An Asda worker has been praised for her “quick-thinking” that ultimately saved the life of a little boy in a Bolton store.
The supermarket chain has praised its employee Joanne Lang – who was working on the self-scan checkouts at the Farnworth branch in Bolton – after she sprang into action to stop a little boy from choking on a sweet after she spotted he was struggling to breathe while out shopping with his mum.
Joanne’s quick-thinking meant she was able to successfully dislodge the gummy snake snake, which the toddler brought into the store, by leaning him over and “slapping him firmly on the back” two times.
She said the shocking incident “all happened very quickly”, and described her actions an act of “pure instinct”.
“I saw the little boy out of the corner of my eye sitting in a trolley and knew straight away that something was wrong as his face was going red and he was having difficulty breathing,” Joanne explained.
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“He wasn’t coughing so I knew something was stuck so used the heel of my hand to hit him on the back a couple of times and the snake came out.
“I think he’d managed to swallow it whole and it got stuck.
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Joanne from our Farnworth store sprang into action to stop a little boy from choking on a sweet after spotting he was struggling to breathe. She rushed over to the boy, leant him forward and slapped him firmly on the back twice to dislodge the sweet: https://t.co/aZs3Fr7St7pic.twitter.com/DjHFBz8i98
“When it came out the boy, who was aged about two or three, just looked at me with a massive grin on his face – it was such a relief that he was okay.”
Joanne – who has worked at the store for 18 months, and has some prior first aid training – explained that the little boy’s mother was “in shock” following the incident, but made sure to thank her before they left.
Rita Charleston – Customer Service Manager at Asda Farnworth – decided to nominate Joanne for an Asda ‘Service Superstar’ award for her actions, explaining that they are “so proud” of her and that what she did was “absolutely amazing”.
“She single-handedly saved that child from choking and her quick reactions really did save the day.
“The situation could have had a very different outcome if it wasn’t for Joanne.”
Featured Image – Asda
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Home Bargains has announced a special two-day closure of all UK stores
Emily Sergeant
Home Bargains has, once again, announced it’ll be closing all its UK stores on both Boxing Day and New Year’s Day this year.
And it’s to make sure staff get a ‘well deserved break’.
After what has been yet another busy year for the retail industry, many workers have been left feeling like they could do with a little extra time off, which is why Home Bargains is following on with what has become a now-annual tradition by shutting up shop on two bank holidays.
All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day & New Years Day.
Announcing the move in a post on social media, the discount retailer confirmed: “All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day and New Years Day. We would like to thank all our colleagues for how hard you have worked this past year, and want you to relax and enjoy the Christmas break with your loved ones.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time the retailer has kept its doors shut on bank holidays.
Many shoppers will recall it has made the same decision to give hardworking staff a break every year since 2019.
Explaining a little more about the decision taken to close all its stores, Home Bargains said: “As a family-run business, we know the importance of being together at Christmas with those we care about most, now more than ever.
“This is our way of saying thank you to our colleagues for their continued hard work and dedication.”
Featured Image – Geograph
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Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week
Emily Sergeant
Who says breakfast has to end at 11am?
In news that’s set to be music to the ears of breakfast lovers in Manchester, Greggs is giving them exactly what they want.
We all know that brunch is a ‘thing’ by now, so now it’s time for brinner to make a name for itself instead, as Greggs has teamed up with Heinz to bring its much-loved breakfast menu back for tea time, kicking off from 4pm onwards.
The move comes as a new survey has found that the majority of Mancs (69%) admit to enjoying eating breakfast food in the evening, saying it’s ‘convenient and comforting’ – even ranking breakfast as a ‘more important’ meal than tea, as well (38% vs 36%).
Two Greggs in Manchester will be serving their breakfast menu in the evening next week / Credit: Greggs (Supplied)
Greggs says it has ‘lost count’ of the amount of customers that have tried to order breakfast items after the usual cut-off time, especially in Greater Manchester.
But luckily for those breakfast-loving Mancs, they can finally get their favourite breakfast and sauce pairing long after the morning rush is over next… but only at two Greggs branches, and only for a very limited time.
On Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 October, the Heinz x Greggs Brinner collab will be available at Greggs St Mary’s Gate and Greggs Oxford Road, from 4-7pm only.
“We’ve lost count of the number of customers who have tried their luck ordering breakfast after 11am, so when Heinz came to us with the idea of making Brinner a reality, it felt like the perfect excuse to give the people what they want,” explained Zoe Harris, who is the Customer Director at Greggs.
“And let’s be honest, a Greggs Bacon Roll just wouldn’t be the same without a squeeze of Heinz Tomato Ketchup.”
Emily Sergeant -
27th June 2022 
