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Greater Manchester residents rallied for a ‘repair revolution’

Community groups and retailers across Greater Manchester have signed up to take part in this year’s Repair Week 2025 to rally residents around a ‘repair revolution’.

During Repair Week residents have the opportunity to attend workshops to get their various items repaired and to learn valuable repair skills from community groups local to them.

Research commissioned by Recycle for Greater Manchester (R4GM) found that kettles, shoes and clothing were the most common items thrown away without checking if repairs could be made to them instead.

It also found that nearly 60% of residents were worried about the cost of replacing broken items in the coming year and that over 70% of residents surveyed would like to be able to repair more themselves, but don’t know how.

Repair Week empower or to have these items fixed by experts.

Tom Ross, GMCA’s lead for the Green City-Region and Waste and Recycling, said: “Repair Week and all of the superb community groups that take part in it do so much good work in inspiring our residents to waste less and repair more. There are so many great options for   repairing items in communities across the city-region and it’s great to see Repair Week back for another year to shine a spotlight on this.

“Creating a strong network of repair communities across Greater Manchester will ensure that every resident has the chance to repair their household items locally and provide so many of the other benefits that comes with being involved in your local community.”

Some of the community events residents can attend include:

  • Free bike diagnosis and tips to get your bike on the road or trails safely at the Decathalon in Stockport (George’s Road) and Bolton (Middlebrook) – all week
  • Manchester’s Library of Things (Levenshulme Old Library, M19 3QE) is launching a new session on Wednesdays to give people more opportunities for to borrow the tools and equipment they need, exactly when you need them, to tackle more repairs at home for an affordable price. On the Wednesday of Repair Week (March 5) five annual memberships are being given away by the Library of Things to people who attend for the first time or those who reserve an item online any time during Repair Week.
  • A number of local repair cafes where residents can meet people in their local community with the skills to help them repair their household goods. This includes Bramhall (Bramhall Methodist Church) and Heatons (Community Hall behind St Paul’s Church, Stockport)

R4GM research did find that many residents had done common household repairs to prevent items going to waste, with Repair Week giving people the opportunity to expand on these skills to save even more items.

Nearly 40% said they had repaired a plug in the past year, with more than half (52%) saying they had removed a stain from clothing or other textiles. More than 37% said they had replaced a button on clothing themselves too.

Electrical items, bicycles and bathroom fixtures/fittings were the most common items that residents had repaired by a professional within the last year. Residents can learn how to repair these items with community groups throughout Repair Week, creating local repair networks across the city-region.

As well as workshops and other repair sessions, there are a number of free videos on the Recycle for Greater Manchester website offering practical guidance for repairing many household items.

A list of the activities and events taking place, including at the Renew Hub, can be found here.

Remains of murdered woman found in Thirsk

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Police searching for the body of murder victim Rania Alayed (pictured) have discovered human remains in Thirsk.

In June 2014, Rania’s husband Ahmed Al-Khatib, from Gorton, was found guilty of her murder and sentenced to life with a minimum of 20 years behind bars.

Rania’s body was never recovered and multiple searches have taken place over the past decade.

Yesterday, after receiving new information, police officers located buried human remains by the A19 in Thirsk, where they had been operating since Monday.

While no official identification has taken place, it is strongly suspected that the remains are that of Rania.

Her family have been informed of the latest development and are being supported by specially trained officers.

A scene will remain in place for the coming days as further work is carried out by specialist officers.

Rania’s son, Yazan, speaking on behalf of their family, said: “The discovery of my mother’s remains more than a decade onwards has come as a surreal surprise to me and my family.

“At last, being able to provide a final resting place is all we have wanted for the last 11 years, to have the ability to lay down a few flowers for my mother is more than I can ask for from this world.”

Detective chief inspector Neil Higginson, from Greater Manchester Police’s Major Incident Team, said: “More than a decade after her murder, we now strongly believe we have located Rania’s body and are finally able to provide closure to her family, who we know have endured so much pain and grief over the years.

“Rania’s family have always been kept informed following our searches over the last few years, and we are providing them updates as we get them following this most recent development.

“Her murder was utterly horrific and not knowing where her body is has inflicted further pain to all those who knew her. I hope that we are now able to finally reunite her with her family, where she belongs, so that they can give her a proper resting place.”

Afghanistan vs Australia: Preview, expected lineups, how to watch on TV and prediction for ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Afghanistan vs Australia: The State of Play

After knocking England out of the ICC Champions Trophy in a thriller on Wednesday, Afghanistan return to Lahore on Friday in search of another underdog win when they meet two-time champions Australia.

Opener Ibrahim Zadran broke the record for the highest individual score at the tournament with 177 as his side won by eight runs to move third in Group B, a point behind second-placed Australia and leaders South Africa.

Victory for either side would guarantee a place in the final four, although there are concerns that the game could be washed out.

“Our focus will be to keep things simple and not worry too much about a semi-final,” Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said.

“We will come with a good plan [to deal with] the whole of the Australian team. The Afghan people always cheer for us – wherever we go, they come to the stadiums.

“We know Australia are a tough team. They look for opposition players’ strengths and weak points.”

Australia beat England by five wickets in Lahore on February 22, proving their only match so far after their encounter with South Africa in Rawalpindi was abandoned without a ball bowled on Tuesday.

“We’d love to win and silence the crowd,” batter Marnus Labuschagne said. “But for us, it’s all about making sure we stick to our process and really engage in the game.

“We must be ready to play and whatever gets thrown at us – doesn’t matter what the situation is – come out and perform at our best.

“As players, you always want to play. If the whole match rains out… we go through to the to the semi-finals – but we’d love to be able to win and finish top.”

 

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Afghanistan vs Australia team news

Bowlers Sean Abbott and Tanveer Sangha could be options to come in for Australia after England scored 351 runs against Andrew McDonald’s team.

Glenn Maxwell scored 201 when Australia beat Afghanistan by three wickets at the 2023 World Cup, although Shahidi was keen to emphasise that no player will be given more focus than others in his team’s gameplan.

Afghanistan are unlikely to make changes and will hope their spin bowlers can succeed on a pitch that has produced high scores.

Rashid Khan needs one wicket to become the first Afghanistan bowler to take 200 One-Day International wickets, while seamer Azmatullah Omarzai took 5-58 against England.

Afghanistan vs Australia expected line-ups

Afghanistan: Zadran, Gurbaz (wk), Atal, Shah, Shahidi (c), Omarzai, Nabi, Naib, Khan, Ahmad, Farooqi

Australia: Short, Head, Smith (c), Labuschagne, Inglis (wk), Carey, Maxwell, Abbott, Dwarshuis, Ellis, Zampa

 

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How to watch Afghanistan vs Australia: TV channel, live stream

The ICC Champions Trophy can be watched in the UK on Sky Sports. Friday’s coverage starts on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket at 0830.

In India, it is being shown on the JioStar network with JioHotstar providing live streaming. On television, in addition to the English feed, coverage will also be available in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada across Star Sports and Sports18 channels.

Afghanistan vs Australia prediction

Australia have won all four previous editions of the fixture in this format – including two in Asia – but an Afghanistan team full of confidence can be backed to make history when the sides face each other in Pakistan for the first time.

Afghanistan will hope to bat first and Zadran could shine again, having scored an unbeaten 129 off 143 deliveries in his only previous ODI game against these opponents.

Australia will go through if the contest is washed out and could advance with a defeat if England conclude their campaign by thrashing South Africa.

Should Afghanistan not win, the Proteas are likely to go through at their expense even if they lose.

Zutec Acquires Operance to Enhance Digital Compliance and Handover Solutions in the UK Construction Sector

Zutec, a well-established provider of software solutions for construction and property management across the UK and Ireland, has announced the acquisition of Operance as part of its ongoing expansion strategy and commitment to the UK market.

The acquisition strengthens Zutec’s position by bringing together complementary expertise, customer bases, and digital solutions. This move cements Zutec’s role as a key provider of Handover and Building Safety Act compliance solutions for contractors, developers, housebuilders, and asset owners. By integrating the strengths of both companies, the acquisition aims to accelerate digital transformation, improve compliance processes, and create new growth opportunities.

“As we continue investing in businesses as part of our acquisition strategy, Operance fitted our strategic objectives perfectly, with close alignment with our vision and an exciting addition to our business. We believe this collaboration will open up new opportunities for us to expand and better serve existing and new customers, setting the stage for future innovations in the construction and property technology space. We are thrilled to welcome the Operance team into Zutec and look forward to what we can deliver together in the future,” commented Gustave Geisendorf, CEO at Zutec.

Ian Yeo, CEO at Operance, stated: “Having built up the Operance business, and with a shared growth ambition, we welcome being part of Zutec. As a profitable, fast-growing business primarily focused on the UK and Ireland, this partnership with Zutec will allow us to accelerate our progress faster and provide even more value to the construction and property digital ecosystem as one company.”

Pakistan vs Bangladesh: Preview, expected lineups, how to watch on TV and prediction for ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Pakistan vs Bangladesh: The State of Play

Pakistan will join their opponents in playing for pride in their final game of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy on Thursday when they take on Bangladesh at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

The hosts launched their campaign with a 60-run defeat to New Zealand in Karachi before losing to India by six wickets in Dubai on Sunday.

Bangladesh began with defeat to India by the same margin in Dubai and were then defeated by the Kiwis by five wickets in Rawalpindi on Monday.

Pakistan coach Aaqib Javed seemed in little doubt when he assessed the end of his side’s title defence before the semi-finals.

 

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“When Pakistan and India are playing, it’s not only cricket,” Javed said, via ESPN. “It’s more than that. You need a lot of experience.

“This India team was the most experienced – they have almost 1,500 games together. And Pakistan is on the bottom, with fewer than 400 games together.

“If you look at [our] players, Babar Azam is the only one who has played more than 100 games. Then there’s Mohammad Rizwan [88 One-Day International matches] and then Shaheen Afridi [64].

“The rest of them have fewer than 30 matches. Tayyab Tahir has played like eight games. Imam-ul-Haq [73 games] was coming back in the team.”

 

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Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said Bangladesh have been “taking it lightly” and need to be “more responsible” when batting.

“We cannot keep chopping and changing [personnel],” Shanto  argued. “We have to keep giving our existing resources more opportunities.

“I have said it a lot of times in the past, but we [have] made the same mistakes over and over again. We have to focus on how we want to improve our batting.

“I hope, after this tournament, we will make some changes as a batting unit [to] bring improvement.”

Pakistan vs Bangladesh team news

Fakhar Zaman has been Pakistan’s major injury absentee for the tournament, and both teams could make changes in a dead rubber.

Shanto, who returned to the squad for the tournament, was their only player to really impress against New Zealand, hitting nine 4s on his way to 77 off 110 balls.

 

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Pakistan vs Bangladesh expected line-ups

Pakistan: Usman Khan, Azam, Shakeel, Rizwan (c, wk), Agha, Tahir, Khushdil Shah, Afridi, Naseem Shah, Rauf, Ahmed

Bangladesh: Hasan, Shanto (c), Miraz, Hridoy, Rahim (wk), Mahmudullah, Ali, Hossain, Ahmed, Rahman, Rana

How to watch Pakistan vs Bangladesh: TV channel, live stream

The ICC Champions Trophy can be watched in the UK on Sky Sports. Thursday’s coverage starts on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket at 0830.

In India, it is being shown on the JioStar network with JioHotstar providing live streaming. On television, in addition to the English feed, coverage will also be available in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada across Star Sports and Sports18 channels.

 

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Pakistan vs Bangladesh prediction

Pakistan’s considerable odds-on prospects with bookmakers are reflective of the reality that this match should produce a comfortable consolatory victory for them against the tournament rank outsiders.

The first ever Champions Trophy meeting between the teams is, however, at high risk of being affected by rain, according to forecasts.

Australia and South Africa’s encounter in Rawalpindi on Tuesday was rained off, and these sides will be hoping their finales do not sufffer the same fate.

Enforcement cameras to be placed on Chorlton to Manchester Cycleway

Portable enforcement cameras will be spying on motorists who park illegally in cycle lanes.
The Chorlton to Manchester Cycleway is one of Manchester Council’s flagship cycling schemes.

But since the scheme’s completion, some motorists have been parking across the cycle lane, blocking its intended purpose.

This is illegal and dangerous, as it forces cyclists into the road. For anyone in a wheelchair, with mobility issues or a pram this is especially hazardous.

In response to concerns raised to the council by residents, from March 3, enforcement cameras will be in operation around the cycle route to monitor and penalise anyone caught breaking the law.

This will be on top of the usual enforcement officers which patrol on foot.

Motorists who are caught parking in a cycle lane may be liable to pay a £70 penalty charge notice (PCN).

A driver issued with a PCN who believes it was incorrectly issued has the right to appeal the charge via the council’s website.

Councillor Tracey Rawlins said: “After the completion of any major scheme we listen to feedback around how it’s working, and sadly people have reported frequent problems with vehicles being parked in the cycle lanes.

“These lanes are intended to be a quick and safe way for people wanting to cycle to and from the city centre. However, if people are confronted with cars and vans parked on the lanes, they are rendered totally useless.

“It’s not only inconsiderate to those trying to use them, but incredibly dangerous forcing people into the main road to go around an obstacle. Hopefully this period of additional enforcement will encourage people to think twice before parking illegally and plan their journeys ahead.

“In Manchester we are working to improve opportunities to walk and cycle and over time we hope to encourage a ‘people first’ mindset, rather than vehicles. Ultimately and most importantly we want Manchester to be clean, safe and attractive for everyone.”

More than 100 knives surrendered in Rochdale amnesty bins

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Knife amnesty bins placed in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale, have received 111 bladed articles.
Between November 2024 and this month, 67 knives were placed in designated bins in Heywood, nine in Middleton and 35 in Rochdale.
Since the amnesty bins were introduced, police officers have been able to recover almost double the number of bladed articles they were obtaining beforehand.
The Forever Amnesty gives members of the public the chance to dispose of a knife of any kind anonymously with no questions asked, by simply depositing it into the amnesty bin at their local police station. Those surrendering knives are not required to give any personal details and will not face prosecution for carrying them.
Recorded knife crime data for the district of Rochdale showed that figures dropped from 182 incidents between January and June 2024 to 143 from July to December 2024.
Officers are also carrying out more stop searches in the district, up to 1,265 between July and December compared to 1,114 between January and June 2024. More offensive weapons are also being found through these stop searches, up from 192 to 224 for the same time periods.
Inspector Graham Cooke (pictured) said: “In the last six months over 200 knives have been taken off the streets of Rochdale, Middleton and Heywood, this is a fantastic result and is testament to the knife amnesty bins initiative and to the support of our communities.
“We are determined to tackle knife crime and would urge residents who either have old knives they want to dispose of, or, are in possession of illegal knives and weapons, to place them in the knife amnesty bins situated at the front of Rochdale, Middleton and Heywood Police Stations, you can do so anonymously, knowing that these knives and weapons will be destroyed, preventing them from being used in criminality and causing serious injury or death.
“As part of our initiative we spent the day at Edgar Wood Academy, Middleton with a colleague from the prison service, talking to all year groups about the consequences of carrying knives.
“We discussed recent tragic incidents, showed them some weapons seized on the streets and graphic images of injuries caused. The sessions were well received by students and staff and will hopefully have a lasting impact on their futures.”

Manchester’s 5,000 recycled Christmas trees will help local parks

Local parks in Manchester are still wrapped up in the festive buzz following last year’s drive to encourage people to recycle their Christmas trees.
Over the festive season, the council announced that residents could dispose of their Christmas tree at designated drop off points around the city to help with recycling or they could get a collection from a local charity.

Figures from the end of last year to January 2025, show that 5, 309 Christmas trees were recycled.

The chippings processed at Wythenshawe Park and Boggart Hole Clough will go on to be used in local parks around Manchester.

In partnership with local charity Just Helping, the We Love Manchester charity and St Ann’s hospice, £117, 675 was raised for local hospices and charities, whilst an estimated 84, 944kg on CO2 emissions was saved.

Councillor Lee-Ann Igbon said: “It’s fantastic to see how the push for recycling Christmas trees last year has resulted in pouring back into our local communities with over 350 trees collected from our designated drop-off points.

“Manchester parks will directly benefit from recycled chippings, we’ve saved 84, 944kg of CO2 emissions and raised over £117,000 to go into the charity sector. Just Helping have played a key role in this success and we look forward to advancing this recycling initiative year on year.”

Georgia Vacher, Manchester collection lead for Just Helping, said:”I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved in Manchester this year. Our incredible team of volunteers braved all kinds of weather to collect thousands of trees, and the generosity of our supporters has been overwhelming.

“This is so much more than a fundraiser – it’s a way for the community to come together to support amazing causes like St Ann’s Hospice, Francis House Children’s Hospice, We Love MCR and other charities across Manchester, while also helping the environment. A huge thank you to everyone who registered their tree and donated. Together, we’re making a difference.”

Derelict former school in Ramsbottom to be auctioned

A derelict former school which has been attracting vandalism for years is to be sold at auction.

New Summerseat House in Ramsbottom has been vacant since 2016 when its former use as a Pupil Referral Unit ceased.

Since that time the buildings have significantly deteriorated and the property suffers from ongoing issues of anti-social behaviour.

There have been three attempts to sell the property previously via a tender process, but each time the sale has not completed.

Eamonn O’Brien, leader of Bury Council, said: “The disposal of this site will bring forward the restoration of this Listed building, end problems caused to local residents by the empty building attracting anti-social behaviour, and remove ongoing liabilities to the council for security and maintenance.”

Councillors are due to approve the plans at the next cabinet meeting on March 5.

Newton Heath community asked for suggestions to improve centre

 

The Newton Heath community is being asked what investment they would like to see in their district centre, in a consultation opened today.
The engagement opportunity will look at how best to unlock the potential of the north Manchester neighbourhood as part of a city-wide approach to investing in and improving the city’s high streets.

The responses from local people will help Manchester City Council to develop a long-term plan for Newton Heath – or Neighbourhood Development Framework (NDF) – that will help guide future development and improvements in the neighbourhood.

Possible investment opportunities include providing new high-quality housing or a new public square and better public spaces that are more welcoming, safe and enjoyable, improving and expanding community facilities or improving health care facilities.

Local people and businesses can respond to the consultation online or complete a paper copy of the survey at Newton Heath Library.

Two in-person drop-in events will also allow visitors to take a look at a range of display boards and speak to the team to find out more.

The sessions will take place at Newton Heath Library, Old Church Street, M40 2JB on Friday, from 10am – 2pm and Saturday, from 9.30am – noon.

The consultation for the project, funded by the UK government, is through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Councillor Gavin White said: “We have made a clear commitment to investing in Manchester’s high streets, which are the heart and soul of our communities. Already we have key projects nearing completion in Gorton and Withington – and key schemes on the way in Moston and Wythenshawe.

“This is about understanding what services and facilities our residents need and want from the district centres and working in collaboration with communities to invest in the right things.

“That’s why engagement opportunities like this are so important. This is the chance for local people to have their say and help guide the long-term development plan for Newton Heath.”