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Tribute paid to former Race Across the World star Sam Gardiner who died in a crash in Gatley

The 24-year-old later passed away as a result of his injuries.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 2nd June 2025

The family of a former Race Across the World star who died following a collision last week have paid a touching tribute to him.

Sam Gardiner rose to public attention when he competed with his mother, Jo, in the second series of the BBC’s Race Across The World, but sadly, the 24-year-old lost his life during a collision in Gatley at the beginning of last week.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that Sam was the driver of a white VW Golf R estate that was involved in a single-vehicle collision on Monday 26 May.

The collision occurred on the A34 in Gatley, and Sam has since passed away from his injuries. 

Sam Gardiner and his mum Jo
Sam Gardiner and his mum Jo, who competed on BBC’s Race Across the World / Credit: GMP

At the time of his tragic death, Sam was working as landscape gardener and had been based on an isolated estate on the west coast of Scotland, but was home in Manchester for a family gathering. 

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Sam was described by his parents as a ‘loyal, funny, and fiercely protective’ young man in the tribute paid to him.

Their tribute reads in full: “We are devastated by the loss of our beloved son Sam in a terrible accident. Sam left us far too soon, and whilst words will never fully capture the light, joy and energy he brought into our lives, we hold on to the memories that made him so special.

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“Sam was adored by his family. As a son, brother and nephew, he was loyal, funny and fiercely protective.

“He did Race Across The World in 2019, which opened his eyes to the wonder of adventure and travel. He was willing to go wherever the trail might lead and he touched everyone he met on the road. He found great happiness working as a landscape gardener on the west coast of Scotland.

“Sam brought warmth, laughter and a smattering of chaos wherever he went.

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“He leaves behind a huge hole in our hearts. We will miss him endlessly, but we’ll also remember him with smiles, tall tales, and a depth of love that will never fade”.

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At this time, Sam’s family have asked for privacy whilst they begin to come to terms with the terrible loss, and are being supported by specialist GMP officers.

Featured Image – GMP / Family Handout

News

Teen sentenced after deliberately driving into a female police officer in Stockport

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Harvey Bell mugshot

A teen who deliberately drove into a female police officer at a retail park Stockport earlier this year has been sentenced.

Harvey Bell was at a retail park on Wilmslow Road in Cheadle back on 25 January 2025 when he seriously injured a Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer during a shocking incident – which left the officer requiring hospital treatment.

At the time, the 19-year-old from Knutsford was present while police were investigating reports of class C drug use in a car park.

Police parked in front of an Audi and the officer signalled for Bell to remain stationary and turn the engine off, but instead he reversed, and as the officer approached the front windscreen, Bell drove at the officer, knocking her to the ground.

He then proceeded to drive over her legs with both sets of wheels, before heading out of the car park at speed.

Bell was subsequently arrested the following day and made no comment in his police interview, but then went on to plead guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, as well as possession of cannabis on 27 March 2025.

The teen appeared at Manchester Crown Court this week where he was sentenced to 31 months in a Young Offenders Institute, and was also disqualified from driving for two years – which will take effect when he is released.

“What [Bell] did to me is permanently in the back of my mind, every call I go to, I feel the apprehension, the fear that any incident, no matter how innocuous it appears, can end with being assaulted or hurt,” the officer explained in a powerful victim impact statement read in court.

“This is an unseen result of Bell’s assault on me.”

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She continued: “I know that Bell’s abhorrent behaviour is an exception, and the majority of the public we serve do not wish us harm, but assaults on police need to stop. An attack on a police officer is an attack on us all.

“Bell is a danger to society and had total disregard for my life.”

Featured Image – GMP

News

IKEA announces decision to close popular Greater Manchester site

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

It’s the end of the road for one of IKEA’s popular Greater Manchester sites.

The Swedish furniture giant has announced its decision to close its ‘Plan and Order Point’ over in Stockport in a couple of weeks time.

The store – which is located in Stockport town centre’s Merseyway Shopping Centre – launched to huge success back in March 2023, and at the time, was the second of this ‘test and trial’ format to open in the UK, becoming a smaller space dedicated to kitchen and home planning, as well as ordering items.

IKEA says the closure comes as a result of ‘valuable learnings’ which plan to take this conceptual format in a direction to ‘better suit the needs of UK customers’.

IKEA is closing its close popular Stockport site this month / Credit: Jon Super (via IKEA)

Since the opening of the Stockport Plan and Order Point, IKEA claims it has seen an increased demand for Click and Collect services, a desire by customers to shop a smaller selection of home furnishing accessories, as well as the ability to return goods to physical IKEA units, and this is all something which the current location is unable to offer.

Learning from this change in consumer habits, the company says its future Plan and Order Point openings – including in those in other northern cities like Hull and York – will offer these services.

IKEA says it also remains ‘committed’ to trialling new formats, such as its upcoming small stores, one of which will open in nearby Chester later this year.

Luckily for IKEA fans, the retailer has confirmed that its major Greater Manchester store in Ashton-under-Lyne, as well as the neighbouring store in Warrington, will remain open as normal, offering all the services available at Stockport and more.

The Swedish furniture says the closure comes as a result of ‘valuable learnings’ about customer needs / Credit: Jon Super (via IKEA)

In addition to the upcoming opening of a smaller store in Chester, IKEA has revealed that the North West continues to be an area of interest for future expansion.

“After careful evaluation, we’ve made the difficult decision to close the IKEA Plan and Order Point at Merseyway Shopping Centre,” explained Salma Azad, who is one of IKEA’s Area Managers.

“In the two years since opening, we’ve taken valuable learnings, including how our customers prefer to meet IKEA, and we’ll take these insights into future openings, to serve shoppers in a more impactful way.”

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Thanks to last year’s Click and Collect expansion, Stockport residents can now pick up purchases from Tesco Extra Stockport and Tesco Extra Stretford, as well as the Manchester store and the upcoming small store in Chester. 

Stockport Plan and Order Point’s final day of trading will be on 16 June.

Featured Image – Jon Super (via IKEA)

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