Yahoo News The Mancunian Way: Donkey dilemma
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It’s been a much-loved part of Gorton for almost 20 years. But soon the Donkey Sanctuary in Debdale Park could be gone.
The shelter closed its doors on May 20 with the charity that runs it announcing it was entering a consultation over the future of the site. Along with three others up and down the country, it has been closed ever since.
But locals are hoping the closure can be averted. An action group has been set up to see if the community can take over the running of the sanctuary.
They feel questions from the public are being ignored and fear the closure will have a devastating impact on the school children who visit the site.
Rev. David Gray, a member of the action group, compared the closure to the Belle Vue Zoological Gardens in 1977. He said: "We do not want another generation of Gorton children growing up with a sense of uncertainty as to their worthiness to access stimulating educational and recreational resources."
In a statement the Donkey Sanctuary said: "The changes are being proposed to ensure we can continue to deliver our core mission to improve the welfare of donkeys in the UK and around the world. Throughout the consultation period, all centres involved will be closed to visitors and we will be in touch with all those who have booked visits."
‘Operated as designed’
In yesterday’s Mancunian Way we reported on a sewage dump in the River Irwell that one critic described as a ‘blight on our great city’. Now United Utilities have said the pipe that released the waste was ‘operating as designed’.
In Britain, water firms can release sewage during heavy rain to avoid overloading the treatment system — but it is illegal to do so without such rain, as that’s required to dilute the waste in the river.
UU say in the lead-up to the dump, Greater Manchester experienced ‘sustained heavy rain’, leading river levels in the Irwell and the Irk to rise. That meant the system was already processing higher levels of wastewater, it’s understood.
A United Utilities spokesperson said: “The storm overflow operated as it is designed to do so after a period of sustained heavy rain across the catchment. Whilst the current system is designed to activate during rainfall, we understand and share people’s concerns about the need for change.
“That’s why we are proposing a £3bn programme to tackle storm overflows in the North West between 2025 and 2030.” More here
Christmas market wars
Plans for a rival Christmas market at Manchester Cathedral have been thrown out by the council over public safety fears. But organisers hit back asking if crowds of people ‘will be any different’ from the council’s own Christmas Markets around Piccadilly Gardens.
Adam Hilton applied to host a market with a series of chalets and bars in and around Cathedral Street, saying £1 from every customer served would go towards the Volition Charity, which is based inside the cathedral. But the bid was turned down at a town hall meeting due to security concerns.
Coun John Flanagan said: “I am not hearing that you will have your security on to stop a crush. Who is managing that to ensure there’s a flow of people?” Ethan Davies has more here…
‘You promised me 18 months ago’
Figen Murray, whose son Martyn was killed in the Manchester Arena terror attack, confronted the Prime Minister live on radio this morning. Ms Murray has been campaigning for more stringent security at public venues since the 2017 atrocity.
Rishi Sunak assured her, hours before announcing the General Election, that Martyn's Law would be enacted before Parliament's summer recess, but the legislation wasn’t passed in time. Last week the Tory manifesto made a commitment to introduce it.
But Ms Murray expressed her frustration to Mr Sunak, pointing out the lack of progress since his promise 18 months prior to ‘hurry up’ with the law's passage. During an LBC Radio phone-in, she said: "You have put in your manifesto that Martyn's Law is a priority.
"I don’t know what you mean by that because you promised me 18 months ago, in a phone call on what would have been Martyn’s 35th birthday, that you’re going to really hurry up with Martyn’s Law and you are very committed to it. There has been nothing since then. So what exactly do you mean by prioritising?
“Can you please put a number, a figure to it in terms of how many months that’s going to still be?”
Mr Sunak replied: “I can understand why Figen would like to have seen this done even quicker, but it is important that it works properly. And that takes time to get right.”
Little-known wonders
Pretty much everyone knows about the gothic splendour of Manchester town hall, the sleek curves of Urbis and the intricate decoration of the Chinatown arch. But what about the alternative wonders of Manchester?
The off-the-beaten-path landmarks recognised only by those in the know? Often quirky, hidden or downright odd, in their own way, they are as much a part of the city as the well-trodden tourist attractions. From Gnome Island to Peachstone Henge, here we take a look at 10 weird and wonderful Manchester landmarks.
Weather etc
Thursday: Cloudy changing to sunny intervals by night-time, 21C.
Roadworks: One lane closed due to roadworks on Worsley Road, Swinton in both directions at Partington Lane until August 2.
Manchester headlines
Closure: A popular pizza restaurant in the Northern Quarter has announced it will be closing this week after almost 10 years in business. PLY first opened in March 2015 but will close its door for the final time on Saturday. Read more
Road rage: An angry driver chased after another motorist, forcing her to stop in the middle lane of a motorway - before jumping on the bonnet of her car during a road rage row. Craig Prunty, 39, brought traffic to a halt when he threw a temper tantrum at the wheel of his BMW 5 Series in Hales Barns. More here
Homes plan: Plans for a third residential development at the emerging Trafford Waters district have been approved. Trafford’s planning team has rubber-stamped the bid by X1 Developments and regeneration specialists Peel Waters to create a further 208 ‘high-quality’ homes at TraffordCity.
Worth a read
John Goose casts an eye over an immaculately-kept flower box on the village green. "I'll have to come down later with a bucket and give it a wipe," he says looking disapprovingly at a small streak of dirt on the planter.
Hawk Green is that kind of place. With its communal green, reading rooms, historic pub, centuries-old farmhouses, cricket club and folk dancing troupe, it's a quintessential English village surrounded by the affluent commuting suburbs of Stockport. Last week we went to find out a bit more about life there
