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Battersea Dogs & Cats Home is naming its vet hospital after Paul O’Grady

A meaningful lasting legacy for a true legend.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 16th October 2023

Battersea Dogs & Cats Home has announced that it will be naming its veterinary hospital after Paul O’Grady to honour his legacy.

The leading animal welfare charity has announced the news today on what would have been the 11th anniversary of the late O’Grady becoming an Ambassador for Battersea.

It comes after influential Merseyside-born TV personality passed away “unexpectedly but peacefully” at aged 67 at the end of March, and has since been remembered for his illustrious entertainment career spanning over four decades – with countless tributes from fans and famous faces pouring in after his passing was announced.

O’Grady was known and loved by British audiences as a comedian, presenter, broadcaster, actor, writer, and the former drag queen Lily Savage.

He was also one of the nation’s most-famous dog lovers and animal rights advocates.

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Battersea Dogs & Cats Home is naming its vet hospital after Paul O’Grady / Credit: Battersea

Since his passing, more than £480,000 has been raised for Battersea Dogs & Cats Home – which O’Grady had been a “devoted” ambassador for and long-time supporter of throughout his life – from a staggering 20,000 public donations, and as well as announcing that its state-of-the-art clinic facilities will now be named ‘The Paul O’Grady Veterinary Hospital’, the charity has also revealed how it will spend these donations.

After consulting with O’Grady’s closest family and friends, Battersea has confirmed the funds will go towards helping those animals most in need.

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It will particularly go towards dogs and cats who need specialist care and treatment. 

As Battersea explains, the charity invests hundreds of thousands of pounds providing “the very best care” for animals each year, and where possible, also arranges for its expert veterinary tea to treat them, however in some cases, external specialists and surgical teams are needed to lend a hand.

The tribute fund will go towards these “life-saving and transformative” medical procedures.

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Not only that, but Battersea will be sharing over a fifth of the funds raised between five other animal charities that are close to O’Grady’s heart.

Liverpool-based organisations Freshfields Animal Rescue, Carla Lane Animals in Need, and The Oldies Club will all be receiving a gift of £20,000 each, along with StreetVet and RSPCA Ashford Garden Cattery, where O’Grady was an Ambassador and President of respectively.

The charity has also revealed how it will spend the more than £480,000 in public donations / Credit: Battersea

“Seeing how loved Paul was by so many has been truly touching,” reflected O’Grady’s husband Andre Portasio as Battersea announced the news today.

“Paul was so passionate in his support of rescue animals, and it gives me some comfort to know that through the hard work and commitment of Battersea and other charities Paul’s legacy will live on.

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“I know that Paul would have been pleased to know that the most disadvantaged animals he was so fond of championing are getting the love and support they deserve.”

Featured Image – Battersea

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Johnny Marr teases his work on upcoming Gorillaz album

Danny Jones Danny Jones Johnny Marr features on collabs for new Gorillaz album The Mountain

Legendary Manchester musician Johnny Marr has revealed he features on the new Gorillaz album, adding even more interest in the highly anticipated release.

The Mountain is the ninth studio LP from the musical collective led by Damon Albarn, which is set to drop in early 2026, more than three years on from their last album, Cracker Island.

Although the virtual band made up of several real-life creatives (though the ex-Blur frontman and artist, Jamie Hewlett, technically remain the only two consistent core members) hasn’t been away for too long, each new project brings a wave of excitement.

With that in mind, we have no shame in admitting we have even more interest in Gorillaz’s latest album now that we know Johnny Marr is attached to it.

In the new rundown of tunes already posted earlier this month, the former Smiths songwriter and lead guitarist features on four different songs on the new record. You can see it in full down below:

Gorrilaz – The Mountain tracklist

1. The Mountain (feat. Dennis Hopper, Ajay Prasanna, Anoushka Shankar, Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash)
2. The Moon Cave (feat. Asha Puthli, Bobby Womack, Dave Jolicoeur, Jalen Ngonda and Black Thought)
3. The Happy Dictator (feat. Sparks)
4. The Hardest Thing (feat. Tony Allen)
5. Orange County (feat. Bizarrap, Kara Jackson and Anoushka Shankar)
6. The God of Lying (feat. IDLES)
7. The Empty Dream Machine (feat. Black Thought, Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar)
8. The Manifesto (feat. Trueno and Proof)
9. The Plastic Guru (feat. Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar)
10. Delirium (feat. Mark E. Smith)
11. Damascus (feat. Omar Souleyman and Yasiin Bey)
12. The Shadowy Light (feat. Asha Bhosle, Gruff Rhys, Ajay Prasanna, Amaan Ali Bangash, and Ayaan Ali Bangash)
13. Casablanca (feat. Paul Simonon and Johnny Marr)
14. The Sweet Prince (feat. Ajay Prasanna, Johnny Marr and Anoushka Shankar)
15. The Sad God (feat. Black Thought, Ajay Prasanna and Anoushka Shankar)

As you can see, the 61-year-old appears for the first time on song seven, ‘The Empty Dream Machine’, as well as ‘The Plastic Guru’, ‘Casablanca’, and the penultimate track on the album, ‘The Sweet Prince’.

You might even call it a fitting title for one of Manchester’s most famous musical sons.

It’ll be interesting to see how he fits into the captivating soundscape already teased by the group, with Gorillaz having now shared ‘The Happy Dictator’ featuring art pop duo Sparks.

A strong and politically loaded start.

Marr – who only released his fourth batch of solo material, Fever Dream Pts 1-4, back in 2022 – has continued to craft and produce with countless other artists over the past few decades, sharing the studio with fellow icons such as Noel Gallagher, Billy Bragg, Talking Heads and many more.

He even helped create the score for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 soundtrack with legendary composer Hans Zimmer.

That being said, we can only hope to hear some of his famous guitar tones sprinkled throughout this album, though it’s still unclear as to exactly how much input he had on The Mountain overall.

What we do know about the album is that it’s the first to be released via Albarn’s new record label KONG; it’s 15 tracks, and was largely made following extended recording sessions across India, with the likes of Ajay Prasanna, Omar Souleyman and Anoushka Shankar, joining IDLES, Jalen Ngonda and other collabs.

Perhaps most excitingly, the announcement of ‘Gorillaz no.9’ came alongside a series of tour dates, including one right here in Manchester. We can’t wait to see 2D, Murdoc Niccals, Russel Hobbs and Noodle ‘live’ in 0161.

Gorillaz announce huge Manchester arena gig on upcoming UK and Ireland tour
It’s another big venue debut, too.

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Featured Images — Raph_PH (via Flickr/KONG (press shot)

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FIFA confirm new changes to international breaks – and many fans are divided

Danny Jones Danny Jones FIFA confirm new international breaks schedule explained

Global sporting body FIFA have announced new changes to the annual football calendar and the ever-divisive international breaks, specifically.

It’s fair to say that not everyone is in agreement over the update to what many fans and even players already find a frustrating format.

Put simply, FIFA have revealed that they will be merging the traditional September and October breaks into one extended period of international football from 2026 onwards.

Once again, although the decision has been met with plenty of support, it has also faced just as much, if not potentially even more, resistance.

As detailed by multiple outlets following full confirmation on Monday, 13 September, footy fans are now looking at a combined 16 days of watching national teams in World Cup qualifiers and other fixtures.

While other clubs further down the footballing pyramid will still be able to watch their team, supporters of Premier League sides and several other divisions will see domestic action cease for roughly three weeks when taking into account rest days between international and club fixtures

Besides incorporating more teams into this year’s World Cup (now a 48-team affair) and the still relatively recent advent of the Nations League – which UEFA introduced in the hopes of creating more interest in the much-maligned international breaks – this is one of the biggest changes in some time.

At present, there are typically four breaks: September, October, November and March/April – not including major tournaments themselves.

One criticism of this format has been the stop-start consequence it has on club football, and indeed, struggling to create any real momentum and/or excitement, as well as the impact on form it sometimes has on players both away on national team duty and when they get back to their clubs.

Another big concern these breaks have always been met with is the added risk of fatigue and injury.

Despite being athletes who regularly train to remain at the peak of their physical fitness, the increasingly congested fixture calendar – particularly for those playing in England, with multiple cup competitions, the prospect of European football AND no break over Christmas – continues to push bodies to the limit.

Once again, these new changes to international breaks won’t come into effect until next year, but there are plenty of pros and cons that professionals and supporters alike will continue to debate until the new schedule is implemented.

Where do you land on all of this?

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Featured Images — MCaviglia (via Wikimedia Commons)/US State Department/rawpixel.com

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