The city will fall silent once again this Sunday 14, November as locals gather to remember the fallen during the annual Manchester Remembrance Sunday commemoration.
Last year, the Covid pandemic ruled out the possibility of many large commemorative gatherings – but this year it has been confirmed that Manchester’s Remembrance Sunday events will go ahead for 2021.
Bringing together service people from all walks of life, the event will see civic dignitaries, servicemen and women, service and ex-service organisations join with faith leaders and uniformed organisations to pay their respects at the city’s Cenotaph in St. Peter’s Square.
Starting from 10.25 am, the commemoration will begin with The Remembrance Day procession – which will kick off on John Dalton street before marching over to the Cenotaph in St Peter’s Square.
Then at 11 am, there will be a two-minute silence – marked by the firing of a 105mm gun at its beginning and end, as is tradition on Remembrance Sunday.
Wreaths will then be laid on the Cenotaph by the Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester and the Lord Mayor of Manchester, as well as representatives from the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force.
Further wreaths will be laid by Reserve Forces, represented by the 103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Regiment Royal Artillery, as well as by The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, 207 (Manchester) Field Hospital (Volunteers), Royal British Legion, Manchester Consular Association, Greater Manchester Police, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and Young Faith Representatives
Following the wreath-laying, the Parade will then proceed to Central Library for the March Past – with its end heralded by the playing of The National Anthem.
After the Parade has left the Cenotaph, barriers will then be removed giving members of the public an opportunity to place their own tributes around the memorial.
Speaking on the upcoming commemorative event, the Lord Mayor of Manchester Councillor Tommy Judge said:
“At the service we will pay tribute to those who have died protecting our country and reflect on past and present conflicts.
“After cancelling last year’s ceremony due to Covid restrictions, it’s important that the people of Manchester come together to show our combined appreciation for the armed forces.
“It will be an honour to mark this solemn day with the people of Manchester.”
Organisers are encouraging veterans who wish to take part to email Manchester City Council at [email protected].
For those unable to attend in person, the event will be live-streamed via this link on the day of the service.
Body found in search for missing man Craig Foy after police scour Heaton Park
Daisy Jackson
A body has been discovered in the search for missing Bury man Craig Foy.
Greater Manchester Police’s Major Incident Team had been carrying out an extensive search for Craig, 40, after he disappeared on Saturday 26 July.
Those searches had included the Heaton Park area, after CCTV appeared to show the Whitefield man climbing into the park just before midnight.
Officers have now confirmed that a body has been found in connection with the investigation.
While formal identification is yet to take place, it’s believed to be that of Craig.
Craig’s family have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.
Earlier in the week, GMP said that three men were arrested on suspicion of murder, with one suspect since released on bail and two others facing no further action.
Detective Chief Inspector Jill Billington, from GMP’s Serious Crime Division, said: “The investigation remains ongoing to establish the circumstances leading up to Craig’s death, and to ensure that we can get the answers that his family deserve.
“We appreciate the support of the public in sharing our appeals to locate Craig and ask for his family to be given privacy, space and time to process their loss.”
Police are still appealing for information relating to the investigation – you can contact GMP on 101 quoting log number 917-28/7/25 or via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
New data reveals a third of Brits admit to secretly sneaking off work early on a Friday
Emily Sergeant
Surprising new data has revealed that a third of Brits admits to secretly sneaking off work early on a Friday.
After a long and tiring week, most of us would love the chance to clock off work a little earlier than usual on a Friday, but for a lot of workers, this isn’t always a possibility – and for some, they even have to work longer at the end of the week to make sure everything has been finished off and tied up before the weekend arrives.
But since there has been a noticeable rise in remote working and working from home, a new survey has revealed that working attitudes have changed.
Virgin Media has released new broadband data that reveals a drop in traffic on Friday afternoons during the summer months – with as much as an 8% dip between 3-5pm compared to the winter, as remote workers clock off early.
A third of Brits admit to secretly sneaking off work early on a Friday / Credit: Glenn Carstens-Peters | Robin Worrall (via Unsplash)
The Friday traffic drop-off comes from Virgin Media’s broadband network analysis, which it says is a ‘reliable indicator’ of the connectivity habits of the British public.
Alongside the network data, Virgin Media also asked Brits about their work policies and working habits ij a bid to fully understand the trend.
Nearly a third (30%) of Brits say they have a formal early Friday finish in place during the summer, but despite almost half of UK adults (48%) saying they’re not authorised to finish early on a Friday, 32% have admitted to regularly logging off with or without official permission.
Surprising new data has revealed Brits’ working habits / Credit: Chuttersnap (via Unsplash)
Many Brits have also confessed to working ‘on the move’ on a Friday afternoon too.
15% admitted to having worked from the train station as the weekend creeps nearer, as well as 14% from the park, 10% from the pub, and many as 30% of 18-24-year-olds worked from the car while travelling for the weekend.
“Our network traffic analysis is revealing changing workplace habits in real time as the nation takes advantage of long summer Fridays,” commented Jeanie York, who is the Chief Technology Officer at Virgin Media O2.
“We’re continuing to boost our fixed and mobile networks so whether Brits are working from their local park, or finishing their work at home, we’re ready to keep them connected.”
Georgina Pellant -
8th November 2021 
