A crowdfunder has been set up for a 12-year-old boy who had his DJ equipment confiscated after he organised a rave in the schools toilets.
Aspiring DJ Cael Bell was on the decks during lunchtime break at St Anthony’s Catholic College in Urmston earlier this month when teachers stepped in to put an end to proceedings.
Staff shut the event down, took the Year 8 lad’s equipment off him, and rang his mum.
Unsurprisingly though, his mum said she saw the funny side of the situation – as did most people who read about his antics after the post about it went viral on social media, amassing over 100K interactions, shares and comments – and now someone has started a GoFundMe aiming to raise £1,000 to help Cael get a “bigger and better’ rig”.
Any additional funds raised over that amount will go directly to charity Listen Up Therapy.
The GoFundMe page reads: “Legend in his own lunchtime Cael Bell (age 12) organised a rave in the toilets at lunchtime at school and had his equipment confiscated.
“This kind of party-starting behaviour should be rewarded and we aim to get him a better/bigger rig.
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“The aim is to get a more professional controller a laptop and/or some powered speakers depending on what he needs and how much is raised. Partygoers and DJ’s unite to support the next generation.
“I have been in touch with his mum and she is happy about the fundraiser and clearly very supportive of him.
“Any extra money left over after fixing him up will go to Listen Up Therapy to pay for therapy for people involved in the music industry.”
Speaking to LADbible about the incident at the time, Cael’s mum, Louise Bell, said she thought it was hilarious, adding: “I waited for Cael to get in from school.
“I was ready to take the picture as I knew he wouldn’t let me, so I had to snap him quickly,”
“Cael said he had a great time – so did everyone else until the teacher came in screaming, ‘Turn that off now.’ I asked him lots of questions, told him he wasn’t in trouble at home with us.”
With donations coming in thick and fast, the GoFundMe page has currently raised £587 and counting, which is over half way there to the £1,000 target.
Sportsbet.io Tour Championship 2026: Manchester welcomes some of snooker’s best
Danny Jones
This Monday marks the start of the World Snooker Tour’s 2026 Sportsbet.io Tour Championship, which is back in Manchester once again– and there are some big names on show.
Returning to our city for a third consecutive time, this year’s Tour Championships began at 1pm, with the likes of world number one Judd Trump playing some of the opening frames against Northern Ireland’s Mark Allen, along with Barry Hawkins taking on 2026 World Open winner, Thepchaiya Un-Nooh.
These are just the first two opening fixtures in what is set to be an eventful week-long tournament that will span a total of 19 matches, concluding in the final on Sunday, 5 April.
Hosted once again over at Manchester Central, this elite field of in-form players is basically only missing Ronnie O’Sullivan, who the aforementioned Thai tour start beat in last week’s final.
Only the top 12 players from this season’s highly competitive rankings earned a place in the draw, so all pretty much all the greats and the next generation are shooting for the title.
Defending champions John Higgins – a four-time world champion – will be breaking off against Mark Williams on Tuesday, 31 March.
Meanwhile, other names on the schedule of play include World Champion Zhao Xintong, Mark Selby (who Higgins beat in Manchester last year), Shaun Murphy, Neil Robertson and Mark Allen.
Put simply, this isn’t just another big sporting event landing in our city centre, but a showcase of some of the very best talent in the discipline.
With tickets starting from just £25, these games are also some of the most affordable premium sports you can enjoy in central Manchester.
Better still, it’s also worth noting that the official Fanzone over in the foyer of the venue is open to all, even without a ticket.
There’s completely free coaching for players of all ages, interactive games, and even the chance to try a proper full-sized professional table – a perfect day out for the Easter school holidays.
The event itself is being aired on Channel 5, but if you’re interested in going along to see the action up close and personal, you can grab your seats right HERE.
Featured Images — Press shot (supplied via Manchester Central)/The Manc Group
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The Oldham Man and The Sea: the documentary about the Latics owner’s record-breaking Atlantic voyage
Danny Jones
It doesn’t matter if you’re not an Athletic fan or native to the borough; we think everyone should go along to watch the much-anticipated documentary about football club owner Frank Rothwell and his record-breaking journey across the Atlantic Ocean: The Oldham Man And The Sea.
One of the simplest and most satisfying names for a film we’ve heard in a long time.
For anyone who doesn’t know about the Oldham Athletic FC chairman turned OBE’s incredible story, Frank Rothwell has set multiple records with his impressive sea-faring feats in recent times.
This new doc, which just premiered at this year’s Manchester Film Festival, charts his latest trip across one of the biggest bodies of water on the planet in March 2024.
As you can see from the recent trailer, it’s almost as arduous a tale as the original Hemingway story.
This movie – produced by Journeyman Pictures and Chief Productions – made its full debut at the Odeon in Great Northern Warehouse for MFF 2026, and is set to have a number of other screenings in and around Greater Manchester in the coming weeks and months.
One of those is happening rather soon, in fact, over at Saddleworth’s Millgate Arts Centre on Saturday, 28 March, which is ideal for those local to the region; grab your tickets now.
ln fact, there’s also one happening even closer to his hometown the following month, with Oldham’s very own Queen Elizabeth Hall also hosting a special screening of Rothwell’s incredible achievement.
You can reserve your seats for that one right HERE.
Having not only become the eldest (70) Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge finisher back in 2021, but now holding the Guinness World Record for the oldest person to ever complete the crossing while rowing solo at 73 years old, he’s become nothing short of a local hero – and that’s just his stewardship of the Latics…
The film does, obviously, touch on his time at the helm of the League Two side, who finally returned to the EFL last June, but the heart and soul of this inspiring watch is the sail itself.
More importantly, it also documents not just the gruelling nature of the 64-day, seven-hour and 53-minute trek, but also how Frank has now helped raise more than £1.4 million on behalf of Alzheimer’s Research UK.
What an absolute icon.
Hopefully, this should be just about all the reason you need to watch The Oldham Man And The Sea the very next opportunity you get to do so – and, of course, all proceeds from ticket sales will also be going to charity, because just the kind of bloke he is.
And here’s hoping we get a streaming version sometime soon.
Emily Sergeant -
23rd December 2020 
