The public are being told to keep an eye out for “a piece of history”, as the first King Charles £1 coins have officially entered UK circulation.
After the designs for the new coins were revealed back in October 2023, a total of 2.975 million £1s have now been issued to UK Post Offices and banks from today, and are currently in the process of making their way into tills nationwide.
Each of the eight UK coins feature a new design, all of which apparently highlight King Charles III‘s “passion for conservation”.
According to the Royal Mint, the bee symbol has been chosen to represent the fact that there’s more than 250 species of bee currently existing in Britain, including bumblebees, mason bees, and mining bees, and to show just what a pivotal role these “industrious insects” play in pollinating plants and fruiting trees.
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And not only can bees be found all over the country, commonly in gardens, parks, woods, orchards, and meadows, but now they can also be found on the reverse of the UK £1 coin.
The Hazel Dormouse, Puffin, and Red Squirrel are just a couple of the other species which feature on the other seven coins – which have all been created with the support of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).
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Millions of new King Charles £1 coins have officially entered circulation in the UK / Credit: The Royal Mint
Rebecca Morgan, who is the Director of Commemorative Coin at The Royal Mint, the country’s official coin maker is “honoured” to confirm the new £1 has now entered circulation.
“We know there’ll be a buzz of excitement amongst collectors and the public to get this special piece of history in their change,” she added. “We hope the designs across all denominations spark important conversations about the conservation of these important species.”
Commemorative sets of the new coins are also available from The Royal Mint’s website, if you’re keen to collect them all, and will set you back £34.
Featured Image – The Royal Mint
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Greater Manchester public urged to help get people ‘off the streets and on their feet’ before Christmas
Emily Sergeant
Locals are being urged to help get hundreds of people “off the streets and back on their feet” this festive season.
As the temperatures told colder by the day, and Christmas creeps closer and closer, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is bringing back ‘1000 Beds for Christmas’, and the massively-important initiative is aiming to provide 1,000 nights of accommodation to people at risk of homelessness before the big day arrives.
Forming part of the ongoing ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, this festive fundraising mission is designed to provide food, shelter, warmth, and dedicated vital wrap-around support for those who need it most.
The charity says it wants to build on the “incredible success of 2023”, which raised more than £55,000 and provided 1,800 nights of accommodation.
Stockport-based property finance specialists, Together – which has supported the campaign for the last two years – has, once again, generously pledged to match every public donation for the first £20,000 raised.
Unfamiliar with the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme? Since 2017, when rough sleeping peaked, the initiative has helped ensure a significantly-higher rate of reduction in the numbers of people facing a night on streets in Greater Manchester than seen nationally.
The landmark scheme has given people the chance to rebuild their lives, while also giving them access to key services and opportunities that allows them to stay off the streets for good.
Despite the scheme’s recent success, organisations across Greater Manchester are under “a huge amount of pressure” to meet the demand for their services this winter, and given the current economic outlook, household budgets will continue to be squeezed – leaving people on the sharp end of inequality and poverty.
“Help us be a lifeline to organisations on the frontline,” Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity urged in it’s public appeal for donations.
You can help make sure ‘A Bed Every Night’ is a reality for all by donating here.
Featured Image – EthelRedThePetrolHead (via Flickr)
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Former Manchester police officer jailed after sexually assaulting a child while on duty
Emily Sergeant
A former Manchester police officer has been jailed after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a child while he was on duty.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that, on 29 December 2023, Dean Dempster was one of three officers responding to a domestic incident involving an adult and children, and it was while he was taking an account from a six-year-old girl, away from his colleagues, that he sexually abused her when he should have been there to protect her.
After GMP investigated a complaint received later that evening in relation to the incident, Dempster was immediately confronted by his supervisor when he returned to duty the next morning.
The 35-year-old was arrested that day by officers in Oldham, and then “relentlessly pursued” by GMP’s Professional Standards Directorate to “explore any further evidence of offending” in an investigation directed by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
A former officer has been jailed for sexually abusing a child on duty last year.
Swift action from local officers made sure Dean Dempster never stepped foot in the community again.
Our unit for professional standards has brought Dempster to justice for his despicable crimes. pic.twitter.com/IN2HQOHQEw
A review of Dempster’s electronic devices revealed “further serious offending”, GMP revealed, including the making of indecent images of children.
Sadly, the police investigation also found images on Dempster’s mobile phone taken from his body-worn video camera at the incident in December 2023 of a second clothed child, and of another clothed child at a separate incident dating back to 2022 – with the victims of both families having been made aware, and kept updated throughout the investigation
Dempster was convicted and sacked “at the earliest legal opportunity” by the Chief Constable at an accelerated misconduct hearing in May this year, and he has since admitted six counts of making indecent images, and two counts of Misconduct in Public Office.
After pleading guilty, the former officer has now been jailed for nine years, and has also been ordered to sign the sex offenders’ register for life.
Deputy Chief Constable, Terry Woods, said Dempster “represents the very worst of society”.
“He is not a police officer, he is a child sex offender, a criminal, and he has no right to be near police uniform or serve the public,” DCC added. “Dempster was rightfully arrested and charged before he could ever work in our communities again.”
Emily Sergeant -
20th August 2024 
