Social media is awash with tributes to an “outstanding journalist” and “a wonderful, caring person” as writer and dedicated Hillsborough campaigner, Dan Kay, has sadly passed away aged 45.
The former Liverpool Echo reporter and lifelong Liverpool fan was said to have died suddenly, with the first reports of his passing on Monday, 8 May, which has come as a shock to both supporters of the football club, his industry colleagues, the city of Liverpool and its local Jewish community.
Having worked on behalf of families and survivors of the Hillsborough disaster for many years, the Echo has described him as a “tireless campaigner” who “pioneered digital journalism in the newsroom… whose compassion, empathy and concern for others touched countless lives in Liverpool and beyond.”
Everyone at LFC is deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Dan Kay.
A much respected journalist who was well known to many at the club, tireless Hillsborough campaigner and lifelong Liverpool fan, our thoughts are with his family, friends and colleagues, @LivEchonews. https://t.co/cpNwVmaaDe
Devastated by this news. @dankay was such a lovely man. We were both like kids in a chocolate factory when we both first interviewed klopp in front of the Kop at Anfield. We were buzzing through the whole day. It was a moment we always talked about over a brew. RIP Dan ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Yaws1qbCcJ
Dan worked with the late Anne Williams’s daughter Sara to co-write With Hope In Her Heart, a powerful account of her mother’s fight for justice in memory of her son Kevin, 15, and the 96 other supporters unlawfully killed at Hillsborough.
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Acting as a champion for social justice and always looking to help those in need throughout his personal and professional life, he also compiled individual tributes to each one of the victims, spending countless hours with their families and friends, as well as producing the visual tribute ‘97 Candles Burn Bright‘,
Writing on Twitter just last month, Dan said of the tribute: “As always our city stands together – love and strength to the inspirational families, heroic survivors and everyone affected by this most cruel of days.”
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As for “best friend” Sara, she said he became part of the family and “had a heart of gold”, insisting that “he would do anything for anyone… we will all miss him so much.” It appears the amount of lives he touched is beyond number, as social media mourns “a truly kind-hearted, generous man”.
You genuinely did not have a bad bone in your body. Purple Daniel the Maniel.
I’ll miss your Pits goalscoring and your ‘just taking a quick call’ turning into a 90 minute conversation🤣 The nicest man you could meet. I’ll miss you so much.
Devastating news to hear my friend and colleague Dan Kay has died. Dan was the definition of kindness and generosity. A tireless Hillsborough campaigner and the most knowledgeable, passionate Red you could meet. Love to his friends and family. He'll be greatly missed. RIP Dan💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/hNrKBxTs2R
Kay’s cause of death is not yet known but the sadness being felt across Liverpool, the Jewish community for whom he acted as an honorary secretary at his local synagogue; his journalistic colleagues and those close to him that are “really struggling to come to terms with this news” is plain for all to see.
As the Echo‘s Audience Editor, Paul Philbin, wrote: “The outpouring of love for Dan Kay says everything you need to know about him. A giant of this city”.
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A date has not yet been confirmed for Dan’s funeral but it is expected to take place at Broadgreen Jewish Cemetery.
By all accounts an incredible journalist, a dedicated campaigner, a friend to all and an all-round lovely person. Rest in peace.
Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…
Danny Jones -
9th May 2023 
