A huge new mural of punk rock singer and guitarist Pete Shelley has appeared in Leigh, Greater Manchester, this afternoon.
Created in tribute to the late punk rock icon, it sits in the heart of the community where he was born and grew up and still has family today.
Based on the cover of The Buzzcocks’ 1978 single Ever Fallen In Love and a portrait of Shelley, created by artist Chris Gabrin in the same year, it’s been designed by artists Malcolm Garrett and Akse P19.
The latter is well known in the city for his photo-realistic portraits of pop culture icons, and his work is often seen popping up in prime locations across Manchester.
Image: Akse P19
Situated close to Leigh Town Hall and the historic Turnpike Centre, the new mural is Akse’s biggest yet – sitting smack bang in the heart of Leigh. Initiated by The Pete Shelley Memorial Campaign, it has taken over three years of fundraising in order to complete the project.
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At a whopping 200 meters squared, it’s not an easy one to miss if you’re in the area and has taken around a week to complete – with the finishing touches, including a final coat of protective varnish, being applied by the street artist this afternoon.
Whilst the artwork has been unfolding over the past week, locals have had some fun trying to guess who it might be – with Akse posting a range of updates to his social media showing the piece at various stages of completion.
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Sharing an image of the mural with just the hair, background and outline complete, he asked: “Slow progress, can you guess who’s the subject I’m painting?” – and got some surprising responses.
Image: Akse P19
A surprisingly large number thought it could be Ghislaine Maxwell, perhaps created in response to Quebek’s recent Prince Andrew mural which appeared in Manchester over the Jubilee weekend.
Others guessed it could be anyone from Hayley Cropper to Bruce Lee, Jonny Marr, or even Liza Minelli.
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One person commented: “If it’s not Jonny Marr, it’s not too late to make it Jonny Marr anyway”
Another said: “With just that hairstyle I’d have to guess any Mancunian man between the ages 35 – 45?”
A third got it spot on, saying: “Pete Shelley but first thought was Liza”.
The mural is now complete, to the delight of Shelley’s cousins Howard Lycett and Rebecca Hamilton, who still live in the local area.
The pair told Louder Than War: “As a family, we are delighted to have Pete back in his hometown and looking as vibrant as he ever was.
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“Pete was always incredibly proud of his northern roots, and we hope that the mural will help Pete’s legacy live on and inspire more young artists and musicians to break down barriers and follow their dreams”.
Former Bolton Council employee jailed for stealing nearly £900k from client benefits accounts
Emily Sergeant
A former Bolton Council employee has been sentenced to jail this week after admitting to stealing from client benefits accounts.
Richard Shaw transferred £893,296 to himself from benefit claimants’ accounts held by Bolton Council between 2015 and 2023 – which he had been managing as part of the Council’s Financial Protection Team, before he was subsequently suspended when mismanagement of appointeeship cases was discovered.
He was then sacked for gross misconduct in March 2023, after the Council identified and reported the possible fraud to Greater Manchester Police (GMP).
A lengthy investigation by GMP’s Economic and Cyber Crime Unit then began, with ‘full cooperation’ from Bolton Council, which went on to show that Shaw had been transferring the money to his own accounts for a number of years.
He also transferred money between clients’ accounts in an attempt to hide his fraud.
Investigations in 2023 showed several bank transfers to nine personal accounts held in Richard Shaw’s name – with just over £250,000 transferred to one account, and £215,000 to another.
During the investigation, it was established that Shaw spent £100,000 buying a holiday home in Lancashire, and almost £18,000 on garden improvements.
It is estimated to Shaw’s failure to act in the best interest of his clients meant he lost them a total of £129,749 in unclaimed benefits.
Two BMW cars and several high-value items – including computers and bikes – were seized during a warrant at Shaw’s home address of Harrier Close in Bolton on 27 April 2023, when he was initially arrested on suspicion of fraud by abuse of position and money laundering.
Shaw failed to attend his first court appearance on 23 September 2025 and was then arrested on the same day in Blackpool. He initially denied fraud by abuse of position, but then went on to change his plea to guilty at Bolton Crown Court in December 2025.
He was finally jailed for four years and eight months at Bolton Crown Court yesterday (18 February 2026).
Speaking following Shaw’s sentencing this week, Detective Sergeant Daniel Sanchez, from GMP’s Economic and Cyber Crime Unit, said: “In his role as an appointee officer, Shaw was responsible for managing 120 client cases. Shaw abused his position of trust within the council, transferring clients’ money to accounts he had set up in his own name.
“His systematic theft and haphazard spending was uncovered by our financial investigator.
“There will now be a Proceeds of Crime hearing to reclaim the rest of the money so the council can be reimbursed.”
Featured Image – GMP
News
Manchester Airport to host big jobs fair with more than 500 roles on offer
Emily Sergeant
Hundreds of careers are set for take-off, as Manchester Airport’s popular jobs fair is returning early next month.
Manchester Airports Group (MAG), which owns and operates Manchester Airport as well as East Midlands and London Stansted Airports, is one of the largest of its kind in the UK, and for its first jobs fair of the year is promoting vacancies in areas like airport security, lounge hospitalitylmand terminal operations, as well as other roles on offer with third-party employers based at the airport.
Some of these roles range from airline support and check‑in, to airside operations, logistics and ground handling, retail, and special assistance services for passengers with restricted mobility.
Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about a career at the airport by speaking to employers operating on-site.
More than 500 roles will be advertised at the event, and more than 20 leading employers will be represented.
Manchester Airport is hosting a big jobs fair with more than 500 roles on offer / Credit: MAG
Running from 10am to 2pm on Tuesday 3 March at Wythenshawe Forum, some of the other employers who will be represented at the fair include retailers and franchise operators like Boots, Costa Coffee, JD Wetherspoon, WHSmith, Pasta Evangelists, Monsoon, HMSHost SSP, and World Duty Free, as well as airport service providers like PrimeFlight, 36T HUB, Mitie, Swissport and ABM.
The Airport Academy, which is run in partnership by Manchester Airport and Trafford & Stockport College Group, will also be in attendance on the day to promote its free pre-employment support programmes and fully accredited training schemes.
Jobseekers who secure a role within MAG can take advantage of a wide range of benefits during their employment.
These include discounts on public transport when travelling to work, free on-site car parking whilst working and when going on holiday, an excellent pension scheme, training programmes, retail discounts, and many more.
There’ll also be a wide range of third-party employers present at the event / Credit: MAG
“We’re proud to serve the North, not just by flying people to the places they want to travel to, but by helping local people find their way into rewarding and fulfilling careers,” commented Tina Edwards, who is the People Director at Manchester Airport.
“The airport directly employs more than 3,400 people and indirectly supports almost 20,000 jobs, so we’re a major contributor to the local economy and our ambitious growth plans mean we’re always looking for more talented people to join our teams. The same is true of our fantastic partners who are represented at this jobs fair.
“It’s an exciting time to be embarking on a career at Manchester Airport as our £1.3bn, decade-long expansion programme wraps up this year, giving us the platform to realise our potential as a truly global hub.”
Manchester Airport’s spring careers fair is free for all to attend, but you’ll need to book your ticket online first here.
Georgina Pellant -
7th July 2022 
