News
Family pay tribute to ‘inspirational’ grandma found dead after ‘trying to get home’
‘She was such a remarkable woman and we are all proud to say she was our mum’
The family of a grandma tragically found dead in woodland next to the M56 has paid a touching tribute to the woman who was the ‘heart and soul of the family’.
Lillian Ferguson, 71, had been to visit one of her daughters in County Cork, Ireland, for Christmas and landed back in Manchester on New Year’s Eve.
The grandmother to 25 and mum-of-five was supposed to catch the tram from the airport to her home nearby in Wythenshawe.
Unfortunately, Lillian didn’t make it home that night and didn’t catch the tram. Instead, she was captured on dashcam footage walking onto the M56 slip road at junction five. Her family believe she may have become confused and got lost as she tried to make her way home.
Greater Manchester Police launched a missing persons investigation, making several appeals to help trace Lillian and bring her safely home. She was seen leaving the airport and walking in the direction of the motorway shortly after midnight.
Lillian was a single mum and foster mum to her sister’s children. She moved to England from County Clare in Ireland in the mid 1980s as she embarked on a new life. Her family say she always worked hard to make sure they were always provided for.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, Lillian’s daughter Suzanne, 40, also from Wythenshawe, said the family’s loss of an ‘inspirational’ grandma has left a ‘huge void’ in their lives.
Suzanne told the news publication: “She has 25 grandchildren and always had time for all of them, she was amazing. She was inspirational.
“My mum came over here with nothing. When she left Ireland it was just the clothes on our backs. She was also a foster mum; not only did she bring up her five children, but she took in my auntie’s three children when she died.”
She went on: “She was such a remarkable woman and we are all proud to say she was our mum. Even when she went missing she was in Ugg boots and a Burberry scarf, she always looked so glam.
“She had been to visit my other sister for a break over Christmas and was going to be back with us for the new year. She’d normally get the tram from the airport as it is the next stop, just a stone’s throw away. Her friend was waiting for her at the stop and they would walk back together.
“My mum has walked back from that airport so many times because we live minutes away. I think she must have thought the trams weren’t running with it being New Year’s Eve.
“She must have taken a wrong turning, if she had carried on forward down the road, she would have been to the Etrop Grange Hotel, but she has turned left and come onto the slip road onto the motorway at junction five.”
The family say they don’t know the reason Lillian took an unfamiliar route home that night but suspect it may have been linked to her epilepsy, which sometimes caused her to experience memory lapses.
They say the headlights from cars or fireworks to mark the New year may have caused her to become confused. Suzanne continued: “She was found in a dangerous wooded area to the side of the motorway.
“She had scrambled through trees and ended up at high fence where there was a secure car park. That’s where she was found. We were all so confused because she’s never taken that route before. We still can’t understand how or why she got onto the motorway.
“We were out searching those areas, but we would have never found her in that area. We know she was definitely trying to get back home.
“She had been caught on dashcams on the slip road. So many people shared my mum’s photos and contacted the police with sightings.”
Suzanna thanked the public for helping the police trace her mum. She added: “If it hadn’t have been for them, the people of Manchester, who posted it or reported it, we may have never found her. We are so thankful to those people. We couldn’t have coped with never finding her.
“It has been so amazing to see how highly people thought of her on social media. So many people who I don’t even know are messaging me. If she didn’t know she was loved then, she certainly will do now.”
The family are now waiting on a post mortem to establish the cause of Lillian’s death.
News
Oasis announce huge reunion tour as Liam and Noel Gallagher ‘make peace’
The news we’ve all been waiting for!
After years of will-they-won’t-they speculation, Oasis are officially BACK together for a reunion tour.
The Gallagher brothers have put aside their differences in the name of music, making thousands of fans extremely happy in the process.
The band teased the news on their socials over the weekend, posting a video on Sunday morning with today’s date (Tuesday, August 27th) and the time 8am.
And now shows have been announced for multiple dates in the UK and Ireland, with tickets going live this Saturday, August 31st.
The legendary Mancunian rockers will take to the stage next summer, with gigs in Cardiff, London, Edinburgh, Dublin and, of course, Manchester.
15 years after splitting, the band confirmed they would be back for 14 shows, saying: “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised”.
The gigs will be Oasis’s ‘only shows in Europe next year’, with tickets on sale this Saturday at 8am in Ireland and 9am in the UK.
The Oasis 2025 tour dates in full:
July
4th – Cardiff, Principality Stadium
5th – Cardiff, Principality Stadium
11th – Manchester, Heaton Park
12th – Manchester, Heaton Park
19th – Manchester, Heaton Park
20th – Manchester, Heaton Park
25th – London, Wembley Stadium
26th – London, Wembley Stadium
August
2nd – London, Wembley Stadium
3rd – London, Wembley Stadium
8th – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
9th – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
16th – Dublin, Croke Park
17th – Dublin, Croke Park
You can grab your tickets HERE.
News
Stagecoach hiring over 100 new bus drivers for Bee Network with £31k salaries
Fancy a career change?
Stagecoach Manchester is hiring over 100 new bus drivers to work from its Oldham depot, following the second phase of the Bee Network launch in March.
You can apply for a range of roles, from positions with no experience required to fully qualified bus drivers.
Successful applicants will receive full training as part of the job, and trainees will get paid to train. Then after only 12 months’ service at Stagecoach, drivers can expect to earn up to £16 per hour, which equates to £31.6K per year, before overtime.
As well as that, drivers that already hold a PCV licence may be eligible to receive a £1,200 joining bonus.
Stagecoach
There’s also a host of other benefits available to all Stagecoach employees, like 28 days paid holiday, generous pension and free Stagecoach bus travel for successful applicants and a companion.
Rob Jones, Managing Director at Stagecoach Manchester said: “Expanding our offering in Oldham means we’ll be investing more in the economy and supporting our local community, as well as strengthening our workforce.
“Whether you’re looking for a career change or you’re a fully qualified, experienced bus driver, there’s a role for everyone here in Oldham.
“We’re looking for personable and dedicated drivers who are ready to help us build on the success of the Bee Network and connect the people of Oldham and Greater Manchester with the places and people that are important to them.”
Stagecoach
Phil Cornwall, bus driver at Stagecoach Manchester, said: “I’ve been a driver at Stagecoach for 25 years and I couldn’t recommend it more.
“From the perks to the people to the passengers, it really is a great place to work.”
To apply, head to the Stagecoach website HERE.
Two men have now been charged with murder, following the discovery of a human torso in Kersal Dale.
As well as that, more suspected human remains were also discovered this morning, Monday April 29th, in an alleyway close to the railway lines off Worsley Road, Eccles.
This follows earlier discoveries of human remains over the past three weeks, at Kersal Dale, Blackleach Reservoir and Colliery Wood, all in Salford.
Greater Manchester Police
Michal Jaroslaw Polchowski (25/04/1956) and Marcin Majerkiewicz (10/04/1982) both of Worsley Road, Eccles, have been charged with murder.
They are set to appear at Tameside Magistrates Court this afternoon.
While formal identification is still ongoing, the remains found at Kersal Dale are believed to be of a local man in his 60s. The remains found at the other three locations are still to be tested, but police are confident they belong to the same victim.
ACC Sarah Jackson said: “We have had large numbers of officers, staff and specialists working diligently on this investigation over the last three weeks. It has been very much a large, collective effort, with the victim and family at the heart of it from the outset.
“We have specially trained officers deployed to support the family as they come to terms with this tragic news. They are aware of this morning’s further discovery and will continue to be kept up to date with how we are progressing.
“Despite the charges brought today, our work is far from over.
“The scenes we already have established in Bury and Salford will remain in place for much of this week whilst our searches and enquiries continue. Local officers will continue to patrol the impacted areas to provide reassurance.
“We will continue following every line of enquiry to recover and reunite the victim with his family, bringing a dignified end to this terrible scenario.
“I’d like to thank the communities of Salford and beyond for their cooperation throughout this investigation. I know this incident has come as a shock, and the support we’ve had from those in the area is very much appreciated.”
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