A retired search dog who was believed to have been the oldest working Mountain Rescue dog in the UK has been awarded an “animal OBE” for her service.
Before hanging up her lead back in 2020 at the age of 14, Skye the Border Collie had carried out 200 searches during her 11 impressive years of working in the Lake District fells, and it’s because of these countless courageous acts that she has been awarded a prestigious PDSA Order of Merit this week.
The PDSA Order of Merit was set up in 2014, is known as the animals’ OBE, and according to the charity, recognises animals that display outstanding devotion to their owner or wider society, and go above and beyond companionship.
Born in 2006, Skye served as a puppy trainee with Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue Team (MRT), and after qualifying as a Mountain Rescue Search Dog in 2009, she went on to serve with Duddon and Furness, Langdale and Ambleside, and finally, Kendal MRT, where she finished her career.
Skye and her handler, John Leadbetter, also attended searches outside their MRT areas in Lancashire, the Pennines, and Scotland.
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Can we get a round of a-paws for the latest #PDSAOrderOfMerit recipient, Skye! 👏🐶
After 11 incredible years of service, #SearchDogSkye has retired from her role as a Mountain Rescue Search Dog in the Lake District. ⛰️
During her expansive career, Skye searched day and night in all kinds of weather, even in the face of 70 to 80mph wind, and had worked in the highest Lake District Mountains, some of the remotest valleys, and even Morecambe Bay’s coastal expanse.
Skye is the 36th animal to receive the PDSA Order of Merit.
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Speaking on the renowned achievement, Mr Leadbetter said: “Skye means everything to me, she’s my best friend on the fells and we’re life-long partners.
“To see her receive the PDSA Order of Merit is a truly humbling and touching experience, and it’s a wonderful recognition of the time and hard work that search dogs and their teams dedicate to mountain safety.
“To say we’re chuffed is an understatement.”
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Skye was believed to have been the oldest working Mountain Rescue dog in the UK before her retirement / Credit: PDSA (via Twitter)
“Skye is a worthy recipient of the PDSA Order of Merit for her long and distinguished career of outstanding service to society,” the charity said.
Jan McLoughlin – Director General at PDSA – added: “We’re incredibly proud to be honouring Skye with our PDSA Order of Merit as her exceptional skills and outstanding devotion above and beyond that of normal companionship make her a very worthy recipient.
“We feel this is a fitting tribute to her lifetime of dedication and hard work.
“Her long and distinguished career has not only seen her protect and help people in danger, her ambassadorial work has helped to raise important funds and increase awareness of the incredible work these Mountain Rescue teams perform.”
Now almost 16, Skye is enjoying her retirement with Mr Leadbetter and his family – who say she still loves to get out on the hills and fells, only just at a slightly slower pace these days.
Manc music legends James announced MASSIVE hometown show
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester music legends James have just revealed a massive hometown show here in the city centre as part of a landmark domestic arena tour.
Daisy bucket hats at the ready.
James is arguably the epitome of what it is to be the understated, underdog British band; they’ve gone about the business of making quality music somewhat quietly for several decades now, but they’ve had a fresh wave of interest over the past year or so
Having opened up for the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen’s comeback shows, not to mention playing multiple big festival slots in recent months alone, they’ve now announced a huge run of UK arena shows – and nowhere does a James crowd quite like us Mancs.
Details have been announced for our 2026 UK arena tour, and we’re delighted to be joined by very special guests @dovesmusicblog with tickets going on general sale this Friday at 9:30am. Access the ticket pre-sale on Wednesday via our official store: https://t.co/DwpGrAUESZ NBL x pic.twitter.com/A4CWVpCooL
Announced as part of the celebrations around their Nothing But Love ‘best of’ LP, which pulls tracks from James’ whopping 18 studio albums, the new run of UK arena shows in 2026 follows on from numerous noteworthy shows this calendar year.
In addition to the aforementioned outdoor gigs, like their stunning sold-out night at The Piece Hall in Halifax – not too far from frontman Tim Booth’s hometown in Yorkshire – the indie veterans also celebrated a huge landmark in 2025.
Surpassing the milestone of 40 years as a band, with a lineup that’s remained largely intact and only really grown in terms of live session players and touring bandmates.
The new “definitive” greatest hits record also includes two brand-new songs in ‘Wake Up Superman’ and ‘Hallelujah Anyhow’, both of which are produced by Leo Abrahams, who worked with the band on their long-awaited number one album Yummy in 2024 – a feat loooong overdue if you ask us.
As evidenced by the sheer amount of new material they continue to put out and the almost non-stop touring, they remain one of the most prolific artists in the country. FACT.
You can see the rest of James’ upcoming tour dates, including a healthy number of Northern stops in the likes of Liverpool, Leeds and more.
James UK arena tour dates 2026
Fri 2 Birmingham Utilita Arena
Sat 4 Leeds First Direct Bank Arena
Tues 7 Aberdeen P&J Live
Wed 8 Glasgow OVO Hydro
Fri 10 Newcastle Utilita Arena
Sat 11 Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
Mon 13 Cardiff Utilita Arena
Tues 14 Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
Fri 17 London The O2
Sat 18 Manchester Co-op Live
With James returning to Manchester for their Co-op Live arena debut next April, along with a sensational support slot from fellow local legends, Doves (I know, how lucky are you lot?!), you can bank on this one selling out quickly.
General admission goes on sale this Friday, 10 October at 9:30am, so you’d better be ready to grab yours in a flash.
You can find the ticket link HERE, and we’ll see you in the crowd for a good ol’ singalong.
Featured Images — Ehud Lazin/Press shots (supplied)
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Electronic icons Kraftwerk announce first Manchester gig since 2017
Danny Jones
Pioneering German band Kraftwerk have announced their first UK tour since 2017, with fans having to wait almost a decade for another Manchester gig.
Thankfully, they’ll be heading back down the Autobahn and across the channel for a return to our shores soon enough with a long-awaited list of British and Irish live dates.
Kraftwerk remains one of the most groundbreaking groups in the electronic scene to this day, having paved the way for generations of new artists to keep experimenting with the genre in the 50+ years since their formation.
Heading back to Manchester early next year, die-hards will no doubt snap these tickets faster than you can say ‘Das Model’.
For anyone unaware of these veritable legends of electronica and the world of alternative/Euro-synth pop, Kraftwerk formed all the way back in 1970 and went on to shape the modern music industry, bridging the gap between music and the digital age.
Best known for tracks like ‘Computer Love’, ‘The Robots’, ‘Pocket Calculator’ and the aforementioned on named after the national motorway network, they spearheaded futurism in the musical landscape from the outset.
It seems only fitting, therefore, that their upcoming highly anticipated return to the UK comes as part of their ‘Multimedia’ tour.
While they have played a number of live shows all over the globe this year, including an extensive run in the US, next spring will be our domestic visit from Kraftwerk in nine long years.
Credit: Press shot (supplied)
You can see the full list of UK and Ireland tour dates – including a handful of Northern gigs – down below:
Spanning a total of 15 UK dates, as you can see, there will also be tickets to see Kraftwerk nearby in the likes of Liverpool and with our mates over in Sheffield.
Kraftwerk legend Ralf Hütter famously played a set inside our city’s velodrome at the National Cycling Centre for Manchester International Festival (MIF) back in 2009, and has collaborated with the event on multiple ocassions.
In fact, that very performance was seen as a turning point for MIF, so the Manc Kraftwerk connection speaks for itself; O2 members can obviously get pre-sale, but general admission tickets go live from 9am this Friday, 10 October.
Emily Sergeant -
1st April 2022 
