Bury AFC has shared a moving tribute after the death of one of their most dedicated supporters, Amanda Freeman.
The fan-owned Greater Manchester club described her as a ‘dedicated volunteer and loyal Shaker’, who was ‘always smiling’.
Amanda, known to most as Mandy, was the daughter of legendary super fan Keith Freeman, who died in 2014.
Speaking of her passing, Bury AFC wrote: “We are devastated to report the passing of a well-loved and dedicated Bury supporter, Amanda Freeman. A ‘Her Game Too’ advocate, fundraiser & tunnel steward.
“Always smiling, go a million miles for anyone, dedicated volunteer and loyal Shaker who will be dearly missed by all.
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“Mandy competed in her beloved maroon team Bury AFC Women Recreational, being a valued member of the team.
“Our thoughts are with partner Martin & all their friends and family at this sad time. Sleep well, Mandy.”
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They then added: “Mandy was not only a team member, she was the epitome of what our club stands for. Passionate, loyal, selfless and gave her all to her beloved club and her team maroon. She will be missed by all, sleep well Mandy.”
Bury FC also shared a tribute, writing: “REST IN PEACE MANDY. We are saddened to hear about the loss of Mandy Freeman.
“Mandy was not just a Bury fan through and through, but also much-loved and will now be sorely missed. Our thoughts and condolences go to her family. From her #ShakersFamily.”
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Tributes and well-wishes have been pouring in from other members of the club’s community.
Her Game Too, a non-profit that raises awareness for sexism in the game, wrote: “We are so saddened and heartbroken to hear of Mandy’s passing, she truly was a lovely lady and she will be missed by so many, RIP Mandy.”
Another person commented: “Our Mandy! You beautiful lovely lady- such a wonderful smile and such a friendly loving person- sleep well Mandy Jane – I’m absolutely heartbroken that you have gone – but so humbled to have called you a friend. We had such good times in our Bury AFC family – you will always be apart of us.”
Someone else posted: “A massive loss to everyone, can’t believe we will never play alongside each other again I’m absolutely gutted. The most kind, caring and selfless person you could meet who always had a smile on her face. Glad we met you will always be our teammate and with us always. A true legend! x”
Featured image: Facebook, Bury AFC
Bury
Bakery chain Gail’s is attempting to win over Prestwich after spelling mishap
Daisy Jackson
Gail’s has announced a plan to try and make amends with Prestwich after spelling the village’s name wrong on the new bakery’s signs.
The massive bakery chain finally confirmed that it would be moving into the suburb on the fringes of Bury and Manchester, but made a fatal flaw at the first step.
The huge posters are missing the letter ‘T’, instead saying ‘Hello Preswich’.
More than a few eyebrows were raised locally, with people saying it’s ‘not a great first impression for the locals…’.
And now Gail’s is attempting to put things right by offering free tea to Prestwich residents.
In new material released today, they wrote: “Oops… people of Prestwich, we owe you a ‘T’.
“You may have seen how we missed out a ‘t’ in our new bakery signage.
“We’re sorry for the mistake, and to make up for it we’d like to brew you a tea when we open.”
The new advertising has a QR code which people can scan to claim their free cuppa.
Gail’s has also passed its thanks on to ‘local resident Clair’, who actually came up with the suggestion on The Manc’s LinkedIn post here.
With this development, Gail’s has now confirmed it’ll be opening in Prestwich – directly opposite the new Rudy’s – in early 2025, with free tea served then to those who scan the QR code.
Gail’s will hand out free tea in Prestwich to apologise for spelling the village’s name wrongHuge bakery chain Gail’s confirms move to Prestwich – but spells village’s name wrong in signage
Huge bakery chain Gail’s confirms move to Prestwich – but spells village’s name wrong in signs
Daisy Jackson
After months of swirling rumours, bakery group Gail’s has finally confirmed it’s moving to Prestwich – but locals have spotted a glaring error at the first hurdle.
The popular artisan bakery will be moving onto Bury New Road, right in the heart of the suburb and directly opposite the new Rudy’s pizzeria.
Prestwich locals have been hearing whispers of a Gail’s arriving for a few months, and finally the London-founded cafe has stuck up signs to confirm it’s on the way.
But the sign contains one crucial mistake – it’s spelled Prestwich wrong.
The red window displays now read ‘Hello Preswich. We’ll be baking here soon’.
One local messaged Gail’s to point out the error and to say it’s ‘not a great first impression for the locals…’.
Gail’s has since confirmed it’s in the process of fixing the signs.
The arrival of both Gail’s and Rudy’s has already caused a stir in Prestwich, which has always been fiercely independent and has only a handful of chains within it (Greggs and Costa are perched by the tram stop).
In fact, one local business-owner shared a moving statement about his concerns for the future of local businesses just a few weeks ago.
Gail’s has confirmed it’s opening a bakery in Prestwich. Credit: The Manc Group
First formed in the early 1990s as a wholesale-only operation, Gail’s opened its first cafe on Hampstead High Street in 2005.
Today the brand has more than 100 sites spread across London, Oxford, Brighton and further afield, and is known more as a customer-facing cafe and bakery.
It’s famed for its freshly-baked loaves, cinnamon buns, ham and cheese croissants and coffees, and is likely to go down a storm in Prestwich.
But the signs have been causing a bit of a stir in the wrong way this weekend – in a local Facebook group, one person commented: “Not locals who own it then.”
Another described it as an ‘epic fail’.
And one person said: “Oh the DRAMA of it all.”
Someone else joked: “I cannot wait for Gais to come to Preswich.”
Daisy Jackson -
4th May 2023 
