A heartbreaking tribute has been paid to Doris Bridgehouse, who was killed by a car travelling 88mph over the legal speed limit.
The 82-year-old grandmother died in a fatal collision after her Kia Venga was hit head-on by an Audi S3 travelling at speeds up to 118mph.
The accident occurred on Friday 13 May 2022 at around 10.55 on Halifax Road in Rochdale. The road has a 30mph speed limit.
On Tuesday 14 November 2023 the Audi driver, 24-year-old Trent Jason Simm, was sentenced to seven years and four months in prison and disqualified from driving for five years after his release.
As well as being charged for Causing Death by Dangerous Driving for the death of Doris Bridgehouse, Simm was also found guilty of Causing Serious Injury by Dangerous Driving to two passengers in Doris’s vehicle, one being Doris’s daughter Amanda.
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Minshull Street Crown Court heard on Tuesday that Doris had been out visiting her grandson’s university showcase and was driving home with them.
On the night of the fatal accident, Simm had been driving at excessive speed when he lost control on a nearside bend, crossing onto the opposing carriage way, where he collided with Doris’s car.
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Emergency services provided first aid to the three occupants of the Kia, but tragically Doris was pronounced dead at the scene. The passengers of both vehicles were taken to hospital with series injuries.
When police officers initially spoke to Simm, he claimed ‘the pedals got stuck, and I’ve come round the corner on the wrong side of the road’.
Trent Simm and Doris Bridgehouse’s cars after the collision. Credit: GMP
At court, Doris’s daughter Amanda read a statement to the court and defendant, highlighting the severe injuries for her and emotional trauma for the rest of her family.
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She detailed her grief, memory loss, and the physical and emotional toll of the accident, and said she hopes Simm will ‘bear the weight of the consequences for the rest of his life’.
Doris Bridgehouse was a beloved nurse and cherished family member who was described as a ‘vibrant and kind’ individual.
Addressing Simm, Amanda said: “It has changed my family and I forever, given my son Max the most dreadful, shocking, and incomprehensible memories and had a catastrophic impact on both my son’s lives.
“You have robbed me and my sons of ‘goodbye’ to Mum and Nan and me of the being the Mum that I want to be to my sons right now. This is very difficult, and you are going to have to live with your actions for the rest of your life.
“As much as you have destroyed the dynamics of our family, I think that you have also destroyed a part of your own and your family’s. I do not feel sorry for you at all; driving at those speeds you are liable to kill someone, and you did.
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“So, actions have consequences and here we are. Rest In Peace, Mum.”
Trent Simm has been jailed for causing the death of Doris Bridgehouse. Credit: GMP
Sergeant Louise Warhurst from GMP’S Serious Collision Investigation Unit said: “What had started out as a special celebratory occasion for Doris and her family ended in tragedy when through no fault of her own, she encountered Trent Simm driving his Audi S3 at manifestly dangerous speeds.
“Trent Simm was treating the public highway as his personal racetrack, reaching astonishing speeds of 118mph in a 30mph residential area. He had no regard whatsoever for the safety of all other members of the public using the roads in Rochdale that evening.
“I would like to thank all the members of the public that tried to assist Doris and her family at the scene of this collision and everyone that came forward to assist the police with their investigation. I would like to thank the family, friends and loved ones of Doris, who have conducted themselves with dignity throughout this investigation.
“I would also like to remind those who think they can ignore the speed limit to think twice before using their car at high speeds. Your actions can devastate innocent members of the public in a split second and no one deserves to lose a loved one this way.Dangerous drivers will not be tolerated in our communities.
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“Greater Manchester Police will deal with them robustly to keep people safe from illegal and irresponsible drivers.”
Extremely rare ‘dancing lemur’ that’s only the size of a tennis ball born at Chester Zoo
Emily Sergeant
An extremely rare ‘dancing lemur’ that weighs 100 grams and is only the size of a tennis ball has been born at Chester Zoo.
Primate conservationists at the UK’s largest charity zoo are celebrating the birth of the critically-endangered Coquerel’s sifaka – also known as a ‘dancing lemur’ – with the tiny baby arriving to parents Beatrice (12) and Elliot (12), and bringing an end to a five-month pregnancy.
The first images released by Chester Zoo show mum Beatrice carefully cradling her new baby, who was born with thick fuzzy white fur, as it clings to her belly.
Chester is the only zoo in the UK, and one of just three in Europe, to care for Coquerel’s sifakas.
Unlike other species of lemur, sifakas stand perfectly upright and use their powerful legs to spring side to side along the forest floor, hence them being affectionately nicknamed the ‘dancing lemur’.
ChDuke Lemur Centre in America to establish a conservation breeding programme across the continent that’s working to prevent the rare primates from becoming extinct.
The unique primates are found in only one place on Earth, the northwestern forests of Madagascar, where its wild population has declined by 80% in the last 30 years due to widespread deforestation, and as a result, the species has sadly been listed as the highest conservation priority there is – critically endangered.
Currently just nine sifaka reside in the whole of Europe, with four now found in Chester.
An extremely rare ‘dancing lemur’ that’s only the size of a tennis ball has been born at Chester Zoo / Credit: Chester Zoo
Chester Zoo has worked with the Duke Lemur Centre over in America to establish a conservation breeding programme across the continent that’s working to prevent the rare primates from becoming completely extinct.
Primate experts at the zoo say the new baby will begin to branch out and explore on its own at around six months old, and it’s at this point they’ll determine whether it’s a male or female.
“Every Coquerel’s sifaka birth is a huge cause for celebration,” commented Dr Nick Davis, who is the Mammals General Manager at Chester Zoo.
“There are very few remaining globally and every addition within the European conservation breeding programme is vital to the work we’re doing to safeguard the future of this species.
“The new baby has spent the first vital few weeks of life quietly bonding with mum, Beatrice, and we’re very happy to report that they’re both doing great so far. We’re seeing positive signs – they’ve been inseparable so far.”
Featured Image – Chester Zoo
News
Police continue searches and issue public appeal to find missing Wigan man ‘known to many in the area’
Emily Sergeant
Officers are continuing searches to find missing Wigan man Darren Orme who’s said to be ‘known to many in the area’.
A public appeal for information has now been issued.
According to Greater Manchester Police (GMP), Darren was last seen shortly before 9pm last Wednesday (5 March) at the junction of Woodhouse Lane and Scot Lane Beech Hill Lane in Wigan, and officers have been searching several locations since he was reported missing the following day.
Darren is 54 years old, around 6ft 3in tall, and of slim build with short red/ginger hair.
He was last seen wearing blue jeans, blue trainers, a navy-blue Wigan Athletic jumper, and a three-quarter length blue Wigan Athletic jacket, police explained in their appeal.
Since Darren’s family reported him as missing, a large GMP response has been underway – including specialist search advisors, an underwater search team, and police dogs, alongside officers from Wigan Police Station.
If you have any information on Darren’s whereabouts, or you have any footage which may show Darren since he was reported missing, please call us on 101 quoting log 2423 of 06/03/2025. pic.twitter.com/5UCKtUYlmL
Darren’s family said in their own heartbreaking plea for him to return home that they ‘implore’ anyone who has any information to contact the police immediately and ‘help return Darren to us’.
Their direct appeal to Darren continues: “Darren, you’re not in any trouble. We just want you home. We need you to know that we love you and we’re here for you. Even though it may feel you have the world on your shoulders and you’re under a lot of stress, you’re not alone and the people of Wigan are right behind you.
“We will do anything we can to take this weight from you. We just want you safe, please come home to us.”
Detective Inspector Lee Shaw added: “Specialist officers from across the force are continuing to search for Darren… and we remain hopeful of finding [him] and want to retrace his last known movements.
“The number of people who have shared our appeals and are out looking for Darren shows how loved he is by the local community, and I would like to urge the public in continuing to share our appeals and information which may assist us.
“We know Darren is known to many in the area, and we appreciate all the help from people who have joined the search over the past few days.”
Anyone with any information on Darren’s potential whereabouts, or any footage which may have shown him since he was reported missing, are urged to call police on 101 quoting log 2423 of 06/03/2025.
Daisy Jackson -
15th November 2023 
