Coronavirus has hit Greater Manchester with the force of a sledgehammer.
Just weeks after the national lockdown was lifted and residents started to prepare for normality, infection rates proceeded to spike across the region – forcing the government to tighten restrictions on all ten boroughs.
Local businesses are battling hard to survive in a worrying climate, whilst thousands have been left out of work since the pandemic began.
But whilst Greater Manchester has suffered physically and economically as a result of COVID-19, it has also deteriorated mentally.
According to the latest figures, calls to police and specialist services about mental health have almost doubled.
Writing in The Leader’s Blog for Manchester City Council, the longstanding head of MCC Sir Richard Leese said presentations of people with mental health issues ‘have soared’ since lockdown began.
Leese stated: “I’ve become increasingly concerned that Health Ministers are looking at the health crisis purely through the narrow window of Covid-19, and not more broadly through the whole range of Covid related issues that will now probably have a far greater impact on people’s life expectancy and well-being.”
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He added: “…with what we know now, we also need a new, more balanced and proportionate approach, one that brings into play mental health and other health risks including those caused by poverty and economic inactivity, and one that allows the economy to fully function.”
Organisations in Manchester are doing their utmost to help those in need – with as many as 60 local officers a day dealing with incidents related to mental health.
If you – or anyone you know – is experiencing issues, there are several places you contact for support:
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Manchester Mind – An organisation that has supported people in Manchester for over 30 years. Most services are now available over the phone, by email or video call. Call 0300 123 3393 or text 86463.
The GM Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust – The local NHS helpline is open 24/7 which you can call any time, day or night, if you feel your mental health is beginning to suffer: 0800 953 0285 .
CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably supports people via phone and webchat. You can call 0800 58 58 58 or speak to a support worker online. Open 5pm to midnight.
Samaritans – The Manchester & Salford Samaritans offer emotional support by telephone and email. The phone lines and email support are available 24/7. Call 116 123 or visit the website.
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Jude Bellingham given suspended one-match ban and fine for ‘inappropriate’ gesture
Danny Jones
England and Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham has been handed a suspended one-match ban after making a gesture towards the Slovakia fans following the Three Lions’ last-gasp win in the round of 16 of Euro 2024.
Bellingham scored what has already gone down as one of the greatest England goals of all time to equalise against their first knockout opponents of the tournament to put them through to the quarter-final stage.
However, it was his celebrations in the immediate aftermath following the goal that got him into a little bit of trouble, as a small gesture towards his genitals has seen the Madrid midfielder pick up a fine and a one-match ban that he will thankfully he doesn’t have to serve any suspension immediately.
ln case you missed it, this is the moment in question, as reshared by the player himself:
🥱❌- An inside joke gesture towards some close friends who were at the game. Nothing but respect for how that Slovakia team played tonight.🤝🏽 https://t.co/H8sETMkPoi
As you can see, Bellingham shrugged off the gesture as nothing more than an “inside joke towards some friends” who were in attendance inside Gelsenkirchen’s Veltins-Arena and clearly wasn’t willing to indulge any suggestion that he meant any offence despite the crude gesture.
Regardless, UEFA’s ethics and disciplinary body, unfortunately, hasn’t seen it that way; they stated that he violated “the basic rules of decent conduct” with the celebration, being slapped with a €30,000 fine (approximately £25k) and the match ban.
They did go on to explain that the ban is “subject to a probationary period of one year, starting from the date of the present decision”, meaning that it will only have to be served if the 21-year-old re-offends in the next 12 months.
A big relief for England supporters after he helped keep them in the game with his second goal in a competition where Gareth Southgate‘s side has still struggled to really get going.
BREAKING: Jude Bellingham has been given a suspended one-match ban and fined £25,000 for a gesture during England's 2-1 win over Slovakia 🚨 pic.twitter.com/M0fUx8Z0zE
While Bellingham will be available for Saturday’s match against Switzerland, another player received a harsher punishment for his reaction following a goal at this year’s Euros.
Turkey defender Merih Demiral has been handed a straight two-match ban for a politically associated gesture he made during his side’s previous win, doing the wolf salute celebration after the second goal of his brace against Austria.
The gesture is linked to the far-right Grey Wolves extremist group, who are also closely linked with Turkey’s ruling coalition National Movement Party. Bellingham’s behaviour pales in comparison when sized up against potentially inflammatory instances like this.
Meanwhile, back in the England camp, there is another member of the squad who Three Lions fans will be hoping can make an impact in upcoming games – we can only hope.
Watch the moment Mayor Andy Burnham learns of Labour landslide as Tories lose all Greater Manchester seats
Danny Jones
It’s official: the Labour Party have won the 2024 UK General Election as the Conservative reign is brought to an end after 14 years and the Mayor for Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, learning of the landslide has become somewhat of a viral moment.
Not only were the Tories displaced from Parliament following the result but the Labour majority was massive, winning a total of 412 seats compared to just 120 for the incumbents but most notably in local terms, not a single blue seat was left intact.
With 25 of the region’s 27 constituencies going red and backing Sir Keir Starmer to become Prime Minister, Manchester’s Mayor Burnham made no secret of his relief and satisfaction as the exit polls came through on Thursday night whilst sat on the panel for Sky News’ coverage.
Here’s the moment Burnham was visibly buzzing mid-broadcast:
The 54-year-old was already vocally positive in the lead-up to the vote as well, responding to the now outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s claims that a Labour supermajority and “blank cheque” approach would only lead to more tax.
Quoting him on X, the former MP for Leigh simply wrote, “So it looks like the Tories are giving up on getting back into government in my lifetime. I’ll settle for that!”, along with a laughing emoji.
The only two Greater Manchester seats to stray from the red wall were Stockport constituencies Hazel Grove and Cheadle, which still have some historic Cheshire roots where the vote was more varied and some Conservative voters still held out.
Much like the crowd in the hall over in North East Somerset and Hanham (a newly created seat), where Jacob Rees-Mogg has remained since 2010, Burnham also thoroughly enjoyed the moment he learned the Labour landside including the controversial Tory losing to Dan Norris by more than 5k votes.
Dubbing it the “[Michael] Portillo moment” he has been waiting for (referencing the Conservative frontbencher once tipped to become the party’s leader who was displaced Stephen Twigg in the 1997 election), Burnham said: “He’s been battered and he deserves to be”.
The Mayor went on to insist that “he has no clue what’s inflicted on people” – a sentiment we imagine he feels applies to the last decade and a half of Tory rule in general.
The Manc -
31st August 2020 
