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Mum pays emotional tribute to ‘little sunshine boy’ who died after Bury tractor collision

Three-year-old Albie Speakman suffered fatal injuries following the incident in the Tottington area of Bury on Saturday 16 July.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 18th July 2022

The mother of a little boy who sadly died after a collision with a tractor on a farm in Bury over the weekend has paid an emotional tribute to him.

Three-year-old Albie Speakman suffered fatal injuries following the incident off of Bentley Hall Road in the Tottington area of Bury on the afternoon of Saturday 16 July, and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has confirmed that enquiries from Bury CID, alongside colleagues at the Health and Safety Executive, are still ongoing.

Albie’s mother Leah has now paid an emotional tribute to her “sunshine boy” following his devastating death.

“Albie was an incredibly loving, affectionate and caring boy who just wanted everyone to be happy.

“He was so sensitive and wanted everyone to be ok, especially the people that he loved.

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“He loved to play, whether it be with his family or friends at nursery, he would always look for little round things wherever he went, stones, polystyrene balls, bouncy balls, beads – I’m not sure why but he just loved anything round, he would just hold onto them.”

Albie Speakman with his mother Leah / Credit: GMP

Her tribute continued: “His favourite memories are at Cleethorpes beach, with his bucket and spade and his ball. His happiest days were on that beach, we were so free and didn’t have any cares in the world. It was just me and Albie and nothing else mattered. Whenever I’d ask him what he wanted to do, he’d want to go on holiday to the beach again; that’s how I know he was truly happy there. 

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“We all love Albie so much more than we can ever put into words – especially his Nan and his ‘Nanny-Nanny’, as he would always call her.

“I will miss absolutely everything about Albie, his voice, his smile, the smell of his skin and the feel of his little hands on my face when he would say ‘I love you mummy girl’. 

“I’ll especially miss going on adventures with him, anywhere and everywhere we could have fun, nothing will ever fill the whole that he has left in our hearts, we are broken beyond repair. 

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“I always call him my little sunshine boy because he has brought so much light into my life and he is my little ray of sunshine, and I don’t want his life to end here, I need to carry on living for him and take him with me wherever I go.

“We still have so many more memories to make, Albie.

Read more: Family pay tribute to woman with ‘fabulous smile’ who died in Piccadilly Gardens bus collision

“I love him so much and I know he will find his way back to me someday, somehow, because we need each other.

“Until then, I will look for him in everything I do and I will celebrate his life.

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“I’m not sure how to carry on this life without you, but I will find a way to be strong for you and make you proud.”

Featured Image – GMP

News

Wigan woman jailed after hitting pedestrian in Fiat 500 while driving high on nitrous oxide ‘balloons’

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Louisa Tunstall

A young woman from Wigan has been handed jail time after hitting a pedestrian while driving high on nitrous oxide.

Louisa Tunstall was driving a white Fiat 500 towards the East Lancashire Road in Wigan at around 7pm on Friday 24 May 2024 – a time when traffic conditions were said to be ‘quiet’ – but Tunstall was under the influence of a now-banned drug, nitrous oxide, at the time of the incident, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) confirmed.

While driving under the influence, 19-year-old Tunstall veered to the left onto the pavement and collided with a 51-year-old woman pedestrian.

After striking the woman, the car then overturned and, in the process, caused serious life-changing injuries.

When questioned by police, Tunstall stated that she ‘took her eyes off the road’ to retrieve something in the footwell before knowing the car had flipped, but she also confirmed that she had just been out to purchase nitrous oxide to use that evening.

After obtaining witness accounts, investigating officers were able to track down nearby CCTV footable which showed Tunstall inhaling nitrous oxide through a balloon whilst driving, seconds before the collision occurred.

Further investigation by GMP’s Forensic Vehicle Examination Unit examined the Fiat 500 and confirmed that no defects were found on the car to contribute towards the collision.

Still to this day, the victim says she is trying to recover from the injuries sustained to her leg that will prevent her from continuing life as she did before.

“The incident is still very raw when I think about it,” the victim explained in her impact statement released by GMP. “I become upset when I think at everything which has been taken away from me and the ongoing affect it has had and continues to have on my daily life.”

GMP says it’s seeing the use of nitrous oxide being a factor in incidents they attend increasing year on year.

Nitrous oxide, also known as ‘laughing gas’, is reported to produce euphoria, relaxation, dizziness, giggling or laughing fits, impaired judgement, and occasionally dissociation and hallucinations – which GMP says affects reaction time and and is ‘likely lead to impairment’ in driving performance, particularly when faced with an unexpected or hazardous situation.

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Tunstall appeared at Bolton Crown Court this week, and has been sentenced to one year and eight months imprisonment for having possession of a Class C drug, driving under the influence of drugs, and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Alongside being jailed, she was also disqualified from driving for two years and eight months, and has been ordered to take an extended test when she is released.

Featured Image – GMP

News

Kylie Minogue in Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for ‘Tension’ tour

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

The unofficial Queen of Australia and Britain’s adopted pop princess, Kylie Minogue, is bringing her dance tracks to Manchester, taking up residence in AO Arena for two nights of pop perfection.

Whether you first got to know Kylie from her stint on Neighbours, her delicious range of branded wines or her marvellous discography, it’s safe to say this star has built quite a legacy.

She loves coming across the pond to the UK and Manchester, specifically, playing the legendary AO Arena over 30 times, and we’re grateful for every single one, especially these two upcoming shows.

Playing a whopping 30 shows means seeing lots of lovely faces, and this Aussie pop star is no stranger to a big crowd or two, so much so, she has one of the top 10 biggest gigs in Manchester music history.

Kylie has played at AO Arena, Manchester over 30 times and we're certainly not complaining.
Kylie has played at AO Arena, Manchester over 30 times and we’re certainly not complaining.

Now Kylie is returning with her long-awaited ‘Tension Tour’ which features the huge phenomenon that is ‘Padam Padam’ as well as her newest single ‘Lights Camera Action’.

Kylie Minogue UK tour dates

  • Fri 16 May – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
  • Sat 17 May – Newcastle, UK – Utilita Arena
  • Mon 19 May – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
  • Tue 20 May – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
  • Thu 22 May – Liverpool, UK – M&S Bank Arena
  • Fri 23 May – Sheffield, UK – Utilita Arena
  • Mon 26 May – London, UK – The O2 Arena

Are there tickets left for Kylie at AO Arena?

If you’re ready to get into the ‘Real Groove’ with this Aussie act, there are two Manchester dates you can get tickets for, and if we didn’t know any better, we’d say she did this ‘Especially for You’.

Fancy spending a night like this with Minogue and her crew on Monday, 19 May? You’ll be able to find tickets HERE.

Better still, if you fancy seeing her back to back or can’t make the first date for whatever reason, she’ll be playing again just 24 hours later.

Kylie Minogue ‘Tension’ tour setlist

According to her most recent gig recorded on the ever-trusty Setlist.fm, anyway…

  • Lights Camera Action
  • In Your Eyes
  • Get Outta My Way
  • What Do I Have to Do?
  • Come Into My World
  • Good As Gone
  • Spinning Around
  • Taboo
  • On a Night Like This
  • last night i dreamt i fell in love
  • Better the Devil You Know
  • Shocked
  • Things We Do for Love
  • Dancing
  • The Loco-Motion
  • Hold On to Now
  • Cupid Boy
  • Kiss Bang Bang
  • Chocolate
  • 2 Hearts
  • The One
  • Where the Wild Roses Grow
  • Say Something
  • Supernova / Real Groove / Magic / Where Does the DJ Go?
  • Confide in Me
  • Slow
  • Timebomb
  • Edge of Saturday Night
  • Tension
  • Can’t Get You Out of My Head
  • All the Lovers
  • Padam Padam
  • Love at First Sight

What are the stage times for Kylie in Manchester?

Kylie is heading to AO Arena, Manchester for two nights of the 'Tension Tour'.
Kylie is heading to AO Arena, Manchester for two nights of the ‘Tension Tour’.

If you’re head is ‘Spinning Around’ trying to work out your plans ahead of the big night, fear not as doors open from 6pm with the show commencing at 7:30pm.

Support comes in the form of Jodie Harsh, a London-based drag queen and music producer, who’ll be tailoring a DJ set especially for both nights of the ‘Tension Tour’.

AO Arena has a curfew of 11pm, meaning you can watch this pop princess in action and don’t have to wait ‘A Second to Midnight’ to hear all her timeless hits. Last pun, we promise…

How to get to AO Arena

Tram

For those of you heading to AO Arena, luckily, it’s connected to Manchester Victoria Station and it has an integrated Metrolink stop to make your life even easier.

Head along the pink, light blue or yellow lines directly to the Victoria stop, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.

Train

Considering this live entertainment venue is situated right in the middle of one of Manchester’s most frequented stations, concertgoers should find no problem getting to the arena, wherever they are.

Bus

A variety of buses cover AO Arena and Victoria Station on their route, such as the 2 bus, which stops just a one-minute walk away from the venue.

A full list of buses and their routes can be found HERE.

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@the.manc When are you next heading to the @AO Arena? 😱 #themanc #manchester #aoarena #preshow #entertainment #gigs #music #liveshow ♬ Love You So – The King Khan & BBQ Show

Getting there by car and parking

The Arena has its own official CitiPark, with 958 car parking spaces, including 40 Blue Badge parking bays, which can be booked in advance.

Alternatively, anyone attending a gig can park at their nearest train station and jump on a train service or the various Metrolink park and ride facilities.

Walk/cycle

Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app.

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About the AO Arena

The AO Arena has a few strict policies to keep gig-goers safe, so make sure to check entry requirements carefully before you travel.

For example, only one small bag per person is allowed, and bags like backpacks, travel cases and laptop bags are not permitted inside the arena.

All bags are scanned on entry to check for prohibited items like laser pens, flares, projectiles, weapons, drugs and alcohol, and even selfie sticks.

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Featured Images – Publicity Pictures (supplied)

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