An ex-Manchester United and Bolton Wanderers scout has been given the all-clear from cancer in what is being called a groundbreaking clinical trial.
Tom Critchley, 76, served as a corporal in the Royal Engineers before going on to become a key figure in Man United, Bolton and Huddersfield Town’s academy systems, but after retirement was sadly diagnosed with early-stage rectal cancer in April 2022.
Based in Astley near Leigh, the former head of player recruitment was sent to Wigan Infirmary after spotting blood on his toilet paper and then to The Christie NHS Foundation for his treatment, where he ended up being part of a pioneering new clinical trial simply named, ‘Aphrodite’.
Funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research, the trial tested whether higher doses of radiotherapy would increase the likelihood of successfully treating rectal cancer and avoid the need for surgery. After undergoing a rigorous 28-day period of radiotherapy and a chemotherapy tablet twice a day, Tom was thrilled to be given the all-clear earlier this year.
“There are no signs of cancer – it’s gone.”
Tom Critchley, a former @ManUtd took part in a trial to see if a higher dose of radiotherapy can prevent surgery for certain patients with rectal cancer.
The United scout was one of the first to undergo the cancer trial.
Being told he was cancer-free back in February, Critchley has been able to return to his beloved pastimes, such as entertaining crowds as a talented pub and club singer.
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Tom tragically lost his wife Eileen to pancreatic cancer at the age of 54 just five weeks after her diagnosis, so when the opportunity to take part in a clinical trial presented itself, rather than be fearful like many understandably are with experimental trials, he didn’t hesitate.
One of the other benefits of the treatment is that patients may also avoid the need for a stoma, where an opening in the abdomen is connected to the digestive or urinary system to allow them to pass waste out of the body.
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Nevertheless, his month-long treatment was still intense and did result in some side effects such as skin peeling from the radiotherapy but the grandfather of three’s scans continue to show no signs of the cancer having returned. Wonderful news.
Following the successful clinical trial, Aphrodite is now recruiting more patients — more than 100 across 10 different sites in Britain.
While The Christie is still the highest recruiter, with a third of all patients taking part being treated there, the University of Leeds’ Clinical Trials Research Unit is leading the trial and helping offer the alternative treatment method to others with similar diagnoses around the UK.
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We’re so glad you’re back on the mend, Tom, all the best.
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 its been 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.”
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Manchester Museum saves a ‘national treasure’ to ensure it stays in the UK
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Museum has made a stunning new addition to its natural history collections, and in the process has ensured a ‘national treasure’ stays in the UK.
Not long after claiming the coveted title of European Museum of the Year for 2025, Manchester Museum has done it again – this time working together with John Rylands Library to acquire Henry Dresser’s unique personal copy of his anthology A History of the Birds of Europe so that this ‘invaluable resource’ can remain in the UK for future generations.
The beautifully-illustrated collection of books provide an important historical record to help understand how and why bird populations have changed over time.
Dresser’s personal copy is heavily-annotated with personal notes and observations.
These books are deemed to be of ‘outstanding significance’, not only for scientific purposes but also for their aesthetic value, as they have also been illustrated by some of the leading wildlife artists of the day.
The volumes were recognised as a national treasure by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, which is supported by the Arts Council, and this meant that the Government placed a temporary export deferral on them to allow time for UK buyers to raise the funds to keep them in the country.
Brilliantly, the acquisition of these books reunites them with Dresser’s own bird specimens that are already cared for by Manchester Museum, including species such as the Slender-billed curlew, which is now believed to be extinct.
The now-extinct species’ presence in both Dresser’s beautifully-annotated volumes and the ornithological collections at Manchester Museum highlights the vital role that historical records play in tracking biodiversity loss over time to uncover the long-term impact of environmental change.
Manchester Museum has saved a ‘national treasure’ to ensure it stays in the UK / Credit: Manchester Museum
“Threats to the natural world and biodiversity have never been greater and while this anthology has historical value, it also speaks to the urgent issues of the present,” commented Esme Ward, who is the Director of Manchester Museum.
“These books are breathtakingly beautiful, and by bringing them together with natural history collections, we believe they will not only provide scientific benefit, but also capture the hearts of future ornithologists and conservationists.”
A History of the Birds of Europe will be officially unveiled at a private view on Friday 27 June, before being displayed to the public for the first time in Manchester Museum’s ‘Living Worlds’ gallery from Saturday 28 June 2025 right through until Sunday 25 January 2026.
Danny Jones -
22nd November 2023 
