Updated 20/07/2017: Salford Birth Centre has launched phase 2 of its crowdfunder campaign and are asking for Salfordian's to help fund a new birthing pool facility at the new site. Previously generous Salford folks helped raise 1400 towards helping buy facilities for the new birth centre.

A crowdfunding page has been set up for anyone wanting to help support the service by donating as much or little as you can. http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/salford-birth-centre

A new 'Tribute' wall will be put into place and will carry the names of all those who donate £5 or more towards the funding. You can opt to either have your own name or that of a loved one recorded on the wall and all those who contributed in Phase 1 of the appeal will be automatically added.

Meanwhile construction work on the historic Ingleside building is taking place by Seddon Construction and it is hoped to be completed and opened for new births later this year.

The 200 year old, Council owned Ingleside ex residential care home in Claremont's Oakwood Park is to be refurbished at a cost of £3million to house a new mid-wife led birthing unit to replace the current one due to close at Salford Royal (Hope), which is to close its doors at the end of September.

This will mean that mothers who are deemed to be low risk will be able to continue to have the choice to give birth within the City borders. More complicated births will be referred to St Mary's however.

The new unit supported by NHS England will be managed by Bolton Foundation Trust which already operates a community mid-wife service within Salford and it is hoped that over 300 babies will be born at the new location each year.

Salford Council have pledged to provide £2million in funding for renovations and a further £1million is to be sought from local businesses and wealthy citizens who it is hoped will help support the service.

For many in Salford the closure of the cities only maternity unit was a devastating blow as it would have meant that other than the odd home birth, future babies would be born outside the city boundary in other areas of Greater Manchester.

Salford people have a strong sense of local identity and are intensely proud of both their heritage and their roots.

This latest move will be welcomed by local campaigners who have sought to keep the service alive.

It will also be welcomed by those seeking to preserve local heritage as the building had previously been earmarked to be sold off, this latest move will see it brought back into public use and much needed refurbishments made to its roof and structure.

Once refurbished it will feature a full range of birthing suites with pools, modern equipment and rooms on site.

Ingleside is the former family own of Glass manufacturer Major Pilkington of Pilkingtons Glass Fame, itwas left to the people of Salford in 1936 along with 2 other of his properties. The white fronted building is set within Oakwood Park in Claremont and was previously used as a residential care centre. 

It is hoped that the new unit will open its doors on October 1st and that babies will be born there soon afterwards.

The allotment, which is self-managed by its committee is no stranger to awards having previously received a green flag award in 2012/13 along with a RHS Neighbourhood award that same year, then once again in 2016 it received another green flag which was presented by local MP Barbara Keeley. 

Tindall Street also attained The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in 2011 which is a prestigious UK National Honour recognising outstanding voluntary contributions which set the national benchmark for excellence in volunteering, with the work of those awarded being judged to be of the highest standard. It is basically the equivalent of an MBE for community groups.

The allotment has also received the 2010 & 2011 Green Pennant award and North West in Bloom awards for which is was judged to be outstanding, the Green Pennant was later replaced by the Green Flag.

The site in Peel Green is home to the Tindall St Community Growing Group who have been running since February of 2014, as well as the every successful Incredible Edible.

The growing group meets every Sunday (except during the Winter months) from 10:30am for a couple of hours at the Tindall Street Allotments on Tindall St, Peel Green Eccles, M30 7DF.

There is no need for previous gardening experience as there are lots of people about to support each other.

The group has a great mix of ages with young children to retired folk.

There is a children's garden area with a "Mud Kitchen" to keep them entertained, They also have a poly-tunnel and greenhouse in addition to a large outdoor growing space.

Since becoming self managed the site has gone from strength to strength and has quickly become a wonderful asset that is a credit to not only its local community but the City of Salford as a whole.

We wish them all the best for the future.

January this year saw the Installation of new play equipment and surfacing of pathways, new park furniture and soft landscaping went towards further developing this thriving park.

A new bowling green clubhouse was built as well as a multi purpose sports pitch and new outdoor gym equipment.

Councillor David Lancaster, lead member for environment and community safety, said:

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“This award is a tribute to the hard work the Friends of Boothsbank Park put into gardening, litter picking and keeping the park looking good with support from Salford City Council.”

Last year’s 400K refurbishment involved constructing a new children’s play park and pavilion which is managed by Boothstown Bowling Club supported by the Friends group which now runs children’s parties there and a fun day to raise revenue for the park.

Since then the Friends have had help from the club, pupils at Walkden High School and the community payback team to buy and plant spring and summer flowers and have been given a herb planter to provide free herbs for the community by Incredible Edibles Education.

And green minded local residents have also helped the group by recycling more of their household waste, winning them funding through Salford City Council’s Recycling Rewards scheme.

Boothsbank Park now joins four other parks - Blackleach Country Park, Clifton Country Park, Victoria Park and Winton Park – and Peel Green cemetery which have kept their Green Flag status for another year.

Following up on the case of a man attacked whilst dog walking in Buile Hill Park in Weaste, police have now arrested four people on suspicion of attempted murder in what detectives are saying is believed to be a targeted and isolated incident.

Police were alerted to the attack around 7.20pm on the 12 July 2017, whereupon the man was found suffering from injuries at the scene.

The 41 year old man suffered a severe head wound and injuries to both his arms and legs and remains in hospital, his injuries are said not to be life threatening.

Police have arrested a 46 year old man as well as a 28 year old woman on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder but were released whilst further enquiries are made.

Meanwhile a 27 year old man and a 24 year old woman still remain in police custody on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder.

Detective Sargent Paul Davies, of Greater Manchester Police's Salford borough, said:

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“We know this incident has caused a lot of concern to local people who have heard the news, however I would like to say that we believe this to be a targeted attack, with no further threat to any other members of the public.

“There are numerous lines of enquiries that we are currently following up, but every piece of information we receive helps us build a better picture about exactly what happened and who may be responsible.

“With that in mind, I would like to appeal to anyone who has any information at all to please come forward.

“This was a totally unprovoked and brutal attack on a man as he walked his dog through a popular park and we believe there could have been a number of witnesses who may have seen something.”

Anybody with information is asked to contact police on 101, quoting incident number 2043 of July 12 - or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Samuel Irving (11/02/1989) of Rimmer Close, Newton Heath, Kyle Brindley (02/05/1995) of Dorking Avenue, Newton Heath and Mark Edwards (12/04/1990) of no fixed address were sentenced to a total of eight and a half years.

The men previously pleaded guilty at Manchester Crown Square to their involvement in the cross-constabulary offences which saw cars worth an estimated £200,000 stolen from homes.

Irving admitted conspiracy to commit burglary and was handed 5 years and eight months on 13 June 2017, while Brindley pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary and driving whilst disqualified and was handed 36 months. He was also disqualified from driving for three years from his release.

Edwards admitted handling stolen goods and was given a 12-month community order yesterday (Monday 17 July 2017).

The court heard how Irving was the kingpin behind the illegal operation.

Between 15 September 2016 and 20 October 2016 he would use rented cars to travel around areas searching for expensive cars as well as transporting other organised crime group members who committed the burglaries with him.

The thieves would always strike overnight whilst the homeowners were asleep, then Irving would drive or direct the stolen vehicles back to the Manchester area before they were fitted with false plates and sold on.

Brindley was involved in an attempted burglary in Chadderton on 2 October 2016 and a burglary in Hyde on 20 October 2016 where a 16 plate BMW 3 series was stolen.

The same car taken from Hyde was then pursued by police through Bolton later where Brindley was the driver.

He crashed into a vehicle carrying young children and knocked the driver unconscious before fleeing. He was arrested nearby.

Edwards fingerprints were found on a Volvo V40 stolen during a burglary in Bury on 7 October 2016.

Detective Constable Christopher Horsfield, from GMP’s Serious Crime Division, said: “These men let their arrogance get the better of them by leaving a trail of evidence for our officers to identify their roles in these offences.

“This even went as far as Irving posing for photos in front of the stolen vehicles.

“The sentences handed to these men today are the result of a meticulous investigation by officers from both GMP and Derbyshire.

“We have not only stopped them in their tracks but we have also dismantled an organised crime group that benefitted from the losses of innocent people.

“I hope this case shows just how seriously we take burglaries. The public should be confident in our ability to thoroughly investigate these offences and find the people responsible.”

As we previously reported in May, the time is fast coming upon us for what seems like the annual attempt by Peel Holdings to ride roughshod over the Environment, Local Planners, Local Councillors and Local People, in its attempt to once more build 600 new homes in Broadoak.

October 3rd will see behemoth Peel Square off with the Council and Local Campaigners in its attempts to push through its planning proposals for Broadoak, much to the annoyance of the Council, Protesters, Local People and pretty much anyone with a a few brain cells and a shred of sense and decency. 

The Council and Local Protest group Residents Against Inappropriate Development (RAID) have previously stopped Peel in their tracks after convincing not only Salford Council in 2013 but also the then secretary of state for communities and local government, Mr Eric Pickles MP in 2015, that it should not be allowed to go ahead.

Nonetheless Peel refused to accept the outcome and quickly lodged an appeal at the high court which was granted (at public expense), a re running of the enquiry to develop the greenfield site, of which is a mixture of woods, meadows and open land, stretches from Monton Green all the way through to Worsley Road, and is protected by policies in Salford's Unitary Development Plan.

Local Protest group Residents Against Inappropriate Development (RAID) – which formed in 2013 - argued at the previous inquiry that the development would bring more traffic and higher levels of air pollution into an already congested area.

Peel will also find out tomorrow the outcome of an attempt to build 165 new homes on what it is calling Broadoak South, those opposed to the development say that it too would still bring higher air polution and congestion as well as not only that but the local area would require up to an additional 47 primary school place which it simply does not have available.

Peel have proposed to hand over a stretch of land they own to the council as a sweetener, so that they can build a new Primary school upon it. They have also promised a financial contribution towards building it. The school would of course also be built upon greenfield land which would further impact on the area's green space.

As soon as we know the councils decision we will report upon it.

In 2015 when the decision for refusal was made, Councillor Derek Antrobus (Assistant Mayor for Strategic Planning) said:

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“We are pleased that our planning policy has been strong enough to resist attempts to take away a valuable open space for development.”

“We urge Peel Group to start to develop the sites it has permission for on brownfield land and to work with the Council and the community through a Local Plan to identify the best sites to meet the housing needs of future generations.”

 

Whilst the then City Mayor Ian Stewart remarked:

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“The Worsley Greenway is a precious asset for the people of Salford.”

"There is no doubt we need new homes but there are many other sites that should be used first and can be used away from our precious green spaces.”

 

Salford's current City Mayor Paul Dennett wrote to the government urging them to help local councils up and down the land protect valuable green spaces by urgently making much needed changes to the national planning policy.

Paul said in May 2016:

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“The court judgement means that policies to protect local green spaces – the policies Salford City Council relied on in rejecting this inappropriate development – now do not have the force they should under the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).”

“This has implications for every council in the country and risks much of our green and pleasant land disappearing under building projects.

“I’ve written to Greg Clark, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government urging him to review the NPPF urgently to make sure local councils have the power they need to protect valuable green spaces. Our main reason for refusing these 600 homes was to preserve much valued open space between Monton and Worsley but that has been undermined by this court ruling. However Salford council will defend its position when the Broadoak inquiry is re-run.”

 

So it seems there will be one final battle before the war is won.

We would also urge readers to check out this article on the matter on Salford Star aswell.

Salford Star - SALFORD BATTLE WITH PEEL HOLDINGS BEGINS AGAIN 

Between 00:05 Wed 19th and 22:00 Wed 19th, Salford will see scattered thunderstorms with locally intense downpours  which will continue to move north across the area into the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Although the thunderstorms may tend to ease from the south later in the night, further, possibly severe storms may break out again on Wednesday afternoon over the Greater Manchester area.

Although many places will miss the thunderstorms, there is a chance of some localised flooding of homes, businesses and roads. Frequent lightning and may be an additional hazard with potential for disruption to power networks. Large hail may also cause impacts on Wednesday.

Drivers are being warned to take extra care on the roads and Soapbox is issuing an additional warning to ask people not to try and gain super speed powers like 'the Flash' by standing in the garden covered in chemicals whilst holding onto a metal pole. (Trust us it doesn't work, and Tony Flynn is recovering well).

We also ask that members of the public do not try to reanimate any Frankenstein Monsters or attempt to fly kites and for all you oldies, the Germans are not back so calm down and grab a brew.

That will be all, stay safe folks.

Now if you will excuse me I have a weather experiment to conduct....

Tribute for our mum Jane Carolyn Tweddle: 

“There are no words for how we feel - our mum was every part of us. She is our strength, our laughter, our inner warrior, our kindness and our compassion. Forever we will hold on to those traits for it is our mum who instilled them in us. 

“If you knew our mum well enough you’d know she didn’t have the greatest luck in the world, and we think back to that night and if only she had one second of luck on her side we wouldn’t be writing this. But then we thought maybe our mum was the only person who was strong enough to have all this bad luck and to keep on going, keep on smiling, to keep on helping other people, going out of her way to make sure everyone around her was smiling. 

“Our mum never gave up on smiling and being happy. Our house was full of laughter and love - mum was always going out of her way to make sure us girls were happy, even if she had a bad day she’d still put all her effort in to crack a smile out of us. 

“She’d pull the oldest tricks in the book to get us laughing, pretending someone was pulling her from the other side of the door with her own arm and going crossed eyed was her favourite. She was our mum, our best friend, our everything. She taught us everything we know, raised us and she was the light of our life and it’ll never be as bright without her. She will always be with us, the three of us together are our mum and we will do our best in life to make her so proud.   

“We don’t know what we would have done without the help and support from all the amazing people we met during this incredibly painful time. Our two Family Liaison Officers Dermot Murray and Mike Brook were our support, our friends and we truly wouldn’t have coped without them. Dermot and Mike made us girls feel safe and we could rely on them whatever the time of day. There will never be enough thanks or appreciation for these incredible guys. Dermot always watched out for us, making sure we stayed together and felt utterly safe. Mike hasn’t stopped trying to make us smile, going out his way to do the little things, buying us cookies and telling us funny stories. We will never forget Dermot or Mike, and we know for certain our mum would have loved them. 

“We’d like to thank CitySuites Manchester for putting up with us for two weeks, making us all feel at home, comfortable and making the best brews. The bereavement nurses were incredible with all the families. South Shore Academy, the school our mums worked at, were all incredible and showed so much love for our mum. James Edgar who played beautifully at our mum’s celebration of life. The Barnsley family for opening up their home and family to us, they are an incredible family and we wouldn’t have been able to get through any of this without them, we love them dearly. Robbie Williams for singing at the Manchester One Love concert, he was the main reason for us going, he made the night so much more magical for us. We’ve witnessed some amazing gestures from amazing people, it was so heart-warming to see a community come together during something so sad, but it gave us a tiny bit of light at the end of the tunnel and we just hope that in the future bad things shouldn’t have to happen for people to come together, we should already be together. 

“Our mum loved a family day out to Beacon Fell, any excuse to get up there she would use it. So in memory of our incredible mum we did a family walk with our dog and familiar faces on Sunday 2nd July. 

“Like our mum used to sing (a lot) 'every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure.’ Our mum is and always will be our treasure.“ 

From Harriet Taylor, Lily Taylor, Isabelle Taylor and Marley the dog 

The seated figure – titled The History of a Broken Man – will be on display until October before moving to the Museum of the Mind in south London for an exhibition until February 2018. 

It’s been created through Bravo 22 Company, the  Royal British Legion's recovery through the arts programme for the armed forces community. 

The 12 men and women took part in a month of sculpture workshops to produce life-size pieces, each one expressing something about each individual and where they are on their own particular journey or recovery.

The History of a Broken Man was created by former soldier Graham Limb from Haslingden, who served in Bosnia and saw his closest friend shot. He became a firefighter in 2005 but a traumatic incident that ended this career triggered Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from his military days and led him to attempt suicide.

Therapy and joining Veterans in communities, a military and emergency services charity helped him rebuild his life and got him involved in art.

Graham said: “My sculpture is based on a series of works I’ve made under the title History of a Broken Man. This has included a poem, a video and a painting.

“My sculpture shows me feeling broken, sitting with my head in my hands, hood up, not being able to take any more of what’s going on in my head. Inside are representations of myself of old – a proud soldier, a fire fighter, me trying to comfort myself and wake me up to what I’ve achieved and where I am now.“

Councillor Barry Warner and Councillor Margaret Morris, Salford’s Arrmed Forces Champions welcomed the sculpture. 

Councillor Morris said: "Art can be a powerful tool to soothe the mind and help people recover. I’m delighted to host this moving piece of sculpture to say thank you and show our support for all our brave servicemen and women."

Professional sculptor Al Johnson worked with the group. She said: “Each of the sculptures is unique to its creator and tells a different story of recovery; from a painful memory to worries about civilian life or injuries that can’t be physically seen.”

The Bethlem Museum of the Mind, which opened in 2015,  records the lives and experiences and celebrates the achievements of people with mental health problems. It shares the grounds of the Bethlem RoyalHospital, founded in 1247 as the first institution in the UK to specialise in the care of the mentally ill, which still provides in patient care.

Boards made out of a cement material will cover insulation where cladding has already been removed as well as replacing cladding as it continues to be removed.

The cement boards will act as a precautionary measure and keep the insulation water tight as the cladding is removed.

The work will begin as soon as the cement boards are ready.

The enhanced fire safety measures that are in place, including 24/7 patrols, will continue.

Deputy City Mayor John Merry stated “In the absence of detailed national guidance we're continuing to put the safety and welfare of our residents first, taking reasonable decisions based on the advice of technical experts and the fire service.

“The cement panels are a temporary measure until a permanent solution has been tested and confirmed.

“Testing of the permanent solution will include the whole system, both cladding and insulation.

"At the same time, all of the extra fire safety precautionary measures put in place will remain.

“Pendleton Together are communicating regularly with residents, providing written newsletters and factsheets, along with the open offer of individual meetings to any resident who wants one.
"I would like to thank all the residents for their patience and understanding"

“Residents with any concerns can email the dedicated email address at firesafety@pendletontogether.co.uk or contact Pendleton Together via social media such as Twitter or Facebook. Alternatively residents can call on 0300 555 5567, or visit the nearby office on Loganberry Avenue”.

“If you have any concerns about the safety of your building you can email highrise@manchesterfire.gov.uk or check the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service web site for more information or ring 0800 555815.

Update: Alan Cowburn, 49, who was reported missing yesterday, Saturday 15 July 2017, has been found safe and well.

He is white, around 5ft 9ins tall, of a heavy build with untidy grey hair and it is unknown what he is wearing.

Detective Constable Claire Phythian of GMP’s Trafford Borough, said:

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“It’s been an extremely long time since Alan’s family have heard from him, which is out of the ordinary.

“They are understandably worried about his well-being and just want him to return home safely.

“Please familiarise yourself with his description and his photograph and call us immediately if you see him.

“It’s likely he’ll be using public transport and he likes to go walking in the Peak District and in Cumbria and his sister lives in Cambridgeshire so please keep an eye out for him if you’re in those areas too.”  

 

Anyone with information should contact police on 101 quoting MP/17/0108217 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

A Volkswagen Passat was travelling along the M61 when it was involved in a collision with a pedestrian. Just seconds later, a Toyota Avensis was also involved in a collision with the pedestrian.

Both cars stopped at the scene and have been spoken to by officers and no arrests have been made.

Sadly, the pedestrian, a man, was pronounced dead at the scene and enquiries are currently ongoing to identify him.

Road closures were in place for a number of hours but these have now been lifted.

Police Constable Paul Shore of GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said:

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“This is an extremely complex investigation as at this time, we do not have a full understanding of the situation prior to the collision.

“If you saw the collision or were in the area after the collision and could provide us with an account of the events, please get in touch with us. You may have also seen a man walking in the area of the M61 or the A580 (East Lancashire Road) around the time of the collision – even if you thought nothing of it at the time, this may help us piece together the circumstances.

“I appreciate that it was in the early hours of the morning and would have been dark but our team at the scene have established that a number of other vehicles may have driven through the collision site.

“If you were driving in the area at the time and may have been one of these vehicles, please contact us as a matter of urgency – you may hold vital evidence.

“While we do not yet know the identity of the man who tragically died at the scene, we are ensuring our enquiries are carried out quickly and sensitively in order to inform his family at the earliest opportunity.”

 

Anyone with information or dashcam footage should contact GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 0161 856 4741 quoting reference number 284 of 16/07/17 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Today marks the 11th Birthday of the Salford Star Magazine and so I thought I would share my thoughts, show my admiration and congratulate them on sticking it to the man with all the style, attitude and love we have come to expect from them.

http://www.salfordstar.com/article.asp?id=4001

Last year one of Salford's few remaining LOCAL news outlets closed down after it ran into financial difficulties due to struggling against the tide of trying to attract advertisers to pay the bills. It was a sad time for many as they had become to depend on it for real news about what is going on in Salford, not Manchester, Bolton, Oldham and Stockport but SALFORD.

Over the years our City has lost most of its news outlets as they have fallen by the wayside, struggled to compete or been bought out and amalgamated by the larger outlets in the area. As a result we have seen a huge decrease independent reporting as the bigger outlets have travelled down the path of click bait headlines and advertising disguised as 'News Articles'. 

The reporter/advertiser has been replaced with Manchester Weekly News (Apparently Salford Edition), M44 News in Irlam and Cadishead has bit the bullet and local media has never been in a worse state than it is now.

So when SalfordOnline closed its doors for the final time it was with an 'Ian Stewart' heavy heart I had to accept that Salford only really had one real news outlet left, the Salford Star.

In his comments on the matter Stephen Kingston said something which struck a nerve with me, he mentioned that Salford is ironically a Media City with an ever decreasing home grown local media presence. 

He is right, only earlier this year we all saw as our local radio station Salford City Radio (SCR) struggling to stay on air as it's funding was cut, fortunately they managed to pull a rabbit out of the bag and with a lot of hard work and dedication by its staff and the local community they have been recently awarded an additional 5 years on air after their licence was renewed.

Local media is important in a city like Salford, it tells us what is happening around us, not in Manchester or Bolton but right here in Salford. The importance of the Star has never been greater than now, as its unique brand of investigative journalism holds those holding the power to account. And as we have seen in the mainstream media with the likes of the Grenfell fire the other week, local councils, housing providers etc... DO need to be held to account.

Throughout all of the changes, one media outlet remains and it has still stood proud, stuck to its principles, never compromised on its quality or its integrity, its reporting is in-depth, reliable and above all honest.

Salford Star should be proud of all they have achieved, especially under the conditions it operates. The council are not exactly friendly to them and as I found out myself only this week, trying to get info from Salford City councils press office is like getting blood out of a stone. (We are still waiting for a reply to our email).

The Star is unique, it can't be copied or emulated, which is why only the other week I asked Stephen Kingston to cover an article that I could have covered myself. The reason being that I knew he would report it fairly, without bias and give it the reporting it deserved.

http://www.salfordstar.com/article.asp?id=3993

So the site visitor numbers, the articles etc mean nothing to me, the REAL figure here is the incalculable support they have given over the years, the priceless value they serve to Salford.

This has the level of respect the Star holds in Salford.

And so as they reach this milestone, I wish them the best for the future, look forwards to many many more years to come and know that they will carry on keeping it real, with attitude and with love as always.

Witnesses have told officers that the woman, who is in her 60s, was getting onto the 203 bus outside the Piccadilly Tavern, when a man ran up to her and snatched her handbag.

The force the man used as he plucked the handbag from her grasp, threw the woman onto the floor, causing a shattered hip and broken shoulder, which she required surgery for.  

He ran away from the scene empty handed.  

Officers are working to identify the offender and are appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident to come forward.

Detective Sergeant Paddy Connell of GMP’s City of Manchester Team, said:

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“This happened in a popular area on a busy Friday evening where something like this would have shocked a number of the people in the area and I’m sure some of them would have a good description of the offender, which would help us with our enquiries.

“Nobody should be put in fear for going about their daily lives, whether day or night and while we have CCTV to examine and get statements together, we need witnesses to get in touch with us.”

Anyone with information should contact police on 101 quoting reference number 2223 of 14/07/17 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Police were called at 1.50am on Saturday 15 July 2017 to reports that a person was trapped in a black Audi RS3, after being involved in a collision with the rear end of a Mercedes Box van.

The collision happened between junction one and junction two of the M602 westbound in Salford.

Emergency services attended and the 34-year-old driver of the Audi was extracted from the vehicle and taken to hospital with serious injuries where he remains in a critical but stable condition.

The driver of the Mercedes suffered minor cuts and bruising.

Road closures were in place for around three-and-a-half hours but have now been lifted and there is no further disruption to traffic in the area.

Police Constable Paul Shore of GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “As with any investigation, gathering together all the evidence quickly is vital. This includes witnesses to the collision; we need you to come forward to help us fully establish what happened this morning and how the events leading up to the collision have left a man in hospital.

“Dashcam footage is always a helpful tool in our investigations so I’d urge those in the area at the time to check their footage and get in touch with us.”

Anyone with information should contact GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 0161 856 4741 quoting reference number 201 of 15/07/17 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111

A page on the Go Fund Me site has been set up by Anthony Nolan to help raise money towards the funeral costs & support the family of Phil Tomlinson after he was tragically found dead at a Monton Park on Wednesday morning.

The news of his death came as a devastating shock to his family who had only reported him missing just an hour earlier.

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We have all lost a very dear friend in Phil Tomlinson and we are looking to assist his family in what small way we can at such a devastating time.

The thought behind this fund is to help take away as much of the financial burden away from them as we can in order for them to concentrate on grieving and hopefully, eventually, healing from the loss of such an amazing young man from their lives.

Thank you.

A link to the fundraiser can be found on https://www.gofundme.com/phil-tomlinson-memorial-fund

Over £2,700 has so far been donated within 24 hours of the fund being set up, it is hoped that it will soon achieve its target of £4,000 or more soon.

Outpourings of condolences for a much loved young man continue to be made across many local Facebook groups, with many of his friends in disbelief at his death.

As always our thoughts are with his family at this time.

Well considering it is Summer and the kids in Salford will all soon be off school, the weather is its usual self, a mix bag of cloudy skies, patches of sun during sporadic downpours, just as you get the barby out.

Friday:

It will become cloudier and breezier overnight with outbreaks of mainly light rain or drizzle arriving from the west by morning. Minimum temperature 12 °C.

Saturday:

Saturday will be breezy with low cloud and outbreaks of rain and drizzle. The rain tending to ease and become increasingly patchy later in the day with some bright spells. Maximum temperature 22 °C.

So if you are heading out to the Pink Picnic be sure to take an umbrella just in case.

Becoming bright and breezy after a little rain or drizzle. Maximum temperature 18 °C.

Salford's annual Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT+) Pride Celebration will be returning on Saturday 15th after a year out.

 The event is FREE and this year will be held in The Meadow, Salford.

This years event will feature the main stage, expo stalls, food vendors, a bar and children's area. 

Acts confirmed: Marcus Collins, Angie Brown, Tom Andrews, Danny Beard, Blaq Ivory, Sal Ford, Ryan Jagger, Saskia Eng, No Idea, BarPop Drag Roulette Team, Wolfy and Paul Walker (sponsored by Oscars Bar).
 

A brand new The Food Warehouse by Iceland opens its doors 18th July 9am on West One Retail Park, Food Warehouse already has a similar store which has proven to be hugely popular over the water in Trafford Park as well as another at White City Retail Park in Stretford.

This will be the companies first store in Salford and it is hoped it will be just as popular with local shoppers.

To help celebrate the new stores launch, the first 100 customers through the doors will receive a free gift!

Food Warehouse will offer a wide range of frozen, chilled, fresh and branded grocery products PLUS special 'get it while you can' homeware deals from its 10,000 sq ft store.

West One (Built upon the site of the old Ladywell Hospital in Eccles) has turned its fortunes around over the past year or so, the addition of The Range has seen a wealth of new stores come to the area such as Jollyes, Smiths Toys, Poundland, Home Bargains, as well as a PureGym.

The woman - who is in her 40s - left the address about 5.45am and walked a short distance before knocking on a door of a house to ask for help.

A man answered and called her a taxi which took her back to the Fallowfield area.

Officers have been carrying out extensive enquiries and have now released CCTV images.

Detective Constable Julie Tsang, from GMP's Salford borough, said:

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"We are keen to speak to the man pictured and anyone who recognises him.

"If you think you might know who he is, or this is you, then please contact us immediately.

"We would also like to speak to the man who helped the victim get a taxi.

"I want to stress you are not in any trouble, but you might have information which could really help this investigation.

"Anyone who has any information is urged to call us."

Details can be passed on by calling police on 101. Alternatively, information can be passed on anonymously by contacting Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.