Alder Hey’s very-own therapy dog has earned herself a well-deserved promotion after four years of important service.
Holly the therapy dog – a five-year-old yellow Labrador Retriever – first began going to the Liverpool-based children’s hospital to provide “an incredible voluntary service” all the way back in 2017, and would pay visits a couple of times a week so give lots of love and cuddles to all the kids during their stay.
Holly visits the hospital with her owner Barry – a registered Therapy Dog Handler – who describes her as “an equal opportunity cuddle pot”.
She helps all the young patients “relax and feel less anxious”.
Just by visiting and through her presence on the wards at the hospital, Holly is able to bring a sense of joy and important distraction at difficult times for the children and their families – and of course, “all the staff love her too”.
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But now, after four years of incredible service, Holly has been promoted from the hospital’s resident therapy dog, to the new ‘Cuddle Manager’.
Sharing the brilliant news of Holly’s promotion, Alder Hey wrote on its social media platforms this week: “Our gorgeous Holly has been promoted to ‘Cuddle Manager’.
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“As well as providing cuddles, comfort and lots of love at Alder Hey for many years, Holly also sometimes helps in providing distraction techniques when children and young people are undergoing invasive procedures.
“She also works with physios and play specialists to get children and young people moving after surgery.
“We think Holly very much deserves this promotion.”
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Holly the therapy dog first began visiting Alder Hey Children’s Hospital a couple of times a week in 2017 / Credit: Facebook – Alder Hey
Explaining a little more about Holly’s responsibilities, Alder Hey said back in 2018: “Holly is a friendly face to patients who are here with us for extended periods of time and may be missing their own pets at home, and is particularly useful for autistic children who often bond with and relate better to therapy animals than humans.
“Holly also works with young people with cynophobia (a debilitating fear of dogs) through Alder Hey’s CAMHS team, and is proud to have a 100% success rate.”
“The best thing about bringing Holly to Alder Hey is the look on people’s faces,” Holly’s owner Brian admits.
“There was a little girl in a wheelchair in the Atrium who became very excited and animated when she saw Holly. The little girl couldn’t easily hug Holly, so Holly came to her – sitting with her on the seat of her wheelchair, Holly rested her head on her shoulder so that the little one could have a cuddle.
“I can tell you, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house.”
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We have to agree – there certainly could not be a more important promotion.
Coca-Cola confirms the Christmas Truck is coming to Manchester this weekend
Emily Sergeant
Coca-Cola has finally confirmed the news we’ve all been waiting for… the Christmas Truck will be in Manchester this weekend.
December is here, the temperatures have plummeted outside, and the ‘most wonderful time of the year’ is nearing closer and closer by the day – but it’s not Christmas until you’ve gone and got a Coca-Cola from the giant red van is it, right?
Well luckily, we won’t have to wait too much longer to get to do that once again.
The soft drinks company confirmed that ‘Holidays Are Coming’ a couple of weeks back, with the UK tour of the iconic Coca-Cola Christmas Truck now well underway, and having visited other major northern cities such as Leeds and Liverpool over the last few days.
And now, Coca-Cola has revealed that the legendary van is coming to Greater Manchester this weekend, and will be stopping off at the Trafford Centre for one day only.
The much-loved festive symbol will be arriving outside the shopping centre tomorrow (Saturday 2 December) from midday right through until 8pm to provide “the ultimate Christmas celebration”, with a whole host of activities planned for families of all ages.
The 2023 Coca-Cola Christmas Truck journey will be packed with “interactive experiences for visitors to immerse themselves in”.
Coca-Cola confirms the Christmas Truck is coming to Manchester this weekend / Credit: Supplied
Anyone who heads to the Trafford Centre from midday tomorrow will first be welcomed by a walk-in, snow-filled bauble that invites them to “step into a winter wonderland for the perfect holiday snapshot”, all before making a stop at the ‘Ho-Ho-Hoop Hut’ to take part in a fun festive game for the chance to win a selection of prizes – including meal-inspired rewards, and recycled Christmas tree decorations.
Families can then finish off the tour by posing for a memorable photo opportunity in front of the iconic Coca-Cola truck.
Visitors are welcome to listen to the Coca-Cola Christmas choir as they perform a set of carols too.
Fancy it then? If you’re ready to kick-start Christmas the right way, then make sure you get yourself down to the Trafford Centre from midday tomorrow.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Tesco has slashed the price of one-litre bottles of Baileys by more than 50%
Emily Sergeant
Tesco has slashed the price of one-litre bottles of Baileys by more than 50%, and they’re now available to get your hands on for a limited time only.
With December officially here, and the festive season nearing closer by the day, most UK supermarkets are rolling out deals left, right, and centre to help shoppers save a few pennies during ‘the most wonderful time of the year’ as the cost of living crisis continues – and it seems like Tesco is absolutely no different.
That’s because the retailer has decided to knock a whopping £12 off the regular price of one-litre bottles of one of the best-loved Christmas tipples.
Fans of the classic Irish cream liqueur drink will probably want to run not walk to their nearest Tesco to stock up on Baileys ready for the big day to arrive, as big bottles of the festive favourite have been reduced from £22 right down to just £10, and are now available to fill your basket with.
Tesco has slashed the price of one-litre bottles of Baileys by more than 50% / Credit: The Manc Group
But… there’s a bit of a catch (isn’t there always?)
Not only is the over half-price offer only available for a very limited time, and due to expire at the end of next week, but shoppers will only be able to buy the one-litre bottles at the impressive £10 price if they’re Tesco Clubcard customers.
You were probably expecting that’d be the case, right? The supermarket – which is well-known for the savings it offers via is loyalty card scheme all year round – is giving Clubcard users up until Monday 11 December to nip to their nearest branch or head online to the Tesco website and buy as many bottles of Bailey’s as they fancy.
Fans of the classic Irish cream liqueur drink can stock up now / Credit: Tesco PLC
As part of the supermarket’s commitment to “keep prices low” until the end of the year, stuffing, roast potatoes, cranberry sauce, and even tin foil have all seen their prices slashed as the retailer aims to help those struggling to cover costs.