Latest news with #Dukinfield
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Like father like son - Corrie superfan follows in late dad's tour guide footsteps
A Corrie superfan has followed in his late father's footsteps and led more than 2,500 tours of the famous TV set visited by thousands each weekend. David Owen, 59, has been leading Coronation Street tours, which were first operated from the old Granada Studios in Quay Street before moving to the current ITV Studios at Media City, since 2014. His late father, Bill Owen, worked as a performer at the old Granada Studios tour for several years, but sadly died in 2013 before David started working there – meaning he 'never got a chance to compare notes with him'. David has been determined to continue his father's legacy, however, and has been leading the 90-minute tours at The Coronation Street Experience at ITV Studios, the world's largest single TV production site, every weekend. He has witnessed tears from guests and a recent proposal during his tours, and said he loves 'seeing the joy it brings to visitors of all ages'. READ MORE: When 'One Punch' Paul Doyle and Billy Webb clashed in nightclub door wars READ MORE: Girl, 13, 'topples into reservoir in front of her dad while taking photo' Speaking about his late father, David, from Dukinfield, Tameside, said: "It's a very special connection between us – in many ways, our lives have been intertwined. "I do feel cheated that I never got to share my tour guide notes with him, as he passed away in 2013, just before I started at Quay Street, but I know he would have been incredibly proud. I can hear him saying, 'That's my boy'." David explained that he has loved Coronation Street for 'as long as (he) can remember'. He recalls watching the 'topical' TV soap with his parents during his childhood in the 1960s and 1970s, and loving the 'northern humour'. He said: "For people of my vintage, it was always a family thing to watch Coronation Street. Back in the day, it was only Mondays and Wednesdays at 7.30pm, both half an hour episodes. "I'd sit down with mum and dad, they had two chairs in the living room, and I'd sit in between them on the floor watching Coronation Street." David said he remembers characters such as Jack Walker, who was the landlord of the Rovers pub, and Albert Tatlock, who was Weatherfield's resident war veteran. He even remembers one specific episode from 1971, which left him unable to sleep for weeks. He said: "There is one episode from 1971 when the character Valerie Barlow got electrocuted by a plug. The socket of a plug fell off and she was electrocuted – it was a hair dryer plug – and it frightened me to death, and it kept me away from plug sockets for years." Growing up, David said he loved watching the 'strong women' in the show, including characters like Annie Walker, Elsie Tanner and Ena Sharples, and one of his current favourites is Glenda Shuttleworth. He said the 'writing is absolutely brilliant' and, given the show references real places near his hometown, he has felt personally connected to it. Moreover, his late father Bill worked at the Granada Studios tour in Quay Street, where the old Coronation Street set was located, further inspiring his love for the soap. "My dad was an amazing man – he was a big extrovert and truly my hero," David explained. "He worked at Granada Studios for many years... but unfortunately, when I started doing guided tours there in 2014, he had not long passed away, so I never got a chance to compare notes with him." Bill passed away in 2013, aged 71, and, around this time, David was made redundant after nearly 30 years in a factory packaging job. He was looking for new opportunities and stumbled across a job advert for the Coronation Street tours and decided to "go for it" – and he was successful. He then started leading tours at the Quay Street site in 2014 before working from the current ITV Studios location in 2018. "It's quite surreal the way it worked out," David said. "I felt very honoured to get the job – one to be following in my father's footsteps, but also to be doing this on such an amazing show." David believes he has led around 2,500 tours for The Coronation Street Experience to date – and he has no plans of stopping anytime soon. David, who won the Lifetime Achievement Award from The Coronation Street Experience in 2022, said "no two tours are ever alike" – and although he has a script to follow, he enjoys injecting his own humour and personality into it. He said he runs three tours on a Saturday and Sunday, and guests from all over the world, including New Zealand and Canada, visit the set. On each day over a weekend, the site can see an average of 1,000 people visiting. Recalling one memory which left two women from New Zealand very emotional, he said: "When we started the tours at Quay Street... the character Hayley Cropper had died after suffering from pancreatic cancer. She had a cardboard flowery coffin, and we had it in the props display, and these two ladies from New Zealand saw her name on it and they were in tears. "We didn't know at the time, but New Zealand were two years behind in the plot lines, so at the time in New Zealand, Hayley was alive and well." Most recently, David witnessed a proposal outside the Rovers pub during one of his tours – and he said it was 'lovely' to see. "They just got a massive round of applause, and they were both in tears," he said. "I was nearly tearing up myself to be honest with you – it was so lovely." David said seeing people's enthusiasm gives him 'such a buzz' and he aims to give every guest 'the best tour possible'. He said leading tours for The Coronation Street Experience, which is operated by Continuum Attractions, is 'an honour' and he hopes to one day feature as an extra in the show. "It's more than just a TV show – it's a huge part of British culture," he said.
The Sun
22-05-2025
- The Sun
Shocking moment vile woman batters French bulldogs with spade after keeping TWENTY sick animals locked up
THIS is the shocking moment a vile woman battered her French bulldogs with a spade after keeping 20 animals locked up. Elizabeth Perrin was captured beating the defenceless animals in the garden of her home in Dukinfield, Greater Manchester. 3 The sick 52-year-old was then heard shouting "next one" as she continued the horrific rampage. One of the dogs was knocked to the ground and another had to be put down after suffering gash wounds. Perrin was also caught on video hitting the animals with a broom in a year-long campaign of abuse. When RSPCA officers attended the home, they discovered 20 dogs that had been kept in cramped conditions. One of the French bulldogs, named Wizza, was found lying on the sofa injured. Inspector Ryan King said: "There was a bad smell coming from him, on closer inspection I noticed a number of puncture wounds on his front legs, there was some blood around his ears and further puncture wounds around his groin." Wizza was taken to a vet but had to be put to sleep two days later to end his suffering. Perrin and her partner Trevor Hague both appeared at Tameside Magistrates' Court charged with abuse offences. The mum admitted causing unnecessary suffering to three dogs by inflicting blunt force trauma and physical violence. She also pleaded guilty to failing to ensure their needs were met by housing them away from other animals. But magistrates decided against banning her from keeping animals because her two children have special needs, which benefit from having support dogs. The court was told Inspector King was called to the home in November 2021 following reports a number of dogs were fighting. Perrin and Hague told him they had 20 dogs in total and showed them around an open plan area where a number of the pets were kept. A month later, the officer was handed two videos - one showing Perrin hitting the dogs with a broom and another clip of Hague kicking one of the animals. The vile couple claimed they 'only hit or kick the dogs to split them up when fighting" and signed two of the pets over to the RSCPA. But Inspector King received a video a month later of Perrin smacking the dogs with a spade. He said: "On the first swing I could hear a dull thud as she made contact with something. On the second swing there was more of a harsh sound and a slight sound of a dog yelping. 'She swings the spade down on three dogs that are in the corner, hitting two of the dogs on the head. One is hit with such force that is knocked off its feet onto its back and struggles to get up for a second. 'She then turns around, pauses, looks round at the dogs and shouts 'next one'.' A veterinary expert said the dogs would have been 'caused to suffer' from blunt force trauma. He added the welfare needs of a number of other dogs kept by Perrin had not been met because they were not sufficiently separated from each other. Perrin was made subject to a 12-month community order, a 16-week night-time curfew and ordered to pay £700 costs. Inspector King said after the case: 'Having to see that video of someone deliberately inflicting pain on an animal with a weapon was awful. 'There is no excuse for this behaviour towards an animal. It really does defy belief that someone could behave in this way. "Animals deserve to be shown kindness and respect.' 3 3
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Horrendous moment dog owner attacks her own French bulldogs with garden spade
Horrific footage has shown the moment a dog owner attacked her own French bulldogs with a garden spade. In the video Elizabeth Perrin, 52, is wielding the heavy metal shovel in her back garden surrounded by Frenchies at her home in Dukinfield, Greater Manchester in late 2020. She then brought the spade above her head before swinging it down with great force as she beat a number of the tiny dogs as they can be heard yelping in pain. Washing hung to dry on the gate blocked the view in parts which made it unclear as to exactly how many dogs were hit. However, Perrin can clearly be seen striking three of the Frenchies which were cowering in a corner. Two were smacked on their heads and another was hit with such force that it was knocked off its feet onto its back and struggled to get back up. Sickeningly, Perrin then turns around to glare at the rest of the terrified dogs and shouts: 'Next one!' It was the third video RSPCA Inspector Ryan King had seen of animal abuse at the property which he previously visited in November 2021 to investigate reports that a number of dogs were fighting on the premises. At the time, Perrin and her now ex boyfriend Trevor Hague, 52, told him they had 20 dogs in total and showed them around an open plan area where some were kept, Tameside Magistrates' Court heard. Inspector King said one young Frenchie, named Wizza, was lying on a sofa and 'seemed flat - not jumping around like the other dogs'. 'There was a bad smell coming from him, on closer inspection I noticed a number of puncture wounds on his front legs, there was some blood around his ears and further puncture wounds around his groin,' he added. He supervised a visit to the vets with the then couple and their pup, but sadly it was too late and he had to be put down due to his severe injuries. Two days later Inspector King collected Wizza's body from a pet crematorium and handed it over to the police as evidence. A month later, he saw two videos which were taken in the back garden of Perrin's home which he recognised from his previous visits. Hague could be seen kicking a dog in the torso in the first clip and the other showed Perrin repeatedly hitting one of the innocent pooches with the brush end of a broom. In his court statement, Inspector King said: 'I could identify both Perrin and Hague in the videos as I had met them on multiple occasions. I called Perrin and informed her I needed to visit and speak to her, so I arranged to go round the next day.' Both defendants claimed they 'only hit or kick the dogs to split them up when fighting' - despite the fact the video did not show them fighting. The vile pair agreed to sign the two pets over into RSPCA care. However, it was just a month later when Inspector King was sent the video of Perrin beating her Frenchies with the spade. An expert veterinary witness report said two dogs had been struck with the spade in the video and would have been 'caused to suffer' from blunt force trauma. He added that the welfare needs of a number of other dogs kept by Perrin had not been met because they were not sufficiently separated from each other. In mitigation, it was said of Perrin that the offences took place some time ago, she had pleaded guilty to two offences and was the sole carer for two children with special needs. Hague was said to have expressed remorse and had pleaded guilty to one offence which took place some time ago. He was also banned from keeping dogs for six months. After the case, Inspector King, whose RSPCA inquiry bought the pair to justice, said: 'Having to see that video of someone deliberately inflicting pain on an animal with a weapon was awful. 'There is no excuse for this behaviour towards an animal. It really does defy belief that someone could behave in this deserve to be shown kindness and respect.' Perrin was handed a 12-month community order and a 16-week night-time curfew and ordered to pay £700 costs by magistrates on May 14. She admitted causing unnecessary suffering to three dogs by inflicting blunt force trauma and physical violence, and failing to ensure their needs were met by housing them away from other animals. The judge decided against banning her from keeping animals because her two children have special needs which benefit from having support dogs. Hague was banned from keeping dogs for six months, fined £604 and ordered to pay £700 costs.
BBC News
15-05-2025
- BBC News
Dukinfield kidnap gang bundled man into car and beat him
A man was grabbed off the street by five men who then took turns to beat him, a court heard. Greater Manchester Police said the gang bundled their victim into a car in Chester Avenue, Dukinfield, Tameside in the early hours of 24 January 2024, holding a knife to his cheek at one were given jailed sentences ranging two years, one month to eight and a half years at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Ch Insp Christopher Dean, of GMP's Tameside district, said: "This group of men are very dangerous individuals and I am glad that they are behind bars and with time to think about their abhorrent actions." Knife threat GMP said the victim was abducted at about 02:00 GMT over a drugs was led to his attackers by Lafferty and a female was thrown into a silver BMW and driven away, while the men took turns in punching and assaulting him over a 15 minutes was left with a bruised face, cuts to his mouth, and a black his head down so no-one could see him, they took him to an address in South Manchester and continued the was later allowed to leave and took himself to hospital. 'Truly vile' All five men admitted their Hague, 33, of Hudson Road, Blackpool, was jailed for eight and a half years for false imprisonment and Doherty, 36, of Hornby Road , Blackpool, was jailed for two years, eight months for false imprisonment and Redfern, 24, of Egerton Road, Blackpool, was jailed for three years, five months, for false imprisonment, assault, and an unrelated robbery Oakes, 29, of Charles Street, Blackpool, was jailed for two years, six months for false imprisonment and Lafferty, 21, of no fixed address, was jailed for two years, six months for assault and conspiracy to kidnap. Blood on clothes Hague, Doherty, Redfern, and Oakes were arrested when police intercepted the car as it headed to Blackpool about 90 minutes after the alarm was four had blood on their clothes, while Doherty had blood stained also found rings that had the "appearance of pointed weapons", a lock knife, a metal bar, and just under 200 g (7oz) of cocaine with an estimated value of £20, Dean said: "To take someone off the street and attack them in such a brutal manner is truly vile, and the injuries sustained by the man were equally shocking."Tackling violence of this kind and the issues that start it – namely drugs, conflicts, and illicit dealing – is a top priority for us, and anyone who commits such an act can expect a visit from us." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram, and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer
