The family of a beloved lollipop lady in Bury have paid a heartfelt tribute to her after she was hit by a van.
Irene Allen, 87, tragically died as a result of her injuries sustained in a serious road traffic collision on Walmersley Road on Tuesday 6 December.
She had notably been Bury’s first lollipop lady and had campaigned for more safe crossings on the very stretch of road that she was injured on.
Her family have said that the circumstances that led to her death are a ‘tragic irony’.
Irene’s daughter Melanie said in a tribute issued through GMP: “Irene was a much loved ex-medical receptionist at Ribblesdale House and AgeUK Jubilee Centre committee member.
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“Irene lost the fight for her life on Sunday 11th December, she had been involved in a road traffic collision on Walmersley Road Bury on Tuesday morning, and despite the best efforts of Salford Royal Rescue and ICU teams, Irene never fully regained consciousness.
#TRIBUTE | The daughter Irene Allen, aged 87, who sadly passed away as a result of her injuries after a serious road traffic collision in Bury, pays tribute
📞 0161 856 4741 quoting incident 1115 of 06/12/22 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
“The police are continuing to investigate the circumstances but a post mortem concluded that she died of multiple injuries caused by the collision.
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“Irene, a keen walker and Rawtenstall Cricket fan, leaves behind a daughter and three grandchildren and a whole community who miss her sunny personality.
“Always putting others before herself, in the mid 1960’s Irene complained to Bury Council about the lack of safe crossings for school children across the busy Walmersley Road, and became the newsworthy first lollipop lady in Bury.
Officers are particularly keen to speak to anyone who may have footage, including dashcam, mobile phone or CCTV/doorbell footage from the area in the moments leading up to and before the collision took place.
Anyone with information should contact police on 0161 856 4741 quoting incident 1115 of 06/12/22.
Alternatively, details can be passed via the LiveChat function at www.gmp.police.uk or anonymously via the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Featured image: GMP
Bury
A Thomas the Tank Engine replica steam train is travelling through Greater Manchester this summer
Emily Sergeant
Everyone’s favourite little blue engine is making another return to Greater Manchester once again this summer.
But this time, it’s with a rock and roll twist.
After delighting families throughout the region during countless successful events over the past couple of years, East Lancashire Railway (ELR) has announced that the Thomas the Tank Engine replica train is back this summer, arriving in a couple of weeks for a ‘rocking good’ time.
In case you aren’t too familiar with the beloved Day Out With Thomas experience, it’s said to be ‘a train ride like no other’.
Families have the chance to hop onboard the replica of the cult-classic blue train character when he returns next weekend for a 45-minute trip through the Greater Manchester countryside.
Everyone’s favourite little blue engine is making another return to Greater Manchester this summer / Credit: ELR
The journey begins at Bury Train Station, where you’ll be greeted by The Fat Controller, meet Sir Topham Hatt, say hello to Thomas on the platform, and then climb aboard a carriage, all before Thomas makes a final stop at the beautiful Ramsbottom station.
The doors to Bury Transport Museum will also be open across the weekend and will be hosting loads of fun free activities.
On the Day Out With Thomas: Let’s Rock, Let’s Roll Tour, families will be able to watch and dance along to exciting live shows with Sodor Station Sweepers Rusty & Dusty, join in the Thomas and Friends character hunt, have fun with garden games, keep the beat going at the ‘Music Corner’ packed with music-inspired fun, and so much more.
Thomas will be stopping at East Lancashire Railway this year on 18-19 July so there’s plenty of opportunities to see him, and tickets are now on sale.
Ticket prices start at £14.50 for kids, and £24 for adults.
Greater Manchester’s heritage railway issues statement as it’s forced to cancel services this week
Emily Sergeant
Greater Manchester’s iconic heritage railway has been forced to cancel its services this weekend due to the heatwave.
In case you hadn’t heard, Amber Extreme Heat warnings and heat-health alerts have been issued by the Met Office and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) through to Thursday this week – with temperatures widely exceeding 35°C nationwide, and in some areas – particularly on the south coast – potentially even reaching 38°C.
Heatwave conditions in the UK are met when a location records a period of at least three consecutive days with temperature values meeting or exceeding the heatwave temperature threshold for that location.
It does seem, however, that northern parts of the country – especially the North West – are missing most of the extremely hot conditions.
Current forecasts indicate that the peak temperatures for Greater Manchester this week will be tomorrow and Thursday, with highs of 33°C in the city centre.
Despite not reaching the heights of the south, East Lancashire Railway (ELR) has still had to act in advance and has taken the decision to cancel its scheduled services for the next two days as the forecast is ‘too severe’.
Taking to social media to share its decision today, ELR wrote: “Due to the current weather warning for the UK, the decision has been taken to cancel all services on Wednesday 24th and Thursday 25th June 2026, including the afternoon tea and mid-week luncheon dining experiences.
“The welfare of both staff and customers is paramount to the ELR, and we believe that the risk in the extreme heat that has been forecast is too severe to allow for the running of our ordinary services.”
As things stand, ELR says its current plan is to have services resume with the evening dining train on Friday 26 June, but this will still be ‘subject to review’, and further updates on this will be issued later in the week.
Daisy Jackson -
19th December 2022 
