A mountain rescue team has issued a safety warning and some advice to hikers after an upsurge of visitors to several dangerous areas.
Stressing that ‘No Instagram story is worth the risk’, the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team (LLMRT) urged people not to venture into the old slate quarries around North Wales – no matter how beautiful they may be.
LLMRT said that ‘considerable media and press coverage’ has brought waves of new visitors to the old quarries around Snowdonia, who are often ‘unprepared and inexperienced’.
Hidden dangers at these beauty spots include old railways and ladders that date back more than half a century, often rusted and decayed.
These are prone to collapse at any time, without warning, and are often found above precipitous drops.
Their words of warning came with a series of photos of people posing on the old railway bridge tracks above Dinorwic Quarry, which jut out into thin air.
The Lllanberis Mountain Rescue Team wrote on Facebook: “When it comes to adventure, we hate to say ‘don’t’, but this is a seriously BAD idea.
“Rescuing someone from here would be dangerous, horrific, traumatising. 80 year old rusty bolts don’t care about you, or your like count.”
They then posted photos of the same railway line from a few years ago, when it still made a bridge across the quarry.
The hills around Snowdonia are hugely popular with walkers from across the north west, including Mancs who can drive there in just a couple of hours.
LLMRT say they are ‘increasingly concerned’ about the volume and nature of trips being made to such dangerous landscapes.
The advice issued has urged people to book excursions with professional and qualified leaders and instructors and to be wary of ‘social media meet-ups’.
They also said to bear in mind the three Adventure Smart Questions before heading out on any hill walks or hikes, which are: ‘Am I confident I have the KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS for the day?’, ‘Do I know what the WEATHER will be like?’, and ‘Do I have the right GEAR?’.
LLMRT’s full post on Facebook states: “The slate quarries in North Wales have seen an upsurge in visitor numbers in recent years. While we understand the urge to explore such historic manmade landscapes, there are increasing concerns at both the volume and nature of trips being made into these dangerous places.
“As a mountain rescue team, LLMRT train to operate safely in almost any mountain environment, but there are many hidden dangers in the slate quarries that we can’t always account for. Such unseen hazards can pose a considerable risk to rescuers or emergency services personnel called to assist persons in difficulty in these areas.
“With the Easter holiday approaching and increasing number of visitors to the area, we’d like to ask people to consider the following:
“The old buildings and infrastructure of the slate quarries (railways, ladders etc.) are over half a century old and in various states of rust and decay. These old structures and fixtures, which can often be found above precipitous drops, could (and often do) collapse at any time and without warning. No Instagram story is worth the level of risk that some people are unwittingly taking.
“LLMRT are aware of many groups, often “social media meet-ups,”, exploring the quarries with unqualified and inexperienced leaders. LLMRT would always recommend that people joining such groups ascertain the qualifications and experience level of group leaders before participating in such events.
“The quarries and similar sites have recently received considerable media and press coverage, some extolling the adventures to be had here, which has encouraged unprepared and inexperienced people to explore these potentially very dangerous places. These articles can encourage the unwary into dangerous areas. LLMRT would always encourage inexperienced people to gain advice from professional and qualified leaders and instructors.”
Jason Manford has final word on ‘naughty’ rule that sparked unexpected Village Hotel experience
Danny Jones
Local comedian Jason Manford has shared “the last I’ll say on the matter between The People vs The Village Hotel”, after expressing his disappointment over a rule that saw him have a somewhat unexpected experience at one of their locations.
The Salford-born and Stockport-based stand-up was forced to share his room with another individual at The Village in Bournemouth after being told the hotel was fully booked.
Manford‘s room had essentially been resold, which led him to stay in a double with his friend and colleague; however, as explained in multiple videos, not everyone was fortunate enough to secure a last-minute solution.
Still, on the upside, at least they didn’t have to share a bed…
As detailed in the first of three posts seen above, Manford and co. arrived at the hotel late (as is typically the case with any touring comedian, especially a headliner) following his gig at the Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre on Sunday, 29 June.
The 44-year-old is currently on his ‘A Manford All Seasons’ tour, which saw a flurry of new dates added back in November, and got underway back in February.
Although he assured that the staff did their job and were “lovely” through the whole ordeal, he reiterated that he found the little-known rule “very naughty” and “not on”.
He also mentioned that a doctor who arrived shortly after them at the hotel reception, sadly, had to be turned away from the Bournemouth branch.
Manford went on to add that the hotel manager did apologise for the situation, but as he notes in the clips, the worry is that it could cause even bigger dilemmas if it were a wedding, someone with kids, “or a million different situations that you could have been in which are much more serious than [his].”
Essentially, the duo were just lucky they turned up when they did and said as much.
Despite noting that he’d heard of airlines opting for similar policies in the past, he confessed he’d never come across such a rule in more than “25 years of touring” as a comic.
Echoing his frustration, surprise and concern, musician Georgina Jackson said in the comments: “That is so bad! As a touring lone female musician who uses hotels a lot, what are we expected to do? But the fact is… they don’t really care…
“Thanks for highlighting it, as they might actually start caring when the bookings drop off! And, I imagine the hotel/town was busy with your audience!! How blinking ironic!!”
The hotel group has since asked the Salfordian funny man to take the very public complaints down, but Manford has refused despite them requesting quite “politely”, insisting that he believes more people need to know about obscure and largely unknown rules like these.
You can see the most recent and final statement on the whole Jason Manford-Village Hotel situation in full down below.
Featured Images — University of Salford (via Flickr)/Jason Manford (screenshot via Facebook)
Travel & Tourism
All military personnel can travel for FREE on Manchester’s public transport this weekend
Emily Sergeant
All military personnel will be allowed to travel for free across Greater Manchester’s public transport system this weekend.
In case you hadn’t heard, this Saturday 28 June is Armed Forces Day.
Armed Forces Day sees Brits celebrate those who are currently serving troops, their families, serving reservists, veterans, and cadets, and Manchester will also be paying tribute to the hundreds who have ‘fearlessly served’ with day of commemorations in the city centre on Saturday.
Mancunians are expected to line the streets as a parade made up of armed forces personnel, veterans, and cadets will begin a procession that will proudly march through the centre of Manchester, starting in St Peter’s Square at 11:30am.
Manchester will be marking Armed Forces Day 2025 this weekend with a 'poignant' military parade through the city centre. 🎖🥁
You can also expect an afternoon of live performances by the lively Lancashire Army Artillery Band, alongside music hosted by BBC Radio DJ, Michelle Dignan, up until 4pm.
Historic military displays, and stalls from organisations including the NHS, Royal British Legion, and Manchester City Council’s own Armed Forces Covenant, will also be in attendance, as well giving visitors the chance to explore an engaging display of military vehicles, uniforms, artefacts, and personal stories that span the rich legacy of the British armed forces inside a pop-up Military Museum tent.
This year’s Armed Forces Day is also particularly-special because it marks the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE Day) which happened on 8 May, and the upcoming Victory over Japan (VJ Day) on 15 August.
All military personnel can travel for free on Manchester’s public transport this weekend / Credit: GMP | Bee Network
And so, in order to honour what an important weekend it is for hundreds in our region, the Bee Network has announced that all military personnel will be allowed to travel for free.
Free travel will be permitted on all Bee Network bus and tram services on both Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 June for any members of the Regular and Reserve Services carrying their MOD90 card, veterans who carry their Veterans’ badge or Veterans’ rail card, and cadets travelling in uniform.
To mark Armed Forces Day, we're offering free travel this weekend (28-29 June) for military personnel and veterans across bus and tram services in Greater Manchester.
“The Armed Forces community makes an invaluable contribution to our society, and we’re showing our appreciation with free travel on Bee Network buses and trams across Greater Manchester this weekend,” commented Danny Vaughan, who is the Chief Network Officer at Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).
The free travel is part of TfGM’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant – a promise from the nation that those who serve or have served, and their families, are treated fairly.
Daisy Jackson -
14th April 2023 
