A fundraiser set up in the memory of Graeme Park‘s late teenage son has seen over £25,000 in donations made to charity.
Back in March, the former Hacienda DJ shared the devastating news on social media that his “true warrior” son Oliver had passed away at the age of 18 after a year-long battle with a rare blood cancer known as sarcoma, and thousands of messages of love and support flooded in from fans and famous names in the Greater Manchestermusic and entertainment community.
The 59-year-old described his son as a “kind, loving, and beautiful soul” in an emotional tribute.
Graeme said Oliver “fought so hard until the very end”, but was sadly taken “far too soon” when he “had so much more love to offer to this world”.
Graeme Park’s son Oliver passed away in March 2023 / Credit: Graeme Park (via Instagram)
The Park family said they were “heartbroken” to have lost a son, grandson, nephew, cousin and friend, but took the time to thank everyone “from the bottom of our hearts” for their “wonderful and valued support”.
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They also confirmed back in March that they had made the decision to set up a JustGiving page in Oliver’s memory for Sarcoma UK – a national charity that funds vital research, offers support for anyone affected by sarcoma cancer, and campaigns for better treatments.
Now, coming up to two months since Oliver’s passing, Graeme has revealed that more than £25,000 in donations has been raised for the charity.
Speaking to presenter Anna Jameson yesterday on the loss of his son, and the funds raised in the late teenager’s memory, Graeme explained: “You can’t imagine it because you don’t think you’re ever going to have to experience the situation.
“You really read about people who lose a child, and you think it must be awful, and then it happens to you.
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“It’s just the worst… and it’s still very raw.”
Graeme insisted that despite how raw it is, he does still “want to talk about [Oliver’s passing]” because “sarcoma is very rare and often misdiagnosed, and on average it takes two years to get the correct diagnosis, and by then it’s too late”.
“Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”
Oliver and his twin brother, Ben / Credit: Graeme Park (via JustGiving)
Graeme said the public’s response to the fundraiser has been “amazing”.
“Someone ran the Paris Marathon, someone ran the London Marathon, other people have put little events on, so the total is now £25,303, which is incredible.”
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He said the amount raised for the charity so far has taken his family completely by surprise, adding that: “I thought when we set it up ‘we’ll probably get five or six grand [but] there’s been a few big donations, as well as lots of small donations.”
Donations haven’t just been made via the JustGiving page either, as Graeme said people have even been coming up to him at gigs.
We were saddened to hear of Oliver's death. Our sincere condolences to @graemepark and his loved ones.
As Teenage and Young Adults Cancer Awareness Month starts on Sat, we are driven more than ever to raise awareness of this awful cancer that affects too many younger people. https://t.co/VrOnsvzyGA
“I’ve done a few gigs, because I’m trying to get back to normal because I do think doing what I do, playing music, and just meeting people and seeing people kind of gives you strength, and everyone has been so supportive.
“People have come up to me, I did a Hacienda night in Leeds, and people were coming up and saying ‘look, I’m no good on the internet, here’s five pounds, here’s 10 pounds, add it to the fund’.
If you’d like to support, help, or donate in memory of Oliver, you can do so here.
Featured Image – Graeme Park (via Instagram)
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Ticket requests are now officially open for Harry Styles’ one-night-only Manchester gig
Emily Sergeant
The time has come – the ticket request system for Harry Styles’ one-night-only gig in Manchester is now live.
In case you hadn’t heard, it was announced on Wednesday evening after much speculation that Harry Styles would be making a return home to Manchester for a one-night-only ‘intimate’ gig at Co-op Live to celebrate the release of his fourth studio album next month.
Styles is set to share Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally with the world on Friday 6 March – and it’s that very same night he’ll be taking to the stage in Manchester.
Although little is known about what to expect at the gig, the poster for the event does state that there’ll be a ‘special performance of the album’, so it seems fair to say that Manchester will be the first to hear the new set of songs in full live.
And if all of that wasn’t exciting enough as it is, the tickets are only £20 per person.
But, of course, there is a bit of a catch, as this isn’t your regular online queuing up for tickets scenario, this is a ‘ticket request’ system instead.
So, like us – and literally every other fan in the vicinity of Greater Manchester and beyond this week – you’re probably wondering what a ‘ticket request’ system is… what does it look like? How does it work? Basically, what the heck is it? Well, we’ve done a bit of digging around to get to the bottom of it so you’re not left too much in the dark.
According to Ticketmaster’s website, if an artist is running a ticket request, they’ll invite fans to request tickets so you don’t have to compete in a first-come, first-served sale.
This means you can take your time to review the available options and request the right tickets for you.
All you need to do is tell Ticketmaster which shows you’re interested in, the type of ticket you want, and your payment details. Then, if the tickets you request can be fulfilled, your card will be charged and you’ll get emailed instructions to access them in the Ticketmaster App.
Unfortunately, as much as we’d love it to be the case for everyone, submitting a request doesn’t guarantee you tickets – it really is just luck of the draw.
To request tickets, you’ll need to follow these three simple steps:
Select which shows you’re interested in and the type of ticket you want
Add your payment details
Harry Styles ticket requests are now live / Credit: Johnny Dufort (Publicity Picture)
Ticketmaster will then send you a summary email that details the tickets you’ve requested. Your card won’t be charged at this time, but they may charge a temporary £1 authorisation to your card to validate your request.
A maximum of two tickets per person can be requested, which has been set to allow for as many fans as possible to get tickets.
Now, here’s the crucial part – you will need to submit your request for tickets while the window is open until Sunday 8 February at 11pm GMT. After the request window closes, you’ll get a second email by 11:59pm GMT on Tuesday 10 February confirming whether or not your request has been fulfilled.
All that’s left to do now is provide you with the link here and send you on your way… oh, and may the odds be ever in your favour.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
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Oldham RLFC chairman to step aside following ‘stadium ban’ and winding-up petition
Danny Jones
Oldham Rugby League Football Club chairman Bill Quinn has said he is stepping down from his role at the organisation following a reported club-wide stadium ban and an HMRC winding-up petition earlier this month.
Quinn has now claimed that the petition, which requires a company to appear in court over debts, has since been resolved, but the 59-year-old is still set to leave the local outfit.
Mirroring the concerning circumstances that nearly saw Salford Red Devils disappear completely last year, before a former player’s investment rescued the sporting institute in the eleventh hour, Oldham RLFC looked to be staring down a deeply concerning period of uncertainty.
Speaking directly to Roughyeds fans in a lengthy video share on social media, Quinn said that while he disagreed with many of the comments left by supporters online over the last few weeks, he understands their frustration and right to know what’s going on in and around Boundary Park.
Reiterating that he’s “more than happy” to answer reasonable questions levelled by Oldham residents and matchgoers, he said that he denies allegations made by fellow native club, Oldham Athletic, stating that they are “totally unfounded and untrue”.
The Latics are currently refusing the rugby league side from using their usual home ground, with the football team also serving as landlords and raising concerns over unpaid taxes and outstanding funds still owed to debtors – including OAFC themselves.
You can read their most recent public statement in full HERE.
However, Quinn claims that both entities claim the other one owes them money, and the situation looks to be unfortunately heading towards formal litigation.
Nevertheless, while Chorley-based businessmen say the club is prepared to settle their monetary differences if arrears prove to be the case on their part, he has still said that he will soon be quitting.
As you can see, despite plenty of support and sympathy from the faithful fan base, the process looks to already be in motion, and many are being urged to provide their feedback on what should happen next.
"Trust between a club and its supporters relies on openness and communication — both of which currently feel lacking. This open letter is not written in a spirit of hostility, but out of genuine concern for the future of Oldham RLFC".
Despite Quinn’s insistence that “everyone will be paid”, the spectre of possible liquidation has still caused plenty of concern among the community.
In the case of Salford RLFC, they were fortunate enough to have ex-winger Mason Caton-Brown step in as part of a consortium – you can read our full interview with him HERE – but as the weeks and months of that saga proved, a lot can change even day to day.
As for the coaching front, Alan Kilshaw has been confirmed as the new boss of the Roughyeds following director of rugby Mike Ford and his assistant Callum Irving leaving last week.
While winding-up summons obviously still loom large over the club at the moment, Oldham fans do at least have games to look forward to, with the Greater Manchester Championship club set to face off against Dewsbury Rams in the third round of the Challenge Cup this Sunday, 8 February (3pm).
Emily Sergeant -
12th May 2023 
