It’s been another busy weekend for news here in Greater Manchester – here are the top five stories we were all talking about over the last couple of days.
Storm Arwen
Erst was closed because of the storm on Saturday. Credit: Instagram @erst_mcr
We’ve all been talking about the weather. All of us.
The weekend started with Manchester getting battered from all angles by Storm Arwen.
Overnight on Friday and well into Saturday, gale-force winds caused havoc across the region.
The massive storm saw the M62 closed as lorries got stuck, trees ripped up from their roots, and Erst in Ancoats closed as water flooded into the restaurant.
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Omicron
Credit: (DoD photo by Lisa Ferdinando)
A new variant of concern that has emerged in South Africa, putting six countries onto the red list and triggering new rules from the UK Government.
Three cases of the new Omicron variant have now been found in England, with a further six in Scotland – contact tracing is underway.
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From Tuesday November 30, face masks will once again be mandatory in retail and on public transport, though hospitality settings will be exempt.
All people arriving in the UK will now need to take a PCR test too.
Suspected contacts of Omicron cases will have to isolate for 10 days, regardless of vaccination status.
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There are also plans to speed up the booster jab programme.
Snow day
Snow in Manchester city centre. Credit: Instagram @bee_manuk
It’s the weather again!
Manchester spent most of yesterday in a flurry of snow and woke up on Monday to a blanket of white.
It’s made the roads a little tricky and closed a few schools.
Don’t expect it to stick around for long though – there’s rain forecast this evening and much milder temperatures of 10C from tomorrow.
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I’m A Celebrity
Thanks to the wild weather brought by Storm Arwen, I’m a Celebrity has dropped off air.
The live portion was called off on Friday and over the weekend, highlights reels have been broadcast on ITV instead.
The channel confirmed that the production site at Gwrych Castle has been badly damaged.
The celebrities – including Frankie Bridge, Naughty Boy and David Ginola – were all removed from the castle.
It’s hoped that the live show will return tonight.
Greater Manchester public urged to help get people ‘off the streets and on their feet’ before Christmas
Emily Sergeant
Locals are being urged to help get hundreds of people “off the streets and back on their feet” this festive season.
As the temperatures told colder by the day, and Christmas creeps closer and closer, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is bringing back ‘1000 Beds for Christmas’, and the massively-important initiative is aiming to provide 1,000 nights of accommodation to people at risk of homelessness before the big day arrives.
Forming part of the ongoing ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, this festive fundraising mission is designed to provide food, shelter, warmth, and dedicated vital wrap-around support for those who need it most.
The charity says it wants to build on the “incredible success of 2023”, which raised more than £55,000 and provided 1,800 nights of accommodation.
Stockport-based property finance specialists, Together – which has supported the campaign for the last two years – has, once again, generously pledged to match every public donation for the first £20,000 raised.
Unfamiliar with the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme? Since 2017, when rough sleeping peaked, the initiative has helped ensure a significantly-higher rate of reduction in the numbers of people facing a night on streets in Greater Manchester than seen nationally.
The landmark scheme has given people the chance to rebuild their lives, while also giving them access to key services and opportunities that allows them to stay off the streets for good.
Despite the scheme’s recent success, organisations across Greater Manchester are under “a huge amount of pressure” to meet the demand for their services this winter, and given the current economic outlook, household budgets will continue to be squeezed – leaving people on the sharp end of inequality and poverty.
Daisy Jackson -
29th November 2021 
