MANCUNIAN star Shayne Ward will be making an appearance at the intu Trafford Centre in to call upon local residents to support independent businesses in the area.

The X-Factor winner turned TV actor will take part in a live Q&A on Saturday, August 18 from 11am, to encourage people to embrace small businesses in Trafford and Manchester.

Shayne is helping to support local trades and championing his own favourite independent businesses in the area on behalf of Yell.com.

The UK’s leading business directory is visiting Manchester as part of a nation-wide tour to encourage the British public to discover and support small local businesses.

Following the Q&A, there will be an opportunity for fans to meet Shayne, get his autograph or have their photo taken with him.

In advance of the Trafford Centre event, Yell.com has conducted research into the consumer behaviour of those who live in Manchester.

The findings revealed that residents of Greater Manchester are actually the most likely in the whole of the UK to search online for hiring function rooms.

Suggesting that the people of Greater Manchester might be the biggest party organisers in the whole of the UK, residents of the city were found to be three times more likely than those in any other area of the UK to search online for the service.

On the upcoming event, Shayne Ward said: “There’s such large and rich variety of things on offer from local businesses in Manchester, I love that we’re putting the focus on them with Saturday’s event.

"One of the things I love the most about the city is how you can discover something new around every corner and I can’t wait to have a chat with the people of Manchester.

"Hopefully in turn, I can help point them in the direction of some of the real hidden gems in the city”.

Featured at the stand will also be the ‘Just Yell’ booth where shoppers are invited to take part in an exciting competition to see who can yell the loudest out of the people of Manchester, with the chance to win an Amazon Echo worth £89.99.

Richard Hanscott, CEO of Yell says: “Shayne Ward is a perfect fit for the Manchester leg of our UK-wide roadshow tour. Shane’s not only a TV favourite for his role in Coronation Street but he’s also a huge champion of the city of Manchester and everything it has to offer.

"The roadshow’s have been great fun so far and with Manchester being home to such a wide variety of independent businesses, we’re particularly looking forward to this event!”

The Yell.com stand will be located between Goldsmiths and Beaverbrooks on the ground floor of the Trafford Centre on Saturday, August 18 from 10am to 9pm and Sunday 19th August from 12 noon to 6pm (with Shayne Ward making a guest appearance on the Saturday from 11am – 12.45pm).