A 64-year-old gritter has been working around the clock to clear northern regions engulfed in snow and ice during January.
Paul Dyson was already experiencing his busiest month in living memory before Storm Christoph hit – which has been causing chaos across the top half of England.
2,000 people were evacuated from their homes in Greater Manchester earlier this week, with flood water spilling out from the River Mersey.
Heavy snow has also created problems – with a large sinkhole swallowing a car on a residential street in Gorton on Wednesday evening.
The Environmental Agency and emergency services have advised against travel if possible. But in the midst of an international pandemic, thousands of frontline staff still need to reach their place of work, with access routes to many venues blocked up.
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But that’s where Paul is trying to help.
As the owner of private gritting company Gritting Direct, Paul has been clearing dozens of roads since the turn of the year.
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His firm has contracts with education facilities, doctors surgeries, manufacturing firms and banks in the north, and the gritter claims that the past few days have been some of the most demanding he can remember.
“This season we’ve been very busy. It’s caught a lot of people out,” Paul said.
“The most important thing for us is that people don’t make unnecessary journeys as this slows us and the council down when we’re clearing the roadways.
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“Our aim is and always has been to keep people safe during the winter months, so if your journey isn’t 100% necessary, the safest thing to do is stay at home.”
More snowfall, ice and flooding is expected over the coming days – meaning difficult conditions for anyone who does need to travel.
For essential trips, Paul has urged people to pack sturdy shoes with good grip, along with warm clothing, bottled water and basic food supplies in the event of being left stranded.
“With the snowfall in early January, many drivers ended up stuck in huge queues of non-moving traffic,” Paul says.
“There were reports of people delivering bottles of water on foot to desperate drivers. Make sure you have warm clothing, drinks, and snacks in the car to keep you going if you do get stuck.
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“Snow and ice immediately increase the risk of accidents tenfold, so you never know when traffic will come to a standstill.”
Paul has also reminded people to check their fuel levels before they hit the road, and to pull over panic sets in.
The gritter stated: “If you happen to spot that snow is forecast, and you know you’ll still need to drive – make sure your fuel is topped up so you can get from A to B as smoothly as possible and minimise your time on the road.
“When you’re driving in the snow, you need to be able to think calmly and rationally. Panic can inhibit our ability to react rationally. If you feel yourself panicking, pull over and only continue driving when you feel safe to do so.”
You can continue to check flood alerts for your area by visiting the Flood Warning Information Service website.
Updates on weather/driving conditions are also available via:
Review | PinkPantheress turns O2 Victoria Warehouse into one huge party on first night in Manchester
Emily Johnson
There was a point during Pinkpantheress’ set at O2’s Victoria Warehouse where you almost forgot you were watching someone perform an album that barely stretches past the 20-minute mark.
Instead, night one of two Manchester shows felt like one huge club night curated by one of the most exciting British artists around right now.
From the second you walked into the venue, greeted by an army of plaid, the world of PinkPantheress (real name Victoria Beverley Walker, for those who didn’t know) completely took over.
The stage itself mirrored that energy too, with a two-tier setup that allowed her to constantly move around the space, appearing and disappearing throughout the night alongside outfit changes, dramatic lighting and eventually, a pair of angel wings.
Backed by her dancers and DJ Joe, the entire show felt slick, immersive and miles away from the early days of PinkPantheress nervously clutching onto her handbag on stage like a comfort blanket. Ironically, the handbag did make a brief appearance during the evening.
It’s a reminder of just how much her performances have evolved – and evolve they have.
What could have easily been a short and simple set instead became a fully realised live show, complete with extended dance sections, rave-inspired moments, drum solos and seamless transitions that made the whole thing feel bigger than the music alone.
There’s also something undeniably British about a PinkPantheress show: the UK garage influences, the fashion, the awkward humour, and the understated confidence all combined into something that felt distinctly hers.
At one point, she paused to laugh: “It’s hot in this venue, f*** me,” which summed up the sweaty chaos of the night perfectly.
At one point, she joked that the last time she was in Manchester, she made it all the way to the final stage of Pointless, before being told she was now “too famous” to go on the show – a perfectly PinkPantheress anecdote that had the crowd laughing immediately.
By the end of the set, O2 Victoria Warehouse felt less like a gig venue and more like the best house party you’ve ever accidentally ended up at.
And with another Manchester show still to come, it’s safe to say the party isn’t over just yet.
Starting off life as a little coffee trike back in 2021, and now based inside a bright-yellow shipping container in Levenshulme‘s Cringle Park, Grounded MCR CIC is a social enterprise that does more than just make you a brew.
Set up with the idea of creating a welcoming space for the whole community to gather, with a key focus on sustainability, Grounded serves up specialty coffee, lots of other hot and cold drinks, and yummy homemade food – much of which is grown by hand, on and around the container.
This is Grounded MCR / Credit: The Manc Group
Coffee beans sourced from a local roaster that pays farmers properly, tasty bakes on offer from a handful of local makers – including bread from the incredible Stockport-based charity, Pure Innovations – and dozens of free community events organised throughout the year are just a few of the reasons why Grounded goes above and beyond your typical cafe.
Sustainability – and affordability, especially amid the ongoing cost of living crisis – are two huge driving factors for Grounded, especially through their partnership with FareShare Greater Manchester and utilising the ‘Too Good To Go’ scheme.
By delivering and using surplus food that would’ve otherwise gone to waste, Grounded is able to keep their prices low whilst still creating some delicious scran.
The Levenshulme community cafe crafting coffee for a great cause / Credit: The Manc Group
Their ‘FareShare Fridays’ are hosted each week, where that morning’s delivery is dedicated to one specific dish and served up for just £1.
To top it all off, Grounded also works with vulnerable adults in honing their barista and hospitality skills, and is also in partnership with ‘Women in Probation’ too to ensure their impact goes further than just what comes in a cup or on a plate.
”We’ve worked hard to create a space that feels safe and welcoming for all,” Grounded declares in a statement on it’s website – and we think they’ve succeeded.
The Manc -
21st January 2021 
