, thank you.

No, thank you for buying it and supporting the charity.

-No problem. Thank you very much.

-See you later.

Well, it took a while.

Dennis was a lot quicker at selling than I was, but I sold it in the end

and it's great to bring some money back into the charity.

Thank you, Rav, thanks so much.

-Thank you very much.

-Brilliant.

Thank you, Dennis. We better get away and make some more bells.

Well, that was great.

Something I actually made with my hands

sold on that stall for six quid.

And Dennis as well, selling those bells that he made himself,

so it was a brilliant day and a great experience.

Bringing an historic building back into use

is always cause for celebration.

In Manchester, one of its most iconic landmarks,

the once derelict London Road Fire Station,

is about to be reopened to the public.

It's all very last minute, it's the nature of the beast.

The day of the opening we've still got deliveries coming in.

Over the last ten days,

it's been a round-the-clock operation

to transform this period property into a winter wonderland,

complete with an ice rink.

James...

We need to get rid of this.

But there's still a lot to do.

We have to lay an entire floor in the long bar and dress it.

We need to finish putting up all the emergency lighting,

fire exit signs.

I need a fence going right round the back there.

-Yeah, going down there now.

-Yeah.

This camper van's going to have to come back here.

Yeah. Fire exit.

So it's sat lying here.

And if that's not enough,

a winter wonderland wouldn't be complete

without its Christmas trees.

The only problem is most of the trees still haven't arrived.

They're stuck in traffic about ten minutes away.

What time is it now? It's...

ten minutes past three.

Half past three, I think we'll all be sorted.

But to be on the safe side, Gabriel has come up with a plan.

We were going to open at three.

I pushed it back till four o'clock, just so it's absolutely right.

However, people are really keen to come in and I think there's been a

slight confusion with people being able to book tickets

for three o'clock sessions, so that's what we're

trying to sort out now.

We've still got Christmas trees to be delivered yet!

Yeah?

Finally, there's some good news.

Trees have arrived!

We're almost ready. I think it's five minutes to.

All the Christmas trees have arrived,

I feel a little bit like Father Christmas on Christmas Eve.

After 30 years of being closed to the public,

its doors have been opened

and everyone is welcome to step inside and see

the incredible transformation for themselves.

They can soak up the Christmas cheer in this iconic historic building

that Gabriel and his team of elves have brought back to life

for visitors to enjoy over the festive season.

I've always wanted to come inside this fire station,

every time I go past it on the bus or in the car,

so I was happy to just pay my £15.

It's really cool that they're taking something that's been shut for so long

and making it something that people want to go to again.

So, yeah, I'm a big fan of it, yeah. It's great fun.

When you're looking outside of the place and then you come in,

and it's like, wow.

Yeah, it hits you, and it's very magical.

It's nice to be using the old building,

because obviously if it's not being used for other things,

it's good that it's not necessarily in the newer part of Manchester.

It just makes it a really lovely story that it's an old building

they've reused and, yeah, now people can come and skate.

From both angles, it's good.

It's definitely bringing a little bit of Christmas spirit here.

You can already hear sleigh bells ringing, so it's great.

Another packed show, Hayley. That must have been really interesting

-out with Trading Standards, though.

-Yeah, it was great to be on the ground with them, actually,

and just see the types of people that are out there, making us safe at Christmas.

Well, talking about keeping us safe, on tomorrow's show I'm going to be out with the Street Angels.

They're a group of volunteers who actually walk the streets of Manchester on a Friday night

to make sure that our Christmas celebrations end up with

nothing more than a sore head in the morning.

And I'll be heading up north to follow the journey

of a Christmas tree from the Scottish Borders

to the Christmas markets and all the way to our front rooms.