Manchester PCSOs hailed as ‘angels’ after shopping for elderly man with no food in his cupboards
They took him shopping for food on their lunch break, and delivered a television and washing machine after seeing he was struggling to care for himself
Two Greater Manchester PCSOs have been hailed as ‘angels’ after rushing to the aid of a vulnerable 68-year-old, following a concerned call from a relative.
PCSOs Colin Taylor and Paul Dawson went above and beyond for the elderly man in Rochdale, taking him shopping for food on their lunch break and delivering a television and washing machine.
The pair had been on a routine call checking on the man in the Firgrove area, but when they entered the property they quickly realised that he was struggling to look after himself and had no food in his fridge or cupboards.
Going beyond the call of duty, the duo decided to take matters into their own hands and drove the man to the shop themselves, helping him with his trolley and shopping inside – picking up essentials like bread, milk, and squash alongside a few treats.
Image: GMP Rochdale
They then delivered him safely home with his haul, before making sure that his details were passed on to agencies that can help him going forward.
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The PCSOs have been back to see the man to deliver a television and a washing machine that has been donated by a member of the public.
The man’s sister, who didn’t want to be named, described the pair as ‘angels’ and said she “can’t praise them enough.”
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“They knew he needed some help and didn’t hesitate,” she added.
“They still go back and see him every other day to check up and make sure he is okay.”
PCSO Dawson said: “We treated him as we would want our own families to be treated.
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“We heard that he didn’t feel up to going out but when we offered to take him, he lit up and it clearly touched him.
“For us this is our bread and butter and serving the community is the most rewarding part of the job.
“Our referrals to other agencies will now ensure he has everything he needs.”
Rochdale Neighbourhood Sergeant, PS Matthew Honey, said: “They really have gone above and beyond the call of duty but that is nothing less than I would expect from my team.
“Acts like this are not a one-off and we are committed to helping the most vulnerable people on our beats.”
Featured image: GMP Rochdale
News
Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…
Georgina Pellant -
19th November 2021 
