Ben Townsend

Manchester Evening News

16/02/2020

Meet Barrington, Manchester's boom box cyclist who 'just loves the music'

You can usually hear him first - the distant rumble of a portable speaker slowly moving down Manchester's cycle lanes. Once you've seen him, he's unmistakeable - wearing his iconic bucket hat and glasses, riding a rickety old mountain bike with an old blue Ikea bag swinging from the handlebar.

Manchester Evening News

15/02/2020

The man who went on 'never-ending' Manchester pub crawl and what he learned

On Boxing Day in 2018, Kurt Stephens went into town with his wife and spotted a bar which he'd never seen before. Despite living in Manchester for around 40 years, Kurt realised that he hadn't been a very adventurous drinker.

Manchester Evening News

14/02/2020

The boy who could be killed by stress - and how a dog could change his life

Stress could kill young Aidan Bennett. Heightened emotion and everyday pressures could kill the 13-year-old. Having an assistance dog would help Aidan enormously - from emotional support, to support with his motor skills and excercise. It would even benefit his cognitive behavioural therapy.

The Independent

01/10/2019

Thousands rally behind pioneering cancer researcher facing jail and deportation over UK visa...

A PhD student carrying out pioneering research into prostate cancer is facing jail in the UK because of an administrative error on her visa application. Mother-of-three Adriana Ortega-Zeifert, 39, originally from Mexico, failed to post the hard copies of the necessary documents to the Home Office in 2016, despite completing the relevant payments and forms online.

The Independent

12/09/2019

Everything you need to know about surviving university accommodation

This is it. You've unloaded the car, navigated endless, winding corridors with twenty bags and a house plant in tow, survived a brief (perhaps tearful) farewell, and now you face the front door of your new university home. You slide your key into the lock. But then, you pause.

The Tab

18/03/2020

In pictures: Manchester's uni 'ghost towns' as campuses empty amid COVID-19 pandemic

It's only been a matter of days since the government advised the country to avoid "non-essential" contact with others to combat the spread of Covid-19 and the campuses of Manchester's universities have been left deserted.

The Tab

30/01/2020

Man Met grad runs 40-miles to map out the shape of UK 'running' from the EU

An ultra-runner from Manchester has mapped out the coastline of the UK on Strava in the shape of it 'running' from the EU, before the UK formally leaves on Brexit Day tomorrow.

The Tab

28/11/2019

Brian Cox cancels lecture at University of Manchester after pressure from UCU protesters

Academics hope for a public statement of support Professor Brian Cox has cancelled a lecture at the University of Manchester today, after striking university staff urged him not to cross their picket line.

The Tab

28/11/2019

Bolton Cube didn't have fire-resistant cladding because it was 16cm too short

The student tower block destroyed by a fire in Bolton didn't have fire-resistant cladding because it was 16 cm too short, it has been revealed. The Cube, a six-storey block of flats home to over 200 students in Bolton that burnt down earlier this month, did not have fire-resistant cladding because it measured as 17.84m tall - just 16cm under the required height.

aAh! Magazine

23/11/2019

Hundreds of protesters march through Manchester demanding Britain helps bring 'justice' to Hong Kong

Hundreds of protesters marched through Manchester city centre yesterday, demanding the British Government help bring 'justice' to Hong Kong. Adorned with flags, banners and face masks to hide their identities, the pro-Hong Kong protesters marched through All Saints Park, Deansgate and St Peter's Square, calling for...

Freelance Journalist