After 10,000 suggestions, the new list of names for the 2021/22 storm season has been chosen by the Met Office and include names from a self-confessed weather watcher, a “quick-as-lightning” goalkeeper, and a daughter who “leaves a trail of destruction”.
The names will be given to the strongest weather systems to hit the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands over the coming year – with the first storm running from September 2021 to the end of August 2022.
This first storm will be called Arwen, a Welsh name popularised by a character from the Lord Of The Rings Books.
The names were drawn from more than 10,000 suggestions submitted to the Met Office for the strongest weather systems to hit the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands over the coming year.
A stormy night in Manchester // Facebook
Kim, Logan, Ruby and Dudley are also on the list selected by the Met Office, along with Met Eireann and Dutch national weather forecasting service the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI).
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A Met Office spokesman said Kim was nominated in recognition of a “whirlwind” relative and a self-confessed weather watcher, while Logan was nominated by several parents and grandparents, with one particular Logan being described as a “tornado”.
Ruby, on the other hand, is the name of a cat who “acts like a violent storm” when she enters the house.
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Dudley turned out to be the most popular name nominated beginning with D thanks to a Twitter poll by a couple who get married in 2022 and will share the surname Dudley.
Other names on the list – which does not use names beginning with Q, U, X, Y or Z – include Barra, Corrie, Eunice, Franklin, Gladys, Herman, Imani, Jack, Meabh, Nasim, Olwen, Pol, Sean, Tineke, Vergil and Willemien.
The first day of meteorological #autumn will begin in a similar vein to how #summer ended 🍂
Most of us will wake up on #Wednesday morning to grey skies. It will also be damp in places with some drizzly showers 🌧️
Since Name our Storms first launched in 2015, the Met Office has issued a new list of names each September. The list runs from early September to late August the following year. This coincides with the start of autumn when the likelihood of low pressure systems and the potential for named storms increase.
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The naming of storms using a single authoritative system aids the communication of approaching severe weather through media partners and other government agencies. In other words, they’re easier to remember and thus remind people to stay safe.
Will Lang, head of the National Severe Weather Warning Service at the Met Office, said: “We’re all aware of some of the severe weather that has been witnessed across Europe and globally in recent months and we work to use any tool at our disposal to ensure the public is informed of potential risks, and naming storms is just one way we do that.”
The autumn/winter storm names have been announced by the Met Office.
Names have been suggested by the public with some reasons behind them. Logan for example ‘runs through the house like a tornado’ according to his grandparents 🌪.https://t.co/BlIE3fqcaapic.twitter.com/iKrKosQKGd
The Premier League is keeping its crucial cap on away game ticket prices – for now
Danny Jones
The Premier League has announced it is extending its crucial price cap for away games, as the general cost of match tickets continues to creep up all over the country.
Most season card holders, be they here in Greater Manchester or elsewhere, are likely looking at their annual spending going up simply, so steps like these are key in keeping first division football as affordable as possible.
And that’s just the ongoing cost of living, let alone the clubs that are continuing the trend of charging more each year and, unfortunately, even pricing some supporters out entirely.
With that in mind, the news of England’s top-flight sides voting unanimously to keep the £30 cap intact for at least another two years comes as relief to those who spend most of the year putting their hard-earned cash towards following their team home and away.
BREAKING: The Premier League extend £30 cap on away tickets for another two seasons 🚨 pic.twitter.com/L336aZwmn3
Now confirmed to remain in place until the end of the 2027/28 campaign, travelling fans obviously still spend plenty of money on transport and so on every year, but at least they don’t have to worry about rising general admissions.
At least not for the time being…
Writing in a statement, the Premier League said: “Away fans help create the incredible atmosphere Premier League matches are renowned for. Since the cap’s implementation in 2016, it has contributed to attendance at away games increasing from 82% to 91%.”
They also acknowledged the significant and regular funds that supporters still spend on these trips, with plenty of people online also praising the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), which helped spearhead the campaign over a decade ago.
With so many other obstacles still getting in the way of fans making it to games either at their usual stadium or on an away day – not least of all the constant and increasingly frustrating rescheduling of fixtures – it’s good to see this isn’t an area the Prem are trying to target.
As always, the multi-billion-pound business can always seek out other, newer money spinners, and we’re absolutley certain they will. For instance, there’s at least one happening over in Spain that we’d happily see carried over here.
Following the news, this now means that fans will ultimately have enjoyed 12 back-to-back seasons of the benefit, and long may it continue.
Nevertheless, the biggest barrier for people to watch the beautiful game at its highest level in the UK remains the cost of standard tickets.
The likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Leeds and more have already let matchgoers know that their season ticket prices will be going up, and the likes of Man City have already seen backlash for increasing rates amid the expansion of the Etihad Campus.
Two incredible locals are running all the way from Rochdale to London for a deeply touching cause
Danny Jones
This April, our eyes will be firmly focused on ‘Project240’: the incredible charity challenge being taken on by two inspiring Greater Manchester natives that will see them run all the way to London for a cause very close to their hearts.
And once they’re there, they’ve got one last rather big run to get done, too.
Project240 is being taken on by locals Alex and James, who will be running (you guessed it) 240 miles from Rochdale all the way to the capital before then taking on the 2026 London Marathon.
Staggering stuff, we’re sure you’ll agree, but it becomes an even more moving story when you find out why they’re doing it.
Taking on multiple ultras split across stages on behalf of Springhill Hospice in their hometown, this pair of lads will be cramming in the remarkable distance into less than a week.
More importantly, they’re also hoping to reach a seriously impressive and significant fundraising target of £26,000 for the facility to mark the year and in honour of one very important person.
For anyone unaware of their story, the duo are running in memory of Alex’s father, Darren, who was sadly diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) at the age of 45 back in 2021.
In an effort to give back to the organisation that did so much for his dad and raise more awareness around MND, they’ll be spreading the five ultra-marathons and this year’s major London race across six days, as well as facing the shared struggle head-on with Darren in their thoughts as always.
He sadly passed away on 23 January 2020, spending just a single precious night at the Hospice – one that has left a lasting impression on their family, with Alex saying simply, “I don’t know what we would have done without Springhill Hospice.”
Credit: Supplied
He went on to add: “The care given to my dad and our family was incredible, which made the most traumatic time of our lives that little bit easier.
“Springhill Hospice is a pillar of our community, and we need to do everything we can to keep the doors open.” We couldn’t agree more; both Alex and James have our utmost admiration for what they’re about to take on, and we wish them all the best.
The route – which they will begin on Tuesday, 21 April and are scheduled to complete the following Sunday – will take them from the old Lancashire town, through Buxton, Ashbourne, Hinckley, Old Stratford, before making it all the way to Greenwich and finally London.
Last but not least, you can donate to the fundraiser right HERE.