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Mountain rescuer who fell 500ft saving campers flouting lockdown rules will be in wheelchair for rest of his life

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The Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association

The mountain rescue volunteer who plunged 500ft trying to save two campers flouting lockdown rules will now have to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

60-year-old Chris Lewis was one of the members called out on February 6th to Red Screes in the Lake District after two men, who had travelled from Liverpool and Leicester, required help. 

One of the men, a 47-year-old from Leicester, suffered chest pains during the night which meant the pair needed to call for help.

The campers were each fined £200 for breaching the lockdown rules.

Lake District Search And Mountain Rescue Association – LDSAMRA / Facebook

However, Mr Lewis fell on the rescue mission and it has now been confirmed he will spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

Patterdale Mountain Rescue team leader Mike Rippon said: “He’s got quite a lot of damage to his back in the area of his neck which has pretty serious and critical conditions for the future.

“We expect him to be at the best case wheelchair-bound but that would be a pretty good outcome.”

Speaking on how the catastrophic injuries suffered by Chris Lewis had hit the entire team, Rippon said: “It has been significant. In the last seven days or so we have tried to assess the team’s morale, mental wellbeing and how it has affected everybody.

“We’ve put things in place to allow people to reach out about what they’re feeling as a result of the incident. These things don’t come out in people overnight so we’ll have to monitor things for the foreseeable future.

“We are a team of dedicated volunteers and like everyone in mountain rescue we give our time freely, we go out and rescue people at the drop of a hat. It is unfortunate that in this case these people were breaking lockdown rules.

“The outpouring of sympathy has been humbling and the funds raised will go to Chris for the long term, they will be for his future.”

His colleague Mike Blakey said: “I’ve done this for 25 years, I can honestly say this was the worst rescue.

“I’ve seen some things in my time but you never expect to have to rescue one of your own. He’s having conversations with me already about where we are going to go in the wheelchair.”

Despite the anger felt towards the two campers online for flouting the lockdown rules, Martin Cotterell from the team of volunteers said they are ‘not there to judge’. 

He said: “We are there to help. We all love the fells, we are all mountaineers, we go out there because we think we can help people in difficulty. Trying to judge is wrong.”

An online fundraiser has now been set up, with more than £450,000 already raised to provide Chris with the support he’ll need for the rest of his life.

Local resident Kate Whittenbury, who started one of the funds for Mr Lewis, said: “Local people are quite angry about it to be honest. It didn’t really have to happen, they shouldn’t have been here in the first place.

“I just thought something positive needed to be done to offset the negativity.”

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Brand new Stockport interchange with rooftop garden now open

It opened this morning to welcome its first passengers

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Bee Network / Facebook

The brand new Stockport transport interchange is now open for passengers.

Passengers can now use the interchange to catch buses to and from Stockport, and make use of the Bee Network.

The stops at Heaton Lane bus station are now closed, and passengers who previously caught a bus from here can now use the new interchange.

Bee Network / Facebook

The interchange is part of an exciting £1 billion investment into the town to make it an even better place in which to live, work, play and connect.

Key design aspects of the new development include a fully accessible under cover passenger concourse with a seating area, cycle storage facilities, travel information on screens and a travel shop.

Other facilities include fully accessible toilets with baby changing and Changing Places facilities.

Bee Network / Facebook

The modern interchange holds 18 bus stands, with capacity to accommodate 164 bus departures per hour to allow for future growth in bus services.

It also holds a unique and lush green space on the roof, which is a welcomed addition for everyone to enjoy .

The rooftop park has been delivered, in collaboration with the Environmental Agency and features a ‘blue-roof’ drainage system that will capture and store rainwater to allow control run-off into drainage outfall and watercourses mitigating any flood risk.

Bee Network / Facebook

Visitors can use the eye-catching spiral cycle and walking ramp, which connects to the new park as it spans across the Mersey Frontage, Trans Pennine Trail and the River Mersey.

Stair and lift links between the new park, interchange and Trans Pennine Trail to make it accessible for all.

And on top of all that, 196 new, high-quality residential new, high-quality residential apartments off Daw Ban (126 two-bedroom, 70 one-bedroom) tower above this stunning rooftop park and Stockport’s contemporary transport hub – with views spanning across the town.

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Body found near swing bridge in search for missing man from Eccles

Sad news

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Greater Manchester Police & warhead / Flickr

A body has sadly been found near Barton Swing Bridge in the search for a man who went missing from Eccles last week, police say.

Andrew Heys, from Eccles, was last captured on Ring Cam walking along Barton Lane in the direction of Barton Road at 3.43am on Tuesday, March 12th.

Andrew had been described as ‘vulnerable’ and requiring regular medication.

Greater Manchester Police

The body was recovered from the Barton Bridge area of Salford, following a search of the surrounding areas on Saturday, March 16th.

Although a formal identification is yet to take place, Andrew’s family have been informed of the update and are currently being supported by specialist officers through this distressing time.

The death is not being treated as suspicious and a file is currently being prepared for the coroner.

Greater Manchester Police

Detective Inspector Mike Sharples, from GMP Salford, said: “Our thoughts and deepest condolences remain with Andrew’s family and friends at this time.

“Officers and specialist resources have been working around the clock and through the night to find Andrew since he was first reported missing to us, and I would like to thank members of the public who shared our appeals and assisted with our investigation.

“Our priority now is to make sure we can do everything possible to support the family and get the necessary answers for his loved ones, but I would ask that the family are given privacy during this time.”

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New shipping container street food village to open in Wigan

Great news for Wigan!

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STACK & @stacknewcastle / Instagram

Container street food village brand STACK has confirmed its expansion with a brand new opening coming to Wigan.

The group will take over the former Debenhams unit in the town centre’s Grand Arcade.

The proposed development will see the site capable of holding up to 2,000 people and offering a wide range of music and entertainment as well as bars and street food vendors.

STACK

Plans will see a new frontage created on Concert Square, with STACK making a welcome addition to the leisure venues at the Grands Arcade – also home to games and activity centre Gamer X – and boosting Wigan’s night time economy.

Announcing the expansion, Neill Winch, STACK Managing Director, said: “We are incredibly excited to be bringing STACK to Wigan.

“The Grand Arcade is a stunning location with a rich history, and we believe that STACK will be a perfect fit for its vibrant atmosphere and growing community.

@stacknewcastle / Instagram

“We are committed to creating a space that not only entertains but also fosters a sense of belonging and community, and we can’t wait to welcome Wigan residents and visitors through our doors.”

STACK first opened in Newcastle in August 2018 and was a huge success attracting over 3 million visitors in its first four years. It currently also operates sites in Seaburn, Sunderland.

STACK is also set to open sites in Manchester, Lincoln, Northampton, Durham, Carlisle, and Bishop Auckland, with two more planned in Newcastle.

The opening date for STACK Wigan will be confirmed once planning permission is secured.

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