ADVERTISEMENT

News

Family pay tribute to 17-year-old girl who died in crash during police pursuit in Bolton

"Our family cannot put into words our tragic loss and how much we will miss her."

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 20th May 2026

The family of a 17-year-old girl who sadly lost her life in a collision in Bolton earlier this month have now paid tribute to her.

Erica De Sousa Correia sadly died in hospital in the early hours of Tuesday morning (19 May), following injuries sustained in a collision on Walker Fold Road in Bolton back on 5 May.

Her passing comes after, at around 6:25pm on 5 May, a car activated an ANPR camera in the Bolton area, having previously being marked as a suspicious vehicle.

A short time later, officers from Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) traffic unit spotted the vehicle, which failed to stop on Old Kiln Lane, and following a brief pursuit, the vehicle subsequently crashed on Walker Fold Road.

The driver of the vehicle – a 17-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons – was charged with a number of offences, including causing serious injury by dangerous driving, and has been bailed pending further enquiries.

ADVERTISEMENT

An investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is ongoing at this time. 

In the meantime, Erica’s family has now paid tribute to her: “Erica’s happiness was contagious. She loved to dance and sing and loved spending time in Portugal with her family. She wanted to become a midwife as she loved children and also studied travel and tourism. She was incredibly intelligent and studied hard and got good grades in school .

ADVERTISEMENT

“Erica was due to celebrate her 18th birthday on 1 June and was looking forward to having a party to celebrate her special day. She even had her outfit planned for her birthday.

Read more:

“Erica was the kindest person… [she] was the baby of our very close family.

“Our family cannot put into words our tragic loss and how much we will miss her. Please respect our privacy at this very distressing time.”

Featured Image – GMP (Family Submission)

News

Teams and fixture date confirmed for first-ever regular season NBA game in Manchester

Danny Jones Danny Jones NBA Manchester game date teams tickets

In another major coup for Manchester, the NBA is coming to our shores for just the second time in our history, and now the teams set to take part have finally been announced.

Having only been played in the UK on a relative handful of occasions, this is nothing short of a massive milestone for the city.

Last crossing the pond back in 2019, the NBA has only visited 0161 once before over a decade ago at the old AO Arena, and there’s only been a total of 19 transatlantic meetings up until now.

As if that wasn’t exciting enough, being confirmed as part of the NBA’s new European slate, Manchester is also set to be one of the first venues in the UK to ever host a regular-season game outside of the United States. Massive. Here’s who’s playing and when:

NBA Europe managed to secure a three-year programme of fixtures that will feature as part of the league’s normal competitive season in late 2025.

As you can see, kicking off next year and running until 2028 at the very least, the current deal will see the much-loved sport watched worldwide first land on the continent for a pair of games next year in Berlin and London, before heading to Paris and our very own Manchester in Q1.

Florida’s Orlando Magic and Tennessee’s Memphis Grizzlies had already been announced for the first two games last July, and now the San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans are set to face off for the Manc meeting.

With Basketball England being officially headquartered within the wider Etihad Campus, there was no question that the Manchester NBA fixture was going to be held at Co-op Live.

As well as being not just the biggest indoor entertainment venue of its kind in England but all of Europe, the arena has also recently welcomed the likes of the UFC, WWE and multiple boxing bouts, proving it can serve as the perfect host for premier live sporting action on a global scale.

In addition to the matches themselves, the Spurs and Pelicans will also be holding various fan activities and events within the region as part of the NBA Cares social impact programming initiative, with a focus on health, wellness, sustainability and coaching, as well as both player and even referee development.

Speaking on the seismic news last summer, the leader of Manchester City Council and representative for Burnage, Bev Craig, could only echo how big a deal this is for the region.

“Manchester once again has shown what a magnificent draw it is for major events, and we are thrilled to welcome the NBA back to our city”, she said. “This city is known for big names, big games and a reputation for showcasing world-class events on the biggest stage possible.

“With a growing basketball scene in Manchester, this event feels like the perfect fit and will give so many people in our city the chance to see what the best athletes in the sport can do on our home turf.

“When it comes to delivering world-class events, we know that Manchester is now firmly on the map. Now, working with our partners, we want to continue driving investment towards our city, creating new jobs, increasing growth and providing new opportunities and experiences for all of our residents.”

You can register your interest for tickets to see Spurs vs Pelicans in a proper competitive NBA regular season round right at the Co-op Live in Manchester, right HERE; remember, you can always spring for the discounted posh seats, as well.

We got to see a music legend from the best seats in the house – here’s how you can too
One of the best new ways to see live music, sport, comedy and more.

Read more:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group/Publicity pictures (via Manchester City Council)

News

Manchester Airport to launch 12 more new routes across the world this summer

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Mancs will soon get the chance to travel to even more of the most beautiful and underrated places on Earth for the first time.

You may remember that back at the start of the year, Manchester Airport announced seven new ‘exciting’ flight routes to destinations across the world, and now with summer right around the corner and the decade-long £1.3 billion transformation of Terminal 2 pretty much complete, a dozen extra locations have been added to the list.

Already described as being ‘the UK’s global gateway in the North’, Manchester Airport offers a route network that’s unparalleled outside London, with more than 200 destinations served by 50 airlines – but that network is set to widen once again.

A coastal resort in Italy, an architectural gem in Greece, and the largest city in the north of Pakistan are among the cities that will gain new direct flights this summer.

Manchester Airport is launching 12 more new routes across the world this summer / Credit: Reisetopia, Malik-Tayyab & Makis-Hristaras (via Unsplash)

Two major global cities will be added to the airport’s long-haul route network this summer, with Algiers and Lahore set to gain direct flights.

The service to Algeria’s capital will be operated by national airline Air Algerie from 14 June, with prices from £263.43pp return, while Pakistan International Airlines will build upon the successful launch of its Islamabad service by adding Lahore as its second destination from Manchester from 3 July, with fares from £881.23pp return.

Other destinations on the list include easyJet’s new service to Bari in southern Italy, launching on 3 July, Preveza, an airport in mainland Greece that serves as the access point for the picturesque island of Lefkada, starting on 24 June, and Ryanair’s new services to Castellon in eastern Spain and Rimini, a city on Italy’s Adriatic coast, both starting on 1 and 3 June, respectively.

A coastal resort in Italy and an architectural gem in Greece are some of the new destinations / Credit: Alain Rouiller & Jonny Africa (via Unsplash)

A handful of Jet2 services to new locations for the airline have already taken flight over the past couple of months, including La Palma, Palermo, and Pula in Croatia.

“We know people are just as keen as ever to enjoy a holiday abroad this summer, and while places like Mallorca, Alicante and Faro are always in demand, we know many travellers want to explore somewhere new, even if they’re travelling to a country that they’ve visited many times before,” commented Stephen Turner, who is the Chief Commercial Officer at Manchester Airport.

“That’s why we’re so excited to see a dozen new routes coming on board this summer, several of which will connect Manchester to destinations unserved by any other northern airport.

Read more:

“We’re sure these destinations will prove popular with passengers, and we’re grateful to our airlines for their ongoing commitment to offer passengers flying from Manchester unrivalled choice.”

Featured Image – Ivan Shimko (via Unsplash)

More News

Ella Toone made and MBE for services to football

Manchester

Manchester United and Lionesses star Ella Toone is now officially an MBE

City Centre

Poignant plans to mark ninth anniversary of Manchester Arena attack announced

Cat Cafe Manchester

Business

Inside Cat Cafe Manchester, as a dozen fluffy felines pounce into their new palace

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches