UK News

Dog owner’s plea to help save beloved Staffy suffering unexplained seizures

"I genuinely think without Hugo, I would not be here."

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 24th June 2021

A desperate dog owner from Manchester is appealing to the public to help fund research into the cause of her beloved pup’s unexplained seizures.

Morgan Dale and her blue Staffordshire Bull Terrier named Hugo have an incredible bond.

Not only is he her cherished pet, but she also credits him for saving her life by pulling her back from the brink following a suicide attempt. Now, Morgan is trying to return the favour and get her poorly pup the help he needs after he suffered some “terrifying” seizures – something vets are aiming to get to the bottom of.

Two-year-old Hugo’s seizures started a few weeks ago, and then more recently, he had two in the space of four hours.

He is currently being treated for possible epilepsy, but Morgan has been told that it could potentially be a brain tumour and this is something she won’t know until an investigative MRI has been carried out alongside an Ultrasound scan on his heart and other internal organs.

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But this costs money – and it’s a lot more than is currently covered by Morgan’s insurance.

“I genuinely think without Hugo, I would not be here [and] I say this all the time [but] this dog saved my life,” Morgan told Team Dogs.

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Hugo has suffered some “terrifying” seizures over the past few weeks / Credit: Morgan Dale

Fearing that she may have to give her pup up for adoption if she is unable to find the funds for the scans, Morgan has set up a GoFundMe page with the target of raising £2,000 and is asking anybody who can spare a few pounds to consider donating towards Hugo’s treatment.

“He’s just not the same dog,” Morgan added.

“He’s just really sad, he seems depressed [and] he just constantly wants to just chill.

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“Obviously after the seizures as well, he was absolutely terrified. He doesn’t know who I am, he wouldn’t let me near him. He was running away from me, hiding. He was just absolutely terrified and it was traumatic, traumatic for me and him.”

Having contacted various charities, Morgan now faces losing precious Hugo for good as if she cannot raise enough money to fund his MRI, she will have no choice but to sign him over to a charity that is able to pay for treatment.

Morgan Dale and her blue Staffy named Hugo share an incredible bond / Credit: Morgan Dale

Morgan continued: “Basically, once I sign that paperwork, I’ll never see him ever again [so] I just hope to god that I can get it so that he can stay with me, because I don’t want to stress him out.

“I just love him so much… and I just couldn’t imagine being without him.”

If you would like to contribute to Hugo’s treatment costs and help reach the £2,000 target, you can donate via Morgan’s GoFundMe page here.

Featured Image – Morgan Dale

UK News

Poundland facing ‘significant store closures’ after being sold for just £1

Danny Jones Danny Jones Poundland sold to American firm for £1

Long-standing British bargain brand Poundland could be set to close a number of locations across the UK after being sold for just £1.

The franchise famed for selling things for just a quid has been a mainstay on the high streets for what feels like it’s been around for as long as most of us can remember, but has been struggling to compete in the discount market.

Opened in 1990, Poundland was eventually bought by Polish variety store chain Pepco Group back in 2016, but has now been auctioned off after struggling sales over the past few years.

As per a press release from the company, Pepco decided to sell the business to American investment firm Gordon Brothers for what reports cited as a “nominal fee” – a figure now revealed to be £1.

poundland greater manchester locations
manchester arndale poundland
Credit: The Manc Group

Poundland’s former boss, Barry Williams, left the brand in 2023 but was reinstated in at the start of this year to help the business and the Group’s European counterparts (Pepco and Dealz).

Sharing an official update with The Manc, the returning MD and CEO said, “Poundland is a UK and Ireland retailer of real significance, serving 20 million customers each year with a much-loved brand.

“Although recent trading has been challenging, we have built a turnaround plan with a simplified and more focused Poundland at its heart, as we aim to deliver the amazing value our customers expect.

“In due course, we’ll share more details of the proposed restructuring and turnaround. I’d like to thank Pepco for its stewardship of the business. We welcome Gordon Brothers and look forward to working with them as we implement our turnaround plan.”

As for Gordon Bros themselves, the American group with outposts all over the globe, says it is “delighted” to be providing the bargain brand with “the financing to support the substantial turnaround of this iconic retailer.”

Even with their own hardships, Poundland stores have still been providing a much-needed cut-price place to shop for those looking to save wherever they can amid the cost of living crisis, not to mention taking over previous Wilko stores and helping bail out others in need.

Poundland offers jobs to 200 Wilko staff who were made redundant
Before Poundland were sold, they also helped prop-up those hit by the Wilkos falling into administration.

According to Retail Gazette, an approximate £80 million cash injection has been pledged to help support their 800 stores and roughly 16,000 staff across the UK and Ireland.

Nevertheless, BBC sources understand that the even with the new backing, the proposed restructuring of the company which will be put before the High Court here in England could still “involve a significant number of store closures.”

Meanwhile, an official statement from Pepco’s Stephan Borchert reads: “The agreed sale of Poundland marks an important milestone in our strategic plan to move away from FMCG and focus predominantly on Pepco, our higher margin clothing and general merchandise business…

“Poundland remains a key player in UK discount retail, with millions of customers annually and a well-loved brand and proposition. We want to sincerely thank Poundland for their ongoing commitment and contribution to the Group and wish Barry Williams and his team all the best for the future.”

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Featured Images — Pepco (via Wikimedia Commons)/The Manc Group

UK News

A rare ‘Strawberry Moon’ will appear in the sky for the final time tonight – here’s when to catch it

Danny Jones Danny Jones When best to see the 2025 strawberry moon in Manchester, UK

In the latest astronomical phenomenon to hit Britain and beyond in recent times, a rare ‘Strawberry Moon’ is set to appear once again in UK skies tonight, and you don’t want to miss it.

Put it this way: if you didn’t catch it last night, you won’t get another chance for nearly two decades.

The event only happens approximately every 18.6 years and will be the lowest it’s appeared above our part of the world that its been since 2006.

But for those who’ve never even heard of this, you might be wondering what exactly a Strawberry Moon is. We’re no experts, but this should just about fill you in.

Strawberry Moon 2025 – explained

What is it?

Put in simplest terms, a Strawberry Moon occurs when the Moon reaches the extremes of its northernmost and southernmost rising and setting points on the horizon, creating a striking standstill impression to the human eye.

According to expert Matt Woods from the Perth Observatory, “These standstills happen because the Moon’s orbit is tilted at a 5-degree inclination relative to the Earth’s equator and slowly shifts over time.”

The name itself derives from native American culture and, in the case of June’s full Moon, it is dubbed as such not only because of its reddish hue but because it aligns with the start of summer and the beginning of strawberry harvest season.

Colliding with the summer solstice – with said standstill sometimes referred to as a ‘lunicstice’ – the moon will give more of an orange glow rather than pink or red like actual strawberries, but it’s nevertheless a stunning sight. It was already clocked across various parts of the globe since Monday:

Why so low, moon-face?

As for why it’s going to loom so low over our skies this evening, UK archaeologist and historian Jennifer Wexler explained to BBC’s Sky At Night Magazine: “Over several years, the limits of moonrise and moonset themselves gradually change, until they reach the point where the northernmost and southernmost moonrise and moonset positions are at their maximum distance apart on the horizon…

“Once a major standstill is reached, the distance between northernmost and southernmost moonrise and moonset can be exceptionally far apart, and it stays that way for around two years.”

With all that in mind, this particular full Moon (10-11 June, 2025) will be the lowest full Moon in the sky for nearly two whole decades and won’t occur again until 2043, hence why so many have taken an interest in trying to catch it.

Speaking of…

When and where is best to see the Strawberry Moon in the UK?

Now, we won’t lie to you, Greater Manchester isn’t necessarily the best-placed area to see the upcoming Strawberry Moon in its full glory this Wednesday; the weather forecast has it that the skies are clearest right up at the top of England, as well as south-west Scotland.

However, provided there isn’t too much cloud coverage, it should still be visible across most regions, including the North West.

The moon is expected to rise around 9:30pm tonight, with the best window to see it appearing within the next hour or so following this period. It may not be as bright and bold as it appeared in some parts of the country on Tuesday, but it’ll still be something to behold.

In terms of what else meteorologists have said about the rest of this week, the weather is looking a bit all over the place, we’re afraid.

Thunderstorms and ‘intense downpours’ forecast to hit the UK from this evening

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Featured Images — Thangaraj Kumaravel/Alan Levine (via Flickr)/Mark Tegethoff (via Unsplash)

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