The uplifting moment which saw a Bolton couple reunite after 12 months apart has been capturing the hearts of the nation.
Stanley and Mavis Harbour have been married for over 60 years.
The last time they got to spend time together was in February 2020 at Lever Edge Care Home in Bolton, but as coronavirus (COVID-19) began to spread across the country and national restrictions were put into place, the couple were ripped apart for a whole year.
Stanley, 83, moved into the home in September 2019 after his dementia began to deteriorate, with Mavis, 81, now deciding to join him as a resident after falling ill herself.
And after a mandatory 14-day quarantine period, the couple were allowed to embrace in a teary and heartwarming reunion, where they were even treated to a romantic candle-lit three-course meal of tomato soup, followed by meat and potato pie with vegetables, and a chocolate cake for dessert, alongside flutes of prosecco and a box of chocolates.
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Stanley – who greeted his wife with a bouquet of flowers – said: “I couldn’t believe it when I saw Mavis.
“I’ve missed him so much that I got overwhelmed and just cried. I’m so happy. I never want to be away from him again. I feel lost without him.”
She also told of how they met and admitted it was love at first sight when she saw Stanley walking along the road on her way home from work in the late 1950s, adding: “I was on my way home from Holts Hoisery, where I worked, when I saw Stanley”.
So, what is their secret to a long and happy marriage?
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Besides having a huge amount of love and care for each other, Mavis also puts their success down to plenty of give and take.
“We’ve had a very good marriage.” Mavis said.
“The key to a good marriage is compromise. Always talk things through. We had our first child together at 23 and have lived very happily”.
Lisa Martin – Home Manager at Lever Edge Care Home – said: “We were so pleased to reunite Stanley and Mavis.
“There wasn’t a dry eye in the room when she was finally able to see her beloved Stanley again”.
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Liam Gallagher bites back after Fontaines D.C. say ‘they couldn’t give a sh*t’ about the Oasis reunion
Danny Jones
Liam Gallagher has fired back at Fontaines D.C. after two members of the popular Irish band said “they couldn’t give a sh*t” about the Oasis reunion.
Not unlike Oasis, the Dubliners might be one of the biggest bands on the planet right now and after they were asked about the reunion that shook the world in an interview about their new album, Romance, guitarist Carlos O’Connell and bassist Conor Deegan III were pretty blunt in response.
Speaking to Studio Brussel, O’Connell simply said: “I couldn’t really give a shit, to be honest”, with Deegan adding: “I’m not excited about it either, to be honest, because I just feel like we get caught in the last era, like the 2010s, into such a nostalgic thing that we’re forgetting to make new things.”
He goes on to say, “I feel like what we were wanting to do with this record anyway was to look into the future and make new things… So for Oasis to reform at this moment for us is really annoying.”
And just as it seems the rising alternative and post-punk outfit are a little bit miffed about the Burnage boys coming back and maybe stealing a little bit of their thunder, Liam Gallagher himself doesn’t seem particularly keen on Fontaines either.
Kicking off the indirect exchange by simply replying to a clip of the interview with one line – “State of ’em” – fans needed little convincing that the 51-year-old could be roped into a social media rant given how active he’s been since news of the reunion broke.
“They look like sh*t” and after someone jokingly said, “So they aren’t supporting you on tour as rumoured then”, Liam simply added, “Are they f**k.”
Reacting to reports about the straightforward frontman looking to recruit ‘established acts’ to support him and his brother on Oasis’ reunion trail – though his son Gene’s band has also been linked with the tour – on X, the mere suggestion of Fontaines D.C led to this extremely colourful phrase:
As you can see, he did receive some support for his clap-back, with one viral post reading: “Any B-side from OASIS is much better than the best Fontaines D.C. single. They’re lucky that today’s music is sh*t, in the 90s they would be working at a McDonald’s.”
While some fans of both bands might have been a little gutted to see the two beefing so publicly, especially since they’re each riding such a massive high right now, Fontaines’ lead singer and lyricist Grian Chatten did offer some relief by clarifying that he strictly didn’t share the same thoughts.
Commenting underneath NME’s coverage of the spat on Instagram, 29-year-old Chatten insisted, “I love Oasis. This is not my opinion.” Hopefully, the two frontmen can patch things up at least and then, who knows, maybe we get an absolutely unreal support act for those Croke Park shows?
Hey, if Oasis can get back together then anything’s possible…
Featured Images — Warner Music Sweden (via Wikimedia Commons)/Studio Brussel (via YouTube)
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The hearing over Manchester City’s 115 FFP charges will officially start next week
Danny Jones
After more than a year of speculation as to when proceedings will finally start, it has been confirmed that the hearing regarding Manchester City and their 115 FFP charges is set to begin next week.
Man City were first slapped with the laundry list of alleged breaches of FFP (financial fair play) and failure to comply with Premier League rules on profit and sustainability (PSR) back in February 2023, but little movement on the case has been reported since then.
In that time, they also won the coveted Treble and their record-breaking fourth league title in a row; meanwhile, the club have continued to deny all claims of rule-breaking.
However, it has now been revealed that City‘s hearing will now kick off on Monday, 16 September.
BREAKING: The hearing over Manchester City's 115 charges will start on Monday 🚨 pic.twitter.com/9ujOCryVMF
As explained in various reports, given the extended nature of the claims made against the Manchester side, it is estimated that the case could run on for up to two months if not longer.
Furthermore, it is thought a decision isn’t expected to arrive until spring 2025 – again, this is simply due to the number of charges brought up over the best part of a decade.
In case you need a refresher, the allegations levelled at Man City date back to 2009 and concern a supposed nine years of financial irregularities, as well as subverting UEFA FFP rules.
Some of the accusations made against them also include failing to cooperate with the European football body and the Premier League, as well as offering ‘secret contracts’ so as to pay one particular manager a larger sum than what they recorded in their financial statements.
The final verdict, whenever it is reached, will be handed down by an independent commission and City will still be able to make an official appeal.
It goes without saying that were they to be found guilty, it would be the biggest financial scandal in English football history and could be seismic for the future of money in the sport and regulations surrounding ownership, which have already grown tighter following the charges being issued.
And in case you needed a more detailed refresher on what exactly they are being tried for and what the possibilities are regarding punishment if found guilty, here’s a quick rundown:
Emily Sergeant -
8th February 2021 
