A father who was left paralysed following the Manchester Arena attack has taken his first steps since the incident.
Bolton-born football agent Martin Hibbert – who was the closest casualty to the bomb blast to survive – suffered 22 shrapnel wounds and was left paralysed from the waist down when he and his teenage daughter were among the hundreds injured in the terror attack following an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena on 22nd May 2017.
But with the power of technology, he has been able to walk for the first time.
Martin has been able to take his first steps since the attack thanks to the help of an exoskeleton – a wearable machine that helps people with spinal cord injuries to move.
He shared touching footage of the remarkable moment with his followers Twitter, with the inspiring caption: “Whenever you find yourself doubting how far you can go, just remember how far you have come.
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“Remember everything you have faced, all the battles you have won and all the fears you have overcome.
“Dream. Believe. Achieve.”
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Whenever you find yourself doubting how far you can go, just remember how far you have come. Remember everything you have faced, all the battles you have won and all the fears you have overcome…
He also spoke to ITV Granada Reports about the impact and significance of the moment, and his decision to share to footage with the public, admitting that: “To be stood up straight was mentally amazing [and] I wanted that video to inspire people.
“Technology is changing on a daily basis, and there are hopefully big changes coming in research for spinal cord injuries.”
Although taking his first steps since the attack is undeniably one of the most important achievements Martin has made, this isn’t the end of his journey, as next June, he is preparing to scale Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for a very worthy cause.
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He is aiming to take a Paralympic torch to the top of Africa’s highest mountain in an epic 10-day expedition, and in doing so, he hopes to raise £1 million for the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA).
Now a wheelchair user, Martin will ride a custom-built handbike for the challenge – which he said he was inspired to do after learning that only one in three people with spinal cord injuries receive treatment at specialist centres.
“I want to turn an appalling act of terror into a force for greater good.” Martin said.
Martin is preparing to scale Mount Kilimanjaro to raise £1 million for Spinal Injuries Association / Credit: SIA / Cloud Force Marketing / Sam Manton
Martin had originally planned to take on the challenge this past September, but it was sadly postponed due to the pandemic, and so he is instead scheduled to set off for Tanzania on 2 June 2022.
He will scale the mission alongside a trustee from SIA, two nurses who helped him recover from his injuries, and his two best mates.
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Since his recovery, Martin has worked with the SIA as a trustee to offer “hope, confidence and practical skills” to other people paralysed by spinal cord injury, and now wants to “give something back” to the charity after they’ve helped him “live a fulfilled life” over the last four years.
“The money raised is my way not just to thank SIA for everything it has done for me but to make sure it can reach the thousands who remain in urgent need,” Martin said.
“Without them, I wouldn’t be here today.”
Martin will ride a custom-built handbike for the challenge / Credit: SIA / Cloud Force Marketing / Sam Manton
Keen to show your support? All donations towards Martin’s target of raising £1 million for the Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) can be made via his official GoFundMe page here.
Popular night-time indie shopping market returns to Manchester tomorrow
Emily Sergeant
A unique indie shopping market is returning to Manchester, and you’ll be able to shop from 50 local small businesses all under one roof.
In case you hadn’t heard, the hugely-popular Night Market UK is back by popular demand, and it will be stopping off in our city centre for one night only tomorrow as part of the current leg of its tour across the country.
Returning to Manchester, but this time at a new location down at Fairfield Social Club in the Green Quarter, the unique night-time shopping experience will be showcasing more than 50 local small businesses – with everything from bespoke fashion items and beautifully-crafted homeware, to candles, artwork, silverware, and more on offer.
Brutal Fashion, Lost in Music, Urban Botany, and Dapper Alice are just a handful of the indie traders you’ll be able to shop from.
With event organisers promising there’ll be “a stall for everyone” to browse on the night, some of the other traders in attendance, include artisan producers, artists and bakers, as well as Fairfield Social Club’s resident street food purveyors Isit Kitchen, and pizza pros Killa Carbs.
DJ Clara B will also be taking over the club’s sound system too, and will be blasting tunes to set the scene all night long.
From bespoke fashion items and silverware courtesy of Brutal Fashion, to dazzling musical art prints from Lost in Music, and sculptural candles from Urban Botany to beautifully crafted homeware by Dapper Alice, there will be a stall for everyone on the night.
A popular night-time indie shopping market is returning to Manchester tomorrow / Credit: The Night Market UK | Kunal Mahesh Tewari (via The Night Market UK on Facebook)
The Night Market UK will open at Fairfield Social Club from 6pm tomorrow (Friday 26 July), and will run right through until 11pm.
Tickets are now on sale from just £4 each, and can be purchased in hourly entry timeslots – which organisers say “keeps the atmosphere just right” and ensures there’s enough space for everyone to be able to stay as little or as long as they’d like.
You can buy on the door or grab your tickets in advance here.
Featured Image – Supplied
Manchester
Beloved Manc butty shop Bada Bing set for a sensational return to the city centre
Danny Jones
Sandwich lovers rejoice because one of the finest butty shops to ever grace Manchester is returning: that’s right, Bada Bing is bada-back!
The Sopranos-inspired deli and sandwich shop that took its name from one of the central locations featured in the iconic US drama (yes, the strip club), was a huge success when it first opened in Manchester a few short years ago, so it was a huge blow when it closed in February 2022.
Starting out by serving sandwiches out of a window at The B Lounge pub on Paton Street near Piccadilly, before moving to a small kitchen on Radium Street and eventually setting up their stall inside Ancoats General Store, they would regularly have lines around the block every lunchtime.
These Italian-American sarnies were so popular you’d often struggle to get your claws on one – and believe us, they really are a two-handed task – as they’d sell out on what felt like most days. But now, whether you were a regular or someone who missed out, there is hope once again:
Announcing their sensational return to a new site over in the Northern Quarter, which will now mark the fourth premises they’ve popped up at, Bada Bing is back with a bang and, as you can, they dropped the news with one of the best reveal videos we’ve ever seen.
If you know, you know…
Set to take over 125 Oldham Street, owners Sam Gormally and Meg Lingenfelter haven’t yet graced us with an opening date but the new unit should hopefully be open sooner rather than later.
The duo, who previously worked at fellow NQ favourite Another Heart to Feed, came up with the concept during lockdown and it didn’t take long for the idea to take off, nor for them to earn their spot amongst the very best sandwich places in Manchester.
Seriously, these things were so big and unwieldy (in the best way possible) that they even used to come with eating instructions: both hands and the trademark Tony Soprano hunch recommended, though the slightly stained wife-beater, boxer shorts and open dressing gown look is optional.
From slices of provolone cheese, all the thinly sliced Italian meats you could think of and the closest thing to actual ‘gabagool‘ as you’ll find in Greater Manchester, the menu was fitting of being served up to the iconic characters that once sat outside Satriale’s and a big approving grin from the man himself.
Simply put, we cannot wait and we will certainly keep you posted when we find out exactly when Bada Bing confirms their official reopening date.