Manchester is to fall silent as the city “remembers the fallen” during the annual Remembrance Sunday commemorations this weekend.
Just as it does each year, Manchester City Council has now revealed the details of how the city will mark Remembrance Sunday this weekend, and has confirmed that the annual Remembrance Sunday Parade will set off at 10:25am from John Dalton Street.
The Parade will then march from John Dalton Street to the Cenotaph in St. Peter’s Square.
Civic dignitaries, servicemen and women, service and ex-service organisations, faith leaders, emergency services, and other uniformed organisations have been invited to pay their respects at the Cenotaph in St. Peter’s Square, along with members of the public.
Then at 11am, there will be a two-minute silence.
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The start and finish of the traditional silence will be marked by the firing of a 105mm gun, Manchester City Council has confirmed.
Manchester remembers and pays tribute to the fallen this Sunday 13 November at our #RemembranceSunday Service
The parade starts on John Dalton Street at 10.25am and will march to the Cenotaph in St Peter’s Square
Following the two-minute silence, wreaths will then be laid on the Cenotaph by the Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, the Lord Mayor of Manchester, the Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, Reserve Forces represented by the 103rd (Lancashire Artillery Volunteers) Regiment Royal Artillery, The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment, and 207 (Manchester) Field Hospital (Volunteers).
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The Royal British Legion will lay a wreath on behalf of ex-service men and women, Manchester Consular Association will do so on behalf of Commonwealth Allies.
At the end of the service, the Parade will proceed to Central Library for the March Past, and the National Anthem will then be played at the end of the March Past to bring the ceremony to a close.
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Manchester will “remember the fallen” during the annual Remembrance Sunday commemorations / Credit: Manchester City Council
“Remembrance Sunday gives us an opportunity to reflect on past and present conflicts,” said Lord Mayor of Manchester, Councillor Donna Ludford, ahead of this Sunday’s commemoration.
“It also gives us all a chance to express our respects and think of those who have fought for our country.
“It will be an honour to meet with members of the armed services, faith leaders and the people of Manchester on Sunday and, together, we can mark this solemn day.”
The Remembrance Sunday event will be live streamed on Facebook.
After the Parade has left the Cenotaph, the crowd control barriers will be removed and members of the public will have an opportunity to place their tributes around the memorial, Manchester City Council has confirmed.
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.
Emily Sergeant -
8th November 2022 
