A science-mad Prestwich schoolboy was forced to undergo life-saving surgery after swallowing 54 magnet toys to see if he’d become “magnetic”.
And now his mum is raising awareness of the risks and dangers.
When 12-year-old Rhiley Morrison chomped down the small magnetic balls on two separate occasions, he was simply just curious to see if it would make metal stick to his tummy, and what they would look like when he passed them, but when the metal balls didn’t make an appearance four days later, the worried lad confessed to his mum hat he swallowed two “by accident”.
After she rushed him to hospital, doctors x-rayed the boy and were stunned to discover 54 of the powerful magnet toys in his stomach and bowel.
Fearing the magnets may burn through tissue or vital organs and go on to cause potentially-fatal internal damage, doctors rushed him to surgery where the objects were scooped out during a six-hour operation, and now that he’s recovering at home, his mum – Paige Ward – is sharing the story of Rhiley’s 16-day hospital ordeal.
She is keen to educate parents about the potential dangers of these toys, and urge them to be binned before it happens again.
“I was gobsmacked, just speechless when I heard the number he’d swallowed.” Paige said.
“The doctors guessed around 25-30 from the x-ray, but when he came out of surgery they said they got 54.
“I think what made it harder is that I just didn’t understand how or why he would swallow that many, [but] Rhiley is massively into science [and] he loves experiments, [so] he eventually admitted ‘I tried to stick magnets to me, I wanted to see if this copper would stick to my belly while the magnets were in’.
“It’s just so silly, but he’s a child and that’s what kids do.
“He also thought it would be fun seeing them come out the other end.”
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Rhiley – who has autism and ADHD – asked for magnet toys for Christmas and bought the additional £4.99 magnetic balls from a corner shop with money he’d saved up.
It’s believed that Rhiley swallowed the first batch on 1st January, and the second lot on 4th January.
But when none of the magnets passed through his system, he confessed to his mum at 2am on 5th January and she quickly took him to Salford Royal Hospital, but following the x-rays and discovery of just how many of the incredibly-powerful magnets were inside him, doctors sent the pair by ambulance to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
Rhiley was then placed on the list for emergency surgery and had a keyhole procedure to remove the magnets.
Due to complications related to ingesting the powerful magnets, Rhiley spent 10 days unable to move without vomiting green liquid caused by his bowel leaking, and he was also unable to eat or go to the toilet and needed to be tube-fed with a catheter inserted.
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“It was heartbreaking watching him go through all that, just horrible,” Paige continued.
“I think it’s especially difficult because of COVID meaning he couldn’t have any visitors [but] it was just horrible to see him not able to sit up and being so sick every time he moved because this fluid was sloshing around inside him.
“I’d managed to hold it together all the time, but it wasn’t nice seeing him in that much pain.
“When they tried to put the catheter in, he had pins and needles through his body and told me ‘I feel like my insides are going to explode’. I remember thinking, I can’t believe all this is happening because of magnets.
“When I went into hospital, I thought ‘God, they’re going to think how has she let him do that?’ [but] a trauma nurse came in and told me she deals with kids like Rhiley who’ve eaten magnets all the time, and another doctor said he’d seen a child who’d swallowed two who ended up with part of their bowel removed, so Rhiley was very lucky with 54.”
Rhiley was discharged on 21st January, and was given a week-long course of antibiotics to stave off infection.
“I got rid of all the magnet toys after this,” Paige admitted.
“He is autistic, but he’s quite high functioning and he knows what he’s doing, he knows right from wrong [but] he’s just made a mistake and unfortunately it was one that could have cost him a lot.”
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To ensure no other family goes through the same experience, Paige is bravely sharing Rhiley’s story, adding: “I don’t want other kids or parents going through that.
“When he did it, I thought it was just him, he’s just been silly and done it, but the surgeon said they see this all the time.
“Magnets aren’t toys and they shouldn’t be sold as toys.
“My message to other parents is to just put them in the bin, don’t buy them in the first place. I don’t care how nice they look and how many children ask for them because they’re ‘cool’, they’re just not worth it. The surgeon said that if Rhiley hadn’t told me that day that he’d swallowed the magnets, they could’ve clashed and ripped his bowel, and he could have ended up with sepsis.
“Rhiley was lucky, but some kids aren’t and won’t be.
“I’m not sure why he told me, he wasn’t in any pain, I just thank God he did.
“He’s taken all of his magnets out of his room now and he won’t entertain them [because it] was a really traumatic lesson for both of us.”
Katrina Phillips – Chief Executive of the Child Accident Prevention Trust – said: “Rhiley was lucky to be treated so quickly and avoid more serious injury [as] we’ve heard of increasing numbers of children swallowing magnets and we know doctors are worried.
“If you look online, you’ll find lots of magnetic toys but the trouble is, there’s no way to tell if they are safe or 10 times stronger than the legal limit [and] many parents assume that, if they can buy something, it must be safe.
“Paige is doing a great service for other families by speaking out about these hidden dangers.”
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What are the risks of swallowing magnetic balls?
If a child swallows small magnetic balls, magnets effectively burn holes in their intestines or bowels.
The magnets stick together internally and through organs and tissues, and can cut off blood supply causing tissue to die.
They are much more complex than button batteries to extract.
The child will need emergency surgery, then, depending on the severity of the injuries, they may need numerous operations, bowel resection and time in paediatric intensive care.
You can find more information and advice via the Child Accident Prevention Trust here.
You can also join in Paige’s fight to ban the sale of magnet toys and ball magnets by showing your support and signing her petition on change.org here.
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Heaton Park’s ‘Gallagher Hill’ where people have been watching Oasis for free is no more
Thomas Melia
The Heaton Park viewpoint coined ‘Gallagher Hill’ which fans flocked to to watch Oasis for free has been closed off ahead of the remaining gig dates.
The particular high area of Heaton Park has gone viral online after Oasis fans have been using it to watch the Live ’25 shows for free, with a distant view of the huge screens.
But as thousands of ticket-holders flock back to the remaining Manchester gigs of Oasis Live ’25, fans who couldn’t manage to get any tickets will be disappointed to learn that the viral viewing point Gallagher Hill has been shut down.
Usually, this hill section of the Manchester green space isn’t filled with Gallagher supporters – it’s normally home to a herd of cows who use this land to graze and walk about on throughout the day.
Huge fences have now been erected around the area to prevent any further groups from gathering, with Oasis still set to perform on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.
Manchester City Council has said that there are also around 300 young trees that have been planted in this part of Heaton Park to develop a new woodland area.
The purpose of the fencing is ‘dual purpose’, a council spokesperson said: “Both to protect the environment from further damage and to dissuade people from gathering there. The necessary measure means the concert will no longer be visible from this area.”
After seeing videos of fans in this particular area, one TikTok user checked it out for herself asking her followers: “Would you get on Gallagher hill now?” before panning her camera to show cows grazing on the land.
Although fans of the Manchester icons were flocking to this spot in order to join in on the Oasis fun from afar, issues have been raised via safety concerns of visitors, the cattle herd and reports of litter.
Fans are now being directed to enjoy the many, many events taking place in the city centre, including the MCR Live Hub at Piccadilly Gardens.
‘Gallagher Hill’ in Manchester today ahead of the next Oasis shows. Credit: The Manc Group
Some fans have been very understanding reasoning this fair decision admitting, “Probably because of security and threats unfortunately”, while others express their disappointment asking, “How sad do you have to be to put that up?”.
One social media user, who was planning on taking a family member to this brand new Manchester landmark commented, “They could’ve utilised Gallagher hill”.
The fan went on to pose the question of making it an official viewpoint for concerts, posing the question, “£30 entry fee, is that too steep?”.
Councillor John Hacking, Executive Member for Employment, Skills and Leisure, Manchester City Council, said: “The atmosphere across Manchester has been electric over this last week with the whole city swept up in Oasis fever and peaking over the weekend with the first two hugely successful homecoming concerts at Heaton Park.
“As you would expect given the size of the concerts and numbers of people attending, we go through a continuous process with partners of re-assessing the plans in place for the concerts to ensure both public safety and that any environmental impact on our award-winning park is minimalised.
“The steps being taken ahead of the next concert regretfully mean the distant view of the large screens behind the event stage will no longer be there. Unfortunately our hand has been forced in having to put these additional measures in place to protect the very recent extensive planting of young trees in that location as we try to establish a new woodland area in the park, and the wellbeing of our cattle herd in the field, as well as to keep people in the park safe.
“Our advice to music fans who don’t have tickets for the concerts is to head into the city centre instead. The whole city is going all out to celebrate and help everyone have a good time. We’ve got some fantastic things going on with a real party atmosphere for everyone to enjoy whether they’ve got tickets for the Oasis gigs or not.”
The Maccabees’ Orlando Weeks on Gavin and Stacey, Glastonbury and comeback tour
Thomas Melia
UK indie band The Maccabees announced their comeback tour earlier this year alongside a very impressive All Points East headline date.
Since rocking into the music scene in 2007, The Maccabees have a Mercury Prize nomination to their name as well as three UK top 40 singles and one chart-topping album ‘Marks To Prove It’.
Just last year, the band ingrained themselves into UK pop culture for eternity thanks to the inclusion of their single ‘Pelican’ in the finale of the much-loved TV classic Gavin and Stacey.
The Maccabees have been a staple in British culture and indie music alike, and it’s safe to say fans were overjoyed when the news of a comeback tour was announced.
The Maccabees are coming to O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester on 21 and 22 August.
After nearly a decade apart, the lads are ready to hit the road again with a string of UK tour dates, which are in preparation for their huge All Points East headline date at the end of August.
Lead vocalist for The Maccabees, Orlando Weeks, sat down with us to talk reuniting with fellow bandmates after almost a decade, as well as all things Glastonbury and the upcoming All Points East headline slot.
Orlando Weeks from The Maccabees | The Interview
The Maccabees have played Manchester almost 20 times since entering the music scene in 2007. What is it about our Manc crowds that keeps pulling you back?
Manchester has a musical heritage, which means there are enough venues that we can come back to so many times and people not be sick of us. The crowds are great, it’s always a good gig and always a good night out.
Having that kind of heritage and pride in your city makes it the kind of place [bands] want to come back to.
This will be the band’s first time playing O2 Victoria Warehouse, and after playing a variety of Manchester City centre music venues, how excited are you to be playing this one for the first time?
I’ve had friends that’ve played it, and everyone said that it’s a good gig. I have no doubt it’ll be good.
Due to incredible demand, you’ve had to add a second date after the first show sold out – what’s it like for you hearing news like this?
The original offer for us was to play All Points East, and so when we got that, it made up our minds to play these summer shows.
Getting to play once in Manchester will set us up [for this headline slot], and getting to play twice will set us up even better. I love being in Manchester anyway, so to have a little bit longer to have a wander and a drink is great.
What was it like getting back into the rehearsal process with the rest of the band after nearly 10 years of not performing or touring together?
It’s very odd how powerful muscle memory is. It’s crazy how quickly all of the songs, structures and playing came back to us.
When we used to play, I invented so many completely useless little triggers for me to help remember lyrics or a chorus that I’d get stuck on, and I still remember those foot taps and placements that bring it all back.
Felix [White] boasted before we even started rehearsing that he remembered everything off by heart, and he could go straight into a gig. To be fair to him, it’s amazing how much his brain has retained.
At your first show in nearly a decade at The Dome in London, you created artwork to raise funds for theMS (Multiple Sclerosis) Society. Will fans be able to buy your artwork and support this charity at both the Manchester dates?
There will be an MS charity stall as well as one for Doctors Without Borders. If you’re reading this or coming to either of the gigs and have anything that you can contribute to either of those charities, then we as a band would be extremely grateful.
This 2025 tour sees support from indie rock band, Sorry – how excited are you to head out on the road with this talented group?
The Maccabees have always been very lucky to travel around the world with other bands who are amazing, and Sorry are definitely part of that list.
You have a reason to get down early, because if you’re a fan of The Macs, you’ll be a fan of Sorry. I can guarantee that you’ll have a good time.
The Maccabees are taking part in some of the biggest events in the British music calendar[Glastonbury, All Points East]. How does it feel to have such immense support nearly 20 years into your career?
20 years in and 10 years off. There are a few people who aren’t in the band but have been such a big part of it, even through the 10 years that we weren’t really doing anything. They would say if you ever did wanna do something, there’ll be people there.
I just didn’t know that [The Macabees reunion] would be as popular as it has been. It’s very hard to explain or get your head around, really.
On the topic of Glasto, how surreal was it to be playing this major music festival for the third time?
I think we’ve been at least four times, maybe five times.
Headlining ‘The Park’ stage was special, and it was also the first time my son came and saw me on a stage singing. It was a great ‘take your son to Work Day’. We had Florence [Welch] coming out and singing with us, too.
I’ll remember all of The Maccabees’ Glastonbury experiences, but I think that’s the one I’ll hold onto for the longest.
Speaking of surreal moments, your song ‘Pelican’ featured in the finale of British favourite, Gavin and Stacey. How did this opportunity come about?
I think Matt might’ve texted me, but it was Christmas and I was swept up in all sorts of celebrations. We got a lot of messages after it aired because an insane number of people watch the show.
It’s all thanks to James Corden and Matt Horne, who have always been fans from early on. It was very flattering and very nice to be part of [Gavin and Stacey].
And finally, after playing Manchester so many times, are there any shops or special spots that you always make sure to visit when you’re in the city?
I remember when we were in Manchester last time for ‘The Farewell’ tour, I’d started running by then – and I loved the canals.
Usually, I defer to local friends and I’ll just let them take me to whichever pub or place they recommend – Wherever they go, I go.
The Maccabees are set to play two nights at O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester, and there are still tickets available for their second date HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
9th February 2021 
