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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
“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.
ADVERTISEMENT
“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:
The inflatable floating obstacle course you can splash around on near Manchester
Daisy Jackson
There’s a giant inflatable floating obstacle course less than an hour from Manchester, where you can slide, jump, and fall straight into a lake.
At Wild Shore Delamere, you can tackle obstacles like monkey bars, the ninja-jump, the tyre run, and a giant 3.8 metre-tall inflatable tower, all floating on the surface of the picturesque lake.
The adventure hub opened back in 2019, offering families a chance to play on Delamere Lake, or try new watersports right here in the North West.
Let’s head to that inflatable Aqua Park – even as a full-grown adult, this is one of the silliest afternoons you can imagine.
Squeeze yourself into a wetsuit then launch yourself into the lake, ready to clamber all over a course that is essentially a gigantic floating bouncy castle.
The trickiest part is managing to stay on your feet as you slip and slide your way around the course in your 50 minute session – but really, where’s the fun in staying on your feet?
Monkey BarsThe Ninja JumpThe Tyre RunThe Figure EightFeatures of the Aqua Park at Wild Shore Delamere
While you’re on the lake, you can also try other activities like the Ringo, which whips you up and down the water on a huge inflatable, while the operator seems dead-set on flinging you off.
As well as the inflatable Aqua Park, there’s the Aqua Chimp ropes course for the more gymnastic types, plus wakeboarding, paddle boarding, and open water swimming.
Wild Shore Delamere has also added a new sauna this year, which overlooks the water – you can enjoy contrast therapy, switching from the warm sauna to the lake itself.
Wetsuits and life vests are included, so all you need to pack is a swimsuit, towel, and a bit of reckless abandon as you crash beneath the surface.
Paddle boards at Wild Shore DelamereThe sauna and cold plungeThe RingoAqua Chimp
Family behind Salvi’s launch new concept, weeks after iconic restaurant closure
Daisy Jackson
Just weeks after the closure of its iconic, 16-year-old Italian restaurant in the Corn Exchange, the family behind Salvi’s have revealed a brand-new concept.
And this time, the reins are being handed over to the next generation.
Salvi’s founder Maurizio Cecco has helped to shape Amò, but it’s all the brainchild of his daughter, Sienna.
Sienna will run the business out of a unit up on Deansgate Mews, serving fresh pasta dishes, pizza sandwiches, tubs of tiramisu, and two-for-£10 spritzes.
The deli aspect of the original Salvi’s has been carried over to Amò too – you’ll find shelves almost to the ceiling filled with Italian pasta, wine, olive oils, pistachio spreads, and more.
Sienna has grown up in restaurants, with her parents launching Salvi’s when she was just two years old.
She said she wants the space to be a livelier, fresher version of the Italian restaurant that has been so loved by Mancs for so many years.
Sienna outside AmòFresh pasta dishesInside Amò by Salvi’sTheir viral frozen crema di caffeLemon granitaInside Amò by Salvi’sTiramisu pots
Amò, which is Neapolitan slang for ‘my love’, will have loads of fresh Italian dishes, including arancini, gnocchi, and hearty pasta plates.
At lunchtimes, guests can order from a £10 lunch menu, with dishes changing daily depending on the best produce the kitchen can get – it could be a pizza sandwich with proscuitto and tomato, a spicy pasta, or a gnocchi bake, always served with your choice of soft drink.
With its position on Deansgate Mews, Amò basks in the sunshine at lunchtimes.
And while it’s definitely a different concept to the original Salvi’s, Amò looks set to carry the family’s Italian food legacy into its next generation.
The Manc -
21st January 2021 
