Mandy Neal won last year’s York Press Community Pride Award in the ‘Against All Odds’ category for her positivity and inspiration, which inspired award judges and Press readers.

As the Press reported, Mandy suddenly fell ill in January 2024, and was rushed to York Hospital where she was put in an induced coma in intensive care and placed on a ventilator. Doctors diagnosed pneumonia but also an infection – Strep A.

Mandy remained in hospital for a long time during which her body fought hard to keep her organs going, meaning blood supplies to her extremities were restricted. She survived but both her hands and feet had to be amputated.

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The much-loved mother and grandmother from York had always previously enjoyed good health and an active lifestyle – swimming, cycling and playing with her grandchildren.

Since her surgery, Many, who has worked as a waitress at Betty’s for 30 years, has inspired others by carrying on as best she can, including learning to independently walk again, using prosthetics legs.

Mandy Neal and guests of the TRTRehab wellness retreat. (Image: Pic supplied)

Mandy’s award was sponsored by TRTRehab, a multi-awards winning Therapy Studio which specialises in helping people get out of pain and regain control of their lives.

TRTRehab founder and owner Iwona Michalska said: “We were inspired by her honesty, humour and strength, and felt she would be the perfect motivational speaker for our retreat. She absolutely delivered, encouraging attendees to keep fighting for their health and to believe that a good life does not stop with disability.”

TRTrehab runs immersive retreats twice a year at Hawkhills, near York. These retreats are designed for individuals who are willing to go the extra mile and fully immerse themselves in recovery from persistent pain, chronic illness or disability.

The last retreat was last weekend, which included tailored exercise sessions adapted to each participant’s ability, team games and personal challenges, mindset and resilience training and social activities.

Mandy Neal and TRTRehab’s Iwona Michalska (Image: NQ)

Iwona added: “Mandy is passionate about inspiring others and is always keen to connect with new groups, schools and organisations to spread her message that life does not stop with disability.

“Mandy joined us at the retreat as our motivational speaker, and she was truly outstanding. She inspired, motivated and encouraged everyone in the room to keep fighting for their health and their lives, no matter the obstacles they face. 

“Her story and positivity had a real impact on all who attended.”

TRTrehab hopes to welcome Mandy again, this time as a participant at our next retreat in November 2026.

For more information about TRTrehab and upcoming retreats, go to: www.trtrehab.co.uk

Bus passes could not previously be used before 9.30am on weekdays, but as of March 1, pensioners with passes are entitled to free bus travel at any time, anywhere in Greater Manchester.

Passenger Wendy Pye said: “It’s very welcome.

“I’ll get the benefit of it at least two days a week because I come into Bolton for classes and shopping.

“I have to get the bus to Halliwell at 9.28am, so I had to pay for that.

Leigh McCarthy (centre) with fellow bus pass users (Image: Dan Dougherty)

“The man who usually sits next to me on the bus is a pensioner and his wife is in care – he has to spend £10 a week on buses because he doesn’t drive.

“It’s good they’ve got around to doing it – hopefully it encourages people to get out more.”

Several passengers noted that lifting of the restrictions will encourage older people to leave the house more often – vitally important for people who are at a higher risk of isolation and loneliness.

Passenger Leigh McCarthy said: “It’s a good idea.

“It’s helpful, especially if we have an appointment or if we have to go to the doctor.

“We all use the passes!”

Fellow traveller Jeanette Thorburn added: “It’s about time.

“I was penalised because I have to get a bus before 9am.

“I tend to come into Bolton three times a week, so I should save about £6.”

According to Age UK, around one in six pensioners in the UK lives in poverty, with that figure expected to rise above two million in the coming years, meaning money saved on buses can help significantly.

Regular bus user R. Pattison said: “Oh, I’ll save quite a bit of money.

Buses leaving Bolton station (Image: Dan Dougherty)

“I don’t drive, so I have to take the bus more often.

“I went to the Trafford Centre the other week and then to Trafford Hospital to visit someone.

“My trip in a taxi would cost £60!”

Discussion of the passes was positive, even among staff.

One bus driver, who preferred not to be named, said: “People are happy about it, really.

“Last week, one guy who gets on my bus was saying ‘only three more days!’

“It gets people out and about a bit more too.

“It fills up the buses and keeps us in work!”

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The court heard the defendant denied the allegations when interviewed by police, saying he suffered from erectile dysfunction.

A Belfast man went on trial on Monday accused of multiple sex offences and physical assaults on three siblings.

The 44-year-old, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the complainants, has been charged with 12 counts of rape and 19 offences of common assault. He is also charged with five counts of child cruelty and nine further sex offences.

The charges, which the defendant denies, are alleged by the complainants to have taken place on dates between January 14, 2017 and May 10, 2021.

Opening the Crown case, senior prosecution counsel Richard Weir KC told the Belfast Crown Court jury of six men and six women that the defendant started a relationship with the mother of the complainants in 2016.

He said that over time the relationship developed and the defendant moved in with his partner and her two daughters and a son.

“The relationship was not without problems. In the early part of 2021, a crisis occurred and the children were put in the care of their maternal grandmother,” Mr Weir told the jury.

“In April 2023, police received a report from social services indicating one of the complainants wanted to speak about sexual abuse she was alleging this had been perpetrated on her by the accused in this case.”

Mr Weir outlined how the following month, police carried out a series of ‘achieving best evidence’ (ABE) interviews with the teenage girl. She disclosed a number of physical and sexual assaults on her by the accused over a four year period.

The complainant alleged that around the age of 11 the defendant alleged raped her after she got a new pair of shoes.

Mr Weir said she described a further incident of alleged rape when she was under 13 and wearing a thick knit jumper.

“You will hear that this was a common thing done to her by the accused. In effect, she says this happened every other day and after these alleged rapes she says he told her he loved her.”

As well as the alleged sexual assaults, she told police she also suffered physical assault too at the hands of the defendant.

She claimed she was hit with a belt at the age of 12, she was punched in the face when she was 13, grabbed and trailed her by the hair, choked her on a bed and also threatened her with a knife.

Mr Weir told the jury: “We say there was ill-treatment throughout a significant period. She says he made her hit her two other siblings as a punishment.”

A second female complainant also made a series of ABEs in which she alleged she suffered a number of common assaults.

This included the defendant stamping on her head, beating her after she woke him up “by knocking over wallpaper”, being kicked which resulted in her urinating when was aged between five and eight, and being dragged downstairs by the hair.

The young female also disclosed to police that at around the age of six she was hit with a shoe as well as being struck several times with a belt after her trousers were taken down.

She said the accused had put her in fear by stabbing a wooden table as well as being shut up in her room where her older sister was “forced to hit her”.

Their younger brother also told police about assaults on him by the defendant. He claimed that at the age of eight he was “pinned to a wall”, he was hit on one occasion with a hoover attachment, he had his head stamped on, thrown onto a bed and punched, punched in the face in the kitchen and was grounded and kept in his room for days.

He also claimed he was hit by his older sister under the direction of the accused.

The court heard the defendant denied the allegations when interviewed by police, saying he suffered from erectile dysfunction.

Addressing the jury, Mr Weir said: “We say that when your have heard all of the evidence in this case, you will be convinced to the necessary standard of beyond reasonable doubt of the guilt of the accused on each and every one of the counts on the bill of indictment.”

At hearing.

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Alex Iwobiscored a stunning goal for Fulham against Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday and said it was thanks to his unique groins.

The 29-year-old helped pile the misery onto beleaguered Spurs as he scored Fulham’s second of the day on 34 minutes at Craven Cottage.

His effort doubled the home side’s lead after Harry Wilson opened the scoring and a Richarlison goal in the second half proved to be just a consolation for Tottenham as Fulham won 2-1.

Iwobi’s was the pick of the goals as he powerfully found the bottom corner from distance with pinpoint accuracy.

It was an unusual finish as he hit the ball with his instep from distance, but generated the speed and hit his target with such precision that it flew past Vicario.

Not only was it an unusual finish, but the Nigeria international had an unusual explanation for how he hit the ball like that.

‘Unique. That’s the best way to put it,’ said Iwobi as he described his goal.

‘I don’t think anyone has groins to open up their hip and side-foot it like that.

‘When H [Harry Wilson] passes to me I had one thought to side-foot it. I do it in training, so my team-mates weren’t surprised.’

Manager Marco Silva wasn’t surprised either, but put it among Iwobi’s best Fulham goals, of which there have been 19 since he joined from Everton in 2023.

‘It’s one of his best goals, he is capable to do these type of things,’ said the Fulham boss. ‘He is stronger when he tries to choose a corner and make a strong pass. It was a brilliant moment for him.

‘It was a great performance overall, from an offensive point of view we enjoyed it – dynamic, creating chances, making it difficult for them.’

It was Iwobi’s second goal in as many games as Fulham recorded back-to-back wins over Sunderland and then their London rivals.

‘He’s a manager’s dream’

The Cottagers are up to ninth and have a chance of pinching a European finish if they can finish the season strongly.

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher feels Iwobi will be a big part of that push, praising him as an underrated ‘manager’s dream’ after his performance in the 3-1 win over Sunderland.

‘For me, he’s one of those players who can play different positions, he’s a manager’s dream, especially a Marco Silva dream,’ Carragher said on Sky Sports.

‘This is a guy who spent a lot of money to bring him from Arsenal to Everton. He then took him from Everton to Fulham. He’s a huge fan and you can understand why.

‘Physically, he’s absolutely fantastic. The quality he shows, an assist from a set piece and a lovely finish as well, this quality he’s got is actually underrated. We don’t maybe speak about it enough.

‘We speak about other Fulham players and rightly so, but he’s certainly up there with the best players that Fulham have got this season.’

Fulham will look to make it three wins on the bounce when they host another London derby on Wednesday, welcoming West Ham to Craven Cottage.

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Jonathan Ross is the host of new Channel 4 experiment Handcuffed: Last Pair Standing

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Presenter Jonathan Ross will be back on screens tonight as he fronts a brand new Channel 4 experiment.

The talkshow host, known for The Jonathan Ross Show and who more recently starred on the celebrity version of The Traitors, is the new face of Handcuffed: Last Pair Standing.

The new series sees 18 contestants handcuffed together as they compete to win £100,000. The nine pairs will have to cope with being chained to each other 24/7, doing everything just inches apart. If it gets too much, they can uncuff at any time, but if they do they’ll be out of the competition. Jonathan’s starting the competition as he knows best, in a TV studio with a live audience.

Asked who he’d most like to be handcuffed to, Jonathan said: “The obvious answer would be my wife (but I kind of am already) then I would say David Attenborough. Who doesn’t love David Attenborough?”

Jonathan is married to Jane Goldman, with the pair tying the knot in 1988. The couple share three children, Betty Kitten, Harvey Kirby, and Honey Kinny, with Honey having featured alongside her father on ITV’s Romesh Ranganathan’s Parents’ Evening and more recently in the weekly podcast Reel Talk with Honey & Jonathan Ross.

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Jonathan recently opened up about his marriage to Jane, who is a renowned screenwriter and producer, following his stint on the celebrity version of The Traitors. In a sweet admission while being interviewed on Loose Women, the television personality told how he missed his wife “tremendously,” and shared that they had never gone a day without speaking to one another.

On what it felt like to be eliminated, Jonathan said: “I genuinely felt relief. When I travelled home from Scotland on the plane, that was the happiest I’ve been in my entire life.

“Also I’d missed my wife tremendously, and I’d missed being in contact with my kids. I had been able to speak to my wife, they allowed me to have a brief phone call every morning, but somebody from production would come in with their phone.”

Asked if that was something he had specifically requested, Jonathan said he had, adding: “We’ve never had a day when we didn’t speak to each other, because why would we? And we’re not away from each other very often, but if we are, we speak several times a day on the phone, so it was less than I would have liked.”

Jonathan’s new show, Handcuffed: Last Pair Standing, will air on Channel 4 at 9pm on Monday, March 2.

A synposis for the new Channel 4 series reads: “Could you survive being handcuffed to a total stranger? In a brand new social experiment, Jonathan Ross is challenging 18 brave Brits to do just that, as they compete to win a £100,000 prize.

“The nine pairs will have to cope with being chained to each other 24/7, doing everything – quite literally – just inches apart. If it gets too much, they can uncuff at any time, but if they do they’ll be out of the competition. The last pair standing takes all. Jonathan’s starting the competition as he knows best, in a TV studio with a live audience.

“The competitors represent a complete cross section of British society, and have never met each other before. As the cuffs are locked in position with the duos either side of a special screen, they’ll only discover who they’ve been chained to once the divide goes back.

“In a divided Britain, Jonathan’s hoping living in such close proximity will force these opposites to talk, listen, and maybe even learn from each other. As the pairs set off for each other’s houses, to walk a mile in their partner’s shoes, we focus in on three of the couples.”

Handcuffed: Last Pair Standing starts on Channel 4 at 9pm on Monday, March 2.

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The Scottish craft beer giant which has around 60 locations across the country has revealed all of its bars will remain closed on Monday, as it looks to complete the sale of its business.

Brewdog, known for craft beer such as Punk IPA and Elvis Juice, announced it had appointed consultants AlixPartners to oversee a sale process in February.

But today, chief executive James Taylor informed staff in an internal email seen by the BBC , that all Brewdog bars would be closed today due to a series of “calls” taking place.

James also confirmed the company had cancelled food and beer deliveries, as well as customer bookings for the day.

You can find your local Brewdog bar via its website .

Why has Brewdog shut all of its UK bars today?

The full email said: “We appreciate this is an unsettling time for everyone, and we want to ensure that all colleagues have the opportunity to hear directly from us about what happens next.

“We will therefore be holding a series of company-wide All Hands calls tomorrow (Monday) for all employees across the whole business. These will be scheduled tomorrow.

“To enable everyone to attend, and to comply with licensing issues arising from an anticipated change of ownership, we have taken the decision that none of our bars will open tomorrow (Monday). All sites will remain closed for the day.

“We have also cancelled food and beer deliveries, as well as customer bookings, for that day.”

In January, BrewDog announced it was closing its distilling brands, sparking concerns for jobs at its facility in Ellon, Aberdeenshire.

The company, which was founded in 2007 by James Watt and Martin Dickie, said it made the decision to focus on its beer products.

In total, Brewdog operates 72 bars around the world as well as four breweries.

Brewdog closed 10 bars across the UK in summer of 2025

Last summer, Brewdog made the decision to shut 10 of its bars across the UK, including in Brighton and York.

The full list of locations which closed for good in July 2025 were:

• Aberdeen Gallowgate
• Brighton
• Camden, London
• Dundee
• Leeds North Street
• Oxford
• Sheffield
• Shepherds Bush, London
• Shoreditch, London
• York

A Brewdog spokesperson said at the time: “We can confirm that following a review of our bars business we have made the difficult decision to close 10 bars – which reflects a more focused strategy and a rationalisation of our bar footprint.

There are around 60 Brewdog sites in the UK (Image: Jane Barlow/PA)

“This decision is not simply a response to the challenging UK hospitality market, but a proactive decision to redefine the bar division’s focus for long-term and profitable growth – accounting for ongoing industry challenges, including rising costs, increased regulation, and economic pressures.

“We are working hard to minimise the impact on our people, and we expect to redeploy many affected team members across the BrewDog network.

“For those leaving the business, we’re providing as much support as possible during this transition.”

Were you planning on heading to your local Brewdog today? Let us know in the comments below.

John Andrew Rostron, 60, who is believed to be of no fixed abode, passed away at an address on Chorley New Road, Bolton on Sunday March 1.

His death is not currently being treated as suspicious by Greater Manchester Police.

A GMP Spokesperson said: “Police are appealing for the public’s help to trace family of a man from Bolton.

“John Andrew Rostron sadly passed away at an address on Chorley New Road, Bolton on 01/03/2026.

“There are believed to be no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death.

“Anyone with information about John’s next of kin should contact the Police Coroner’s Office in Bolton on 0161 856 4687.”

Once the police have the details that they need, they will be passed along to the Coroner’s Office to let full cause of death be established.

Ryedale Swim and Leisure Centre in Pickering has shut today (Monday) due to a leak in the plant room.

Peter Smith, contract manager, said: “We can confirm the centre is temporarily closed due to a leak in the plant room.

“We are working with experts to resolve the issue and are on course to reopen tomorrow morning.

“We will update our customers as soon as possible and apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

As Iran continues to fire rockets and missiles at surrounding countries in the Middle East, Israel has used a brand new weapon to defend its airspace.

Israel’s ‘Iron Beam’ system allows the country to shoot down projectiles with laser technology.

Footage released yesterday showed missiles raining down after Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, launched strikes into Israel.

Suddenly, the projectiles exploded mid-air, after a beam of light shot up into the night sky.

It’s the latest technology to be added to the country’s Iron Dome missile defence system, which has proved to be vital in protecting civilians since it was implemented.

The country has 2 operational Iron Beam systems, which are able to intercept rockets, mortars and drones.

Defence officials previously explained how the system is equipped with a beam director and targeting system, allowing it to fire with precision.

The system was first introduced in 2014, but only declared operational in September 2025, when it was delivered to the army.

The Iron Dome works in a similar way to the Iron Beam, but by using missile launchers.

They work by first identifying an incoming rocket within a 2.5 to 43-mile radius. The battery then sends information about the rocket and its path to a command-and-control centre.

Once they receive this information, the control centre calculates the location of the rocket’s impact and whether it is going to strike areas inhabited by people.

When dealing with multiple threats, the Iron Dome uses data to deduce the rockets that pose the greatest threat to populated areas and infrastructure, deprioritising those that are likely to hit the sea or areas not populated.

Few reliable estimates for Iran’s stockpile of ballistic missiles exist, but it is widely considered to be one of the largest and most advanced in the region.

Some of the high-speed missiles can reach Israeli territory in just 15 minutes.  

Israel and Iran are about 1,400 miles apart, so only medium-range ballistic missiles – those capable of travelling over 620 miles – can strike the other.

Unlike cruise missiles, which are jet engine-powered and fly in a relatively flat trajectory, ballistic missiles are rocket-powered and launched high into the atmosphere before descending back down to reach its intended target.

They can carry either nuclear or conventional warheads.

As the detached warhead(s) reenter the Earth’s atmosphere, it can reach a speed greater than 1,988 miles per hour.

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