The leader of Manchester City Council has called for “compassion and solidarity” after protests across the country.
After a weekend that saw widespread far-right protests and counter demonstrations in towns and cities throughout the UK – predominantly here in the north, and in Greater Manchester – following the devastating killing of three young girls and the injuring of several others during a knife attack in the Merseyside seaside town of Southport at the end of last month, the leader of Manchester City Council insists disorder “will not be tolerated in our streets”.
Cllr Bev Craig says there is “no place for hate” in Manchester.
Hundreds of people have been detained and arrested by police nationwide over last few days following the riots – including 19 people in Manchester city centre, according to GMP.
#UPDATE | Update following policing operation for protest activity around Greater Manchester.
19 arrests were made on 3-4 August 2024 for a range of offences. Seven were charged with possession of a weapon and one was charged with assault.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer called an emergency COBRA meeting in response to the ongoing unrest, and said his Government “utterly condemns the far-right thuggery” displayed, adding that “those who participated in this violence will face the full force of the law.”
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And now, Manchester’s Council leader has had her say.
Addressing the Manchester public in a statement, and calling for “compassion and solidarity” moving forwards, Cllr Bev Craig wrote: “We know that our communities will be feeling understandably anxious and uneasy, but we would like to reassure our residents that we will not tolerate disorder in our streets.
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“Manchester’s diversity is our strength, and it is now more important than ever that we support one another with compassion, understanding and solidarity.
Council leader Bev Craig has called for ‘compassion and solidarity’ after protests in Manchester this past weekend / Credit: GMP
“I am deeply conscious that some of our communities, especially minority communities, are anxious about discrimination, abuse, anti-Muslim sentiment and racism, much of which is playing out on social media, alongside misinformation and other forms of hate.
“Everyone has the right to feel safe in their community, and we will continue to work with colleagues at GMP to monitor local concerns and make sure that Manchester remains a welcoming and safe place.
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“As such, there will be an increased police presence in our neighbourhoods, and we want to be clear that officers are there primarily to provide visibility and reassurance.”
Council Leader calls for solidarity following protests and unrest in Manchester and across the country this weekend.
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) August 5, 2024
Looking ahead to how the region plans to manage the situation going forward, Cllr Craid added: “We fully support GMP in taking robust action against anyone who is intent on bringing violence to our city.
“Swift action is needed to bring people to justice, and we would also like to thank Council staff, officers at GMP, and other partners who helped to keep Manchester safe this weekend under very challenging circumstances.”
Cllr Craig closed out her statement insisting that “there is no justification for criminal behaviour”.
“The actions of the perpetrators undermine everything that Manchester stands for,” she added. “We are proud to be a vibrant, tolerant, and accepting place – and we know there is more that unites us than divides us.
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“Now is the time we come together to show what this means.”
Featured Image – GMP
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NHS to start screening patient health records in a bid to catch one of the most ‘lethal’ cancers
Emily Sergeant
Hundreds of GP practices will begin combing patient records to offer urgent tests to those most at risk of one of the deadliest cancers.
It’s all in a bid to catch pancreatic cancer sooner rather than later.
Pancreatic cancer is the fifth most-common cause of cancer deaths in the UK each year, with only 7% of people living for five years or more after diagnosis.
Most people with pancreatic cancer only recognise symptoms when their disease is at a late stage, so this is why the NHS wants to reach out to people as early as possible through its new screening initiative so they can get the best treatment available to them.
GP teams are set to start scouring online patients records to identify people over 60 who have the key early warning signs of pancreatic cancer – including being recently diagnosed with diabetes and sudden weight loss, as it’s said that around half of those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer have been diagnosed with diabetes recently.
The symptoms of pancreatic cancer are usually not noticed until it’s at an advanced stage, so we need to find new ways to pick it up.
We’re working to seek people out who might be unwell without any symptoms, so we can provide people with the most effective treatment. https://t.co/6rlFVGN6UW
Even if a patient’s weight is not recorded, GP teams will reach out to patients to check they have not ‘unexpectedly slimmed down’ and offer them tests if they have new onset diabetes.
More than 300 GP practices across England will begin using the initiative – with dozens rolling it out now, and the rest due to be up and running in the autumn.
While GP teams already know the signs to look for, this new screening scheme provides almost £2 million in targeted funding to help practices reach out to those most at-risk and give patients the best chance of being diagnosed earlier.
NHS is starting to screen patient health records in a bid to catch one of the most ‘lethal’ cancers / Credit: RawPixel
When the practices taking part in the three-year pilot find the signs and symptoms they’re looking for, they will then contact patients and send them for urgent blood tests and CT scans to rule out cancer.
“Pancreatic cancer is responsible for so many deaths, because patients don’t usually notice symptoms until the cancer is at an advanced stage, which is why we need to find new ways to pick it up,” commented Professor Peter Johnson, who is the NHS’s National Clinical Director for Cancer.
Health Minister, Karin Smyth, added: “As someone who has faced cancer personally, I know all too well the fear that comes with a diagnosis and the precious value of catching it early.
“This targeted approach to identify people at risk of one of the most lethal cancers could give more people a fighting chance and spare the heartbreak of countless families.”
Featured Image – RDNE (via Pexels)
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Chester Zoo named one of England’s most popular tourist attractions with 1.9m visitors
Emily Sergeant
Congratulations are in order, yet again, for Chester Zoo… as this time it’s been named one of England’s most popular attractions.
Merely months after being named the UK’s best zoo for the second year running, thanks to receiving more than 11,000 ‘excellent’ reviews from TripAdvisor, Chester Zoo has now got itself another prestigious title, as a major VisitEngland (VE) report has ranked it the third most-visited ‘paid for’ attraction in England – and the most visited outside of London.
The national tourist board for England gathered information from a total of 1,373 attractions across the country, and ranked the UK’s biggest charity zoo as the third overall in terms of popularity, with a whopping 1.9 million visitors in 2024 alone.
The Tower of London took top spot with 2.9 million visitors, while the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew was second place with 2.3 million visitors.
When it comes to free attractions, on the other hand, it wad the British Museum that claimed the top spot with 6.5 million visitors, while the Natural History Museum (5.9 million visitors) took second place, and the Tate Modern (4.6 million visitors) got third.
So as you can see, the south and London in particular is a pretty dominating force in England’s tourism industry – which is why it’s even more impressive to see Chester Zoo ranked so highly.
The new VE title also comes after the zoo was recently given £4 million of lottery funding to help ‘transform’ the local environment and restore wildlife habitats across the Cheshire and wider North West region.
Not only that, but if course follows Chester Zoo’s unveiling of its new immersive experience named Heart of Africa, which is the the largest zoo habitat ever created in the UK and is home to 57 iconic African species.
Chester Zoo has been named one of England’s most popular tourist attractions with 1.9m visitors / Credit: Chester Zoo
“As a major international wildlife charity, everything we do is focused on supporting global conservation,” commented Chester Zoo’s Commercial Director, Dom Strange.
“Whether it’s caring for highly-threatened animals and plants, making scientific discoveries, influencing Government environmental policies, impacting the National Curriculum to better connect young people with nature, or our conservation efforts in around 20 countries, we’re fully committed to protecting endangered species for the future.
“But none of this would be possible without our visitors.
“Every person who comes to the zoo for a fun and inspiring day out is helping to fund our vital work, so we want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported us and helped us to rank so highly in VisitEngland’s latest report.”
Emily Sergeant -
6th August 2024 
