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Coronation Street and Emmerdale star Meg Johnson dies age 86

The local performer and British TV legend had been battling with dementia for the last few years.V

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 2nd July 2023

Manchester-born actor and soap star Meg Johnson, best known for her roles on Coronation Street and Emmerdale, has sadly died at age 86.

The British soap veteran played Eunice Gee on Coronation Street, Brigid McKenna on the Liverpool-based show Brookside, and served as one of the longest-standing cast members on Emmerdale for the past two decades in the role of Pearl Ladderbanks.

Speaking in a joint statement via ITV, her loved ones and her talent agency confirmed, “It is with great sadness that we announce that actress Meg Johnson passed away peacefully yesterday evening surrounded by her family.”

Emmerdale, its cast members and numerous other showbiz figures have taken to social media to pass on their condolences and pay tribute to a hugely popular character on and off screen who will be “greatly missed by everyone who knew her.”

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As detailed in the statement, Johnson had been struggling with dementia in recent years “but battled on personally and professionally regardless”, last appearing on the show in 2020. She was also married to ITV Granada continuity announcer Charles Foster, who also sadly passed away earlier this year.

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They went on to describe her as “a kind and wonderful lady, full of warmth and always with a twinkle in her eye”, who enjoyed “an outstanding career that ended with her playing Pearl Ladderbanks in Emmerdale from 2003.”

But her career was by no means limited to the likes of Corrie and other UK soaps, she was also a regular in Victoria Wood’s As Seen On TV between from 1985 to 1987, and with a love of stage as well a brilliant singing voice, appeared in musicals like Chicago and Carousel on the West End.

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We couldn’t think of a more fitting way to remember her than with this clip. Rest in peace, Pearl.

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Featured Image — ITV

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The UK looks set for a ’30°C heatwave’ this summer, according to weather expert

Danny Jones Danny Jones UK set for 30C heatwave this summer

It’s been a bit of an up-and-down spring but the warm weather is finally starting to arrive here in Manchester, with temperatures reaching up to 21°C this week and the summery vibes only set to increase over the next month or so as meteorologists are predicting a 30°C heatwave soon enough.

March onwards has been a pure mix of blustery winds, grey skies and flashes of rainfall, with just a few glimpses of sun peeking through and the thermometer has still been struggling to get into double digits – until now anyway.

As we leave April behind, the forecast across the UK is looking a lot brighter and according to the likes of the Met Office, those numbers are going to keep creeping as we head deeper into the month.

In fact, some experts are predicting that Britain could be set for a heatwave with temperatures of 30°C and over in just over a month’s time. It better bloody hurry up, put it that way.

@the.manc What this week’s Manchester weather has been like in a nutshell 🤣 #manchester #weather #viral #trending #april @Tilly Young ♬ original sound – skdjhebe

According to Jim Dale, Senior Meteorologist at British Weather Services, while much of May will be a bit of a mixed bag, “towards the latter stage and into June and July… we will see climbing temperatures well into the 30s in the prone areas.”

As reported by Birmingham Live, while Dale didn’t detail the kind of heat Manchester can expect, specifically, the indication is that the region is beginning to dry and the country as a whole is now heading “in the right direction”.

Although it likely won’t be until the very tail end of May that we start to see the summer as we know rolling in, the trends around the continent are suggesting positive signs, adding that “a lot of Europe is getting the scorching hot temperatures” of late.

The Met Office’s Tom Morgan also warned The Guardian that we get anything close to a heatwave this month, so we’ll have to be patient and wait for the turn come June time, especially up North.

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While we did enjoy a heatwave in September of last year, hitting a top end of 33.5°C, the chances of the country challenging the most recent temperature record sat back in 2022 (40.3°C in July 2023) are still looking slim.

April has been described as a “month of two halves” overall and let’s just say we’re looking forward to a strong showing this May.

Where in Greater Manchester are you most looking forward to heading when summer finally arrives?

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Featured Images — The Manc Group/Dunk (via Flickr)

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Co-op Live assures fans arena WILL open this week in time for Olivia Rodrigo and other gigs

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Co-op Live WILL open this week, it has assured fans. Credit: The Manc Group

Manchester’s huge new arena the Co-op Live has assured fans that it will definitely, actually, for sure open this week.

The staggering new music venue beside the Etihad Stadium has been hit by a couple of high-profile delays in the last fortnight.

Although a test event with Rick Astley went ahead on 21 April, giving a small audience a glimpse inside the state-of-the-art arena, the brakes were slammed on soon afterwards.

Co-op Live pushed its opening date back while it ironed out some kinks, namely ‘power supply issues’, and underwent rigorous testing to ‘run all shows safely’.

That meant Peter Kay was rescheduled to 29 and 30 April… but then got postponed again, along with The Black Keys, who were meant to perform last weekend.

All the delays have left fans panicking that their shows will also be delayed, with some huge shows like Olivia Rodrigo, Take That, and Liam Gallagher lined up in the coming weeks and months.

But Co-op Live has now issued a statement reassuring gig-goers that they are full steam ahead and ready to open as planned this week.

The first act to perform here officially will now be A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie on 1 May (not quite as local a name as they were gunning for, but we move).

He’ll be followed by Olivia Rodrigo and her Guts Tour, who will perform two sold-out gigs on 3 and 4 May.

Olivia Rodrigo has announced a Manchester gig at Co-op Live
Olivia Rodrigo has announced a Manchester gig at Co-op Live. Credit: Nick Walker
Keane 20th anniversary Hopes and Fears world tour Manchester tickets
Keane – Photography by ALEX LAKE insta @twoshortdays WWW.TWOSHORTDAYS.COM
Olivia Rodrigo and Keane will both play Co-op Live in Manchester this week when it finally opens

Then Keane will play the Co-op Live on 5 May to mark 20 years since the release of Hopes and Fears.

Co-op Live posted: “Let’s do this! Less than 48 hours until we kick off our full opening season.

“Our scheduled shows with @aboogievsartist, @oliviarodrigo and @keaneofficial are going ahead.

“Ticket holders can expect an email with everything they need to know about this week’s events to land in your inboxes tomorrow!”

Fans have breathed a sigh of relief at the news, with one person writing: “YAY THANK GOD OMG THIS IS AMAZING WAS LITERALLY HAVJNG A MENTAL BREAKDOWN BOUT OLIVIA BEING CANCELLED.”

Another commented: “THANK GOD!!! 4th mayyyy.”

Someone else posted: “IM SO HAPPY AHHHHHH I’VE BEEN NERVOUS ALL WEEK BUT NOW I KNOW ITS GONNA BE FINE AHHH.”

Olivia Rodrigo fans are BIG believers in an all-caps comment, clearly.

Co-op Live will open in Manchester on Wednesday 1 May.

It’s going to be worth the wait, we’re pretty sure…

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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