Bury

Bury-born athlete James Guy scoops Olympic gold medal in ‘stunning’ Team GB victory

The barnstorming performance saw Team GB bring home the nation's first 4x200 freestyle relay gold for over a century.

The Manc The Manc - 28th July 2021

A Bury-born swimmer has grabbed an Olympic gold medal as the GB men’s 4x200m freestyle relay team scored an emotional, record-breaking victory in Tokyo on Wednesday.

Guy – originally from north Greater Manchester but educated at Forest Preparatory School in Timperley – was shown collapsing in tears of joy at the result; having added gold to a personal trophy cabinet already containing two silvers from Rio 2016.

Team GB’s Tokyo freestyle relay team featured Tom Dean and Duncan Scott (who took gold and silver respectively in Tuesday’s 200m freestyle), Matthew Richards and Guy himself.

The barnstorming performance resulted in a third swimming gold for the nation whilst also setting a new European record of 6:58.58.

The result also proved to be just 0.03 seconds off the world’s fastest time.

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https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/1420229581227843584?s=20

Speaking to the cameras after the victory, Guy told the BBC: “As a kid winning an Olympic gold medal was my absolute dream and to do it finally after 25 years is pretty emotional.

“With these four lads here we’ve got the best freestylers in the world.”

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He said that getting a gold was “a dream come true”.

Team GB’s official Twitter account called it a “stunning, stunning swim”.

The last time Great Britain won a gold in the 4×200 freestyle relay was in London in 1908 – over 113 years ago.

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Guy’s medal-winning performance marks another triumph for Greater Manchester-born athletes at the latest games – with Mancunian Georgia Taylor-Brown taking silver in the women’s triathlon earlier this week despite a flat tyre during the cycling section.

As of Wednesday morning (28 July), Team GB have 15 medals at Tokyo 2020 so far – including five gold, six silver, and four bronze.

Featured image: Olympics.com

Bury

An ‘immersive’ 1940s-themed weekend is taking over Greater Manchester’s heritage railway this month

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

An ‘immersive’ 1940s-themed weekend is all set to take over Greater Manchester’s heritage railway later this month.

Fancy stepping back in time?

After delighting little Mancs and families throughout the region during countless successful events over the past couple of years, the Greater Manchester public is now being invited to “dig out your gladrags” and head on down to East Lancashire Railway (ELR) this late May bank holiday, as the Vintage 1940s Weekend is returning by popular demand.

The Vintage 1940s Weekend been an absolute hit in previous years, and has been one of the heritage railway’s most popular events, so it’s no surprise that it’s making a return in a couple of weeks time.

Tickets are now on sale, and there’s still plenty of time to grab some for yourself.

This year, the event will “focus on the musical backdrop of 1940s Britain”, which means there’s an exciting collection of live music performances lined up across the three-day weekend – including vintage vocal harmony trio ‘Blue Bird Belles’, and vintage DJ ‘A Train Swing’ too, so you’ll want to make sure to “bring your dancing shoes”.

An ‘immersive’ 1940s-themed weekend is taking over Greater Manchester’s heritage railway this month / Credit: ELR

But the music scene won’t be the only highlight of the weekend, as food, fashion, and memorabilia of the 1940s will also be brought to life too.

ELR says it’s hoping to recreate “an atmosphere of hope and celebration” for all the family to enjoy, as well as “capturing the most positive aspects of this unique period in British history”.

To keep spirits soaring, the famous Avro Lancaster 1 is also scheduled to fly over Rawtenstall on Saturday (25 May) and Monday (27 May).

When the Vintage 1940s Weekend takes over ELR later this month from Saturday 24 – Monday 27 May, all attendees are encouraged to “get stuck in and dress up in period costume” to make the whole event feel like you’re really stepping back in time, and the uniform policy is now available to view on the ELR website here. 

Speaking ahead of the event later this month, Mike Kelly – who is the Chairman of East Lancashire Railway – commented: “The 1940s Weekend is one of our best attended days out in the annual calendar, and we’re delighted to see its return in 2024, as it’s great to see the community, both young and old, come together to celebrate this incredible time period, and to remember those who sacrificed so much for the country. 

“This weekend is one you won’t want to miss, so make sure to book a ticket while you still can.”

Tickets are now on sale from as little as £25 for adults and £16.50 for children, but there’s also three-day rover tickets and a range of discounts and family ticket packages available too.

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And, if all of that wasn’t exciting enough as it is, the ticket price also includes a ride across the Irwell Valley on a genuine steam-powered train too.

Find out more, and grab tickets to the popular event here.

Featured Image – ELR

Bury

Paddy McGuinness announces work-in-progress shows ahead of first stand-up tour in eight years

Danny Jones Danny Jones Paddy McGuiness work in progress show Bury tickets

Beloved British comic Paddy McGuinness is heading back out on his first live stand-up tour in eight years this year and has announced a new run of work-in-progress shows in preparation, including one right here in Greater Manchester.

McGuinness hasn’t been out on the live comedy circuit for the best part of a decade but announced his long-awaited return late last year, with the 50-year-old heading out on the road this October.

However, as he looks to get stage sharp shape ahead of his ‘Nearly There’ tour, Paddy has picked a pair of local North West venues for the WIP sets, with a trio of shows at The Met in Bury, as well as half a dozen over in Darwen, Lancashire.

Just like the tour itself, these are sure to go quickly.

The Phoenix Nights and Max and Paddy star is playing nearly half a century of shows across the UK and Ireland from this fall onwards before closing out his tour in Dublin by April 2025.

His last tour, ‘Daddy McGuinness’ ran from 2015-16 and got pretty decent reviews across the board, with the focus largely revolving around his journey into parenthood, but his latest material is set to be quite the shift in tone.

Speaking ahead of the tour, the former Take Me Out and Top Gear host said: “It’s been eight years since my last tour and there’s lots of things to laugh about! I’m looking forward to getting back in front of a live audience, along with running the gauntlet of cancel culture, clickbait and fake news!”

Paddy also made a bit of a stir around these parts recently after he declared Bolton as still being part of Lancashire. No likey, no lighty on that one – sorry Paddy.

Paddy McGuinness admits he thinks Bolton is ‘still in Lancashire’ not Greater Manchester
It’s giving ‘No, Stockport is Cheshire’.

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But never mind all that, we’re glad to see him getting back to his roots. The Farnworth-born funny man was also recently given a permanent role on BBC Radio 2 after becoming a firm favourite amongst the listenership. He will now run the 11am-1pm slot on Sundays.

As for his tour, after his warm-up shows in Bury and Darwen, the household name will be heading to The Lowry in Salford in March next year, with other nearby shows in the likes of Blackburn and Blackpool.

Tickets for Paddy McGuinness’ work-in-progress dates go on sale Friday, 3 May at 10am.

You can grab yours HERE.

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

Featured Images — Press Images

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