A 100-year-old Cheshire man who spends his free time reading to local schoolchildren has been awarded a prestigious honour.
After sadly losing his wife of 72 years, centenarian and World War II veteran Peter Offord Davies from Macclesfield said he felt like “a lost soul”, and so he decided to begin lending a hand down at Dean Valley Community Primary School in Bollington.
For the past six years, Mr Davies has been sharing his passion for reading with the children at the school, and encourages them to enjoy it as much as he does.
Originally from Coventry but now living in Macclesfield, Mr Davies – who served in the Army Air Corps as a glider pilot, and took part in the largest airborne operation ever – said his volunteering work at the school gives him a bit of “street cred” in his village, and he also loves getting to watch children’s confidence grow.
“The kids are great – they are like sponges,” Mr Davies told BBC North West.
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“I’m sure I get more out of it than the children do as it’s a lovely warm feeling [that] I belong.
“I’m not this old man who lives on his own, I’m part of the community, which is great. Plus my street cred is tremendous because I’ll be going anywhere in the village and a child will shout out ‘Hello Mr Davies’ and I feel 10 feet tall.”
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The school’s head teacher, Vicky McPherson, has described Mr Davies as “inspirational, generous, considerate and thoughtful”.
As a way of celebrating and honouring the incredible volunteering work he has doing, Mr Davies has now become the oldest recipient of an award on King Charles III‘s first-ever New Year’s Honours list back in 2022.
/ Credit: BBC News
He has been awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to volunteering.
Ms McPherson added: “He has gifted his time for so many children over the last six years to instil a love of reading that we will never be able to say thank you.”
Featured Image – BBC News
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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 -
19th January 2023 
