Manchester has always been a city that takes pride in its charitable spirit — we band together around here, especially in tough times — so when we came across the incredible work children’s organisation Destination Florida have been doing for over three decades.
Created all the way back in 1988, Destination Florida is a children’s charity, based out of Manchester, that has been taking children with medical problems on what they rightly call the “trip of a lifetime” for more than 35 years now.
Starting out as Destination Disney, the charity was created by Dr David Evans and Sister Alex Shaw, the idea was inspired by when a group of northern-based children were nominated to go on a trip to Florida through a London-based charity but were sadly left unselected.
As a result, the founders wanted to make sure they could provide the same incredible opportunity to those with life-threatening illnesses and conditions in the North, and so Destination Florida was born.
Similar to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the charity organises a team of doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and non-medical volunteers to take over 70 children to Florida to enjoy the likes of Universal and Disney World and more, all while providing for their full medical needs.
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Taking kids aged between 7-16 years old, whose medical conditions can vary from acute or chronic to life-limiting, the annual trip runs for seven weeks, with their dedicated parents and full-time carers also being rewarded a well-earned break whilst safe in the knowledge that they’re in the best of hands.
Since they have fully qualified medical professionals with them, not to mention a hard-working team of fully vetted volunteers, Destination Florida are able to deliver all manner of therapies while over in the States.
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In 2020, the Manchester charity was honoured with the prestigious Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service and held two huge fundraisers, generating crucial funds both for the trips and the children’s families.
Starting out with a group of just 25 children more than 30 years ago, Destination Florida has gone on to provide this wonderful opportunity to hundreds of children who might have otherwise not had the chance.
Now fully back up and running after the uncertainty of the pandemic, this year’s trip takes place from 8-15 September and you already know the destination.
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If you would like to invite you to nominate any child that you feel may be appropriate for the trip, you can do so via the website, and the same goes for if you want to donate or volunteer.
It’s a truly wonderful cause that we’re proud to say comes from Manchester.
‘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)
Danny Jones -
21st April 2023 
