A pair of northern skateboarders have just completed an impressive journey that saw themskate170 miles up to Britain’s highest pub.
Joe Hunt, from Leeds, and his friend Matthew O’Toole, from Linthorpe, skated all the way to Whitby from Walney as part of a four-day fundraising mission.
Taking on the challenge in order to raise money for Cancer Research UK, the pair wanted to give something back to help other sufferers after losing family members to cancer.
The pair have now more than doubled their original fundraising target, reports The Hoot.
As part of the ‘gruelling’ 170-mile coast-to-coast trip, the duo stopped off at 17th-century boozer the Tan Hill Inn – notorious for being the highest pub in Britain.
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At 1732 feet above sea level, it was no mean feat getting up there – at points, the terrain was so steep, the men said their boards starting rolling backwards.
However, after losing loved ones to cancer, they both wanted to do something to help others suffering from the disease and decided that, by breaking the trip down into four consecutive days, they could make it.
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Speaking to Gazette Live, Matthew said: “I lost my cousin to my cancer. My mam had cancer and my grandad had cancer. Luckily they battled it and we found out Joe’s mam had cancer back in December.
“She fought it though. It was a charity we thought would be worthy for us to take on the challenge really.
“It was really hard. We battled through every type of weather possible – wind, thunder and lightning, rain, blistering sun but really really fun. I have got blisters all over my feet but it was well worth it.
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“I went through a lot of emotions in in my mind. There were a lot of thoughts going on.
“It was partially part of the motivation that the pain we were going through was nothing compared to what other people are going for and it was very overwhelming coming from Tan to that final stretch into Whitby and seeing everybody.”
At the time of writing, Joe and Matthew have raised £1,004 of their original £500 target.
The skateboarder’s Just Giving page reads: “
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“This July 6th – July 9th Matthew O’Toole and Joe Hunt are skateboarding from Walney to Whitby a total of 179 miles, we are breaking this down in to 4 consecutive days, July 6th Walney – Oxenholme 43 miles, July 7th Oxenholme – Tan Hill 44 miles, July 8th Tan Hill – Appleton Wiske 47 miles and July 9th Appleton Wiske – Whitby 45 miles.
“This will be a very hard challenge for us all especially the skate up to Tan Hill Inn which is the highest pub in Britain ! a whopping 1732 feet above sea level!
“This challenge is all in need of Cancer Research UK to try help beat cancer.
“1 in 2 of us will get cancer in our lifetime. We can all play our part to support the research that will beat it. Help fund life-saving research by making a donation to my page. Cancer is happening right now, which is why we are fundraising right now for Cancer Research UK. There’s no time to lose!
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“Please help us by donating to our page today and help bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.”
Law requiring landlords to repair hazards within 24 hours comes into effect
Emily Sergeant
Landlords will now have 24 hours to repair hazards reported to them as a new law comes into effect across England.
The law taking effect today comes after a ‘landmark’ new social housing bill – which was given the Royal Ascent to become law in July 2023 – was proposed and approved in early January last year.
‘Awaab’s Law’ is named after Greater Manchester toddler Awaab Ishak, who tragically died in 2020 as a result of prolonged exposure to mould in his Rochdale home, a coroner ruled back in 2022, and following his death, the Government had been pledging to deliver the new reforms.
But today (Monday 27 October), the first part of the law finally comes into effect.
This means that all social landlords – generally the local council, or a housing association – will from now be required to repair any hazards which are reported to them within 24 hours.
Landlords must also investigate ‘significant’ damp and mould within 10 working days of being notified, and then make properties safe in five working days.
For both types of hazards, they must also write the findings to tenants within three working days of inspection.
On top of that, as part of the reforms, landlords now must also consider the circumstances of tenants which could put them at risk – including young children and those with disabilities or health conditions – and alternative accommodation must also be offered if homes cannot be made safe within the required timeframes.
Awaab’s Law is being called a ‘lasting legacy’ to the two-year-old.
“Everyone deserves a safe and decent home to live in and Awaab Ishak is a powerful reminder of how this can sadly be a matter of life or death,” commented Housing Secretary, Steve Reed, as Awaab’s Law comes into effect today.
“Awaab’s family has fought hard for change and their work to protect millions of tenants’ lives will live on as a legacy to their son.
“Our changes will give tenants a stronger voice and force landlords to act urgently when lives are at risk, ensuring such tragedies are never repeated.”
More of Awaab’s Law will be phased in both next year and in 2027 to make homes safer from more hazards, the Government has confirmed.
Featured Image – GMP / Family Handout
News
The Greater Manchester high street that now has THREE great wine bars in a 200m stretch
Daisy Jackson
A popular suburb of Greater Manchester seems to be having a bit of a wine bar moment – and for once, we’re not talking about Stockport.
Prestwich has a buzzing little food and drink scene, and just this week has welcomed a brand-new wine bar.
That brings the total number of wine bars in the village to three – and they’re all in just a 200m stretch of the high street.
The latest addition is Cellar Door, headed up by siblings Ben and Sarah and sitting side-by-side with acclaimed neighbourhood restaurant The Pearl.
Cellar Door joins long-standing favourite Whole Bunch Wines (formerly known as Grape to Grain) and the new-ish Chin Chin, which comes from the same team behind Elnecot in Ancoats.
And beyond that, The Pearl has a ‘wine window’ where they’ll pass your drink out to you to drink on their pavement bistro tables.
If you much prefer a decent glass of wine instead of a pint, Prestwich is becoming the new hotspot for a bar crawl.
Read on for more on each of these brilliant independent businesses.
Cellar Door
Cellar Door is the newest wine bar to open in Prestwich. Credit: The Manc Group
The newest wine bar on the Prestwich high street is Cellar Door, opened just this month by brother and sister Ben and Sarah.
It’s their first project together and is stocked with more than 200 different wines, plus plenty of beers (including some local names), selected batched cocktails served ice-cold, and a menu of nibbles too.
Spanning two floors, there’s a sunny balcony upstairs for sunnier days, but in the meantime, get cosy in a booth with a glass of something from their VAST vino collection.
Whole Bunch Wines (formerly Grape to Grain) wine shop in Prestwich. Credit: The Manc GroupWhole Bunch Wines (formerly Grape to Grain) wine shop in Prestwich. Credit: The Manc Group
An ‘off licence with a difference’, Whole Bunch Wines (which used to be known as Grape to Grain) is Prestwich’s original spot for a wine.
Almost a decade old now, Whole Bunch Wines has a proper enomatic wine machine which means you can have a glass of their chosen bottles each week (without committing to a full bottle – though no judgement if you do want to do that too).
They also have a counter stuffed with cheese, meat and fresh bread so you can customise yourself a deli board.
There’s not much better than grabbing a bottle to take away from Whole Bunch, then changing your mind and cracking it open sat on one of the barrel tables outside instead.
Last but definitely not least on this mini wine crawl around Prestwich is Chin Chin.
This lovely spot comes from the team behind Elnecot, who initially opened it as Dokes Pizzeria (but then Rudy’s opened up opposite and honestly, who can be arsed) before pivoting it to be a wine bar.
There’s jazz vinyls playing, an enormous selection of rotating wines, a smart interior of tiled tabletops and moody red paint, and – a weekly highlight for locals – Sunday Sessions with roast dinner-inspired sandwiches and £4 pints.
Georgina Pellant -
13th July 2023 
