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Here's the Mancunian Way for today:
Hello,
This is the 200th edition of the Mancunian Way - thank you so much for joining me each day.
If you can believe it we've had three Prime Ministers, many lengths of airport queues and about a billion train cancellations in that time. Where does the time go eh?
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading the newsletter as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. And if you have, please feel free to recommend it to a friend, who can sign up here.
On to the news. In today’s newsletter, we’re going to be looking at Strep A cases across Greater Manchester, some data from the recent Census and one woman's recent experience in A&E.
But first, let’s talk about getting home this Christmas.
As readers of this newsletter (or in fact any sentient being) will know, Britain’s rail system is not currently in the best shape. Single tickets between London and the North are topping more than £180, Avanti West Coast has the worst punctuality records of any operator and Transpennine Express cancelled or changed more than 1,000 trains overnight in the space of a few weeks.
Meanwhile, union members are planning to strike just at the time everyone is planning to travel for Christmas. It seems we’ll need more than to dulcet tones of Chris Rea to propel us home this year.
And so to the Megabus. Once a cheap necessity, it currently seems almost quaint in these times of dog-eat-dog rail travel. And as Money editor Rachel Pugh found out following her first trip on the big blue bus, it’s actually not that bad. Especially when you compare a £90 train journey with a £20 coach trip.
Clad in her shades and clutching a Louis Vuitton, Rachel says she perked up when she realised she could plug her phone in and watch the Real Housewives of Atlanta for the entire journey.
I was quite pleased to hear a positive story about coach travel after journeying that way myself for years. Although I must warn you that one of my worst trips did happen in December.
Breezily boarding after a fleeting visit to the capital, I braced for a long journey as thick snow had led to numerous road closures. But we had a brilliant driver who skillfully steered us through the icy back roads and we were home in time for tea.
Not that my extremely dramatic fellow passengers noticed. At one point a man stood up theatrically and loudly declared: “For heaven’s sake how long will this take?” before sitting back down as silence fell around him. Hell is other people.
Not long after that, another man turned to me and asked for half of my banana. We’d only been on the road for 45 minutes by that point. Toughen up lads.
But before I could be plunged into an existential crisis, the M60 was in our sights and we miraculously arrived at Chorlton Street Station on time, despite the awful weather. I would recommend coach travel - but do stock up on bananas first if you’re of a delicate disposition.
Scarlet fever cases in your area
There have been ten cases of Invasive Group A strep (iGAS) discovered across Greater Manchester since mid-August.
One case was recorded in Rochdale in the week ending December 4 and another in Oldham the week ending November 27. Oldham has seen three identified cases; Manchester and Tameside two; and Rochdale, Tameside and Wigan one each, according to Richard Ault of Reach data unit.
At least 15 children across the country died after developing the infection in recent months.
Meanwhile, cases of scarlet fever - a manifestation of Strep A infection - are on the rise.
The latest figures released by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show 1,131 people in England and Wales have been infected with scarlet fever in the last six weeks. That is up from a six-week running total of 991 announced last week.
In Greater Manchester, 56 cases were recorded for the week ending December 4.
Scarlet fever is easily treated with antibiotics, but monitoring levels can give health authorities an indication of how much Strep A bacteria is in circulation. This is important because in extremely rare cases Strep A can cause invasive group A streptococcal infection or iGAS.
Dr Colin Brown, deputy director of the UKHSA, says Scarlet fever and 'strep throat' are common childhood illnesses and though there is an increase, they remain ‘very uncommon’.
48 hours in A&E
With thousands of people waiting more than 12 hours in Greater Manchester’s A&Es last month, it is not an easy time to find yourself needing emergency care. And Tracey Elliott says she ‘never’ wants to go back after waiting for 48 hours.
The 55-year-old has described two days in two of Greater Manchester’s hospitals, during which she had to club together with other patients to buy a loaf of bread, was left overnight in corridors and eventually left without answers about her condition.
As health reporter Helena Vesty writes, Tracey was urgently sent to A&E with a letter from a Bupa doctor suspecting her of having cauda equina syndrome - a rare and severe type of spinal narrowing. Not realising she would be waiting so long, she was left without her usual medication and started suffering painful withdrawals.
In a series of distressing diary entries she wrote: “5.30am: I spent the night on the trolley in A&E, sandwiched between the screaming woman and an excruciatingly loud machine. At some point I had been given a paracetamol IV and when it didn't work, codeine, this didn't work either so about 5.30am I received oral morphine. No MRI had materialised.
“10.23am: I still hadn't had any sustenance, despite asking the nurse repeatedly for some food and a drink and eventually received toast and a coffee.
“2.30pm: I was moved to a corridor with 3 other people. I had not received a MRI, food, drink nor treatment, I had been in A&E for hours. We were all hungry and hadn't received food so we asked for toast, only to be told there was no bread, we all contributed so the nurse could buy a loaf and we could eat. One patient only had a chair so I shared my blankets and trolley.”
Hospital bosses say there is ‘exceptionally high demand’ for our emergency services and staff are working ‘incredibly hard’.
Around 34 per pitch
The recent results of the Census have thrown up some interesting statistics - not least about population changes.
They show that Salford has had the biggest population increase in the North West, according to information collected on March 21, 2021 - a 15.4 per cent increase.
Meanwhile, Manchester’s population size increased by 9.7 per cent, from around 503,100 in 2011 to 552,000 in 2021. This is higher than the overall increase for England, where the population grew by nearly 3.5 million to 56,489,800.
This lovely graphic by Carly Holds, using Census images, shows how that works out in terms of space on a football pitch.
Odeon set to be ditched
Official plans to ditch Manchester city centre’s current Odeon cinema have been submitted as part of a revamp of the Great Northern Warehouse.
Owner Trilogy has put forward plans to transform the Grade-II* listed building, on Deansgate, and look set to completely remove the ‘retail extension’ constructed in the 1990s which currently houses the cinema. Around 700 apartments will be built in its place, spanning two towers.
A ‘green oasis’, pedestrianised streets and office space are all include in the plans - which will go before Manchester City Council’s planning committee in the new year.
Trilogy says it wants to create a ‘green and flourishing neighbourhood’, with CEO Robert Wolstenholme hoping it will be a neighbourhood ‘authentic to its roots’.
World Cup Fringe
Beautiful South singer Paul Heaton really has pulled out all the stops to please everyone set to attend his Manchester Arena show this weekend.
Earlier this week he confirmed that the England vs France game will be shown at the gig on Saturday night. But he said he is ‘mindful’ of those who aren’t keen on watching the match.
Now, Paul says there will be pass outs and extra entertainment in the form of a ‘World Cup Fringe’ for those who aren’t interested in the football.
Now you can’t ask for more than that can you?
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Weather etc
- Saturday: Yellow weather warning of ice. 3C.
- Trains: Special timetable operating on Transpennine Express and Avanti West Coast due to shortage of train crews.
- Trivia question: Local democracy reporter Charlotte Green has come up with a quiz question that could flummox even the nerdiest of local politics fans.
Manchester headlines
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Uniforms: Coun Nazia Rehman, responsible for finance at Wigan Council, has launched a campaign urging schools to relax their uniform policy, limit their use of branded items from premium shops and provide stitch-on logos where possible. She says those who can't afford branded school uniforms are left feeling 'shame and guilt'. Parents spend on average £337 per year on school uniforms for each secondary school child and £315 on each primary school child, she said.
- Roundabout: A 'first-of-its-kind' roundabout for cyclists has opened in Salford, built as part of the council’s biggest ever road improvement scheme. Every junction along both sides of Trafford Road has been upgraded and a mile of segregated cycle track has also been introduced as part of a package of measures to encourage more cycling along with new crossings and signals. The new roundabout sits at the junction of existing segregated cycle lanes in Trafford Road, Broadway and Rowland Street.
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No confidence: Councillors laid into under-fire train operator TransPennine Express during a transport committee meeting. One claimed there is 'no confidence' in the company or its plans ahead of the introduction of the new nationwide rail timetable this weekend. Mayor Andy Burnham, meanwhile, confirmed in a message sent to the meeting that he would be asking for the company's 'contract to be terminated when it expires in May' unless there's a major reduction in cancellations by February. More here.
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Funding boost: Women who have experienced problems with fertility, the menopause or other reproductive health issues are set to benefit from almost £600,000 government funding. The grant has been awarded to four organisations across the North West including Mind in Greater Manchester, Maternity Action, Tommy's and The Women's Organisation - with the aim to improve the health of women in the workplace. More here.
Worth a read
What is it like to work as a spy in Manchester? Replace any notions of James Bond martinis and gadgets with a knack for puzzles and naturally sound judgement and you get a better idea.
Damon Wilkinson - who was allowed a sneak peak inside the city’s GCHQ offices - has been finding out what it takes to work for the intelligence agency. And as deputy director Liz (no last name) tells him, there is a stringent vetting procedure.
"But I have teenagers and it's fun to say 'Mum's a spy'. It is exciting, I have to say,” she says.
“But we don't go round following people in the city centre or anything like that.”
That's all for today
Thanks for joining me. If you have stories you would like us to look into, email beth.abbit@menmedia.co.uk.
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