News

Poignant photos show Manchester firefighters lining streets for funeral of late colleague Dan Lee

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 22nd September 2022

Greater Manchester firefighters were seen lining the streets in what was a poignant tribute to their late colleague.

Following the funeral of Daniel Lee held yesterday, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) has shared a collection of moving photos from the service – which shows many of his colleagues lining the streets with their heads bowed as procession passed, and acting as pallbearers during the service itself.

Fire engines displaying floral tributes from loving family members also formed part of the procession.

Daniel ‘Dan’ Lee was a Watch Manager at GMFRS, and served the communities of Greater Manchester for over 16 years before he sadly passed away back in August.

In a tribute to the dedicated firefighter shared on social media, GMFRS said: “Today we said goodbye to our colleague and friend Watch Manager Dan Lee.

“Staff members joined family and friends for a funeral service to honour Dan, who served the communities of Greater Manchester for 16 years.

“Dan, a former Royal Marine, was based at Agecroft Fire Station on Green Watch and was also the Service’s lead Air Unit pilot. He had worked across many different departments. He was known for being keen to learn, a good listener and communicator, and for his sense of humour.

“Dan’s family and colleagues are very grateful to the public for their kind wishes following his sad death, and would like to thank everyone who generously donated to a fundraiser set up by his friends.

“RIP Dan.”

Greater Manchester firefighters were seen lining the streets in what was a poignant tribute to their late colleague / Credit: GMFRS

Daniel Lee went missing in the early hours after a night out with friends.

The 41-year-old Watch Manager was last seen walking along St Mary’s Parsonage, near Crazy Pedro’s, just after 1am on 22 August, and a huge search and rescue effort took place throughout that week – with Tactical Aid Unit, North West Police Underwater Search and Marine Unit officers searching the River Irwell close to where Dan went missing.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) then confirmed on 26 August after the search operation concluded that the body of a man had been found.

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GMP’s statement said at the time: “We’ve sadly found the body of a man in the search for Daniel Lee from Salford. He was last seen in the early hours of Monday morning after a night out with friends in Manchester. His family have been informed and request privacy at this time.”

Fire engines displaying floral tributes from loving family members also formed part of the procession / Credit: GMFRS

GMFRS also shared a tribute to the “popular and valued” colleague at the time.

Dave Russel – Chief Fire Officer – said: “Everyone at GMFRS is shocked and deeply saddened by the untimely death of our colleague Watch Manager Dan Lee.

“Our thoughts are with Dan’s family and friends, as they have been over the past few days as the search for him has taken place. This is a tragic end to a very difficult week and not the outcome we all so desperately hoped for.

“On behalf of GMFRS, I want to thank Greater Manchester Police for their efforts in the search for Dan, as well as colleagues across GMFRS and residents and partners from across our city region who have supported the search.

“Dan will be greatly missed.”

Featured Image – GMFRS

News

Smoke billows across Manchester city centre as historic mill goes up in flames

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Smoke billows across Manchester city centre as historic mill goes up in flames

Smoke is billowing across the Manchester skyline this evening after a huge fire has struck the historic Hotspur Press building.

The former mill just off Whitworth Street West has gone up in flames, with smoke seen for miles.

People have been sharing pictures and videos of the blaze from all over the city centre.

The Hotspur Press stands just below the train lines between Manchester Oxford Road and Deansgate train station, meaning that the fire has caused significant travel disruption.

Trains out of Manchester Oxford Road are currently all showing as delayed.

The building was set to be redeveloped into a student accommodation tower block, with a recent planning application requesting to change the original consented brick cladding to an aluminium façade. A large emergency services response is on the scene.

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) told The Manc: “Firefighters are currently tackling a large fire at the derelict Hotspur Press building on Cambridge Street in Manchester. An evacuation of the neighbouring apartment buildings is taking place.

“The public are advised to stay away from the area while crews continue to tackle the fire.”

A further update from the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service at around 7pm said: “Crews are working hard to tackle the fire at the Hotspur Press building. 20 fire engines from stations across Greater Manchester are at the scene, where three floors of the building are alight. Multiple jets and the air unit are in use to prevent the spread of the fire.

“All floors of the two apartment blocks at 1 Cambridge Street have been evacuated.”

National Rail has said: “There is a fire next to the track at Manchester Oxford Road, closing all lines at this station. As a result, trains may be cancelled, severely delayed by up to 100 minutes or revised.

“If you are travelling this evening, your train may not run its full route and may terminate / start from a different station.

“Please check before you travel as major disruption is expected to continue until the end of the day.”

As the police cordon has expanded, local businesses have been impacted – Bunny Jackson’s on First Street has been evacuated and is closed.

They shared: “We have had to evacuate due to a fire near by! We’re unsure of when we will be able to reopen. Safety first, folks!”

Plumes can be seen for miles, with residents in Salford, Hyde, Bolton, and further afield reporting sightings, including some even in Cheshire – fair to say it’s one of, if not the largest, fire in Manchester city centre for some time.

Witnesses have said that crowds are now being cleared from the area due to a risk of asbestos.

A witness at the scene told The Manc that a police officer wearing a mask was urging bystanders to exit the vicinity immediately, stating that “smoke is asbestos-contaminated because of the roof.”

If nearby, please keep away and urge others to stay safe.

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Featured Images — The Manc Group

News

Government launches ‘urgent’ review into NHS maternity and neonatal care services

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A rapid national investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal services has been ordered by the Government.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting says this Government inherited a situation from the previous government where issues in maternity and neonatal care had been ‘ongoing for some time’, and now he wants to ‘provide truth and accountability’ to address systemic problems that date back more than 15 years.

Although a series of independent reviews into local trusts in the past had found some similar ‘failings’, including the failure to listen to women, concerns over safety, and issues with leadership and culture, this new national investigation will be going further than ever before.

The investigation will urgently look at the worst-performing maternity and neonatal services in the country, and bring together the findings of past reviews into one clear national set of actions.

The aim is to ensure every woman and baby receives high-quality and compassionate care, with the investigation consisting of two parts.

The first part will urgently investigate up to 10 of the ‘most concerning’ maternity and neonatal units across the country to give affected families the answers they deserve as quickly as possible. 

The second will then undertake a system-wide look at maternity and neonatal care to bring together lessons from past inquiries to create one clear national set of actions to improve care across every NHS maternity service.

Alongside the launch of the national investigation today, the Government has also announced that it will be establishing a ‘National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce’ that’s set to be chaired by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and made up of a panel of esteemed experts and bereaved families.

The taskforce will mainly address several issues facing maternity care in England.

One area of focus will be addressing the devastating inequalities that women from Black, Asian and deprived backgrounds face, while another area will be a look at a lack of compassionate care and concerns over safety.

The Government has launched an ‘urgent’ review into NHS maternity and neonatal care services / Credit: Jimmy Conover (via Unsplash)

“I know nobody wants better for women and babies than the thousands of NHS midwives, obstetricians, maternity and neonatal staff,” commented Health Secretary Wes Streeting, as the urgent review was launched today. “And that the vast majority of births are safe and without incident, but it’s clear something is going wrong.

“That’s why I’ve ordered a rapid national investigation to make sure families get the truth and the accountability they deserve, and ensure no parent or baby is ever let down again. 

“I want staff to come with us on this, to improve things for everyone.

“We‘re also taking immediate steps to hold failing services to account and give staff the tools they need to deliver the kind, safe, respectful care every family deserves. 

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“Maternity care should be the litmus test by which this Government is judged on patient safety, and I will do everything in my power to ensure no family has to suffer like this again.”

Featured Image – Visulass (via Unsplash)

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