Hundreds of cards and gifts were sent to one Salfordian last week as she celebrated an incredible milestone birthday.
Elsie Goodall turned the grand old age of 106 – which officially makes her Salford‘s oldest person.
Reaching a milestone that not many get to achieve, Elsie marked her 106th birthday on 25 July surrounded by her family and friends at the Pendleton-based care home where she is a resident, Beechfield Lodge – which she moved only into about a year ago, after having a few falls – and was showered with cards, flowers, and gifts to celebrate the occasion.
She even welcomed a visit from Salford’s ceremonial mayor, Gina Reynolds, to mark the big day, and got to open a birthday card from King Charles III himself.
Born in Salford all the way back in 1917, Elsie grew up with her two younger brothers and parents in a grocery shop managed by her family on Broad Street, and admirably spent her career within the medical field – going on to work within several hospitals in Greater Manchester, including at Salford Royal as a laundry worker.
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“Fiercely independent” Elsie has never been married or had any children, but her life has always been a fulfilling one thanks to her true passion for dance, which she only recently had to give up at the age of 101.
All throughout her youth, Elsie spent her time dancing, and found a particular love for modern dance and sequence movement.
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Elsie admits “men and good to dance with [but] not particularly to live with”.
Salford’s oldest person showered with cards and gifts as she celebrates her 106th birthday / Credit: Beechfield Lodge
Reflecting on her life, the oldest Salfordian revealed: “I’ve never been married or had children. I did fall in love with a sailor once, he was lovely. I taught him how to dance. He volunteered in the navy and when he departed, we would write letters to each other, but he died in the war.
“I never quite got over it or met somebody as nice.”
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Elsie described her 106th celebrations at the care home as “amazing”, adding that she is “very grateful” to everyone that contributed to the special day, as it’s “lovely to be this old and still be able to get around and talk to people”.
Staff at Beechfield Lodge say Elsie is “the sweetest person you’ll ever meet”.
“Since moving into Beechfield Lodge, Elsie has become a role model to everyone,” admitted Sharon Bollesty – who is the care home’s Manager.
“[She has taught us how] to live life to the fullest, with her can-do attitude, words of wisdom, and knowledge.”
Featured Image – Beechfield Lodge
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All the free things you can get with a Great Manchester Run finisher’s medal this year
Danny Jones
What’s the best part about doing the Great Manchester Run, we hear you ask? All the freebies, of course. You’ll be glad to hear there are more free things than ever for finishers this year.
More than 35,000 runners are set to take on the challenge, be it the half marathon or the 10k, and we firmly believe every single one of these legends should be entitled to as much free stuff as possible.
If it were up to us, they wouldn’t pay for anything all day, but hey, we make don’t make the rules.
So yeah, without further ado, here are all the freebies you can get for taking part in the Great Manchester 2025.
Free stuff and offers for Great Manchester Runners to cop in 2025
Without further ado, here are a tonne of freebies, discounts and deals you can grab by simply flashing your finisher’s medals:
Credit: The Manc/Supplied
Dishoom –Complimentary 330ml Kingfisher/Kingfisher Zero (0.0%) for anyone with anyone dining with a finisher’s medal.
Blacklock –Free glass of fizz on us with your medal.
Maray – Free glass of fizz/pint (or non-alcoholic beer/soft) for anyone with a medal who is dining on Sunday
Electric Shuffle – Free house wine, prosecco or pint for anyone with a 2025 medal.
Salon Madre – 2-4-1 margaritas all day Sunday for anyone with a race medal.
Suki Suki – Free bao bun for anyone with a medal.
Refuge/Kimpton Clocktower Hotel – 100 free pints of Manchester Union Beer (first come, first served)
Hello Oriental – Discounted soft serve ice cream, plus a free beer or soft drink with any meal for all finishers
The Shack – Flash your medal to claim a free glass of Prosecco or beer, plus parties with medals get 20% off their food bill.
Dough Religion (House of Social) – half price slice at Manchester Jazz Festival on Sunday
The purpose of this happy hour spotting app has definitely been a topic of discussion between friends while over a few drinks on a night out, and now this idea has been brought to life.
Titled ‘Hoppy’, the all-new app shows you all the best happy hours in Manchester, even going as far as planning nights out for you and telling you what times each venue is hosting their exclusive offers.
Crazy Pedro’s are just one of the bars featured on this Happy Hour app.Trof is another venue that has a happy hour offering and has made its way onto the app.
Whether you’re after £6 margs at Ramona, two for one cocktails at Rewind or £4 draught pints and cider over at Arcane Bar, this app spells everything out for you plain and simple.
They even go as far as using their social media accounts to plan nights out in Manchester to make sure you get the most bang for your buck.
In a post on their Instagram, they plan out the ultimate Tuesday night in the Northern Quarter, making the most of the various happy hours in the neighbourhood.
The happy hour app stops off at multiple pubs and bars, including frequently visited watering holes like Wolf at the Door, Trof, Bay Horse Tavern and Smithfield Social, before ending the night at Crazy Pedro’s.
Sounds like all the ingredients for the perfect crawl, if you ask us.
Revolución de Cuba, has a huge marg menu, is another drinks spot on Hoppy.Mother Mary’s serves some seriously good Guinness alongside some savvy savings too.
Go on, tell us looking at those hasn’t made you thirsty…
Next time you go out for drinks, why not download this happy hour spotting app along for the ride with you, and you won’t only thank yourself but your bank account will too.
‘Hoppy’ is available on the App Store now for everyone to make the most of their next night out and make finding the best happy hours in Manchester even easier HERE.
See you at the pub – provided happy hour is still on, of course.
Emily Sergeant -
4th August 2023 
