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Firefighters condemn yobs who threw fireworks at them during Bonfire Night celebrations

'It's bang out of order'

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 7th November 2022

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue have condemned the thugs who threw lit fireworks at crews who were working on Bonfire Night.

The annual celebration is one of the busiest nights of the year for firefighters, who attended 229 incidents on Saturday 5 November.

While fire crews were working tirelessly to keep communities safe, there were a handful of isolated incidents where they encountered anti-social behaviour.

One incident saw a firework thrown at firefighters in Eccles, who were trying to extinguish an unsupervised bonfire.

In Crumpsall Park, more fireworks were aimed at crews, while in Salford crews from Manchester Central, Salford and Broughton were called to an incident where a firework had reportedly been put through the letterbox of a home, causing a fire in the hallway.

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There were also instances of wheelie bins, trees and playground equipment being set alight.

GMFRS launched a campaign ahead of Bonfire Night to try and tackle anti-social behaviour and criminal damage, called #BangOutOfOrder.

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GMFRS Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Leon Parkes, said: “Bonfire Night is always a particularly challenging time for our fire crews. Our firefighters, alongside other emergency services did a fantastic job keeping the public safe and I’d like to thank them for all their hard work over the weekend.

Read more: Two men in court today after gunshots heard during mass brawl in Spinningfields

“I’d also like to thank the control room staff at North West Fire Control, who fielded hundreds of calls and did an excellent job in difficult circumstances.

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“Unfortunately, there were a handful of isolated incidents where crews were met with abuse and had fireworks thrown at them. Firefighters should not have to deal with anti-social behaviour while trying to keep people safe.

“Thankfully no-one was hurt but I’d like to remind the public that this behaviour is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Setting light to fires, throwing fireworks and making hoax calls can cost lives and keep our firefighters away from dealing with life-threatening incidents.”

Featured image: @GMFRSPhoto

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BrewDog advert claiming fruit-flavoured beer is ‘one of your five a day’ banned by ASA

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A BrewDog advert claiming its fruit-flavoured beers can be considered “one of your five a day” has been banned by authorities.

As part of an email that was sent out to customers back in July this year promoting beers with names such as ‘Lost In Guava’, ‘Pineapple Punch’, and ‘Lost In Lychee & Lime’, popular brewery and pub chain BrewDog claimed the drinks could be considered “one of your five a day”.

But after someone complained to the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) that the phrase was considered misleading, the advert has now been banned.

The ASA said consumers “would not expect advertisers to include such claims”.

Addressing the complaint and confirming the banning of the advert, the ASA said: “The ASA acknowledged that the subject heading ‘one of your five a day’ might be interpreted by some consumers as a humorous nod to the fruit-flavoured beers featured in the body of the email.

“However, because the claim referred to well-known government advice on health and wellbeing, we considered that, in general, consumers would not expect advertisers to include such claims unless the advertised product was recognised as meeting the requirements of that advice.”

A BrewDog advert claiming its fruit-flavoured beers can be considered “one of your five a day” has been banned / Credit: BrewDog

The ASA added that many consumers would be aware that some craft beers contain an unusually high amount of fruit, but in general, they would be uncertain as to whether this would be counted as a portion.

Because of the this, the advert has been banned and must not re-appear in its current form.

BrewDog then agreed in response to the ASA ruling the advertised beers did not count towards a consumer’s five a day.

The ASA said consumers “would not expect advertisers to include such claims”. / Credit: ASA

Yet, the company sarcastically followed this up by admitting the advert was just “tongue in cheek” and only sent out via email to existing customers likely aware of BrewDog’s “playful” marketing style, believing they would generally understand that alcoholic beverages are not equivalent to portions of fruit or vegetables.

Read more:

“We respect the ASA’s decision and are happy to confirm that beer is not a fruit or a vegetable,” a spokesperson for BrewDog said in response.

Featured Image – Grant Anderson (via BrewDog)

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Popular London bakery Gail’s to open string of North West cafes next year

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant

Popular craft bakery Gail’s has hinted at plans to open a string of new cafes in the North West next year.

The group, which already has a large number of bakery-cafes in the south of England, has announced it will open its first North West site in Wilmslow in early 2023.

Bosses have also said that ‘further locations in the North West’ will be announced in the new year, adding that all the new bakeries will serve GAIL’s artisan sourdough breads, pastries, sandwiches, and cakes alongside its specialty House Blend coffee.

The news also seems to potentially confirm speculation that the brand is planning a move into Manchester after The Manc shared news of potential plans for a Gail”s opening in the city centre in October.

Having already seen planning documents that suggest the chain is planning to take over the former White Stuff unit on King Street, it now appears that more news on that opening will be coming in 2023 – although it’s hard to say if it will be the first Manchester site to be announced.

Read more: Famous London bakery Gail’s tipped to open in Manchester

The bakery group already has strong ties with Manchester, having run its sister wholesale bakery The Bread Factory in Openshaw since 2017.

Formed in the early 1990s by namesake Gail Mejia, Gail’s began when its eponymous founder decided to bring together the best bakers in London to create bakes for the capitals top chefs and restaurants.

Today, is known more as a customer-facing cafe and bakery whilst The Bread Factory continues the original wholesale legacy – supplying high quality, artisan breads to some of the region’s top local restaurants.

Gail’s first cafe opened on Hampstead High Street in 2005, and now the brand has 79 in neighbourhoods in and around London, Oxford, Brighton and more.

Turning back the clock on industrialised baking practices and moving to bake bread as it used to be baked: by hand, using quality ingredients and time-worn artisanal methods, Gail’s soon established a name for itself and has come a long way since those early days.

Still, the stuff that matters – the ethos, the suppliers, the skill and a handful of tried-and-tested sourdough starter cultures – hasn’t changed.

Read more: A traditional cafe serving retro favouties has opened on the third floor of Affleck’s

A champion for sustainability, the bakery also prides itself on minimising food waste by carefully setting aside any leftover food and donating it to a selection of local charities in each eatery’s neighbourhood

To find out more about Gail’s, head over to its website here and follow the bakery on Instagram here.

Feature image – Gail’s

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