Restaurant manager surprises homeless outreach group with huge stack of free pizzas
Don't Walk Past are out five nights a week helping homeless people in Manchester, but this kind gesture from a stranger really touched the volunteers' hearts,
A local homeless outreach groupwas surprised with a generous donation on Tuesday when a local restaurant manager handed them a huge stack of free pizzas.
The team was out on the streets of Manchester city centre doing their outreach work with the homeless community when Oxford Road’s Pizza Express manager Jamie clocked them through the restaurant’s windows.
After taking the time to come over and speak to the Don’t Walk Past team and find out a little bit about what they do to help people in need, he then went back to the restaurant – only to emerge once again with a stack of fifteen freshly-baked pizzas for them to hand out on the streets.
The incredibly kind gesture from a stranger made an impression on the group’s volunteers, who praised Jamie’s ‘kindness and generosity’ and added that it was ‘very much appreciated.’
The group revealed that Jamie also offered to do the same every week from now on.
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Volunteer Lisa Hamilton has a cafe where she accepts homeless donations. She is pictured alongside restaurant manager Jamie with the stack of pizzas. / Image: Kelly Butler / Don’t Walk Past Facebook Group
Image: Don’t Walk Past Facebook Group
Volunteer Kelly Butler later took to Facebook to praise his kind actions, writing: “Thank you so much to this lovely gent at Pizza Express on Oxford Road who so kindly made up these pizzas for us last night to be handed out, your kindness and generosity was very much appreciated.”
The charitable group, headed up by organiser Ronny English, is entirely self-funded and can regularly be seen parked up on the streets of Manchester and Salford helping the homeless in any way they can.
Relying entirely on donations and the kindness of strangers, the team of volunteers is out every night from Monday to Friday in their pink hi-vis handing out food, warm clothes, toiletries and other necessities to people who find themselves hard up and with nowhere to go.
The group also has an Amazon Wish List where those who want to support it can purchase items for local homeless people in need, such as hand and foot warmers, tubs of hot chocolate, beanies, underwear, antibacterial wipes, sleeping bags, instant coffee and more.
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Speaking to The Manc on the work that Don’t Walk Past do, Ronny English said: “Since the cost of living hit everyone our outreach nights are all about food n drink.
“Our scenario is we have two ladies per night cooking 50 hot dinners plus we have end of day donations from KFC & GREGGs. And still people are coming to us and being sent away hungry, there’s not enough food it’s terrible.”
Read more:Manchester bar launches £2.99 cost of living menu to ‘put two fingers up’
Rising US star Conan Gray announces huge Manchester arena show as part of UK tour
Emily Sergeant
Conan Gray has just announced a UK leg to his upcoming tour, and he’ll be stopping off in Manchester for a huge arena gig.
In just a few short years, Conan Gray has become a star… and his star is only rising higher.
The 26-year-old singer-songwriter, born in California but raised in Texas, got his start on YouTube, where he began uploading vlogs, covers, and original songs as a teenager, hoping to get his start in the entertainment industry.
He first garnered critical and fan acclaim from the release of his commercially successful singles ‘Maniac’ and ‘Heather’ before he went on to put out his debut studio album, Kid Krow, in 2020 – which placed at number five on the US charts, announcing his talent to the world and making it the biggest US artist debut of the year.
Conan Gray has announced a huge Manchester arena show next year / Credit: Supplied | Angelica Whitney (Wikimedia Commons)
After gaining millions of streams and developing a truly a faithful fanbase, Gray went on to release his second studio album, Superache, in 2022, and his third album, Found Heaven, a couple of years later in 2024.
If three albums in four years wasn’t impressive enough as it is, Gray released his fourth studio album, Wishbone, back in August and it’s catapulted him to a new level of fame, especially with the TikTok success of the single ‘Vodka Cranberry’.
Now Gray is embarking on a major world tour to celebrate his latest album, following the unforgettable Wishbone Pajama Show tour in the US, where he sold out legendary venues like Madison Square Garden, and the Kia Forum.
Manchester! @conangray brings the Wishbone World Tour to the @AOArena – Save the date: Sat 9th May 2026!
The UK arm of the Wishbone World Tour sees Gray pay a visit to us here in Manchester, as he takes to the iconic AO Arena stage next year in May.
Birmingham, Glasgow, and London are the other cities Gray will be stopping off at on his UK tour.
Conan Gray will be playing a huge gig at the AO Arena in Manchester on Saturday 6 May 2026 as part of the Wishbone World Tour, and tickets officially go on sale this week – with both pre-sales and general sale available.
The Three+ presale will begin on Wednesday 22 October at 9am, and the AO Arena presale will start on Thursday 23 October, again at 9am, before general sale launches on Friday 24 October at 9am.
Featured Image – Dillon Matthew Photography (Publicity Picture – Supplied)
City Centre
342 arrests made in Piccadilly Gardens since start of GMP’s pledge to ‘improve’ public safety
Emily Sergeant
More than 300 people have been arrested in Piccadilly Gardens since the police pledged to ‘improve’ the perception of the area.
A dedicated neighbourhood policing team that was set up by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) back in March to tackle issues and concerns in Piccadilly Gardens, and ultimately improve the public’s sense of safety, has seen a total of 342 arrests since its inception.
The City Centre Piccadilly Gardens neighbourhood policing team – which is led by Chief Inspector Michael Tachauer – works together with partners, including Manchester City Council, to tackle these problems with long-term solutions.
Following the team’s success since it started, GMP will now continue to build on the foundations of its problem-solving approach to address some of the most prevalent issues.
According to police, Piccadilly Gardens has seen ‘real progress’ being made in terms of safeguarding, enforcement, and GMP’s wider understanding of the issues and concerns communities are facing this past year.
342 arrests have been made in Piccadilly Gardens since the start of GMP’s pledge to ‘improve’ public safety / Credit: GMP
Since March, GMP has seen a total of 342 arrests resulting in 279 charges / cautions, 511 stop searches, 37 weapons seized, and large amounts of Class A and Class B drugs seized too.
“We remain committed to improving both the perception of Piccadilly Gardens and the public’s sense of safety in the area,” commented Chief Superintendent David Meeney, who is the City of Manchester District Commander.
“However, this is not something we can achieve alone. We will continue to work closely with our partners and deploy additional police resources whenever intelligence or demand indicates a need for increased presence.
“We also rely heavily on information from our community, from those who work in the area to residents living nearby. Your reports are vital in helping us develop targeted plans that our neighbourhood officers can act on, so please continue to share any concerns or incidents with us.”
Got any concerns about Piccadilly Gardens? You can continue to report those to GMP by calling 101 or online via gmp.uk.com. Always dial 999 in an emergency.