O’Grady was known and loved by British audiences as a comedian, presenter, broadcaster, actor, writer, and the former drag queen Lily Savage.
He was also one of the nation’s most-famous dog lovers and animal rights advocates.
Since O’Grady has passed, more than £300,000 has been raised for Battersea Dogs & Cats Home – which he had been a “devoted” ambassador for and long-time supporter of throughout his life – in his honour, and over 200,000 people signed an online petition for a statue of O’Grady to be permanently erected in his hometown.
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Council to vote on awarding Paul O’Grady Freedom of Wirral as a tribute to his legacy / Credit: ITV
But now, coming up to two months following his passing, the Council responsible for O’Grady’s native Birkenhead has revealed the ways in which it is plans to permanently and sufficiently honour his legacy.
Wirral Council is debating whether to posthumously award O’Grady the Freedom of the Borough.
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Revealing its plans in a statement today, Wirral Council explained: “Since the sad passing of Birkenhead’s legendary entertainer Paul O’Grady in March, we’ve heard the many asks for us to celebrate his legacy and we agree.
Since the sad passing of Birkenhead's legendary entertainer Paul O'Grady in March, we've heard the many asks for us to celebrate his legacy and we agree.
The first step in doing so will see councillors consider a recommendation to bestow the star – who first found fame as the… pic.twitter.com/Q7Ij2MwfZq
“The first step in doing so will see Councillors consider a recommendation to bestow the star… with the honour of Freedom of the Borough [as] this would recognise his years entertaining the nation, along with his dedicated activism and charity work.
“We are also looking at other ways to pay tribute to the legacy of both Paul and Lily [and] more details will be shared as soon as we have them.”
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The Freedom of the Borough is known as the highest award a Council can bestow, and O’Grady’s consideration for this is to be officially discussed at Wirral Council’s Regulatory and General Purposes Committee next week on Wednesday 7 June from 6pm.
Members of the public keen to see the outcome of the debate can watch on the livestream here.
Featured Image – BBC
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One in 10 Brits are fired or disciplined after their work’s Christmas party, new survey finds
Emily Sergeant
We’re in peak office Christmas party season right now.
With just a week to go until the big day itself is here, many businesses across the UK are treating their staff to night out to celebrate both the festive season and all of the hard work they have been putting in throughout the year… and as you can expect, these are usually quite eventful gatherings, shall we say.
But now, a survey by has shed light on just how ‘eventful’ they actually are, as a new survey has revealed that, apparently, one in ten Brits face some sort of disciplinary action or dismissal due to their behaviour at Christmas parties.
The study was conducted by After Drink, and included more than 2,000 participants.
During the research, it was highlighted that 89% of employees admitted to drinking alcohol at these events, Lad Bible reports – with 65% of these confessing that they drank “excessively”.
One in 10 Brits get fired or disciplined after their work’s Christmas party / Credit: Kraken Images | Mimi Thian (via Unsplash)
There are a multitude of incidents which could lead to disciplinary action in the workplace nowadays, but according to the survey, some of the common reasons following festive celebrations with colleagues included inappropriate comments (23%) and even getting into fights (21%).
16% of these incidents were because of drug use during the event, while inappropriate interactions with colleagues accounted for 14%.
Some of the legal reasons you can be fired from your place of work after a Christmas party include gross misconduct, drunken behaviour, and fighting of any kind.
Despite all these risks, however, Christmas parties still remain as popular as always, and a whopping 79% of respondents said they are planning to attend theirs this year.
Clearly, the moral of the story here is , enjoy yourself… but just not too much.
Featured Image – The OurWhiskey Company (via Pexels)
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Chester Zoo is offering £1 tickets to families who ‘struggle to afford’ a festive day out
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo is offering £1 tickets this Christmas to families who may otherwise struggle to afford a festive day out.
Christmas is a time when many of us feel strapped for cash more than ever before, especially for those families on Universal Credit, which is why Chester Zoo is embracing the season of giving by offering thousands of locals the chance to visit the UK’s largest charity zoo for a fraction of the price of normal entry tickets.
The discounted tickets will be available for anyone claiming Universal Credit on visits from today (18 December) right up until New Year’s Eve (31 December), and they’ll need to be booked online in advance.
This brilliant initiative is a new addition to the zoo’s long-running Community Connections Scheme, which aims to reduce financial barriers to visiting for households and community groups.
Chester Zoo is offering £1 tickets to families on Universal Credit this festive season / Credit: Chester Zoo
Tickets priced at £1 will be available to people receiving Universal Credit, including claimants of Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support or Jobseeker’s Allowance, and Housing Benefit.
Chester Zoo said the scheme is designed to help families on lower incomes enjoy the zoo during the festive period and connect with nature.
“We know that spending time outdoors and around wildlife can have a really positive impact on people, and we hope this helps more families enjoy a special day out together over the festive period, especially when this time of year can be difficult for many,” commented Charlotte Smith, who is Chester Zoo’s Director of Conservation Education.
“We hope this brightens the season for many more households.”
Emily Sergeant -
31st May 2023 
