In honour of his 60th birthday, Beautiful South musician Paul Heaton has revealed he’ll be putting cash behind the bar at 60 pubs today.
The multi-talented artist had previously planned to celebrate his birthday with a bicycle tour, taking him to 60 different UK and Irish pubs – but thanks to Covid and recording delays, he’s been forced to rethink.
So now, instead, he’s decided to put cash behind the bar of 60 handpicked local boozers today instead so that fans can at least enjoy a drink on him, if not actually with him, reports The Hoot.
The money will be behind tills today, Monday 9 May, at a number of different pubs in Greater Manchester – including The Britons Protection in Manchester city centre, The Railway Inn in West Didsbury and Bowling Green in Chorlton.
Image: The Manc Group
According to a list of pubs shared on Paul Heaton’s Facebook page, fans can also find cash at The Flying Horse in Rochdale, The Orion in Withington, Albert Wilsons in Withington the Dog & Partridge in Warrington and Bird i’th Hand in St Helens.
Paul Heaton made the announcement in a Facebook post, shared over the weekend.
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He wrote: “Both regulars and yourselves can enjoy a birthday drink on me (until the money runs out, or the bar runs dry!).
“The hope is to bring people together on the day, whilst recognising that many folk who bought my records or showed me support over the years, could do with a wee party, as we come out of Covid and hit potential financial struggles.
“I’ll announce the full list of pubs and locations tomorrow, so if there’s one near you please head over on Monday, show your support and raise a toast to me on my birthday!”
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The full list of pubs where Paul Heaton has put cash behind the bar for his 60th:
Robinsons Bar – Great Victoria St, Belfast
Eddie Murphys – Thomastown, Kilkenny
Peadar O’Donnells – Waterloo St, Derry
The Punters Rest – Tipperary
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The Sky on the Ground – Whitewell, Wexford
Courtney’s Bar – Killarney, Co. Kerry
Keohoes – Dublin
Tig Coili – The Latin Quarter, Galway
Bonners Corner Bar – Ballybofey, Co. Donegal
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The Old Toll Bar – Paisley Rd W, Glasgow
Nice n Sleazy – Sauchiehall St, Glasgow
The Sheep Heid Inn – The Causeway, Edinburgh
Kay’s Bar – Jamaica St, Edinburgh
Tanners Arms – Byker Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne
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The Freetrade Inn – Lawrence Road, Newcastle upon Tyne
The Half Moon – Northgate, Darlington
The Black Bull – Main St, Darvel
The Sportsmans Inn – Heads Ln, Carlisle
The Original Oak – Headingley, Leeds
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The Flying Horse – Packer St, Rochdale
Britons Protection – Bridgewater St, Manchester
Bowling Green – Chorlton-cum-Hardy
The Orion – Burton Road, Withington
The Railway Inn – Lapwing Ln, West Didsbury
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Albert Wilsons – Wilmslow Rd, Withington
The Dog & Partridge – Manchester Rd, Warrington
Bird I’th Hand – Prescot Rd, St Helens
The Saddle Inn – Dale St, Liverpool
The Casa Bar – Hope St, Liverpool
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The Globe – Cases St, Liverpool
The Coachmakers Arms – Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent
The Bay Horse – Market Pl, Market Weighton
Lord Nelson – Arundel Street, Sheffield
Riverside Kelham – Mowbray St, Sheffield
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The Morning Star – Greetwell Gate, Lincoln
Ye Olde Blue Bell – Market Place, Hull
The Whalebone – Wincolmlee, Hull
The Grafton – Grafton St, Hull
The White Horse – Hutton Cranswick
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Hatfield Main Pit Club – Stainforth, Doncaster
The Old Horse – London Road, Leicester
The Black Horse – Aylestone, Leicester
The Bulls Head – Cambridge St, Saint Neots
Hardies – Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
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Golden Fleece Inn – Market Square, Porthmadog
Rummer Tavern – Duke St, Cardiff
Hare & Hounds – King’s Heath, Birmingham
Patrick Kavanagh – Trafalgar Road, Birmingham
The Red Hart – Bodham, Norfolk
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The Eagle – Norfolk St, King’s Lynn
The Duke of York – Woodbridge Rd, Ipswich
The Stags Head – New Cavendish St, London
The Coffee House Pub – Beak St, London
The Glue Pot – Emlyn Square, Swindon
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The Thunderbolt – Bath Rd, Bristol
The Cricketers Inn – South St, Dorking
Grasshopper on the Green – Westerham, Kent
Minerva Inn – Looe St, Plymouth
Duke of Wellington – Brighton Road, Shoreham-by-Sea
Polgooth Inn – St Austell, Cornwall
Feature image – Facebook
News
Gary Lineker set to leave BBC this week following more controversy
Danny Jones
Former footballer and veteran presenter Gary Lineker is set to leave the BBC earlier than expected following further political controversies and social media backlash.
Lineker has been butting heads with the presenter for a couple of years now, being suspended by the national corporation back in March 2023 for his comments about language used by the Conservative government, and has continued to take issue with certain aspects of their news coverage.
He has since gone on to share a further video expressing his regret over what he called an “honest mistake”, as well as confirming that he will be making a premature exit from the BBC.
As you can see in the clip above, he says: “I apologise unreservedly for the hurt and upset caused,” insisting that he didn’t see the emoji in question
Lineker is now expected to leave following his final Match of the Day programme this weekend after having already confirmed he would be leaving the role after 26 years at the end of the season.
The ex-English footballer was set to present the 2026 FIFA World Cup next summer, but given the latest furore, he will be stepping away ahead of schedule.
Having gradually wound down his work with networks like TNT Sports (previously BT Sport) and the BBC in recent years, he has been slowly shifting his focus to his own Goalhanger Podcasts company, which includes several popular audio formats under The Rest Is… brand, including his own flagship The Rest Is Football show.
He goes on to add that he’s “stood up for minorities and humanitarian issues and against all forms of racism all my life.” Since the most recent Israel-Palestine conflicts began, he’s been particularly outspoken on the events. One recent interview with the BBC itself sparked plenty of discussion online.
Gary Lineker, "What's going on there (Gaza), the mass murder of thousands of children is something we should have an opinion on"
Amol Rajan, "The BBC needs to be impartial about it"
Lineker reiterated that he would never “knowingly share anything antisemitic” and removed the problematic post as soon as he was made aware.
Nevertheless, the BBC and director general Tim Davie have been facing pressure to address the situation ever since it happened, with many calling for the household name to be sacked.
It seems the ex-Everton, Leicester, Spurs and Barcelona player has made the decision for them.
As he goes on to conclude, despite expressing gratitude regarding his relationship with the BBC, he feels the “time is right […’ to go our separate ways.”
“Wildfires can spread quickly and cause devastation to the land and wildlife on it,” explained GMFRS’s wildfire lead and national tactical adviser for wildfires, Ady Taylor, “so it’s vitally important that people call 999 as soon as they think they see a fire.”
He continued: “We want people to enjoy the countryside and moorland we have in Greater Manchester, but… [we] remind people to always act responsibly while out enjoying these environments.
“This means no BBQs, fires or fireworks – as they can easily result in wildfires.”
On Wednesday 14 May 2025, a teenage boy was arrested on suspicion of arson and interviewed by police in relation to the incident, and then the following day on Thursday 15 May 2025, another two boys were also arrested – with each of the three having now been released on bail pending further enquiries while investigations are ongoing.
Three teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of arson after a large moorland fire in Bury / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Detective Inspector Andy Wright, from GMP’s Bury district, added: “The moorland fire is being investigated as arson following information from a witness and enquiries we have made.
“We have managed to apprehend three teenagers in relation to this incident, all of them have been bailed following interviews with our officers.”
GMP and GMFRS is reminding Greater Manchester residents that if they see a fire in the countryside, they need to report it immediately, leave the area as soon as possible, and dial 999, and if you witness illegal activity in relation to the fire, then you can report it to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
“Fires can have such a devastating effect, and we are lucky that this has not caused a significant amount of damage, or cost lives,” Detective Inspector Andy Wright concluded.
Georgina Pellant -
9th May 2022 
