Tributes are pouring in on social media following the death of a local young man from Bredbury, Stockport, who was tragically hit by a car last weekend.
Joel Corey Sheldon, who was just 23, sadly died on Saturday, 21 June, after being struck by a vehicle on the previous Friday night at around 10:20pm.
The Stopfordian was rushed to the hospital immediately, but was later pronounced dead from his injuries despite the best efforts of the paramedics and emergency services. He is survived by his parents, Gaz and Cheryl, as well as two brothers, Leo and Harvey.
Following the news of his passing, family members, friends and countless others throughout the Bredbury community and beyond have been paying their respects to what was, by all accounts, a “fun-loving popular young man.”
In a heartfelt tribute issued on Tuesday afternoon (24 Jun), Joel’s family wrote: “Our beautiful son Joel was caring, kind, and loved by everyone who knew him.
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“He smiled constantly and loved life. His energy was infectious, and the outpouring of love for him has made us so immensely proud. We will love him and miss him for the rest of our lives.”
Writing on Facebook, the youngster’s godfather, Martin Smith, added: “RIP Joel Sheldon, I was so proud to be your godfather and part of your life. I’ll miss our chats.
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“Even when you were gaming back in the day, you always were so polite to me. I love you, and the amount of broken hearts shows what a beautiful young man you were…”
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) say they received reports of a collision involving a Vauxhall Corsa and a pedestrian on Lower Bents Lane, close to The Greyhound Pub, with the car being seen heading in the direction of Redhouse Lane when the collision occurred. No suspects have been identified thus far.
A fundraising page has now been set up in Joel’s memory, with people donating to help cover the cost of his funeral and ‘any additional costs incurred by the family.’
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Set up by fellow Bredbury native and family friend, Eleanor Moore, the description of the page reads: “The Sheldons are very much at the heart of the Bredbury community, and we would like to take away the financial strain at this difficult time.” Over £23,000 has been raised already.
Nearby pub, The Queens – located further up the same road on which he was unfortunately hit – also posted the GoFundMe link and has been sharing official updates from GMP, as have a number of other local businesses and organisations.
As for the latest from the authorities, police are appealing for more information, urging anyone with any more details regarding the incident, no matter how small, to come forward as soon as possible.
This includes Bredbury locals, eyewitnesses in the area at the time; dashcam and/or doorbell camera footage that may have captured images of the car or its driver, and any other information which might be useful in the investigation of Joel Sheldon’s death.
If you have information, you can contact Greater Manchester Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 101 quoting log 4082 of 20/06/25, or do so online right HERE.
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Our thoughts go out to Joel’s friends and family, along with all those whose lives he touched, during this extremely difficult time. Rest in peace.
Man charged and named after two attempted rapes in Rochdale parks just hours apart
Emily Sergeant
A man has been charged after two attempted rapes took place in two Rochdale parks merely hours apart from each other.
He has also been publicly named as Harvey Symes, from Milnrow in Rochdale.
The 23-year-old black British national has been charged with two counts of attempted rape and threats to kill, and is due to appear at in Manchester and Salford Magistrates court today (27 July), Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has confirmed.
Symes was arrested and then subsequently charged after police received a report that a woman had been sexually assaulted in Rochdale’s Broadfield Park, by a man unknown to her, at around 6:15am on Saturday 25 July.
A second report was then made at 8:38am concerning the sexual assault of a woman in Milnrow Memorial Park – again with the victim reporting being attacked by a man she did not know.
Both victims provided GMP with a similar description of the suspect, leading police to believe the attacks were linked.
Investigation officers began their search for a black male believed to have been wearing a three piece suit or smart black clothes and a dark coat, and also carrying a briefcase, and as part of ongoing enquiries, they identified CCTV footage of a man matching the description in the Coco Lounge in Rochdale town centre – with the man leaving the venue at around 5am.
While Symes has now been arrested, charged, and publicly named, police are still appealing for anyone with information, and CCTV, dashcam, doorbell, or mobile phone footage from the Rochdale town centre, Broadfield Park, or Milnrow Memorial Park areas in the early hours of Saturday morning, to come forward.
Anyone with information should contact GMP on 101, quoting incident number 679 and 880 of 25/07/2026, or report it via the LiveChat service online.
Information can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
News
Drama Call opening first-ever flagship shop in Manchester
Danny Jones
Streetwear superstars Drama Call are opening their new flagship store and first-ever permanent site in Manchester city centre this weekend.
Expect massive queues and lots turning up wearing the increasingly recognisable starry logo.
Already a much-loved brand not just here in 0161 but across the nation at large, the native independent business turned street-style favourites and UK fashion phenomenon are no strangers to HUGE pop-ups in their hometown.
However, they’ve never had a mainstay location anywhere in the country, let alone Greater Manchester – well, until now, that is…
Credit: Press shots (supplied)
Debuting in the Northern Quarter this Sunday, the venue located on Tib Street will effectively serve as Drama Call‘s new HQ.
The local label has done everything from popping up vans with Manc rapper Aitch to collaborating with Man United for multiple limited edition collections, so it only felt like a matter of time before they’d make a big brick-and-mortar splash in our fair city.
Most notably, they’re also taking over the same unit as the Sheep Shop, a former skate shop and legendary urban clothing tastemaker of the 90s; they were one of the first places in Britain to stock famous names like Stüssy, Supreme, Carhartt, The North Face and many more.
With that in mind, it feels only fitting that they carry on the trendsetting tradition from the same premises, and just spitting distance from the likes of Note, as well.
And that’s not all, either: before the full launch, they’ll also be holding an exclusive cash-only shirt swap event, where a limited number of certain collector’s items will be sold for as little as £10.
Other things to note are the additions of signed vinyls by homegrown artists such as the aforementioned Aitch and even The Smiths.
In fact, the store will also feature strictly Mancunian exclusives, too.
Everything from polo shirts and tees to branded mugs, matchboxes and other accessories will be available in-store only.
NQ is bound to be buzzing across launch weekend, with doors officially opening to the public on Sunday, and we wouldn’t be surprised if you see people camping outside the front well ahead of time.
What a moment the Manc shopping scene is having right now.
Danny Jones -
24th June 2025 
