A new free app aimed at ensuring Manchester is a safe city for everyone is set to launch, and it’s being described as “game-changing”.
In what has been dubbed “another positive step” in the city’s ongoing journey to making sure everyone is welcome and feels safe, following the of publishing a 10-year plan to protect women in 2021, and the launch of the Women’s Night Time Safety Charter in 2022, Manchester City Council has announced that the brand-new WalkSafe app will go live next week, and it’s going to be free to download.
WalkSafe is an initiative aimed at helping people make safe journeys, no matter the time of day.
The app lets people pick known ‘safe routes’ through Manchester city centre, as well as allowing them to share their location with family or friends, and send an automatic alert out if a person fails to reach their intended destination.
A game-changing new app is launching to make sure Manchester is ‘a safe city for everyone’ / Credit: Manchester City Council | WalkSafe (via Facebook)
The Council says it’s “understandable” that in the years following the “tragic and avoidable” murders of both Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa, that a huge amount of focus has been placed on how cities can be made safe for people at night, and now, with the launching of WalkSafe, it’s hoped this will “help and empower” even more people to feel safe, no matter who they are or where they are going, day or night.
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The launch of the app – which is the brainchild of Emma Kay, the daughter of a Metropolitan Police officer – will also work to promote venues and businesses that are making womens’ safety a priority too.
Councillor Joanna Midgley, who is the Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council said, the arrival of WalkSafe to Manchester is “a huge development” and one which she believes will “strengthen” the work the Council is doing around safety.
“In an ideal world, anyone should be able to go where they want, when they want,” Cllr Midgely commented, “but until then, it is important we put measures in place to protect and empower our residents.
“In the coming months, we will be working with partners across the city, as well as within our burgeoning nighttime and events sector, and our universities, to make sure that anyone has the tools to keep themselves safe.”
WalkSafe will launch in Manchester on Wednesday 4 September, and you can find out more here and download it on the App Store and Google Play.
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
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Appeal launched to find the owner of live chickens found at Creamfields festival
Daisy Jackson
The hunt is on to find the owner of a pair of chickens who were discovered at Creamfields festival.
The two birds were spotted on the grounds of the huge electronic music festival by bewildered festival-goers.
The cockerel and hen were trapped in a hedge, after it appears they wandered onto the festival campsite before the security barriers were installed.
The birds then found themselves trapped inside as around 70,000 music fans poured into Cheshire for a line-up that included Calvin Harris, Swedish House Mafia, Disclosure, and Tiësto.
The chickens have been safely rescued from the Creamfields festival site and are recovering at a wildlife centre, and now the RSPCA is on a mission to find their owner.
Festival-goers first called the RSPCA on Saturday 29 August to alert them to the cockerel and hen trapped inside the festival, one of whom assisted in the rescue mission.
RSPCA Inspector Leanne Cooper: “I was surprised that they were inside the festival site and I needed to get through the road blocks and security before reaching them on foot through muddy fields. I met the caller who helped me as they were just running up and down the hedge line where there was a wire fence blocking access.
Where the chickens were discovered at CreamfieldsThe RSPCA wants to track their owners down
“We managed to guide them out and I caught both of them with my rescue net which was a bit of a sight for the festival campers.
“I don’t think they were abandoned and they’re more likely to be stray because it’s farmland all around the festival site. They don’t have any health issues, apart from being quite underweight.
“With the fences going up a week before the festival starts they’d probably been unable to get out for some time and had been left foraging in the hedge. Someone mentioned that a third bird was also trapped, although we couldn’t find any others.
“I am really grateful to the festival-goer who found them and alerted us to their plight.”
Manchester Airport issues update for anyone flying today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has issued an update for anyone catching a flight today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday.
In case you hadn’t heard, hundreds of flights at several major UK airports – including Manchester Airport – were disrupted by a technical fault at air traffic control provider National Air Traffic Services (NATS) yesterday (8 September 2026), with the incident grounding planes and resulting in numerous cancellations.
According to Flightradar24, more than 1,000 flights were cancelled nationwide, and many passengers were told to expect disruption for the rest of the day.
One of the worst-affected airlines was said to be Ryanair, with around 65,000 passengers affected by the cancellations and delays.
Manchester Airport issued its first statement addressing the matter at 3:15pm yesterday, stating: “We are aware of an issue affecting NATS’ air traffic control service at UK airports, which may result in delays to some departing flights from Manchester Airport today.
“Passengers due to travel are advised to check the latest status of their flight with their airline. We will continue to monitor the situation and share further updates as more information becomes available.”
Now, although the issue has been resolved, Manchester Airport has issued further statements informing anyone travelling today what they can expect.
The airport started off by saying that it is ‘operating as normal’ today, but that passengers are advised to ‘check with their airline for the latest information’.
Emily Sergeant -
27th August 2024 
