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Battersea dogs to form guard of honour at Paul O’Grady’s funeral today

It's going to be an emotional one.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 20th April 2023

Rescue dogs from Battersea Dogs & Cats Home are to form a guard of honour at Paul O’Grady’s funeral today.

The influential Merseyside-born TV personality passed away “unexpectedly but peacefully” at aged 67 at the end of March, and has 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.

Battersea dogs to form guard of honour at Paul O’Grady’s funeral today / Credit: Battersea

A longtime supporter and ambassador of Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, O’Grady notably helped raise the profile of the shelter to millions around the world through the hugely-popular ITV series Paul O’Grady: For The Love of Dogs.

Battersea Dogs & Cats Home notably paid an emotional tribute to their “devoted” ambassador after his passing, saying said there was “no doubting” O’Grady’s influence had helped thousands of rescue animals find new homes over the years, and adding praising his efforts show-off all of their quirks and loveable qualities, which went a long way to proving that rescue animals “really are the best pets”.

More than £270,000 in public donations has also been raised for the charity in O’Grady’s honour.

And now, it’s been revealed that some of the rescue centre’s dogs who O’Grady loved and cared so much for are all set to perform a guard of honour at his funeral today.

The funeral is set to be held near Ashford in Kent, and his partner, Andre Portasio – a former professional dancer who he married in 2017 – revealed that it will be a private ceremony, but as O’Grady “cared a lot about his local community”, procession will pass through his home village of Aldington before heading to the church.

The TV star’s was a longtime supporter and ambassador of the rescue shelter / Credit: Battersea

The procession is designed to be “a way of marking Paul’s affection for the area”.

Residents are invited to stand on Forge Hill or New Road Hill between 2:10pm and 2:45pm, but Mr Portasio asked them to “respect the villagers and the local area”.

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Mr Portasio has also thanked the public for the “overwhelming outpouring of support and love” he has received since his partner’s passing.

Featured Image – Battersea

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Fontaines D.C. at Wythenshawe Park – tickets, times, supports, setlist and everything you need to know

Danny Jones Danny Jones Fontaines D.C. at Wythenshawe Park gig guide tickets times setlist

Besides Oasis’ glorious Heaton Park homecoming, the two biggest headline gigs in Greater Manchester are happening this weekend, with Fontaines D.C. kicking off Live From Wythenshawe Park 2025 this Friday, 15 August.

The Irish giants are bringing their now global, groundbreaking and critically acclaimed musical exports to Manchester for the second time in less than a year, only this will be their biggest gig in this city to date.

Fontaines last visited Manchester back in November as one of the biggest rock, indie and alternative bands to play Aviva Studios, home of Factory International; it’s fair to say it was a stormer.

And now scenes like THIS are set to be scaled up to a field full of Mancs and tourists alike, so it’s best to know what you’re in for…

Fontaines D.C. at Wythenshawe Park – all the important info

Fontaines Wythenshawe Park tickets: are there any left?

For starters, if you’re wondering whether there are tickets left for Fontaines at Wythenshawe Park, we’re afraid to inform you that general admission unfortunately sold out in a flash.

There are still VIP options available via Ticketmaster if you fancy treating yourself, but they will set you back a pretty penny.

Of course, you can always keep your eyes out via trusted resale sites like Twickets and TicketSwap, but as always, proceed with caution – let’s help the kick touts out of the music industry.

Who is supporting Fontaines in Manchester?

We’ll confess, one of the things we’re most excited about ahead of the Dublin County icons returning to 0161 is the lineup of supports booked for Fontaines D.C. at Wythenshawe Park.

There are no warm-ups; we would and have already happily paid full whack to see some of these supports headline both here in Manchester and around the North.

Not only will fans be getting to see fellow Irish post-punk band The Murder Capital kick off the live music proceedings, but Leeds’ very own Mercury Prize-winning English Teacher will be following them up, before Gaelic rap trio, Kneecap from Northern Ireland, really ramp up the energy.

There’s even going to be DJ sets from So Young record label and magazine, as well as none other than The Stone Roses’ Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield.

Kneecap announce UK tour with multiple northern tour dates

Stage times for Fontaines at Wythenshawe Park?

Fortunately, the DC boys have also made things nice and simple when it comes to stage times, too, with a full running order for each artist’s set already published.

They are as follows:

  • The Murder Capital – 16:25
  • English Teacher – 17:35
  • Kneecap – 18:50
  • Fontaines D.C. – 20:30

Doors to the massive outdoor Wythenshawe music venue will be open from 4pm, and the aforementioned DJ sets will be played in between each of the support acts, before the main event gets underway slightly earlier than most other headliners.

We simply CANNOT wait.

fontaines dc outdoor gig manchester
Credit: Audio North

Fontaines D.C. live 20525 tour setlist

As for what the lads will be playing, an added bonus of their ongoing world tour is that it’s given us plenty of time to get to grips with the current Fontaines setlist – or at least the bulk of it.

This is based on their last big standout headline show at Cardiff Castle in Wales (courtesy of Setlist.fm).

  1. Starburster / In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song)
  2. Here’s the Thing
  3. Jackie Down the Line
  4. Boys in the Better Land
  5. Televised Mind
  6. Roman Holiday
  7. It’s Amazing to Be Young
  8. Big Shot
  9. Death Kink
  10. A Hero’s Death
  11. Before You I Just Forget
  12. Horseness Is the Whatness
  13. Big
  14. Nabokov
  15. Desire
  16. Bug
  17. Favourite

Encore:

  • Romance
  • In the Modern World
  • I Love You
  • Starburster

However, they did throw in a few surprises down at Finsbury Park in London, so who knows? Maybe they’ll play something special.

Everyone has their own personal favourites.

Travel guide: how to get to Wythenshawe Park

Last but not least, there’s just the small matter of getting there. While we’d always recommend travelling as green as possible/using public transport where you can, there are still some car park tickets that you can buy online from the Live From Wythenshawe website.

As for those of you catching a ride, there is yellow signage to the north of the site, which will lead you to the pick-up/drop-off point on Wythenshawe Road, M23 0AB.

There are also three tram stops to choose from: Wythenshawe Park, Moor Road and Baguley. However, it’s worth noting that both Wythenshawe Park and Baguley will be closed from 9pm, so you won’t be able to get back home this way.

Finally, you can always catch one of the shuttle buses back into the city centre. The service will be operating in a loop from Sale and the city centre, running from 1-8pm on the way to Wythenshawe Park and then from 8pm-1:30am when heading home.

For more information, you can find all the up-to-date travel stuff HERE or check out (TfGM) Transport for Greater Manchester’s guidance and even use their interactive map

We also want to remind everyone to get there with plenty of time to avoid queuing and congestion on public transport in and around Greater Manchester.

Last but not least, make sure to mind the weather, drink plenty of water, look after each other and, above all else, have an absolute belter.

See you in the pit for ‘Here’s The Thing.’

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group/Press Shots (supplied)

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Man City star Jack Grealish reveals the two players who inspired his loan move to Everton

Danny Jones Danny Jones Wayne Rooney and Gazza inspired Jack Grealish to join Everton

England international Jack Grealish has revealed the two ex-players that inspired him to join Everton FC on loan from Manchester City.

The fan favourite, who joined Man City as Britain’s first-ever £100 million player back in 2021, has struggled to find a regular spot in Pep Guardiola‘s starting XI since arriving at the Etihad Stadium, but has already won all there is to win at the English club level in his time there.

Now 29 years old – largely considered well within the prime years for a footballer, if not soon to be exiting it – the next few seasons are likely to prove crucial for the Birmingham-born star.

With that in mind, Grealish has now completed his loan transition from City to Everton and has revealed that, besides the history and passionate supporters, two former legends played a big part in influencing his decision to say yes.

Much like many footy fans from the past couple of generations, the Aston Villa product admitted that Wayne Rooney and Paul Gascoigne are two of his favourite sportsmen of all time.

While the Man United legend went on to notch the biggest achievements of his career here in Manchester, he started out life and his professional career as a teenager in the blue half of Liverpool, coming through as one of the club’s most exciting prospects ever.

As explained above, the now-loaned-out attacking midfielder also revealed that picking the number 18 was a tap-in, not only because it was Rooney’s first shirt but also that of another fellow retired Toffee and English footballing icon in Gazza, who played 32 times for the club towards the end of his playing days.

There aren’t many clubs and/or shirts that could convince a modern-day Premier League star to swap the number 10 at Treble-winning ‘four-midables’, Man City; aside from the obvious increase in playing time, there seems to be some genuine heart and sentimentality behind the switch.

Whether or not it will prove to be the right next step for the talented dribbler and creative attacking talent, only time will tell.

Not too long after being reinstated as Everton manager himself, David Moyes is also said to have played a significant role in convincing Grealish to make the move to Merseyside.

The fact that the Three Lions regular has serious “ambition” to get back in the squad for the upcoming World Cup, having been left “heartbroken” as he missed out on Euro 2024, made Moyes’ sales pitch a fairly straightforward one: ‘come be the main man and fight your way back into the selection’.

It’s said that the deal includes an option to buy for approximately £50m (half the price his parent club paid a then-record sum for him), and his new team are expected to pay a big chunk of his reported £300k-a-week wages – with overall outgoings potentially reaching more than £12m after the loan fee.

You can see Grealish’s first interview in the darker shade of blue down below.

Here’s what Grealish had to say on his loan move to Everton for the 2025/26 season.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Everton FC

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