Manchester’s first new city centre park to be created in 100 years has been given a prestigious Green Flag Award.
It may be on your radar that, for several years running now, green spaces in Greater Manchester have deservingly been recipients of the prestigious Green Flag Award – which is an internationally-recognised honour given annually to the parks, green spaces, and cemeteries that have “attained a high standard of green space”.
Green Flag Awards are granted by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy each year to recognise accessible green spaces that set “an international benchmark for management”.
— Keep Britain Tidy (@KeepBritainTidy) July 16, 2024
And it looks like 2024 has proven to be a stand-out year for our region too, as Manchester‘s newest urban park, Mayfield Park – otherwise known as the city centre‘s first new park in 100 years – has been handed the coveted honour this year.
Judges said that they had “never seen such an outstanding urban park” in more than 20 years of judging the award.
ADVERTISEMENT
Manchester’s first new city centre park in 100 years has been given the prestigious Green Flag Award / Credit: Richard Bloom (via Mayfield MCR on Instagram)
“The original design and specification standards are exceptional, the facilities are of the highest standard, and the site security and cleansing is excellent,” Green Flag Award judges said of Mayfield Park as they gave it the honour for 2024.
“The play facilities are inspired and exciting, the horticultural and arboricultural standards are brilliant, and the biodiversity of the site is cared-for and blooming.
ADVERTISEMENT
“It was a real pleasure and privilege to be the first to judge this world-class park.”
Judges said that they had “never seen such an outstanding urban park” / Credit: Richard Bloom (via Mayfield MCR on Instagram)
While it may be one of the most well-known nationally, and certainly one of the most prestigious, the Green Flag Award isn’t the only honour Mayfield Park has been bestowed since it first opened to be public back in 2022.
Just this year alone, it has already scooped up eight accolades for things like excellence in landscape design, place regeneration, and the natural environment.
ADVERTISEMENT
Laura Percy, who is the Senior Development Director at Landsec U+I on behalf of the Mayfield Partnership, said that the park’s creators and managers are “thrilled” to win the prestigious award, adding that: “This is recognition to all those who helped to create and deliver this incredible green space, and to the management team who ensure every day that it is a vibrant, welcoming and safe space for everyone to enjoy.
Body of woman found in River Mersey last year finally identified after ‘extensive’ investigation
Emily Sergeant
The body of woman who was found in the River Mersey last year has finally been identified.
Following what has been described as an ‘extensive investigation’ by Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Major Incident Team to determine the identity of the body, which was sadly discovered in the river adjacent to Chorlton Water Park on 21 March 2024, the family of the victim has now been informed and supported by specialist officers.
The victim has been formally named as 38-year-old Laura Stanley, who was originally from Derbyshire but was living in Stockport.
After the body was discovered, and ‘exhaustive and determined’ investigation by GMP officers began to identify here, including detailed checks of both national and international databases.
The Major Incident Team (MIT) also closely worked in collaboration with specialist forensic service providers to create an anthropological profile, which eventually culminated in the creation of a facial reconstruction image.
Following several media appeals, a relative of Laura contacted officers and then a DNA match was confirmed through a familial link.
“Laura was a kind and gentle person with a great sense of fun and adventure,” Laura’s family said in a heartbreaking tribute to her.
“She was generous, thoughtful, caring and always keen to volunteer within the community. Laura was a proud and loving mum and she will be greatly missed by her girls and all of her friends and family who loved her dearly.”
The River Mersey, across from Chorlton Water Park, where Laura’s body was discovered / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
While Laura has now been identified, police say further investigations will take place to understand her last movements, the events that led to her death, and her discovery in the river.
Additionally, as is standard practice, GMP’s Professional Standards Directorate is also reviewing a previous missing report relating to Laura in the time before the discovery of her body, which will determine prior contact relating to Laura, and whether the appropriate measures were enacted.
#UPDATE | A woman who was discovered in the River Mersey last year has been identified following an extensive investigation by officers in GMP’s Major Incident Team.
Thank you to those of you who have shared our appeals over the last year.
Anyone who knew Laura and thinks they may be able to assist with the investigation is asked to contact police by calling 101, or by using the Live Chat Service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log number 1191 of 21 March 2024.
Alternatively, you can contact the Major Incident Team Syndicate 3 directly on 0161 856 9479, or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
It is currently believed that Laura was last seen around January 2024.
Featured Image – GMP
News
More than 70,000 home buyers set to pay thousands after missing stamp duty relief deadline
Emily Sergeant
More than 70,000 home buyers across England are estimated to have missed the stamp duty relief deadline.
This sadly means they’ll be required to fork out thousands of pounds extra.
In case you hadn’t heard, up until yesterday (31 March 2025), anyone who was moving and had bought a home in the past was not required to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax, better-known as just stamp duty, on the portion of the property price up to £250,000.
But from today (1 April), this threshold has now fallen back to £125,000, which unfortunately means that property purchasers are facing an extra £2,500 in moving costs, on average.
While the end of the stamp duty relief will mostly affect those Greater Manchester buyers who had already previously purchased properties, first time buyers are sadly not exempt from the deadline changes too, as their current stamp duty threshold of £425,000 has now fallen back to £300,000 as of today.
Person holding the keys to a new house in their hand / Credit: Maria Ziegler (via Unsplash)
Given that the average property price for a first time buyer-type home is currently around £227,965, according to Rightmove, the new £300,000 threshold may hit those purchasing properties in more expensive areas – particularly the South East.
A third of those estimated 70,000 home buyers who have missed the deadline are thought to be first time buyers.
Leading property platform Rightmove published an analysis in February into just how much of an impact the end of the stamp duty relief would have on home buyers, all while calling on the UK Government to announce a short extension to the deadline to help people in the middle of the property purchasing process avoid potentially thousands of pounds in extra moving costs.
But despite these calls from industry leaders, there was no extension to the deadline announced in the last week’s latest Spring Statement.
“It’s extremely disappointing that the Government has not used the Spring Statement as an opportunity to extend the impending stamp duty deadline for those currently going through the home-moving process,” commented Rightmove’s property expert Colleen Babcock.
“We estimate over 70,000 people are going to miss the deadline and complete in April instead, and a third of those are first time buyers.”
Emily Sergeant -
16th July 2024 
