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Belfast Telegraph
3 days ago
- Belfast Telegraph
NI politician caught up in Liverpool victory parade terror believes ‘lucky' decision saved her
Sharon Lowry, an Alliance councillor, was speaking in the aftermath of the celebration that turned into scenes of 'chaos and panic' on Monday. She recalled the emotive day as Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council unanimously agreed to send a letter of support to Liverpool FC and the city's Mayor. It followed a proposal by DUP Alderman Paul Porter. Ms Lowry said: 'I just feel so blessed. We had just been on Water Street about five minutes before the horrific incident, but we decided to walk to another area, as it was just too busy. 'I was over with my husband. We have been Liverpool fans for many years having been childhood sweethearts together and we wanted to be part of a fantastic day of celebrations, which it was until that car came crashing through the crowd of supporters. 'As you can imagine it had been an amazing day. The city was just red. Everybody was just so cheerful. It took quite a long time for the parade to get where we were, then everything went into a panic.' It is estimated up to a million people took to the streets of Liverpool to celebrate the team taking the Premiership League title. Over 65 people are reported to have been injured as a vehicle hit the crowds on Water Street at approximately 6pm on Monday, with 27 – including two children – taken for hospital treatment. Four people remain in hospital. A 53-year-old man from West Derby, Merseyside, has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and driving under the influence of drugs. He remains in custody. Ms Lowry added: 'We had actually been on Water Street just after the parade passed, which was about 5.50pm. 'We had decided to walk up from The Strand to Water Street, but it just looked too busy and we were standing there for about five minutes, then we decided to just take another route, so went back on to The Strand. 'Then literally five minutes after we made that decision, the car came through into the crowd. 'The news just started to come through as we were walking on towards Lime Street train station on our way to get the Liverpool boat back home. You could hear the sirens going off. 'I had actually gone into a bar to use the bathroom and when I came out there was a girl in absolute floods of tears. I was like, oh my goodness are you ok? She said, 'did you not hear what just happened?'' She added: "People on the streets were just getting bits and pieces of information and thinking after seeing the video that the people knocked down and stuck under the car must not have survived. 'I'm not going to lie, I was actually full of panic myself, we just didn't know if this was an attack or an accident and if it was the end of it or if there was more to come. 'Word was spreading right through the crowds. Some random guy showed me the video of the incident and it was just horrific scenes of bodies flying in the air, just awful. 'We were all being herded in one direction away from Water Street so I can only imagine that on the other side of the crowd at Water Street, it was just pure chaos and panic.' Watch: Liverpool flags erected in Carrickfergus The eyewitness accounts of Northern Ireland couple Jack Trotter and his girlfriend Abbie Gallagher have been on several TV stations. The Co Down man, who pleaded for the driver to stop, is a family friend of the councillor. Ms Lowry added: 'We just couldn't believe it, the mood in the city just dramatically changed, very subdued panic in the air. All the train stations were suddenly shut down, people couldn't get out, they were panicking. 'People were on their phones, but the signal wasn't great, because obviously hundreds of thousands of people were trying to get on their phones. 'My phone was pinging non-stop with messages from my family and friends back home to check if we were ok as they knew we were right there. We were very lucky. 'They were especially checking for my nephew back home who was very concerned as he is actually a good friend of the young fella who was interviewed (Jack Trotter) 'It was a really sad end to what had been a fantastic celebration, I just hope that everyone is ok especially those who remain in hospital and I wish them a speedy recovery.'
Scotsman
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Football daft Scots teacher crowned Aldi's first ever pie taster
Aldi Scotland has named its first ever Pie Tester, with a high school teacher from Falkirk taking the top spot after a nationwide search that saw over 100 entries. Stuart McNeill (35), a woodwork teacher, football fan, and self-confessed pie enthusiast, wowed the judges with his passionate and creative entry, which included a hand-drawn concept for a 'SpecialPie'. Complete with its very own middle aisle, the SpecialPie would feature a pastry dividing wall to offer a unique pie combo-flavour. The competition, launched in March during National Pie Week, was designed to celebrate Aldi Scotland's new range of 11 limited-edition pies. The search was launched to find one lucky Scot to taste and review the new range, judging everything from the bake of the crust to the boldness of the flavour. Aldi Scotland's Pi Tester Winner Stuart McNeill Speaking about his win, Stuart said: 'As soon as the competition was announced, I had six different friends send me the link encouraging me to apply. Even the kids at school were telling me to go for it. They thought the idea of their teacher becoming a professional pie tester was brilliant.' Born and raised in Falkirk, Stuart credits his love of pies to years of following his beloved Falkirk Football Club. He said: 'The WhatsApp group with my mates is meant to be about football, but nine times out of ten, we're discussing who had the best pie at the match!' Stuart was presented with his official Pie Tester trophy and a generous delivery of Aldi's new pie range to sample with his friends ahead of Falkirk's final home game of the season on Friday 2 May. His five-month-old son Ben even joined the pre-game pie party, crowned 'Assistant Pie Tester' for the day. Stuart said: 'If being crowned Aldi's first ever Pie Tester wasn't enough, Falkirk beat Hamilton and secured promotion to the Premiership League - it really was one for the books! Now I'm just excited to get stuck in and start reviewing all the different flavours. It's truly an honour to help represent Scotland's proud pie tradition.' As Aldi's Pie Tester, Stuart will now critique all the pies based on crust quality, filling consistency, and flavour balance. His reviews will go on to help guide fellow customers when choosing from the range and shape Aldi Scotland's future pie offerings. Graham Nicolson, group buying director, Aldi Scotland, said: 'From flaky pastry to flavourful fillings, our range of 11 limited-edition pies was made to celebrate Scotland's love of pies, and we're thrilled to have found someone who takes the nation's favourite dish as seriously as we do. 'We were blown away by the standard of entries but Stuart's passion and tasting insights, including his 'SpecialPie' concept, proved he has the perfect mix of creativity and crust credentials for the task at hand. We can't wait to share his verdicts with our customers.' Aldi Scotland's pie range is available across all 109 Scottish stores, while stocks last.
Scotsman
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Football daft Scots teacher crowned Aldi's first ever pie taster
Aldi Scotland has named its first ever Pie Tester, with a high school teacher from Falkirk taking the top spot after a nationwide search that saw over 100 entries. Stuart McNeill (35), a woodwork teacher, football fan, and self-confessed pie enthusiast, wowed the judges with his passionate and creative entry, which included a hand-drawn concept for a 'SpecialPie'. Complete with its very own middle aisle, the SpecialPie would feature a pastry dividing wall to offer a unique pie combo-flavour. The competition, launched in March during National Pie Week, was designed to celebrate Aldi Scotland's new range of 11 limited-edition pies. The search was launched to find one lucky Scot to taste and review the new range, judging everything from the bake of the crust to the boldness of the flavour. Aldi Scotland's Pi Tester Winner Stuart McNeill Speaking about his win, Stuart said: 'As soon as the competition was announced, I had six different friends send me the link encouraging me to apply. Even the kids at school were telling me to go for it. They thought the idea of their teacher becoming a professional pie tester was brilliant.' Born and raised in Falkirk, Stuart credits his love of pies to years of following his beloved Falkirk Football Club. He said: 'The WhatsApp group with my mates is meant to be about football, but nine times out of ten, we're discussing who had the best pie at the match!' Stuart was presented with his official Pie Tester trophy and a generous delivery of Aldi's new pie range to sample with his friends ahead of Falkirk's final home game of the season on Friday 2 May. His five-month-old son Ben even joined the pre-game pie party, crowned 'Assistant Pie Tester' for the day. Stuart said: 'If being crowned Aldi's first ever Pie Tester wasn't enough, Falkirk beat Hamilton and secured promotion to the Premiership League - it really was one for the books! Now I'm just excited to get stuck in and start reviewing all the different flavours. It's truly an honour to help represent Scotland's proud pie tradition.' As Aldi's Pie Tester, Stuart will now critique all the pies based on crust quality, filling consistency, and flavour balance. His reviews will go on to help guide fellow customers when choosing from the range and shape Aldi Scotland's future pie offerings. Graham Nicolson, group buying director, Aldi Scotland, said: 'From flaky pastry to flavourful fillings, our range of 11 limited-edition pies was made to celebrate Scotland's love of pies, and we're thrilled to have found someone who takes the nation's favourite dish as seriously as we do. 'We were blown away by the standard of entries but Stuart's passion and tasting insights, including his 'SpecialPie' concept, proved he has the perfect mix of creativity and crust credentials for the task at hand. We can't wait to share his verdicts with our customers.' Aldi Scotland's pie range is available across all 109 Scottish stores, while stocks last.
News.com.au
21-04-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham ‘car crash' turns ugly after another Premier League defeat
Ange Postecoglou's season from hell has again gotten worse, with his Tottenham side beaten 2-1 by Nottingham Forest on Tuesday morning (AEDT). Four days after masterminding the triumph in Frankfurt that secured him a stay of execution, the Aussie manager would have hoped his side had turned a corner but instead the fans turned on him, booing both him and his side off the field at half and full-time. Forest came into the game in sixth spot after losses to Aston Villa and Everton, but managed to stop the skid thanks to early goals from Elliot Anderson and Chris Wood. 'It's ridiculous this – ridiculously easy for Nottingham Forest,' Alan Smith said in commentary for Sky Sports. 'Chris Wood cannot believe his luck. It's a car crash from Spurs.' While a late goal from Richarlison gave Tottenham hope, they couldn't manage an equaliser in the closing minutes. Spurs dominated possession and had more shots on goal but largely provided little threat throughout. Tottenham have now lost 18 league matches this season – a record better than only the bottom three teams on the ladder. It is also only the third time in Premier League history that Spurs have lost 18 times in a season. One more loss and Postecoglou will be the first Tottenham manager since Osie Ardiles in 1993/94 to suffer 19 defeats in a league campaign. And change is surely imminent with fans turning on the club's owners and manager, with banners and scarfs at the stadium calling for change. 'Time for change,' was a message displayed on several flags, while messages on scarfs read 'Enough is enough, Enic Out!'. While a large banner read: 'Built a business, killed a football club'' The messages reference Tottenham's owners, the Enic Group, a British investment company that took over Tottenham in 2001. Fans have long felt aggrieved by the club's lack of spending and ambition and this season has seen fans take extra measures to get their message across that it is time for change. For example, the move to not sack Postecoglou is one fans simply cannot fathom. 'Daniel Levy, please sack this clown and bring back Mauricio Pochettino. It has gone south remarkably quick,' one angry Spurs fan wrote after the loss to Forest. 'Postecoglou is just unbearable, not just for the results but as a person and character. I would sack him in the morning if I were our chair, Mr Levy. One can argue about player investment, etc but a team like this shouldn't be doing this badly in the Premiership League,' another added. While third wrote: 'Spurs really are terrible, mad that Postecoglou hasn't been booted yet.' Speaking after the game Postecoglou refused to directly address the fans' booing of him and his squad, stating he feels their pain. 'I don't need to say anything to the fans. The fans are disappointed and angry as well. It's too many losses I know that,' Postecoglou said in his post-match press conference. 'I don't need to tell the fans anything, the fans clearly wouldn't be happy with our results but neither am I or the players. 'From our perspective, we need to take responsibility that we have fallen short of the standards we need to have. ' … It's another game we've lost where we shouldn't lose. We make things difficult for ourselves in key moments. Concentration, giving up poor goals. It's another loss, it's another unacceptable loss and it's frustrating.' But Postecoglou still has a chance to win silverware in his second season at the club. Spurs face Bodo/Glimt in the semi-finals of the Europa League next month, with the winner of the competition guaranteed a place in next season's Champions League.
