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‘Inspirational’ charity initiative delivers 10,000 meals to foodbanks in Greater Manchester

Polestar's now-viral #NoWasteofSpace campaign saw over 300 boxes of food donated to FareShare GM.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 15th March 2021

An “inspirational” charity initiative backed by residents and famous names in Greater Manchester has donated the equivalent of 10,000 meals to foodbanks in the region.

As part of the now-viral #NoWasteofSpace campaign – which was created by electric car brand, Polestar, after staff at the company’s Trafford Centre-based hub in saw Manchester United and England star Marcus Rashford’s recent Feeding Britain’s Children documentary and felt inspired to help local residents in need – empty boxes were delivered to unsuspecting residents and celebrities in Greater Manchester, with a request for them to be filled with non-perishable food and personal care items.

And it was a huge success.

A total of 325 food boxes – weighing 2.2 tonnes in total – were donated to FareShare UK hubs in Greater Manchester and Merseyside.

If that wasn’t brilliant enough as it is, the car company then matched the public’s donations kilo-for-kilo and delivered the 4.4 tonnes of supplies via a fleet of ten Polestar 2 models – which would have otherwise sat idle due to the Trafford Centre remaining closed to the public until its planned reopening next month – earlier this week.

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As well as hundreds of residents taking part in the campaign, Manchester comedian Jason Manford and actress Emma Samms were among some of the celebrities to fill up boxes, while Manchester United player Victor Lindelöf, Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel and Chelsea F.C Women players Pernile Harder and Magdalena Eriksson all dug deep for the cause.

“We could never have envisaged the incredible response this campaign received,” Jonathan Goodman, Head of Polestar UK, said.

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“And the generosity of all who took part is truly heart-warming,”

“In 2021 it’s awful to think that some of the nation’s most vulnerable are having to go without basic items, so I’m glad the Manchester team were able to use our resources to help such a worthy cause”.

Polestar Manchester

Miranda Kaunang – Head of Development at FareShare Greater Manchester – added: “The COVID-19 crisis has been particularly challenging for those we work with, so Polestar’s #NoWasteofSpace campaign is particularly timely [and] the efforts of the Polestar Manchester team while they wait to re-open has generated an incredible response.

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“With over 10,000 meals donated through their initiative, this campaign will make a real difference to those in need”.

Polestar added that it would continue to use its resources to help worthy causes in the local community and hinted that more plans for the #NoWasteofSpace campaign in store for the rest of the year, with Jonathan Goodman adding: “We’re looking forward to continuing this effort once the Trafford Centre has re-opened, working with the other retailers and centre management to support the community around our latest space”.

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Polestar Manchester is due to re-open at the Trafford Centre in accordance with government guidelines on 12th April 2021, at the earliest.

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Tailgaters and middle lane hoggers warned to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A warning has been issued to tailgaters and motorway middle lane hoggers urging them to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style.

Do you find yourself guilty of two of the biggest driving sins from time to time?

Well, according to the latest figures released by National Highways, one in three motorists have admitted to middle lane hogging in their lives, while one in four have committed acts of tailgating on some of the UK’s fastest roads.

These shocking survey findings – which were released back in early March as the Government-owned road management company launched a new campaign – showed that lane hogging was among the behaviours that are most likely to cause motorists and passengers to feel ‘frustrated’, and tailgating was most likely to cause feelings of unease, stress, and anxiety.

Nearly a third (32%) of drivers admitted to lane hogging ‘at least occasionally’ while driving on England’s motorways and major A roads, according to the survey – which polled 2,500 adults between the ages of 16-75.

On top of this, almost seven in ten adults in England (67%) said close following or tailgating is a ‘serious problem’ on these types of roads, but nearly a quarter (23%) admitted to doing it from time to time.

Tut-tut.

Tailgaters and middle lane hoggers have been warned to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style (Credit: IPTC/Ronald Hudson)

It’s these very statistics which have led National Highways to issue an urgent warning that calls on these motorists to “carefully consider” their driving habits, as “little changes can change everything”.

Lane hogging and tailgating both fall under the offence of ‘careless driving’ in England, with the country’s police forces having the power to hand out on-the-spot fines of £100 and three penalty points to those who commit such offences.

“Middle lane hogging and tailgating are far more than mere annoyances for drivers,” warned RAC road safety spokesperson, Rod Dennis, adding that these actions “put everyone on the roads at risk.”

He continued in his reaction to the release of the latest National Highways figures: “Closely following another motorist could easily result in a serious collision should the driver ahead need to brake sharply for any reason, so the fact nearly one in four drivers admitted to doing so on some of England’s fastest and busiest roads is frightening”.

Mr Dennis said he understands that offenders “might find these habits hard to kick”, but that’s why the urgent calls for motorists to make changes are “so important”.

“By understanding that how we choose to drive affects others, we can each make a real difference to the safety of our roads,” he concluded.

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Featured Images – AA

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Paddy McGuinness admits he thinks Bolton is ‘still in Lancashire’ not Greater Manchester

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Paddy McGuinness has admitted that he believes “Bolton still falls under Lancashire” and not Greater Manchester.

The famous comedian and TV presenter – who was born and raised in Farnworth in 1973, back when it genuinely was still categorised as Lancashire – made the somewhat controversial declaration to his millions of followers on Instagram this week as he shared some pictures of himself that are currently featuring as part of a photography exhibition.

McGuinness is one of dozens of local famous faces forming part of the ‘Greater Mancunians’ project by The Manchester College.

150 students have participated in the landmark photography project – which is currently on display down at Manchester Central Library’s Main Exhibition Hall – and it features images of some of Manchester’s most famous and influential people shot at numerous locations across the city.

Noel Gallagher, Johnny Marr, Ricky Hatton, Andy Burnham, Angela Rayner, Maxine Peake, Jonathan Warburton, and Professor Erinma Bell MBE are among the 100 contributors featured in the project, alongside McGuinness.

The 50-year-old, who is most well-known for his acting and presenting roles in Phoenix Nights, Max and Paddy’s Road To Nowhere, Take Me Out, and Top Gear, says it was “a real honour” to be featured in the exhibition.

McGuinness wrote on Instagram: “It was a real honour to take part in the Greater Mancunians project with the students at The Manchester College. The exhibition is full of people from music, comedy, politics, poetry, television, medicine and beyond.”

He then said it’s “well worth popping in if you’re in town”, before dropping the final Bolton-related bombshell: “PS, I’m still saying Bolton falls under Lancashire.”

In case you’re unfamiliar with the borough’s history, Bolton was considered to be a part of Lancashire until Greater Manchester was formally established all the way back on 1 April 1974 – but still to this day, the town is located within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire.

Paddy McGuinness admits he thinks Bolton is ‘still in Lancashire’, not Greater Manchester (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

After making the bold claim about Bolton’s geographical location, McGuinness has been met with praise and has received hundreds of comments from other Bolton and wider Greater Manchester residents agreeing with him and sharing their similar opinions under the post.

“I think they should redefine Lancashire back to its old borders, it would bring unity to the area and create a northern powerhouse,” one person commented.

Another fan wrote: “Bolton will always be in Lancashire for me”, while a third commented: “ALWAYS Lancashire. Can’t move land boundaries, they’re not pieces of paper,” a fourth shared a similar sentiment: “They can tell us we’re Greater Manchester, but I know Im a Lancashire lass,” and a fifth added: “Lancashire all the way lad.”

“BOLTON WILL ALWAYS BE LANCASHIRE,” another clearly strong-viewed comment reads.

Read more:

It’s always very ‘Stockport is Cheshire‘, isn’t it?

What’s your take then? Do you think Bolton is still in Lancashire, or is it part of Greater Manchester? What about the rest of the boroughs?

We know full well we may have opened a can of worms with this one but that’s all part of the fun.

Featured Images – BBC

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