Long periods of isolation have damaged the self-confidence of some of Trafford’s most medically-vulnerable residents during lockdown. But the Council has come up with a unique plan to get them out and about and enjoying the outdoors again: Alpacas.
Members of Supported Living Service – a scheme designed to help local people retain their independence – have been taking Trafford’s residents on walks with these friendly, furry animals as the country around them reopens.
The idea of the alpaca strolls is to help people build up their self-confidence now that restrictions have lifted, with participants able to chat amongst one another and find new friends.
Residents got to go on their first walk with the alpacas in the Calderdale countryside last month.
📢 Alpaca news klaxon!
Alpacas become pal-pacas with Trafford residents
Trafford Council’s Supported Living Services have enlisted a group of alpacas to help vulnerable people build up their self-confidence
“Many of the people we help through Supported Living have been particularly vulnerable during the COVID pandemic and so haven’t really been able to go out due to the shielding restrictions,” said Leesa Banks, organiser and Team Leader at Trafford Council.
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“I thought this would be a great way for them to get used to being outdoors and socialising with people again.”
While Leesa admits that recruiting alpacas is a somewhat strange and unconventional technique, she said it “brought a smile to people’s faces”.
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“It will be a great talking point for them,” she added.
The alpacas come from a family-run business near Hollingworth Lake that specialises in “alpaca walking” just to the north of the borough of Rochdale, but the native South American animals aren’t just limited to the local countryside.
The alpacas have been recruited to help build self-confidence now that restrictions have lifted / Credit: Trafford Council
“For people with mobility problems, they can even bring the Alpacas to care homes and can be led into residents’ rooms,” Leesa continues.
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“It’s sure to be beneficial for wellbeing since the isolation of lockdown.”
Cllr Jo Harding – Executive Member for Adult Services at Trafford Council – added: “During the pandemic, our priority has been to protect vulnerable people.
“Even with vaccinations and restrictions easing, we still have to be careful but we also have to focus on people’s mental health needs as well [and] this is a brilliant way of doing that, while enjoying the great countryside.”
Featured Image – Trafford Council
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Drinks prices revealed as Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub opens inside T2
Emily Sergeant
It’s official… Manchester Airport’s first-ever JD Wetherspoon pub has officially opened its doors inside Terminal 2.
The 300-seater pub – which welcomed its first customers earlier this week – is named The Belle Vue after Manchester’s historic showground.
Throughout the pub, you’ll spot design features that nod to the city’s sporting heritage – including vintage event posters and memorabilia, a ‘locker wall’ hosting trophies and other sporting exhibits, and a cricket-themed design in the carpets and bar panels.
Creating around 150 jobs in the process, The Belle Vue is the final planned new eatery to open in the airport’s redeveloped Terminal 2, marking one of the final steps in the super-terminal’s decade-long, £1.5bn transformation.
Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub has opened inside Terminal 2 / Credit: Supplied
According to the MEN, pints are priced from £6.20 for Carling and Coors lager, £6.45 for Budweiser, £6.60 for Guinness, and £6.70 for Poretti and 1664 Biere.
Prosecco is £9.20 for 175ml glass and £37.10 for the full bottle, while spirts and mixers are £6.80 for singles and £10.20 for doubles.
There’s also the classic Wetherspoons tea and coffee machines, where you can refill as many times as you like for just £3.60.
“It’s a proud moment to see the final new retail unit opening in our new-look Terminal 2,” commented Richard Jackson, who is the Retail Director at Manchester Airport.
“To be rounding off this 10-year programme by adding such an iconic name as Wetherspoon to the terminal is particularly special and we know that it will prove extremely popular with passengers. We think they’ll love the nods to Manchester’s heritage in the décor and design – and of course the name.”
The Belle Vue will be open from the first flight to the final flight each day, and food will be served from opening until 10pm.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Iconic Manc movie 24 Hour Party People is set to return to cinemas for its anniversary
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most iconic movies is set to return to the big screen next month.
Remastered in 4K and returning to UK cinemas to mark 24 years since its original release, Michael Winterbottom’s 2002 biographical comedy drama film, 24 Hour Party People, tells the story of Manchester‘s popular music community from 1976 to 1992 – specifically about Factory Records‘ founder Tony Wilson.
The film begins with the punk rock era of the late 1970s, before moving through the 1980s into the rave and DJ culture, and of course, the ‘Madchester‘ scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The narrative largely follows the career of Tony Wilson, played by Middleton-born actor Steve Coogan, while also covering the careers of the major Factory Records artists – especially Joy Division and New Order, as well as A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, and Happy Mondays.
If you haven’t seen 24 Hour Party People before, it’s a dramatisation based on a combination of real events, rumours, and urban legends, as the film is sure to make clear.
Coogan is joined by a cast by a mixture of big names and, at the time, rising stars like Paddy Considine, Shirley Henderson, Lennie James, John Simm, Ralf Little, Andy Serkis, Sean Harris, John Thomson, and even Peter Kay, alongside cameos from other figures connected to the Manchester music scene.
Before it returns to cinemas, the film will first open music and media festival/conference, Beyond The Music, at MediaCity in Salford on 6 October.
The screening at the festival will also be followed by a Q&A with Coogan, Winterbottom, and producer Andrew Eaton.
24 Hour Party People will then be re-released in UK cinemas from 9 October, and you can check your local cinema for screening times and book tickets online now.
Emily Sergeant -
27th July 2021 
