Manchester Remembers have managed to raise over a whopping £35,000 thanks to this year’s charity football match. Incredible stuff.
The charity match set up to raise money for organisations supporting the families of the Manchester Arena victims has now become an annual occurrence and following the 2023 exhibition back in May, those who participated as either a player or a spectator helped bring in over £35k in donations.
Playing at Oldham Athletic‘s Boundary Park stadium in front of thousands of Mancunians and high-spirited spectators cheering on the Celebs and the Legends in equal measure, the game might have ended 7-5 to the ex-pros, but the real winner on the day was Manchester without a doubt.
The two men behind setting up the event, Aaron Lee and Paul Corrigan, shared this update with their followers on Thursday, 22 June, showing their immense total of £35,184.14 in funds raised. A moment to be proud of.
£3️⃣5️⃣, 1️⃣8️⃣4️⃣.1️⃣4️⃣ !!! 🐝
THIRTY FIVE THOUSAND ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FOUR POUNDS #Thankyou to all that came along and supported this years event. We are so proud to be building something special.
All told, with this year’s tally tacked on, Manchester Remembers has now raised well over £110k for charities associated with the 2017 Arena tragedy in just a few short years.
ADVERTISEMENT
Speaking to The Manc, co-founder Aaron Lee said: “Myself and Paul would like to say a huge thank you to each and every person that helped bring the event to life. There are too many people to name individually but you all know who you are. To be able to hand over such a huge sum of money makes us really proud and we know the charities will use it to continue supporting young people to achieve their dreams in music, sports and the arts.”
We are always blown away by how Mancs come together in times of struggle but to see our city and the surrounding Greater Manchester area continuing to offer their support for causes like this year after year is a testament to how this community always look after their own.
With sporting legends like Danny Simpson, Ricky Hatton, Wes Brown and more turning up to have a kickabout, not to mention celebrities like Jason Manford, Lloyd Griffiths, Danny Miller and countless others, the word really is getting out about this game.
With a growing reputation, numerous famous faces showing up each and every year and the cause being as special and important as ever, we guarantee the 2024 Manchester Remembers charity match will be even bigger — just make sure you’re there.
ADVERTISEMENT
Big up every single one of you who attended or simply donated on the day and it goes without saying that wholeheartedly recommend grabbing yourself a ticket for next year.
Featured Image — Manchester Remembers (via Twitter)
News
Rio Ferdinand is stepping away from TNT Sports after more than a decade
Danny Jones
Manchester United legend and ex-England international Rio Ferdinand has announced he will be stepping away from TNT Sports, leaving more than a decade with the broadcaster.
Ferdinand has spent the best part of the last 10 years serving as a leading pundit and analyst, as well as hosting his own ‘Rio Meets’ online series – the interview format of which has been replicated on his YouTube channel.
However, after having been one of their main anchors both under the BT Sport and even more so since the inception of the rebranded TNT Sports Football umbrella, the 46-year-old has confirmed he has now quit their regular coverage following the Champions League final this weekend.
In a lengthy statement on social media, the ex-Man United defender, who also played for Leeds, West Ham, Bournemouth and QPR, described it as a “difficult decision.”
Taking time to thank the network for their “tremendous support” over the years, especially those “behind the scenes, whose work often goes unseen but has been essential to our success.”
The talented centre-back retired in May 2015 after more than 500 appearances and 81 national team caps, making an almost immediate switch into punditry and remaining a household name.
Rio has also remained a popular figure at Old Trafford and, indeed, across various parts of Manchester since leaving United in 2014.
For instance, his self-titled Foundation has carried out some truly transformational local outreach across various boroughs, as it has back in his home city of London.
Responding to the news, TNT Sports said nothing more than “Thanks for everything, Rio”; meanwhile, fellow former Red, Danny Simpson (who retired last year and also works as a pundit/presenter for MUTV) added: “You’re going to be missed, bro. Every time you’re on, you give us all the mad insight.”
However, he has promised he will remain in the media industry, continuing to work under the Rio Ferdinand Presents digital brand and pursuing “other business interests”.
With his ‘Rio Reacts’ and ‘Vibe with FIVE’ series regularly raking in millions of views, he might not be on the box during European nights but you’ll still be seeing plenty of him.
Rare bat-eared foxes have arrived at Chester Zoo for the first time in more than 30 years
Emily Sergeant
It’s time to say a big hello, as rare bat-eared foxes have now arrived at Chester Zoo.
The two sisters, named Maasai and Malindi, have been welcomed by conservationists after travelling more than 500 miles from a zoo in Paris, and they are the first mammals of their kind to come to Chester Zoo in more than 30 years.
First images show the pair exploring their home in the zoo’s new Heart of Africa habitat – which officially opened to the public back in March, and is the largest zoo development ever undertaken in the UK, spanning more than 22.5 acres in size.
The adorable – but rather unique-looking – bat-eared fox is named after its distinctive oversized ears and is native to the open savannahs and arid grasslands of eastern and southern Africa.
They live for around 13 years on average, and their characteristically large ears help regulate their body temperature and enhance their incredible hearing, allowing them to prey like detect insects moving underground.
The species faces increasing threats in the wild, largely due to the loss of their habitat caused by agriculture, human encroachment, and hunting.
This is why Chester Zoo has long been at the forefront of protecting African wildlife.
Its teams’ have been supporting everything from the safe translocation of northern giraffes to protected national parks in Uganda, to developing cutting-edge AI trail cameras to protect giant pangolins from illegal trafficking in recent years.
Bat-eared foxes have arrived at Chester Zoo for the first time in 30 years / Credit: Chester Zoo
“It’s incredibly exciting to welcome bat-eared foxes back to Chester Zoo after a 30-year hiatus,” commented David White, who is the Twilight Team Manager at Chester Zoo.
“Both Maasai and Malindi are settling in well so far, spending much of their time exploring their expansive home and getting to know their new housemates – a family of twelve Cape porcupines. These two species would often come across one another in the wild, so we’ve recreated this right here at Chester.
“In time, we hope to introduce one of the two sisters to a male fox, with the hope that we can contribute to the European conservation breeding programme, helping to ensure there’s a healthy, genetically diverse back-up population in human care.
Danny Jones -
23rd June 2023 
