On Wednesday, I had a brush with fame. I was standing around the ballroom of the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, at the Pride of Manchester awards.
“Excuse me, mate, can you take a quick photo?,” the very polite, and very smiley, Aljaž Škorjanec asked as he posed with Jsky. The two beamed, I snapped, and they parted and thanked me.
Aljaž was evidently made up to meet Bury’s Jsky, but not as made up as the real stars of the show were that night.
READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community
There was Greg Davis, who managed to be the star of the show even as two Happy Mondays and a former New Orderist sang ‘Blue Monday’. Florence Coke, aka Mama Flo, stole the spotlight from Will Mellor.
There was John Jones, whose accordion-led antics had the whole room bouncing. And there Figen Murray, whose powerful on-stage words didn’t leave a dry in the house.
And it was during those moments, where a room full of Manchester’s biggest stars — including TV personalities, actors, and football icons — stopped for our everyday heroes that I realised something.
We are all celebrities, in a way. Or we can be.
We can all make a difference with what we say. We can all set trends. We just do it on a slightly smaller scale to the likes of Corrie’s best, or United’s captains.
And to my mind, that’s where Manchester can be most proud of itself. Wednesday’s event is notable for the glitz and glamour — but without the Mancs who do the extraordinary, without expecting praise, it’s nothing.
Maybe it’s time to change that. Maybe we should give one another a pat on the back more.
In that spirit, I’m giving a pat on the back to three brilliant colleagues — Lee Grimsditch, Sophie Halle-Richards, and Chris Slater — who have produced some great weekend reads to get your time off started perfectly.
The lip-reading children's nurse who has never let it hold her back
Since we’ve been talking about everyday heroes, let’s look at another. Joanne Timperley’s desire to care for sick children is extraordinary in itself, but what makes it extra-special is the barriers she’s had to overcome in order to do so.
She left school without any A levels, but undeterred, at the age of 21, she began working on the wards at the former Pendlebury Children's Hospital, after completing a degree at night school.
Her biggest setback came at the age of 26, though, when Joanne was diagnosed with hearing loss. To this day, she has to wear hearing aids.
And, amazingly, she lip reads to communicate with her patients at work on the wards at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
"It's a very challenging job at times, but I feel very privileged to be part of a young patient's journey," the 53-year-old from Oldham told Sophie Halle-Richards. "But it’s not about me."
"I’m just pleased when a child finishes treatment and rings the end of treatment bell. If I can make a little bit of difference to their lives, that’s what I want. It’s all about what they’re going through."
You can read Joanne’s incredible story — and how she’s inspired others — here.
Greater Manchester’s links to Eurovision - from the UK's first 'nul points' to Morrissey
This weekend, all eyes will be on Liverpool as the city hosts Eurovision for the first time. Manchester did bid to host the singing contest, but the scousers came out on top.
Looking on from afar, it appears Merseyside has gone Eurovision-mad, and we’re all for it. When the ceremony kicks off at 8pm this evening, viewers will be treated to a glittering array of costumes, dancing, and vocals. But Mancs need not be envious — there are plenty of links between Greater Manchester and the famous singing contest.
Most bizarrely of all, Lee Grimsditch writes, is Morrissey. The Smiths frontman was in talks to be the UK’s entry in the mid-2000s, but the deal fell through.
We’ve also a runner-up in Lyn Paul, who performed with The New Seekers. The Wythenshawe-raised Paul went on to have a successful acting career after Luxembourg beat us.
Read the other connections here.
"If we win it, it would be absolutely everything"
All eyes might be on Liverpool this weekend, but in just under a month, Manchester will rightly be back in the spotlight. On June 3, thousands of mancs will (try to) descend on Wembley, rail strikes permitting.
With the first-ever Manchester derby FA Cup Final on the cards, Chris Slater has been speaking to Red Devils and Citizens about what lifting the famous old trophy would mean.
"I'm confident though I'd say,” a very confident City fan Thomas Selwood, 36, from Denton said. “Haaland will score six at least. Well, he'll probably score five and Pep will take him off for a rest.”
Trevor Danson, from Salford, is firmly attached to the red side of the city. "I'm a joiner and I love all the banter at work leading up to it and then after as well,” he reflected. “So to have it in a final is just mega.
“At the minute everyone thinks United are a joke, so we need to turn it around, and absolutely destroy City to send a message that we're not. If we win it, it would be absolutely everything."
You can read Chris’ piece on what it means for fans, and football in general, here.
One more thing…
The weather will be glorious today, or that’s what the Met Office said on Friday afternoon when I wrote this. If it is, and you fancy a sun-soaked pint, Jenna Campbell has selected some of her favourite beer gardens in town.
The full list is here. Please enjoy the beer, and the sun, responsibly.
READ NEXT:
- 'If it was up to me, I would lock him up and throw away the key'
- Porsche spotted racing BMW at more than 140 miles an hour
- Bank of England boss warns of more financial pain to come after yet another interest rate rise
- Body of pensioner found in his flat SIX YEARS after he died
- 'Atrocious' delays, cancellations and 'major issues': Manchester passengers bid farewell to TransPennine Express
