News
Tribute paid to ‘beloved’ man who died in a Wigan house fire
'He was a larger than life character and loved by many'
The family of a man who died after becoming trapped in a burning building in Wigan have paid a moving tribute to him.
The 48-year-old has been named as Mark Vernal, who has been described by his loved ones as ‘a beloved father, brother, uncle, and friend’.
Mark was rushed to hospital with serious and life-threatening injuries following a house fire at a property on Dumbarton Green, Wigan, at around 6.40am on Wednesday 14 August.
He tragically died of his injuries while in hospital.
Shortly afterwards, Greater Manchester Police launched a murder investigation, believing the fatal blaze to be an arson attack.
Three men have so far been arrested – a 48-year-old on suspicion of murder and section 18 assault, who has been released pending further enquiries; a 45-year-old on suspicion of murder, also released on bail; and a 27-year-old man who remains in custody ahead of being questioned by detectives in GMP’s Major Incident Team.
The family of Mark Vernal have now released a tribute to him through the police and asked for privacy as they grieve.
They said: “He was a beloved father, brother, uncle, and friend. Mark was taken in such tragic circumstances .
“He was a larger than life character and loved by many.
“Our hearts are broken beyond belief at the saddest of times and how cruelly Mark has been taken from our lives.
“We thank all of Mark’s wider family and friends for their messages and condolences.
“Love from all the family.”
Detective Chief Inspector Nicola McCulloch, of GMP’s Major Incident Team, said: “We are still appealing for information, and are working hard to get answers for Mark’s family.
“There will be people who know what happened that night, and we appeal to them to come forward as soon as possible. In cases like this even the smallest piece of information can prove vital to the progression of our investigation.
“To submit any information or CCTV, doorbell or dashcam footage please submit it through the Major Incident Public Portal here: Public Portal (mipp.police.uk)
“If you have any information regarding this incident please contact us on 0161 856 0110 or 101 and quote log number 533 of 14/08/2024.
“Alternatively you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
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Featured image: GMP
News
NHS to begin offering new one-minute jab to women with ‘aggressive’ form of cancer
Emily Sergeant
The NHS is set to begin offering new immunotherapy for hundreds of women with aggressive cervical cancer across the country.
Pembrolizumab – which experts have described as being able to ‘take the handbrake off’ the body’s immune system to target cancer – will now be presented as a new treatment option for women in England with locally-advanced cervical cancer, which means the cancer has grown beyond the cervix to regions such as the pelvic wall, but not yet spread further around the body.
Trials found that adding pembrolizumab to standard chemoradiotherapy helped keep cancer ‘at bay’ for longer, and improved survival rates overall.
Two years after starting the treatment, nearly seven in 10 patients (68%) were still living without their cancer progressing, compared with 57% for those receiving chemoradiotherapy alone, according to NHS figures.
The trial also found that 82.6% of patients were still alive three years after treatment with pembrolizumab and chemoradiotherapy, compared with 74.8% with chemoradiotherapy alone.
The drug is either given every three or siz weeks via an infusion, or as a ‘one-minute’ injection, alongside chemoradiotherapy.
The NHS estimates around 550 patients in England will be eligible for the treatment – which has been approved this week by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) – over the next two years.
Patients will now receive fast-tracked access, funded by NHS England’s Cancer Drugs Fund.
“This is great news for women facing a diagnosis of aggressive cervical cancer, and represents one of the biggest improvements in treatment for this disease in recent years,” commented Professor Peter Johnson, who is the NHS National Clinical Director for Cancer.
“Combining this immunotherapy with existing treatment has had very positive effect for patients in trials, helping the body’s immune system to target cancer more effectively.
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“We’re delighted it will be available for patients on the NHS as it could help hundreds more women survive and stay cancer-free in the long-term.”
Featured Image – NappyStudio (via Unsplash)
News
Andy Burnham wants to bring the ‘Greater Manchester way’ to Westminster
Emily Sergeant
Andy Burnham has set out his vision for the country if he is to become Prime Minister.
In case you need brining up to speed first, after it was announced earlier this month that Andy Burnham had clinched the victory in the crucial Makerfield by-election, winning 24,927 votes (54.8% vote share) and a majority of 9,231, he then went onto announce his intention to run for Labour Party leader, and therefore Prime Minister, after Keir Starmer confirmed he would be stepping down.
And this week, Mr Burnham has now delivered his first speech as part of his ongoing campaign, addressing how he plans to give the country a ‘new direction’.
Burnham says that he wants to bring the ‘Greater Manchester way’ to Westminster.
A lot has been discussed and reported on when it comes to Burnham’s intentions to create a so-called Number 10 North here in Manchester, but what exactly does it mean to take the ‘Greater Manchester way’ to the capital?
“The Greater Manchester way is based on strong partnership between all sectors: public, private,
community, voluntary, academic, faith, and our trade unions,” Burnham said in his speech.
He continued: “When I started as Mayor in 2017, we set about building a new approach, a new politics based on the exact opposite of the Westminster approach.
“Place-first, not party-first. Problem-solving, not point-scoring. Long-term, not short-term.
“A decade on, it’s incredible how much we’ve been able to achieve by working together instead
of fighting against one another.”
Burnham said he feels the truth is that the country spends ‘too much time arguing and not enough time doing’ and that for Britain to get back where it ‘should be’, his Government would ask everyone to ‘face the same way’ and then ‘pull in that same direction together’.
He declared that No 10 North will be the ‘nerve centre’ for a rewired Britain.
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“It will be the conduit through which we redistribute power and resources across the UK,” he concluded. “It will coordinate all parts of Government, at national and local level, to agree a long-term
economic strategy and help all places set new growth ambitions.”
Featured Image – GMCA
Daisy Jackson -
21st August 2024 
