A local community in Rochdale has come together to donate hundreds of gift boxes to residents in the borough’s care homes ahead of the festive period.
The project is the brainchild of Heywood resident Richenda Mather and her 14-year-old son Ady.
Richenda – who works with her daughter as a hairdresser and was forced to temporarily close her business due to the second national lockdown – launched the heartfelt idea with a social media post earlier this month, and it has since resulted in thousands of pounds being raised, as well as almost 200 festive gift bags being distributed to care home residents, many of whom haven’t seen their families in months.
The pair said the festive gifts would simply cheer the care home residents up, and it doesn’t have to cost much to “make someone very happy”.
In true Greater Manchester spirit, the local community quickly rallied around the idea, and people were soon dropping gifts off at Richenda’s house, sending her money toward putting gift bags together, and one of her friends – who works as a train driver for Northern Rail – even managed to raise an impressive £1,000 in just 24 hours for the initiative.
Each bag contained a variety of pick-me-ups including chocolates, sweets, scarves, blankets and perfumes.
Richenda also asked a group of childminders if they would consider asking children to make homemade Christmas cards too and in total, the mother and son duo managed to pack around 180 gift bags, which they successfully delivered to four local care homes last week.
How brilliant is this?
Richenda Mather
Speaking to the MEN on the initiative, Richenda said: “We saw something on telly where there was a nursing home and nobody had seen their family since March [and] my son said, ‘why don’t we do some Christmas gift boxes for these people?’
“So we went and made one and I asked on Facebook whether anyone else wanted to get involved and it just went absolutely mad.”
Care homes to benefit from Richenda and Ady’s festive gifting project include Springfield Park Nursing Home, Springbank Nursing Home, Beech House, and Tudor Court, with staff sending their thanks for brightening the residents’ days and saying the community coming together in such a way to provide the donations “brought a tear to the eye”.
If that wasn’t incredible enough as it is, the pair even borrowed elf and penguin outfits to dress up in when dropping the gifts off, waving at residents through the window.
“I got a message from the nursing home and they said they are going to go out and buy an elf outfit for the residents as they loved it so much,” Richenda added.
Richenda Mather
Expressing his gratitude to the community for supporting residents, Michael Jones – Manager at Springfield Park Nursing Home – said: “I wanted to say thank you so much to her and her friends and colleagues who have donated to our residents at such a difficult time.
“They are missing out on family and friends visiting and this will be such a great boost for them. It was a massive surprise [and] we weren’t expecting it at all.
“It has put a smile on their faces.
“There are handmade cards from children in the local area too – they are so heartwarming [and] it brings a tear to the eye. It’s amazing to know that they are not forgotten and that people are thinking about them at this time.”
Richenda Mather
It wasn’t just festive gift bags and boxes donated though.
Enough money was even raised to be able to buy a tablet device for one home, so that residents could stay connected with their families, and staff at the homes also had a surprise too as Richenda said: “At the end of it all, I think we had about £50 left, so we got the staff a bottle of vodka each and some chocolate and thank you cards, as we thought we can’t leave them out,”
After all their hard work, Richenda and Ady have said they would like to send their thanks to anyone who has donated to the successful initiative. She said: “It wasn’t just me who’s been doing this – everyone in Heywood has been contributing,
“One woman dropped six gift bags off – it really has been madness.”
“It was so worth doing – it was a stressful week but we managed to do it all… I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone [as] I couldn’t have done it without everyone else.”
She continued: “Usually this is my biggest time of the year, so I don’t know if I’d have been able to do it otherwise, but I am thinking about trying it again next year as I have really enjoyed it,
“But with a bit more help dropping them off.”
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From everyone here at The Manc, to Richenda, Ady and the local Heywood community who played a crucial part in contributing at a time when it is truly needed most, we take our hats off to you.
Thank you for helping to keep Greater Manchester great.
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Blackpool Pleasure Beach is offering FREE returns if it’s raining when you visit
Emily Sergeant
Blackpool’s Pleasure Beach Resort has introduced a new ‘rainy day return’ policy.
If there’s one thing we can all be certain of, here in the North West, rain will fall, even if it’s summer, and despite the fact us northerners are used to it, it does tend to dampen the fun a bit – pun intended – which is why Blackpool Pleasure Beach has introduced a new policy aimed at ensuring guests are getting the best out of their visit throughout August.
If you’re visiting Blackpool Pleasure Beach this summer, and it rains for more than three hours on the day of your trip, then you’ll be entitled to return for free within seven days of your original visit.
This means you’ll get a second go at experiencing the Pleasure Beach’s lineup of rides and attractions, like the 235ft Big One, the award-winning Valhalla, and the UK’s only Nickelodeon Land, all when they sun is shining… or just when it’s not chucking it down, at the very least.
“It’s important to us that guests have the best time when visiting,” commented Amanda Thompson OBE, who is the CEO of the Pleasure Beach Resort.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach is offering free returns if it’s raining when you visit / Credit: Supplied
“While, technically speaking, the rain doesn’t affect our rides, we wouldn’t want the wet weather to dampen anyone’s day.
“We truly believe that you can have a great time at Pleasure Beach come rain or shine, but we know that everything is extra special when the weather is on side.”
To use the rainy day return scheme, guests should arrive at the ticket centre on the day of their return visit, and display their eTickets, paper tickets, or confirmation email to staff.
The new return option can be used any day of the week, within seven days of the original visit.
The launch of the Pleasure Beach’s ‘rainy day returns’ policy comes just days after the resort last week unveiled a first glimpse of what its new £8.72 million ride, Aviktas – that’s set to be the ‘tallest of its kind’ in the UK – will look like once it’s finished.
Aviktas will spin riders 120 degrees, facing outwards with legs dangling as you soar along the coastline.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Stockport County issue statement condemning ‘deeply concerning imagery’ featuring club crest
Danny Jones
Stockport County have issued a statement addressing inappropriate and divisive political imagery featuring the club crest recently shared online.
The Greater Manchester side was alerted to the situation this week and quickly released a decisive comment condemning the content that appeared on social media.
Updating the fan base on Monday afternoon, 29 July, the League One team shared the important and well-received response across their official channels, reminding their fan base that not only are they a non-political entity but that the beautiful game is for everyone.
It reads as follows: “Stockport County has been made aware of instances where our club crest has been used without permission on political propaganda, including deeply concerning imagery that promotes hate and division, such as the unauthorised display of our crest alongside anti-LGBTQ+ symbols.
“We want to be unequivocally clear: Stockport County Football Club is, and always will be, a politically neutral organisation. We do not endorse, support, or affiliate with any political party, candidate [referring to one specific individual in this instance], or ideology.
“Our club crest is a registered trademark and a symbol of unity, community, and the collective passion for football at Edgeley Park.
“It represents all our fans, staff, players, and the wider Stockport community, regardless of their individual political beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, religion, or any other characteristic.”
They assure that the club, which is made up of all kinds of ethnicities, genders and sexualities, is “no place for hate, discrimination, or exclusion of any kind at Edgeley Park or within our community“, adding that they are “committed to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome and safe.”
For context, below you’ll find just one example of the unsanctioned and potentially inflammatory iconography exposed via Facebook marketplace, which features the Stockport County badge alongside an image of former UKIP leader and Reform UK MP, Nigel Farage.
The statement goes on to reinforce that “any unauthorised use of our crest, particularly in a political or hateful context, is a misuse of our intellectual property and fundamentally goes against the inclusive values we uphold.”
“We will take all necessary steps, including legal action where appropriate, to prevent such unauthorised use of our club crest and protect our brand integrity.”
They sign off by stating, simply: “We urge all supporters to respect the Club’s neutrality and help us maintain an environment where everyone feels welcome and united by their love for County.”
On the upside, the defiant Stockport County stance was met with plenty of praise and support, with Hatters and football lovers in general commenting, “My community club”, “Not a fan but well done county”, “Keep politics out of football, especially that lot. Top club statement”, just to quote a few replies.
SCFC seem to be getting lots of things right at the moment.
Emily Sergeant -
19th November 2020 
