The Mancunian Way: 'Where else are we supposed to go?'

Hello,

As we were putting the finishing touches to yesterday’s Mancunian Way the news broke that the Post Office was planning to close 115 branches - including eight here in Greater Manchester. Coming in the wake of the Horizon scandal union bosses have condemned the move, which puts around 2,000 jobs at risk, as ‘immoral and tone deaf’.

Our reporters spent yesterday afternoon talking to customers at the closure-threatened branches. And the mood was largely one of anger and dismay, with many fearing they would be left behind by the closures.

“I’m bloody livid,” said Linda, from Prestwich, who teared up when asked for her thoughts. “I’m 75. Because I’m disabled, I don’t have a car anymore. Every single bank in Prestwich has shut down.. I’m so furious I’m nearly crying.”

In Didsbury, 85-year-old Mrs McConnachi, said she uses the post office ‘for everything’, from getting money out to paying her bills. “I walk with a stick and I've got heart problems, I can’t walk very much further than this. Where else are we supposed to go? I’ve tried online, I’ve tried to learn it but I can’t at my age.”

And outside the at-risk Post Office in Hyde, local resident Donna Turner said: “Lots of old people would be stuck without it. I think it’s scandalous, because pensioners and those who struggle digitally or with reading and writing are going to be hit the hardest.”

The changes at Crown Post Office-owned branches are part of a wider shake-up, which would include the loss of hundreds of roles across the business. According to the company’s chairman Nigel Railton, the plans will secure a ‘new deal for postmasters’, share of revenue and give them a greater say in the running of the business, as the company looks to move on from the Horizon IT scandal that saw hundreds of sub postmasters wrongfully convicted.

But the public outcry against the possible changes has been immense, with local councillors and MPs speaking out against the decision. Harpurhey’s Labour Councillor Pat Karney called the news ‘a hammer blow to hundreds of customers’ and promised to mount ‘one of the biggest campaigns’ the local area has seen to protect it.

And the Prestwich Labour Group launched an online petition earlier today to ‘call to the Post Office’ to recognise how the residents and small businesses of the village ‘depend on’ the branch.

Trained to kill cancer

Next up we’ve got a fascinating story from The Christie, where grandfather Richard Nelson is taking part in a ground-breaking new clinical trial which will, hopefully, result in his body being ‘trained’ to kill cancer.

Richard, 73, from Timperley has stage three bowel cancer, but now his own immune system is effectively being shown how to identify and attack any new cancerous cells. It's hoped his new 'personalised' treatment - a series of injections known as a vaccine - will prevent his cancer from returning.

Consultant oncologist Prof Mark Saunders said: “In Richard's case we found DNA from cancer cells in his blood, so unfortunately Richard's cancer would have a greater chance of coming back. Richard’s personalised vaccine is primed to attack his unique cancer and prevent any new cancer cells from returning in the future." Read more

Time travel

Chief reporter Neal Keeling has been getting all misty-eyed for the 70s again. But this time it’s not music, fashion, football or cars he’s reminiscing about - it’s reliable weekend train services.

It follows an experience his daughter had trying to get back to university in Leeds, playing ‘rail roulette’ on Northern’s notoriously sketchy Sunday trains.

“The unavoidable fact is that travelling between Manchester and Leeds by train is currently off the rails - particularly over the weekend,” writes Neal. “The carriages may be cleaner and more comfortable than the late 70s, but what's the point if you can't get on one?”

Risky business

It’s the 500-year-old building that helped change the course of history. At Hall'i'th'Wood in Bolton, Samuel Crompton invented the spinning mule, the machine that helped power the Industrial Revolution.

But now the Tudor timber-framed Grade I listed hall has been placed on Historic England's at risk register. The hall, which closed as a museum in 2021, is suffering from severe structural issues, including decay, damp, rot, and damage caused by vandalism.

But there is hope. Bolton Council and Historic England have now joined forces to restore the building and together have pledged around £140,000 for essential survey work. However more money is needed to restore the building fully.

Getting in on the act

A piece of late 80s legislation that prevented homosexuality from being taught in schools might seem an unlikely subject for a toe-tapping musical. But, writes Adam Maidment, that’s exactly what the producers of After The Act have done.

Featuring a dragged-up Maraget Thatcher and abseiling lesbians, it tells the story of the fight against Section 28 with what Adam describes as humour, power and gut-wrenching emotion. After The Act is showing at Home until November 16.

Weather etc

Friday: Overcast changing to light rain by night-time, 12C.

Roadworks: There’s a lane closure due to roadworks on Chester Road northbound in Stretford from Chapel Lane to Talbot Road.

Manchester headlines

Cop jailed: A depraved police officer has been jailed after he was caught sexually assaulting a girl under 10 during a call to her home. Pc Dean Dempster was called to a property in Oldham in 2023, but switched off his body-camera to carry out a sickening attack on the girl. He later took a picture of the abuse on his own phone. Read more

Prison death: An urgent investigation has been launched after the death of a 22- year-old Forest Bank prison inmate. Jake O'Brien's family have paid tribute to him after his death on Tuesday, They said Jake, from Trafford, was on remand at Forest Bank, a Category B men's private prison in Pendlebury, Salford, after being charged with car crime offences.

A&E warning: Bosses at Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in Wigan have asked patients to stay away from A&E unless they're in a 'life or limb threatening' condition because of 'high demand' on their services. More here

Worth a read

Despite being scared of heights, Ramazani Mwamba accepted an invitation to take a helicopter ride over Manchester in the hope it would act as a kind of ‘exposure therapy’. Whether it worked or not in the long-term remains to be seen.

But the bird’s eye view it provided made for some stunning pictures of our ever-changing city.