Tributes are pouring in for a Lancashire dad who has reportedly died fighting Russian invaders in Ukraine earlier this week.
Former paratrooper Simon Lingard, known to close friends and family as ‘Grimmy’, is said to have been killed on 7 November after his unit was attacked in the Bakhmut area of the war-torn nation.
The region has seen almost constant fighting over recent weeks and months, with more than 700 Russian troops thought to have been killed there on Monday alone.
A spokesperson for the UK’s Foreign Office said in a statement: “We are supporting the family of a British national who has lost his life in Ukraine and we are in touch with the local authorities in connection with his death.
“Our thoughts are with their family at this difficult time.”
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Kierren Stokes, who served alongside Lingard in the parachute regiment, paid tribute to the “great soldier” on social media:
The veteran soldier and father of two from Great Harwood near Blackburn travelled to defend Ukraine from Putin’s invasion back in February, having previously served in the British Army as part of the Special Forces Support Group.
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A vigil was held in his home town shortly after the news of his passing was announced. Friend Mickii Edwards told ITV that everyone “wanted him home but he didn’t want to come”, adding: “He was just courageous. He was like a lion and I loved him to bits.”
Writing via his mother’s Stacey Longworth’s Facebook, Lingard’s 17-year-old son Jackson said: “After years of dedicating his time and effort to protecting our country, my dad still had more fight in him and left the country to protect the people of Ukraine against the Russian army too.
“My heart is broken to announce that Dad has passed away in battle, a true hero and beloved to so many of us. I can’t put into words how much he is and will be missed, but I’m comforted to know that this happened doing what he loved and surrounded by friends.
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“I love you dad, I’m so proud of you.”
As the post goes on to explain, the Ukrainian military is covering the fee for returning his body to the UK but the family still needs funeral costs.
A GoFundMe page was set up in his honour and with hopes to give the “local hero the send-off he deserves” and the funds have already surged past the £22,000 target, with Jackson insisting that “even the smallest donations mean the world” to himself and his younger brother Keane.
In the description of the fundraiser, the family writes that Lingard was “an inspiration to all who knew him, a real-life hero who died fighting for what he believed in. He was loved and adored by so many a true representation of what a soldier should be.”
They also go on to explain that any additional money raised will go into a trust fund for Jackson and Keane which they can access once they turn 18.
Salford man jailed after pointing loaded gun at police and members of public while on the run
Emily Sergeant
A man from Salford has been jailed for more than a decade after he pointed a loaded gun at police officers and members of the public while he was on the run.
Jay Conway, of Leicester Walk in Salford, appeared at Manchester Crown Court last week (6 March 2026) where he pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm without a licence, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, and assault of an emergency worker, as well as also pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply class A and class B drugs.
His sentencing comes after officers from Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Salford Challenger team were patrolling Albert Park in plain clothes on Tuesday 20 May 2025.
They spotted a man riding an e-bike and wearing a balaclava, and attempted to detain him there and then, but despite their best efforts, he fled the area, brandishing what officers believed to be a pistol in the process.
The suspect – which was later identified as Conway – stole a bike and cycled on to Great Clowes Street, where a neighbourhood officer heading towards the incident attempted to detain him but he resisted. The officer deployed his Taser but he drew the pistol for a second time, pointing it at police and also at a member of the public.
Conway then dropped the firearm – which police later confirmed as a viable, loaded pistol – and a mobile phone, and fled for a second time.
Thanks to a ‘fast-paced and thorough’ investigation by specialist GMP teams, involving forensic analysis of the phone and CCTV which identified Conway as the suspect, he was arrested by armed officers the following day in Whalley Range.
“Nobody – a police officer or a member of the public – should be confronted by a gun,” said Detective Superintendent Simon Moyles, following Conway’s sentencing.
“These were frightening incidents and Conway is clearly a dangerous individual who is rightly serving a prison sentence. We need to commend and recognise our officers who showed immense bravery in trying to stop Conway.
“Guns have no place on our streets and the work we are doing in Salford, and across Greater Manchester, in relation to firearms incidents continues.
“If you know anyone who is using, or possesses, an illegal firearm, we urge you to get in touch with us as, for each firearm we recover, that’s potentially a life saved.”
Featured Image – GMP
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Nearly 300 new ‘social rent’ homes given go-ahead as part of £500m Wythenshawe regeneration
Emily Sergeant
Nearly 300 new homes are set to be built in Wythenshawe as part of a wider £500 million regeneration scheme.
In case you didn’t know, Placemaker Muse and Wythenshawe Community Housing Group submitted three separate planning applications for 422 new affordable homes back in December 2025, following a public consultation with locals.
Now, works on two of the three new communities can begin, with the third expected to get the green light in the coming weeks.
Brotherton House – which is a former office building – will be transformed into 216 new homes, including an extra care apartment building with 109 homes for people in later life and those living with dementia, while C2 The Birtles, also currently retail and office space, is situated next to the former market square and will be replaced with 81 one and two-bedroom apartments.
Alpha House, which is currently awaiting a planning decision, has now been demolished and will be rebuilt to provide 125 one and two-bedroom apartments – including 16 wheelchair accessible homes.
According to developers, all the homes will be ‘affordable, high-quality, and energy-efficient’, with additional outdoor and communal spaces to promote health and wellbeing.
The approval given to build these new homes forms part of the wider ‘ambitious’ plan to transform Wythenshawe over the next decade.
The wider masterplan for Wythenshawe will see up to 2,000 new homes created over the next 10 to 15 years, which will complement the wider investment currently underway in Civic – supported by £20 million of Government funding, and £11.9 million from Manchester City Council.
Nearly 300 new homes have been given the go-ahead as part of a £500m Wythenshawe regeneration scheme / Credit: Muse (Supplied)
New community facilities in the town include the Culture Hub – which is now underway – the Food Hall, currently awaiting a planning decision, new workspaces, and improvements to the outdoor spaces in Civic, all designed to create a ‘greener and more welcoming’ town centre.
“For us, this is about delivering the truly affordable homes local people have told us they need,” explained Andrea Lowman, who is the Executive Director of Development at Wythenshawe Community Housing Group.
“Every one of these homes will be for social rent, giving more families, older residents and people with additional needs the opportunity to live well in the heart of Wythenshawe.
“As the local social housing provider, we are focused not just on building new homes but on creating sustainable communities and making sure this investment strengthens the town centre for existing and future residents alike.”
Danny Jones -
10th November 2022 
