It might be best to save your flip flops for your holidays…
As Brits dig out their summer wardrobes, the RAC has issued a stern warning for those thinking of driving in their seasonal foot ware.
While getting behind the wheel flip flop-clad isn’t technically against the law – research has found a massive 39% of people choose to wear them while driving – a section of the Highway Code could make a driver’s choice in foot ware a criminal offence.
According to Rule 97, drivers must be wearing footwear and clothing that ‘does not prevent you using the controls in the correct manner’.
And if a driver is in an accident and the police see that they are wearing flip flops – or no shoes at all – they may be found to be ‘driving without due care and attention’, an offence that can carry with it a £100 on-the-spot fine and three penalty points.
If this gets taken to court, the maximum penalty could rise to as high as a £5,000 fine, nine penalty points and potentially a driving ban.
So, to help drivers avoid getting themselves into this expensive pickle, the RAC has compiled together a list of what footwear they should and shouldn’t be wearing while driving their vehicles.
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• Have a sole no thicker than 10mm.
• The sole should not be too thin or soft.
• Provide enough grip to stop your foot slipping off the pedals.
• Be narrow enough to avoid accidentally depressing two pedals at once.
The RAC states: “While light, flimsy and impractical footwear can be dangerous, so can sturdy, robust shoes, such as walking or snow boots.
“It’s important to have a good base and grip to apply pressure to the pedals, but you need a certain degree of finesse to manipulate the controls.
“If not, you could strike the brake and accelerator together, producing a heart-in-mouth incident.”
For more information, visit the RAC website.
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Inna had owned her own salon in Ukraine before the Russian invasion
A hair salon in Wigan has welcomed a Ukrainian refugee as its newest recruit.
Joanne Cottam, owner of Haus of Hair, set up a Facebook group especially for Ukrainian refugees relocating to Wigan, enabling them to meet up with and communicate with other Ukrainians in the area.
And when Joanne shared a job listing for a stylist at her salon into the group, she got in contact with Inna Hashynska, a hairdresser who had owned a salon back in her home country before she was forced to flee with her young son and her mother.
Her husband and father have stayed behind in Ukraine to defend their country.
Joanne felt that Inna was perfect for the role, so more more than happily offered her the job.
Announcing Inna’s arrival on the salon’s Facebook page, Joanne wrote: “This stylist has so much strength, determination and passion for hairdressing, that not even the heartache she is going through right now will stop her from picking up her comb and making you all look beautiful!
“I hope everyone will support Inna in salon to help her build her life again here in Wigan.”
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On the Facebook page, Inna herself wrote: “I had to leave everything behind to save mine, my son’s and my mother’s lives.
“In Ukraine I was a hairdresser for over ten years and owned a little salon but sadly I had to leave it and everything that was in it… I am happy to say, ‘thank you’ to Joanne, that I have the chance to rebuild my life and provide for my son here in the UK.”
Inna started at the salon on April 12th and has since settled in wonderfully.
Joanne told Wigan Today of her newest recruit: “Inna is so kind-hearted and her story broke my heart, I knew I needed to help.
“I can’t even begin to imagine how I would feel in her situation.
“She’s doing great, it’s amazing, to see the strength that she has. We’re getting by on Google Translate and the clients are so supportive of her.”
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham compared the flight prices this morning
Andy Burnham has compared return flights to popular holiday destinations to highlight the outrageous cost of UK train travel.
The mayor took to Twitter this morning to share a list of return flight prices from Manchester Airport to India, Jamaica, Brazil and Ivory Coast, all of which fell short of £400pp.
At the bottom of his list, however, was a return train journey from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston which, remarkably, came out as the most expensive trip.
While flights to India, Jamaica, Brazil, and Ivory Coast cost £343, £345, £325 and £319 retrospectively, a return train journey to London will set a passenger back a massive £369.
Return tickets from Manchester: ▪️India £343 ▪️Jamaica £345 ▪️Brazil £325 ▪️Ivory Coast £319 ▪️London (rail) £369
Burnham followed up his tweet with a screenshot of his ticket, which showed that the £369 ‘anytime return’ was actually the cheapest option.
In a recent op ed for the Evening Standard, Burnham slammed the UK’s train system as ‘extortionate madness’, pointing out that ‘full control’ is needed to reduce fare prices.
He wrote: “With the country in the clutches of a simultaneous cost-of-living and climate crisis, we won’t get the railway we need until we retake control and massively reduce fares.
“On today’s prices, it is cheaper to book a return flight from Manchester to India, Jamaica, Brazil or the Ivory Cost than it is to take a two-hour return rail journey to our capital city.
“For as long as train tickets cost more than plane tickets, the economics of transport in the UK will be in entirely the wrong place when it comes to facing up the climate crisis. But the truth is it unlikely to change any time soon.”
For those who don’t believe it 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/B0NXCRfJJw
This comes just days after the mayor criticised the government’s ‘Great British Rail Sale‘, which will see fares for journeys across the country be slashed by up to half throughout April and May.
The first-of-its-kind sale is expected to bring journeys from Manchester to Newcastle down from £20.60 to £10.30, London to Edinburgh services from £44 to £22, and York to Leeds journeys from £5.60 to £2.80.
Government officials said half-price rail tickets are just ‘one of the ways’ it is helping to support families with the cost of living crisis, following its announcement of council tax discounts and tax cuts.
In a statement, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “For the first time ever, operators across the rail industry are coming together to help passengers facing rising costs of living by offering up to 50% off more than a million tickets on journeys across Britain.
“There’s no better time to visit friends, family or just explore our great country, so book your tickets today.”
Broughton House boasts retirement apartments, a museum, a restaurant and a bar exclusively for the use of residents
The UK’s first veteran care village is now complete following a massive £12.5m transformation.
Broughton House in Salford has cared for more than 8,000 veterans since it opened its doors to the ex-service community in 1916, and has now been given a new lease of life after the demolition of the original home in 2020.
The newly modernised care village now boasts a sixty-four-bed care home and six retirement apartments with different wings, all designed with the purpose of offering trailblazing provision for the north west’s armed forces community.
The Stoller Wing – named in honour of north west businessman and philanthropist Sir Norman Stoller, who donated £4m to the project – pays homage to Broughton House’s history with a museum telling the stories of former residents, displaying rare war medals and historic memorabilia.
The wing also includes a number of modern facilities, including a gym, a hairdressing and barber’s salon, and a restaurant and bar exclusively for the use of residents.
There is also the Jellicoe Wing – named after World War One hero Viscount Sir John Jellicoe, who opened the original Broughton House building – which has two sixteen-bedroom households.
One household is dedicated to veterans with dementia, while the other focuses on providing welfare support and counselling for ex-service people of all ages living in the local community.
Residents of these apartments can access all the facilities that Broughton House offers, including a wide programme of wellbeing activities and personal support.
Broughton House chief executive Karen Miller said these amenities give residents the chance to be more active and sociable than other traditional care homes offer.
Derrick Corfield, a World War Two veteran and Broughton House resident, said on the new complex: “The new care village is ideal for people like myself who have been living alone, as it puts us back into that bigger family again.
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“It’s a place that celebrates our history, and understands the things we have done in our lives and been a part of.
“I’m really enjoying the activities, especially the history club, so it will be nice to welcome more veterans to the new care village.”
Karen Miller added: “Broughton House Veteran Care Village is open to all ex-servicemen and women and their families.
“We have delivered a superb, 21st century care home for veterans with high quality accommodation. There are no shared rooms, and each one has en-suite facilities, TV and telephone points, a nurse call system and fully-adjustable electric beds.
“With our Armed Forces Support Hub and the new apartments, we are now able offer a vital trilogy of services to the region’s veteran community – nursing, residential and dementia care, outreach support and independent living.
“Following our transition, we are actively recruiting staff as we increase the number of residents, in particular nursing and care staff from all backgrounds.”
For more information, visit the Broughton House website.
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