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.
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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 McrRemembers Foundation™️⚽️🐝 (@McrRemembers) December 7, 2022
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.
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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.
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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”.
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The Manchester Remembers charity match kicks off at 3pm on 7 May 2023 at Boundary Park. You can grab your tickets HERE.
Hundreds of staff at four Greater Manchester hospitals to strike AGAIN next week
Emily Sergeant
Another round of strikes has been called at a handful of major Greater Manchester hospitals.
Amid ongoing disputes following the first set of strikes at the end of last month, it has now been announced that more than 350 Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust (NCA) employees – including nurses, clinical support workers and housekeepers – who are members of the union UNISON will once again walk out for three days next week.
According to the union, the dispute centres on the NCA’s use of an outside agency called NHS Professionals (NHSP) to manage overtime.
When covering staff shortages, workers are entitled to time-and-a-half pay – however in some cases, staff earn less than they would on a normal shift, and some have even been missing out on more than £80 per shift, the union added.
Operating theatre staff were previously on picket lines in June, and although an option to resolve the row was initially tabled by NCA bosses, this has now fallen through.
Hundreds of staff at four of Greater Manchester’s hospitals are set to strike next week / Credit: Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)
This means that staff at Salford Royal Hospital, Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary, and Fairfield Hospital in Bury are walking out next week on Monday 14, Tuesday 15, and Thursday 17 September.
The union’s North West regional organiser, Kevin Dolan, said the trust had given ‘no indication’ that it’s willing to re-enter negotiations, adding that operating theatre services were ‘chronically under-staffed’ and staff were choosing to work extra shifts to cover shortages.
Ahead of the August strikes, the trust declared a critical incident to help it secure extra support and keep urgent surgery running, while also announcing that some procedures would have to be postponed.
Understandably, some disruption is expected at each of the hospitals on strike days.
But Gertie Nic Philib, who is the chief people and strategy officer at the Northern Care Alliance, said that the trust will do ‘everything we can to minimise the impact on patients’ and ‘maintain high standards of care and quality at all times.’
“We also have contingency plans in place for emergency situations,” they concluded.
Featured Image – Pxhere
News
Stockport man jailed for life after kidnapping and sexually assaulting teenage girl
Emily Sergeant
A Stockport man has been sentenced to life in prison after kidnapping and sexually assaulting a teenage girl on her way home from the library.
Paul Sharpe has been sentenced to life imprisonment with an eight-year minimum term in prison after being convicted of a number of offences when subjected a teenage girl to what police called a ‘terrifying ordeal’ that lasted several hours back in May 2026.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed that the victim had been studying at Sale Library before beginning her journey home with friends at around 5:50pm and contacting her parents at 6:10pm to let them know she was on her way.
Twenty minutes later, she spoke to her boyfriend on the phone and said she was approximately five minutes away from home, but that her phone battery was about to die.
This was the last contact received from the victim that evening.
While walking along Bradgate Road in Altrincham, the victim noticed a grey Ford parked nearby and a man wearing a high-visibility jacket pressing doorbells in the area.
As she walked past, Sharpe approached her from behind, placed her in a headlock and threatened to stab her if she did not get into his vehicle.
Concerned that their daughter had not returned home, the victim’s family contacted police at 9:22pm to report her missing, and officers immediately launched an investigation to locate her.
Over the next several hours, the victim was subjected to and placed in a number of terrifying situations.
Sharpe drove the victim to several locations across Greater Manchester and Cheshire, before police located and arrested him at around 3:40am on 19 May 2026.
Following his arrested, 56-year-old Sharpe was convicted of kidnap, committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence, sexual assault, engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child, threats with a bladed article, and administering a noxious substance with intent to injure, annoy or aggrieve.
“This was a terrifying ordeal for a young girl who was simply making her way home,” explained Detective Inspector Karl Perry, from GMP’s Criminal Investigation Department.
“Sharpe targeted a vulnerable victim, subjected her to hours of fear and intimidation, and went on to sexually assault her.
“The victim has shown immense courage throughout the investigation and court proceedings. Through her bravery and actions, she no doubt made it harder for Sharpe to carry out whatever acts he had planned.”
Danny Jones -
16th December 2022 
