A hostel for homeless men in Greater Manchester has been saved from closure thanks to a company sales boss and his 70-year-old pal.
And it’s safe to say that Damian Ditchfield and Ken Jackson are now the toast of the Manchester charity Supporting People In Need (SPIN) after their hard work and the labour of love that went towards saving the organisation’s base.
SPIN is based at the converted Coverdale Baptist Church in Ardwick, which is known as ‘The Well’.
The charity provided dormitory accommodation for rough sleepers since opening its doors in 2014, and in addition to shelter and food, it also provides training and support to help its residents rebuild their lives, but when the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hit, SPIN was told by Manchester City Council officials that each resident had to have their own living space due to the need for social distancing.
Tom Herstell – Operations Manager at SPIN, whose father and uncle founded the charity – said the organisation was told that council funding would cease unless it could comply.
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That would thus have forced the closure of the hostel.
But that’s when Damian, 53 – a sales manager at Stockport-based bus and coach hire company Belle Vue Manchester – stepped in with Ken – a retired building site manager and qualified joiner who lives in Carrbrook, Stalybridge – to lend a much needed hand.
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Supporting People In Need (SPIN)Supporting People In Need (SPIN)
The kind-hearted duo voluntarily set about converting the open space in the church hall into 19 separate timber-framed bedrooms, enabling SPIN to survive.
Ken also called on building trade contacts who gave materials free of charge for the seven-week project, and Damian, who was on furlough leave from his job, made a 50-mile round trip to The Well every day from his home in Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire.
Speaking about how he got involved with the project, Damian said: “Ken is good friends with Diane Lawler, who was working at The Well as a manager, and he had done a couple of jobs for her in the past [and] it was following a conversation between them that the mission was launched.
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“When Ken heard about the charity’s plight, he didn’t want to ignore it.
“His previous experience meant he had the expertise to do the work and I offered my support so he was assured of meeting the deadline set by the council. We did all the joinery and plastering and were grateful to Irmass Co timber merchants in Trafford Park and P&L Joinery in Stockport for supplying materials at no cost.
“Without their generosity, the project would have been unaffordable for SPIN.
Supporting People In Need
“A qualified electrician took care of the electrics, and we did everything else.
“As well as the new bedrooms, we also built a new food storage area and offices with a mezzanine floor which is used as a training area.”
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Damian – who is also a part-time DJ and during lockdown has raised hundreds of pounds for food poverty relief charity FareShare UK by streaming gigs on Facebook, which have been enjoyed by families and housemates across the UK, in Europe and as far away as Australia, in return for donations to the charity – said “it was an absolute pleasure to be involved” in the SPIN project.
He continued: “It was good for my soul. We spend our lives taking, and it was great to give back to society. The people at SPIN really appreciated it. Ken is one of my closest friends and he’s got such a big heart and generous approach to life.
“He’ll help out with anything and I was only too pleased to work with him for a good cause.”
Tom Herstell added: “We had 12 to a dormitory before COVID-19 struck and were told we would not receive any further funding from the council if we couldn’t offer single bedrooms. We weren’t expecting to be able to do the work [which is why] Damian and Ken have truly saved the charity and we really appreciate their efforts.
“It was a fantastic gesture by them and we are grateful to everyone who donated materials.”
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Supporting People In Need (SPIN) is now accepting donations for Christmas of items including men’s clothes, tinned food and toiletries.
You can find more information via the SPIN website here.
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Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright announce birth of baby girl with sweet picture
Daisy Jackson
Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright have welcomed their baby girl, the couple has announced.
Michelle, 37, and Mark, 38, shared an adorable photo with their tiny new arrival today.
In the post, they confirmed that their first child together arrived last week, on 6 March.
The black-and-white photo shows the tiny tot in a crochet outfit, with both Mark and Michelle holding her hand.
The Brassic star announced her pregnancy late last year, saying that 2025 would be ‘a special one for us’.
And now she’s confirmed that she and her TOWIE star husband have welcomed a daughter into the world.
They have named the baby girl Palma Elizabeth Wright.
In the post, Michelle wrote: “Together we have a new love to share… Our little girl.
Stockport-born Michelle Keegan, who also starred in Coronation Street, has been flooded with well-wishes after sharing the news of the arrival of their baby.
The official Coronation Street account wrote: “Congratulations to you both. Love from everyone here at Corrie x”
In a comment directed at Mark, Joe Wicks said: “Ffs I’m crying over here. I know how much you’ve wanted to be a dad and you’ll be an amazing dad too. This is the most beautiful thing to see. So happy for you both.”
Full band lineup for Oasis reunion reportedly revealed
Danny Jones
Every time a new detail about the Oasis reunion shows drops we ever so slightly lose our mind and if reports on the full band lineup for the world tour are to be trusted, we have every right to do so.
We can’t say all of the gang are back together, but it sounds like a good few of them are.
The ‘Live ’25’ gigs are fast approaching and although we’ve already had the support acts confirmed, fans have been waiting to find out whether the other Oasis bandmates would be joining the Gallagher brothers in reuniting this summer.
Well, according to NME, we now know the other names who’ll be standing aside Liam and Noel to bring the Britpop icons back to life.
BREAKING OASIS BAND REVEAL:
Bonehead,Gem Archer, Joey Waronker, and Andy Bell will join LIAM AND NOEL GALLAGHER on stage for Oasis live '25 Tour pic.twitter.com/WFoMYZ6rlU
As has now been reshared at length online, sources close to the band reportedly told the outlet that at least one of the original Oasis lineup is thought to be joining them on tour, as well as two long-serving members who played with the legendary rock band between 1999 and their split a decade later.
The seemingly ‘confirmed’ lineup is as follows:
Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs – rhythm guitar
Perhaps the most anticipated member said to be returning to the stage is legendary guitarist, ‘Bonehead’. After playing with LG for a number of years as a solo artist and now having been given the all-clear following his cancer diagnosis, Archers is a lasting connection to the ’91 lineup.
Gem Archer – guitar and backing vocals
The other name carrying the riffs besides Arthurs and Noel will be Gem Archer: the man who replaced the returning 59-year-old who has similarly played with both Liam’s Beady Eye and the older Gallagher brother’s High Flying Birds for many years.
Andy Bell – bass
Next up is another member of the ’99-2009 lineup as Andy Bell is believed to be dusting off his bass guitar for the Live ’25 dates. Bell, now 54, replaced legendary Paul ‘Guigsy’ McGuigan and is also a former member of Welsh indie rock band Ride – but now he’s set to get back on the road with Oasis.
Joey Waronker – drums
Last but not least is the only ‘new’ face and that is 55-year-old Joey Waronker, a well-known American drummer and producer who has worked with everyone from Beck, Thom Yorke, R.E.M, as well as former Stone Roses member John Squire on his joint album with Liam Gallagher released in March 2024.
As for how accurate this list is, we weren’t too sure until Liam quickly hopped on social media and essentially hinted that the leak may or may not be on the money.
Then again, you never know if the infamous frontman is on the wind-up or not…
Writing on X, he said, “It’s not the lineup reveal I’m bothered about I’ll reveal that to you in a minute I’m more bothered about the line where it says a source close to the band and tour that really causes me a great deal of concern LG x”.
It didn’t take long for him to sarcastically post his own ‘real’ lineup in response:
To be honest, whatever combination of former, most recent or first-time players we get, we’re just going to be happy to see the Burnage boys standing side by side in the flesh.
We’re still not sure we’ll believe it until we see them up there on the stage with our own eyes but, for now, it looks as though the Oasis reunion is on track with a strong lineup to make the comeback as memorable as possible.
It’s nice to the Gallagher kids now getting along with each other again too:
Emily Sergeant -
1st December 2020 
