It can be difficult to know which day is which in lockdown.
With England having been within its third national lockdown amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic for the majority of 2021 so far, the days have really begun blending into one, leaving many with little to look forward to, but thankfully, everyone’s favourite Geordie pair are back on our screens for a new series of their beloved show Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway to give us a reason to celebrate the weekend once again.
And one local primary school teacher was given “the surprise of her life” on last weekend’s episode, as a thank you for her exceptional hard work and commitment over her career.
Deputy Headteacher Kath Crawley – who retired from St Thomas’ CE Primary School in Ashton-in-Makerfield last August after 34 years of teaching last – has taught over 1,300 pupils, inspired generations of youngsters, been at the heart of her local community for four decades, and was known for going the extra mile where possible, by arranging care home visits by the school choir, spending lunch hours with children needing extra help or support, doing walks for charity, and more.
The unsuspecting teacher arrived at ITV’s studios expecting to be interviewed on the news about her lifelong career as a teacher, but instead, and much to her surprise, it turned out to be the culmination of months of undercover filming during her last year before retirement.
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The team from the hit show had staged a series of ‘Operation Thank You Miss’ surprises, making Mrs Crawley the latest community hero to be recognised and rewarded for her selfless efforts.
A tearful Mrs Crawley told Ant and Dec: “Teaching has been my life. I can’t tell you how much I’m going to miss it. Being a parent is the best job in the world, but being a teacher is just like being a parent but to a lot more children.”
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Her daughter Becky told the pair that she was “massively proud” of her mum, who had “dedicated her whole life to putting other people first”.
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house as Kath watched video messages from former pupils over the years, before her current class appeared by video link to say a very special “thank you Miss” to their favourite teacher.
The kids also then comically suggested various retirement gifts for Mrs Crawley, with suggestions ranging from a bottle of gin and some chocolate buttons, to an inflatable unicorn and “a candle that smells like an elephant”, all of which were presented inside her biggest surprise of all.
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A luxury caravan in the Lake District.
After having heard how much Mrs Crawley loves caravan holidays in the Lakes, and had been saving up for years for a new holiday home, the Saturday Night Takeaway team said they thought there would be “no better thank you for her amazing efforts” than to make her retirement dreams come true.
They approached British holiday home manufacturer Willerby to donate a brand new static caravan to the show on behalf of Kath’s pupils.
ITV
Willerby
Speaking on the special surprise, Peter Munk – CEO at Willerby – added: “Mrs Crawley is such an inspirational and deserving person [and] it’s a pleasure to make her retirement dreams a reality and to be part of such an amazing surprise shared with millions of TV viewers.
“We’re looking forward to delivering the caravan and handing Mrs Crawley the keys. We know she will enjoy many happy times in her fantastic new home from home.”
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You can watch the brilliant moment that Kath is surprised in full on YouTube here:
And you can also catch-up on the full episode of Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway if you missed it via the ITV Hub.
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The Premier League is keeping its crucial cap on away game ticket prices – for now
Danny Jones
The Premier League has announced it is extending its crucial price cap for away games, as the general cost of match tickets continues to creep up all over the country.
Most season card holders, be they here in Greater Manchester or elsewhere, are likely looking at their annual spending going up simply, so steps like these are key in keeping first division football as affordable as possible.
And that’s just the ongoing cost of living, let alone the clubs that are continuing the trend of charging more each year and, unfortunately, even pricing some supporters out entirely.
With that in mind, the news of England’s top-flight sides voting unanimously to keep the £30 cap intact for at least another two years comes as relief to those who spend most of the year putting their hard-earned cash towards following their team home and away.
BREAKING: The Premier League extend £30 cap on away tickets for another two seasons 🚨 pic.twitter.com/L336aZwmn3
Now confirmed to remain in place until the end of the 2027/28 campaign, travelling fans obviously still spend plenty of money on transport and so on every year, but at least they don’t have to worry about rising general admissions.
At least not for the time being…
Writing in a statement, the Premier League said: “Away fans help create the incredible atmosphere Premier League matches are renowned for. Since the cap’s implementation in 2016, it has contributed to attendance at away games increasing from 82% to 91%.”
They also acknowledged the significant and regular funds that supporters still spend on these trips, with plenty of people online also praising the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), which helped spearhead the campaign over a decade ago.
With so many other obstacles still getting in the way of fans making it to games either at their usual stadium or on an away day – not least of all the constant and increasingly frustrating rescheduling of fixtures – it’s good to see this isn’t an area the Prem are trying to target.
As always, the multi-billion-pound business can always seek out other, newer money spinners, and we’re absolutley certain they will. For instance, there’s at least one happening over in Spain that we’d happily see carried over here.
Following the news, this now means that fans will ultimately have enjoyed 12 back-to-back seasons of the benefit, and long may it continue.
Nevertheless, the biggest barrier for people to watch the beautiful game at its highest level in the UK remains the cost of standard tickets.
The likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Leeds and more have already let matchgoers know that their season ticket prices will be going up, and the likes of Man City have already seen backlash for increasing rates amid the expansion of the Etihad Campus.
Could the reaction to Casemiro’s swansong Man United season see him stay ‘one more year’?
Danny Jones
Casemiro has arguably been up there with one of the best Manchester United signings in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, after the likes of Bruno Fernandes; maybe not in terms of how it’s impacted the wider transfer budget, but now he’s about to leave, most supporters aren’t ready to let him go.
Truly, if they had their way, many would happily keep him for at least “one more year”, as they continuously chanted during the most recent home game.
However, with the footballing veteran himself admitting that he’s been left moved by the response and certainly basked in the chants for him to stay following the win over Aston Villa last weekend, another one in which he chipped in with a key goal.
Casemiro scored the opener in what went on to be a vital 3-1 win in their pursuit of Champions League places, and has made it clear that, like the rest of the squad, this is his only goal for the remainder of the 2025/26 campaign.
But with United now looking closer to securing third or perhaps even chasing down second place, according to many (some have even gone further than that…), this current, albeit still early doors, resurgence under Michael Carrick could be the start of a corner turned for the one serial winners.
However, fans have seen many false dawns at Old Trafford over the past decade or so, and there is obviously the risk of him ultimately spoiling what should now be a fine and fitting farewell.
Then again, after speaking in a recent interview with Sky Sports, the 34-year-old said it’s been “way more” special than he was expecting since he revealed his plans to leave on a high, and stranger things have happened.
You only have to look at Mohammed Salah and Liverpool, who looked all set to go before eventually U-turning and signing a new deal – though contract terms no doubt helped swing those negotiations.
As one of the highest-earning players not just at Man United or even the Premier League but in Europe, he’s already earned serious amounts during his time with the Red Devils, so there is a belief that the incumbent INEOS board would be happy to shift him off the books and reinvest in replacing him.
#mufc are in advanced talks to sign Bruno Guimaraes for around €80m, but renewed interest from Real Madrid threatens to complicate the proposed move [@Reuters, @fernandokallas]
The likes of Guimaraes, previously courted Carlos Baleba, Elliot Anderson, Adam Wharton, Wolves duo André and Joao Gomes have all been linked with possible moves to Manchester of late.
In fact, depending on how much room Jim Ratcliffe and co. have for spending on recruitment, they could potentially even cover the wages of more than one signing in the middle of the park or other positions that they feel may require further reinforcements.
All this is still very much in theory, of course, and while Casemiro has seemingly confirmed that he will depart this summer, who knows how much of the recent reaction and outpouring of love and support from the Stretford End and beyond could potentially sway the outcome?…
Then again, do you think reconsidering the decision would be a wise move, or at his age, is four years in the English top flight enough?
Emily Sergeant -
22nd February 2021 
