News

Amazon to donate surplus essential goods to Greater Manchester families in need

More than 50,000 families in the region are set to benefit from the new initiative.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 23rd March 2023

A new charity initiative has been launched this week to help more than 50,000 families in need across Greater Manchester.

The Brick-by-Brick Project has been set up with support from Amazon, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and Wigan-based charity The Brick, and it’s setting out to donate more than 400,000 surplus essential goods to over 50,000 families in need throughout the region this year.

With the rising cost of living crisis sadly continuing to make its impact felt nationwide, the Brick-by-Brick Project will work as a community donations hub, where Amazon and other local companies can donate a wide range of surplus products to.

While reducing waste and helping the community at the same time, the donated surplus products will then be distributed out to to people in need through a network of local charity groups and care professionals – including teachers, midwives, and social workers.

Amazon to donate surplus essential goods to Greater Manchester families in need / Credit: Amazon UK

The launch of the initiative comes after it was revealed that, in February 2023, more than 32,500 people in Wigan, and the borough town of Leigh, were claiming Universal Credit, while 29 of the borough’s 200 neighbourhoods also all fall within the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England, which makes up for roughly 15% of Wigan’s total population.

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The Wigan project is an extension of the ‘multibank’ model first launched in Fife in Scotland as ‘The Big House’ in 2022, which has now supported 50,000 families in Fife, Edinburgh, and the Lothians.

The Brick-by-Brick Project will bring the knowledge and network of charity, The Brick, together with other local charities, logistics expertise, donations from Amazon, and product donations from other national and local retailers to “provide the right products at the right time”.

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Suppliers and partners will provide products that “meet the particular needs of families in the area”.

Some of the essential surplus products set to be distributed include bedding, toiletries, nappies, wipes, clothing, backpacks, home furnishings, lightings, and electrical products.

Speaking on the launch of the project this week, Andy Burnham said: “Last year, Gordon Brown invited me to Fife to see for myself the work he was doing with Amazon and a local charity there to support thousands of families with essential household items.

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“The project made a huge difference to people’s lives, and that’s why I was determined to work with Gordon and Amazon to set up a pilot in Greater Manchester, so I’m delighted that we’ve been able to support the partnership with The Brick and I’m blown away by what has been achieved so far.

More than 50,000 families in the region are set to benefit from the new initiative / Credit: Amazon UK

“Families in Wigan are struggling in this cost of living crisis and that is why this project is vital in helping those who need it most.

“During these difficult times, it’s right that the public, private and VCSE sector work together and do what we can to alleviate difficulties, and I congratulate all those involved in this, and look forward to it being rolled out elsewhere across Greater Manchester.”

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Amazon’s UK Country Manager John Boumphrey added that the company is looking forward to “providing much-needed support” to families in other communities in Greater Manchester this year.

Featured Image – The Brick (via Twitter)

News

Beloved Manchester artist Stanley Chow slams Conservative Party for using his artwork

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Stanley Chow has lashed out at the Conservative Party

Celebrated local artist Stanley Chow has lashed out at the Conservative Party.

The illustrator, who is famed for his cartoon portraits of famous faces, has discovered that the political party have been using his Andy Burnham illustration at their party conference.

Publicly addressing the usage, Stanley said he would be ‘seeking legal advice’.

He shared a photo of his Andy Burnham portrait that has been placed onto a water bottle with the slogan ‘Bottler Burnham’.

The label also says: “0% strength. Bottled under pressure from Badenoch.”

In another photo, Stanley Chow revealed that the Tory party conference has used his Andy Burnham portrait on pots of sweets, too.

This time, they say: “Andy Panders’ people pleaser pick n mix. Free sweets for everyone, it will only cost you higher taxes.”

Stanley wrote: “It seems like @conservatives have been using my artwork without my permission at their conference party…

“Regardless of whatever your political allegiances are, it’s still copyright infringement… I’ll be seeking legal advice.”

Backing him up in the comments are a number of other local artists, including Mancsy, who said: “As well as the copyright infringement, I expect more of political parties than making gags at the expense of the opposition. It’s alarming on multiple levels.”

Someone else wrote: “Imagine calling a prime minister a people pleaser like it’s an insult… when it’s their job.”

Another person said: “How does that even happen?! Layers of people signing off who go, ‘Sure, let’s not worry about copyright’ (people who’ve presumably never step foot in MCR and seen your artwork, like EVERYWHERE). Drag em, babe. Copyright and reputation, surely.”

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Featured image: The Manc Group

News

Manchester man jailed after sexually assaulting and masturbating in front of woman on train

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A man has been jailed after sexually assaulting and masturbating in front of a woman on board a train to Manchester.

Following an extensive British Transport Police (BTP) investigation, Nisan Fernando Kurukulasuriya, of Troutbeck Road in Altrincham, was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court last month.

At the trail last month, the court heard how, on Monday 20 April 2026, 39-year-old Kurukulasuriya was on a train from Stoke to Manchester and sat next to a woman he didn’t know, who was on the phone.

He then sexually assaulted her repeatedly, doing so again even after being pushed away by the woman.

The woman then noticed that Kurukulasuriya had exposed himself and was masturbating in front of her. She shouted at him, and in response, he stood up and ran away to leave the train – but the woman immediately got up to report the incident to staff.

When the train arrived at Manchester Piccadilly, the woman alerted a member of staff while Kurukulasuriya was stood only a few meters away, and BTP were subsequently called straight away.

Police quickly attended and arrested Kurukulasuriya.

When police interviewed him, Kurukulasuriya showed no remorse for his actions and refused to answer any questions put to him.

After pleading guilty to Sexual Assault and Outraging Public Decency at a previous court hearing, Kurukulasuriya was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment, and was also handed a 10-year Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) which will bar him from sitting next to any woman he doesn’t know on public transport, as well as being put on thensex offenders register for 10 years.

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BTP Detective Sergeant, Mark Haviland, called Kurukulasuriya a ‘despicable man’ who targeted a woman travelling alone ‘for his own sick sexual gratification’.

Featured Image – BTP

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