Witnesses have reported trespassers breaking onto the site of the Manchester Arena memorialover the weekend, leaving the families of those killed in the atrocity ‘devastated’.
People were seen ‘vomiting and urinating’ on The Glade of Light garden, which is still under construction.
The incident over the weekend was witnessed by the families of those who died in the atrocity at the Manchester Arena back in 2017.
They reported people dragging the fences away to walk through the memorial garden, with some walking across the concrete halo centrepiece bearing the names of the victims.
Plans for Glade of Light, which is still under construction. Credit: Manchester City Council
Caroline Curry, whose son Liam was killed in the terrorist incident along with his girlfriend Chloe Rutherford, tweeted: “@ManCityCouncil arrived earlier and found the fencing around the glade has been moved and people walking thru & round the glade.
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“I’ve witnessed urinating, vomiting, attempted theft, drug use and finally a drunk who claims to be/have been in the army walk across the halo.
“When asked to get down his response “I don’t give a fuck what it is” so my question is, Where is the RESPECT we were told to expect from the people of Manchester?
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“Certainly none of that tonight!! And clearly they can’t read either!!
“I can’t wait til the day I never have to come back to this place!! The only place I know where waccie baccie is a constant smell in the air!! Feeling totally devastated by it all”
I can’t wait til the day I never have to come back to this place!! The only place I know where waccie baccie is a constant smell in the air!! Feeling totally devastated by it all 💔 pic.twitter.com/kQxfUlHhXe
Claire Brewster’s sister Kelly Brewster was another victim of the Manchester Arena attack.
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She posted yesterday: “Devastated to arrive in Manchester tonight & see people moving the fences to walk through the memorial @ManCityCouncil thought it wasn’t opening until next year? Tried putting the fence back ourselves and people are just dragging it out of the way!”
Figen Murray, mother of Martyn Hett, said: “Not sure what can be done about human beings who clearly have not been brought up with decency & respect for others! Shame on them! Upset about you being quite rightly distressed witnessing all that!!”
Councillor Pat Karney told the BBC that Manchester City Council would be investigating ‘as a matter of urgency’.
He said: “The whole area is covered by CCTV and if footage shows it was due to the deliberate actions of mindless thugs, rather than a problem with the fencing itself, we will pass this information on to the police.
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“We utterly condemn this mindless and disrespectful behaviour and will not hesitate to take action against those involved.”
Featured image: Manchester City Council
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Police release footage of missing Manchester man Adeo Alston-Ekpei’s last-known movements
Emily Sergeant
Video footage showing the last-known movements of a Manchester man who’s been missing for three weeks now has been released.
Detectives at Greater Manchester Police (GMP) are continuing to search for Adeo Alston-Ekpei, who has not been seen since Friday 16 May.
The 25-year-old was seen in Fletcher Moss Park in Didsbury at around 3pm, before later being seen walking down Kingsway away from Manchester and close to the River Mersey, at around 5.20pm that same day.
Multiple lines of enquiry being explored by police at present, but anyone who believes they may have seen him from around this time, is asked to get in touch.
Adeo is described as being a mixed-race male, with long curly black hair and a long singular dreadlock, and bleached eyebrows. He has a cupid’s bow piercing and a right eyebrow piercing. He also has an ‘AKA’ tattoo on his right wrist, and a ‘24’ tattoo in the right side of his chest.
He was last seen wearing long blue denim shorts, an undone green short-sleeved button-up shirt, and white Adidas trainers.
Friends have also recently set up a public fundraiser to help with the search for Adeo.
Adeo Alston-Ekpei has been missing for almost three weeks / Credit: GMP
“We are dedicated to finding Adeo and getting much-needed answers for his family,” commented Detective Inspector Kelly, from GMP’s Manchester district, as the footage was released to the public this week.
“I would ask any residents around the Kingsway area, and surrounding housing estates off Kingsway into Gately, and who may have dashcam or CCTV footage from around this time, to please check and get in touch if you have any information.
“Likewise, if anyone believes they have seen Adeo, please get in touch with one of our officers. Any information is appreciated and investigated as we continue our work.”
#MISSING | We are continuing to ask for information relating to missing Adeo, who was last seen on May 16.
We have additionally released CCTV footage showing Adeo’s last known movements on Kingsway, Manchester.
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) June 5, 2025
A spokesperson for Adeo’s family described the missing man as ‘kind, funny, and intelligent’ with a ‘huge heart’, but they say he ‘wasn’t himself when he disappeared’.
“He may have come across as agitated, lost, or confused,” the spokesperson admitted. “In his last call to his mum, he was in a very vulnerable state.”
Anyone with any information regarding Adeo’s whereabouts is urged to contact South Manchester CID directly on 0161 856 6051 or 0161 856 6063, or you can use the LiveChat function on GMP’s website and quote log number 838 of 18/05/25.
Alternatively, you can report information to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – GMP
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Tributes pour in after Heaton Park’s beloved resident donkey Ralph dies at age 40
Emily Sergeant
The time has come… one of Heaton Park’s beloved resident donkeys, Ralph, has sadly died at the impressive age of 40.
As regular visitors to Manchester‘s largest park may be aware, Ralph the donkey recently celebrated his 40th birthday – which, even more impressively, actually made him 120 in donkey years – and it was a truly incredible achievement for him to reach, especially as The Donkey Sanctuary says that the average life expectancy for a donkey is just over 30 years of age.
But earlier this week, things sadly took a turn for the worse.
Heaton Park‘s Estates Team made the decision to contact a vet for a site visit after identifying some changes with Ralph’s behaviour, and unfortunately, this was found to be caused by a ruptured intestine.
So it’s with ‘deep sadness’ that the park had to announce to the public that Ralph passed away later that afternoon.
“Ralph meant a lot to many, both staff and all our visitors, and he will be deeply missed within the park,” Heaton Park & Hall said in tribute to their beloved friend on social media this week.
They also shared an adorable image of him when he was just a young foal.
Those who had the pleasure of seeing Ralph roam the park over the past four decades soon began flooding the comments, sharing their own emotional tributes to the friendly face who’s sadly no longer with us.
Heaton Park’s beloved resident donkey Ralph celebrating his 40th birthday / Credit: Heaton Park & Hall (via Facebook)
“Sleep easy buddy, you had a wonderful charmed life and you deserved it,” one touching comment read on Facebook, while another added: “Aww Godspeed Ralph, you had a happy life, now its time to rest,” and a third commented: “So sorry to hear this sad news about Ralph, but glad to know he has enjoyed a long and happy life.”
Another tribute reads: “RIP Ralph, you brought a lot of joy to a lot of people,” as does this similar one: “Aww bless him. He’d had a long and happy life, and gave much happiness too.”
Daisy Jackson -
6th December 2021 
