A family from Stockport have described the scenes at Tenerife airport following a massive air traffic control failure, which left them sleeping on military-style camp beds INSIDE the airport.
Thousands of Brits have seen their journeys cancelled and are still waiting for new flights home following a network-wide technical issue that put the UK’s entire air traffic control system offline on Monday.
The National Air Traffic Services warned that the disruption “could last days” — and, for now, that certainly looks to be the case.
Stricken passengers and airlines have been left scrambling to find hotel accommodation for those affected by the travel chaos.
That’s included sleeping in hotel lobbies and in airport lounges, including the scenes seen at Tenerife Airport, where tired, hungry and frustrated would-be fliers were temporarily housed along rows of military-style camp beds, as terminals have been turned into temporary bedrooms and living spaces.
Sight like this are fairly common at most airports.This one is less so.People are sleeping on benches, floors and even military camp beds at airports like Tenerife TFS. (Credit: Bruno Sanchez-Andrade Nuño/Natalie Wood)
Stockport local Natalie and her family were set to travel home from a holiday in Tenerife and arrive back at Manchester Airport in the early hours of Monday 28 August. However, after hearing about all the travel drama at the reception of their hotel, they later received an email from easyJet informing them that their flight had been cancelled.
“We booked direct with easyJet but there was no communication directly to us, we just received the email saying the flight has been cancelled and there was no holiday rep [to help] and no one who spoke English for us to communicate with,” she explains.
“We tried to call customer service but got cut off, so we were left unsure even if the coach scheduled to take us back to the airport was going to pick us up.”
Thankfully, their coach did arrive, but after apparently queuing for 45 minutes to board and arriving at the airport, they were then told by an easyJet employee to go back to the hotel whilst they waited to be assigned to a new flight.
“It was at our expense as they stated there were rooms available but when we returned there wasn’t any and when we asked for food vouchers, they said we weren’t allowed and were then told by easyJet to get on our transfers.”
Natalie went on to explain how they had to settle for sitting on the airport floor and how her daughter had to re-wear dirty clothes from the holiday after all the travelling back and forth. Even after the medics arrived with the camp beds, along with some blankets, fruit and water, they obviously prioritised children, the elderly and people with disabilities first.
Fortunately, there were just enough beds for her and her family to use, but with Natalie and her family facing being in Tenerife until the next flight on Friday, it’s not the most comfortable of circumstances.
So like so many others in the same boat, the family have had to make alternative arrangements.
“We have had to lend money from family to get us a BnB till Friday and a car rental because our flight lands us in Edinburgh and we’ve still heard no news from easyJet,” she said.
Sadly, their story is just one of countless Brits stuck abroad and those who were scheduled to fly out from the likes of Manchester and other airports are now heading home and simply looking to cancel bookings and get their money back.
The Manc has approached easyJet for a comment.
The airline has been sending some ‘rescue flights’ to various locations across Europe and said in an update that they have been “providing customers with assistance and hotel accommodation and advising anyone who has needed to make their own hotel or alternative travel arrangements that they will be reimbursed.”
At present, they are running a total of “five repatriation flights” from Palma, Faro, Tenerife, Enfidha and Rhodes to London Gatwick this week and have said, “We are also operating larger aircraft on key routes including Faro, Ibiza, Dalaman and Tenerife to provide some additional 700 seats this week.” Meanwhile, the press surrounding our local airport has gone from bad to worse in the last 24 hours or so…
Pretty grim reading for Greater Manchester holidaymakers for the second year running. 😬✈️https://t.co/J16EMibOQJ
Live football looks set to be prescribed by a section of the NHS in an effort to try and help people suffering from depression.
As part of the experimental new wellbeing and mental healthcare initiative, GPs across the UK could soon be able to suggest watching football in person as part of their wider treatment plans.
While it may sound like a somewhat unorthodox approach, it’s sparked plenty of conversation on social media and is already gathering some steam up and down the country.
The scheme is being pioneered by Labour MP, Dr Simon Opher, the representative for Stroud, as well as Ecotricity owner and green industrialist, Dale Vince.
Today we’ve announced Football On Prescription. Football clubs up and down the country and up and down the leagues can take part in this – and I hope they will. Mental health is a big issue, as are loneliness and isolation. One of the superpowers of football is its inclusivity -… pic.twitter.com/OWNOag6Fcc
‘Prescribed footy’, to coin a somewhat jarring colloquialism, is set to be rolled out to relevant patients across the Gloucestershire region diagnosed with depression and some other mental health conditions.
Those on the receiving end of these prescriptions will be offered free tickets to watch local National League side, Forest Green Rovers (FGR), based in the town of Nailsworth.
Vince, who founded Ecotricity – formerly known as Renewable Energy Company – back in 1995, bought Forest Green back in 2010 and is just passionate about football and mental health as the push for clean energy and environmental causes.
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio in an interview on Tuesday, 22 July, the 64-year-old Norfolk-born OBE said: “We just do the things that we see, that we think could be done, should be done, that will help; whether it’s helping our planet, our country – people here [in Gloucestershire]…
“When you attend football matches, particularly regularly, you find yourself a part of something, a part of a group of people with a common purpose. It’s a wonderful social experience that we think would be really good for people suffering from mental health problems.”
Despite some doubters and detractors questioning his motives online and in the media, he insists the sentiment is purely altruistic, and FGR hope to aligning itself with big causes like mental health, even making the first fully vegan-certified football kits ahead of the 2025/26 season.
He also went on to add, “We also won’t take adverts or sponsorship from gambling companies: they do great harm in our society.”
As for Dr Opher, he has continued to champion ‘social prescribing’ across his medical and political career, backing it as a viable alternative to common medication such as antidepressants for some individuals with mild-moderate depression.
The live football on presecption concept has been met with plenty of pushback online, including lots of discourse surrounding priorities and the NHS remaining underfunded, but only time will tell how well these early trials go.
What do you make of the idea of football being put forward as an aid for depression and do you think it should be considered by the NHS at large?
There’s a comedy festival making its way to Rochdale for the first time ever, and it’s taking place over 10 days this autumn.
Rochdale is preparing for barrels of laughter, as the borough about to host a comedy festival for the first time ever later this year, as part of its events programme for being crowned Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture for 2025.
The lineup features some well-renowned names in the comedy world, many of whom have received awards and recognition along the way.
You can expect appearances from Lou Conran, who features as a regular support act for Sarah Millican, Tez Ilyas, from ‘Man Like Mobeen’, and TV comedy legend Mick Miller.
There’s even some Britain’s Got Talent alumni in the form of last year’s finalist Alex Mitchell and 2017 semi-finalist Jonny Awsum.
Tez Ilyaz and Lou Conran are just two of the acts listed for Rochdale Comedy Festival / Credit: Supplied
The lineup also includes Robin Ince, co-host and creator of Sony Gold Award winning BBC Radio 4 series The Infinite Monkey Cage, and a whole host of stand-up acts who are all gearing up ready to make Rochdale giggle.
If you’re after pursuing a comedy career of your own, you’re in luck as, The Frog and Bucket performer Dave Williams will be on hand to teach you some of the skills he’s learnt after 25 years in comedy.
“Us northerners are famous for our sense of humour and there’s a big appetite for comedy,” commented Councillor Sue Smith, who is the cabinet member for communities and co-operation at Rochdale Borough Council.
Rochdale Comedy Festival has an array of comedians taking part including Jonny Awsum and Mick Miller / Credit: Supplied
“I’m happy to see Rochdale Comedy Festival launching during our year as Greater Manchester Town of Culture.
“It will bring together communities and give new comedians a chance to shine.”
So whether you’re in need of a cheer up, or you’re a comedy aficianado, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to crack a smile at Rochdale Comedy Festival, as it’s happening across 10 days this September and October.
Rochdale Comedy Festival is taking place from 26 September through to 5 October in various venues across the Greater Manchester borough- with tickets soon to be releasedHERE.
Featured Images – Supplied (via Publicity Pictures) / Unsplash
Danny Jones -
30th August 2023 
