Don’t miss the epic finale of Little Amal’s international journey as the giant 11-foot puppet arrives in Manchester.
Little Amal, whose name means ‘hope’ in Arabic, is a puppet of a nine-year-old refugee girl who has ‘walked’ all the way from the Syria-Turkey border.
She was created by Handspring, the same company that made the puppets for the critically- acclaimed War Horse.
Amal will complete her journey in Manchester on 3 November.
Image: Manchester International Festival/Bevan Ross
The puppet’s journey is designed to highlight the risks taken by millions of refugees each year who are escaping from war or violence.
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“Whilst a lot of asylum seekers are adults, many are children, they have no say and often suffer the most so the fact Little Amal represents a young person is very symbolic,” said Mick Taylor, project coordinator at the Support for Wigan Arrivals Project.
Amal’s 5,000 mile trip started this summer and has seen her travel through Greece, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, and Belgium, before crossing to the UK.
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Image: Manchester International Festival/UNHCR Sokratis Baltagiannis
Amal’s big Manchester welcome
The finale of The Walk will be marked by a massive free outdoor event called When the Birds Land at Castlefield Bowl at 7 pm on 3 November.
The city will celebrate the end of her long journey with a night of song, dance, live music, and puppetry – as well as some special surprises.
When the Birds Land is directed by Simon Stone, award-winning director of The Dig and The Daughter, and is produced and presented in Manchester by Manchester International Festival (MIF).
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Image: Manchester International Festival/Andre Liohn
Manchester has a proud history of embracing migrants and refugees, and Amal’s arrival is no different – 4,000 people are expected to gather to welcome her.
Before arriving at her new home, Amal will visit Wigan (Sunday 31 October at 3pm) and Rochdale (Tuesday 2 November).
Amal has been welcomed by artists and communities at over 120 events during her journey.
Image: Manchester International Festival/Teatro Pubblico Pugliese
The puppet, operated by three people, has been greeted by some big names along the way, including actor Jude Law on the Folkestone seafront and Pope Francis in Rome.
When she arrives in Manchester she will be presented with a giant quilt as a welcome gift.
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The quilt has been made by volunteers from Rochdale, Longsight, and Wigan, including many refugees and asylum seekers.
Image: Manchester International Festival/UNHCR: Sokratis Baltagiannis
Find more information about the Manchester City Centre event here.
Police appeal after thieves steal 800 barrels of Guinness from HGVs in Cheshire
Emily Sergeant
Police in Cheshire are appealing for information after more than 800 barrels of Guinness were stolen.
Cheshire Police explained that, at around 7:45pm on Monday 31 August, a lorry entered an industrial estate in the Aston Lane area of Runcorn. The lorry is then connected to a HGV trailer containing barrels of Guinness, before leaving the site at 7:55pm and driving in the direction of the Mersey Gateway.
Then, at 9:12pm, a second lorry arrived at the same site in a different lorry and connected it to another trailer containing barrels of Guinness. The lorry left the site at around 9:30pm, in the direction of Rainhill and Watkinson Way.
The estimated total value of all the items stolen is approximately £205,000, police confirmed.
According to police, the trailers are described as white Tri-Axle Curtain side trailers with GXO company branding on curtains and rear doors.
The trailers also have unique ID numbers on their rear doors in the top left corner – with the numbers of stolen trucks being DL736 or DL542.
Both HGVs were believed to have been driven by men. The first man is described as white with a short dark beard and wearing a beanie hat, and the second believed to be wearing a cap.
Officers are now appealing to anyone with any information, or dashcam and video footage taken from around the time of the incident, to come forward.
“It is famously said that ‘Guinness is good for you’, but that is only the case when it has been bought and paid for,” commented Detective Sergeant McClatchy, from Cheshire Police.
“It is with this in mind that we have wasted no time in launching enquires to identify those responsible for the theft of £115,000 worth Guinness and the two trailers that housed the barrels.
“We will settle for nothing less than the full recovery of all the items stolen.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Cheshire Police via its website, or by calling 101 and using incident reference number IML-2408641.
Featured Image – Volker Repke (via Unsplash)
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Police seize convoy of supercars after reports of dangerous driving on M62 near Rochdale
Emily Sergeant
A convoy of supercars has been seized by police following reports of dangerous driving on the M66 and M62 near Rochdale.
On Wednesday, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) says its dedicated Roads Policing Unit (RPU) were made aware that a group of individuals driving high-powered vehicles – such as Lamborghinis and Mercedes G-Wagons – were ‘driving dangerously’ at speed, weaving across lanes, wheel spinning, and slowing down to speeds of around 17mph on the motorway.
After finding the convoy of vehicles on the M62, police were able to stop two of Lamborghinis as they were coming off the motorway.
Officers then used specialist tactics to bring the remaining vehicles to a stop in Rochdale.
As a result of police intervention, GMP was able to seize five Lamborghinis and a Mercedes G-Wagon under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002, and on top of this, the drivers of the offending vehicles were prosecuted for a number of driving offences.
Police have seized a convoy of supercars after reports of dangerous driving on the M62 near Rochdale / Credit: GMP | Wikimedia Commons
Chief Inspector Danny Kabal, from GMP’s Transport Policing and Crime command, said the force takes road safety ‘very seriously’.
“We will not tolerate careless, inconsiderate, anti-social or dangerous driving on our roads,” he began.
“Recent changes to Section 59 of the Police Reform Act now enables us to seize vehicles without having to issue a warning first. As we intensify our road safety operations and enforcement campaigns, we will use this legislative change as part of our daily business.
“People who think it is acceptable to use our roads as a racetrack need to pay attention to this result and take it as a warning – they will have their vehicles seized and they will be prosecuted, and where proportionate to do so, they will also be arrested.”
Rachel Kevern -
29th October 2021 
