A freshly-painted Akse P19 mural has appeared on the side of new sleeping pods created for the homeless in Salford.
The new energy-efficient pods feature a hyperrealistic mural of Abbe Pierre, a catholic priest, former member of the French resistance, and founder of the homeless charity Emmaus which first began in Paris after the Second World War.
Pierre is pictured, mouth agape, on the side of the new insulated pods alongside a quote that reads: “A smile costs less than electricity but gives as much light.”
Created to offer some comfort for rough sleepers with nowhere warm or dry to lay their head at night, The People’s Pods at Emmaus Salford form part of Salford City Council’s A Bed Every Night provision.
All referrals to the pods are managed by Salford Housing Options, providing a safe temporary place to stay for people who are street homeless.
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The brainchild of one of the charity’s community members, the pods were borne out of the lived experience of those seeing so many homeless people coming into Emmaus shops to request emergency support.
Located within the grounds of Emmaus Salford’s community home in Pendleton, the fully-furnished pods have beds, storage, access to an en-suite toilet and mains electricity.
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A prototype of the new pods has undergone extensive testing at the University of Salford Energy House 2.0 to measure energy efficiency. It has now been refurbished to the highest thermal standards. / Image: Emmaus
The pod was originally used as a portacabin and was donated to Emmaus by Casey Construction. / Image: Emmaus
The site also has facilities to support people who want to bring their dogs with them, which is huge as many homeless accommodations to not allow residents to bring their pets.
The pods have been designed to enable people sleeping rough to be able to access support from the charity’s outreach workers, complimenting Emmaus Salford’s residential on-site community.
When rooms then become available inside, they are offered to people using the pods first as the next step to getting people off the streets and back into permanent housing.
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Sharing an image of the new mural with his Instagram followers, artist Akse P19 said: “Portrait of Abbé Pierre painted on a new energy efficient sleeping pod at @emmaus_salford which was developed in collaboration with the University of Salford and construction firm Casey for people who are street homeless.
“Abbé Pierre was a French catholic priest and former member of the French Resistance who founded the Emmaus movement after the Second World War, focusing on helping homeless people in Paris.
“‘Emmaüs’ comes from the name of a village in Palestine where despair was transformed into hope. The Emmaus movement has since grown in over 40 countries around the World, including 30 communities spread across the UK, which is the largest Emmaus community outside France.
“Emmaus Salford supports formerly homeless people by providing them with a stable home, meaningful work and support for as long as they need it. As well as a residential community, Emmaus Salford also has on-site pods to provide a safe and comfortable night’s sleep for people who are street homeless.”
If you are homeless or at risk of homelessness and need advice or support please call 0161 793 2020 or visit the Salford City Council website.
Featured image – Emmaus Salford
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Pair jailed after filming themselves driving over 130mph before killing man in fatal Manchester collision
Emily Sergeant
Two men who filmed themselves driving at speeds of over 130mph before a fatal collision earlier this year have now been jailed.
20-year-old Uways Hussain, of Marley Road in Manchester, has been sentenced to 11 years and eight months in prison, while 23-year-old Usmon Mahmood, of Buller Road in Manchester, has been sentenced to 12 years and nine months.
Their sentences follow a night of what Greater Manchester Police (GMP) called ‘dangerous driving’ around the South Manchester area, which started at around 11pm on the evening before the collision.
The vehicle – a Volkswagon Golf – belonged to Mahmood, but he allowed Hussain to drive the vehicle at high-speed throughout the night.
On the evening prior to the collision, beginning at around 11pm, Hussain and Mahmood were driving recklessly around the South Manchester area.
According to police, the pair filmed themselves consistently travelling at speeds of over 100mph on 30mph roads, and in several cases, theyvreached over 130mph and seconds before impact, were recorded at 139mph.
Recorded footage also showed them running red lights and weaving through traffic with no regard for the safety of other road users or pedestrians.
At one stage during the night, the pair stopped at a petrol station, where footage shows Mahmood inhaling from a balloon in the passenger seat, while later o Hussain can be seen doing over 100mph and also appearing to be inhaling from a balloon while driving.
The fatal collision happened at around 4:36am on Monday 9 March 2026 at the junction of Green End Road and Kingsway, where the victim – Sylvester Abayomi, 50 – was on his way to work and entered the junction on a green light, believing it was safe to proceed, but was then struck by the car being driven by Hussain, which had travelled through a red light at extremely high speed.
Sylvester Abayomi / Credit: GMP
Immediately following the collision, GMP received several emergency calls and an automatic alert from Hussain’s Apple Watch saying he had been involved in a collision.
During this alert, both men could be heard discussing plans to flee the scene and attempting to decide what evidence they needed to remove from the vehicle. They were also heard discussing reporting the vehicle as stolen, and shortly afterwards, they booked an Uber to escape.
Emergency services attended the scene, but sadly, despite their best efforts, Sylvester sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced dead.
GMP says it received its first report of the incident at 4:37am,, and within 12 minutes the pair had been located, caught, and arrested by officers.
DC Thomas Johnson, from GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, described the incident as ‘one of the most extreme cases of dangerous driving we have encountered’.
It’s also believed that this is one of the first times in the country where a passenger has been convicted for aid and abetting causing death by dangerous driving.
Featured Image – GMP
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Stockport band Blossoms set for BIG return to Leeds Festival this year
Thomas Melia
Blossoms have just announced their big return to Leeds Festival, as the four-day music event continues to impress with its stacked lineup.
They might have a ‘Joke About Divorce’ from time to time, but when it comes to entertaining a Leeds Festival crowd, Blossoms take it very seriously, having played at Bramham Park three times in the past decade already.
The Stockport band have captivated audiences since the rise of standout track ‘Charlemagne’ and more recently with the addition of their fifth studio album, Gary, named after an eight-foot fiberglass gorilla.
Known for always putting on a stellar performance, Tom, Joe, Charlie, Myles, and Josh are bringing a brand-new set to Leeds when they visit this August bank holiday weekend.
As well as releasing new music, Blossoms are making a big return to Leeds Festival 2026 / Credit: Publicity Picture (Supplied)
Currently, Leeds Festival 2026 has seven headline acts spanning all genres from Dance and EDM to Pop and Rap with the likes of Charli XCX, Raye, Dave and more topping the bill.
The Stockport five-piece are featured alongside three other insane artists as ‘Special Guests’, appearing next to Skepta, Sombr and Role Model.
Also listed on the lineup are rising stars like R&B vocal powerhouse Skye Newman, pop princess Jade, Merseyside indie rockers The K’s and Wigan-formed The Lilacs with more to be announced.
Although nothing is confirmed yet, this upcoming Leeds Festival set from Blossoms will contain high energy and obviously all their biggest and best bangers from across their four chart topping albums as well as new music.
Whether you’re there for ‘Your Girlfriend’ or ‘What Can I Say After I’m Sorry’, one thing’s for sure, you’re guaranteed to have an absolutely spectacular night.
Blossoms are making their big return to Leeds Festival 2026 which is taking place from 27 to 30 August at Bramham Park with tickets live HERE.
Georgina Pellant -
3rd July 2023 
