Six of Manchester’s parks and cemeteries have been recognised as some of the best in the UK, and each bagged a Green Flag award.
Heaton Park, and Alexandra Park, and Blackley, Southern, Gorton, and Philips Park cemeteries have been named some of the country’s most “welcoming places”, and have all given the prestigious nod for 2022 as a result.
Not only that, but Heaton Park – which covers an area of over 600-acres – has also clinched the coveted Green Heritage Site Accreditation for the management of its historic features too.
If you’re not familiar with the The Green Flag Award scheme and why it’s such a brilliant achievement for the city-region, the international quality mark recognises and rewards well-managed parks and green spaces.
It aims to set the benchmark standard for the management of communal spaces across the UK and around the world.
Heaton Park / Credit: Geograph (David Dixon) | Wikimedia Commons
Every site recognised through the scheme is assessed by experienced judges who judge the parks using eight criteria – a welcoming place, healthy, safe and secure, well-maintained and clean, environmental management, biodiversity, landscape and heritage, community involvement, marketing and communication, and management.
ADVERTISEMENT
Green Flag Award Scheme Manager Paul Todd has congratulated everyone involved in “making all these sites in Manchester worthy of a Green Flag Award.”
“The parks are vital green spaces for the community in Manchester,” he added.
“This award is testament to all the hard work of staff and volunteers, who do so much to ensure that it maintains the high standards demanded by the Green Flag Award.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Alexandra Park / Credit: Donald Judge (via Flickr)
Cllr Lee-Ann Igbon – Executive Member for Vibrant Neighbourhoods at Manchester City Council – also added: “After two years that have seen parks and green spaces play an important role for people through lockdowns as a place to relax, exercise and meet friends and family safely [and] in addition, our cemeteries are important places of rest and our teams work very hard to maintain them.
“The news that six of Manchester’s parks and cemeteries have achieved the Green Flag Award is testament to the hard work and dedication of the team of staff and volunteers that make all of our green spaces great.”
Featured Image – David Dixon (via Geograph)
News
Price caps and standardisations to be introduced for vet care in UK following major investigation
Emily Sergeant
Reforms to the veterinary industry to help pet owners better navigate the vet services market are set to be introduced this year.
After an independent inquiry group recently found that the current system is leaving pet owners ‘in the dark’, with a lack of information to help make informed decisions leading to weak competition and high prices, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has this week concluded its investigation into veterinary services for household pets in the UK.
The final report green-lights a package of measures to make the market more competitive, easier to navigate, and more responsive to pet owners’ needs.
It outlines the final remedies and recommendations, which together, will transform the market.
Remedies and recommendations in the report range from price caps and standardisations, through to upfront cost transparency.
We’ve set out major reforms to the UK’s veterinary sector now our market investigation is complete.
Our reforms will help pet owners better navigate the vet services market and will start coming into force later this year.
— Competition & Markets Authority (@CMAgovUK) March 24, 2026
Practices will soon be required to publish a comprehensive price list for standard services – including consultations, common procedures, diagnostics, written prescriptions and cremation options – so pet owners know up-front how much certain services are expected to cost.
They’ll also have to make it clear whether they are part of a group or an independent business, and provide a written estimate in advance for any treatment expected to cost £500 or more (including aftercare costs), plus an itemised bill.
Written prescription fees are set to be capped at £21 for the first medicine, and then £12.50 for any additional medicines.
Price caps and standardisations are set to be introduced for vet care in UK / Credit: Pxhere
There’s also set to be changes to the complaints process, as practices will now be required to follow a transparent, accessible, in-house complaints process, and engage in mediation where disputes cannot be resolved.
The CMA says an ‘unprecedented’ response from both the public and the sector has helped to shape the final report.
The next step is for the Government to respond to the report formally – with Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Emma Reynolds, commenting: “We are grateful for all the work of the Competition and Markets Authority, and we will respond to the report and set out next steps for our proposed reforms in due course.
“This Government is focused on helping families save money on vet services by improving transparency and choice around pricing, so the public can make informed decisions about their pets’ care.”
Featured Image – Pxhere
News
Police release footage of Manchester burglar who tried to evade arrest by hiding under a bed
Emily Sergeant
Police have released unseen footage of a Manchester burglar who tried to evade arrest and justice by hiding under a bed.
David Dale Thompson, of no fixed abode, appeared at Manchester Crown Court last week (18 March) where he was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty to four counts of residential burglary at an earlier hearing.
The 43-year-old was caught early last year (15 January 2025) following proactive patrols by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) neighbourhood officers across Rusholme and Moss Side, who were in the area due to a high number of reports of burglaries in the weeks prior.
While on patrol, police spotted Thompson ‘acting suspiciously’ while riding a bike just before 5pm, and once officer subsequently followed him to a property on Boscombe Street, before calling for more officers to attend.
After gaining entry to the address, officers suspected something was wrong when they entered one of the rooms, and after lifting up the bed, they found Thompson hiding in the storage compartment attempting to evade arrest.
GMP has now released footage of the moment Thompson was caught.
Speaking following Thompson’s sentencing last week, Detective Inspector Natalie McDonald, of GMP’s Manchester Central Neighbourhood Crime Team, said: “This was a fantastic example of proactive policing, which has resulted in a serial offender now behind bars.
“We know how devastating a burglary in your own home can be and this shows our commitment to tackling them head on.
“If you have any information or concerns about neighbourhood crime in your area, make sure you speak to us. In the meantime, we have officers on regular patrols in areas that need us the most.”
Emily Sergeant -
28th July 2022 
