Manchester City and England defender John Stones has dedicated Sunday night’s win over Slovakia to Dillan Ramsey-Aksehir, who sadly died during the match.
The Three Lions managed a last-gasp victory over their round of 16 opponents to secure their place in the quarter-finals against Switzerland, but while John Stones and co. were representing their country, the family of five-year-old Dillan Ramsey-Aksehir were sadly in mourning after his tragic passing.
Unfortunately, the leukaemia returned for a fourth time this February following a bone marrow transplant and mum Amy Ramsey confirmed he passed away at 6:15pm while most eyes were fixed on the England game. Learning of the news shortly after, Stones wasted no time in dedicating the win in his name.
As you can see, the Man City centre-back wrote: “Tonight was for Dillan. A special little boy that touched mine and my family’s hearts. He’s an inspiration to us all.
“Rest in peace little fighter, our thoughts are with his family during this unimaginably difficult time.”
The heartfelt gesture which has no doubt been felt throughout the England camp was met with warm applause back home, with people replying, “Absolute class”, “Thank you for all you and your family did to try [and] help Dilly” and one person adding: “What football is all about.” We couldn’t agree more.
As for mum Amy, she posted the gut-wrenching news on Instagram along with a tear-jerking picture of her ever-smiling child, assuring that “he wasn’t in pain and was still talking and making us laugh until he took his last breath.”
Sharing an update on Monday, she said: “I would like to honour Dilly in the best way possible, but also in a sensible way. We would really like to take some time away, take his ashes somewhere nice and make up for lost time with the girls. Possibly pay some rent in advance for a while to relieve the stress of this…
“If you can help take some of the stress away so that we can keep things as they are and pay off the bills it would be a huge help.”
The comments are as emotional and full of love as you would expect, with countless parents offering their condolences and everyone uniting in labelling “the bravest boy” and an “inspiration.”
Our thoughts are with all of his loved ones during this unimaginable time and we sincerely hope his story can serve as added motivation for Stones and the rest of the England squad to go far in honour of Dillan and his memory.
Most importantly, the fundraiser set up by his family is still active if you want to show your support and donate to the page by helping put money towards funeral arrangements.
More than 100 ‘unsafe’ counterfeit Labubus seized in Oldham
Daisy Jackson
More than 100 counterfeit Labubus and accessories have been seized in Oldham, the council has announced.
The Labubu dolls – a plush collectible with giant smiles and bunny ears – have been seized because they are fake, and unsafe.
The haul of 104 Labubus has been given a street value of between £800 and £1000 – but if they were the real deal, they’d be worth more than three times as much.
The poorly-made figures were being sold for a fraction of the price of a real Labubu, which are manufactured by Chinese company Pop Mart (it’s set to open its second Manchester store in the Trafford Centre next week).
Oldham Council’s Trading Standards team said it seized the counterfeit Labubus from local businesses and found that they were unsafe and poorly made.
Officers raised concerns about the safety of the dolls, which had small parts such as eyes, hands and feet broke off easily, creating a choking hazard.
What a genuine Labubu should look like. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
They were also missing legally required safety marks such as the CE or UKCA labels, and lacked the name and address of a UK supplier, which is another legal requirement.
Councillor Elaine Taylor, Oldham Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Licensing, said: “Oldham Trading Standards carries out regular checks to help keep unsafe products off the shelves. In this case, these counterfeit toys failed safety standards and have now been removed from sale.
“We know it can be tempting to buy toys that look like a bargain, but parents need to be extra careful. Fake toys like these may be cheaper, but they can put children in real danger if they’re not made to strict safety standards.
“If anyone has concerns about toys they’ve purchased, or if they see unsafe products on sale locally, we’d encourage them to get in touch with Trading Standards through the Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.”
Council publishes list of central Manchester roads set to be resurfaced this summer
Emily Sergeant
A list of roads in Manchester that are set to be resurfaced before the summer is out has been published.
Manchester City Council recently asked residents in the region what their priorities were for their community and what issues they wanted to see tackled – and for many, the answer was the quality of the road surfaces.
Since then, the Council says it has been ‘engaged’ in a long-running programme of improvement works throughout the borough.
Now, with just over a month of the summer season left, it has been confirmed that some vital resurfacing works are due to start over the coming weeks in north and central Manchester, bringing a range of improvements to key district roads along with it.
First up, from Saturday 9 August, Hollinwood Avenue is to be resurfaced.
The Council has published a list of Manchester roads that are set to be resurfaced this summer / Credit: MJ Richardson (via Geograph)
Anticipated to take six weeks to complete, this work will be carried out during weekend closures from 8am-5pm, with the road remaining open during the working week.
The closure area will be between Greengates Roundabout and the Oldham boundary at Owler Lane, and a signed diversion route will be in place while work is carried out, and access for residents will be maintained at all times.
Then, starting from Saturday 16 August, resurfacing works will begin on Moss Lane East, between Alexandra Road and Princess Road.
Work will take place between 7am and 5pm on weekdays, and 8am and 5pm on weekends, and during the works, the road will be completely closed – with a signed diversion route in place and access for residents maintained.
As always, disruption is expected and the public is encouraged to plan ahead / Credit: Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash)
These works are expected to take six weeks to complete, and as with all resurfacing projects, residents should expect some disruption and may need to plan ahead.
The Council is aiming to keep disruption to the public at a minimum, where possible.
“We know how important it is to our residents that key roads are well maintained, which is why were glad to be able to deliver this latest round of improvement works,” commented Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment, and Transport at Manchester City Council.
“I’d like to thank people ahead of time for their patience during the course of these works and would advise them to check when closures will be in place and where the diversions are.”
You can find more information on the resurfacing works on the Council website here.
Danny Jones -
1st July 2024 
