The parents of missing student Charley Gadd have issued an urgent plea to the public to help find their son.
20-year-old Charley has not been seen since the early hours of Saturday morning.
Charley had initially been to Warehouse Project, but was reported missing afterwards, and a CCTV image of his last known movements was then released on Monday (13 December) after Greater Manchester Police said it had discovered he was last seen just before 1.15am on Saturday outside the Royal Exchange Theatre, and was heading towards St Annes Street in the city centre.
He is described as a white male of skinny build, 5ft 9 inches, with mousy brown hair, wearing a red jacket and blue jeans.
Now, his parents have spoken out and issued an appeal.
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Charley’s father, Jolyon Gadd, said in his appeal: “We were out with Charley on Friday night and Saturday morning on the 11 December and had a lovely time together.
“We were near the Spar Store in St Mary’s Gate at around 1.10am when Charley ran off [and] we spent many hours then and later in the early hours looking for him before reporting him missing to the police around 11am.
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“Charley is not familiar with Manchester and may have got lost and not been able to find his way back to his hotel.”
Mr Gadd continued: “Charley is a very bright, warm, funny and loving man who everybody hugely enjoys being around.
“He is in the second year of a film and media degree course at the University of Essex in Colchester where he is well liked and flat shares with friends. We have heard nothing from him since he ran off and my wife and I and his brothers Bruno and Rufus are desperate for any news of him.
“As we do not live in the area, we would ask local people and businesses to help us by looking in outbuilding, vehicles, bins, and anywhere else that Charley may have taken shelter to keep warm on Saturday morning.
“We really appreciate all the support and kind comments given by local people on social media, and ask that you please keep this in the public eye locally until we find Charley.
“However, we would ask that our privacy also please be respected at this time.”
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20-year-old Charley Gadd has not been seen since the early hours of Saturday morning / Credit: Greater Manchester Police
Greater Manchester Police has confirmed that enquiries into Charley’s disappearance are ongoing and searches are being carried out, but say that officers are keen to speak to anyone who may have seen Charley or has any information.
Anyone with information about Charley’s whereabouts should contact police on 101 or 999 in an emergency and quote log 149 of 12/12/2021.
Featured Image – Greater Manchester Police
News
Salford Red Devils granted another adjournment over unpaid debts
Danny Jones
Salford Red Devils have been given one more adjournment and yet another stay of execution, being given another two weeks to find the money to cover their unpaid debts.
The local rugby league side, which has been wrapped in all manner of struggles both on and off-pitch over the past year or so, reportedly needs to pay around £700,000 to HMRC alone and still owes roughly £5 million in total to various creditors.
To no surprise, regular matchgoers, neutrals and even rivals alike have expressed their continued disappointment with the club, mainly at the lack of transparency and clarity from the organisation throughout this long, drawn-out process.
This is coming from a wire fan but no club deserves to be left in the dark even longer than they already have done it’s nothing but a disgrace to the sport of rugby those owners and the court should be ashamed of themselves.
Updating fans on social media, this is all the information they have communicated at this time: “Salford Red Devils can confirm that HMRC have granted the club a two-week adjournment, providing additional time in which to secure the necessary funds.
“We would like to reassure supporters that we are working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure a positive resolution. Further updates will be shared as soon as possible.”
It’s worth noting that the current owners have reiterated that they inheited around £3m in existing debt before they took over the club, but assurances over their own investments have still come to nothing; meanwhile, with many still waiting on wages, players and staff alike have now left.
Having been propped up by loan players and emergency loans, the team is now closer to a skeleton crew than it is an outfit capable of competing in the premier division.
Either way, the outrage remains and is only growing stronger. One user wrote on X: “A good approach by them if they was legit would be to engage and bring in The 1873 to bridge the communication black hole (they created).
“The problem with that is if they did it would expose them for what they are… Extortionists using the club as a vehicle.”
More alarm bells were raised recently when assistant coach and Krisnan Inu – who was also director of the company set up to take over the business – withdrew himself from a key position behind the scenes.
Speaking of The 1873, the outspoken supporters trust took no time at all in issuing a response of their own, adding: “The judge presiding over today’s case has adjourned by 14 days. This adjournment has dragged the uncertainty on even longer.
“Every delay makes planning for 2026 harder and keeps the club stuck in limbo when it desperately needs clarity and direction.
“The fans, the players and the future all deserve better — The 1873.”
You can see the rest of their statement in full down below, but for now, what do you make of this seemingly neverending saga, Salfordians?
‘Christmas chaos’ on the cards as Manchester tram drivers vote on staging strike action next month
Emily Sergeant
There could be major disruption to festive travel in Greater Manchester next month, as hundreds of tram drivers are currently voting on whether to strike.
Almost 320 tram drivers are being balloted over working conditions and fears around fatigue.
The drivers – who are members of the union, Unite – all work for KeolisAmey Metrolink Limited at the Warwick Road South and Queens Road depots in Manchester – and they operate trams on all routes in Greater Manchester.
As it stands, the drivers’ shift patterns currently mean they have to work 450 hours over a 12-week period, which results in some having to work 50 hours on, followed by just two days off, then back into another 50-hour work pattern.
Drivers also have fewer rest days compared to all other operational departments, and this is said to be causing safety concerns around fatigue.
‘Christmas chaos’ is on the cards as Manchester tram drivers are currently voting on staging strike action next month / Credit: TfGM
Drivers say they concerned about operating heavy vehicles while exhausted and unable to have proper breaks, but after raising the issue with management, Unite has been told there is ‘no funding available’ to support any ‘meaningful’ improvements to working patterns.
Instead, management has asked drivers to start work earlier – which Unite says is only ‘adding insult to injury’.
The ballot is set to close on 11 November, and if drivers vote in favour of industrial action, strikes could then begin in late November, causing widespread cancellations and delays throughout the region during the busy festive shopping period – particularly coinciding with Manchester’s world-famous Christmas Markets, known for attracting millions of visitors to the city each year.
“Any strike action will cause a great deal of disruption but it is entirely the fault of Metrolink, which is not taking the issue of driver fatigue seriously,” commented Unite Regional Officer, Colin Hayden.
Emily Sergeant -
15th December 2021 
