Salford City Council has announced that a road in the borough is to be named in honour of late international aid worker Alan Henning.
Salford Western Gateway – the one-mile dual carriageway which connects the A57 Liverpool Road in Salford and Trafford Way to the east of the M60 in Trafford – is part of Port Salford on Manchester Ship Canal and is soon set to become Alan Henning Way.
The Mayor of Salford Paul Dennett said it was chosen as a link to Mr Henning’s global aid work.
Alan Henning – a heroic taxi driver from Eccles – was delivering aid in Syria when he was tragically killed by Islamic State militants in 2014.
He will now be honoured in his hometown after hundreds of people signed a petition last year calling for a permanent tribute to “Salford’s finest son”.
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Salford councillors agreed to name a road in Eccles after Alan last July.
Mr Dennett said that once the road is in public ownership, it will be “an honour” to name it in tribute to Alan. He said: “Port Salford is the first inland UK port and distribution hub which is served by short sea shipping, using the Manchester Ship Canal, rail and roads linking it to the motorway network,”
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“The new road was chosen for several reasons.
“It is a vital, international distribution link and an essential part of the Port Salford scheme. As the port continues to grow, Alan Henning Way will become an even more important gateway to Salford. There is so much of Alan in that – a man who was a vital part of humanitarian aid missions and a man willing to give up his home comforts to travel internationally to distribute goods to families and children in desperate need.
“It will be an honour to see his name on the signs so that his bravery and kindness are never forgotten.”
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Barbara Keeley – MP for Worsley and Eccles – paid tribute to Alan and added that she was delighted with the decision. She said: “Alan was a local hero and local people wanted a tribute to him, knowing that he had given his life taking aid to children and families in need in Syria.
“It is right that the city of Salford is naming a road after Alan and people in Salford and across the UK will be pleased with this tribute to his compassion and generous spirit.”
Councillor Shamina August from the Eccles ward added: “Alan touched the lives of so many people. Thousands of people across the city spoke out and said they wanted a way to make sure Alan was never forgotten as a true son of Salford.
“This road will make sure we remember that the world would be a better place, if we all showed the same Spirit of Salford as Alan did.”
Salford City Council has confirmed it is working with the developer Peel Holdings to complete the final process of adoption and the road will be formally named in the near future.
You can find more information via the Salford City Council website here.
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Everton manager Sean Dyche randomly pops up in the music video for Blossoms’ new single – and he’s great
Danny Jones
Did anyone else think they’d ever see Sean Dyche make his acting debut in the role of a Northern crime boss in a silly little music video for the Blossoms?
No, us neither but that’s the bizarre alternate reality we’re living in, apparently.
Blossoms are currently working on the fifth studio album and have already released their lead single entitled, ‘To Do List (After The Break-Up)’, but now they have a new song out as well, with a rather amusing music video to go along with it and somehow Sean Dyche has found himself the star.
The Stockport band teased the curious collaboration in April, giving us just short glimpses of the Everton manager and former Burnley boss with very little explanation – all we know is that it looked funny and it was.
Dyche is still busy trying to finish the Premier League campaign as strong as possible after successfully navigating the Toffees to safety even in spite of their points deductions this season, but it sounds like keeping them up has given him enough time to moonlight as an actor.
Sending the indie five-piece on a mission to collect something of value (yes, that’s all the info we have at this point as the story is still to be continued), it looks like the Kettering-born coach has a larger role to play in whatever this narrative turns out to be.
Playing what can only be described as some kind of semi-Manc mafia figure on the hunt for a very valuable piece of art, i.e. a big giant gorilla statue – one that many Stopfordians spotted being lugged around various parts of the borough –
They also shared a little bit of BTS footage from the shoot for the music video last week. Some lovely head-bobbing and unassuming surroundings here:
As for the track itself, it’s a bit of stylistic change for the lads who’ve mastered their 80s-tinged indie formula over the past decade but it’s an absolute pop and is already stuck in our heads.
Revealing that they’ve collaborated with contemporary funk, disco and electronic icons Jungle on the track, it doesn’t take too long to hear the influences. Look forward to hearing it at Wythenshawe Park this summer.
You can watch the music video for ‘What Can I Say?’ and the ginger-goatee’d football manager extraordinaire in full character HERE.
He’s not the only footballing figure who’s made an entertainment crossover recently either.
Featured Images — Blossoms (via YouTube)/Virgin EMI
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KFC have launched their own perfume – oh, and a new burger
Danny Jones
Fast food giants KFC have launched their very own perfume in one of the weirdest marketing stunts we’ve seen in a long while.
That being said, we definitely want a bottle.
KFC‘s fried chicken-themed fragrance launches next month and is fashionably named ‘No 11 Eau de BBQ’, a nod to their newest menu item, the Ultimate BBQ Burger, which we also want in our possession as soon as humanly possible.
The franchise’s new signature scent launches in just a week’s time and, yes, you can genuinely buy it along with the new burger for a limited time only.
The UK-only release actually sold out when it came to pre-orders but Brits will be able to get their hands on another batch when the second lot drops on 7 May.
Promising a charcoal and smoky wood-scented aroma that immediately transports you to your mate’s back garden as he turns cheap burger patties into overly blackened dry pucks of meat that you definitely would’ve cooked better if you were in charge, the stunt is also helping raise money for non-profits.
Available in 100ml bottles and for just £11, 100% of the proceeds of every sale will go towards the KFC Foundation, which supports grassroots organisations empowering young people to unleash their potential and build a positive future in local communities across the country.
As for the burger that inspired it, the special edition menu item is a nod to BBQ season gradually approaching and they’ve even made a nod to our famously reliable British weather and its attempts to derail the art of outdoor grilling in a new advert.
KFC perfume and a new burger? Christmas has come well early this year.
The Ultimate BBQ Burger has already launched and will be on the menu until 9 June, priced at £6.49 or £9.99 for a box meal which comes with the burger, a regular mini fillet, regular fries, BBQ sauce and a drink.
And don’t worry, it’ll be available on delivery too — we know we’ve had problems with that when it comes to specials in the past.
As KFC’s No 11 Eau de BBQ perfume, you can wait in the online queue like everyone else HERE and let’s just say you’ll be fighting us and plenty of other Mancs for every last drop.