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AWAAB ISHAK’S FATHER SPEAKS OF FAMILY’S SUFFERING A YEAR ON FROM INQUEST THAT CHANGED SOCIAL HOUSING POLICY AND PRINCE WILLIAM VISITS MOSS SIDE 18:53, 16 Nov 2023Updated 18:53, 16 Nov 2023

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right here. HELLO, Wendy Simms welcomed Prince William to Moss Side with a warm embrace this afternoon. “I remember you Wendy,” the Prince of Wales told her as he began a tour of the

suburb, as he had promised to do back in May. The royal was invited to Manchester by Keeping It Real 24/7 food bank founder Wendy when she met him at a Buckingham Palace garden party and he

today made good on his promise. He started his tour at The Hideaway Youth Project before heading to the Moss Side Millennium Powerhouse and also viewed the newly restored Jessie James mural

and spoke to the murdered teen’s mother Barbara Reid. Reporters Ethan Davies and Nicole Wootton-Cane were there to watch the day unfold. They say it was an uplifting event that clearly meant

a lot to the community. It was also full of light-hearted moments as the Prince tried his hand at pool and even sang happy birthday to a young teen. Article continues below But the powerful

message behind the trip was clear as he spoke to families who have lost loved ones to youth violence. During his visit to The Hideaway, The Prince of Wales met with families devastated by

youth violence - including Audrey Thompson, mother of Rhys Thompson, who died in 2021. The families discussed their agony and the work they have done to tackle youth violence since their

tragic losses. Mayor Andy Burnham said the visit meant ‘a huge deal’. “It’s wonderful the recognition you’re giving to this community, because it’s a stronger community than people realise,”

he told the Prince. “Taking young people, building the pathways for them. We are going to give you a template you can take across the country.” For community workers and locals, it was a

chance to show how Moss Side has changed over the years and how hard people have worked to bury the notorious ‘Gunchester’ label of the 1990s. Millennium Powerhouse worker Michelle Scanlan

said the visit will shift perceptions of the area. “People still see Moss Side like they did in the 80s and I am glad now they can see it’s a vibrant, beautiful community,” she said. While

Wendy added: “I think a lot of people did not expect him to come. It’s had a great impact on our community. Moss Side has been known as a bad place. If he can come, why can’t anyone?”

'WE WERE FINALLY LISTENED TO... BUT WE STILL ASK, WHAT IF?' This lovely image of Awaab Ishak playing happily in the park on his second birthday is heartbreaking when you know, as

we all now do, that he died just eight days later. Despite his family pleading for help with the mould that plagued their home, that help never came. Much has happened since the toddler’s

death and his family have worked tirelessly to ensure what happened to him never happens again. Awaab's Law will go a long way to making sure there are meaningful changes in social

housing policy. It’s been a year since coroner Joanne Kearsley’s devastating conclusion that Awaab died because of long-term exposure to mould. "How, in the UK in 2020, does a

two-year-old child die from exposure to mould in his home?," she asked. Awaab’s father Faisal Abdullah has now spoken to reporter Stephen Topping - who broke the story that angered the

nation - about how the family are coping now and their hopes for the future. Mr Abdullah says it has been ‘emotionally distressing’ to see their son’s case covered in the media but ‘we came

to terms with the situation and we need to live our life’. "It makes us as a family actually think back and ask the question, 'what if actually Awaab was still alive?'. So

[we're] wishing that Awaab would be alive rather than Awaab being dead. That's the feeling, when we see things on Facebook and social media, this is the feeling that we have and

what we think." Awaab's parents did everything they could to give their first child the best start in life. When he suffered cold-like symptoms in 2020, they took him to their GP

to share their concerns. But the problems got worse from there. At home, the family was surrounded by toxic, black mould. Faisal had never encountered the problem before he moved to the UK

from Sudan, so when a Rochdale Boroughwide Housing worker told him to paint it in October 2017, he took the advice. “All they're telling me actually, they didn't take me seriously

and all they kept saying was 'just paint over it and it will go'. So no, overall, actually, I didn't feel that RBH were considerate, were really listening to my concerns. In

fact I felt ignored at that moment." Tens of thousands backed the _Manchester Evening News_ and Shelter's campaign for Awaab's Law and housing secretary Michael Gove

acknowledged the growing calls for change. "People were really positive, people were supportive of our family... everybody knew about the situation,” Mr Abdullah said. You can read the

full version of Stephen’s poignant conversation with Mr Abdullah here. LABOUR REBELS QUIT OVER GAZA STANCE Two Labour MPs have quit their shadow cabinet roles over their stance on Gaza.

Afzal Khan and Yasmin Qureshi were among 56 MPs to rebel against Keir Starmer's stance on the war in Gaza during a vote last night. They defied their leader’s position of advocating for

pauses in fighting so they could support a full ceasefire in a vote on an SNP amendment to the King’s Speech. Manchester Gorton MP Mr Khan, who has stepped down as Shadow Minister for

Exports, told the chamber that his ‘constituents have demanded’ a ceasefire. He added: "If we had a ceasefire yesterday 144 Gazan children would still be alive today. Israel has already

crossed every red line imaginable and broken international humanitarian laws." Bolton South East's Yasmin Qureshi has stepped down as Shadow Minister for Exports. Sharing her

letter to the leader on X she wrote: "The scale of bloodshed in Gaza is unprecedented. Tonight, I will vote for an immediate ceasefire. We must call for an end to the carnage to protect

innocents lives and end human suffering." Nearly 50 councillors have so far resigned from the party over the leadership's position on the war, the BBC reports. Sir Keir has argued

that a ceasefire would not be appropriate, because it would freeze the conflict and embolden Hamas. Instead, Labour, like the Conservative government, the United States and the European

Union, is calling for ‘humanitarian pauses’ to help aid reach Gaza. ‘NOT TO WORRY’ This is an odd story from Ethan Davies. St Ann’s Hospice, in Stockport, yesterday had its Facebook page

deleted for allegedly violating rules on nudity with the photo above - which shows fully clothed people on a walk in the countryside. The charity has since had its presence on the platform

restored - but it’s not the first time it’s happened. A picture was posted a couple of months ago and flagged by Meta, who then told the charity ‘not to worry’. But when a similar photo was

posted on the page last week, it ‘was flagged again, but this time the page was deleted’, the charity said. Meta says it was 'removed by mistake and has now been restored'.

FAILURES LEFT MUM AND THREE YOUNG KIDS STUCK IN 'UNINHABITABLE HOME' A family who endured a rotten kitchen floor and damp in their 'uninhabitable home' will be awarded

money by Manchester Council. The authority has been ordered to pay more than £5,000 to the family by the Housing Ombudsman, which has made three findings of severe maladministration relating

to how the Wythenshawe property was let in such a poor condition. As Joseph Timan reports, the watchdog found this resulted in 'significant distress and inconvenience' for the

family and their three young children. The council signed off the property as ready to let, despite being aware of the problems and failed to investigate the underlying cause of the damp and

mould, the ombudsman said. A lack of action resulted in the residents handing the keys for the property back to the housing provider and staying with relatives in an overcrowded house while

issues were looked into, including a roof leak which took 67 weeks to fix. The property was previously managed by Northwards, however, the housing provider is now run by the council

directly. The council says it has now carried out all repairs on the home and added additional insulation as requested by the resident. Manchester council has brought Northwards in-house in

a bid to drive further improvements. A FUTURE AND A ‘USEFUL EMPLOYMENT’ One of Manchester’s most iconic Victorian buildings will be preserved after being sold to an undisclosed buyer. It’s

not yet known how Ardwick Green Barracks will be used, but selling agent Daniel Woodcock says it will be ‘usefully employed’. “It’s great that this iconic building in the centre of

Manchester is to be preserved and maintained for the future and to be usefully employed unlike some buildings from the Victorian period, like old mills, that have sadly been left in a state

of rack and ruin,” he said. As Ethan Davies reports, the barracks had been owned by charity Vinelife Church, which purchased the site in 2020. The building was designed by Mancunian

architect Lawrence Booth, opened by Prince George in 1887 and later became the home of the 8th battalion of the Manchester Regiment before they were mobilised to the Western Front during the

First World War. FANCY A PINT? A winter ale trail featuring a whopping 65 pubs is launching across Greater Manchester. We would NOT recommend trying them all at once, of course. The Winter

Warmer Wander - organised by the Stockport & South Manchester and High Peak Branches of CAMRA - is back after a four-year hiatus. It encourages people to try a range of winter beers,

including stout and old ale, as well as a few new festive drinks like JW Lees’ Plum Pudding, from 65 different pubs. As of tomorrow, participants will be tasked with collecting stickers from

participating pubs either for sheer fun or to win a series of prizes, including t-shirts and free beers. Pubs included in this year’s trail will mostly be situated within Stockport and the

city centre, including the likes of Piccadilly Tap at Piccadilly Station, the Ape and Apple on John Dalton Street, the Waterhouse on Princess Street and the City Arms on Kennedy Street, as

Adam Maidment reports. Sign up to The Mancunian Way Has a friend forwarded you this edition of The Mancunian Way? You can sign up to receive the latest email newsletter direct to your inbox

every weekday by clicking on this link. WEATHER ETC FRIDAY: Light showers changing to cloudy by late morning. 9C. ROAD CLOSURES: A663 Broadway, New Moston, southbound closed due to roadworks

from Moston Lane East (New Moston) to A62 Oldham Road (Failsworth). Until November 20. A5145 Kingsway, Stretford, eastbound closed due to long-term roadworks between A5181 Barton Road and

A56 Chester Road. Until August 2024. A560 King Street West, Stockport, in both directions closed due to roadworks between Chestergate and A5145 Travis Brow. Until December 22. MANCHESTER

HEADLINES * UKRAINE: Andy Burnham has set out plans to bring together a network of cities and charities to support the recovery of Ukraine after the war. The Greater Manchester Mayor has

joined forces with the Mayor of the Liverpool City Region Steve Rotheram to develop proposals for an Unbroken Cities Network that will include mayors of 15 to 20 cities across the US and the

UK. * AUCTION: An LS Lowry painting of a summer's day at a north west coastal resort is expected to fetch up to £1.5million when it goes under the hammer later this month. The

treasured artist’s much-loved 1947 work titled 'Beach Scene, Lancashire' is thought to depict a scene from Lytham St Annes, near Blackpool, where Lowry holidayed as a child. *

ATTRACTION: A huge £5m ‘family attraction’ could be built on five acres of land ‘at the heart of Heaton Park’. Manchester City Council is inviting expressions of interest from the private

sector to develop a five acre area close to the boating lake for ‘a mix of an outdoor and indoor play and education’. * TOP TRENDING: A meal from Manchester’s Burgerism has been named one of

the top trending dishes ordered on Deliveroo in the last twelve months. Landing in 23rd place on Deliveroo’s UK list is the Burgerism meal, featuring a choice of either Cheesed, Baconed or

Beefed burger - using smashed Cheshire patties - alongside skin-on-fries and a drink. WORTH A READ There are some fantastic images in this nostalgic look back at Manchester's Market

Street. It has to be said that making your way down the main city centre thoroughfare can be like running the gauntlet at times. But as Mancunians, we all love it nevertheless. After all,

it’s home to some of the city’s most iconic stores and you’re bound to find a bargain somewhere. But Market Street has changed significantly over the years, as Lee Grimsditch writes here. It

started life known as Aldport, an Anglo Saxon word meaning 'old market'. At one point buses ran along Market Street, but in 1981 large areas of the street were pedestrianised as

part of the Manchester Arndale development. The pictures in this gallery were taken between the 1920s and 2000s and show how things have changed. Article continues below THAT'S ALL FOR

TODAY Thanks for joining me. If you have stories you would like us to look into, email [email protected]. If you have enjoyed this newsletter today, why not tell a friend how to sign

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