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’.
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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.”
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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.
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#TRIBUTE | The family of Fintan McDwyer pay tribute to him following his death.
They said: "Our hearts are broken but the love we learned from Fintan will give us the strength to try and move forwards in our life without him."
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) July 4, 2024
“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.
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“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.
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“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.”
Two Trafford towns are set to see dozens of new EV charging points installed imminently
Danny Jones
Two big towns on the border of Greater Manchester and Cheshire are set to see a fresh batch of electric vehicle (EV) charging points installed throughout their streets by Trafford Council very soon.
Local authorities have teamed up with engineering and infrastructure company Amey to roll out a series of new EV charging stations across Trafford, starting with Altrincham and Hale.
Dating all the way back to 2020, the collaboration with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), the brand was tasked with helping improve sustainable travel across the area as the government body’s electric vehicle charging suppliers.
Steady improvements have been made across the 10 boroughs, but this particular update marks one of the biggest network upgrades that the likes of Alty and Hale have seen for some time.
Good news – we are thrilled to announce the installation of our first public EV charge points in collaboration with @TraffordCouncil.
Issuing a statement on Wednesday, 17 September, the firm – which specialises in managing, designing and maintaining complex facilities and transport infrastructure across the country – announced that they will “start the installation of EV charging points in Trafford in the coming weeks.”
It is expected that “up to 100 new public charges” will be integrated throughout the respective town centres and residential streets as the suburbs continues to push towards its sustainability goals.
As per Altrincham Today, Amey account director Anna Gornall said: “We’re excited to launch our first EV charge points in Trafford, working in partnership with Trafford Council (TC) to make electric vehicle charging more accessible to local communities.
“As the UK’s leading provider of energy transition and decarbonisation solutions, we’re well placed to use our existing expertise and resources to support TC in delivering a holistic public EV charging network for local communities.
“We’re helping residents make the switch, so everyone can plug in and power a greener Trafford.”
The country at large has various carbon-free initiatives, including the aspiration of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050; the electoral ward of Trafford itself continues to thrive in this field, having recently won environmental accolades, including 12 ‘Green Flag Awards’ this past July.
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Peter Anderson, Managing Director of Transport Infrastructure at Amey, commented: “This is a pivotal moment in Amey’s energy transition strategy. By leveraging our extensive experience in whole lifecycle asset management, strong partnerships, and innovative solutions, we can deliver value for both our clients and members of the public who will use Amey’s electric vehicle charge points.
“Working with Trafford Council, we are making electric vehicle charging more accessible to local communities and helping residents make the switch to EVs.
“Amey is well-positioned to support emerging opportunities within this landscape, and we are delighted to be working with Trafford and other local authorities to provide the public EV infrastructure needed to achieve the government’s transition to net zero.”
As for Trafford Council, Corporate Director of Place, Richard Roe, went on to add: “We are delighted to be working with Amey on this project to bring more and better charging options to the people of Trafford.
“This is an extension to the current EV charging options in the borough and is great news for committed EV owners and those who are thinking about going electric.”
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (via Amey Ltd)
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Further disruption expected as more bus strikes announced across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Further disruption is expected as even more bus strikes have been announced across Greater Manchester this autumn.
It comes after the strikes set to place this month from 19 to 22 September were announced a couple of weeks back, and now a second round will take place towards the end of this month and going into early October.
In case this is the first you’re hearing of the upcoming industrial action, 2,000 workers who are employed by Stagecoach, Metroline Manchester, and First Bus Rochdale – all of which are firms among those that make up the bus part of the Bee Network – are due to walk out in a co-ordinated strike amid an ongoing pay dispute.
Unite the Union says all the firms are ‘highly profitable’ and it’s therefore ‘disappointing’ that workers are being denied a fair wage.
More strikes have been announced on the Bee Network this month / Credit: TfGM
At Stagecoach, around 1,000 drivers based across the Oldham, Stockport, and Middleton depots have rejected a pay offer of 3.5%, and 1,000 Metroline Manchester members will also do the same after turning down an ‘unsatisfactory’ below-inflation pay offer.
Workers at both Metroline and Stagecoach believe the offer doesn’t address years of low pay they’ve recieved, especially given the ongoing cost of living crisis.
Then, over at First Bus Rochdale, 110 members have rejected this year’s pay offer of 6%, as they feel this does not go far enough to address the fact they’ve had years of being paid less than their counterparts at other companies, and are still the lowest paid in the region.
Stagecoach, Metroline, and First Bus Rochdale, part of First Group PLC, are all firms which have seen a rise in profits in recent years.
2,000 drivers are set to stage strike action over two different periods / Credit: TfGM
The second round of strikes will now take place from from 30 September to 2 October.
Speaking ahead of both sets of upcoming strikes, Unite General Secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “These companies are very profitable but are putting greed over their hardworking members of staff.
“Further strike action will be extremely disruptive, however this is a dispute entirely of the bus companies’ making and they could solve it easily by coming back with a better deal.
“Our members involved in the dispute have Unite’s complete support.”
Unite Regional Officer, Colin Hayden, added: “The strikes this week as well as the further action we have called will cause travel chaos in Greater Manchester. However, it is entirely the fault of the employers involved, who have failed to address the issue of low pay and reward their staff accordingly.
Daisy Jackson -
5th July 2024 
