The week in good news: Bacon, Curry and a dream wedding

It’s time to get out the sun cream and enjoy the glorious sun we’ve been gifted this bank holiday Monday. The only thing you should be thinking of today is where to spend the day relaxing.

A day at the beach, a walk around Sale Water Park, a barbeque or maybe drinks at the Corn Exchange? And to lift your spirits even more, there is – of course – this week’s good news. Because this Monday will definitely not be blue…

The Tim Bacon Foundation to support child cancer charities

Following last year’s fundraising achievements when over £550,000 was raised for The Christie and Maggie’s Centres, The Tim Bacon Foundation (TBF) announced its second fundraising campaign.

This time, they will focus on raising money for a hugely worthwhile children’s cancer charity, while continuing to support the Maggie’s Centre at The Christie.

Remembering the second anniversary of the untimely death of the restaurant legend in 2016, Jeremy Roberts, chair of the TBF, who founded the organisation in his late business partner’s name, said:

“Last year was special, the ‘Dream the Impossible Dream Party’ we organised was huge and people were incredibly generous. But it was not a one off. The Tim Bacon Foundation is here to stay and this year we want to focus on children.

“Children living with cancer is heartbreaking and we want to do what we can to help make their lives better, which is why we are supporting an incredible Manchester charity doing very important work.

“Kidscan Children’s Cancer Research, based in Salford, supports dedicated research into children’s cancer treatments, which is sadly hugely underfunded, as an area of research.
Many of the treatments used to treat Children are derived from adult cancer treatments and as such, can have huge side effects on young people’s bodies, leaving lasting side effects, as their bodies struggle with the severity of the adult based treatments.

“Kidscan exists to fund dedicated research, that ensures Children cancers sufferers not only survive, but thrive!”

Kidscan’s Chair, Martin Keelagher added:

“The opportunity to work with the Tim Bacon Foundation is truly an honour, with our ethos and beliefs so closely aligned, in helping to support children who shouldn’t have to endure cancer and should be free to enjoy their young lives now and in to the future.”

“Tim’s nephew Jett died just a few days after him from cancer so this year it is particularly fitting that we recognise that with this year’s campaign,” said Roberts.

The first major event for this year’s TBF campaign will be a Gastronomic Dinner held at Manchester House on 7th June.
The event will bring you a star-studded collaboration of the region’s finest chefs led by Manchester House Head Chef Nathaniel Tofan and Tony Parkin of Michelin starred The West House and Gary Usher.

Ben Curry opens new physiotherapy reception and waiting room

Sale Sharks and England International rugby star Ben Curry has opened a new physiotherapy reception and waiting room at BMI The Alexandra Hospital.

The team at BMI The Alexandra Hospital in Cheadle were delighted to welcome Ben Curry at an official opening of the new physiotherapy reception and waiting area.

To celebrate the opening, Ben gifted the Physiotherapy Manager, Paul Harrison, with a framed Sale Sharks rugby shirt, signed by the Sale Sharks team.

Paul Harrison said: “We are absolutely delighted with the gift from Sale Sharks and it will take pride of place on the wall in our waiting area”.

BMI The Alexandra Hospital regularly treats players from Sale Sharks and Ben Curry said:

“BMI The Alexandra Hospital is our Healthcare Provider of choice, we are very lucky to be treated by fantastic doctors, physiotherapists and staff at such an amazing facility as The Alexandra”.

The new physiotherapy reception and waiting area is part of a £10M renovation program recently completed at BMI The Alexandra Hospital.

Simon Shepherd, Executive Director of BMI The Alexandra Hospital added:

“The latest stage of the renovation works are now complete and we are delighted with the fresh new areas of our hospital, including an additional static MRI scanner, new main entrance, enhanced Urgent Care facility and dedicated orthopaedic centre at the Orchard Clinic.

We are very proud of our relationship with Sale Sharks and we wish Ben and all his teammates every success on Saturday against Leicester.”

Charity offers dream wedding

Laura White has been suffering with cystic fibrosis since the age of three, but always hoped and dreamed she would reach the age to marry and have a child, the Manchester Evening News wrote.

The genetic condition claims many sufferers’ lives early, so when Laura married her best friend Shaun, after a two-year engagement and a life-threatening pregnancy, she felt like all her dreams had come true.

However, the young couple could never have afforded that special day without the help of the Wedding Wishing Well Foundation, who fund dream weddings for couples who are terminally ill or have a life-limiting illness.

Now Laura and her husband Shaun, both 26, want to help others fulfil their dreams, by staging a masquerade ball this summer that will raise money for other couples.

Laura, from Urmston, told the MEN:

“On the day I felt amazing – like all my dreams had come true and I could marry my best friend. It was the wedding I had dreamed of, if not more, it took my breath away when I saw it all.”

Laura and Shaun’s friendship with the founders of the foundation, Naomi and her husband Graham, didn’t stop after their wedding in Somerset, on October 23 last year.

“We are still in regular contact and they have become very close friends of ours who we would also consider as family, so we want to try and help the charity in any way we can,” said Laura.

Naomi Thomas set up the Wedding Wishing Well Foundation in 2012, after being gifted her own dream wedding by a local planner, having been diagnosed with breast cancer.