A 100-year-old man from Wythenshawe was one of the last people to receive a birthday card from HM Queen Elizabeth II before she died.
Reaching the grand-old age of 100 is not a milestone that many people reach in their lifetimes.
Because this is such a momentous occasion, it has been a long-established Royal tradition that the reigning monarch sends the centenarian a birthday message to congratulate them and wish them well on their special day.
The tradition dates back to 1917, with King George V the first sent out a congratulatory message, and most monarch’s – including Queen Elizabeth II – following suit.
When the Post Office introduced the ‘Special Greetings Telegram’ in the 1940s, Queen Elizabeth II agreed that birthday telegrams should be sent out in this format to add to the sense of occasion, and then, in 1999, Buckingham Palace decided to make them greetings card-style telegrams instead – which feature a personalised message and offer a more warm and personal greeting to the recipient.
Queen Elizabeth II sent thousands of celebration telegrams during her 70-year reign, and it’s likely the tradition will continue under King Charles III.
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100-year old man receives one of the last telegrams in the world from the Queen https://t.co/o7r1u3KawC
Neville Tonkin was one of those people to receive a greeting card from Her Majesty.
The Wythenshawe man reached the 100-year milestone on Monday 12 September, which automatically-qualified him to receive a card from the late Queen.
After Queen Elizabeth II passed away on 8 September, Neville’s family were not sure if the card was going to be from the Queen or King Charles III, but after they opened it, they realised it had been signed by the monarch before she passed.
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Speaking to ITV Granada about his reaction when his family presented him with the birthday special message, Neville said it’s “the best card [he’s] ever had.”
He explained: “They said ‘you’ve got a picture of the Queen’. I said what for? They said, ‘you’re a hundred years old!’ Who’s a hundred these days? I feel a bit special about it, I feel as though I’m the leader of the pack. I don’t feel like an old man, I want to get out and play cricket or football.
“I thought so much of the Queen – it’s the best card I’ve ever had.”
The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.
The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/VfxpXro22W
HM Queen Elizabeth II died aged 96 on 8 September 2022.
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During her reign, Elizabeth II served as Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth – undertaking an important symbolic and unifying role as a head of state, spanning numerous geographical regions, cultures, and religions.
She was not just the longest-reigning British monarch in history, but she was also the first-ever monarch to reign in the UK for 70 years.
She was beloved by many for her sense of duty and devotion to her role.
Olivia Rodrigo says ‘very inspiring’ Manchester is one of her favourite places in the UK
Emily Sergeant
Olivia Rodrigo has named some of her favourite places in the UK… and it’s good news for Manchester.
If you weren’t aware, the global pop superstar has a bit of an affinity for the UK, having spent a lot of time over here in recent years – particularly in London – and developing a love for some of our nation’s finest delicacies in the process, like M&S fan-favourite sweet treats Percy Pigs and Colin the Caterpillar, as well as Jaffa Cakes, Cadbury, sausage rolls, and plenty more.
And it’s fair to say that she’s once again proven herself to be a somewhat of an honorary Brit during the recent promotional tour for her third studio album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love – which released to the world last Friday (12 June).
In a recent interview with Hits Radio UK, Olivia was asked where some of her favourite places in the UK are, other than London… and it was good news for our city.
I mean, not that ‘good’… she’s still not chosen to bring her upcoming ‘The Unraveled Tour’ over to us this next time around in 2027, opting to just stay in London for more than a dozen nights instead, but it seems she’s keen to show Manchester some love regardless.
When asked if she has a favourite area of the UK, Olivia said: “I spent some time in Manchester which was really nice. Very inspiring, so many great bands from there. I spent some time in Wales too, which was fun. I’ve been around but I need to go and see more things.”
She then went on to add: “I really want to go to Leeds this year. I think that’ll be fun. Just like as a spectator, I think that’ll be cool.”
It’s not the first time Olivia has publicly spoken about Manchester either, as in another recent interview with Dazed Magazine, she claimed she’s the ‘best version of [herself]’ in the UK.
“Maybe it’s because it rains so much that all you want to do is be inside with the guitar and write. I spent some time in Manchester a few years ago and it was so rainy I was like, ‘No wonder so many great bands come out of Manchester’,” she concluded.
Featured Image – Hits Radio UK
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Manchester United agree record streaming deal for new Amazon documentary TV series
Danny Jones
Manchester United have officially agreed a record sporting TV deal for a brand-new documentary TV series on the Amazon Prime Video streaming service.
That’s right, Man United are getting the All Or Nothing treatment.
With the Red Devils finishing the 2025/26 season much stronger than they started it, they’re now set to invite a film crew into the dressing room and the newly refurbished Carrington training complex for the upcoming campaign.
Although there have been many United documentaries over the years, everything from big budget and smaller indie projects to fan-made, this new show looks set to give a more exclusive present day peak behind the curtain of the club’s modern-day set-up than ever before.
While it remains unclear whether or not this past term’s exploits – be it the drama of the Ruben Amorim era, or the upturn under Michael Carrick – are set to be included, as the official announcement teases, the Amazon series will provide behind-the-scenes MUFC throughout the 26/27 term.
There was an opportunity to accept this kind of coverage shortly after INEOS invested in the business, but Amorim put a rather public kibosh on the offer to preserve the backroom’s privacy and prevent any unnecessary intrusion.
Understandably, a lot of people agree with the decision, especially given the team was not just in another state of flux but at a crucial turning point under their then-new boss.
Taking a more old-school manager approach, it may have been seen as a sensible step, but it wouldn’t have mattered either way, as the Portuguese head coach (who now looks set to join AC Milan) was eventually sacked after just over a year in charge.
Nevertheless, many supporters are still reticent about the prospect of lifting the lid on an organisation that has famously seen plenty of turbulence. The fan base will just be hoping for a season to remember for the right reasons while the cameras are running for a reportedly record
Really not a fan of this – I wonder what someone like Carrick thinks of this? Additional scrutiny and pressure in his first full season as Head Coach.
The two most recent Premier League champions, Arsenal and Man City, have both seen seasons of Amazon’s now well-known docuseries before going on to win landmark titles, so perhaps it could be a good omen; who knows?
Conversely, Sunderland – who were infamously selected as one of the first subjects of this all-access kind of series – arguably ended up putting more unnecessary spotlight on their struggles.
As for those under the All Or Nothing umbrella, Spurs, Juventus and even the German international have also served as examples of how the big payout may not always be worth the bad press, with all three having gone through plenty of trials and tribulations in and around the respective versions airing.
Let’s just say that, reportedly ‘record’ sums or not, this could still go one way or the other…
While it’s still unclear as to the actual figure Manchester United will be taking home as part of the package with Amazon, this is yet another example of the steady Americanisation of association football, starting with the NFL and ice hockey before now drawing even wider audiences to the beautiful game.
Emily Sergeant -
13th September 2022 
