News

Dan Walker updates fans after cycling accident – and sparks fierce argument on Twitter

He says his helmet saved his life.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 21st February 2023

Dan Walker has updated fans following his terrifying accident yesterday, which left him with a battered and bloodied face – and unintentionally sparked a fierce debate on Twitter.

The broadcaster was knocked off his bike by a car yesterday, saying that he was ‘glad to be alive’.

He had shared a series of photos from the back of an ambulance showing a swollen ‘mess’ of a face, and thanked the emergency service workers who came to his aid.

Dan has now updated his followers on his condition, confirming that he made it out of the accident with no broken bones but also ‘no memory of anything’.

He detailed how he came round on the tarmac already being tended to by paramedics and police, again thanking by name those who helped him.

But what he probably didn’t count on is a fierce debate erupting in his replies on Twitter, all about how essential bicycle helmets actually are.

Dan Walker’s injuries. Credit: Twitter, @mrdanwalker
Dan Walker’s injuries. Credit: Twitter, @mrdanwalker
Dan Walker’s injuries. Credit: Twitter, @mrdanwalker

Dan wrote: “The helmet I was wearing saved my life today so – if you’re on a bike – get one on your head. Smashed my watch & phone, ruined my trousers, my bike is a mess but I’m still here.”

He’s now had hundreds of replies from people, many trying to argue against whether helmets do actually save lives – which seems a weird thing to do to someone who literally could have died without his.

And while no one is denying that better cycling infrastructure is essential and should be taken seriously, there’s no denying that Dan would’ve been in a much worse state without his safety gear.

One person wrote: “I’m glad you’re ok and know you’ll get this same message six ways to Sunday, but this is not the moment to call for people to wear a plastic hat. I don’t want to let my kids cycle if they have to rely on a bit of foam to not be dead. Instead I want us to reduce road danger.”

Someone else said: “I’m afraid it’s extremely unlikely your helmet saved your life, Dan. They can’t even prevent concussion, are not designed for collisions involving motor vehicles, and can absorb at most 75J when it takes 1000J to fracture the average skull.”

Dan Walker showing his injuries after his accident
Dan Walker after his accident. Credit: Twitter @mrdanwalker
Dan Walker showing his injuries after his accident
Dan Walker after his accident. Credit: Twitter @mrdanwalker

Dan then tried to nip the bickering about helmets in the bud, saying: “I understand this is a contentious issue and I don’t want an argument about it. I’m just happy mine worked today and the police officer at the scene called me this afternoon and said I would not be here now if I wasn’t wearing one.”

Someone then replied: “It’s contentious because it defects attention from the real cause of most cycling accidents – the lack of safe cycle infrastructure & decades of politicians doing nothing to improve road safety. P.s. I’m sure your “gorgeous” nurses would prefer the accident didn’t happen at all.”

But hundreds more have defended cycling helmets, sharing their own tales of near misses where their helmets took the brunt of an accident rather than their skulls.

Dan’s full update said: “Blown away by all the lovely messages. Thank you. Just got home from hospital. Battered and bruised but – amazingly – nothing broken. Very thankful to still be here. I have no memory of anything and just remember coming round on the tarmac with paramedics & police around me.

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“Thanks for all your kindness. Jamie & Shaun were so great in the ambulance – not sure I was making much sense. Thanks to Conor the copper, Charlotte in x-ray & Hannah (below) for being so considerate & brilliant in such a busy A & E

“The helmet I was wearing saved my life today so – if you’re on a bike – get one on your head. Smashed my watch & phone, ruined my trousers, my bike is a mess but I’m still here.

“Currently eating soup through a straw and being looked after by this gorgeous, tired nurse.”

Get well soon Dan!

Featured image: Twitter, @mrdanwalker

News

The bizarre explanation behind Manchester’s new mini ‘green space’ – that’s completely closed off

Danny Jones Danny Jones Fenced off green space Manchester city centre gated lawn

One thing you always hear people who live in central Manchester calling out for is green space, but when a new patch of grass does arrive, you don’t exactly expect it to be completely inaccessible.

Just a quick FYI to those of you passionate about supporting what little nature there is left in our city centre: brace yourselves, as this one is rather annoying…

For anyone who’s walked down Whitworth Street West past the once lively Locks, or even got off at Deansgate–Castlefield tram stop and come down the glass stairs closest to the Albion Bridge, you may have noticed a rogue patch of grass surrounded by black fencing next to the City Road Inn pub.

It could be considered a nice little lawn were it not completely fenced off, but the question is, why has it popped up there? Well, local lad Curtis Rothwell has recently debunked the whole frustrating mess for us in a helpful video.

Yes, as explained by the Pre-Construction Manager who works for local utilities contractor Zenit Infrastructure Solutions Limited, the somewhat laughable but disheartening gated green space on Whitworth Street is essentially a feeble attempt at adhering to permission laws.

As detailed by Rothwell, the plot bought for a sizeable sum last year (only the original developers didn’t have the funding to actually pull off their initial plans) is now set to become student accommodation.

Currently, real estate firm Tri7 – which has now been fully folded into the parent group known as Fusion, as previous part-owners already – still has a hold on the land for now.

However, after being ordered by Manchester City Council to tidy up the area in the meantime, as they await planning permission to be fully approved, they decided to lay these new rolls of turf there.

Ok, so while the notion of the Council ordering a property company to make urban spaces look pretty and the idea of introducing more grassy zones into the city sound good on paper, as you can see, the real-life result doesn’t quite match up.

gates green space whitworth street west manchester
whitworth street lawn
fenced off green space bit of grass in manchester
Credit: The Manc

Not only does this feel like a bare minimum effort to appease the local authorities ahead of erecting yet another skyscraper, but more importantly, it feels like sheer nonchalant neglect and/or plain dismissal of those Manc residents crying out for more grass, nature and a break from the concrete jungle.

The fact that the rare green space is totally blocked by tall, almost authoritarian-feeling fences and sealed off by a big, black gate comes across like a casual two fingers to both the Council and those living in the city centre.

Speaking to The Manc, Curt commented: “It’s positive the council can take charge of how our empty spaces look after demolitions. In this case, maybe the demolition was carried out too early, which happens, but when it does, greenery is the best look they can give to local people.”

You can see the latest update on the planning permission HERE, and for now, if you’re looking for green spaces in Manchester, you’ll find them more frequently beyond the outskirts and heading into the boroughs; this one is strictly off limits. Find a whole bunch of ones that aren’t down below:

10 of the best green spaces around Greater Manchester
Sod the Whitworth Street Lawn, you can always go enjoy all the other green space gems across Greater Manchester.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group/Curtis Rothwell (via LinkedIn)

News

Angela Rayner’s statement in full as she resigns as Deputy Prime Minister

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Angela Rayner has resigned. Credit: Wikimedia Commons, David Woolfall

Angela Rayner has shared her resignation letter this afternoon as she announced she is resigning from Government, stepping down as both Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

The Stockport-born politician has been the subject of an investigation into her tax affairs by PM Sir Keir Starmer’s independent standards adviser.

Angela Rayner admitted that she had underpaid stamp duty on a flat she bought in Hove, East Sussex, earlier this year.

It’s reported that she paid £40,000 less than she should have.

Rayner has now publicly shared her resignation addressed to Sir Keir Starmer, in which she says: “I accept that I did not meet the highest standards in relation to my recent property purchase.”

She said in her lengthy statement that the ‘ongoing pressure of the media’ is taking ‘a significant toll’ on her family.

Rayner wrote: “While I rightly expect proper scrutiny on me and my life, my family did not choose to have their private lives interrogated and exposed so publicly.

“I have been clear throughout this process that my priority has, and always will be, protecting my children and the strain I am putting them under through staying in post has become unbearable.”

She also said: “For a teenage mum from a council estate in Stockport to serve as the highest level of government has been the honour of my life.

“The challenges of government are nothing compared to the challenge of putting food on the table and getting a roof over our head when I brought up kids working as a home help. Too many people face the same across our country.”

You can read her full statement below:

Angela Rayner’s resignation letter

Dear Keir,

Thank you for the personal and public support you have shown me in recent days. As you know, on Wednesday I referred myself to your Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards, Sir Laurie Magnus, to conduct a thorough investigation into my personal financial circumstances after I became aware that it is likely I inadvertently paid the incorrect rate for Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT).

I have always taken my responsibilities as Deputy Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, as well as a Member of Parliament with the utmost seriousness. I have long believed that people who serve the British public in government must always observe the highest standards, and while the Independent Adviser has concluded that I acted in good faith and with honesty and integrity throughout, I accept that I did not meet the highest standards in relation to my recent property purchase.

I deeply regret my decision to not seek additional specialist tax advice given both my position as Housing Secretary and my complex family arrangements. I take full responsibility for this error. I would like to take this opportunity to repeat that it was never my intention to do anything other than pay the right amount.
I must also consider the significant toll that the ongoing pressure of the media is taking on my family.

While I rightly expect proper scrutiny on me and my life, my family did not choose to have their private lives interrogated and exposed so publicly. I have been clear throughout this process that my priority has, and always will be, protecting my children and the strain I am putting them under through staying in post has become unbearable.

Given the findings, and the impact on my family, I have therefore decided to resign as Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, as well as Deputy Leader of the Labour Party.

For a teenage mum from a council estate in Stockport to serve as the highest level of government has been the honour of my life. The challenges of government are nothing compared to the challenge of putting food on the table and getting a roof over our head when I brought up kids working as a home help. Too many people face the same across our country.

I’ve always known that politics changes lives because it changed mine. The last Labour government gave me the tools I needed to build a better life for me and my young son, and that’s why l’ve been working relentlessly from day one in government to do the same for the next generation. Every day I had in office, I worked to serve working class communities like the one that I grew up in, which are too often overlooked by those in power. I am proud that in every decision I made, I did it for them. I would never have become Deputy Prime Minister if not for the decisions taken by the last Labour Government, giving me a council house to support me, Sure Start to help raise my kids, and the security of a minimum wage – and I can only hope that the changes I made in government will have the same impact for young girls growing up on council estates like I did.

Through my Employment Rights Bill people across the country will receive the biggest uplift in workers’ rights in a generation. This landmark legislation will be game changing for millions of people stuck in insecure and low-paid work, giving them the dignity and security they don’t just need but also deserve. I am and will remain deeply proud of that legacy. I am so proud to have worked alongside the trade union movement, who have given me everything, to deliver that.

Our Renters’ Rights Bill will finally ban the oppressive rule of no-fault evictions and will reset the balance between renters and landlords through ground breaking protection for renters. Everyone deserves to live in a safe and decent home, and I know this legislation will deliver that for millions of people across the country.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill will also be instrumental in getting the homes so many people across this country need built, and I am so proud that at the Spending Review we announced the biggest investment in social and affordable housing in a generation with the overwhelming amount of this going to genuinely social rent homes.

And last week, I introduced the English Devolution Bill to Parliament. The largest single package of devolution from any Westminster government to local people across England. This landmark legislation will permanently change the balance of power, giving true control to those with skin in game. We delivered an Elections Strategy which will mean 16 and 17 year olds getting the vote for the first time, as well as ambitious plans to ensure the most marginalised communities are registered to vote. We took steps to stabilise the broken foundations of local government and deliver the first genuinely fair funding review and the first multi-year settlement for a decade.

My department, through my excellent team of Ministers, has also provided the largest ever investment in homelessness prevention services to local authorities, to get Britain back on track to ending homelessness for good. We’ve worked relentlessly to bring an end to the building safety crisis and developed new measures to get peoples’ homes fixed quicker and hold rogue freeholders to account. We’ve also worked to boost community cohesion, tackle hate crime and reset the relationship with faith communities.

I have been lucky to work alongside the most talented group of Ministers who worked with dedication to deliver for working people. I thank Matthew Pennycook, Jim McMahon, Alex Norris, Wajid Khan and Sharon Taylor. I too am grateful to my brilliant parliamentary team, Harpreet Uppal, Mark Ferguson, and Gen Kitchen.

For me, being in office is the chance to change the lives of the people I grew up alongside. I will do whatever I can to continue doing so.

Thank you for your leadership and for your friendship. I will continue to serve you, our country and the party and movement I love in the weeks, months and years ahead.

Read more: Free books given to all high school and primary school starters in Manchester

Featured image: Wikimedia Commons, David Woolfall

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