Oldham Council has announced the news that a handful of its hardest-working salt spreaders are retiring this year.
After gritting more than a million miles between them over several years of “super service”, it’s now the end of the icy road for six of Oldham‘s famously-named gritting fleet, and a new wintery journey is gearing up to begin for the town’s replacements machines.
But, you know that that means – the the popular ‘name a gritter’ competition is back once again.
With the nights drawing in, and the weather getting colder and colder by the day, it won’t be long before local residents will be able to see the big yellow machines traveling around the borough spreading grit and salt.
Fan-favourites Winston Chur-chill and Nicole Saltslinger will be making welcome returns this year, but they’ll also be joined by six newbies, and it’s our job to name them equally-iconic names.
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Our famous name the gritter competition is back! 👷
It’s open to 4-11 year olds and like we have had in previous years we are hoping for an avalanche of entries.
Oldham Council‘s ‘name a gritter’ competition is now open, and it’s hoped that primary and junior-age children in the town will, once again, come through with “an avalanche of entries” like they have done in the past.
Brad Grit, Gritiana Grande, Snowbee One Kenobi, Nick Gritshaw, Leonardo de-ice-io, and Basil Salty are just some of the names of the gritters who’ve spread Oldham’s salt in previous years, so they should be able to serve as inspiration for what the Council’s looking for.
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The winning names from this year’s competition will be added to the front of the six new cabs.
“Oldham Council was one of the first local authorities in the country to name its gritting fleet, and since then many others have followed our lead,” Councillor Chris Goodwin, who is Oldham Council’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said as the competition opens.
“In the past, we’ve always run the competition as a bit of fun and it’s really captured the imagination of our young people, so please urge your children to get their thinking caps on and send in some names.”
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/ Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Unfortunately, Cllr Goodwin did stress that this year’s competition is only open to all children aged four to 11 who live in Oldham or attend one of the boroughs primary or junior schools, and that any “40-odd-year-old ‘comic’s who are thinking of sending in unfunny names” should thinking again, because they’ve “heard it all before”.
As social media suggestions “will not be accepted”, parents, guardians, and carers will need to help their little Oldhamers get their entries in on the Oldham Council website here, and you’ll need to make sure the child’s details are included, plus how the Council can contact you.
The closing date for entries is 11:59pm on Friday 3 November.
All naming suggestions will then be put to a panel of councillors and council officers to have the final say, and the lucky winners will be invited down to the town’s Moorhey Street depot to have their photo taken with the gritter they’ve named.
Featured Image – Oldham Council
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Manchester United issue response after banning Manchester Evening News and select journalists from press conference
Danny Jones
The Manchester Evening News (MEN) along with a number of sports journalists have reportedly been banned from attending a Manchester United press conference after publishing a story on an apparent rift at the club, claiming that manager Erik ten Hag has ‘lost the dressing room’.
The popular local outlet shared the news that their own journalists and three other media channels have been “blocked from attending ten Hag’s pre-match press conference” this Tuesday, 5 December ahead of the Chelsea game on Wednesday night following an article published at the start of the week.
Citing the reason behind the ban as being due to Chief Man United Writer and well-known sports reporter, Samuel Luckhurst’s recent story, which claimed that ten Hag is “losing the confidence” of his players, he and at least three other journalists won’t be in attendance after Sky Sports went so far as to suggest as much as “50%” of the dressing room.
It is thought that Sky‘s chief reporter Kaveh Solekhol, David McDonnell of The Mirror and ESPN‘s Rob Dawson are among the other individuals to have been barred from joining this afternoon’s presser as per instruction from United‘s Director of Media Relations and Public Affairs, Andrew Ward.
❌ The MEN are amongst a number media outlets that have been BANNED from today's press conference at Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag and the club are clamping down on the likes of Samuel Luckhurst who continue to generate "negative" reports within the team…#MUNCHE | #MUFCpic.twitter.com/9MmVmHM5Sr
Journos from the MEN, Sky Sports, Daily Mirror and ESPN are said to have been banned from the United vs Chelsea pre-match interview.
Issuing a statement to The Manc and journalists across the country, the club said: “We’re taking action against a number of news organisations today, not for publishing stories we don’t like, but for doing so without contacting us first to give us the opportunity to comment, challenge or contextualise.
“We believe this is an important principle to defend and we hope it can lead to a re-set in the way we work together.” It is unclear how long the suspension is set to be upheld but it is likely they will only serve a one-match ban — pardon the pun.
The MEN reiterated that the initial story was “multiply-sourced”, adding that they had not been banned as a result of previous stories that were largely seen as critical of the Man United head coach and/or his squad, including prior claims players were starting to “doubt” his tactics and managerial style.
Furthermore, the outlet goes on to state that several other journalists have claimed they were prevented from asking questions in press conferences by Ward in the past “over perceived negative coverage”, adding that the club have expressed their “regret” over having to issue the ban. The move has been welcomed by many fans, with several saying it is reminiscent of Sir Alex Ferguson’s hardline approach to the media.
Luckhurst and the MEN banned by todays press conference…
Man United have made one of their worst starts to a campaign in decades and, despite winning their first trophy in six years under the Dutchman with an EFL Cup win last season, have unfortunately been breaking all manner of unwanted records of late.
ten Hag’s team suffered another disappointing loss against Newcastle at the end of November and now face another tricky task as they prepare to face a Chelsea side who are starting to gather some semblance of form.
Countless Reds and neutrals alike will no doubt now be tuning in for his pre-match press conference at 1:30pm ahead of the mid-week Premier League fixture against the West Londoners on Wednesday night (8:15pm kick-off).
The former Ajax manager has made no secret of the troubles he faced when he first arrived at Old Trafford but is clearly keen to avoid others from airing any of their rumoured dirty laundry.
"I had to set some standards"
Erik ten Hag claims there was not a good culture among staff and players before he joined Man United 😬pic.twitter.com/DJWe42mDXY
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Manchester United
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Chanel addresses why Manchester has been chosen for its prestigious fashion show
Daisy Jackson
Even though it’s been the talk of the town for months, it feels weird to write that Chanel is bringing one of its prestigious fashion shows to Manchester – and now they’ve explained why our city was chosen.
Chanel will be the first major luxury fashion house to show in Manchester, which is a pretty huge deal.
The world’s most famous designer brand will be using Thomas Street to showcase its prestigious Métiers d’art show, which has previously taken place in settings like a pontoon moored in Shanghai’s Huangpu river and a lavish banquet setting in a Parisian palace.
Plenty of us have made jokes about Jennifer Lawrence in Terrace, Timothee Chalamet grabbing lunch at This n That, or Kim Kardashian doing sambuca shots in Cane & Grain – but now that Chanel has explained its reasons for choosing Manchester, we’re feeling pretty proud.
The brand explained today that ‘creative dialogue is at the heart of every Métiers d’art collection’ and that the show connects ‘artists and friends of the House, cities and cultures’.
It then stated: “CHANEL has chosen to present the 2023/24 Métiers d’art show in Manchester, one of the most effervescent cities of pop culture and an avant-garde one, whose bands, spanning all genres, have changed the history of music.”
Chanel also confirmed that the poster that’s being used was designed by the legendary Manc Peter Saville.
They even chose a New Order song to soundtrack the first promotional video to be released about the show this Thursday.
Early rehearsals are beginning in town today with music blasting across the Northern Quarter along with lighting tests, and what appears to be a red carpet walkway being built.
The brand’s Instagram page has now been flooded with excited messages from fans, with one writing: “ITS ACTUALLY HAPPENING! In OUR city!!!!!!!!”
Chanel’s full statement read: “Creative dialogue is at the heart of every CHANEL Métiers d’art collection. It lies within the work between Artistic Director of the Fashion collections Virginie Viard, the ateliers at rue Cambon, the Maisons d’art at 𝘭𝘦19M, and connects artists and friends of the House, cities and cultures, season after season.
“CHANEL has chosen to present the 2023/24 Métiers d’art show in Manchester, one of the most effervescent cities of pop culture and an avant-garde one, whose bands, spanning all genres, have changed the history of music.
“The film of the show will be revealed on Friday, December 8th 2023 at 9am Manchester time, 10am Paris time.
“‘MCR’ designed by artist Peter Saville on the occasion of the show.”
Now all we’re gagging to know about is which famous faces will be gracing the front row.
Emily Sergeant -
4th October 2023 
