A man has been arrested on suspicion of kidnap after a car was stolen with an elderly woman still sat in the passenger seat.
It comes after policereceived reports of a stolen vehicle near the Market Hall, in the Tameside town of Ashton-under-Lyne, at around 1pm this past Saturday (6 January).
According to Greater Manchester Police (GMP), the shocking incident occurred a after woman had left her vehicle and kept the engine running, so that it could remain warm whilst her 89-year-old mother was sat in the passenger seat waiting – but it was at this opportune moment when a man was reported to have got into the car.
The man then proceeded to drive the vehicle away from the scene, but with the elderly woman still in the passenger seat.
#ARREST | Man swiftly arrested following pursuit of a suspected stolen vehicle 🚗
Shortly after the incident had been reported, local officers in the Tameside area were quick to follow the vehicle, before officers from GMP’s Road Policing Unit then went on to pursue the car for a short period of time and eventually bring it to a safe stop.
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Thankfully, the elderly woman sustained no injuries during the distressing incident, and was safely reunited with her daughter a short time later.
Following the pursuit, GMP has confirmed that a 50-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of kidnap, theft of a motor vehicle, and dangerous driving.
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He currently remains in police custody.
Tameside man arrested on suspicion of kidnap after car stolen with elderly woman still in passenger seat / Credit: GMP
“This shows great work by the team in what could have been a really dangerous incident, which was managed well by the officers to ensure the vehicle was brought to a stop safely,” explained Chief Inspector Matt Jackson, of GMP’s Specialist Operation Branch.
“I’m pleased to hear that the elderly woman was safely reunited with her daughter.
“It must have been really terrifying for her to have been the passenger whilst the car was driven off by a stranger.”
Featured Image – Google Maps
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NHS rolls-out new measures to help school students ‘manage stress’ during exam season
Emily Sergeant
In case it wasn’t on your radar, today is the start of mental health awareness week.
And coinciding with this hugely-important national event, the NHS has begun helping hundreds of thousands of pupils across the UK who are sitting exams from this week to manage any stress and anxiety they may be feeling.
Almost 600 hundred colleges and sixth form centres nationwide have NHS clinicians on site who are offering one-to-one support and workshops for students, as well as providing training for teachers on how to support pupils who may be struggling with their mental health, particularly around this time of year.
It’s believed that more than 250,000 students, between the ages 15-18, have already received NHS help for a range of issues which can be ‘exacerbated’ by exams.
More than 250,000 students have received help from the NHS for a range of issues, from anxiety or sleep difficulties, ahead of GCSE and A Level exams.
Find out more about how we’re helping young people do as well as they can in their exams.
As well as preparing students for the exam period, NHS staff are also on-hand throughout the year to offer them resilience training and coping strategies that can be used for the rest of their lives.
Parents and carers can also receive NHS support to make sure that young people receive consistent support, both in and out of school.
“Young people are facing more pressures than ever before,” commented Claire Murdoch, who is NHS England’s National Mental Health Director, “and we can really see that peaking at this time of year, as exam season kicks off, but the NHS is here to help.
“Hundreds of teams working in classrooms are offering specialist advice on how to manage stress and anxiety to hundreds of thousands of children taking exams.
The NHS has begun helping school students ‘manage stress’ ahead of exam season / Credit: gov.uk
“We know that adolescence is a crucial time of life with half of mental health disorders being present by the age of 14, so it is absolutely vital that our NHS teams are able to offer students easy access to support with the skills they learn helping them as they enter the workplace or head off to university.”
Mental Health Minister, Baroness Merron, also added: “We know a lot of young people struggle with their mental health, and early intervention is crucial, so ny expanding school-based support teams nationwide, we’re bringing help directly to students and ensuring easy access when it matters most.
“Through our Plan for Change, this Government will cut waiting lists and increase access to mental health support, regardless of where young people live or their circumstances.”
Featured Image – MChe Lee (via Unsplash)
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Olly Murs at AO Arena, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more
Thomas Melia
The ‘Troublemaker’ himself, Olly Murs, is ready to cause some more chaos and this time he’s returning for his second night in Manchester with boyband Blue.
X Factor and British star Olly Murs is embarking on his latest UK arena tour, which does feel a little bit ‘likely lads’ on tour-esque with a helping hand from UK boyband, Blue.
Back in the late noughties, it was hard to escape the blazer-wearing, top-hatted, popstar as he was dropping back-to-back bangers like ‘Heart Skips a Beat’ and doo-wop inspired ‘Dance With Me Tonight’.
Now, this cheeky-chappy is embarking on the ‘15 Years Of Hits – Live 2025‘ tour, where he’ll be belting out all those classics as well as some more recent tunes too. Here’s how he sounded last week:
There are just a few tickets left for Olly Murs at AO Arena, so make sure you bag yours before your ‘Heart Skips a Beat’ HERE.
Olly Murs 15 Years Of Hits setlist
Olly Murs is coming to AO Arena in Manchester this week.Credit: Marcos Moreno via Wikimedia Commons
This Essex chap might have a solid setlist which he follows night in and night out, but he’s no stranger to being a bit ‘Unpredictable’. I mean, he is bringing a flamethrower on stage with him…
After being on our screens and airwaves for almost two decades, it’s no surprise that this setlist is lengthy, totalling at just over 20 songs – give or take the 80s medley weaved into the mix.
Who doesn’t love a bit of ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ paired alongside Murs’ stacked setlist?
Troublemaker
Right Place Right Time
Please Don’t Let Me Go
Thinking of Me
Oh My Goodness
Heart Skips a Beat
Kiss Me
Army of Two
Hand on Heart
Up
Die of a Broken Heart / I Found Her / Dancing on Cars / I Hate You When You’re Drunk (Marry Me Medley)
Seasons
You Don’t Know Love
I’m Your Man / Never Gonna Give You Up / Livin’ On a Prayer / Beat It / Careless Whisper / I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) / I’m So Excited (80s Medley)
What are the stage times for Olly Murs in Manchester?
AO Arena has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning concertgoers can be ‘Wrapped Up’ in the Essex popstar’s hits without having to worry about getting home too late. It’s a school night after all!
Doors for Olly Murs’ 15 Years Of Hits – Live 2025 are scheduled for 6:30pm with a start time of 7:30pm and support from 2000s UK boyband, Blue.
The BRIT-winning, Eurovision-performing, chart-toppers are back together once again and about to take us back to pop school as we quickly re-learn the words to boyband textbook classics ‘All Rise’, Best in Me’ and more.
How to get to AO Arena
Olly Murs sporting his usual blazer and top-hat style back in 2013.Credit: InfoGibraltar (via Flickr)
Tram
For those of you heading to AO Arena, luckily, it’s connected to Manchester Victoria Station, and it has an integrated Metrolink stop to make your life even easier.
Head along the pink, light blue or yellow lines directly to the Victoria stop, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Train
Considering this live entertainment venue is situated right in the middle of one of Manchester’s most frequented stations, concertgoers should find no problem getting to the arena, wherever they are.
Bus
A variety of buses cover AO Arena and Victoria Station on their route, such as the 2 bus, which stops just a one-minute walk away from the venue.
A full list of buses and their routes can be found HERE.
Getting there by car and parking
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The Arena has its own official CitiPark, with 958 car parking spaces including 40 Blue Badge parking bays, which can be booked in advance.
Alternatively, anyone attending a gig can park at their nearest train station and jump on a train service or the various Metrolink park and ride facilities.
Walk/cycle
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app.
Emily Sergeant -
9th January 2024 
