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.
Drinks prices revealed as Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub opens inside T2
Emily Sergeant
It’s official… Manchester Airport’s first-ever JD Wetherspoon pub has officially opened its doors inside Terminal 2.
The 300-seater pub – which welcomed its first customers earlier this week – is named The Belle Vue after Manchester’s historic showground.
Throughout the pub, you’ll spot design features that nod to the city’s sporting heritage – including vintage event posters and memorabilia, a ‘locker wall’ hosting trophies and other sporting exhibits, and a cricket-themed design in the carpets and bar panels.
Creating around 150 jobs in the process, The Belle Vue is the final planned new eatery to open in the airport’s redeveloped Terminal 2, marking one of the final steps in the super-terminal’s decade-long, £1.5bn transformation.
Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub has opened inside Terminal 2 / Credit: Supplied
According to the MEN, pints are priced from £6.20 for Carling and Coors lager, £6.45 for Budweiser, £6.60 for Guinness, and £6.70 for Poretti and 1664 Biere.
Prosecco is £9.20 for 175ml glass and £37.10 for the full bottle, while spirts and mixers are £6.80 for singles and £10.20 for doubles.
There’s also the classic Wetherspoons tea and coffee machines, where you can refill as many times as you like for just £3.60.
“It’s a proud moment to see the final new retail unit opening in our new-look Terminal 2,” commented Richard Jackson, who is the Retail Director at Manchester Airport.
“To be rounding off this 10-year programme by adding such an iconic name as Wetherspoon to the terminal is particularly special and we know that it will prove extremely popular with passengers. We think they’ll love the nods to Manchester’s heritage in the décor and design – and of course the name.”
The Belle Vue will be open from the first flight to the final flight each day, and food will be served from opening until 10pm.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Iconic Manc movie 24 Hour Party People is set to return to cinemas for its anniversary
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most iconic movies is set to return to the big screen next month.
Remastered in 4K and returning to UK cinemas to mark 24 years since its original release, Michael Winterbottom’s 2002 biographical comedy drama film, 24 Hour Party People, tells the story of Manchester‘s popular music community from 1976 to 1992 – specifically about Factory Records‘ founder Tony Wilson.
The film begins with the punk rock era of the late 1970s, before moving through the 1980s into the rave and DJ culture, and of course, the ‘Madchester‘ scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The narrative largely follows the career of Tony Wilson, played by Middleton-born actor Steve Coogan, while also covering the careers of the major Factory Records artists – especially Joy Division and New Order, as well as A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, and Happy Mondays.
If you haven’t seen 24 Hour Party People before, it’s a dramatisation based on a combination of real events, rumours, and urban legends, as the film is sure to make clear.
Coogan is joined by a cast by a mixture of big names and, at the time, rising stars like Paddy Considine, Shirley Henderson, Lennie James, John Simm, Ralf Little, Andy Serkis, Sean Harris, John Thomson, and even Peter Kay, alongside cameos from other figures connected to the Manchester music scene.
Before it returns to cinemas, the film will first open music and media festival/conference, Beyond The Music, at MediaCity in Salford on 6 October.
The screening at the festival will also be followed by a Q&A with Coogan, Winterbottom, and producer Andrew Eaton.
24 Hour Party People will then be re-released in UK cinemas from 9 October, and you can check your local cinema for screening times and book tickets online now.
Emily Sergeant -
17th December 2021 
