Tommy Dolan, the man behind the legendary Tommy’s House of Fires in Old Trafford, has died aged 72.
His iconic storefront has been a fixture in the town for years – and any self-respecting South Mancunian will be more than familiar with its busy, if dilapidated, frontage.
Owned for decades by the Eccles-born businessman, who identified as a Hulme lad through and through and ran a series of successful chippies before venturing into the world of marble fireplaces, there’s nowhere else quite like it.
For years, Tommy’s House of Fires was a go-to spot, not just for Old Trafford locals but also for rich and famous footballers thanks, in part, to its close proximity to the Manchester United grounds.
Counted amongst Tommy’s most famous customers was The Prodigy Firestarter the late Keith Flint, who notoriously then went on a three-day bender with Tommy that, allegedly, saw the businessman spiked with LSD.
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The 72-year-old also saw a fair bit of national fame in his time, thanks to a series of weird and wonderful advertising campaigns he ran in the 90s.
Most famous, of course, was the ‘FREE SEX (with every 100 fires sold)’ advert, swiftly followed by ‘TOMMY’S GETTING A DIVORCE – (come get it before she gets half)’.
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Tommy may not have been actually getting a divorce, but that didn’t matter – it landed him in all the national newspapers, and that more than did the job of promoting his business.
Tommy passed away peacefully in his sleep unexpectedly last month, leaving behind his wife Judy of over 50 years Judy, and his four children TJ, Emma, Anna and Danny.
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An iconic South Manchester character, he will be greatly missed by all who knew him and those in the local community who grew to know his shop over the years.
His funeral will be held on Tuesday 22 August at St John’s in Chorlton at 12pm, followed by a wake at The Woodstock in Didsbury at 2pm.
Public urged to call the police if they see this wanted man
Daisy Jackson
Cheshire Police are appealing for the public’s help in tracing a wanted man with links to Macclesfield and Alsager.
Joshua Wyatt, 34, is wanted on recall to prison, and officers are urging anyone who has seen him or knows of his whereabouts to come forward.
Wyatt is described as being 183cm (6ft) tall and of medium build, with a bald head and blue eyes.
Police believe he has links to both Macclesfield and Alsager.
Anyone who sees Wyatt or has information about where he may be is asked to contact Cheshire Police on 101 or report information via the force’s website.
Information should be provided quoting reference number 26000809013.
Huge shuttle bus effort laid on to get Manchester United fans to Old Trafford amid tram disruption
Daisy Jackson
Transport for Greater Manchester has announced a shuttle bus scheme to help Manchester United fans get to Old Trafford this week, amid major tram disruption.
Fans won’t be able to use trams to get to the ground as usual, due to huge improvement works which are in place until Monday 2 November.
There’ll be no trams at all on the Altrincham, Trafford Park, and Eccles lines, with Airport and East Didsbury trams only going as far as Firswood.
That means that fans heading to Manchester United’s home game against Bournemouth would have been a little stuck without this newly-announced shuttle bus service.
Frequent dedicated shuttle buses will run running Piccadilly Gardens, Altrincham Interchange and the Trafford Centre, taking fans directly to Old Trafford before the game.
Frequencies range from five to 20 minutes depending on the route and time, with details available online. Return services will be in place after the final whistle.
TfGM staff will be at key stops and interchanges throughout the day to help fans get to the match and provide travel advice.
Huge shuttle bus effort laid on to get Manchester United fans to Old Trafford amid tram disruption. Credit: TfGM
Ian Davies, TfGM’s Network Director for Metrolink, said: “There is no good time to disrupt passengers to carry out these works, and this is the first time in over a decade that trams won’t serve Old Trafford on a match day, but these works are essential and will enable us to provide a better service in future. I am very sorry to fans who face disruption.
“We’ve put a range of alternative travel options in place, including dedicated shuttle buses, bolstered Bee Network bus services, rail options and ticket acceptance arrangements will help fans get to and from the game.
“Journey options will be different from usual, so we would encourage supporters to plan ahead, check their route and our website before they travel and leave plenty of time to get to and from the stadium.”
TfGM is advising supporters to leave around an hour earlier to help make sure they arrive in time for kick-off.
Georgina Pellant -
10th August 2023 
