A hostel for homeless men in Greater Manchester has been saved from closure thanks to a company sales boss and his 70-year-old pal.
And it’s safe to say that Damian Ditchfield and Ken Jackson are now the toast of the Manchester charity Supporting People In Need (SPIN) after their hard work and the labour of love that went towards saving the organisation’s base.
SPIN is based at the converted Coverdale Baptist Church in Ardwick, which is known as ‘The Well’.
The charity provided dormitory accommodation for rough sleepers since opening its doors in 2014, and in addition to shelter and food, it also provides training and support to help its residents rebuild their lives, but when the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hit, SPIN was told by Manchester City Council officials that each resident had to have their own living space due to the need for social distancing.
Tom Herstell – Operations Manager at SPIN, whose father and uncle founded the charity – said the organisation was told that council funding would cease unless it could comply.
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That would thus have forced the closure of the hostel.
But that’s when Damian, 53 – a sales manager at Stockport-based bus and coach hire company Belle Vue Manchester – stepped in with Ken – a retired building site manager and qualified joiner who lives in Carrbrook, Stalybridge – to lend a much needed hand.
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Supporting People In Need (SPIN)Supporting People In Need (SPIN)
The kind-hearted duo voluntarily set about converting the open space in the church hall into 19 separate timber-framed bedrooms, enabling SPIN to survive.
Ken also called on building trade contacts who gave materials free of charge for the seven-week project, and Damian, who was on furlough leave from his job, made a 50-mile round trip to The Well every day from his home in Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire.
Speaking about how he got involved with the project, Damian said: “Ken is good friends with Diane Lawler, who was working at The Well as a manager, and he had done a couple of jobs for her in the past [and] it was following a conversation between them that the mission was launched.
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“When Ken heard about the charity’s plight, he didn’t want to ignore it.
“His previous experience meant he had the expertise to do the work and I offered my support so he was assured of meeting the deadline set by the council. We did all the joinery and plastering and were grateful to Irmass Co timber merchants in Trafford Park and P&L Joinery in Stockport for supplying materials at no cost.
“Without their generosity, the project would have been unaffordable for SPIN.
Supporting People In Need
“A qualified electrician took care of the electrics, and we did everything else.
“As well as the new bedrooms, we also built a new food storage area and offices with a mezzanine floor which is used as a training area.”
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Damian – who is also a part-time DJ and during lockdown has raised hundreds of pounds for food poverty relief charity FareShare UK by streaming gigs on Facebook, which have been enjoyed by families and housemates across the UK, in Europe and as far away as Australia, in return for donations to the charity – said “it was an absolute pleasure to be involved” in the SPIN project.
He continued: “It was good for my soul. We spend our lives taking, and it was great to give back to society. The people at SPIN really appreciated it. Ken is one of my closest friends and he’s got such a big heart and generous approach to life.
“He’ll help out with anything and I was only too pleased to work with him for a good cause.”
Tom Herstell added: “We had 12 to a dormitory before COVID-19 struck and were told we would not receive any further funding from the council if we couldn’t offer single bedrooms. We weren’t expecting to be able to do the work [which is why] Damian and Ken have truly saved the charity and we really appreciate their efforts.
“It was a fantastic gesture by them and we are grateful to everyone who donated materials.”
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Supporting People In Need (SPIN) is now accepting donations for Christmas of items including men’s clothes, tinned food and toiletries.
You can find more information via the SPIN website here.
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Erling Haaland is set to make his acting debut later this year
Danny Jones
Manchester City star Erling Haaland is set to make his debut film appearance later this year in his first proper voice acting job as part of an animated movie.
Let’s just say our obsessive countdown until the release date starts NOW.
The Premier League player and sporting superstar has obviously featured on camera plenty since bursting onto the scene – not least of all for his own YouTube channel – but this will be new territory for the Norwegian.
Rather fittingly for the Scandinavian striker, he’s not only playing a Viking character in the upcoming animation, ViQueens, but he’s also basically set to play a version of himself.
Soccer Superstar Erling Haaland to Play Animated Viking in Film Debut (Exclusive) https://t.co/r6uxxOClJI
As per The Hollywood Reporter, the new film by fellow compatriot and director, Harald Zwart, who is best known for the likes of Agent Cody Banks, the 2010 Karate Kid reboot, and The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.
He also directed comedian Steve Martin’s second outing as The Pink Panther, so it’s safe to say he’s got a funny bone or two.
That being said, it feels like the 25-year-old will be able to have some fun with this script, in which he is set to play a Viking of the same name – because of course he is.
While it’s still yet to be revealed as to just how big a role he will have in the feature film set to arrive this winter, what we know so far is that the film is an action-comedy adventure revolving around a “world of fearless warrior girls, icy fjords, and Silk Road mythology.”
It’s also worth noting that this isn’t even the first time we’ve seen a cartoon version of Erling Haaland brought to life, as he also popped up in the world of gaming a little while back.
The career of a top footballer really can be a crazy one, can’t it?
Speaking on the film, director and co-writer Zwart told the outlet: “As a Norwegian storyteller making a Viking adventure for a global audience, having Erling Haaland join ViQueens feels incredibly exciting.
“Erling has already become a kind of real-life Viking icon around the world – powerful, fearless, and uniquely Norwegian. Bringing him into this universe as himself gives the film an unexpected energy and authenticity that felt completely right for this story.”
Other famous faces set to star in the animation, which is set to release this December, include singer-turned-actor Rita Ora and Ella Purnell (Fallout, Arcane, Sweetpea), who are starring as the two lead characters and voice actors.
Enzo Maresca to Manchester City: Ex-Chelsea coach looks set to replace Pep Guardiola
Danny Jones
Manchester City manager and club legend Pep Guardiola looks all set to leave the Etihad at the end of this season, and it appears that Enzo Maresca has already been identified as his replacement.
With the game-changing Catalan head coach now seemingly gearing up to leave Man City after a decade, following the conclusion of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign (which his side could very well still win), Blues are already getting ready to bid a bittersweet goodbye.
You won’t find many City supporters who will be happy to see him go, having overseen not only a period of dominance but the most successful period in their history – one that has quite literally changed English football – but they will at least be optimistic about the frontrunner to succeed him.
As per the ever-reliable Fabrizio Romano, among other sources, an agreement is said to have been reached for the Italian to take over in East Manchester.
🚨🔵 BREAKING: Enzo Maresca has a total verbal agreement with Manchester City, HERE WE GO!
The Italian manager has always been considered the ideal candidate to replace Pep Guardiola.
Deal in place and Maresca will sign an initial three year deal at #MCFC. 🇮🇹
Going so far as to state that the deal is now in place, he claims that Maresca will sign a three-year deal with Man City.
Obviously, this is all still pending an official announcement by the club, which may now be moving up their plans to confirm Pep’s departure since the news was first reported on Monday, 18 May.
According to The Athletic‘s Sam Lee, who was part of the outlet’s team that helped break the story alongside David Ornstein, the 46-year-old has been earmarked for the top job for more than half a decade, as it turns out.
He states that former City Football Group exec and director of football, Txiki Begiristain, already believed Maresca could follow in the Spaniard’s footseps back in 2020.
Yes, it’s also worth reminding that Maresca has already worked as part of the staff at the Etihad Campus, not only leading their Elite Development Squad (EDS) of U23s players, but also being part of the backroom staff alongside the serial winner, serving as an assistant coach in 2022.
Sources are telling Sky Sports News that Pep Guardiola is leaving Manchester City after Sunday's final Premier League game of the season 🔵
Preparations are underway for the outcome that Guardiola will leave – and Enzo Maresca is most likely to become his successor.
The 46-year-old has gone on to win the likes of the Championship, UEFA Conference League title and a FIFA Club World Cup in his last two jobs at Leicester and Chelsea, respectively, barring his very first stint at Parma in 2021 when he missed out getting his side promoted.
Safe to say that Maresca has quickly gone on to be one of the most promising managerial prospects in a relatively short space of time, and was even linked with being both the England boss and a rival position for Manchester United at one point or another.
It’s only a matter of time until we find out if/for how long he gets the job following Pep Guardiola’s contract expiring this summer, but he’ll have quite the job on
Would you be happy with the appointment, Blues? More crucially, perhaps, are you ready to say farewell to your greatest-ever manager?
Emily Sergeant -
1st December 2020 
