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Communities asked to pull together to help decorate Greater Manchester care homes this Christmas

Millennium Care Group is calling on the public to help brighten up spirits and "save Christmas".

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 23rd November 2020
Lavender Hills Care Home, Ramsbottom – Millennium Care Group

Communities in Greater Manchester are being asked to pull together to help make the festive season extra special for the region’s care home residents this year.

Millennium Care Group – which looks after seven care homes in Greater Manchester – is calling on the public to help brighten up the spirits and “save Christmas” for the residents, staff and families who have struggled throughout the year due to coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions.

The group raising funds to turn the outside of each care home into their own winter wonderland with Christmas trees, lights and decorations.

Millennium Care Group‘s seven care homes are located in Wigan, Bury, and Chorley.

The group was one of the first to install COVID-safe visitation lodges to keep residents connected with their families through the pandemic, however, plans to temporarily convert the pods into Christmas lodges were scrapped because of the infection control risk.

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A spokesperson said: “It has undoubtedly been a difficult year for everybody during the COVID pandemic, particularly for care homes,

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“As Christmas draws near, what would typically be an occasion full of celebrations and family gatherings, has been dimmed by lockdowns and safety concerns.”

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The homes plan to host special Christmas Light Switch On events.

These can can be celebrated by home residents and staff, shared live over social media for families to be involved, and also host special light drive throughs for the resident’s family members, but, as the group concedes, it “won’t be an easy feat”.

And this is why the homes are asking for support from their local communities to donate and help in any way possible, as “even a small gesture will go a long way to make a big impact”.

A target of £500 has been set and any donations can be made via the JustGiving page here.

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The Chestergate pub in Stockport is at it again with some of the most wonderfully Manc scenes you’ll ever see

Danny Jones Danny Jones

The legendary Chestergate pub in Stockport is back with another belter of a video, following on from their viral belly-flashing clip of 2022.

The Mersey Square boozer has painted yet another quintessentially Northern depiction of UK pub culture with the latest Manc scenes they’ve captured around the karaoke machine.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of stumbling into The Chestergate in Stockport town centre, the long-standing boozer currently operated by publican chain Blind Tiger Inns, you’re seriously missing out.

While it might not be the flashiest of pubs, when it comes to entertainment, it always delivers.

Whether it’s stunts like renaming themselves ‘The Southgate’ whenever the Euros or World Cup rolls around, or the locals just genuinely having a whale of a time no matter what day of the week it is, it really sums up the best of pub culture.

The Chestergate went viral for some of the most British footage ever caught on film back in 2022 and the videos saw a huge wave of love and support flooding in for the pub, as well as a healthy amount of chuckles. Safe to say we were chuffed to see them pop back up on our feed again recently.

Karaoke night at The Chestergate literally never disappoints.

Forget ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ or ‘Champagne Supernova’ for karaoke songs – we’ll take a cacophony of inaudible throwback pop music, whilst another bloke and his hype man try and MC over a totally ill-fitting beat any day of the week.

And that’s handy because you’ll find those kinds of shenanigans happening at this place all the time.

Be it hens and stags, St George’s Day celebrations; a safe-cracking-themed competition, a ‘Texas Hold ‘Em Hoedown’ dance-off, or simply the matchday crowds when the footy’s on, there’s always something going on here.

It’s simultaneously one of the most no-nonsense and somehow a non-stop shenanigan-filled paradise. They also look after their own and consider their regulars part of the family. Case and point: they threw their very own ‘Dancing Queen’ Molly a big bash for her 86th birthday and it’s such wholesome viewing.

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At this point, it’s worth flagging that we have nothing but envy for these folks and anyone who’s just out there having the time of their lives on any random weeknight.

Yes, it produced plenty of laughs for those watching online in recent times but this lot won’t mind one bit – not only is the pub seeing more and more new faces through the door but that’s the whole point of a pub, isn’t it? Going for a pint with your nearest and dearest and having a laugh.

Not only is it very Manchester but it’s Britain at its very best.

We hope to see you at The Chestergate pub in Stockport for a pint or two sometime soon and we’re making a bit of a prat of ourselves, don’t worry, we’re sure they’ll have the cameras ready for you.

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

Featured Images — The Chestergate (via Facebook)

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Tailgaters and middle lane hoggers warned to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A warning has been issued to tailgaters and motorway middle lane hoggers urging them to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style.

Do you find yourself guilty of two of the biggest driving sins from time to time?

Well, according to the latest figures released by National Highways, one in three motorists have admitted to middle lane hogging in their lives, while one in four have committed acts of tailgating on some of the UK’s fastest roads.

These shocking survey findings – which were released back in early March as the Government-owned road management company launched a new campaign – showed that lane hogging was among the behaviours that are most likely to cause motorists and passengers to feel ‘frustrated’, and tailgating was most likely to cause feelings of unease, stress, and anxiety.

Nearly a third (32%) of drivers admitted to lane hogging ‘at least occasionally’ while driving on England’s motorways and major A roads, according to the survey – which polled 2,500 adults between the ages of 16-75.

On top of this, almost seven in ten adults in England (67%) said close following or tailgating is a ‘serious problem’ on these types of roads, but nearly a quarter (23%) admitted to doing it from time to time.

Tut-tut.

Tailgaters and middle lane hoggers have been warned to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style (Credit: IPTC/Ronald Hudson)

It’s these very statistics which have led National Highways to issue an urgent warning that calls on these motorists to “carefully consider” their driving habits, as “little changes can change everything”.

Lane hogging and tailgating both fall under the offence of ‘careless driving’ in England, with the country’s police forces having the power to hand out on-the-spot fines of £100 and three penalty points to those who commit such offences.

“Middle lane hogging and tailgating are far more than mere annoyances for drivers,” warned RAC road safety spokesperson, Rod Dennis, adding that these actions “put everyone on the roads at risk.”

He continued in his reaction to the release of the latest National Highways figures: “Closely following another motorist could easily result in a serious collision should the driver ahead need to brake sharply for any reason, so the fact nearly one in four drivers admitted to doing so on some of England’s fastest and busiest roads is frightening”.

Mr Dennis said he understands that offenders “might find these habits hard to kick”, but that’s why the urgent calls for motorists to make changes are “so important”.

“By understanding that how we choose to drive affects others, we can each make a real difference to the safety of our roads,” he concluded.

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

Featured Images – AA

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