Thousands of Manchester runners gathered together this week to raise money for Greater Manchester’s homeless community and, holding aloft a defiant protest banner, sent a message to Suella Braverman following her recent misguided and insensitive comments.
On Wednesday, 15 November, The 2023 Manchester 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness got underway, finishing up at noon this Thursday, and countless runners turned up to put in the hard yards for the beloved and important charity event.
With members of running clubs, local businesses and countless individuals who just fancied doing their bit gathering from all over the region to complete laps of the city centre circuit, waves of runners turned up not only for a jog but to help raise vital funds to combat rough sleeping.
However, they didn’t just settle for running their socks off for 24 hours, from 7pm onwards before each wave, the hordes of runners also held up a custom-made banner referencing the now former home secretary’s comments about the UK’s homeless population.
For anyone who somehow didn’t see what Braverman had to say on the ongoing homelessness crisis, the Conservative MP described rough sleeping as a “lifestyle choice”, which was naturally met with nationwide backlash and huge calls for her to be booted from the cabinet.
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The 42-year-old was ultimately sacked and despite digging out Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in her resignation letter, her callous words about homelessness have been seen by some as symptomatic not only of her own attitudes but how the Tories have failed in their promises regarding the community.
Speaking to The Manchester 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness co-founder Tom Lewis, he said: “After seeing former Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s comments that homelessness was a ‘lifestyle choice’, we felt the need to create the banner and show how the people of Manchester disagree with such an out of touch statement.” In fact, even some of her party colleagues were left equally stunned.
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He went on to tell The Manc that “the event shows how incredible Greater Manchester‘s running community is and when they come together they can achieve something truly remarkable. We believe no one should have to sleep rough on the streets of Manchester or anywhere for that matter.”
Having smashed their fifth year since the event started, not only did they make a big splash with their Suella Braverman protest banner but The Manchester 24 Hour Run Against Homelessness also marked yet another incredible edition with the largest amount raised they’ve managed yet.
Notching a total of 40 relay laps over the course of the day and more than 9,200 kilometres, there were upwards of 1,600 runs completed by participants, with dozens of them doing a frankly ridiculous number of laps throughout.
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All told with individual and company donations, event t-shirt sales and Gift Aid contributions, they raised a whopping £19,572 for the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity, with the money going straight to their crucial ‘A Bed Every Night‘ scheme. You’re all absolutely amazing.
We couldn’t agree more with the message these guys sent out this year and if their incredible work has inspired you to take part, you can still donate HERE and find out all about how it works down below:
Featured Images — The Manchester 24 Hour Homeless Run/Brandon Hattiloney (via Flickr)
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Bolton man, 22, jailed after his ‘dangerous driving’ kills motorbike rider just days before Christmas
Emily Sergeant
A man from Bolton has been sentenced to more than a decade in jail after causing death by dangerous driving.
Cormac Sale, 22-years-old of Ina Avenue in Bolton, has been sentenced at Bolton Crown Court after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving following a collision between a car and motorbike in Horwich, which saw another young man lose his life just days before Christmas (Saturday 14 December 2024).
At around 9:40pm that evening, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were called out to an incident on Chorley Old Road in Bolton.
When they arrived, they found that a Skoda Fabia – belonging to Sale – had collided with a motorbike. Spencer Rothwell-Poole, also 22 and from Horwich, was riding the motorbike at the time and sadly died at the scene.
Following Sale’s arrest at the scene, further testing was conducted and he was found to be almost 10 times over the legal limit for ketamine whilst driving when the incident occurred.
Investigations by GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit led to ‘significant evidence’ being obtained of Sale ‘driving erratically’ throughout the evening, as spotted by multiple other drivers and CCTV footage, and he was also driving on the opposite side of the road when the collision took place.
Sale has been sentenced to 10 years and eight months in prison, as well as being banned from driving for 12 years.
“This sentencing reflects the devastating consequences of choosing to drive recklessly and whilst under the influence,” commented Detective Constable James Maskrey, who is GMP’s Roads Police Lead Investigator.
“Nothing can undo the loss suffered by Spencer’s family, but it is our hope that this outcome offers some measure of justice.
“When someone gets behind the wheel under the influence of ketamine, they have no control of their own judgement or body, and even a moment where drivers are dissociated or unaware on the road can be fatal.
“This case is a stark reminder that dangerous driving destroys lives, and I want to reassure the public that our officers remain absolutely committed to tackling dangerous driving and removing those who pose a risk to our roads.”
Featured Image – GMP
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Brewdog’s beer hotel in Manchester has closed with immediate effect
Daisy Jackson
The ‘beer hotel’ operated by Brewdog in Manchester has closed with immediate effect, as part of the Scottish brewery’s £33m sale.
A whopping 38 Brewdog bars around the UK have closed, resulting in hundreds of job losses.
As well as the beer hotel known as DogHouse in Manchester, which was home to a large bar and rooftop terrace, the Oxford Road brewpub known as the OutPost has also closed.
The DogHouse Hotel on Fountain Street had a range of boutique bedrooms, fitted with features like beer fridges in the shower, beer taps in the room, guitars, record players, and pet beds.
Just 11 pubs have been retained in the rescue deal, including the Brewdog bar on Peter Street in Manchester city centre.
The brewery has been bought by US beverage and medical cannabis company Tilray for £33m, a sale which includes its UK brewery operations, brand, and a handful of pubs.
Yesterday, Brewdog announced all of its bars would be closed for the day to enable staff to attend staff meetings.
Administrators confirmed yesterday that 484 jobs had been lost in the sale, with 38 bars closing.
Unite, the union which represents thousands of hospitality workers, said it is ‘appalled’ at how Brewdog staff have been treated during the sale.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “This is a devastating day for Brewdog workers. Nearly 500 lost livelihoods while yet another corporate deal is stitched together behind closed doors.
“Brewdog workers built this brand. They deserved respect. Instead, they were treated as disposable pawns. Unite will not rest until our members have legal and financial justice.”
Unite national lead for hospitality Bryan Simpson said: “The way in which senior management have conducted themselves throughout this sales process has been nothing short of a national disgrace – with workers being given no information about the company’s plans or their futures.
“For the CEO to tell workers that they were redundant with immediate effect, on a conference call with only 25 minutes notice, has echoes of P&O and is deplorable. Unite will be ensuring that our members receive everything they are legally entitled to.”
Brewdog was founded in 2007 by friends James Watt and Martin Dickie.
Danny Jones -
16th November 2023 
