Just days after COVID-19 found its way into the fabric of British society, medical experts presented a sobering conclusion: This virus would not be going away on its own any time soon.
The government scrambled to slow the spread by locking everything down, and whilst this proved something of a success, scientists continued to warn that the reprieve was only temporary.
Our only route back to normality, we were routinely reminded, was a vaccine.
An arduous nine months followed; littered with mass closures and tier systems enforced by hastily-written legislation.
People were forced to make lifestyle changes and sacrifices like never before, with little else to do but cross our fingers and wait for the cure.
The chimes for 2021 had barely finished ringing out before vaccine sites right around Britain were administering jabs left, right and centre.
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Britain, suddenly, had multiple pathways back to the blissful pre-COVID days.
But some people decided they didn’t want to take either.
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Recent surveys have revealed that as many as 14% of people would consider refusing the offer of a proven coronavirus jab – believing that fighting off the infection naturally is a better way to combat the illness.
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An alarming amount of misinformation has spread across social media as a result – and one doctor has now stepped forward to dispel the myths.
Dr Michael Barnish, Head of Genetics & Nutrition at REVIV Global Ltd – a worldwide health and wellness organisation with a HQ right here in Manchester – explained that he “wanted to share some information on what vaccines are and why people should not be frightened of, or against them.”
In Barnish’s words, vaccines are designed to “generate an immune response” that will protect us from future exposure to a particular disease.
The key concept behind vaccination is herd immunity – whereby if the majority of people have immunity, then the virus or bug cannot infect others easily and will die off easier.
“Vaccination offers the opportunity to eradicate particular diseases across the entire population, protecting the individual and the community,” explains the doctor.
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“Vaccination can also help reduce the occurrence of other diseases as well. Children that are routinely vaccinated against meningitis have the added benefit of a reduced risk of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, the most common childhood cancer.
“Similarly, the measles vaccine actually helps protect from other dangerous infectious diseases, such as rubella and mumps and therefore the vaccinated immunity would be more advantageous than naturally made immunity following this dangerous infection.”
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For some, taking vaccines appears to be a no-brainer. But naysayers have argued that jabs can cause side-effects due to the presence of toxins and damaging ingredients in particular solutions.
“Like any medical intervention [vaccines] do have risks,” explains Dr Barnish.
“However, they are usually minor and short lived.”
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For Dr Barnish, the greater concern is the misinformation being spread about inoculations.
“Unfortunately, the possibility of side effects, alongside media-fuelled fraudulent research has created a growing population of anti-vaccination people,” he says.
“If current anti-vaccination trends continue, the number of measles cases, this year, will be the highest in decades.
“Vaccines are vigorously tested and most those routinely given have large amounts of safety data over many years.”
There have been occasions in history when vaccines have proven less robust than experts had initially hoped – such as the 2018 flu vaccine turning out to be just 23% effective.
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And with the COVID jab being developed at record speeds, some have rushed to the conclusion that the necessary checks might have been skipped; or the vaccine itself could miss the mark.
But Dr Barnish doesn’t think so.
“These are absolutely warranted concerns and I think everyone should question and educate themselves fully when it comes to their health or immunity,” he says.
“However, the laboratories and science institutions of the world collaborating and working together on a vaccination, sharing important findings about the virus with each other on a mass scale, really for the first time, I have every faith that this collaboration and teamwork [has created an] effective and safe vaccination for COVID-19.
“We live in a safety obsessed world and creating vaccines is no exception. A vaccine is only ready when it is deemed safe and effective.”
With the most serious risks – such as severe allergic reactions – apparently being extremely rare, Dr Barnish concludes that the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks; claiming they are essential to the wellbeing of the wider world.
The doctor summarises: “Vaccination plays such an important role in the fight against infectious disease with little risk to us as children or adults, whether in early-life, travelling abroad or protecting your body from seasonal flu attacks.
“No vaccination will be given to the population if it causes any harm.
“They are created to help us, not harm us.”
Learn more about the work that Dr Barnish and REVIV do for Manchester by visiting the REVIV website.
Feature
You can live in a Greater Manchester manor house from the 1700s
Thomas Melia
There’s a manor house which dates back to the 1700s that’s just gone on the market in Greater Manchester.
Now, obviously, we know Manchester is the best place on Earth and, naturally, people have been wanting to live here since the 18th century (and even earlier).
Westerhill House in Ashton is a property that dates back to 1764, and now you could be the next lucky owner to live in this five-bedroom property, which really is a piece of living history.
The legacy of this property spans more than just this country house site, as the previous tenants – who inhabited the house until 1964 – actually provided the rivets for the Eiffel Tower on behalf of their company, Park Bridge Ironworks.
The grand entrance to this 1700’s manor house in Ashton.The hamlet in which this Greater Manchester property resides.Credit: On The Market
One particular room in this manor house features the work of a well-known Mancunian architect, Donald Reeve Buttress, who spent more than a decade at Westminster Abbey until his departure in 1999.
On the estate agent’s website, each room is described as being individually detailed with its specific role in the house, and if you think you don’t have enough space for all your stuff, think again.
This 1700s character manor house has a room for just about anything you could possibly think of, including a billiard room (posh word for pool) and a wine cellar – I know which room I’ll be accidentally getting myself locked in once a week…
This Ashton historical property spans three floors, with the downstairs being the smallest in size with only one room, while the ground floor boasts 10 and the first floor has eight designated rooms.
As you enter the living space, there is an entrance hall that leads to a bigger hall and a staircase; meanwhile, there is a breakout room immediately on the right side leading to a toilet and a dedicated boot room. Handy.
On your left-hand side as you step through the front door, there is another bigger breakout room which hosts the impressive billiard room and seating area, which is a considerably large space.
The conservatory designed by architect from Westminster Abbey.The main hall which leads to various rooms in this 1700s Ashton manor house.Credit: Supplied
Step through to the main hall and you’ll find doors leading to the dining room, kitchen space and a lounge which has an adjoining conservatory.
It’s this very conservatory that was designed by none other than Buttress himself, who worked at Westminster Abbey for 11 years as the ‘Surveyor of the Fabric’.
Any loyal Ashtonians will also be impressed with the stained glass window in the inner hallway, which also happens to contain a depiction of the ‘Black Knight of Ashton-Under-Lyne‘.
Moving upstairs, you find a wide landing which leads to all four bedrooms and three bathrooms, two of which are en-suites.
This 1700s manor house is currently listed for offers in the region of £750,000, and although it may be historic in age and interior, in terms of broadband, the property apparently has super-fast broadband.
The billiard room with adjoining seating area.Curved seating area overlooking the stunning garden space.
Ever get bored of looking around this magnificent and interesting mansion’s four walls? This house is situated in a lovely hamlet located close to Daisy Nook Country Park.
Of course, we understand that a lot of us reading certainly can’t afford a property of this nature, but when the manor house is rooted in this much history, it would be rude not to have a snoop on the official site.
Oh, and if that wasn’t enough browsing for you, there’s a three-bed coach house up for sale in this same exact Ashton hamlet, also dating back to the 1700s. Cool, right?
The viral factory in Oldham that sells £2 Colin the Caterpillar cakes
Thomas Melia
A factory in Oldham has gone viral online after sweet fiends discover they sell ‘Colin the Caterpillar’ cakes for less than half price.
There are some things that just go hand in hand: a brew and a biscuit, peanut butter and jelly and Brits and their crazy obsession with a character chocolate cake from M&S called Colin the Caterpillar.
Since hitting the shelves in 1990, more than 15 million Colin the Caterpillars have made their way from supermarket shop floor to our sweet-treat-awaiting plates.
Who would’ve ever guessed that the home to this cheeky chappy, who M&S have made their unofficial mascot (after Percy Pig, of course), has been crafted and created right here in Oldham?
The utterly delicious Colin the Caterpillar cake which you can get for £2 at Park Cakes.The shelves at Park Cakes are stacked with Colins and Connies.Credit: The Manc Eats
Established in 1937, The Park Cake Bakeries – or just Park Cakes, colloquially – has been serving up this critter-inspired cake for over 30 years, and savvy shoppers have flocked to their factory shop to get their hands on some very sweet savings.
There’s a whole range of cakes on offer at this Oldham dessert factory shop, including slabs, sponges, loaves and even sweet pies too.
Whether you’re a firm believer that the birthday person deserves all of Colin’s white-choc face or you precisely cut it up so everyone gets some, Park Cakes has the solution, selling bags of the character’s chocolatey face so you can have one all to yourself.
The cake isn’t the only thing that leaves a sweet taste in your mouth, as the prices will too. Colin the Caterpillar, who normally retails for just under a tenner, is sold for around £2 at this Oldham factory shop.
It’s always the ones that look unassuming, isn’t it?
Alongside producing one of the most adored cakes in the UK, they’re also responsible for lots more of your favourite supermarket sweet treats, and we’re definitely not complaining.
You can let your sweet tooth go wild in this factory shop as they sell everything from rainbow birthday cakes to sticky toffee puddings.
There’s so much on offer too, how about a giant bag packed to the brim with misshapen golden flapjacks that’ll last you over a week and cost you less than a fiver? Sounds like a plan to me.
If you haven’t had enough of your Easter chocolate fix, why not trek over to Oldham and stock up on even more chocolate and sweet treats? Trust us, there’s plenty to choose from.
Park Cakes factory shop can be found on Ashton Road in Oldham and is open from 10am-4pm, so go and grab yourself a seriously sweet deal before everyone else beats you to it.
Mini Colins, small in size but still packed with all that chocolatey goodness.Flapjacks and cookie dough bites are just some of the wonderful treats you might be able to get hold of.Credit: The Manc
The Manc -
8th January 2021 
