Alocal mum who is currently recovering from breast cancer surgery is preparing to take part in this year’s Great Manchester Run.
And she’s already being hailed as absolutely “inspirational”.
32-year-old Becky Haigh from Peel Hall in Wythenshawe was sadly diagnosed with breast cancer back in November 2022 after first ignoring a lump on her breast for a number of months, but eventually heading to the doctors when her concerns grew stronger.
The single mum of two said she “knew she had to fight” after she was hit with the news of her devastating diagnosis as she had “no other option”.
“I went to the doctors with concerns about a lump I had found on my breast,” Becky explained.
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“If I’m honest, I had ignored it for a few months, but after encouragement from my mum, I finally decided to get it checked out, and after my doctor’s visit, I was officially diagnosed in November 2022.
“The only words I remember hearing was ‘it’s super treatable’, and while my journey has been extremely challenging, those words gave me hope throughout the whole experience, as being 31 and a single mum of two girls, I knew I had to fight – there was no other option, my girls needed me.
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“I started my first round of chemotherapy in December, exactly a month after diagnosis, and the rest of my three-times-a-week treatment continued, and I rang the bell on the 16 March 2023”.
‘Inspirational’ single mum to take part in Great Manchester Run while being treated for breast cancer / Credit: Great Run Company
After ringing the bell, Becky opted for a lumpectomy with sentinel lymph node removal followed by radiotherapy, and is currently awaiting her pathology results to see if she is officially cancer free after undergoing surgery at Wythenshawe Hospital back in April – just weeks before the race takes place on Sunday 21 May.
The brave mum is taking part in the 10k race at this year’s AJ Bell Great Manchester Run alongside her sister, Samantha, and the pair are raising funds worth funds for Manchester-based charity Prevent Breast Cancer.
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Prevent Breast Cancer is the only UK charity funding groundbreaking research solely aimed at preventing breast cancer for future generations.
As Becky has worked for the NHS for the past five years now as a Complaints Manager, she says she is “well aware” of the importance of funding for cancer research, and she hopes that her participation in the event will help make a difference.
The AJ Bell Great Manchester Run 2023 is taking place this Sunday 21 May / Credit: Great Run Company
“Despite my recent surgery, I’m so excited to complete the race, especially with my sister by my side [as] my sister’s support throughout my cancer journey, including holding my hand at many appointments, has meant everything to me.
“Looking back on what I’ve been through means completing the 10k together is even more special.
“Our initial goal was to raise £200, but we have already raised over £900 – which we are absolutely over the moon with.”
Nikki Barraclough, Executive Director at Prevent Breast Cancer, has hailed Becky’s story as not only one of “resilience and positivity” but also the power of social support.
Featured Image – Prevent Breast Cancer
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Manchester City have announced a special away day fan zone for festive fixture
Danny Jones
In a real added bonus for away fans making the roughly two-hour journey to their only fixture over the festive period, travelling Man City supporters are being treated to a dedicated away-day fan zone for their upcoming game against Nottingham Forest.
Now this is the kind of backing we want to see from big teams.
That’s right, for those visiting Nottingham for the meeting against the fellow Premier League side and one-time European Cup winners, Manchester City will be putting on a special and exclusive fan zone.
Confirmed on Christmas Eve ahead of the match this coming Saturday, 27 December, the club revealed a quick glimpse of the pop-up supporters’ park.
As detailed in the announcement, the public events space known as ‘The Nest’ will be open exclusively to away-ticket holders heading to the City Ground.
Perfect for a quick pit-stop before and after the clash, the venue is one of the closest you’ll find to the stadium itself and, better still, is located roughly just a 10-minute walk away from the railway station.
There will be a huge bar offering a wide selection of alcoholic and soft drinks, plus plenty of street food to enjoy. Here’s hoping the players don’t indulge in too many of those this Christmas, especially following Pep Guardiola’s ‘fatty’ comments.
They kick off at 12:30pm, but will everyone make the weight?…
Once again, Man City have advertised this as an away-day ticket-holder-only event, so we would probably call ahead and double-check if you’re a Blue who just so happens to live/be in the area and want to go along.
It also goes without saying that this will serve as an ideal and presumably trouble-free place to celebrate after the result, as it’s a strictly sky-blue event and we’d wager the title contenders and serial trophy winners to come out on top.
So, if you needed any extra assurance that making the approximately 81-mile trip to Nottingham, we’d say potentially going top at Christmas and cheersing a few pints with your mates on a would-be concourse designed just for you is plenty of added motivation.
As for those of you staying firmly in Greater Manchester this holiday season, there’s no reason you can’t still have a little away day of your own:
Featured Images — Manchester City (via X)/The Manc Group
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Netflix drops the first trailer for upcoming Peaky Blinders film
Danny Jones
It looks like Christmas has come early for TV drama fans and cinephiles, because Netflix has officially dropped the first trailer for the upcoming Peaky Blinders movie.
Popcorn at the ready – even the teaser alone has got us fired up.
ln just 70 seconds, they’ve managed to pull us right back in, and we cannot wait to see Cillian Murphy back in full-on Tommy Shelby mode.
Not exaggerating when we say we have LITERAL chills.
As you can see, they certainly haven’t scrimped on the budget with the first-ever feature-length Peaky Blinders film, neither in terms of production value nor the cast.
Then again, having already hosted the likes of Sam Neill, Tom Hardy, Adrien Brody, Anya Taylor-Joy and others in the series itself, as well as going on to become one of the most successful BBC shows of all time, they were never going to.
We’re sure you spotted plenty of them for yourselves, but the debut trailer for The Immortal Man gives us not only our first glimpses of now Oscar-winning Murphy, 49, back in the saddle (both figuratively and literally) but also fellow blockbuster Irish actor, Barry Keoghan.
Other big names set to appear in the movie – set for a limited release in theatres before launching exclusively on Netflix – include Rebecca Ferguson and Tim Roth. It still remains unclear, however, as to how any of these characters will knit into the new season.
It’s also worth noting that the trailer shares a little snippet of the historical context, this continuation of the Shelby story is playing into, as we see what looks to be Nazi figures meeting on screen.
Creator Steven Knight has already confirmed that the plot will fast-forward some years to meet back up with Tommy at the outset of WWII and his ancestral home of Birmingham during the Blitz.
Having already confirmed 6 March as the theatrical release date ahead of it going live on Netflix a fortnight later, the anticipation was seriously starting to ramp; this latest look has only added to the tinderbox of excitement.
What do you make of the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man trailer, and will you be watching it?
Emily Sergeant -
17th May 2023 
