Dozens of celebrities and former footballers are getting together once again for the Manchester Remembers charity football game in 2023.
Founded by firefighter turned fundraiser Aaron Lee, who was one of several first responders on the frontline following the Manchester Arena attack, the organisation has been running since 2021.
To make the day even more special, a whole host of familiar faces have been turning up to show their support and this latest fixture is no different, as even more celebs and ex-pros are joining the line-up.
With former England boss Sam Allardyce once again returning as Legends manager and opposite number Peter Reid taking charge of the Celebs dugout, not to mention ex-pros Matt Le Tissier, Dean Holden and more taking to the pitch, it’s sure to be another brilliant occasion.
As an added bonus, Manchester Remembers are now calling on local artists to come and perform on the day, promising to make this latest charity game bigger and better than ever.
We’re trying to continue building Manchesters best live music & Football Charity event 🐝⚽️🎤
We’re looking to speak to Bands/Singers/Artists to perform live infront of thousands at the stadium.
We already have huge names signed up DM for info if you’re able to support us. pic.twitter.com/KXe4wrAsF5
The organisers have insisted that in addition to putting on another memorable match for an important Manc cause, they have kept ticket prices affordable given the ongoing energy and cost of living crises.
The game will be held at Oldham Athletic FC‘s home ground, Boundary Park, in May next year.
Last time out, the likes of Paddy McGuiness, Shaun Goater, Paul Merson, Wes Brown and many more laced up their boots to raise money for the families of the Arena victims. We’re sure you’ll see a fair few of them returning again in May.
As for the celebrities confirmed for this year so far, new signing Calum Best has joined the likes of Robbie Savage, actors Joe-Warren Plant and Jay Kontzle, as well as Love Island‘s Dom Lever, with many sure to sign up in the coming months. Wonderful stuff.
The money raised from this latest match will go towards the following five charities set up by a number of families who were among the 22 victims killed in the 2017 explosion.
The Chloe and Liam Together Forever Trust
Liv’s Trust
The Megan Hurley Foundation
The Remembering Nell Foundation
Eilidh’s Trust
We spoke to Lee ahead of the previous match held at Manchester City‘s Academy Stadium back in March this year:
Lee told The Manc: “After seeing the positive reaction to the first match and how the £82,000 raised will be spent it spurred us on to make this an annual event featuring football and music.
“We’re grateful for all the support we have had from players, musicians and celebrities; we couldn’t do it without our team and most importantly the people of Manchester and beyond who turn up and enjoy a brilliant day of entertainment, so thank you all from the bottom of our hearts”.
The Manchester Remembers charity match kicks off at 3pm on 7 May 2023 at Boundary Park. You can grab your tickets HERE.
More than 100 ‘unsafe’ counterfeit Labubus seized in Oldham
Daisy Jackson
More than 100 counterfeit Labubus and accessories have been seized in Oldham, the council has announced.
The Labubu dolls – a plush collectible with giant smiles and bunny ears – have been seized because they are fake, and unsafe.
The haul of 104 Labubus has been given a street value of between £800 and £1000 – but if they were the real deal, they’d be worth more than three times as much.
The poorly-made figures were being sold for a fraction of the price of a real Labubu, which are manufactured by Chinese company Pop Mart (it’s set to open its second Manchester store in the Trafford Centre next week).
Oldham Council’s Trading Standards team said it seized the counterfeit Labubus from local businesses and found that they were unsafe and poorly made.
Officers raised concerns about the safety of the dolls, which had small parts such as eyes, hands and feet broke off easily, creating a choking hazard.
What a genuine Labubu should look like. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
They were also missing legally required safety marks such as the CE or UKCA labels, and lacked the name and address of a UK supplier, which is another legal requirement.
Councillor Elaine Taylor, Oldham Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Licensing, said: “Oldham Trading Standards carries out regular checks to help keep unsafe products off the shelves. In this case, these counterfeit toys failed safety standards and have now been removed from sale.
“We know it can be tempting to buy toys that look like a bargain, but parents need to be extra careful. Fake toys like these may be cheaper, but they can put children in real danger if they’re not made to strict safety standards.
“If anyone has concerns about toys they’ve purchased, or if they see unsafe products on sale locally, we’d encourage them to get in touch with Trading Standards through the Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.”
Council publishes list of central Manchester roads set to be resurfaced this summer
Emily Sergeant
A list of roads in Manchester that are set to be resurfaced before the summer is out has been published.
Manchester City Council recently asked residents in the region what their priorities were for their community and what issues they wanted to see tackled – and for many, the answer was the quality of the road surfaces.
Since then, the Council says it has been ‘engaged’ in a long-running programme of improvement works throughout the borough.
Now, with just over a month of the summer season left, it has been confirmed that some vital resurfacing works are due to start over the coming weeks in north and central Manchester, bringing a range of improvements to key district roads along with it.
First up, from Saturday 9 August, Hollinwood Avenue is to be resurfaced.
The Council has published a list of Manchester roads that are set to be resurfaced this summer / Credit: MJ Richardson (via Geograph)
Anticipated to take six weeks to complete, this work will be carried out during weekend closures from 8am-5pm, with the road remaining open during the working week.
The closure area will be between Greengates Roundabout and the Oldham boundary at Owler Lane, and a signed diversion route will be in place while work is carried out, and access for residents will be maintained at all times.
Then, starting from Saturday 16 August, resurfacing works will begin on Moss Lane East, between Alexandra Road and Princess Road.
Work will take place between 7am and 5pm on weekdays, and 8am and 5pm on weekends, and during the works, the road will be completely closed – with a signed diversion route in place and access for residents maintained.
As always, disruption is expected and the public is encouraged to plan ahead / Credit: Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash)
These works are expected to take six weeks to complete, and as with all resurfacing projects, residents should expect some disruption and may need to plan ahead.
The Council is aiming to keep disruption to the public at a minimum, where possible.
“We know how important it is to our residents that key roads are well maintained, which is why were glad to be able to deliver this latest round of improvement works,” commented Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment, and Transport at Manchester City Council.
“I’d like to thank people ahead of time for their patience during the course of these works and would advise them to check when closures will be in place and where the diversions are.”
You can find more information on the resurfacing works on the Council website here.
Danny Jones -
16th December 2022 
