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.
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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 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.”
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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.”
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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 after his accident. Credit: Twitter @mrdanwalkerDan 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.
“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
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Middleton to receive a cinema and Metrolink as part of regeneration plans
Thomas Melia
Greater Manchester town Middleton is about to undergo a huge facelift thanks to a new regeneration project, including a new cinema and Metrolink tram station.
Middleton is one of many bustling communities that make up the borough of Rochdale, and with these new plans, the town might receive a fair few new visitors who want to know what it’s all about.
The Greater Manchester town is undergoing a huge transformation with regeneration plans confirming that Middleton will receive a brand new cinema complex along with an extended Metrolink line as part of the Bee Network expansion covering this area.
This is all thanks to Middleton teaming up with the Mayor to launch the Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC), which pushes forward regeneration plans for the town and future ideas.
Middleton Shopping Centre right in the heart of the town centre.Middleton Town Centre bustling as the markets take place.Credit: Steven Haslington (via Geograph)/@Rept0n1x (via Flickr)
The MDC considers lots of aspects of the town and even aims to create new homes and improve surrounding public spaces.
Middleton regeneration plans have been floated previously, but complications arose due to a lack of land and available funding, which ultimately brought these foundations to a halt.
Now it seems the green light has been lifted and Middleton is about to get a whole new facelift, which will not only improve the town economically but aesthetically too, along with the wider Rochdale region.
For many Middletonians, the idea of a cinema may have felt like a distant memory, with their last big screen location shutting down just over a decade ago.
This all-new high street regeneration will not only bring an array of shopping favourites back to the town centre but also the long-awaited return of a local cinema. Most importantly, the plans also include a slate of new housing, with an estimated 300 apartments set to be created in one building alone.
Early CGIs of the proposed Middleton regeneration plans.Grade II-listed Warwick Mill looks set to be turned into flats.Credit: Publicity Picture (supplied)
This all falls in line with the ‘Atom Valley scheme‘, which has been commissioned in order to generate over 20,000 job opportunities for people in Bury, Oldham and Rochdale.
The scheme also mentions how it aims to bring a combined economic boost of around £1 billion to these previously mentioned areas.
Rochdale Borough Council leader, Neil Emmott, said: “The development of 1.2 million square metres of employment space around the junction 19 area will help to generate 20,000 high-quality jobs and bring a £1 billion economic boost.”
Featured Image — Publicity Pictures (supplied via Rochdale Borough Council)
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Scouting For Girls announce stacked UK tour with Manchester date
Thomas Melia
British boyband Scouting For Girls are heading out on an extensive UK tour with dates up and down the country, including right here in Manchester.
If the first thing that pops into your mind when you read this headline is “I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know how we’ll make it through this”, then you’re on the right side of history.
Nearly 20 years since their single ‘She’s So Lovely’ reached catastrophic heights and had everyone putting on their best Roy Stride accent, Scouting For Girls are heading back on the road.
This UK tour announcement comes two years after their last project, The Place We Used To Meet, reached our ears and was coined by the band as “Our best work since our debut”.
It’s been 18 years since this Brit trio captivated our hearts with their eponymous debut album, which sold over one million copies and went number one on the UK official charts for two weeks.
Whether you know them for ‘Heartbeat’ or ‘Elvis Ain’t Dead’, it’s clear to say this band had their fair share of smash hit singles throughout the noughties.
This tour, however, celebrates the sophomore follow-up: Everybody Wants To Be On TV, which went on to continue their legacy and secure them their only number one, ‘This Ain’t A Love Song’, back in 2010.
Now, the boys are treating UK fans to an array of live performances, and if you can’t make one date, fear not because there are 20 different locations for you to choose from.
The group will also be playing the likes of Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle and a whole host of other Northern cities, so you have plenty of chances to catch them.
If you can’t wait all the way until March 2026 for your next Scouting For Girls fix, lead singer Stride has his own cameo account where you can get the star to read out a message or even sing you a song: “‘Michaela Strachan’ in full, please?…”
Scouting For Girls are coming to O2 Apollo in Manchester on 21 March 2026, with tickets going on sale next Friday, 2 May at 10am HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
21st February 2023 
