A Stockport lad’s harrowing barbecue accident which left him temporarily unable to walk and in need of a skin graft has been the catalyst for the launch of an inspiring fundraising campaign.
During a family day out at Formby Beach last June, 9-year-old Will Tyler accidentally stepped on hot sand where a beach barbecue had previously been sat, causing severe scarring to both his feet and leaving him needing urgent medical treatment.
The Tyler family left their home in The Heatons on 1 June 2020, and headed to the popular Merseyside beach to join friends.
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Having purposefully hiked across the sand dunes at Formby to keep away from the crowds, they set up a disposable barbecue to enjoy some sausage sandwiches, and then once the barbecue had cooled, moved it far away from the children to one side, so the youngsters could run around and play.
“Everyone I’ve told this story to just cannot believe how sand can stay that hot,” explained Will’s dad Toby, aged 51.
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“We’d used one of those disposable barbecues where the coals are in a foil tray.
“The bottom of the tray was on the sand – which I now know meant the heat was being sent down into the sand and the foil surface was trapping it there – [and] when we moved the barbecue, the top of the sand cooled in the atmosphere, but underneath it was still roasting hot as the heat had just been trapped there.
“We learned later it can stay dangerously hot for hours and hours.”
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He continued: “The kids were running around playing when suddenly Will just screamed [and] as a parent, it’s the worst sound I’d ever heard and it’s a sound I’ll never forget. He pulled his foot out of the sand and his skin was peeling off his foot like melted wax. We realised the sand was scalding hot and we were miles from anywhere with no first aid kit or anyone to help us.
“I ran carrying him to the car [and] by the time I got there, I was soaking wet with sweat. I wasn’t sure I was going to make it, but seeing Will’s foot… I guess the adrenaline just kicked in.”
Will’s mum Claire drove to a nearby hospital about 30 minutes away from the beach, before he was taken to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital to spend eight nights.
“He had to have a skin graft from his right thigh to his left foot,” said Toby. “He was on morphine for the pain but I know there were some days, especially when they had to change his dressings, that were particularly bad for him”.
From there, it’s been a slow recovery process – and one that is still ongoing.
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Toby continued: “As he’s still growing, we’re not sure if there will be operations in future, but for now, he is recovering well and he’s lucky that he has some close friends that have been really great at supporting him – and of course we have to thank the team at the hospital’s Burns and Plastics Aftercare Clinic.
There’s no denying that the tragic events of that day are forever etched in the memory of the Tyler family, but thanks to the expert care it’s one that’s inspired young Will to raise as much money as possible for the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
Will is aiming to complete eight fundraising challenges for RMCH Burns Unit / Credit: Tyler Family / RMCHC
Yesterday, on the one-year anniversary of his accident, Will began eight fundraising challenges – which vary from an 8km walk and an 8km paddle in the Mersey River, to eight random acts of kindness, eight nights sleeping out, and even getting eight friends to shave their heads in eight minutes – and revisited Formby Beach to raise awareness of the dangers of barbecues on sand.
All the money he raises will go to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity and will help other young burns patients just like Will.
“I wanted to do some fundraising themed around the number eight because that’s how many nights I was in the children’s hospital,” Will explained.
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“We originally wanted to raise £888 but even before the challenges were nailed down, we’d already smashed that target, so now we’re having a rethink of how much we would like to raise.
“As well as raising the money, I really want to raise awareness of how dangerous it is having a barbecue on the sand.
“We didn’t know how hot the sand would get, or that it would stay hot for such a long time.”
“Everyone I’ve told this story to just cannot believe how sand can stay that hot” / Credit: Tyler Family / RMCHC
Jo Thomas – who is the Community Fundraising Officer at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity, and has been supporting the family with their fundraising – added: “Will is such an inspiring young man and his enthusiasm for his fundraising is incredible.
“He really has thrown all his energy into preparing for his challenges and everyone at the Charity can’t wait to hear how they all go.
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“I’m particularly looking forward to the head shave pictures.
“We want to thank Will and all his family and friends for not only fundraising a fantastic amount of money, but also raising awareness of such an important issue.”
Keen to sponsor Will?
You can find more information about Will’s mission via his Facebook page ‘8 Days in June’ here, and you can also contribute to helping him reach his fundraising target by making a donation to his GoFundMe page.
Featured Image – Tyler Family / RMCHC
UK News
Gavin and Stacey will return with a 2024 Christmas special for its final episode
Danny Jones
After some pretty big rumblings earlier this year, it’s finally been confirmed that Gavin and Stacey will be returning for a Christmas special this year and what will be its last-ever episode.
The beloved British comedy last aired back in 2019 with their previous Christmas special and fans of the show have been crying out for more ever since.
Well, it turns out they’ll be getting just one more go around the block as co-creators James Corden and Ruth Jones revealed that they have now finished writing their third and final Xmas special which will tie a festive bow on the trio of series which started all the way back in 2007.
Sharing a picture of the script on social media, the pair wrote: “Some news… It’s official!!! We have finished writing the last ever episode of Gavin and Stacey. See you on Christmas Day, BBC One. Love Ruth and James”.
However, what was actually going on was a bit of a red herring as she carefully chose to talk down any notions of another series but didn’t categorically dismiss the potential Christmas special.
In fact, she actually went on to add: “All I can say is, if there was something to say on that front, James [Corden] and I would happily announce it, we would.”
And that’s exactly what they’ve done. Well played, Nessa.
As for details surrounding the final chapter in the Gavin and Stacey story, we have very few details at this stage but fans of the iconic show will already be wondering how they might pick up from where certain threads left off.
Production companies Baby Cow, Corden’s Fulwell 73 and Jones’ Tidy Productions are all behind the special and, given the momentous occasion, it will likely have a primetime slot on the TV guide when it finally rolls around this holiday season.
So get your remotes, baubles and bhunas at the ready because Gavin and Stacey is coming back for one last time and it’s sure to be a TV event that people all across the UK will remember for years to come.
Featured Images — BBC/James Corden (via Instagram)
UK News
Manchester Museum has been shortlisted for the 2024 Art Fund Museum of the Year
Danny Jones
Another bit of very well-deserved recognition for our city as the Manchester Museum has been shortlisted for the 2024 Art Fund Museum of the Year.
Organised by the independent and membership-based British charity, which raises funds through the collection of important works and artefacts, it’s world the single largest museum prize in the world.
Shining as one of the crown jewels in Manchester’s cultural scene, the museum has been named among five other impressive finalists for this year’s award, which is evaluating inspiring projects from autumn 2022 through to winter 2023.
This wonderful news comes at a good time for Manchester Museum, which recently welcomed its one-millionth visitor since reopening to the public in February last year, following a £15 million values-led redevelopment. It really is back with a bang.
With Art Fund keeping audiences and communities at their heart, the highly revered accolade has a particular focus on community engagement, sustainable ways of working, and demonstration of ambition by reinventing what it means to be ‘the best’ museum for the audiences of today and tomorrow.
For context, the Manchester Museum (which sits as part of the University of Manchester) was the most visited indoor museum in the North of England throughout 2023, despite being shut for an entire month, welcoming a total of 790,332 people through their doors.
Speaking on this year’s selection, director Jenny Waldman, who heads up the 2024 judging panel, has applauded each of this year’s finalists for delivering “something for everyone” and keeping “community at the very heart of their programming.”
“Their commitment to innovative partnerships whilst operating within an extremely challenging funding environment is incredible”, she added. “I’m so pleased to see the way they support and centre young people through their work.
“Across a wide range of size and scale, these organisations are all real leaders in their field. I urge everyone to go and visit these extremely special spaces.” So do we.
We’d recommend going along to Stand the T-Rex aloneYou’ve got to see the giant Japanese spider crab(Credit: Manchester Museum/Matthew via Flickr)
As for the museum themselves, DirectorEsme Ward said of the announcement: “Manchester Museum’s redevelopment was the result of 10 years’ collective endeavour, so being shortlisted for Art Fund Museum of the Year is a moment of joy for everyone to share in, from staff and partners to our communities and Manchester itself.
“It is an affirmation of museums’ power to bring people together in building a more inclusive, hopeful future.”
Built on self-proclaimed values of “inclusion, imagination and care”, the museum’s recent reopening has positioned it at the forefront of the sector here in the UK, with new galleries, partnerships, visitor facilities, sector-leading programming and digital innovations.
These updates, along with their existing and award-winning South Asia Gallery – the largest and first permanent gallery in the UK to celebrate the experiences and contribution of the South Asian diaspora co-curated by members from the community itself – are what have helped put it in the running for this prestigious prize.
Visitor numbers for the first year following reopening were up 157% on 2019/20, with 57% of those being new attendees and more than one in seven’s first trip to a museum ever.
The other four shortlisted museums are the Craven Museum in Skipton, North Yorkshire; Dundee Contemporary Arts, the National Portrait Gallery in London and the Young V&A – Victoria and Albert Museum, also in the capital.
The winning museum will be announced at a ceremony at the National Gallery in London on 10 July and will receive £120,000 to put towards internal projects and cultural work. Better still, £15,000 will be given to each of the four other finalists, so everyone’s a winner in a way.
Congratulations again to everyone at Manchester Museum and well done for all your incredible hard work – we can’t wait to be right about you again in a couple of months when we’re confident you’ll be rightly named as the winner of the 2024 Art Fund Museum of the Year.