A terminally-ill Northern girl has achieved one of the dreams on her bucket list this week by getting to present a BBC Weather forecast.
22-year-old Laura Nuttall, from Barrowford in Lancashire, was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme – an aggressive and incurable form of brain cancer – following a routine eye test back in 2018, and was told she only had around 12 months to live after she was found to have eight tumours.
Since her diagnosis, Laura has bravely endured a craniotomy to remove the largest tumour, been through a gruelling programme of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and has regularly travelled to Germany for innovative new immunotherapy treatment.
Laura’s shock diagnosis initially led to her leaving university in London to concentrate on treatment and ticking items off her bucket list.
After responding so well to the immunotherapy treatment, Laura was able to restart her studies, this time a little closer to home at The University of Manchester, and grabbed headlines last week as she graduated with a 2:1 degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics, and was able to celebrate with her mum Nicola, dad Mark, and sister Grace proudly watching on.
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But despite all these achievements, she wasn’t done with her bucket list just yet.
Meeting former First Lady Michelle Obama, commanding a Royal Navy ship, and taking legendary Bolton Peter Kay to the pub for drinks are some of the things Laura has been able to tick off her bucket list over the last few years, but she still had her sights set on her weather presenter dreams.
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This week, those dreams came true, as she was invited to the BBC studios in Salford to present a weather forecast on BBC North West Tonight alongside resident weatherman, Owain Wyn Evans.
In 2018, Laura was told she may only have a year to live but she's been defying the odds and ticking off her bucket list. She wanted to present the weather so @owainwynevans welcomed her to BBC North West Tonight. Click the video to see what happened: https://t.co/u30OvZTCYYpic.twitter.com/weH034yQCT
In a clip shared by the broadcaster to Twitter, which has since been racking up thousands of views, Owain spoke to Laura backstage as she was having her makeup done in preparation for the broadcast, asking her: “How are you feeling about doing your first weather forecast?”
Laura replied that she “can’t wait” and was “looking forward to it”.
Owain then revealed that he had a surprise for Laura, and told her that they would be sharing the weather-presenting slot and would swap places so that she could speak about the pressure chart and what the public can expect on Wednesday.
Laura’s name also appeared on the monitor set to air on TV underneath ‘BBC Weather’.
While she looked a little nervous in one of her first takes, Laura then calmly-read off the teleprompter while rehearsing for the final go – and went on to deliver her live report like a true professional.
Laura, you’re amazing ❤️ So wonderful to have Laura on @BBCNWT yesterday doing our weather! ☀️ Currently most watched on the BBC News website, which is just fabulous xhttps://t.co/oFCXftfvAP
She then signed off with a huge smile on her face, telling viewers: “That’s the weather from me.”
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Owain later praised Laura’s performance, and took to Twitter to say: “Laura, you’re amazing. So wonderful to have Laura on BBCNWT yesterday doing our weather [and it’s] currently most watched on the BBC News website, which is just fabulous.”
How brilliant is this?
As well as making her way down her bucket list, Laura is also working as an ambassador for The Brain Tumour Charity, continues to help out in her community, raise awareness of brain conditions and the work being done at the University of Manchester.
She has also recently joined the board of OurBrainBank – a charity that’s working to make glioblastoma change from being terminal to treatable.
Featured Image – BBC North West Tonight
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Neighbourhood Festival’s return to the city centre is looking great with after revealing second wave
Danny Jones
Neighbourhood Festival’s city centre all-dayer is returning to Manchester for 2026 after a year off, and with the second wave of the lineup having just dropped, it’s looking very promising.
Following teasers over the past month or so, it didn’t take long for us to figure out that NBHD Festival was coming back, especially with the Weekender in Warrington having taken a similar hiatus in 2024.
However, when festivals like these take time out, it can be easy to worry whether or not they’ll lose momentum or come back stronger.
Judging by this follow-up batch of acts alone, there’s no doubt NBHD Fest ’26 will be another cracker.
As you can see, as well as the fast-rising grungey alternative and garage rock quartet, KEO, being announced as one of the first big hitters on the list, there are some other familiar names on the lineup.
Especially for us Mancs.
With both Bolton and Altrincham youngsters, Florentenes and The Guest List, both joining the roster, as well as the likes of Bury-born ‘rockabilly’ revivalist Elliot James Reay also featuring on there, there’s a good deal of local talent to be enjoyed as always.
That goes for the regional delegation in general, too, with the likes of Jos River heading back up this way from her base in London, and Leeds’ fittingly named indie four-piece, The North, also booking a slot.
We’ll admit there are plenty of bands and artists coming up from the capital for the all-day festival, but at least they know where the UK’s real home of music is.
For instance, we’re buzzing to see the Red Rum Club boys returning to the NBHD stage once again – they never disappoint, and there are so many other guaranteed top performers on the bill. And that was just this year’s Weekener…
It’s worth reminding, once again, that since its inception in 2016 (yes, it really has been a decade now), Neighbourhood Fest has continued to serve as a proper launchpad for the next wave of superstars, not just here in the North West but across the country.
We still remember seeing the likes of Sam Fender, Holly Humberstone, Declan McKenna, Mahalia, The Lathums and more – some for the very first time – on these city centre stages, and it’s crazy to see how big some of them have gone on to become.
Set to take over some of Manchester’s most iconic venues along the Oxford Road Corridor once again, this is, without a doubt, one of the best dates for independents on the annual live music calendar.
Hosting a total of 11 stages on Saturday, 17 October, for a full day of live music, tickets for this year’s Neighbourhood Festival are on sale now right HERE.
And if you’ve already sorted yours, why not read our review of NBHD Weekender ’26 down below to get you in the mood for the next two editions.
Major DJ forced to pull out of Parklife festival on doctor’s orders
Thomas Melia
A well-known techno and trance DJ will no longer be playing at Parklife this weekend, he’s announced, with just one day to go until his major set.
Anyone heading to Heaton Park over the weekend for Manchester-based festival, Parklife, may notice the lineup looks a little different after one distinctive DJ has pulled out due to doctor’s orders.
Marlon Hoffstadt, who also goes by the moniker ‘DJ Daddy Trance’, was expected to play out on the Matinée stage on Saturday 20 June from 6.30pm – 8pm.
The Germany-based act was taking to the decks right before Manchester’s own Morgan Seatree, who has become recognised for his material which is an ode to house music and is likely to be one of the busiest sets of the weekend.
Hoffstadt had two gigs this weekend; the first being Parklife in Manchester and the second Fête de la Musique in Paris, both of which he has since pulled out of in a newly-published social media announcement.
The Berlin-born music maker has reluctantly called off these upcoming appearances and justified his decision by saying: “As much as I hate missing shows, I need to put my recovery first”.
To much dismay, Hoffstadt received doctor’s advice who deemed him ‘currently not fit to fly’ following surgery, urging him to rest and recover.
Marlon posted today: “I’m so sad to have to share this, but unfortunately I won’t be able to play Parklife in Manchester and Fête de la Musique in Paris this weekend.
“I recently had a surgery and, following my doctor’s advice, I’m currently not fit to fly and need rest and recover.
“I know many of you made plans and were looking forward to it, and I’m so sorry to let you down.
“As much as I hate missing shows, I need to put my recovery first so I can get back to doing what I love as soon as possible.”
As much as the presence of this world-class performer will be missed, there’s still plenty of notable names set to make their mark on Parklife including Zara Larsson, Calvin Harris, Skepta and more.
The outdoor big music weekender has established itself as a rave haven with mainly dance artists and DJs making up its lineup through a variety of curated b2b sets and live performances.
If you’re after immersing yourself in some jungle music, Bradford-native Nia Archives will have you transfixed over at The Valley with her jungle-heavy tunes from 6.30pm – 7.30pm or there’s three more stages to take your pick from.
We’re sure that anyone eager to see the ‘Hands Up In The Sky’ producer live may be frustrated by this brand-new social media announcement however as Hoffstadt mentions it’s so he can “Get back to doing what I love as soon as possible”.
Emily Sergeant -
27th July 2022 
