Last week, a handful of AO employees helped raise thousands of pounds for Kidney Research UK by embarking on a charity walk from the company’s main office in Bolton all the way to the AO Arena.
Setting out on the nearly 30-kilometre walk — 17.6 miles to be exact — nine AO staff members embarked on their journey from the online electrical suppliers’ headquarters over in Bolton to the city centre’s internationally renowned music, entertainment and sporting venue.
Taking them a total of five hours to complete the charity walk, including a short break to stop for ice cream in the hot weather (has to be done, doesn’t it?), they eventually reached their destination and smashed their initial fundraising target of £1,500 in the process.
All told the team of trekkers ended up raising more than £2,600 for Kidney Research, the UK’s leading kidney disease charity, and were treated to a congratulatory glass of champagne upon arriving at the AO Arena’s Electric Lounge. Well deserved.
One of those people is AO affiliate manager, Graham Murray, who spent a number of years on dialysis before his mother donated one of her kidneys to him two years ago and he thankfully underwent a successful transplant.
Having received plenty of support from the organisation in recent years, it was a no-brainer to choose them for the sponsored walk, and both he and his team were delighted to be able to give something back on one of their biannual ‘Make a Difference’ days, where they swap time at their desk for charity and/or community work
Still relying on immunosuppression to keep his transplanted kidney healthy, Graham explained how “Kidney Research UK have been very involved in all of [his] treatments so being able to raise so much money for them made the walk more than worth it.”
A big congratulations to our acquisition team 👏
They walked from AO HQ in Bolton to the AO Arena in Manchester to raise money for Kidney Research UK 🥾🗺️
The walk was a mega 28 kilometres, and they celebrated with a glass of champagne at the AO Arena 🥂 pic.twitter.com/ySQYpEvuLb
As for the charity itself, community and events manager Ronan-Peate said: “It is always fantastic to see co-workers come together to take on a great challenge and raise money for charity particularly when it’s one that’s so close to their colleague’s heart.
“The AO employees have completed an amazing achievement and subsequently raised far more than their initial target and we are incredibly grateful for their determination and generosity.
“The money that they have raised will go to supporting research to help more people like Graham by transforming treatments and helping us to one day live in a world without kidney disease.” Hear, hear.
It’s brilliant to see AO continuing its incredible charity work in and around Greater Manchester. The AO Smile Foundation is making a huge impact in the community and it doesn’t go unnoticed.
‘Dazzling’ Victorian silver sculpture goes on public display in Greater Manchester after fears it was lost
Emily Sergeant
A long-lost masterpiece of Victorian silverwork has been saved and is now on display to the public in Greater Manchester.
Anyone taking a trip over to the National Trust’s historic Dunham Massey property, on the border of Greater Manchester into Cheshire, this summer will get to see the ‘dazzling’ sculpture called Stags in Bradgate Park – which was commissioned by a former owner in a defiant gesture to the society that shunned him.
The dramatic sculpture of two rutting Red Deer stags, commissioned in 1855 by George Harry Grey, 7th Earl of Stamford, was said to be an ‘act of love and rebellion’.
It also serves as a symbol of ‘locking horns’ with the society that ostracised him over his marriage to a woman considered ‘beneath him’.
“This isn’t just silver – it’s a story,” says James Rothwell, who is the National Trust‘s curator for decorative arts.
“A story of a man who fell in love with a woman that society deemed unworthy. When the Earl married Catherine Cox, whose colourful past was said to have included performing in a circus, Victorian high society was scandalised. Even Queen Victoria shunned the couple at the opera and local gentry at the horse races in Cheshire turned their backs on them.”
Modelled by Alfred Brown and crafted by royal goldsmiths Hunt & Roskell, Stags in Bradgate Park is a meticulously-detailed depiction of nature, and was considered a ‘sensation’ in its day.
Showing the rutting deer positioned on a rocky outcrop with gnarled hollow oaks, it graced the pages of the Illustrated London News, was exhibited at the London International Exhibition of 1862, and at the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1867 – both of which were events that drew millions of visitors.
A ‘dazzling’ Victorian silver sculpture has gone on public display in Greater Manchester / Credit: Joe Wainwright | James Dobson (via Supplied)
The silver centrepiece was the celebrity art of its time, paraded through streets and admired by the public like no other.
Gradually over the years, some of the Earl of Stamford’s silver collection has been re-acquired for Dunham Massey, and this particular world-renowned sculpture, thought to be lost for decades and feared to have been melted down, has miraculously survived with its ‘dramatic’ central component being all that is left.
“The sculpture is not only a technical marvel, with its lifelike depiction of Bradgate Park’s rugged landscape and wildlife, but also a dramatic human story key to the history of Dunham Massey,” added Emma Campagnaro, who is the Property Curator at Dunham Massey.
“It speaks of nature, of craftsmanship, and of a couple who chose each other over status and what others thought of them.”
The sculpture has now gone on display at Dunham Massey from Thursday 26 June.
Featured Image – James Dobson (via Supplied)
News
Lewis Capaldi announces MASSIVE comeback gig in Manchester this year
Thomas Melia
Everyone’s favourite Scottish ballad-maker, Lewis Capaldi, is heading out on tour across the UK, including a massive Manchester date.
Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi is ready to tug at our heartstrings again right in front of our eyes as he announces a new UK arena tour.
This huge announcement comes right after his surprise set at the UK’s biggest music event of the year, Glastonbury, where he made a heroic return to the Pyramid Stage just two years after being forced to pull out.
Capaldi is known for writing some of the most notable and emotive hits of the late 2010s and early 2020s, including a long list of anthems such as ‘Someone You Loved’, ‘Bruises’ and ‘Before You Go’.
His monster of a hit ‘Someone You Loved’ has surpassed 3.9 billion views and is the UK’s most-streamed song of all time, so it is safe to say that his presence has been well and truly missed.
To many fans’ delight, the singer has stepped back into the spotlight and is ready to sing his heart out live at a variety of arenas across the UK, including Co-op Live right here in Manchester.
Now, in a post on his official Instagram account announcing this upcoming UK and Ireland arena tour, it’s good to see the Scottish powerhouse hasn’t lost his wit and charm as he jokes, “About time I got back to work.”
These shows are set to be in high demand as the singer has also revealed these upcoming dates, “Will be my only shows in the UK, Ireland or Europe this year! Would love to see ya there.”
On the back of his glorious Glasto return, Capaldi has dropped a huge heart-wrencher titled ‘Survive’ which offers more insight into the struggles and challenges the singer has been facing.
There is no confirmation of whether this new single marks the launch of a bigger project or not, but we can’t wait to scream his hits at the top of our lungs, regardless of when he pays Manchester a visit later this year.
Danny Jones -
1st August 2023 
