Thousands of locals have rushed to sign a petition and prevent a popular Manchester landlord from being deported by the government.
Russell Young, who is originally from Melbourne in Australia, moved to Failsworth four years ago to be with his partner and took up residence in local pub The Sun Inn.
The pair ploughed their savings into the local pub to prevent it being purchased by developers, but after months of enforced closure during the pandemic, Mr Young has been stopped from hitting the necessary earnings threshold for a living visa in the UK.
Now the Home Office is telling Mr Young he must leave the country after rejecting the pub landlord’s appeal, leaving him with just 14 days to try to overturn the result.
The Sun Inn in Failsworth / Image: Facebook
The move means Russell now faces having to leave Tracie and his family behind in the UK while being left homeless in Australia.
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His partner, Tracie Young, who first worked in the pub as a barmaid in 1986, before returning as bar manager in 2015, said it has left the duo “in an impossible situation”.
She stated: “Despite the difficulty of running a pub in the pandemic, we finished our first year in business with a profit.
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“Throughout this year so many people have been separated from their loved ones – and now, through no fault of our own, our life together is at risk.”
Ms Young added: “How can we just walk away from what russ invested and close the door on The Sun Inn? Where would we live and work?
“I’ve [got] no answers all I know is we need help.”
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A petition urging the Home Office to reconsider their decision has received almost 5,000 signatures, whilst a GoFundMe page has raised the best part of £1,000.
Ms Young has described the support so far as “mindblowing”.
“Thank you so so much for your support words cannot express just how grateful we are,” she added.
Manchester United legend Denis Law has died aged 84
Emily Sergeant
Manchester United legend Denis Law has sadly died aged 84, it has been announced.
The Aberdeen-born footballer was a prolific striker throughout his career, scoring 237 goals in 404 appearances for Manchester United – the club he signed for a then-British record transfer fee back 1962, before departing in 1973 – and also playing for Manchester City too for two separate spells during the 1960-61 and 1973-74 seasons.
Law was an integral part of United’s triumphant record-setting 1968 European Cup winning campaign, was the only Scottish player to have won the Ballon d’Or award, in 1964, and also the only man to have two statues dedicated to him at Old Trafford.
But, he previously announced in August 2021 that he had sadly been diagnosed with dementia.
The whole of Manchester, including everyone at City, is mourning with you. Rest in peace, Denis. Our thoughts are with Denis’ family and friends at this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/YuwjMXKgxn
A formal statement confirming Law’s passing by his family was announced by Manchester United this evening: “It is with a heavy heart that we tell you our father Denis Law has sadly passed away. He fought a tough battle but finally he is now at peace.
“We would like to thank everyone who contributed to his wellbeing and care, past and much more recently.
“The ultimate goal-scorer, his flair, spirit and love for the game made him the hero of a generation. Our deepest condolences go out to Denis’s family and many friends. His memory will live on forever more.”
An unmissable Whitney Houston tribute event is returning to Greater Manchester
Thomas Melia
A much-adored and cherished Whitney Houston tribute show is returning to Greater Manchester later this year for not one but two different shows, each channelling the charisma and energy of the pop legend.
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the phenomenal theatre production, ‘Queen of the Night’, the show is visiting a multitude of stages and venues all across the UK.
0161 had to receive at least one date on this tour, partly due to being the music capital of the North and also due to the fact that this is a city many fans of the 80s diva will forever hold close to their hearts.
Houston played her final ever concert performance of her career here in this very city back in 2010, taking up residence in AO Arena for two nights of world-renowned ballads and mesmerising live vocals.
This tribute show is set to include some of the diva’s biggest and much-loved hits like ‘I Will Always Love You’, ‘How Will I Know’ and ‘The Greatest Love of All’, the audience is sure to be singing along.
Adenike Adewale is taking on the role of the American R’n’B Pop singer and is no stranger to the stage or TV, featuring on The Voice in 2021 where she sang a Whitney classic, making it to the semi-finals.
Fast forward to 1 June and the tour returns to Greater Manchester and legendary city centre space, Bridgewater Hall: an incredible room more than fit for renditions of the powerhouse vocalist.
A pair of stunning venues, two stunning shows and one incomparable voice.
It’s not only our lovely region the Queen of the Night experience will be visiting; our friends over at The Hoot have plenty of nearby opportunities to sing along too, with Yorkshire dates in Hull, Halifax, Harrogate and Bradford to name a few.
I’m definitely saving all my love for when this show visits us later this year in March, and after I buy out the front row for all my friends I’ll certainly relate to the smash 1993 single ‘I Have Nothing’.
Tickets are on sale already now – you can grab yours HERE.
The Manc -
3rd June 2021 
