A garage can often be forgotten about and used solely to store cars and other items that rarely get used in a far-from-convenient manner.
If you’re a motor enthusiast who is regularly tinkering with your vehicle, an unorganised garage can make going about your hobby more difficult than it needs to be.
Following these simple steps can help you give your workshop a makeover, allowing you to get the most of your passion for cars.
Have a clear-out
As mentioned, garages are often used to store items that rarely get used – if at all.
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Clearing everything out gives you a clear idea of the space you’re working with, enabling you to better visualise how you want everything to set out.
If you’re unable to find a place to keep any items that you no longer want in the garage, you could try to sell them to raise funds for your renovation or place things in temporary storage while you decide what to do.
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When the garage is empty, it’s the perfect time to give it a good clean too!
Start on the interior
Once everything’s clean and tidy, you can measure up and decide how best to set your garage up.
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You might decide the floor could do with levelling out or maybe just a simple paint job. It’s also a good time to consider where would be best to place your workbench and how to arrange the space around it.
Shelves will be hugely important, so find a place you can put them up safely. You won’t want them above a car, for example, as anything that falls off could cause significant damage to your vehicle.
Get the right tools
A workman is often only as good as his tools, so it’s important to make sure you get as much value for money when it comes to getting all the gear you need for your garage.
You’ll want to tick off the basics like gloves, car ramps, torque wrenches and an impact driver. If you’re renovating your garage ahead of a big project, you might want to consider an engine crane too.
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Make the most of storage
Whether you’ll be working with tools you already had or will be investing a lot of money in new equipment, it’s paramount you store them safely.
If purchasing a used tool chest, inspect it closely for any rust and ensure all the drawers still operate smoothly. If it’s portable, purchasing some anti-slip mats can help keep the contents of your storage unit safe too.
A pegboard is also exceptionally useful in a garage, giving you easy access to the tools you use the most. This will help keep your newly renovated garage feeling fit for purpose for the long term.
News
New £60m fund launched to fill potholes across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A new £60 million Pothole Fund has been created to repair more of the city region’s roads and pavements.
The fund – which has been set up by new Mayor Bev Craig, and is to be spent across every borough in Greater Manchester – is set to be a ‘major boost’ to efforts to tackle the pothole problem, as it will be enough to repair and maintain over a million square metres, or around 125 kilometres, of road across the wider region.
Around 2.5 billion trips are made on Greater Manchester‘s roads every year – not only by motorists, but also by buses, trams, cyclists, and pedestrians. So the fund will be used to help keep the highways network ‘safe and reliable’.
The fund will enable transport teams to repair hotspots where surfaces are in poor condition, as well as resurface roads and pavements to prevent them from deteriorating in the first place.
A new £60m fund has been launched to fill potholes across Greater Manchester / Credit: TfGM
Cold and wet winters, more traffic, and heavier vehicles using the roads are just some of the contributing factors to the pothole problem, which is why the fund is being introduced before autumn and winter properly arrives.
The amount each of the 10 boroughs will receive is based on an agreed funding formula, with the allocations being:
Bolton: £6,552,000
Bury: £4,374,000
Manchester: £8,155,000
Oldham: £5,258,000
Rochdale: £5,243,000
Salford: £5,388,000
Stockport: £6,820,000
Tameside: £4,980,000
Trafford: £4,992,000
Wigan: £8,241,000
The extra cash comes from the region’s transport budget, with leaders agreeing to reallocate funding towards highways maintenance, and it fulfils a commitment Bev made in her Mayoral Manifesto to repair more roads and make sure pavements are safe.
“Keeping our roads and pavements safe and well maintained is essential for a growing city region like Greater Manchester,” explained Mayor Bev Craig.
“That’s why I promised to create this new Pothole Fund that will benefit drivers and everyone who uses our roads to get around. Properly maintaining our roads will save motorists money on costly repairs, and by preventing potholes forming in the first place, councils won’t have to spend as much money on emergency road repairs.
“This issue came up repeatedly on the doorstep during my election campaign so I’m pleased that I can do something about it so quickly, building on the significant work already planned by councils across Greater Manchester.”
Featured Image – TfGM
News
Six GMP officers dismissed following racial discrimination allegations
Emily Sergeant
A number of police officers have been dismissed following an internal investigation, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has confirmed.
Following the internal investigation into alleged racial discrimination against an officer on the Bury district – which was launched by GMP‘s Professional Standards Directorate in July 2024 – six officers and two former officers were found to have committed gross misconduct, and a ninth officer was found to have committed misconduct.
The investigation came after a report was made that an officer had been subjected to ‘racist behaviour’ by colleagues in December 2023.
The panel heard how PC Y – who has African heritage and has been granted anonymity – made a complaint after her accent was mimicked by a group of officers. She was also compared to a suspect with similar skin colour, and one of the dismissed PCs made a derogatory comment about her hair.
PC Y was supported and kept updated throughout the investigation, GMP assured, as well as providing evidence at the hearing.
The misconduct hearing lasted just over two weeks, with the panel concluding that the officers breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour relating to Equality and Diversity, Authority, Respect, and Courtesy.
The six officers who have been dismissed are PC Demi Green, PC Heena Rani, PC Lucy Granby, PC Matthew Barlow, PC Matthew Hill, and PC Mohammed Abid, while the former officers who were found to have committed gross misconduct are PC Jake Holt, and former Officer A – who has been granted anonymity.
The panel also found that Sergeant Adrian Bick’s actions amounted to misconduct, as there was no breach of the standard of equality and diversity.
As a result, the six serving officers have been sacked without notice, while the two former officers would have been dismissed had they not already left the force, and Sergeant Bick was issued a written warning.
“No officer or member of staff should have to come to work and experience discriminatory behaviour from the people they serve alongside,” declared Deputy Chief Constable, Terry Woods.
“Everyone has the right to feel respected, valued and part of the same team with a shared commitment to serving our communities and keeping people safe.”
The Manc -
21st July 2021 
