A touching tribute has been shared after a woman from Manchester died in a 65ft fall on a mountain in Snowdonia.
Maria Eftimova, a former University of Salford student, died from her injuries after falling into steep terrain during a group hike.
Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue ‘did everything within their powers’ to save the 28-year-old after the tragic incident, but she sadly died.
A fundraising appeal has now been launched by her loved ones to cover the ‘significant financial burden’ of having Maria repatriated to her family in Bulgaria.
In the fundraiser, organiser Victoria Critchley paid a touching tribute to Maria, describing her as ‘ambitious, bright and cherished’.
It reads: “We are reaching out with heavy hearts to ask for your support for the family of Maria Eftimova. Our dear friend tragically lost her life in an accident whilst scrambling Tryfan on Saturday 22nd of February 2025.
“Maria was an ambitious, bright and cherished 28 year old, whose vibrant personality, energy and aura touched and uplifted all around her. She had a passion for engineering, having studied Civil Engineering at the University of Salford and a love for extreme sports.
“Her biggest passion being Snowboarding, which she was super excited for and looking forward to doing again on her upcoming trip to Austria.
“She had an insatiable thirst for life and exploring our world’s beauty. Tragically, she was taken from her family far far far too soon!
Touching tribute paid to Manchester woman who died after horrifying fall on Snowdonia mountain. Credit: GoFundMe
“Words cannot express the devastation her family and our community are experiencing.
“Adding to their immense grief, the family, who reside in Bulgaria, face a significant financial burden to repatriate Maria and give her the dignified farewell with her loved ones that she deserves. The costs associated with international repatriation are substantial, and we want to alleviate the added burden/stress so they can focus on mourning their precious daughter.
“Every contribution, no matter how small, will make a tangible difference in enabling the family to grieve without this added worry. Please join us in offering them comfort and support during this incredibly difficult time.
“By sharing human kindness through even the tiniest donation, we can demonstrate that they are not walking this path alone. Any and all donations made will go to Maria’s family.
“Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue attended and did everything within their powers to save Maria. We’d like to express our heartfelt gratitude for their efforts and will create a separate fundraiser.
“Thank you for your kindness and generosity. With love from Maria’s friends and Family.”
Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue said: “A group was ascending the north-ridge when one of them fell 20 metres into steep terrain. Passers-by with climbing equipment abseiled down and made her safe, and a team member already nearby made his way down and started CPR.
“Colleagues from @welshambulanceservice stood by at base while the @maritimecoastguard helicopter dropped team members onto the mountain.
“Unfortunately, the casualty had not survived her injuries, and she was brought down to Oggie base.”
There’s a World Gravy Wrestling Championship near Greater Manchester
Thomas Melia
Just on the outskirts of Greater Manchester, there’s a country pub set in a rural village that hosts a world gravy wrestling championship.
Leave it to us northerners to organise a world gravy wrestling championship because let’s face it, there’s nothing more northern than plummeting yourself into bucket loads of gravy.
At The Rose ‘N’ Bowl in the village of Stacksteads, it’s not just their meals they’re drenching in the brown nectar; they drench any willing guest in this beige saucy goodness too as part of the World Gravy Wrestling Championships.
Here’s a little taster from nearly a decade ago.
Participants are expected to wrestle in the gravy for two minutes, with the winner being judged not only on their play-fighting skills but also on their choice of fancy dress, comedy effect and entertainment.
Past wrestlers have rocked up as zebras, racehorse jockeys and famous TV characters like Ali G and Mickey Mouse.
Each wrestler is encouraged to raise money on behalf of a charity of their choice, but if you don’t have one, donations will be sent to East Lancashire Hospice, which has helped people countywide suffering from life-limiting illness for the past 30 years.
The World Gravy Wrestling Championships have been held outside this very pub for over a decade, with the first ever event taking place at a car park in Wigan before it found a permanent home outside The Rose ‘N’ Bowl.
And if swimming in a pool of gravy isn’t for you, don’t fret because there’s a handful of sauce-free activities you can get involved with spread throughout the pub’s car park.
Fret not, past events have included bouncy castles, cheerleading performances, craft beer stalls, cake and tombola stands and even a BB gun shooting range that are all completely gravy-free.
There will even be help from a local fire brigade who will be on hand to wash down wrestlers in between their gravy-filled tournament, so they can wander round all the stalls too.
The 2025 World Gravy Wrestling Championships are coming to The Rose ‘N’ Bowl in Stacksteads on 25 August, with tickets available in person only, but plenty of information about the event HERE.
If you’re after signing up to be one of the wrestlers at this event, applications are still open and you can get stuck in with all the details you need HERE.
And if that wasn’t enough Northern food competitive action, we’ll catch you at the World Black Pudding Hurling Championships, innabit.
Inside this Victorian mansion with 10 bedrooms, a swimming pool and more near Greater Manchester
Thomas Melia
There’s a million-pound Victorian-style mansion that has 10 bedrooms and its own personal swimming pool just outside of Greater Manchester.
Just like the childhood nursery rhyme, “There were three in the bed and the little one said… there’s another seven beds, roll over!” or at least that’s how they remember it in this character property.
Located in Warrington, less than an hour away from Manchester city centre, this property is a semi-detached Victorian property built in 1860, with 10 bedrooms and its own private swimming pool, all spread across four floors.
As soon as you enter the foyer, your eyes are drawn to the sleek silver chandelier before you notice the grand staircase, which feels like a piece of living history.
Inside this Victorian mansion with 10 bedrooms and a swimming pool near Greater Manchester / Credit: On The Market)
The ground floor hosts two of a whopping 10 bedrooms alongside a teal-toned farmhouse-style kitchen and that extremely impressive swimming pool with its own built-in projector.
In the kitchen, the focal point is the large wrap-around kitchen unit, which is accompanied by a variety of hanging lights and a big central island.
On the way to the swimming pool, there are a handful of lockers identical to those found in a leisure and as you enter the room, your eyes are drawn to the island-inspired feature wall.
Venture upstairs to the first floor and you’re greeted by five spacious bedrooms with one having its own en-suite while the rest share a main bathroom.
Each of these bedrooms follows a completely different design style, with the largest following a muted grey palette with pops of yellow thanks to the artwork and bed accessories.
The grand staircase and one of ten bedrooms inside this Victorian mansion near Greater Manchester / Credit: On The Market
As you go upstairs again, you’ll find (you guessed it) even more bedrooms, three to be exact, with the standout
The stand-out of this second floor is the navy-walled bedroom with a vintage vanity unit, patterned floor-to-ceiling curtains and a similarly dark-blue rug to match its four walls.
Another flight of stairs and you’ve finally reached the top of this property, and there’s an LED-lined ceiling and a neutral bedroom colour scheme of greys, whites and everything in between.
There are various amenities nearby, including three schools and three train stations… for if you get fed up of strolling around your four-floored ten-bed, swimming pool-owning mansion.
Two contrasting bedrooms found within this Victorian mansion near Greater Manchester / Credit: On The Market
We know this property may not be in the price range and might not be affordable for a lot of readers, ourselves included, but we can dream, right?
You can check out this Victorian mansion and flick through even more pictures of this property – Snooping never hurt anybody? Official site HERE.
As always, make sure to check out The Manc‘s property page to check all the other stunning structures currently on sale/in progress across Greater Manchester and in the nearby North West.
Daisy Jackson -
28th February 2025 
