New images of the clothing and jewellery worn by a woman who sadly died on the M56 near to Manchester Airport last month have been released.
Investigating officers have released the images in the hopes of identifying the woman.
The release of the images of the items comes after Greater Manchester Police (GMP) launched an urgent public appeal after following officers attending reports of concern for the welfare of a woman on the Thorley Lane over bridge leading to the Junction 5 slip road on the M56 – which is on the way to Manchester Airport‘s Terminal Two – at around 2:40am on Monday morning (31 July).
Once police arrived, a scene was put in place, but despite the best efforts of emergency services, the woman sadly died.
Her death is not currently being treated as suspicious, GMP has confirmed.
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The identity of the woman still uncertain, however, which is why GMP is calling on the Greater Manchester public to get in touch with any information or potential dashcam footage that may help lead to the eventual notifying of her loved ones.
And now, the photos of her clothing, jewellery, and possessions – which were found when her body was recovered – have been released, with officers hoping that the woman’s next-of-kin may recognise what she was wearing.
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As detailed in GMP’s earlier appeal, the woman is described as white, 5’3 tall, with shoulder-length mousey brown hair that is straight and greying in places, and her age was estimated to be within in the 40s – 60s region.
She was wearing dark clothing, pink and brown tortoise shell spectacles, a gold-coloured necklace and bracelet with a gold-coloured beaded clasp, and a gold-coloured ring with a knot design on her right ring finger, while another gold-coloured ring on her left ring finger contained a set of clear stones.
The woman was also said to be wearing a patterned brown-coloured headband, and wristwatch with a black leather strap, as well as having her nails painted pink.
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The scene of traffic build-up after the section of the M56 was closed on Monday / Credit: Highways England
Speaking as the images were released, Detective Sergeant Steven Rogers, of GMP’s Trafford district, said: “We are continuing our work to identify the woman and we hope that these new photos may help jog people’s memories and assist with our work.
“We will use everything available to us as we carry on with our enquiries to unite this woman with her next-of-kin.
“We are still appealing for information and ask anyone who may know something to get in touch.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Greater Manchester Police on 101 or 0161 856 7527, quoting log number 280 of 31/7/23, or report it online at www.gmp.police.uk.
You can also contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – GMP
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Trafford’s £75m surf park and leisure resort project is finally moving again
Danny Jones
The exciting £75 million development over in Trafford Park that will see a brand-new luxury leisure centre, surf and spa resort arrive in Manchester is finally moving again after two years of delays.
Originally slated to arrive in 2023, planning permission for Modern Surf Manchester was granted back in September 2021 but due to problems with funding, the hugely ambitious project has been held up ever since, with the opening date pushed back to sometime in 2025.
However, according to an update on the Trafford City Council website, the wheels are turning once again with developers Tartan Leisure — who are already part way through building a similar attraction in Edinburgh — now appointed to deliver the product to the masses.
Modern Surf is part of a larger 20-year project to upgrade the TraffordCity complex, with around £2.6bn set aside for the huge investment and undertaking, with this set to be the first inland surfing destination in the North of England — and we’ve already had a spellbinding glimpse of what it’s going to look like.
Using technology from Wavegarden to create an artificial lagoon and giant surf park, the TraffordCity attraction will produce 1000 waves every hour at varying intensities and will be able to house up to 90 people at any one time, delivering a kind of surfing few will ever have experienced before.
Better still, once completed, Modern Surf Manchester will create over 140 new full-time jobs during peak times and –
The wider regeneration of Trafford Park also includes a whopping £250m set aside for the highly-anticipated, Therme Manchester, which was first announced back in 2020 and will be a similarly unprecedented addition to the region and the North as a whole.
The water park, spa and wellness resort situated just next to the Trafford Centre will span nearly 30 acres alone and the latest images depicting how it’s going to look are pretty incredible:
The sheer scale and scope of Modern Surf Manchester and the surrounding investments in Trafford can’t be overstated, not only generating new business and tourism for Greater Manchester but even adding fitness and mental health benefits to locals.
Speaking to TraffordCity, Manc professional surfing coach Alan Bisseker, who has worked with Olympic and professional organisations including GB Surfing, said that “there are few sports that give you as many health and fitness benefits as surfing”, insisting that this “combined with the significant positive impact on mental health and wellness is undeniable and well-documented.”
Andy Hadden, Founder of the newly appointed Tartan Leisure team who are soon set to finish their Lost Shore Surf Resort in Scotland, added: “There has been an enormous rise in popularity for surfing over recent years with proven benefits to our overall health and wellness… the response and appetite that we have seen from the public has been phenomenal. [Modern Surf] will be a very exciting addition to an already incredible combined retail and experienced-based leisure destination for all to enjoy.”
Trafford is already a hub of culture, leisure and sport in the UK and when this thing arrives that’s only going to become more apparent — sod the New Year, roll on 2025 and surf park city!
Featured Images — Trafford City Council (planning portal)/Modern Surf Park Manchester
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Sir David Jason set for TV return in Only Fools and Horses documentary Christmas special
Danny Jones
In a surprise bit of festive news, the only and only Sir David Jason is returning for an Only Fools and Horses Christmas special this December. Lovely jubbly!
The best-loved and most-watched British comedy of all time will be back on our screens in documentary form this festive season, with Del Boy himself David Jason revisiting the iconic comedy character after 20 years he last played him on screen.
While the legendary sitcom was broadcast on BBC back in the day, the highly-anticipated Only Fools doc will be airing on Channel 5 right before Christmas as a special one-off programme.
Looking back on the show’s incredible run on UK screens over seven series and the several ‘Christmas Cracker’ specials, specifically, the latest Only Fools and Horses documentary will see Jason and a number of other guests appearing to chat about the legendary show.
The release date of the Only Fools special Christmas documentary is yet to be announced.
While it’s still unclear how many of the original cast will be appearing, Jason’s on-screen wife Tessa Peake-Jones (Raquel) is confirmed to be appearing along with other special guests including newscaster Krishnan Guru-Murthy and Bendiorm‘s Sherrie Hewson.
Sadly, a full theatrical reunion just isn’t on the cards following the deaths of Roger Lloyd Pack (Trigger), Kenneth MacDonald (Mike the Landlord) and Buster Merryfield (Uncle Albert) in the 30 years since the show ended its run.
Only Fools writer John Sullivan also sadly passed away aged 64 in 2011 and fellow co-star Nicholas Lyndhurst, a.k.a. Rodney Trotter, told Metro: “We can’t. John is no longer with us. John was the driving force of the show and we have also lost quite a few cast members now.
“I don’t think I could do it without them and I certainly couldn’t do it without John. At the risk of depressing everyone, I think the last two times I’ve seen David has been at funerals.”
Simply entitled, ‘The Story Of Only Fools And Horses At Christmas’, the 90-minute special is yet to have its broadcast date fully confirmed but you best keep your eyes peeled on the TV guide — we’ll let you know as soon we do.
Jason, 81, has only just recovered from hip surgery earlier this year, so it’ll be nice to see his familiar grin back on our screens.
Right, we’re off to binge a whole series on UK Gold.
Emily Sergeant -
8th August 2023 
