News

Family pay tribute to ‘beloved mother’ killed in Oldham house fire

A 42-year-old woman died in the tragic incident, while her daughter remains in a critical condition.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 30th June 2023

A heartfelt tribute has been paid to the 42-year-old woman who died in a house fire in Oldham last weekend.

Sadia Shafiq, who has been described as beloved mother, sister and friend, tragically died in the blaze on Saint Thomas Street North on Saturday 24 June.

Her 15-year-old daughter remains in a critical condition in hospital following the incident.

A huge emergency services response was scrambled to the residential address at around 4.10pm on Saturday, with fire crews working into the night to contain the fire.

An investigation is ongoing to establish the cause of the Oldham house fire.

ADVERTISEMENT

The heartbroken family of Sadia have now paid tribute to her and said the following: “We as a family have been devastated by the loss of Sadia and our hearts are broken.

“She was a beloved mother and sister and a friend to many. She was caring and the light of all our lives and will be deeply missed by all.

ADVERTISEMENT

“We will never come to terms with our loss but we thank the local community who have come together and supported us during this difficult time.”

Sadia’s family have asked for privacy whilst they grieve.

Earlier this week, GMP detectives appealed for any information relating to the fire, including CCTV, doorbell or dashcam footage around the time of the incident.

ADVERTISEMENT

Detective Chief Inspector Andrew Naismith, of GMP’s Major Incident Team said: “An investigation has been launched to try and establish the circumstances that very tragically led to this woman’s death and to the serious injury of a teenage girl.

“Everyone at GMP sends their condolences to the loved ones of the woman who sadly died. The family of the victim are now being supported by specialist officers and have been kept updated throughout. They are also assisting us with our enquiries.

“You may notice an increase of police visibility in the area in the coming days, if you have any concerns, please speak to one of our uniformed officers who will be patrolling the nearby areas.

“We are still working with partner agencies to get those residents who have been displaced back into their homes as safely and soon as possible. A number of those residents have been provided with alternative accommodation by Oldham Council.”

Anyone with information should contact police on 101 quoting 2564 of 24/06/2023 or gmp.police.uk.

ADVERTISEMENT

Information can also be shared anonymously via the independent charity – Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Featured image: Google Maps

News

Manchester named one of Europe’s ‘best’ cities alongside 17 other British places

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Manchester has been named one of the ‘best’ cities in Europe for 2025, according to a new ranking.

You may remember that our city – and wider Greater Manchester borough – has often featured on various round-up lists over the years, with it ranking on everything from being named one of the best places in the UK to buy your first home, and the best place to raise a family, right through to being one of the most creative cities.

But it arguably doesn’t get much better than a title like this.

For a long time now, the city has been cementing itself as a tourist hotspot, with new hotels popping up left, right, and centre, and integrated transport systems being introduced to make it easier to get around.

And it looks like all that has paid off, as Manchester has now been named one of the best cities in the whole of Europe for 2025, thanks to a new ranking by Resonance Co.

Manchester skyline
Manchester has been named one of Europe’s ‘best’ cities / Credit: Josh Taylor | Chris Curry (via Unsplash)

This year, the global placemaking company’s research encompassed 128 cities across Europe with metropolitan area populations of 500,000 or more, and evaluated each of them based on 30 performance indicators and perception metrics derived from surveys of more than 7,500 respondents across 10 European countries.

Once each of these performance indictors had been evaluated, every city was given its own ‘Place Power Score’ to determine its ranking.

A city’s ‘Place Power Score’ examines three core dimensions – liveability, which takes into account things like housing affordability, healthcare access, green space, air quality, and cycling infrastructure; loveability, which encompasses culture, nightlife, culinary scenes, and more; and prosperity, which includes business environment, talent density, GDP per capita, airport connectivity, and more.

While Manchester may have missed out on both the top 10 and top 20, considering it’s a top 100 list, our city has claimed the respectable 36th spot, beating out mega cities such as Venice, Nice, Athens, and loads more.

In fact, 18 British cities are included in the top 100.

Our city has ranked alongside 17 other British places / Credit: Mangopear Creative

Explaining why Manchester has been ranked, Resonance Co said in its city description: “You’ll be hearing a lot more about Manchester this decade, as the historic engine of English industry shifts into high gear across both culture and development.

“While the UNESCO City of Literature continues to shape global music – with 2024’s opening of the 23,500-seat Co-op Live arena, and a festival lineup that includes Beyond the Music and Worldwide Music Expo – Greater Manchester is also writing a new chapter in urban reinvention.

“A newly centralised ‘single pipeline for growth’ coordinates £1 billion of planned annual investment across six targeted Growth Locations, aiming to deliver tens of thousands of homes and jobs at a pace unmatched in the UK since the 2012 London Olympics. Among the boldest is the Western Gateway, anchored by the regeneration of Old Trafford around Manchester United’s stadium, projected to generate over 90,000 jobs.

“The Central Growth Cluster includes innovation districts like Crescent Salford and Victoria North. These ambitions build on an £80-billion economy that’s grown 50% since 2000 and now leads the nation in FDI outside London.

“Add a mature devolved governance model and transformative transit investments – like bringing commuter rail into the Bee Network – and the city’s Top 10-ranked airport and 15th-most Instagram Hashtags start making sense.”

Read more:

Which city took the title of the best city in Europe though? Well unfortunately, we have to give it to the southerners on this one, as London took the top spot.

But at least it’s an impressive win for the UK, if nothing else.

Featured Image – Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash)

News

Criminals who skip court sentencing hearings will now be ‘forced’ to attend or face more prison time

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Judges will now be able to hand down prison punishments for ‘cowardly’ criminals who refuse to attend their sentencing hearing.

It’s been a long time coming… but for the first time ever, victims are set to be ‘better protected than ever before’ thanks to new measures across the UK justice system following the introduction of the Victims and Courts Bill yesterday (7 May).

Not only will they be forced to attend court, but with the understanding that those facing long sentences or Whole Life Orders may not necessarily be deterred solely by additional time behind bars, the Government has decided to give judges extra power to impose a range of prison sanctions on top of additional years on their sentence.

Government ministers said this is to ensure that ‘heinous criminals’ who refuse to attend can be ‘appropriately’ punished. 

The new Bill also extends the eligibility to all cases in the Crown Court too, which means that all offenders who attempt to ‘evade justice’ could be subject to tough sanctions, as well as up to two more years behind bars.

On top of this, offenders who have been ordered to attend by a judge, but whose disruptive and disrespectful behaviour results in their removal from the courtroom, will also be punishable by the same means.

To ensure the Government and other agencies are ‘held to account’ in delivering justice for victims, the Bill also bolsters the role of the Victims’ Commissioner, so under the new legislation, the Commissioner will be able to play a bigger role in individual cases that raise systemic issues.

The aim of this measure is to ensure that ‘lessons are learned’ to benefit other victims or witnesses in the future.

“This Bill will deliver long overdue reforms to ensure victims see justice done and are given the vital support they need as they rebuild their lives,” commented Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Shabana Mahmood.

Read more:

“There is still more work to do as we fix a justice system that was left on the brink of collapse, but this Bill is a step towards rebuilding victims’ confidence through our Plan for Change.”

Featured Image – Merseyside Police | Cheshire Police

More News

Olly Murs Co-op Live Manchester gig times

Affiliate

Olly Murs at Co-op Live, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more

are there great manchester run 10k places left?

City Centre

Limited 10k places left as Great Manchester Run half marathon sells out once again

Boroughs

Five retired GMP officers arrested following investigation into sexual exploitation of a girl in the 1960s

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches