Today marks eight years since Greater Manchester Police PCs Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes tragically lost their lives whilst on duty.
On a day that will forever be devastatingly etched into the memory of the city – 18th September 2012 – PC Fiona Bone and PC Nicola Hughes were on patrol and responding to hoax reports of a burglary at Abbey Gardens in the village of Mottram in Longdendale in Greater Manchester when they were murdered in a gun and grenade ambush.
PC Bone was pronounced dead at the scene, and PC Hughes later died in hospital.
The incident was the first on the island of Great Britain in which two female police officers were killed on duty.
Their tragic deaths were met with nationwide shock and anger – with Greater Manchester Police’s then Chief Constable Peter Fahy calling the attack “cold-blooded murder” and then Prime Minister David Cameron describing it as a “despicable act… of pure evil” – and the next day, a moments silence was held by Greater Manchester Police at 11am in remembrance.
The Union Flag was lowered to half-mast at Greater Manchester Police’s headquarters as a mark of respect.
Their funerals were held on 3rd and 4th October at Manchester Cathedral, with large parts of the city centre coming to a standstill and huge crowds attending to pay their respects to the brave officers.
Remembering Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes, 8 years on. #NeverForgotten
Today – on what is the eighth anniversary of their deaths – GMP Hyde, Longdendale and Hattersley and GMP Tameside South & West took to social media to pay their respects to the fallen officers writing: “Today marks the 8th anniversary of the tragic loss of PC’s Nicola Hughes and Fiona Bone.
“Their passing has been remembered every year since with a memorial at Hyde Police Station however this year the arrangements will be conducted slightly differently. There will be a private service with close family only, at the Nicola and Fiona memorial garden at Hyde Police Station starting at 10.50am, with a minutes silence at 10.52am, wreaths will then be placed by the family and a wreath will be placed by Chief Supt Allsop on behalf of GMP.
“For all those who wish to be a part of the service, they can do this virtually as with the families permission, it will be live streamed at 10.50 via @GMPHyde Twitter account.
“The memorial gardens at Hyde are a special place and this year, with the agreement and support of the families of Nicola and Fiona, staff at Hyde have given their time to ensure that the gardens and garden furniture have been appropriately maintained and refreshed.”
Today marks the 8th anniversary of the tragic loss of PC's Nicola and Fiona. A private service will be held with close family, and Chief Supt Allsop. The family have given permission for this to be live streamed here at 10.50 for those wishing to pay their respects. pic.twitter.com/0pNV0clZ9g
RIP Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes – #NeverForgotton
Those who wish the pay their respects today are invited to view the live streamed memorial service via the GMP Hyde, Longdendale and Hattersley Twitter account here.
News
New National Highways campaign launched to prevent ‘intrusive’ act that 43% of drivers admit to doing
Emily Sergeant
A new campaign has been launched by National Highways to raise awareness of an ‘intrusive’ driving act that 43% of Brits admit to doing.
Whether intentional or not, tailgating – a term used for driving too closely behind another vehicle – is known to create tension and anxiety for drivers across the UK, and remains a serious safety issue for other road users, which is why National Highways has launched a campaign to tackle the issue.
Recent Government statistics have shown that tailgating leads to an average of 147 deaths or serious injuries every year on motorways and major A-roads, with 60% of drivers saying that being tailgated makes them feel uncomfortable.
But despite this, 43% of drivers admit to tailgating ‘at least sometimes’.
The National Highways’ new campaign, titled Make the Change: Two Seconds is all it Takes, is working to highlight how one person’s driving behaviour, even if unintentional, can cause real stress for others.
The agency said the simple message in the campaign’s name highlights that all drivers need to do is maintain this ‘suitable’ following distance.
“Small changes in driving behaviour can have a big impact on overall road safety and everyone’s wellbeing on the road,” the campaign reads.
A new National Highways campaign has been launched to prevent ‘intrusive’ tailgating on UK roads / Credit: pxfuel
“Keeping a safe following distance of at least two seconds is a simple yet vital habit. It significantly improves road safety while promoting a calmer, more respectful driving atmosphere for everyone.
“Following another vehicle too closely can make the driver ahead feel stressed and pressured. It’s much like someone standing too near to you in a queue – uncomfortable and intrusive.
“Respecting space matters just as much on the road as it does in everyday life.”
Read more:
As a way of maintaining the two-second gap, the National Highways encourages drivers to ‘pick a fixed point up ahead’, such as a road sign or lamppost, and as the car in front passes it, start counting: ‘one thousand one, one thousand two’.
If you reach that point before finishing the count, you’re too close and need to ease off the accelerator to allow more space.
Featured Image – Edward Lawrence (via Unsplash)
News
You can win tickets to sold-out Lewis Capaldi gigs at Greggs
Thomas Melia
Nationwide bakery chain Greggs has partnered with singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi for a chance to win tickets for his sold-out UK tour.
Now, if there’s one thing we love more than sausage rolls, it’s watching Glasgow solo star Lewis Capaldi perform his smash hit singles to crowds of roaring fans –and Glastonbury proved that.
The ‘Hold Me While You Wait’ singer recently announced his latest UK tour, and to no one’s surprise, it sold out within minutes, with extra dates added in each city.
Leave it to Greggs, one of the UK’s favourite savoury pick-me-up companies, and its new campaign with Capaldi, which offers lucky fans the chance to win tickets to one of these sold-out UK tour dates – How ‘Grace'(ful).
This new campaign, titled ‘Someone you look like?’ – inspired by the chart-topping anthem ‘Someone You Loved’ – encourages fans of the Scottish Beyoncé to dress up in an outrageous outfit inspired by one of Lewis’ many stylish looks.
Greggs and Lewis Capaldi are offering fans the chance to win tickets to his sellout tour across five of the bakery chain’s sites, including London, Birmingham, Sheffield, Glasgow and right here in Manchester.
The bond between Greggs and Capaldi isn’t new either, as the ‘Bruises’ penman worked a shift for the savoury suppliers back in 2019, having a blue plaque erected at this very Middlesbrough site professing his love for a tuna crunch butty.
This isn’t the only competition that UK bakery chain Greggs is currently running; it’s also teamed up with package holiday brand Jet2 to give away a holiday at the same price as their iconic sausage rolls.
Whilst you’re at it…
Greggs and Lewis Capaldi have 25 pairs of tickets to win per restaurant location and the nearest bakery spot running this promotion is theSalford site located at Media City, M50 2HF on Tuesday, 22 July 2025. All information can be found HERE.
The Manc -
18th September 2020 
