Greater Manchester firefighters were seen lining the streets in what was a poignant tribute to their late colleague.
Following the funeral of Daniel Lee held yesterday, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) has shared a collection of moving photos from the service – which shows many of his colleagues lining the streets with their heads bowed as procession passed, and acting as pallbearers during the service itself.
Fire engines displaying floral tributes from loving family members also formed part of the procession.
Daniel ‘Dan’ Lee was a Watch Manager at GMFRS, and served the communities of Greater Manchester for over 16 years before he sadly passed away back in August.
Today we said goodbye to our colleague and friend Watch Manager Dan Lee. Staff members joined family and friends for a funeral service to honour Dan, who served the communities of Greater Manchester for 16 years 💔 pic.twitter.com/s9NOodZv5t
— Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (@manchesterfire) September 21, 2022
In a tribute to the dedicated firefighter shared on social media, GMFRS said: “Today we said goodbye to our colleague and friend Watch Manager Dan Lee.
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“Staff members joined family and friends for a funeral service to honour Dan, who served the communities of Greater Manchester for 16 years.
“Dan, a former Royal Marine, was based at Agecroft Fire Station on Green Watch and was also the Service’s lead Air Unit pilot. He had worked across many different departments. He was known for being keen to learn, a good listener and communicator, and for his sense of humour.
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“Dan’s family and colleagues are very grateful to the public for their kind wishes following his sad death, and would like to thank everyone who generously donated to a fundraiser set up by his friends.
“RIP Dan.”
Greater Manchester firefighters were seen lining the streets in what was a poignant tribute to their late colleague / Credit: GMFRS
Daniel Lee went missing in the early hours after a night out with friends.
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The 41-year-old Watch Manager was last seen walking along St Mary’s Parsonage, near Crazy Pedro’s, just after 1am on 22 August, and a huge search and rescue effort took place throughout that week – with Tactical Aid Unit, North West Police Underwater Search and Marine Unit officers searching the River Irwell close to where Dan went missing.
GMP’s statement said at the time: “We’ve sadly found the body of a man in the search for Daniel Lee from Salford. He was last seen in the early hours of Monday morning after a night out with friends in Manchester. His family have been informed and request privacy at this time.”
Fire engines displaying floral tributes from loving family members also formed part of the procession / Credit: GMFRS
GMFRS also shared a tribute to the “popular and valued” colleague at the time.
Dave Russel – Chief Fire Officer – said: “Everyone at GMFRS is shocked and deeply saddened by the untimely death of our colleague Watch Manager Dan Lee.
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“Our thoughts are with Dan’s family and friends, as they have been over the past few days as the search for him has taken place. This is a tragic end to a very difficult week and not the outcome we all so desperately hoped for.
“On behalf of GMFRS, I want to thank Greater Manchester Police for their efforts in the search for Dan, as well as colleagues across GMFRS and residents and partners from across our city region who have supported the search.
“Dan will be greatly missed.”
Featured Image – GMFRS
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‘Prolific’ South Manchester burglar jailed for thefts which included peanuts…
Daisy Jackson
A ‘prolific’ burglar has been jailed for just over two years, for numerous thefts including sunglasses, airpods, and peanuts…
The man was caught red-handed inside someone’s property, where he claimed he was just wanting a glass of water – but was found by police officers to have the resident’s car keys in his pocket.
Fazal Alnesi, 26, from Moss Side, was then linked to a number of other burglaries, attempted burglaries, and thefts across South Manchester.
Fazal was sentenced to 27 months at Manchester Crown Court last week after pleading guilty to offences including six counts of burglary in June of this year.
He was arrested on 12 June, when a man returned to his home in Fallowfield in the early hours of the morning and discovered Fazal inside his address.
He claimed he was there because he wanted a glass of water but subsequently refused to leave, which led to police being called.
Officers placed Alnensi in handcuffs and found the resident’s car keys in his pocket, as well as indications that he’d been rummaging through the man’s drawers.
He was later linked to other thefts include a wrench set from a car, a pedal cycle worth £350, airpods, sunglasses – and even peanuts from one address.
He additionally took an electric bike charger from one address worth hundreds of pounds.
PC Jon Holden, from GMP’s City of Manchester district, said: “Alnensi took various items from several homes and cars across a two-week period earlier this year, making off with hundreds of pounds worth of goods.
“Ultimately, Alnensi left people feeling unsafe in his own home, and I am glad he is now behind bars.
“Our team will investigate all burglaries, and I would encourage people to get in touch with us – all intelligence helps us lock up criminals and bring them to justice.”
The top 10 ‘happiest’ places to live in the North West in 2026 have been named
Emily Sergeant
The top 10 happiest places to live in the North West have been named for 2026.
It comes as Rightmove has published its annual ‘Happy at Home’ index this week, just as it has done for the last 14 years now, exploring exactly what it is that makes people feel content about where they live, and highlighting the happiest places nationwide ahead of the new year – with thousands of residents across more than 200 locations providing feedback.
The residents told the leading property listing platform what they love (or don’t love) about their community, from the friendliness of their neighbours, to job opportunities, access to green spaces, and so much more.
The survey also outlined the differences in happiness in rural, urban, and suburban environments, as well as the way our sense of ‘home happiness’ changes as we age.
So, when it comes to the North West as a whole then, where do we have in the top 10?
Well, to kick things off, you may have already seen that one Lancashire market town has earned its place in the top 10 nationwide, not just for the North West region – and that’s Chorley.
Closest to the Bolton and Wigan boroughs, Chorley – which is is about a 40-minute drive outside of Manchester, and sits on a direct train route into the city centre.
But aside from the national top 10, when it comes to the regional top 10, the next two towns following Chorley in second and third are both in Greater Manchester.
The North West’s top 10 happiest places to live 2026
Chorley
Stockport
Altrincham
Chester
Macclesfield
Southport
Kendal
Wirral
Northwich
Carlisle
Altrincham has been named one of the North West’s happiest places to live / Credit: The Manc Group
The ever-thriving Stockport comes in at number two, followed by Trafford favourite Altrincham directly behind it at number three.
Other of the region’s inclusions like Bury, Bolton, Wigan, and the Manchester borough itself all ranked towards the bottom.
Speaking on this year’s list, Colleen Babcock – a property expert at Rightmove – explained: “The balance between greenery and everyday convenience runs through the wider findings. Even among people who would ideally choose a rural setting, access to amenities, parks and public transport remains important.
“This year’s results suggest that the places people rate most highly aren’t simply urban or rural, but often bring together some of the best elements of both.”
Featured Image – Roger Kidd (via Wikimedia Commons)
Emily Sergeant -
22nd September 2022 
