A local man is running 72 miles across Salford in 24 hours to raise thousands of pounds for the people who looked after his mum during her final years.
Tracy Prady passed away in April on her grandson’s birthday following a five-year fight with bowel cancer.
But the care she received was ‘incredible’.
In honour of his mum’s memory – and as a thank you to the charity that supported her – Jack Prady has launched a fundraiser; running across Worsley on February 12 (Tracy’s birthday) alongside his dad.
All donations will be going to the Christie in Manchester – and the pot is already close to £10,000.
It’ll be the biggest test of endurance Jack has ever experienced. But he considers it a fitting way to pay tribute to his courageous mum – who was known as ‘Wonder Woman’.
“Traditionally I only run 3-6 miles a couple of days a week, but I thought it was important to really push myself mentally and physically, just like my Mum did throughout the course of her cancer journey,” Jack told us.
“Despite her physical state being compromised, my Mum’s mentality was always to battle through it; never give up.”
Jack also explained that running has helped him ‘refocus’ following his mum’s passing.
“Hopefully the purpose of this event and support will keep me going,” he says.
“Albeit I envisage the day to be quite an emotional one.”
Jack is currently training five days a week during the cold nights of winter to prepare his body for the big run.
Support keeps pouring in by the day.
The donations total has almost reached five figures – a ‘million miles’ from what Jack was expecting.
“It’s brought a togetherness to family and friends that you often lose in restricted times,” he says.
“Local businesses have been quick to support with shirt sponsorship and I’ve been inundated with donations and good luck messages.”
Charity fundraisers don’t come much more epic than this.
Jack will take off on his own personal marathon on February 12. To learn more about the run and make a donation, head over to the JustGiving page.
Feature
Review | Sam Fender headlines an unforgettable night at Wythenshawe Park
Harry Quick
In the beating green heart of South Manchester, Sam Fender delivered a night for the books at Wythenshawe Park – swapping the safety of arenas for something far more raw and electric under the open sky.
The Geordie hero – now a household name and one of Britain’s most beloved live acts – took to the stage with the confidence of someone who’s played stadiums, but the humility of a lad still jamming with his mates in a garage. And if you thought he’d rest on the hits, think again.
But before he unleashed his arsenal of chart-toppers, support from Bugman, Charlie Noordewier, and Olivia Dean warmed things up. Dean was the name on everyone’s lips, with an almost sell-out capacity turning up for the East London star who released her latest track ‘Man I Need’ on the same day.
Hits like ‘Nice To Each Other’ and ‘Dive’ got people in the swing, but – it has to be said – there was a glaring omission of ‘Rein Me In’, Sam Fender’s tune which featured Dean on an updated chorus! I think when people were heading for the exits at the end of the night, some stayed in their spots waiting for the inevitable classic that never came…
Sam Fender sounded great in the open air of Wythenshawe Park. (Credit: Audio North)
A track from his 2021 album got us going with ‘Angel in Lothian’ opening the show for the very first time – a bold move, but the right one. Fender, bathed in flashbulbs, delivered the track with aching intensity, and from the first note, Wythenshawe knew it was in for something special. No crowd warm-up needed. They were going for it tonight.
Then came the EP sledgehammer: ‘Spice’. The pit ignited. Flares. Flying pints. Lads and ladies on shoulders. Chaos in the best possible sense. Fender grinned, clearly feeding off the Manc crowd’s energy. “It’s good to be back, Manchester!” he shouted. And we believed him.
‘Will We Talk?’ and ‘Getting Started’ kept the tempo going for the opening of the set – indie anthems bouncing off the trees like echoes from another era. Then came ‘Arm’s Length’, pulling things inward, a slower riff from the most recent People Watching album, and definitely a fan favourite, as evidenced by the number of streams.
A reminder that Fender’s strength lies not only in volume, but can also pull out his softer side.
But in my eyes, it was ‘The Borders’ that provided the most memorable moment of the night. Mid-song, Sam invited a young fan, guitar in hand, on stage. Together, they nailed the song’s dramatic crescendo that speaks about Fender’s homelife growing up. Thousands watched, phone lights up, cheering on a moment that’ll surely live in that kid’s head forever.
No ‘Rein Me In’, ‘The Dying Light’ and no ‘Remember My Name’ was gutting, we’ll admit. (Credit:The Manc)
More People Watching material followed, including the haunting ‘Crumbling Empire’, giving us shades of Springsteen, which landed with a weight that silenced even the chattiest of crowd members. Then, halfway through the set, ‘Dead Boys’ brought it all crashing back – Fender’s OG storytelling at its most harrowing, the crowd singing every word with defiant pride. One of my all-time favourites!
As dusk gave way to darkness, ‘People Watching’ and the thunderous new single ‘Tyrants’ brought a fresh edge. Fender was in his element, throwing himself into each lyric like it was the last song he’d ever play.
But the true peak? ‘Howdon Aldi Death Queue’, with its extended outro! It’s jaw-droppingly good. I’m calling it the North East’s equivalent to ‘Free Bird’, and those comparisons can’t be named lightly. The guitar solo roared across the park like a jet engine, Hendrix by way of North Shields, with saxophones soaring and the band absolutely letting rip. It was glorious noise. Controlled chaos. Pure rock.
Just when you thought he’d played every card, ‘Alright’ made its tour debut. The crowd reacted like it was an old friend returning home. It fit seamlessly – big, bold and born to be played live.
And then, the emotional punch: ‘Spit of You’, a quiet and tender account of a relationship between dad and lad, before the inevitable eruption of ‘Seventeen Going Under’ to close. Undeniably one of his best tunes, it literally takes you back to traversing adolescence, standing in a park, drinking tinnies, listening to your favourite music… oh wait!
Just when the dust seemed to settle, Fender and the band returned one last time for a thunderous encore. And what better way to close out a legendary night than with ‘Hypersonic Missiles’; pyrotechnics blazing, confetti raining down, and the Geordie hero grinning from ear to ear as he stood arms-wide in front of a sky full of stars and a crowd full of love.
Sam Fender at Wythenshawe Park wasn’t just another tour date. It was a love letter to the North, to music, to the fans that got him here – and to the ones still screaming every lyric just like we do in our bedrooms.
Let’s hope the park’s grass recovers. We might need it again next summer.
Lupo Caffe Italiano – a taste of sunny Rome on a Prestwich industrial estate
Daisy Jackson
The sun is beating down on you, there’s a couple of luminous orange Aperol Spritzes on the checked tablecloth, Italian pop music is trickling out over the speakers and you’ve got two heaping bowls of pasta on the way.
The setting could easily be a cobbled street in front of the Colosseum in Rome. But it’s not. It’s an industrial estate in Prestwich.
Lupo must be one of Greater Manchester’s most hidden gems in a very literal sense.
To get here, you have to drive or walk a strange looping circuit around industrial warehouses peddling everything from splashbacks to burglar alarms to grow tents.
One of these warehouses, located in the very furthest yard, looks a little different to the others, festooned with bunches of garlic and dried herbs strung up from the ceiling.
There are shelves full of pasta, sauces and even crisps, a fridge packed with delicious Italian wines and beers, and retro football shirt-inspired merch hanging from the walls.
Its awkward location does nothing to hold back its loyal customers, who repeatedly return for the authentic taste of Rome on offer here.
Lupo is operated by Nico Pasquali, who first ran it as a tiny Italian cafe on Chapel Street in Salford (before all the high-rises appeared), then shifted it over to the odd shiny-commercial-office-land that is Exchange Quay, then took it almost entirely remote to trudge through the pandemic.
Lupo’s charming interiorsNico has added outside seating to LupoThe pasticceria selection at Lupo
At one point, Caffè Lupo existed mostly on WhatsApp, with customers texting in their orders ready for a doorstep drop on a Friday night.
But now the large-ish commercial unit is its main business, and it’s a special one.
You are greeted, always, with a friendly wave, then given the sort of service where you’re very gently guided to order all the best things on the menu that day, feeling like you’ll personally offend Nico if you order differently and stray from his recommendations. Thankfully it’s pretty easy to trust this man.
It’s extremely hard for me to see amatriciana on a menu and not order it – so I don’t try. One bowl of rigatoni amatriciana for me, and make it cheesy.
This is a textbook example of the deceptively simple pasta dish. Fatty guanciale cooked right down so that all that delicious pork fat melts into the tomatoes, then it’s seasoned with, I presume, several generations of secrets and love from Italian nonnas.
Rigatoni amatriciana, and fennel sausage orecchietteA spread of Lupo’s Italian foodPepernata – Nico’s mum’s recipeThe Pizza Lupo
The sweet, salty, meaty sauce is available on a pizza too, which will be top of my list next time I visit.
Across the table it’s a special (but it’s been on the menu for a while now) of orecchiette with fennel sausage and romanesco broccoli.
Nico tells us a customer once refused to pay for this dish because it wasn’t ‘saucy’ enough. Heathen.
That’s the running theme with Lupo – don’t come here expecting Neapolitan pizzas, or flat whites, or hot honey dips for your pizza crusts. It isn’t the Roman way, and Nico isn’t about to veer away from his proud roots to mould into any passing fads or trends.
If you’re after authenticity and tradition though, this is comfortably the top Italian in Greater Manchester.
If you can come to Lupo and walk away without ordering something sweet from the counter, you’re a stronger person than me.
PasticceriaOwner NicoLupo’s famous millefoglie
They’re famed for their doughnuts (rightly), with bouncy dough filled with flavours including pistachio cream, lemon, and homemade jams.
Also displayed in neat rows are fruit tarts with a glossy glaze, towering cream cakes in neat layers, and puff pastry cannoncini.
But Nico is adamant, absolutely adamant, that we order a slice of his millefoglie. It’s a sell-out, he says. We’re lucky he even has some in stock, he tells us. Who are we to argue?
And if you’ve made it this far, just stop reading right now, get in the damn car and go get yourself a slice before it sells out again.
Layers of lighter-than-air homemade pastry are sandwiched together with delicately sweet cream, hints of almond throughout, and it’s good enough to bring a tear to your eye.
We leave with a doughnut in a box too, so that we at least have a snack if we get completely lost finding our way back out of the industrial estate.
The Manc -
25th January 2021 
