A homeless charity in Salford is appealing to the public for help after a van it relies heavily on was stolen from its community base earlier this week.
The white Ford Transit box van was stolen from Emmaus Salford’s Pendleton community base on Monday evening, and can be identified through its distinctive markings of green Emmaus Salford stickers on both the sides and back.
The stolen van is pictured above, with the registration plates beginning MF14.
The charity – which supports 25 formerly homeless people by providing a stable home and meaningful work – used two vans to carry out their service.
The vans were used to collect and deliver furniture for Emmaus Salford’s charity shops, and to also deliver food and household essentials to vulnerable residents across Salford, but with Christmas time typically one of the busiest for outreach services such as Emmaus Salford, the theft of one of the vans means there is added pressure for staff to support the vulnerable people across the community.
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Some sad news this week… thieves have stolen one of our charity's vans from outside the Emmaus Salford community home.
The van was also used by volunteers at Lucie’s Pantry social supermarket to deliver food and household items to members of the pantry, many of whom are struggling to make ends meet through debt, illness or low income.
This is why the charity is appealing to the public for any information that may help to locate the vehicle.
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Rachel Richardson – Community Director at Emmaus Salford – said: “We were all devastated to find the van had been stolen from our community home. The timing couldn’t have been any worse as we try to catch up on collections after lockdown and getting ready to deliver Christmas food hampers to our 200 Lucie’s Pantry members.
“I urge everyone to keep a look out and call the Police on 101 if you have any information which may help us find our missing van.”
Emmaus Salford
Anyone who has spotted the van, or has any information is urged to call the Police on 101 and quote crime reference number CRI/06FF/0026816/20.
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Alternatively you can contact CrimeStoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
You can also make donations to Emmaus Salford ahead of the festive season via its website here.
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Channel 4 is looking for Mancs who think they can survive the apocalypse for a new TV series
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Have you always wanted to see how long you’d last in an apocalypse?
Well now’s your chance, as Apocalypse is potentially coming back to Channel 4 for a second series, with producers having put out a nationwide casting call for contestants willing to take part.
The casting call simply reads: “Do you think you have what it takes to survive the end of the world?”
Described as a dystopian series designed to test the creativity, resourcefulness, and resilience of our nation, Apocalypse sees players are pushed out of their comfort zones and put to the ultimate test.
In the series, ordinary people are tasked with surviving for 28 days in an abandoned city – used previously only for the military to practice urban warfare – with no food, running water, electricity or heat.
Produced by The Garden – which is part of ITV Studios – for Channel 4, the show’s creators are now calling on Mancs and people up and down the country with the ‘courage and ingenuity’ to compete, to get in touch and apply for the potential second series.
Does your mate always bang on after watching a post-apocalyptic film that they would’ve done things differently? Or is the news at the moment freaking you out and you want to give the end of the world a bit of a practice run? Either way, sign up, test that plan you’ve built in your head, and see if you’ve really got what it takes.
Applications are now open, and all you need to do is fill in a short application form and one of the production team will get back to you if they would like to proceed. Come on, let’s prove what Mancs are made of.
Hundreds of katsu curries are being given out for FREE in Manchester this week
Emily Sergeant
Hundreds of katsu curries are being dished up and given out for free in Manchester this week, but only for certain people.
And those lucky people will be students.
That’s right… a new semester is upon us, and thousands of freshers and returning students are descending on the city and Manchester‘s many universities for another year. But the life of a student isn’t exactly the cheapest sometimes, especially for those who haven’t had to live on a budget before moving out or into halls.
But to make things a little easier, Tampopo has announced it’ll be serving hundreds of one of its most popular dishes for free this week.
Tampopo is celebrating National Katsu Curry Day in the most delicious way possible, by giving away 700 Katsu Curries with rice for free, exclusively to freshers and students this Sunday (27 September).
Whether you’re brand new to the city, settling back into uni life, or you’re simply in need of a katsu fix, students can head to their nearest participating Tampopo and tuck into a hearty meal without needing to spend a penny.
100 katsu curries will be available each from 12-2pm at both Tampopo restaurants in Manchester city centre – which are on Albert Square, and in the Corn Exchange – or if you head over to the Trafford Centre, both the Tampopo there and the East Street sites are taking part.
“[Our] Katsu Curry has long been one of our most-loved dishes, so National Katsu Curry Day felt like the perfect excuse to give students a proper welcome to the new academic year,” Tampopo said in a statement.
So, are you feeling hungry then? The offer is exclusively available for takeaway only to freshers and students with a valid student ID, which they must present on collection.
100 portions are available at each participating location, and just one free katsu curry with rice will be available per person.
Emily Sergeant -
18th December 2020 
