THING OF THE WEEK

SIDEJOBS… If you have teenagers in your house there is a good chance you will have heard of Youtube sensation Sidemen. There was a time when kids wanted to be doctors and footballers. These days, they all want to be YouTubers – and with good reason. Take KSI, the most well-known of the Sidemen, as an example. He started out filming online content but has since branched out and made eyewatering sums of money from boxing, energy drinks, clothing, video games, and restaurants. Indeed, his fast-food outlet Sides is due to open its first North West site in Manchester Arndale next week. Why limit yourself to one profession when you can become a YouTuber and have it all?

Lucass ran the equivalent of Manchester to Middlesbrough in one go. Credit: via Martin Lucass

RUNNING MAN… Prepare to feel lazy. Martin Lucass, board director at GeoSmart Information, recently ran 100 miles in 24 hours to raise money for the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity scheme ‘A Bed Every Night’, which aims to tackle homelessness. As Lucass pointed out, that is the equivalent of running from Manchester to Middlesborough. He did it by running 31 five-kilometre loops around Manchester city centre. “I managed 164,000 steps, ate a lot of food, met hundreds of other runners, and completed the hardest challenge of my life,” he said. There is still time to donate to help Manchester’s answer to Forest Gump reach his fundraising target.

Scenes from last night’s Freedom from Torture fundraiser, which was sponsored by Prime Group. Credit: PNW

GOOD DEEDS… Kudos to Prime Group for sponsoring Freedom From Torture’s The Great Street Feast event last night, which raised more than £30,000 to help provide therapy and legal help for torture survivors who are now located in the North West. The fundraiser included a superb array of street food from around the world and one of the most energetic auctions Place has seen. But it was Kolbassia Haoussou who was the heart of the night, sharing his own story of being tortured, coming to the UK, and finding healing through the therapy provided by Freedom From Torture. Haoussou is now the charity’s director of survivor empowerment. You can support the charity’s work by going to freedomfromtorture.org.

The lads did the North West proud. Credit: via Thomas Pearson

TRYING CONDITIONS… Not even driving rain and a muddy pitch could dampen the spirits of players and spectators at Didsbury Toc H Sport Ground last Wednesday for the 12th Tri-Regions Property Rugby Tournament. The annual event saw property professionals from the North West, Yorkshire, and Midlands play each other in a series of games throughout the afternoon. In three keenly fought matches the North West were crowned champions to regain both the Rose Match and Main trophy in a clean sweep of victories. The final scores were:

• North West 29 v Yorkshire 10
• Yorkshire 10 v Midlands 14
• North West 19 v Midlands 10

The A6 has seen better days. Credit: Liam Riby via Unsplash

POTHOLE PROBLEM… The government has pledged £8.3bn over the next decade to tackle the nation’s pothole problem. That seems like a lot of money, but councils suggest the funding package amounts to just over half of what would be needed to completely repair the UK’s roads. Around two million potholes are filled annually and a company based in the North West has come up with a pioneering way to speed up the process. Start-up company Robotiz3d has developed, and is about to commercialise, what it describes as world-first technology designed to automate and transform road maintenance, making it faster, safer, and more cost-effective. Located at the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s Daresbury Laboratory, Robotiz3d has combined AI with advanced robotics to develop an autonomous vehicle that will locate and fix cracks and potholes in the road. Talk about filling a gap in the market.