Marks & Spencer has introduced the option for all its employees to wear name badges featuring their chosen pronouns.
The move – which came from a suggestion via the retailer’s employee suggestion initiative – now means that M&S workers right across the country have the to use “whichever combinations of pronouns is right for them”
Announcing the decision to introduce the new pronoun badges, a post by the retailer shared to online business and employment platform LinkedIn said: “Recently, we introduced pronoun name badges for our colleagues, encouraging as many of them as possible to wear whichever combination of pronouns is right for them.
“An amazing initiative provided by one of our colleagues Morgen Kane to our ‘Suggest to Steve’ programme as we continue to build an inclusive future, together.”
The introduction of the badges is said to have been met with praise by staff.
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Alongside the LinkedIn post, M&S posted a photo taken by employee David Parke, 28 – a food PR manager from Croydon – in which he showed his own pronoun badge reading: “He/Him/His”.
Marks & Spencer has introduced the option for all its employees to wear name badges featuring their chosen pronouns / Credit: Facebook (M&S – Manchester)
“Giving people the option to display their pronouns at work is really important as it encourages them to show allyship towards trans and non-binary colleagues,” Mr Parke told the PA News Agency.
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“Many of us already include our pronouns in our email signatures, but when you’re talking to people in person, it’s useful to know how they want to be referred to in order to help everyone feel comfortable and avoid any misgendering.”
He continued: “Right now, trans people in the UK are facing more abuse and discrimination than ever before, and so it’s up to all of us to create an inclusive culture and make sure everyone gets the respect they deserve.
“It’s great that M&S is proactively taking these sorts of steps to support and celebrate LGBTQ+ colleagues.”
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Sasha Misra – Associate director of communications and campaigns at leading LGBTQ+ rights organisation, Stonewall – added: “It’s great to see an increasing number of businesses offering the option of badges with pronouns for staff.
“Creating an inclusive workplace starts with everyday actions, and having pronouns on badges is a simple yet impactful way to make sure LGBTQ+ identities are respected.”
Appeal launched to find the owner of live chickens found at Creamfields festival
Daisy Jackson
The hunt is on to find the owner of a pair of chickens who were discovered at Creamfields festival.
The two birds were spotted on the grounds of the huge electronic music festival by bewildered festival-goers.
The cockerel and hen were trapped in a hedge, after it appears they wandered onto the festival campsite before the security barriers were installed.
The birds then found themselves trapped inside as around 70,000 music fans poured into Cheshire for a line-up that included Calvin Harris, Swedish House Mafia, Disclosure, and Tiësto.
The chickens have been safely rescued from the Creamfields festival site and are recovering at a wildlife centre, and now the RSPCA is on a mission to find their owner.
Festival-goers first called the RSPCA on Saturday 29 August to alert them to the cockerel and hen trapped inside the festival, one of whom assisted in the rescue mission.
RSPCA Inspector Leanne Cooper: “I was surprised that they were inside the festival site and I needed to get through the road blocks and security before reaching them on foot through muddy fields. I met the caller who helped me as they were just running up and down the hedge line where there was a wire fence blocking access.
Where the chickens were discovered at CreamfieldsThe RSPCA wants to track their owners down
“We managed to guide them out and I caught both of them with my rescue net which was a bit of a sight for the festival campers.
“I don’t think they were abandoned and they’re more likely to be stray because it’s farmland all around the festival site. They don’t have any health issues, apart from being quite underweight.
“With the fences going up a week before the festival starts they’d probably been unable to get out for some time and had been left foraging in the hedge. Someone mentioned that a third bird was also trapped, although we couldn’t find any others.
“I am really grateful to the festival-goer who found them and alerted us to their plight.”
Manchester Airport issues update for anyone flying today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has issued an update for anyone catching a flight today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday.
In case you hadn’t heard, hundreds of flights at several major UK airports – including Manchester Airport – were disrupted by a technical fault at air traffic control provider National Air Traffic Services (NATS) yesterday (8 September 2026), with the incident grounding planes and resulting in numerous cancellations.
According to Flightradar24, more than 1,000 flights were cancelled nationwide, and many passengers were told to expect disruption for the rest of the day.
One of the worst-affected airlines was said to be Ryanair, with around 65,000 passengers affected by the cancellations and delays.
Manchester Airport issued its first statement addressing the matter at 3:15pm yesterday, stating: “We are aware of an issue affecting NATS’ air traffic control service at UK airports, which may result in delays to some departing flights from Manchester Airport today.
“Passengers due to travel are advised to check the latest status of their flight with their airline. We will continue to monitor the situation and share further updates as more information becomes available.”
Now, although the issue has been resolved, Manchester Airport has issued further statements informing anyone travelling today what they can expect.
The airport started off by saying that it is ‘operating as normal’ today, but that passengers are advised to ‘check with their airline for the latest information’.
The Manc -
8th November 2021 
