A 10-year-old schoolboy from Denton has hit his target of raising over £2,000 for a local foodbank after completing a fitness endurance challenge.
After being inspired to take on the challenge thanks to seeing social media star and TV fitness guru, Joe Wicks, complete a 24-hour PE marathon last November, Theo Dunphy hatched a plan to “raise vital money” for the St Mary’s Haughton Green Foodbank in Denton.
“This is something we try to support regularly as a family.”
So, in order to raise “as much money as possible”, the 10-year-old Denton West End Primary School pupil decided to do 12 Joe Wicks’ HIIT fitness sessions back-to-back in a day, which would total almost four hours of exercise.
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And on Saturday, he achieved just that.
Ahead of undertaking the fitness challenge, Theo said he trained for 10 weeks to prepare for the big day and admits there were a few nerves as the preparation was “quite hard”, but halfway through his challenge, he was given a boost by a video message from his hero after his dad reached out on Twitter.
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Theo you are a legend mate. What a kind and inspiring young man you are. Let’s all get behind him today on his challenge to do 12 body coach HIIT sessions in a day ❤️😀 pic.twitter.com/QNfug8B5ju
As well as completing the 12 fitness sessions, and receiving the motivational message from Joe Wicks himself, Theo has also smashed his fundraising target by almost 10 times the £250 he was first looking to raise.
His JustGiving fundraiser now clocks in at over £2,440 and counting.
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That’s not all either, as if a shoutout by Joe Wicks wasn’t brilliant enough as it is, he was also cheered on by Wythenshawe-born Manchester United and England star, Marcus Rashford – who’s own mission to end child food poverty has helped thousands of children throughout the UK over the last year, and won him widespread praise in the process.
Even though the 10-year-old admits his loyalties actually lie with the blue side of the city – being both a Manchester City and Everton supporter – having an iconic local footballer name him a “superstar” is still an amazing achievement.
Theo was said to be “overjoyed” by Rashford’s message of support.
Theo’s parents, James and Kathryn Dunphy, said the youngster’s achievements have “brought a bit of positivity to the world at a time we all need it”.
Well done, Theo.
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You can donate to Theo’s mission of raising “as much money as possible” for St Mary’s Haughton Green Foodbank via his JustGiving page here.
Classic FM will be back playing calming music for anxious pets this Bonfire Night
Emily Sergeant
Classic FM will be back playing calming music for anxious pets during this year’s fireworks season.
Bonfire Night may be loved by us humans for the spectacular firework displays and all the festive-themed activities that come along with it… but sadly, the November holiday isn’t quite so fun for our four-legged friends.
Loud bangs, flashing lights, and unpleasant strong smell of spent explosives are just some of the reasons why fireworks are frightening to pets.
Not only that, but with multiple bangs occurring from numerous displays across this time of year, pets are rarely able to pinpoint when and where the booming explosions are coming from, therefore creating even more anxiety around this time of year.
Classic FM will play calming music for anxious pets during this year’s fireworks / Credit: DESIGNECOLOGIST (via Unsplash)
Which is why, for the ninth year running now, Classic FM is once again teaming up with the RSPCA for two Pet Classics programmes packed with ‘the most soothing and comforting classical music’.
The music has been handpicked to help calm and settle any anxious pets.
A survey by the RSPCA revealed that almost two-thirds (63%) of animal owners reported their pet was distressed during fireworks season, and that playing relaxing music was the most common way (36%) to help calm or prepare their animal.
Presenters Dan Walker, Aled Jones, and Dawn O’Porter will each host a night of the specially created programme to help keep the nation’s pets calm through the whizzes and bangs.
Dan will present the first programme on Bonfire Night itself (Thursday 5 November), and then as celebrations continue throughout the weekend, Aled will be on hand to bring some peace to Friday 6 November, and Dawn picks up the baton on Saturday 7 November.
All three Pet Classics programmes will be broadcast from 5pm to 10pm, and you can listen on Classic FM or Global Player available across the UK.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
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What is the UK’s national dish? New survey reveals Brits’ pick in landslide victory
Emily Sergeant
If you’ve ever thought to Google the question ‘what is Britain’s national dish?’, then you probably came away thinking it’s chicken tikka masala.
But is that actually the truth? A new survey has disproved the claim, massively.
There’s no denying that chicken tikka masala – an Indian curry that’s actually widely thought to have been created in Britain – is a popular dish that’s loved by many, but despite what many headlines have claimed over the years, a new YouGov survey has revealed it’s not what Brits consider to be the country’s ‘national dish’.
YouGov conducted two online surveys earlier this month, made up of 2,079 and 2,104 adults aged 18+ living in Great Britain.
And, in their own words, Brits chose fish and chips as the country’s national dish, making it the ‘resounding’ winner with 49% of the vote.
What is the UK’s national dish? A new survey has revealed Brits’ pick in a landslide victory / Credit: The Manc Group
With nearly half of the overall vote, this puts fish and chips far ahead of the roast dinner in second place, which only 24% of people picked – including the 6% who made sure to specify a beef roast.
In fact, only 3% of Brits actually name chicken tikka masala as the UK’s national dish, although 52% in the survey did confess that they eat some form of curry at least once a month, so it is still a popular pick regardless.
Fish and chips is by far the most common answer across all generations too, according to the survey (45-50%), with the biggest difference between age groups being that 18-24 year olds are less likely to have nominated roast dinner and more likely to have chosen chicken tikka masala instead.
What do Brits say is the UK’s national dish?
Fish and chips – 49%
Roast dinner – 24%
Chicken tikka masala – 3%
Curry (non-specific) – 2%
Full English breakfast – 2%
Bangers and mash – 1%
Cottage or shepherd’s pie – 1%
Other – 3%
Don’t know – 15%
The survey also showed that, of the three top contenders for the UK’s national dish, roast dinners are the most frequently eaten, as 52% of people said they eat them on a monthly basis – including 16% who do so every week.
Aside from the frequently mentioned dishes, some survey respondents also gave shoutouts to the full English breakfast (2%), bangers and mash (1%), and cottage or shepherd’s pie (1%).
Emily Sergeant -
29th March 2021 
