A special charity fund that has been set up to help Ukrainian refugees arriving in Manchester has awarded its first grant.
Set up by Manchester City Council in partnership with one of the city’s most iconic organisations, We Love MCR Charity (WLMC), all with the aim of supporting individuals and families fleeing the devastating conflict and arriving here in Manchester, the new MCR Ukraine Welcome Fund funds charities and voluntary sector groups who are providing assistance – such as essential items, advice, and more.
The charity fund was officially set up back in March, and every penny raised and donated by it will go towards supporting Ukrainian evacuees in the city.
The Council kicked-off the fund, with a donation of £50,000.
And now, less than two months after it was launched, it has been confirmed that Ardwick-based charity Europia has been awarded £30,000 from the fund – with £25,000 going towards dedicated support workers who will help co-ordinate and provide advice and support around immigration, work, and welfare issues, and translations.
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The remaining £5,000 will be used as part of a new hardship fund for Ukrainians arriving in Manchester, which the support worker will help to administer.
Our MCR Ukraine Welcome Fund, administered in partnership with @ManCityCouncil, has released its first grant:
🌍 £30,000 released to Ardwick charity @EuropiaMcr ❤️ will create a dedicated support worker role + hardship fund 🤝 donations still neededhttps://t.co/wXUUqazWRt
Speaking on the awarding of the first grant, Bev Craig – Leader of Manchester City Council – commented: “Manchester is a welcoming city and we recognise that we need to do all we can to support Ukrainians relocating here in the most traumatic of circumstances.
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“The MCR Ukraine Welcome Fund is part of that collective effort [and] I’m glad that the generosity of Mancunians, including an initial donation from the Council, is translating so quickly into practical help.”
“The fund has raised over £60,000 so far,” Joanne Roney OBE – Chief Executive at Manchester City Council added.
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“We’d like to thank everyone who has donated, but people are arriving with next to nothing and we would welcome further donations from anyone who wants to show our Ukrainian guests a warm Mancunian welcome.”
Thanks to your generosity, a charity fund set up to help Ukrainians arriving in Manchester to escape the war in their homeland has made its first grants.
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) May 26, 2022
Thanking the Council and WLMC for the grant from the fund, Kush Chottera – Chief Executive at Europia – added: “We’re delighted this money will be used to employ an experienced worker to give practical support to help Manchester’s Ukrainian arrivals settle in safely.
“Thank you Mancunians for your donations.”
You can donate to the MCR Ukraine Welcome Fund here, or by texting WELCOME 10 to 70490 to give £10, with texts costing the donation amount plus one standard network rate message.
Make sure you keep an eye on We Love MCR Charity’s website and Twitter for updates too.
Featured Image – WLMC
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Three Manchester motorways named in UK’s top 10 ‘most challenging’
Emily Sergeant
Three motorways in and around Manchester have been named the ‘most challenging’ in the UK.
As part of MoneySuperMarket’s new Great British Motorway Report, new research has found that one in three UK motorists find motorway driving ‘stressful’ – despite more than 70 billion miles being travelled on Britain’s motorways each year.
From delays and congestion to high traffic levels, there are a number of factors that can contribute to driver stress levels.
But are some motorways more challenging for drivers than others? According to the data, yes. And three of the top 10 worst motorways in the UK are in and around Greater Manchester.
To find out which are the most challenging, MoneySuperMarket analysed everything from collision rates and roadworks, to lane closures and driver feedback in order to reveal the top 10.
Manchester is home to three of the UK’s top 10 most challenging motorways – the M602, M62, and M60, the latter of which took the top spot on the list.
Three Manchester motorways have been named in the UK’s top 10 ‘most challenging’ / Credit: pxfuel
Encircling Greater Manchester and linking many of the region’s motorways, the M60 recorded the lowest overall score in the index.
Despite handling significant volumes of traffic, the M60 experienced some of the highest average delays, at 15.58 seconds per vehicle per mile, and alongside this, it saw 34 collisions in the past year alone. But despite these challenges, the M60 remains an essential route for regional connectivity, and often cannot be bypassed.
“If you’re feeling anxious, allow extra time for your journey so you don’t feel pressured to rush or make last-minute decisions,” commented Alicia Hempsted at MoneySuperMarket.
“Plan your route in advance, including where you’ll stop for breaks, as regular rest stops can help you stay alert and reduce stress on longer trips, and if you’re travelling alone, consider sharing your route with someone you trust if it helps you feel more comfortable.”
Featured Image – Mike Birdy (via Pexels)
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Chinatown restaurant pleads for help after dine-and-dash customer leaves staff member in A&E
Daisy Jackson
A brilliant restaurant in Manchester’s Chinatown has shared CCTV and a heartfelt appeal after one of its staff members was left in A&E.
Noodle Alley shared that one of its young staff members chased after a group of dine-and-dash customers who’d left without paying for their meal.
The restaurant then said that she was ‘assaulted’ at some point in the chase and ended up in A&E.
In their statement, Noodle Alley said that the staff member ‘had treated them kindly and never expected that kindness to come back to her like this’.
They wrote: “What has this world come to? A violent man sent our staff to A&E over an unpaid meal.”
The CCTV shows a group of three young men, all carrying Selfridges shopping bags, entering the restaurant.
They sit and enjoy a meal, before two of them slip out of the restaurant. The third man then exits but is chased by a Noodle Alley staff member.
It’s at this point – out of the range of the restaurant’s CCTV – that they said she was assaulted ‘after going beyond her duty to try and recover what had been taken’.
The family business said that she has been ’emotionally affected’ by the incident.
The police are involved and the restaurant has appealed for anyone who can help with their investigation to get in touch.
It’s also the second time they’ve appealed about a dine-and-dash customer in the last few months, but this incident went ‘far beyond’ previous incidents.
In their full statement, Noodle Alley said: “We’re a small family business, and lately it feels like small businesses are being targeted again and again.
“But this time, it went far beyond anything we have experienced before.
“One of our young staff members — a girl simply doing her job — was assaulted after going beyond her duty to try to recover what had been taken from our restaurant. She ended up in A&E.
“What hurts us most is seeing how emotionally affected she has been by what happened. She told us she had treated them kindly and never expected that kindness to come back to her like this.
“We work hard to look after our staff and our customers, and nobody should have to go through this simply for doing their job.
“We have reported the incident to the police.
“If anyone recognises these individuals or has any information that could help the police with their investigation, please contact us or the police directly.
“We’re sharing this because we believe our staff deserve to feel safe at work.”
Emily Sergeant -
27th May 2022 
