A Chadderton couple who overcame a number of hurdles have proved that nothing gets in the way of true love by finally tying the knot in a special service at a local hospice.
Donna Friar and Mark Davis marked their big day at Dr Kershaw’s Hospice in Royton.
The pair have been together for 11 years – five of which they have been engaged after they met in their local pub, the Colliers Arms – and they became a happy couple thanks to the keen matchmaking skills of both their friends.
The hospice managed to organise the couple’s ceremony within 72 hours to make their wedding dreams come true after various obstacles, including a last-minute postponement, got in the way.
Donna thought she’d ticked all the boxes when she’d arranged to marry Mark Davis – who has been receiving pain management at Dr Kershaw’s Hospice – but when she first turned up for her big day, which she’d planned with the registrar that very morning, she was told that Mark was on strong pain relief, was not fit enough for the ceremony, and that he would prefer to wait to properly mark the occasion the following week.
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Understandably emotional and disappointed, thinking “he didn’t want to marry me”, Donna walked away ready to plan the day again.
Second time round though, she had another worry that the latest local lockdown restrictions would mean they would have to choose between family and friends to keep it to the rule of six, however with help from the hospice staff who contacted Oldham Council, they confirmed that current COVID-19 regulations for weddings state that 20 people are able to attend, as long as it was outside and social distancing measures were observed.
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All that prior disappointment soon changed when the couple finally married just a few days later surrounded by their close family and friends.
Those unable to attend the service also watched via a live stream link monitored by staff nurse, Chloe.
Dr Kershaw’s Hospice
Speaking about the service, Donna said: “It was such a magical day. Words can’t even describe the feeling, we can’t thank all the staff at Dr Kershaw’s enough for organising it for us and making it so special.”
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Mark added that the staff at the hospice had been fantastic in their care for him: “I’ve been looked after so well since being here. The staff at Kershaw’s have been brilliant and have bent over backwards to help me and to make our day so special,”
Hospice Nurse Beth – who has been caring for Mark – said: “Mark and Donna’s wedding day was a true example of what Dr Kershaw’s is all about, making patient’s wishes come true no matter how big or small.
“It was amazing to see how many people came together to pull off their special day, from the nurses and doctors, to the events team, maintenance team, florist, bakery and even our very own Dr Kershaw’s shop who kindly lent our nurses fascinators so staff could look the part.
“I was privileged to be able to get so involved and to make it a day Mark and Donna could cherish forever, especially after being engaged for five years”.
From everyone here at The Manc, we wish Donna and Mark a lifetime of happiness.
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Kirstie Allsopp threw a banana skin at a driver in Stockport in littering row
Daisy Jackson
TV personality Kirstie Allsopp has admitted that she threw a banana skin at a driver in Stockport after she caught them littering.
In a furious rant on Twitter, the Location, Location, Location star said that she ‘leapt out of the car’ in order to pick up the fruity peel that was thrown out of another car window.
She then lobbed it straight back into the car, at the littering offender.
Saying that she’s been ‘horrified’ by the state of litter across the UK, Kirstie detailed the incident from her visit to Stockport.
Kirstie said: “In the last few weeks, travelling around the UK, I’ve been horrified by how bad roadside litter has become. Why is litter so much worse, who thinks chucking an empty red bull, for example, out of a moving car is acceptable?
“Last week in Stockport a banana skin flew out of the window of the car in front, we were at [traffic lights] and I was a passenger so I leapt out of the car, picked it up and threw it back into the car, the driver just threw it back out again.
In the last few weeks, travelling around the UK, I’ve been horrified by how bad roadside litter has become. Why is litter so much worse, who thinks chucking an empty red bull, for example, out of a moving car is acceptable? Last week in Stockport a banana skin flew
“But that’s not how to solve the problem. What is the solution…… £££ fines? In some places police take litter very seriously, I don’t feel that in the UK though. Closing roads to clear the litter? This would inconvenience us all, but would be a reminder of the cost of litter. Asking roadside landowners to clear their patch? What do you think?”
She later added: “I have a pet theory on this, I think a lot of litter is guilty eating, people consuming things they know they shouldn’t, and not wanting to dispose of the evidence at home.”
One fan replied to her: “Ohh you have been to my neck of the woods i have wrote to Stockport Council several times about cleaning all this litter up and there answer was ‘yes we are rotared to do a clear up in May’, i said ‘how about every month’, they replied ‘we do a clear up once a year only’. I just laughed.”
Yes, it’s true – in what is news that admittedly sounds fake, but somehow actually isn’t, one of the best rappers of all time has revealed himself to be an avid watcher of Britain’s longest-running soap, and is such a fan of it, in fact, that he said he’s “determined” to make an appearance on it sometime in the future.
The iconic ITV soap – which is set in the fictional Manchester suburb of Weatherfield, and celebrated an impressive 60 years of entertaining the masses back in 2020 – currently averages around six million viewers per episode, and has developed a well-deserved legion of loyal fans over the last six decades.
And it turns out, one of those loyal fans is chart-topping rap superstar Snoop Dogg.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun this week, the 51-year-old first spoke about how he’s “down to perform” at King Charles III‘s Coronation in a couple of months time, before he launching into how much he loves another type of coronation.
“Coronation Street, I love it,” the 17-time Grammy Award nominee admitted.
Snoop Dogg says he’s a massive Coronation Street fan / Credit: ITV / The Manc Group
“If they call me I’ll do it. I’ll play whenever they need. I love the cinematography, acting, the storylines and just the reality.
“I’d like to be a part of it because they’ve been a part of my culture.”
As bizarre as it all sounds, this surprisingly isn’t the first time the rapper – whose real name is Calvin Broadus Jr – has publicly revealed he’s a fan of the soap, and even famously admitted all the way back in 2010 that he had his agent get in touch with ITV to see if there was any chance he could make an appearance.
“I had my agent reach out to them to see if they could try to get me on and they said they were interested so hopefully it might happen,” Snoop told the BBC.
“It would be perfect for me to be on the show.”
The chart-topping rapper says he’s ‘determined’ to get a role on it / Credit: ITV
The Drop It Like It’s Hot and The Next Episode rapper isn’t the only famous name who’s revealed himself to be a fan of Coronation Street in recent months.
One of the greatest and most well-respected singer songwriters of all time, Bob Dylan, also admitted in an interview with WSJ back in December 2022 that he loves binge-watching the soap.
Dylan explained that that he’s “no fan of packaged programs or news shows”, and that the ITV soap makes him “feel at home” despite being “old-fashioned”.
Emily Sergeant -
18th September 2020 
