Manchester’s first openly-gay former Mayor, avid campaigner and community activist, and current LGBTQ+ advisor Carl-Austin Behan was among those honoured at Windsor Castle yesterday.
While all eyes and headlines were on one Mancunian – 24-year-old Manchester United and England star Marcus Rashford, who was finally presented with his MBE yesterday in recognition for his highly-publicised work to tackle child food poverty in the UK – another prominent and important Greater Manchester figure was also recognised at the long-awaited ceremony at Windsor Castle yesterday.
Carl-Austin was presented with an OBE by Prince William The Duke of Cambridge for his ongoing services to the Greater Manchester community.
Following the ceremony yesterday, Kensington Royal took to social media to share Carl-Austin’s achievements that have led to him being awarded the prestigious honour, explaining that: “Every year, inspiring people from across the UK are recognised for their outstanding achievements [and] one person who received his OBE today was Carl-Austin Behan, recognising his incredible work for charity and the LGBTQ+ community in Greater Manchester, where he has helped raise money for numerous worthy causes and spearheaded work promoting equality and inclusion in the public and private sectors.
“He has played an active role in his community, including through his 14 years in the Boys’ Brigade as a youngster, voluntary roles in later life include supporting the Northern Air Hospital Radio and Gaydio, an LGBT radio station.
ADVERTISEMENT
“He’s completed two charity treks in Malawi, raising over 100,000 for children with HIV, and a trek to Everest Base Camp in 2013 raised £25,000 for the Alzheimer’s Society, a charity he regularly supports.”
He’s an active role in his community, including through his 14 years in the Boys’ Brigade as a youngster, and voluntary roles later supporting the Northern Air Hospital Radio & Gaydio, an LGBT radio station.
He’s also completed two charity treks in raising over 125,000 charity.
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) November 9, 2021
Carl-Austin also took to social media to share pictures from the day.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Feeling proud, honoured and humbled to spend a morning at Windsor Castle to receive my OBE along with many other deserving recipients, which was the first one since before COVID restrictions,” he said in a post on Twitter and Instagram.
He also later thanked “all those who made this happen, who supported, believed, and trusted in me, over many years”, adding that it was “very much a team effort.”
“Especially my family, friends, and loved ones, who have all been part of this amazing journey,” he concluded.
ADVERTISEMENT
Feeling proud, honoured & humbled to spend a morning at Windsor Castle to receive my OBE along with many other deserving recipients, which was @KensingtonRoyal 1st one since before Covid Restrictions, managed to get back in time to show Willow, whilst still at @KidzRUs2010 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️❤️ pic.twitter.com/BKN4j92Acv
— Dr Carl Austin-Behan OBE “Ozzy” 💙 (@CarlAustinBehan) November 9, 2021
Carl-Austin Behan was born in north Manchester and grew up in Crumpsall.
He joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1991 when he was 19 years old, and had a busy career that included saving a fellow pilot from a burning aircraft, which subsequently saw him commended for his actions in the Queen’s Honours list of 1991 – but was discharged in 1997 for being gay at a time when it was illegal to be openly gay in the RAF.
After leaving the RAF, he began a career in politics, and was elected to Manchester City Council as Labour Member for Burnage ward in May 2011, and then in 2016-2017, was made Lord Mayor of Manchester – becoming the city’s first openly-gay Lord Mayor and one of its youngest at 44.
He also took voluntary roles in later life that include supporting the Northern Air Hospital Radio, and LGBT radio station Gaydio, as well as continuing to work in promoting equality and inclusion in the public and private sectors, and has raised significant sums of money for charities important to him.
Mr Behan is now currently the deputy lord lieutenant of Greater Manchester, trustee of the LGBT+ veterans’ charity Fighting With Pride, president of the CONTACT theatre in Manchester, and acts as the LGBTQ+ advisor to Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham.
ADVERTISEMENT
He deservedly made headlines earlier in February this year when he was finally able to reclaim the military medals taken from him after he was dismissed from the RAF.
The MoD said at the time that it wanted to address a “historical wrong”.
NHS to offer thousands of people access to ‘life-extending’ cancer drug
Emily Sergeant
A ‘life-extending’ cancer drug is set to be offered to thousands more patients on the NHS across the country.
As the health service looks to widen the access to treatment nationwide, the prostate cancer drug – known as abiraterone – will be offered to thousands of men whose cancer has not spread in the coming weeks, following the clinical advice to roll it out last year.
Around 2,000 men have been diagnosed with prostate cancer in the last three months, and an additional 7,000 men are expected to be diagnosed each year – all of whom will be eligible for the drug.
The drug works to stop the cancer spreading by starving the disease of the hormones it needs to grow, such as testosterone.
Research has shown that for these earlier stage patients, the survival rate after six years is improved – with trials showing that the proportion of men alive after six years on abiraterone was 86%, compared to 77% on standard treatment (hormone therapy, with or without radiotherapy).
Thousands of men with prostate cancer in England will be offered a life-extending drug on the NHS.
Patients with prostate cancer that has not spread will be able to receive abiraterone on the NHS if it is of clinical benefit.
The NHS has worked with campaigners, including Prostate Cancer UK, to secure the rollout of this drug.
In the past five years alone, the NHS in England has also commissioned new innovative targeted prostate cancer therapies – including branded drugs like enzalutamide, darolutamide, relugolix and apalutamide.
“For thousands of men with prostate cancer, this treatment option could be life-changing by helping keep their cancer at bay for several years,” explained Professor Peter Johnson, who is the National Clinical Director for Cancer at NHS England.
“The life-extending treatment available on the NHS within weeks will mean thousands of men can kick-start their year with the news that they will have a better chance of living longer and healthier lives.
“The NHS will continue to work hard to offer people the most effective and evidence-based treatments, with several new prostate cancer drugs rolled over the last five years.”
Featured Image – Ksenia Yakovleva (via Unsplash)
News
Fundraiser set up for surviving taxi passengers involved in fatal Bolton crash last weekend
Emily Sergeant
A fundraiser has been set up for the surviving taxi passengers involved in a devastating and fatal head-on collision in Bolton last weekend.
At around 12:45am last weekend (Sunday 11 January), Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were called out to reports of a collision on Wigan Road in Bolton, where a Seat Leon was travelling down the road and collided with a Citroen C4 Picasso – which was a taxi.
The driver of the Seat, and two passengers – who were all aged between 18 and 19 – have died following the collision.
The driver of the Citroen was also sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
The three teenagers have been named by GMP as Muhammad Danyaal Asghar Ali, Farhan Patel, and Mohammed Jibrael Mukhtar, all from Bolton, while the taxi driver was named as Masrob Ali from Blackburn.
Police are appealing after a serious crash between a car and a taxi in Bolton leaves four dead and five others injured.
Funerals have already taken place for each of the deceased and a number of fundrasiers have previously been set up in memory of Masrob – who was a father of four – for his grieving family, which you can donate to here.
Two of the victims have been named as Tom and George Daniels, aged 29 and 28, while the identities of the other two have been withheld in order to protect and respect their privacy, although it has been confirmed by GMP that they are a 29-year-old female and a 30-year-old male.
According to the GoFundMe page, set up for the four victims by close friends Lucie Wilson and Jake Regan, the injuries sustained by the four passengers vary in severity from serious internal injuries, injuries to the brain, and ‘unimaginable trauma’.
Tom and George Daniels, two of the survivors of a fatal crash in Bolton last weekend / Credit: GoFundMe
“The road ahead for all of them is long, uncertain, and deeply challenging, requiring extensive medical care, time, and support,” Lucie explained on the GoFundMe page.
The funds raised will be shared between all survivors in the taxi.
The description on the GoFundMe page reads: “The money raised is intended to support immediate expenses not covered by insurance. This is to help relieve some of the additional pressure on their families, allowing them to focus entirely on healing.”
Any contribution, no matter the size, is said to go towards making a ‘meaningful difference’ as the survivors begin to navigate their lives ahead.
The families of the survivors have also kindly asked that any ‘anger or frustration felt is directed not towards blame or hate, but towards hope, healing, and recover’.
More than £26,000 has already been raised (at the time of writing), with donations rising by the minute, and if you would like to contribute, you can do so here.
GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU) is still appealing for information and witnesses, and are urging anyone that may be able to help to come forward. This includes anyone who saw the vehicle driving before the collision, witnessed the incident itself, or has dashcam / CCTV footage.
Can you help? Anyone with any information is urged to contact the SCIU directly on 0161 856 4741, quoting log 111 of 11/01/2025.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Emily Sergeant -
10th November 2021 
