A handful of UK radio stations are to join in with a minute’s silence this morning as a mark of respect in memory of Brianna Ghey.
Brianna Ghey, a transgender girl from Birchwood in Warrington, was found by members of the public as she lay wounded on a path in Culcheth Linear Park at around 3:13pm on Saturday 11 February, and was sadly pronounced dead at the scene by emergency services a short while later.
She was just 16 years old.
Her heartbroken family described their “much-loved daughter, granddaughter, and baby sister” in a tribute issued shortly after her passing as a “larger-than-life character who would leave a lasting impression on all that met her” – adding that she was “beautiful, witty, and hilarious.”
“Brianna was strong, fearless, and one of a kind,” her family said in tribute.
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Detectives from Cheshire Police confirmed earlier this week that a 15-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl have been charged with murder.
Over the past couple of days, a series of candlelit vigils organised by action groups, and members and allies of LGBTQ+ communities, have been held in Brianna’s memory in several major cities across the UK and Ireland – including here in Manchester city centre.
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UK radio stations to fall silent this morning in memory of Brianna Ghey / Credit: Cheshire Police
Now, a handful of LGBTQ+ radio broadcasters across the UK are to join forces at 11am this morning (Friday 17 February) to lead a one-minute silence as a mark of respect.
They will fall silent to commemorate her life, and stand against hate and violence towards trans people.
Stations including Gaydio, Hits Radio Pride, Pride Radio, Gorgeous Radio, Glitterbeam Radio, Trans Radio UK, and Juice 1038 will be joining to simultaneously broadcast a package introduced by prominent trans broadcaster, Steph Hirst, followed by a one-minute silence.
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In the feature, Hirst will reflect on the discrimination and violence that trans people face, before commemorating and remembering the life of Brianna.
This morning at 11am, we join forces with all other LGBTQ+ radio stations in the UK to lead a 1 minute silence to remember the life of trans teenager Brianna Ghey ❤️ pic.twitter.com/OGUJgkGxal
Gaydio’s Network Content Manager, Kriss Herbert-Noble, who has coordinated the broadcast across all seven UK LGBTQ+ broadcasters, said they “felt it important” to work across the LGBTQ+ radio sector so that they could show as a community “we stand together against hate”.
“Trans people face daily challenges, and our role is to stand up and highlight these stories and voices,” he added.
“This event in particular has reverberated across the community and it’s right we take a stand and remember the life of a bright, young trans person.”
Featured Image – GoFundMe
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Manchester Airport issues update for anyone flying today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has issued an update for anyone catching a flight today after hundreds of cancellations yesterday.
In case you hadn’t heard, hundreds of flights at several major UK airports – including Manchester Airport – were disrupted by a technical fault at air traffic control provider National Air Traffic Services (NATS) yesterday (8 September 2026), with the incident grounding planes and resulting in numerous cancellations.
According to Flightradar24, more than 1,000 flights were cancelled nationwide, and many passengers were told to expect disruption for the rest of the day.
One of the worst-affected airlines was said to be Ryanair, with around 65,000 passengers affected by the cancellations and delays.
Manchester Airport issued its first statement addressing the matter at 3:15pm yesterday, stating: “We are aware of an issue affecting NATS’ air traffic control service at UK airports, which may result in delays to some departing flights from Manchester Airport today.
“Passengers due to travel are advised to check the latest status of their flight with their airline. We will continue to monitor the situation and share further updates as more information becomes available.”
Now, although the issue has been resolved, Manchester Airport has issued further statements informing anyone travelling today what they can expect.
The airport started off by saying that it is ‘operating as normal’ today, but that passengers are advised to ‘check with their airline for the latest information’.
“A full flight schedule is expected to operate [today] but the airport may be busier due to rescheduled flights,” it added.
Passengers were then thanked for their ‘patience and understanding’ over the past 24 hours.
Featured Image – Ivan Shimko (via Unsplash)
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Hundreds of staff at four Greater Manchester hospitals to strike AGAIN next week
Emily Sergeant
Another round of strikes has been called at a handful of major Greater Manchester hospitals.
Amid ongoing disputes following the first set of strikes at the end of last month, it has now been announced that more than 350 Northern Care Alliance Foundation Trust (NCA) employees – including nurses, clinical support workers and housekeepers – who are members of the union UNISON will once again walk out for three days next week.
According to the union, the dispute centres on the NCA’s use of an outside agency called NHS Professionals (NHSP) to manage overtime.
When covering staff shortages, workers are entitled to time-and-a-half pay – however in some cases, staff earn less than they would on a normal shift, and some have even been missing out on more than £80 per shift, the union added.
Operating theatre staff were previously on picket lines in June, and although an option to resolve the row was initially tabled by NCA bosses, this has now fallen through.
Hundreds of staff at four of Greater Manchester’s hospitals are set to strike next week / Credit: Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)
This means that staff at Salford Royal Hospital, Royal Oldham Hospital, Rochdale Infirmary, and Fairfield Hospital in Bury are walking out next week on Monday 14, Tuesday 15, and Thursday 17 September.
The union’s North West regional organiser, Kevin Dolan, said the trust had given ‘no indication’ that it’s willing to re-enter negotiations, adding that operating theatre services were ‘chronically under-staffed’ and staff were choosing to work extra shifts to cover shortages.
Ahead of the August strikes, the trust declared a critical incident to help it secure extra support and keep urgent surgery running, while also announcing that some procedures would have to be postponed.
Understandably, some disruption is expected at each of the hospitals on strike days.
But Gertie Nic Philib, who is the chief people and strategy officer at the Northern Care Alliance, said that the trust will do ‘everything we can to minimise the impact on patients’ and ‘maintain high standards of care and quality at all times.’
“We also have contingency plans in place for emergency situations,” they concluded.
Emily Sergeant -
17th February 2023 
