Community spirit and the power of pulling together at a time when it’s needed most has never been more prevalent than during these few months and no one has proved that more than Mama Flo.
Stockport residents have been showing support in the hundreds on social media over the past few months for a “hero of the community” who has been feeding the borough throughout lockdown.
Mama Flo, of the popular and much-loved Caribbean restaurant Mama Flo’s on Buxton Road in Stockport, has been cooking hundreds of meals to offer to NHS staff, critical carers, essential/key workers and the most vulnerable within her local area to ensure they are well fed during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
A beloved figure in her community, Mama Flo is up everyday from around 4am to begin preparing fresh food.
She has been doing this for no financial gain and has been described as “an absolute inspiration”.
In the spirit of her mantra ‘be kind and share the love’, Stockport residents have been sure to share their love for Mama Flo on social media.
Facebook / Mama Flo’s
A heartwarming post on Facebook by a local Police Officer, which highlights Mama Flo’s selfless efforts, has garnered much public response and has amassed thousands of likes, comments and shares over recent weeks. It reads: “This is Mama Flo. Those of you who know Stockport know…or should know that she has her Jamaican restaurant ‘Mama Flo’s’ on Buxton Road.”
“Flo is up around 4am every day preparing food for her shop, and feeds the local community. Over the past few weeks since lockdown, Flo has not stopped. She’s fed Police Officers and Emergency service staff for free…without being asked.”
“Flo has cooked food and fed staff at the MRI at a time of stress and heartache.”
“Flo does not stop and does what she does because she loves people.”
This is Mama Flo. Those of you who know Stockport know…or should know that she has her Jamaican restaurant 'Mama…
“Today it was nice to take some flowers to her to say thank you from all Police Officers at Stockport who have been helped by her love, generosity and selflessness.”
“If you have never been to sample Flo’s food, you are sorely missing out, she is amazing, go and support her.”
“Flo…you are a hero of your community, and we salute you.”
Other local residents, happy customers and grateful members of the community have also added their support for Mama Flo in the comments of the above post, on her Facebook page and via other similar posts across social media platforms.
Mama Flo has also been sure to keep her community regularly updated via her Facebook page and has often expressed how grateful she is to have received such overwhelmingly positive feedback.
After drawing her ‘Free Food Monday’ initiative to a close at the start of June, she took the time to thank customers in a post that read: “Thank you for your continued support throughout the past three months during the COVID pandemic. It’s been a real pleasure to see the community join together to support one another during what has been such a difficult time.”
“What has been a great 3 months [it has been]. I will especially miss the giving goody bags out for the children and receiving all the beautiful photos they brought for me.”
“Thank you to everyone that has helped me out, spread the word and donated to this amazing cause, but most of all, thank you to all my family that have been there to support me every step of the way.”
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Hey everyone,Thank you for your continued support throughout the past three months , during the COVID pandemic. It’s…
If you’re local to Stockport and are keen on Caribbean cooking, you can order for delivery and collection from Mama Flo’s on Tuesday-Thursday 12pm-9:30pm and Friday & Saturday 12pm-10pm.
Orders can be placed on Just Eat, Deliveroo, Uber Eats and for collection by calling –
A GoFundMe page has also been set up by local residents to support Mama Flo, say thank you and “give her a little something back”. If you would like to make a contribution, you can do so here.
You can continue to keep up to date with Mama Flo on Facebook here.
News
More than 100 ‘unsafe’ counterfeit Labubus seized in Oldham
Daisy Jackson
More than 100 counterfeit Labubus and accessories have been seized in Oldham, the council has announced.
The Labubu dolls – a plush collectible with giant smiles and bunny ears – have been seized because they are fake, and unsafe.
The haul of 104 Labubus has been given a street value of between £800 and £1000 – but if they were the real deal, they’d be worth more than three times as much.
The poorly-made figures were being sold for a fraction of the price of a real Labubu, which are manufactured by Chinese company Pop Mart (it’s set to open its second Manchester store in the Trafford Centre next week).
Oldham Council’s Trading Standards team said it seized the counterfeit Labubus from local businesses and found that they were unsafe and poorly made.
Officers raised concerns about the safety of the dolls, which had small parts such as eyes, hands and feet broke off easily, creating a choking hazard.
What a genuine Labubu should look like. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
They were also missing legally required safety marks such as the CE or UKCA labels, and lacked the name and address of a UK supplier, which is another legal requirement.
Councillor Elaine Taylor, Oldham Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Licensing, said: “Oldham Trading Standards carries out regular checks to help keep unsafe products off the shelves. In this case, these counterfeit toys failed safety standards and have now been removed from sale.
“We know it can be tempting to buy toys that look like a bargain, but parents need to be extra careful. Fake toys like these may be cheaper, but they can put children in real danger if they’re not made to strict safety standards.
“If anyone has concerns about toys they’ve purchased, or if they see unsafe products on sale locally, we’d encourage them to get in touch with Trading Standards through the Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.”
Council publishes list of central Manchester roads set to be resurfaced this summer
Emily Sergeant
A list of roads in Manchester that are set to be resurfaced before the summer is out has been published.
Manchester City Council recently asked residents in the region what their priorities were for their community and what issues they wanted to see tackled – and for many, the answer was the quality of the road surfaces.
Since then, the Council says it has been ‘engaged’ in a long-running programme of improvement works throughout the borough.
Now, with just over a month of the summer season left, it has been confirmed that some vital resurfacing works are due to start over the coming weeks in north and central Manchester, bringing a range of improvements to key district roads along with it.
First up, from Saturday 9 August, Hollinwood Avenue is to be resurfaced.
The Council has published a list of Manchester roads that are set to be resurfaced this summer / Credit: MJ Richardson (via Geograph)
Anticipated to take six weeks to complete, this work will be carried out during weekend closures from 8am-5pm, with the road remaining open during the working week.
The closure area will be between Greengates Roundabout and the Oldham boundary at Owler Lane, and a signed diversion route will be in place while work is carried out, and access for residents will be maintained at all times.
Then, starting from Saturday 16 August, resurfacing works will begin on Moss Lane East, between Alexandra Road and Princess Road.
Work will take place between 7am and 5pm on weekdays, and 8am and 5pm on weekends, and during the works, the road will be completely closed – with a signed diversion route in place and access for residents maintained.
As always, disruption is expected and the public is encouraged to plan ahead / Credit: Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash)
These works are expected to take six weeks to complete, and as with all resurfacing projects, residents should expect some disruption and may need to plan ahead.
The Council is aiming to keep disruption to the public at a minimum, where possible.
“We know how important it is to our residents that key roads are well maintained, which is why were glad to be able to deliver this latest round of improvement works,” commented Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment, and Transport at Manchester City Council.
“I’d like to thank people ahead of time for their patience during the course of these works and would advise them to check when closures will be in place and where the diversions are.”
You can find more information on the resurfacing works on the Council website here.
Emily Sergeant -
16th June 2020 
