The late Dianne Oxberry, who tragically died in 2019 just 10 days after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer, is to be honoured with a new award at the This Is Manchester Awards.
The fifth annual awards, which celebrates local businesses and individuals from across Greater Manchester, will take place this November, with The Manc as proud media partners.
And this year, a new award has been created in honour of the broadcaster and weather presenter, with the full support of Dianne’s family.
The This is Manchester Awards (TIMA) announced the Dianne Oxberry Special Impact Award this week, which will recognise an individual who has faced adversity and won and, by doing so, has left a lasting legacy across the region.
Dianne’s widower Ian Hindle attended a special event to announce the new award, alongside TIMA hosts Jenny Powell and Scott Thomas.
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One of her last-ever presenting jobs was at the inaugural TIMA awards in November 2018, prompting the event’s organisers to reach out to her family and ask to create a long-term legacy in honour of her memory.
Jenny Powell and Scott Thomas. Credit: Supplied
The new award announcement coincides with the first anniversary of the launch of Dianne Oxberry Trust’s ‘Spread the W.O.R.D’ campaign, which aims to raise awareness of some of the main symptoms of ovarian cancer.
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Dianne’s husband Ian Hindle commented on behalf of the Trust: “Our goal is to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of this disease, to help improve speed of diagnosis, and hopefully lead to improved outcomes so more families have more time together than we had with Dianne.
“Our community is the key to this. We are normal people, members of the North West community, reaching out to others in the area. We can only shout loudly with the support of people in the North West – local people helping local people.
“The community in this region is amazing at pulling together and doing just that…and we can’t thank our supporters enough for helping us spread the word, and – most importantly – save lives.
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A new award has been created to honour the late Dianne Oxberry. Credit: BBC
“Our values align perfectly with that of the This is Manchester Awards and we were touched that they wanted to honour Dianne in this way.”
TIMA founder Ziara Siddique said: “We were incredibly fortunate to have Dianne Oxberry present the very first awards alongside Roger Johnson back in 2018.
“Her passion for the city and, for the spirit of the awards was undeniable – now in our fifth year and established as an annual legacy event, the time feels right to recognise that early support and we’ve been incredibly humbled by the reaction we’ve received from her family and close friends in helping us shape this award.”
Nominations across the 15 highly-contested categories are set to open next week.
The This is Manchester Awards will take place on 9 November at Lancashire Cricket Club – a new location chosen to accommodate the greater number of guests.
Featured image: Supplied
Manchester
Coronation Street and Emmerdale set for special crossover episode
Danny Jones
Two of Britain’s most legendary TV shows are set to collide as Coronation Street and Emmerdale prepare for an unforgettable crossover.
It’s the sort of thing we’ve imagined plenty of times before, but if we’re being honest, we never actually thought it would come to fruition.
For the first time ever, the iconic Northern soaps will be teaming up to release a special crossover episode early next year.
‘Coronationdale’? ‘Emmerdale Street’? All we know is we’re excited.
Announced on Tuesday, 13 May, ITV confirmed that work on the first-ever Coronation Street and Emmerdale collaboration is now underway.
The flagship serial franchises both have huge nationwide followings in their own right, attracting more than 8 million viewers every week.
Moreover, with both Manc’s much-loved Corrie and its Yorkshire counterpart having faced financial struggles in recent months, this announcement couldn’t have come at a better time.
Writing in an official joint press release, the two shows revealed they will “join forces in an unprecedented, one-off special episode to launch the broadcaster’s new power hour of soap, which begins on ITV1 and STV in January 2026.”
The ‘power hour’ is part of the channel’s plans to readjust its approach to its regular programming laid out earlier this year, with this serving as an eye-catching way to promote the new schedule.
Put it this way, provided they keep the crossovers up North and avoid you know where, this is the kind of thing we can get behind…
Corrie characters reacting to the mere thought of heading to London 🤝 Manc parents whenever one of their kids mentions leaving 0161. 😂
The statement goes on to read: “The distinctive worlds of Emmerdale and Coronation Street will merge for one night only in a ‘mash-up’ of our two favourite communities.”
ITV believe they have come up with an “ingenious way of linking the two universes” before having them return to Greater Manchester and the Dales, respectively.
The episode will be a self-contained one-off special, but one that sees them canonically grounded in the same entertainment world forever and, you never know, if the idea is a hit then it could be the first of many to come.
As if that wasn’t enough, to make the prospect even more interesting, the producers are inviting members of the audience to choose which two characters they would like to meet and interact with in the scene – keep your eyes peeled on their social media for more information.
Coming in January 2026 (specific release date yet to be confirmed), this is not one you want to miss.
We’re also glad to see the pair of long-standing soaps and institutions of British telly have got off to a strong start this year, raking in 124 million streams on ITVX with each episode now available on the streaming platform ahead of each night’s episode.
You can expect a big viewer spike when this one goes out, that’s for sure.
Pilates classes with eight-week old puppies are launching in Manchester next month
Emily Sergeant
Pilates is already one of the most popular workouts of the moment, but we have a feeling this might make its popularity skyrocket.
Why? Because it’s pilates with puppies, that’s why.
Although it may sound a little too good – and too unbelievably flipping cute – to be true, your eyes aren’t deceiving you, as Manchester‘s very-own Paw Yoga is launching a handful of Puppy Pilates sessions next month, and this is your chance to stretch, strengthen… and snuggle with Spaniels.
Puppy Pilates sessions are exactly as they sound, blending gentle Pilates or Yogalates exercises with the joy of being surrounded by playful Cocker Spaniel puppies.
It’s a unique experience designed to promote relaxation and, of course, plenty of puppy cuddles.
Each session starts off with 15 minutes of puppy introductions, followed by a half-hour instructor-led Pilates or Yogalates class, and finished with another 15 minutes of cuddles and photos with the pups.
Paw Yoga – which is better-known for its puppy yoga sessions, and is celebrating its third anniversary next month – ensures the wellbeing of its puppies is the utmost priority, with all attending puppies being over eight-weeks old and vaccinated, and the company refraining from mixing litters from different households.
The company also exclusively collaborates with ‘trusted and ethical breeders’, so you can attend the classes knowing the puppies come from nurturing homes.
Pilates classes with eight-week old puppies are launching in Manchester next month / Credit: Supplied
Each class lasts one hour, and at the end of every event, the puppies go home with their owners.
Throughout the sessions, puppies are provided with food, water, and their own comfortable resting space if they choose to have a nap rather than join in.
There’s Puppy Pilates class on 14 June and a Puppy Yogalates class on 15 June that you can book onto, with other dates expected to be announced in due course, so whether you’re a pilates pro or simply seeking a calming escape, these sessions offer the perfect blend of fitness and puppy cuddles.
Daisy Jackson -
4th May 2023 
