Manchester

76-year-old Manchester nurse working 60-hour weeks surprised with Good Morning Britain award

Gladys Nhkola was honoured with GMB´s 1 Million Minutes Dame Barbara Windsor Award

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 28th December 2021

A 76-year-old nurse working 60-hour weeks caring for dementia patients in a Withington care home was surprised on Christmas with a special award, courtesy of Good Morning Britain.

The ITV show paid a surprise visit to Gladys Nhkola at Monet Lodge care home in Withington, turning up on Christmas Day to serenade her with a gospel choir before presenting her with the award on her very own red carpet.

A nurse for over 50 years, she received the award from GMB presenter Pip Thomson in a programme screened on ITV on Christmas Day.

Technically, Gladys should have been shielding due to her age – but her commitment to her work. combined with the fact she was healthy and felt safe, meant that she turned up to help her patients over the Christmas period anyway.

Mindful of the fact that none of her patients could see their family or friends, she wanted to be there with them on the day to offer some support – but said it was “very hard to watch”.

ADVERTISEMENT

Gladys later told Manchester World: “The award came as a complete surprise, I had no idea what was happening.

“I went into work and there was a red carpet, and then the choir started, and they told me I’d won an award. I was actually speechless!”

ADVERTISEMENT

She said: “I should have been shielding according to my age. But I don’t have any underlying health conditions, I was healthy and I always felt safe – we always had full PPE at Monet Lodge, we were well looked after.

“But our patients couldn’t see their relatives or friends, and that was very hard to watch. For people with advanced dementia, all the new measures were confusing and upsetting. It was very clear in their faces how much they missed their loved ones.”

Feature image – ITV

Manchester

Forget pub crawls – you can now go on a guided cheese crawl around Manchester

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

Manchester is a foodie’s paradise and with so many options at hand why not break it down into individual food groups – starting with the dairy crowd pleaser, cheese.

Long gone are the draining pub crawls of the past, it’s time to make way for the new pioneer in the world of adventurous crawling, ‘The Manchester Cheese Crawl’.

There’s always lots of food and drink options flowing throughout our bubbly city spanning all cuisines and cultures so it comes as no surprise that the latest way to experience Manchester is via cheese, a staple of many citizens’ diets.

On the tour, there will be insider knowledge on-hand as you wander the streets and sample the creamy delights, assisting you with any dying queso queries and pecorino ponders that you need to get off your chest.

There’ll be plenty of familiar independents on the Manchester Cheese Crawl, including Northern Soul’s impressive grilled cheese sandwiches as well as more traditional cheese samples.

How could this experience get any better I hear you ask, how about a free glass of fizz to accompany those already impressive cheese selections? Yes please! 

Guests can expect to sample some of Manchester’s dairy delights while being directed by some of Manchester’s top cheese connoisseurs that are the real big cheese.

Groups who take the tour aren’t just treated to food and drink, they also receive free entertainment from their food guides who are prepared to make you chuckle with their incredible humour.

Mrs Kirkham's Lancashire Cheese, a cheeseboard staple, has been recalled
The Manchester Cheese Crawl will feature plenty of bites for curd nerds
A selection of dairy heaven displayed on a wonderful variety cheese board.
A selection of dairy heaven displayed on a wonderful variety cheese board.
Credit: Unsplash

Previous visitors have commented on their experience while taking the tour sharing the names their groups received with highlights such as ‘Shaken not curd’ and ‘Three blind mice’.

They really are serious about their cheeses, another previous visitor who went on the tour revealed their guide even had a name that perfectly fit the occasion, ‘Mel the babybel’. 

It’s sure to be a fantastic day with games and activities planned for all as you walk between the shops landmarked on the cheese-filled route.

Everyone on the tour also gets a small taste of the high life as they are treated to a Lancashire cheese handmade by a local star and celebrity.

Read more:

Starting at the Richard Cobden Statue and finishing on the always vibrant Tib Street, a quick google search reveals this walk isn’t too strenuous taking only 12 minutes but with many cheeses to get your whiskers on it will probably take around an estimated two hours to tackle.

Running this Saturday 16 November and planned to continue until November 2025 and beyond, you’d be emmental to miss out on this cheesy adventure.

If all this cheese talk has left you dreaming about your next foodie fix, tickets for ‘The Manchester Cheese Crawl’ are on sale and available here.

Featured Image: Unsplash

Manchester

Manchester has been named one of Europe’s top destinations to visit this winter

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Manchester has been named one of the top winter destinations in Europe. Credit: The Manc Group

Manchester has been named one of the best places to visit in Europe this winter – apparently our city is ‘brilliant when the cold snap hits’.

The list of 14 winter destinations includes snowy paradises like Grindelwald in Switzerland and Lapland in Finland, as well as vibrant cities famed for their Christmas vibes, like Riga in Latvia and even Amsterdam.

But coming in at a respectable 6th place – and the only UK city on the list – is our very own home city.

Time Out’s list of the best winter destinations in Europe, picked by travel writers, shouted out the Manchester Christmas Markets, as well as the quieter places you can hide from the elements (and the crowds).

Picked for being the best place to find indoorsy things to do, Time Out listed Mackie Mayor and Skof, as well as John Rylands Library, as reasons people should visit Manchester this winter.

They wrote: “Even though it’s pretty much guaranteed the North of England will be battered by wind and rain throughout the winter, Manchester is a brilliant place to be when the cold snap hits.

“Spend your days dipping into vintage shops and record stores, and fuel up with street food at Mackie Mayor (or for an occasion, book a table at new-ish fine dining spot Skof). 

“What’s more, Manchester’s home to a surprisingly brilliant selection of Christmas markets, from classics to goth-themed, all selling great food and gifts from independent shops. 

“If the weather really goes wild, hide out in John Rylands Library, one of the most hauntingly beautiful spots in the city.”

High praise indeed!

Read more

Featured image: The Manc Group

More Manchester

Eric Cantona surprises Manchester artists at GRIT Studios

Art & Culture

Man United legend Eric Cantona stuns Manchester artists with surprise visit to GRIT Studios

Police appeal to find next of kin after man found outside Palace Theatre

Manchester

Police appeal to find next of kin after man found outside Palace Theatre

The team behind Brewski are opening a sandwich shop called Foldies. Credit: Brewski

City Centre

Foldies – Popular Manchester pizza joint to open ‘the world’s greatest sandwich shop’

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches