We all know how important community is, whether it’s sharing a BBQ with your neighbours or calling on each other for help.
But how many of us are so proud of our communities that we’d dedicate our lives – and all of our free time – to protecting it?
One man in Droylsden does exactly that, spending 365 nights a week patrolling the streets, keeping an eye out for disturbances and burglaries.
This is Andy (and his dog Shadow) from Crimewatchers, a project he set up in 2020 to help tackle crime across Droylsden and Audenshaw.
The work of Crimewatchers has evolved since then, and is now a valuable scheme supporting people from all walks of life.
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Andy will never turn away a vulnerable person in need, or from his neighbourhood, from helping out with litter picking to arranging Easter egg hunts for local children.
They can arrange to have free locks fitted for vulnerable people, help elderly neighbours who have had a fall, and hand out selection boxes at Christmas.
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From 11pm every night of the year, Andy and his beloved German Shepherd Shadow are out helping others, no questions asked.
Andy said: “Every single night. Bank holidays. We’ve just worked all Jubilee Weekend. We’ll work Christmas, we’ll work New Year, we’ll work it all.
“We help anybody who needs it. Sometimes we find people who need help when we’re out patrolling, other times people get in touch with us – and if we can help them, we will.
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“We’ve not got enough people to patrol outside Droylsden and Audenshaw but that doesn’t mean we’d turn down a request for help from outside that area.
“The community have got us to where we’ve got to, their response has been amazing.
“As you can imagine at first, the police were quite concerned about who we were and what we were up to at night, but the community 100% had our backs. Everything we’ve done, the community have supported us.
“It’s going from strength to strength and that’s because of the residents.”
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As much as Andy helps others, he receives plenty of love in return, which was never more apparent than when his old dog Sabre died.
He said: “Everybody loved Sabre. He was the boss, the leader of the group. Without Sabre, I wouldn’t have got Crimewatchers off the ground. People really took to him and his nature. We came as a duo. When he passed away, it was really sudden and instant.
“But the community really rallied around me, in an instant they set up a GoFundMe and raised over £2000 for me, so I could get a new companion.
“Shadow is a community dog. He lives with me but I see him as part of the community. Everybody loves him, just as they did with Sabre.
“Somebody attempted to stab me a few nights ago and when I posted that on Facebook it got a lot of engagement – but then a video of Shadow will get two million views. People love him.
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“He’s not a working dog. He patrols with us but as a pet.
“When I get called to a job, especially if someone’s being aggressive or there’s a situation, I’d never get him out of the car. He’s not a deterrent, he’ll never bite anybody, he’s not an attack dog.
“Shadow will just sit there, not barking, just watching – he would never do anything, he’s a pet and a mascot and a friend. I’d never put him in danger.”
One of Andy’s fondest memories from his work with Crimewatchers is when he was called out to help an elderly man who had had a fall and couldn’t get up, but was unharmed.
He said: “His Mrs rang us and said it’s not an emergency but she really needed help and didn’t want to call for an ambulance.
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“He was at his most vulnerable but they trusted us to come into their home and help, and that is massive for us.
“It was no effort really, we were already out and about, but for him, on the floor and not knowing when he’d be able to get up, it was huge.
“That kind of support – the fact that people can call someone when they can’t get hold of family in the middle of the night and they don’t want to call 999, they know they can ring us. That’s amazing.”
You can find out more about Andy and Crimewatchers with our latest instalment of Local Heroes.
You can also donate to them through their Facebook page.
Featured image: The Manc Group
Tameside
Burgerism is opening a fifth location in Denton
Danny Jones
Legendary Manc burger joint and takeaway Burgerism is opening another brand new location in Denton as they continue to expand their Greater Manchester empire.
Set to be their fifth brick-and-mortar site, including their existing venues in Salford, Gatley, the delivery-only kitchen in Manchester city centre and the pop-up in Freight Island, the new Tameside venue sees them reach further across the region after first launching back in 2018.
Sharing the news last week, the smash-burger experts have revealed will be bringing their signature patties, wings, fries and homemade dips to Denton‘s Stockport Road.
Popping up in place of the former Pizza Hut delivery store, the latest location is due to open in mid-March this year. Absolute scenes.
Soon to cover customers living in Denton, Hyde, Stalybridge and beyond, people can rock up to the new adjoined car park space to pick up and collect with ease, and lord knows we love a drive-thru.
To tell the truth, they’ve earned so many accolades in the six years since opening that we’ve lost track, having also been named the eighth most-ordered item on Deliveroo in the UK and the single most-ordered burger in Manchester for 2021. They even scored a collab with the one and only Hawksmoor.
They genuinely might be the best burgers in Greater Manchester.
It still remains the most popular item on Deliveroo in Manchester and this newest venue serves as yet more proof that Burgerism is one if not the best in the game and they are set to make their first moves into Liverpool at the popular Blackstock Market too.
The company’s founder, Mark Murphy, commented: “Burgerism brings restaurant quality smashed burgers straight into people’s homes. Our dream is to be the UK’s go-to delivery burger across the UK, like Domino’s is to pizza. And Denton represents the next piece of the puzzle to do that.
“We’re super excited to launch in the North East of Manchester area. Right from day one, we’ve had loads of die-hard Burgerism fans making the pilgrimage around the M60 to Salford and, while we’ve admired their commitment, we felt it was time to bring Burgerism closer to more of our friends and fans.”
We can’t wait for yet another excuse to try the FreeBird and the Wholly Double only in Tameside.
Six charged in connection with kidnap after man was assaulted and ‘forced into a car’ in Tameside
Emily Sergeant
Charges have been made in connection with a kidnap in Tameside after a man was assaulted and then “forced into a car”.
Six men have been charged in relation to the seriously distressing incident that occurred in the Tameside town of Dukinfield last Wednesday (24 January 2024), Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has confirmed – with each either remanded into custody or since released on bail.
The charges come after a man was assaulted and forced into a car on Chester Avenue in Dukinfield, but thankfully, police say the victim has since been located “safe and well”.
The six men charged in connection with the incident have been named by police.
— Tameside North and East Police (GMP) (@GMPTamesideN) January 29, 2024
Paul Doherty, and Daniel Hague, who are from Bispham in Blackpool, have both been charged and remanded with kidnap, as have Marshall Redfern from Heywood, and Joshua Oakes from Rochdale, and all four men are due to appear at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on 1 March 2024.
As well as these four, Edward Dowdall, again from Bispham in Blackpool, was also charged and released on court bail to appear at Minshull Street Crown Court on the same date (1 March 2024), and Jack Lafery, of no fixed abode, was charged and remanded with conspiracy to kidnap.
He was also charged with being ‘concerned’ in the supply of cocaine too.
Six charged in connection with kidnap after man was assaulted and ‘forced into a car’ in Tameside / Credit: GMP
Mr Lafery was due to appear at Manchester and Salford Magistrates Court yesterday (29 January).
On top of these six charges, GMP has also confirmed that two females, aged 18 and 17, were also arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to kidnap.