In a wholesome bit of news coming out of Greater Manchester and crossing into Scotland, four friends from Stockport are set to take on the infamous Loch Ness 24 challenge to help raise money for The Christie Hospital.
Local brothers James and Joe Madeira, and their two lifelong friends, Joel ‘JJ’ Kinsella and Joel Walsh, first met back at Cheadle Hulme School and have been best friends ever since, but now they’re set to grow an even stronger bond by becoming teammates in one of the UK’s toughest endurance challenges.
Dubbing themselves ‘Team Lochedin’ (already off to a great start), the group of 23-year-olds will be taking on Loch Ness 24, and if you’ve never heard of it before, it’s no mean feat.
The gruelling 24-hour off-road running race can be taken on solo or as part of a team relay as participants traverse along the stunning shores of Loch Ness to complete as many seven-kilometre laps as possible along trails that weave through ancient Scottish pine forests and beaches.
Credit: The Christie (supplied)
For Team Lochedin, the event marks the South Manchester group’s first-ever ultra-marathon adventure. As James Madeira explained to The Christie: “Two of us hadn’t ever really run further than from the sofa to the fridge, so it’s fair to say a few eyebrows were raised when we first told people we were each planning to run an ultra-marathon in Scotland.
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“We decided to take on the Loch Ness 24 to show our support for the incredible work of The Christie Charity and also to challenge ourselves to our physical limits.
“Whilst we cannot fully comprehend the tough journeys faced by cancer patients, this ultra marathon pushes us out of our comfort zones and symbolises the physical and mental determination and resilience shown by the strong individuals supported by The Christie.”
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Running on behalf of their close friend Cam, as well as James and Joe’s Auntie Annie who are both undergoing cancer treatment at the moment, they said that getting to undertake this “adventure together makes it even more special”, noting that The Christie has played a role in each of their lives at one point or another.
James went on to add: “We have witnessed first-hand the unbelievable care and support provided by the hospital to a number of our friends and family members at a time when they needed it most […] we feel that we have a duty to raise money for this incredible hospital and play a tiny part in contributing towards an amazing charity and foundation.”
The lads have been training up hard around Manchester over the past few months, as well as undergoing an intense training camp in Wales, uploading their runs to Strava and getting plenty of group runs done together in the process.
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Admitting there’s a potent mix of excitement and nerves, the knowledge that they’re running on behalf pf such an important cause is keeping them motivated, joking, “If we spot Nessie along the way, well, that’s just a bonus!”
Aiming to complete a total of 200 kilometres during the 24-hour period with at least one team member running at all times, they’ve got some serious graft ahead of them, so if you want to help spur them on by doing your bit, you can donate to their fundraiser HERE.
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
15th August 2024 
