Eat Well MCR – a community project launched to feed the hungry – has broken the £100,000 barrier with the help of a donation from Liam Gallagher.
The Oasis frontman’s 1996 MTV Award – won for Best Song for ‘Wonderwall’ – was purchased at a live auction for an incredible £45,000; helping Eat Well MCR break the six-figure fundraising barrier in just three months.
£73,000 was generated by United We Feed – a Manchester merch sale held at Cloudwater Brewery in collaboration with United We Stream GM.
Dozens of volunteers and collaborators got involved for the occasion – which included live performances, prizes and musicians making cookalong pizzas.
Further donations also flooded in from the likes of Albert’s Schloss and The Lead Station – crowdfunding a whopping £100,000 in total.
Eat Well MCR was launched by Manchester chef Mary-Ellen McTague of The Creameries in Chorlton with the aim of salvaging food waste left behind by closed restaurants during lockdown.
The organisation has blossomed since, and is now working to ensure a sustainable future so they can continue their mission to “show care and support for people when they need it most, through food.”
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Mary-Ellen said: “The Eat Well MCR collective is made up of people who believe in showing care and spreading joy through food. Even when faced with an uncertain future for their own livelihoods and businesses, they got to work to support our wonderful city, and people facing unimaginably harsh realities.
“At the start of our journey our meals would cost less than £1 to make as the majority of our ingredients were donated by the amazing restaurants in our collective, and everyone volunteered their time. “
She continued: “We cannot expect to keep the cost of our meals so low, as people return to work and restaurants open, but we are committed to continue feeding those who need it.
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“The money raised is therefore even more essential for Eat Well MCR to carry on in its mission to support people. Lockdown may be easing but the challenges faced by people we support won’t go away, and we don’t intend to either.
“As a collective, we have started something amazing and we are determined to see this through.
“We are now developing plans for income generation so that we can become a self sustaining organisation that works to support both those in need, and our local food economy, with our mission to support people facing food inequality absolutely at our core.”
— Hattie Pearson 🎩☕️🍐☀️ (@hattiepearson) June 6, 2020
Some of the restaurants involved in the collective include A Taste of Honey, Baratxuri, Beehive Food, Cloudwater Brew Co., Common Bar, Nells Pizzas, The Creameries, Diamond Dogs, Eagle and Child, Elite Bistros, Elnecot, Erst, Gorilla, Hawksmoor, Higher Ground, Hispi, Honest Crust, The Hungry Gecko, Isca, Koffee Pot, Konoba, Little Window, The Manchester Tart Company, Stretford Canteen, Tampopo, The Victoria Walshaw and Where The Light Gets In.
Learn more about how you can support this amazing cause on the Eat Well MCR website.
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NHS says it’s battling with ‘worst case scenario’ as flu cases surge nationwide
Emily Sergeant
Flu hospitalisations have surged by more than half in just one week, plunging the NHS into the ‘worst case scenario’.
Shocking new figures have revealed that an nn average of 2,660 patients per day were in a hospital bed with flu last week, which is the highest-ever for this time of year and up 55% up on last week – which, when put into perspective, means there are enough flu patients each day to fill more than three whole hospital trusts.
NHS bosses have warned that the total has already increased sharply since the week covered by the data, and at this time, there is thought to be no ‘peak’ in sight.
These new figures come as demand for A&Es and ambulance services are already soaring.
The number of patients in hospital with flu has risen by over 50% in the last week, reaching a record number for this time of year – and numbers continue to grow.
New monthly figures showed that A&E attendances were a record for November at 2.35 million and more than 30,000 higher than November 2024, while there were 48,814 more ambulance incidents compared to last year.
The record-breaking demand also comes just ahead of thousands of resident doctors going on strike this week from 17-22 December – with ‘major disruption’ expected for patients ahead of Christmas.
The public are advised to attend any planned appointments scheduled during the strikes, unless they have been contacted to reschedule.
Primary and urgent and emergency care services will continue to be available for those who need them, during the industrial action.
NHS says it’s battling with the ‘worst case scenario’ as flu cases surge nationwide / Credit: Pxhere
The public should use 111 online as their first port of call for urgent but not life-threatening issues so that they can be directed to the best place for their needs, while patients who need emergency medical care should continue to use 999 or come forward to A&E as normal.
“With record demand for A&E and ambulances and an impending resident doctors strike, this unprecedented wave of super flu is leaving the NHS facing a worst-case scenario for this time of year – with staff being pushed to the limit to keep providing the best possible care for patients,” commented Professor Meghana Pandit, who is the NHS National Medical Director.
“Even worse, it continues to rise and the peak is not in sight yet, so the NHS faces an extremely challenging few weeks ahead.
“We have prepared earlier for winter than ever before, and stress-tested services to ensure people have a range of ways to get the help they need and avoid needing to go to A&E.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the flu surge as a ‘tidal wave’.
“We are working with the NHS to make sure it is able to cope with this as best as possible,” he concluded.
Featured Image – Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)
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Erling Haaland dresses up as Santa and hands out Christmas presents in Greater Manchester
Danny Jones
Manchester City star Erling Haaland has doubled as Father Christmas in his latest YouTube stunt, dressing up as Santa and handing out presents to local kids in the new episode.
We’re starting to think he might be one of the most likeable footballers on the planet right now.
The Norwegian footballer recently surpassed Alan Shearer’s ‘fastest to 100 goals record’ in the Premier League and has been well and truly back to his best as Man City continue to rediscover their form, but the big blonde number nine has been delighting both on and off the pitch of late.
For starters, even before any of the season’s givings began, we got the giggle just from our first glimpse of the thumbnail.
Yes, Haaland definitely has a habit of leaning into the humorous side of his celebrity status, having already dressed up as the Joker for Halloween in one of the first episodes published on his still relatively new YouTube channel.
However, the 25-year-old got up to some more heartwarming activities this time around, swapping the face paint, green wig and stripey suit for a red coat, hat, some little glasses and a big white beard.
With the video itself showing him getting into character and loading his car with a sack full of presents, he then goes on to visit multiple houses to dish out the surprise gifts.
While the title and description state that he drove around the streets of 0161, it’s hard to tell where exactly he went, but we’d guess it was more around Alderley Edge and/or the Cheshire side of the Greater Manchester borders.
One particular interaction between the disguised Blue and a young Red certainly produced a harmless little bit of comedy…
Either way, on the whole, this particular instalment was more wholesome than it was funny, and it’s always nice to see sports personalities and famous people spreading kindness.
Obviously, not everyone can afford to be as generous as a Premier League and world-famous international athlete, but it’s nevertheless a nice touch.
The Manc -
1st July 2020 
