News
Family pay tribute to ‘gentle giant’ killed in violent assault in Fallowfield
'There isn’t anyone who would say a bad word about Fintan'
The man at the centre of a murder probe in Fallowfield has been named as Fintan McDwyer, as his family issued an emotional tribute.
Fintan was pronounced dead at the scene at a property on Platt Lane on Monday 1 July.
It’s understood that he was the victim of a violent assault where he suffered serious and fatal injuries, believed to be caused by a sharp instrument.
A murder investigation has been launched by GMP.
His family have now paid a heartbreaking tribute to a ‘gentle giant’, saying that he was a ‘true gentleman with a wonderful sense of humour’.
They explained that Fintan had lost his ‘beloved wife’ 20 years ago, who would have been ‘so proud for the way he brought up his family’.
Their tribute said: “There isn’t anyone who would say a bad word about Fintan, and it breaks our hearts that he has been denied years to be with his sons and grandchildren.”
Officers are still appealing for information into the murder of Fintan McDwyer.
His family’s full tribute says: “Monday 1 July was the day that we lost our dad, grandad, brother and uncle and our lives have since been turned upside down.
“Our whole family is grieving the loss of Fintan. Our hearts are broken and will remain forever so, but the love we learned from Fintan will give us the strength to try and move forwards in our life without him.
“Fintan was our own gentle giant, with a calm and reassuring presence. He had the most wonderful, soft, Irish lilt.
“He was a true gentleman, had a wonderful sense of humour, and always had a twinkle in his eye.
“Fintan lost his beloved wife, Tracy, 20 years ago and she would be so proud of Fintan for the way he brought up his family. Just a few weeks ago he spent time with us in Blackpool in the caravan.
“He was a quiet man, who was very shy with such a dry sense of humour that we all loved so much. He loved his TV quizzes and was a big sports fan. Fintan loved his dog, Sammy, and was often seen with her walking her around the local area and parks.
“There isn’t anyone who would say a bad word about Fintan, and it breaks our hearts that he has been denied years to be with his sons and grandchildren.
“He will never be forgotten, and he will continue to hold a very special place in our hearts. We always know he will be watching over us.
“Rest easy Fintan xxx
“We would like to thank family, friends, neighbours and the local community for the kind words we have received, and now request privacy as we grieve as a family.”
Detective Inspector Lee Shaw from GMP’s Major Incident Team, said: “There will be people who know what happened to Fintan, and we appeal to them to come forwards as soon as possible. In cases like this even the smallest piece of information can prove vital to the progression of our investigation.
“We continue to appeal to anyone who noticed anything suspicious on Platt Lane or in the surrounding areas from 7pm on Saturday 29 June up until the morning of Monday 1 July 2024 to get in touch with us.
“If you have any information or footage that could assist our investigation into this incident, please contact GMP on 0161 856 5415 quoting log 695 of 1/7/24.
“A dedicated portal has been set up and information, CCTV, dashcam, doorbell and phone images and footage can be submitted through the Major Incident Public Portal here: Public Portal (mipp.police.uk)
“You can also report information via www.gmp.police.uk or through the independent charity Crimestoppers – anonymously – on 0800 555 111.”
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Featured image: GMP
News
Demolition and regeneration plans for former Manchester shopping centre to begin next month
Emily Sergeant
Plans to demolish and regenerate a former shopping centre in a Manchester suburb are set to kick off from next month.
Following planning approval at the end of 2025, major plans to transform the former Chorlton Cross Shopping Centre into a ‘thriving’ new destination to live and shop are set to commence with demolition in the next couple of weeks.
If you’re unfamiliar with the plans for the new Chorlton neighbourhood, they include 262 one, two, and three-bedroom apartments, all with access to outdoor space through balconies and gardens, 53 affordable homes – with 49 of them being available for social rent – and around 3,500 sq metres of public open space with fully walkable routes and outdoor seating areas.
A mix of flexible retail spaces, including a new ‘Makers Yard’ suitable for smaller start-up businesses will also be included, alongside new tree planting.
Phase one of the project will involve the dismantling the former shopping centre and neighbouring Graeme House buildings.
According to developers, the first step will be to close the precinct car park at the end of this month, before new hoardings are installed around the site to close the area off to pedestrians and vehicles for safety reasons.
The demolition work is expected to begin in mid-June, and be completed by August.
Where possible, materials from the existing buildings will be reused during construction of the new neighbourhood in a bid to help reduce the number of vehicles needed to remove materials from the site.
“Demolition marks another major milestone for the project, which will completely transform the former shopping centre,” commented Georgina Lynch, who is the managing director at Manchester-based developers, PJ Livesey.
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“Our demolition contractor will carefully manage any issues throughout the work, and we will continue to stay in regular contact with local residents and businesses as the demolition progresses.”
Featured Image – Supplied
News
Full list of road closures announced as IRONMAN 2026 takes over Bolton next weekend
Emily Sergeant
The official route and full list of road closures have been announced, as Bolton prepares to host the IRONMAN next weekend.
Bolton has been the proud home of the UK’s IRONMAN race since 2009, and the world-renowned triathlon is all set to take over the Greater Manchester town once again in a couple of weeks time – with participants and spectators in thousands all preparing to flock to all four corners of the borough to the catch the action.
People of all ages and abilities – even including kids – are training to take part in three different events across the weekend.
And, as is always the case, residents and road users are being urged to plan ahead.
Bolton Council says a series of temporary road closures are needed to ‘ensure the safety’ of competitors and spectators.
Road closures are set to be the same as last year and will be in place for Night Run Bolton on Friday 5 June and IRONKIDS Bolton on Saturday June 6, before IRONMAN 70.3 then officially arrives on Sunday 7 June, extending from Pennington Flash in Leigh to Bolton, where Chorley New Road and the town centre will be most affected.
The town centre and Middlebrook retail park will be open as normal all weekend, but anyone driving into the town centre is advised to park at one of the car parks – which will be open as normal – rather than elsewhere or in the surrounding areas.
Anyone heading to Middlebrook from Bolton is advised to use Wigan Road (A676 / A58), to Manchester Road / Chorley Road (A6), and then use De Havilland Way (A6027) to reach the retail park.
Full list of road closures for IRONMAN 2026
All weekend:
Le Mans Crescent, Howell Croft North, and Howell Croft South will be closed from 6am on Friday 6 June to 9am on Monday 9 June, due to the course set up and build for the weekend events.
Friday 28 June – Night Run:
- Moor Lane, Deansgate, Knowsley Street, Chorley Street, Spa Road (eastbound), St Edmund Street, Helena Road, and Bridge Street will all be closed from 5:30-9pm.
Saturday 29 June – IRONKIDS:
- Le Mans Crescent will be closed all day
- Deansgate will be closed from 6am-5pm
Sunday 30 June 30 – IRONMAN 70.3:
- St Helen’s Road, Sandy Lane, Byrom Lane, Slag Lane, and Lowton Road will be closed from 6-10am
- Wigan Road/Warrington Road (A573) will be closed from 6-10am
- Bickershaw Lane, a short section of the A578, Nel Pan Lane, and Westleigh Lane will be closed from 6-10:45am
- Atherleigh Way (A579) between St Helen’s Road and Kirkhall Lane, will be closed northbound only from 6-9:45am, and between Kirkhall Lane and the Talbot roundabout from 6-10:45am
- Gibfield Park Way and Gibfield Park Avenue will be closed from 6-11am
- North Road from the junction with Gibfield Park Avenue, Platt Lane and the A58 from Platt Lane to the Chequerbent roundabout will be closed from 6:30-11am
- Park Road and Manchester Road (A6) will be closed westbound only from 7-11am
- Chew Moor Lane / Tempest Road to Regent Road, and Regent Road to Chorley New Road, will be closed from 7-11:15am
- De Havilland Way will be closed northbound from 7am-1pm
- Victoria Road (A58) and Old Kiln Lane will be closed from 7am-1pm
- Chorley New Road, from Beaumont Road to the Beehive Roundabout, will be closed eastbound from 7am-1pm but there will be access westbound throughout the day.
- Chorley New Road, from Beaumont Road to Waterslea Drive, will be closed from 7am-1:30pm
- Chorley New Road, from Waterslea Drive to St George’s Road (B6226), will be closed 7am-5:30pm
- Chew Moor Lane, St John’s Road, Tempest Road, and Regent Road will be closed from 7-11:15am
- Chorley Street, Bark Street, St Helena’s Road, Blackhorse Street, and Queen Street will be closed from 7am-3:30pm
- Spa Road will be closed from 6am-6pm
“Facilitating events of this scale is not easy,” a spokesperson for Bolton Council explained ahead of the events arriving next weekend, “and it’s essential we put the health and safety of the participants and spectators as a priority.
“To ensure this requirement is met, temporary road closures will be put in place across the town, so we strongly urge residents and visitors to plan their trips with this in mind.”
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More information on the course and diversions to avoid road closures – including maps and timings – can be found on the IRONMAN website here.
Featured Image – David J H Sun (Wikimedia Commons)
Daisy Jackson -
5th July 2024 
