A fundraiser set up in memory of Luke Howe, a local teen from Trafford whose body was tragically found dead in a nearby river over the weekend, has already raised well over £40,000 for his school.
Luke, 14, went missing after school on Thursday, 18 January, with Greater Manchester Police issuing a massive appeal to help find him. However, his body was sadly recovered from the River Bollin in Hale the following day and despite the best efforts of the emergency services, he was deceased at the scene.
There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances surrounding his death and GMP issued their deepest condolences to “Luke’s loved ones, his friends and family in what is a truly awful time”, stressing the importance they be given privacy at this time.
A Luke Howe memorial fundraiser was set up in the immediate aftermath by his aunt, Jessica Howe, with the family agreeing that all donations would go directly to his school, Brentwood Community College in Sale, known for its excellent standard of special education.
Writing in the description of the fundraiser, Jessica said: “As I’m sure so many of you are aware now, our beloved nephew/son/brother/grandson/friend Luke Howe was tragically found dead today.
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“Speaking with his sister, Lydia, we want to focus now on doing something positive in Luke’s name and we have decided we would love to fundraise for his school, Brentwood College…
“Brentwood is an outstanding school for SEND [special educational needs and disabilities] pupils with additional needs and we are hoping to fundraise for new soft play for the school for anyone who would like to contribute as, in his sister’s words, there was nothing he loved more.
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“If there is anything you can spare to help this school that did so much for Luke, we’d be forever grateful”. Since the GoFundMe went live over the weekend, more than £40k in donations has been raised for the school, with the funds going towards a new soft play area which he loved so much and deeply missed during lockdown.
The teen was described as the ‘biggest character’.Luke and his sister Lydia growing up.Credit: Family handouts
Posting an update and a link to the page following the overwhelming reaction of love, support and people paying their respects, Jessica wrote on Facebook, “Lydia and I had a moment last night when we looked at each other and couldn’t believe what you have all helped us achieve in 24 hours.
“Words will never express it. Please, please, please keep the efforts going… In the meantime though, I’m off to go focus on the family. Only love xxxxx”
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Speaking to the BBC, she went on to describe him as an “incredible young man” and “the greatest people person” who simply “loved happiness and joy”, adding that the response to the fundraiser has been “amazing” and that “people can be incredible in the darkest times”.
She signed off by stating, “If there’s something good that can come out of this for an incredible school that does so many amazing things for other children with similar challenges to our Luke, that will be something that will sustain us through.”
Our thoughts are with everyone near and dear to Luke and if you would like to donate to the Luke Howe fundraiser, you can do so HERE. Rest in peace.
New endometriosis pill helping hundreds of women with ‘debilitating’ condition to be made available on NHS
Emily Sergeant
A groundbreaking new pill to help women with a ‘debilitating’ condition is set to be made available on the NHS.
The new daily pill for endometriosis – which has been approved for use on the NHS in England by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) – is called linzagolix, and will be available for those who have had previous treatment for endometriosis, working to manage any symptoms they may be experiencing.
Around 1.5 million women in the UK are thought to be currently living with endometriosis.
Endometriosis can cause chronic pain, heavy periods, and extreme tiredness when tissue similar to the womb lining grows elsewhere in the body.
A new daily pill for endometriosis has been approved for use on the NHS, and could help over a thousand women in England every year manage the symptoms of the debilitating condition.
As mentioned, linzagolix will be available specifically for patients whose previous medical or surgical treatments for endometriosis have been unsuccessful, and will be given alongside ‘add-back’ hormone therapy – which involves using low-dose hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to prevent menopause-like symptoms and bone loss.
This is the second take-at-home treatment to be approved to treat endometriosis on the NHS, and it’s thought that more than 1,000 women will benefit.
In clinical trials, linzagolix was shown to be successful in reducing painful periods and non-menstrual pelvic pain, compared with placebo, hence why it has been approved on the NHS by NICE.
“This is welcome news for women with endometriosis who haven’t found relief from previous therapies or surgery,” commented Dr Sue Mann, who is the National Clinical Director in Women’s Health for NHS England.
“It’s another treatment option which will help women take control of their health and better manage the symptoms of this often painful and debilitating condition.
“This is a testament to our ongoing commitment to improving treatment, care and quality of life for women.”
Featured Image – Heute
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Wigan woman jailed after hitting pedestrian in Fiat 500 while driving high on nitrous oxide ‘balloons’
Emily Sergeant
A young woman from Wigan has been handed jail time after hitting a pedestrian while driving high on nitrous oxide.
Louisa Tunstall was driving a white Fiat 500 towards the East Lancashire Road in Wigan at around 7pm on Friday 24 May 2024 – a time when traffic conditions were said to be ‘quiet’ – but Tunstall was under the influence of a now-banned drug, nitrous oxide, at the time of the incident, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed.
While driving under the influence, 19-year-old Tunstall veered to the left onto the pavement and collided with a 51-year-old woman pedestrian.
After striking the woman, the car then overturned and, in the process, caused serious life-changing injuries.
When questioned by police, Tunstall stated that she ‘took her eyes off the road’ to retrieve something in the footwell before knowing the car had flipped, but she also confirmed that she had just been out to purchase nitrous oxide to use that evening.
After obtaining witness accounts, investigating officers were able to track down nearby CCTV footable which showed Tunstall inhaling nitrous oxide through a balloon whilst driving, seconds before the collision occurred.
#JAILED | It's not a laughing matter when you get behind the wheel under the influence of drugs.
Now Louisa Tunstall has to spend over a year behind bars after inhaling nitrous oxide and causing serious injury in #Wigan last year.
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) May 14, 2025
Further investigation by GMP’s Forensic Vehicle Examination Unit examined the Fiat 500 and confirmed that no defects were found on the car to contribute towards the collision.
Still to this day, the victim says she is trying to recover from the injuries sustained to her leg that will prevent her from continuing life as she did before.
“The incident is still very raw when I think about it,” the victim explained in her impact statement released by GMP. “I become upset when I think at everything which has been taken away from me and the ongoing affect it has had and continues to have on my daily life.”
GMP says it’s seeing the use of nitrous oxide being a factor in incidents they attend increasing year on year.
Nitrous oxide, also known as ‘laughing gas’, is reported to produce euphoria, relaxation, dizziness, giggling or laughing fits, impaired judgement, and occasionally dissociation and hallucinations – which GMP says affects reaction time and and is ‘likely lead to impairment’ in driving performance, particularly when faced with an unexpected or hazardous situation.
Tunstall appeared at Bolton Crown Court this week, and has been sentenced to one year and eight months imprisonment for having possession of a Class C drug, driving under the influence of drugs, and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
Alongside being jailed, she was also disqualified from driving for two years and eight months, and has been ordered to take an extended test when she is released.
Danny Jones -
22nd January 2024 
