Radio Offbeat

@Marathon_Mcr they've been pounding the roads for more than 4 hours, 16 mile mark here, with 10.2 still to go. Give them a cheer!

The last tranche of runners toughing it out at #manchestermarathon today, cheered on by supporters into Mile 16, as an Elite coach swept past slowly with hazards on & the clean up lorries were hard on their heels. Hope they make it, they very much deserve to. #runners #marathon

The #swifts nests should never have been blocked @networkrail. Do the right (and legal) thing. Open up the nests.

Everyone please give the gentlest welcome to new boy Ollie 😍 His family rescued him from Romania but they have hit a wall. Not for lack of trying or lack of love - it has broken their hearts but they have exhausted every option. Ollie is not coping around his lovely dad. East European dogs often receive abhorrent treatment at the hands of men and the PTSD scars run deep. Our very own Solly couldn’t be touched for years because of his experiences on a catch pole, even by our female dog handlers. His family love Ollie too much and were desperate for help. We are full - but their love for him weighed on our hearts so we agreed to take him if they could try to help one of our other dogs who is more confident around men. Please be kind to his family in the comments. They have only shown love and understanding. Sometimes the greatest act of love is letting go and helping another 💜

“Rescuing Buttons has been the best decision we’ve ever made. She brings so much happiness to our lives and everyone she meets. We’re so lucky to have her. We’re obsessed. I thoroughly recommend adopting a homeless dog” - Liam Gallagher #NationalPetDay

Can we please ask for your help to share Busters appeal? Sadly his previous offer fell through, Buster is a 11 year old male Mixed breed. He is available for rehoming and would suit a nice quiet home. Sadly his owners have passed away. Buster is good with dogs and children, due to his age we'd suggest a home with older kids so Buster can relax. He eats wet and dry food and can be left on his own for up to 6 hours. Buster is registered at the vets and fully house trained. He does have some arthritis in his back legs which doesn't seem to be troubling him. At night Buster sleeps in his own bed in the bedroom. He isn't keen travelling in the car. Buster hasn't lived with cats but has seen them in the garden. He likes to play with toys and loves to meet new people. For more information or to offer Buster a new home please email info@help2rehome.com

There is a priest in the city of Gravatá, Brazil, who takes stray dogs off the street, feeds them, bathes them, and houses them in his rectory. Every Sunday, he brings one to mass and places it by the altar so the congregation can meet it. It started in 2013 when volunteers from a local animal shelter approached him selling cookies to raise funds. It gave him an idea. He began bringing strays into the church himself. Since then, over 200 dogs have found homes directly through his Sunday services. Three of them nobody wanted. He kept those. “They stayed with me. Today, they are my children and sleep in my bed.” When asked why he opens his church to strays, he said: “They will always be able to enter, sleep, eat, drink their water and find shelter and protection, for this house is of God and they are of God.” His name is Father João Paulo Araujo Gomes.

Why the silence on this @networkrail? In the face of increasing public anger? These birds will have travelled around 14,000 miles when they return to their nesting holes - only to find them blocked up. Nature is increasingly squeezed into ever-shrinking spaces, forced to fit around our sprawling network of transport and housing and commerce. Please act NOW to rectify your thoughtless actions! theguardian.com/environment/20…

Please help get this message to CEO of @networkrail Jeremy Westlake. Email him asking him to unblock the swift nesting sites in the chapel Milton viaduct, Derbyshire. His email is jeremy.westlake@networkrail.co.uk @deborahpitman has been asking for ages but she’s been ignored

It's time to ban balloons and balloon releases. There are far better ways to celebrate a special occasion or to say goodbye to a loved one. theguardian.com/environment/20…

Larry, the 19 year-old Downing Street cat caught a mouse … while Prime Minister Starmer was conducting a live press conference right outside Number 10! Good job, Larry. It’s great to see someone in Downing Street is working hard!

⚠️ Did you know chocolate isn't just poisonous to dogs, but to cats too? Make sure to keep those Easter eggs out of your pet's reach! 🍫🐣

Rotherham, England replaced 8 miles of mowed grass with wildflowers. They saved £25,000 in mowing costs a year and bees, butterflies, and birds showed up almost immediately. You don’t need to wait for your city to act. Start small in your own patch: 🏡 Let your front verge or sidewalk strip go wild this spring 🌻 Toss a few native wildflower seed balls into neglected spots 🌱 Stop mowing one strip and see what shows up 📧 Contact your city government. One email from one person has started initiatives like this before One person. One small patch. Real habitat. Your street could be next.

💔💔THIS MORNING IN DUBLIN CITY CENTRE 💔 An innocent little mule was found tied to a fence, hidden behind flats in the heart of Dublin City. No water. No shelter. No care. He just stood there… confused, alone, and completely dependent on someone who failed him. Thanks to a kind member of the public who spoke up, and the quick response from the An Garda Síochána, this little boy is now safe. But the question is, how many others are suffering unseen? This is not okay. This shouldn’t be normal. And this cannot continue. Mules are intelligent, emotional animals. They feel fear, loneliness, and pain just like any other. A busy city is no place for them 💔💔 We are doing everything we can, but we can’t do it alone. 💔 Please help us continue rescuing animals like this poor little boy 💔 Please help us give them the care, safety, and love they deserve Every donation, no matter how small, makes a real difference. We don’t stop. We won’t stop. #AnimalWelfare #Dublin #RescueAnimals #SpeakUp #Donate donate.mylovelyhorserescue.com/one-off/ ❤️❤️ @gardainfo

The shelter has been running since 2018, spaying and neutering hundreds of animals, including donkeys and cats, while providing shelter from the extreme heat and regular food. But now the Iraqi government has told them they need the land for ‘warehouses’ War Paws in Erbil, in the north of the country, cares for 130 stray dogs inside the shelter walls and around 700 on the outside. Staff have battled through extreme heat, no power or running water, and now watch as drones are intercepted above them. CEO Louise Hastie, 53, told Metro: ‘We have had nine of 10 explosions above us just this morning.’ This has left staff, who alternate time spent in the UK and Iraq, stranded at the shelter, with no flights coming or going. Louise said: ‘What started as a two-week trip has turned into a five-week stay. But even if I was able to leave, I couldn’t face leaving my team and the dogs.’ The shelter has been running since 2018, spaying and neutering hundreds of animals, including donkeys and cats, while providing shelter from the extreme heat and regular food. But now the Iraqi government has told them they need the land for ‘warehouses’. It is unclear what they will be used for. It will cost the shelter USD$300,000 to move and rebuild from scratch, which equals their average yearly running cost.

@AnnDrogyne @Dogs4Rescue Their profile clearly shows they are based in Manchester UK so if you were to share presumably, since you are also NW UK, you'd perhaps emphasise they are a small local rescue who can only rehome within the Greater Manchester area. I'm sure you'll agree they do include this info.

I have to say this, because it is a complete mystery why rescue centres can do this. Produce masses of information about what a dog is like, what it needs etc, yet make not even mention where it is located. If I was to share this on my social media platforms I get people asking this, "Where is it located?"

We haven’t received a single application for poor Lola. She is only 2 years old. Pls give her a RT and let’s find her special person 🙏 dogs4rescue.co.uk/our-dogs/lola-…

We're joining @WildheartTrust in calling for a ban on breeding wild Servals with domestic cats in the UK. With the UK Government choosing not to include regulation of cat breeding in its animal welfare strategy for England, it’s crucial to challenge harmful breeding practices.

Well Done Spain 🇪🇸. A ROOF TILE THAT’S GIVING LITTLE OWLS THEIR HOMES BACK In rural Spain, a clever design is helping thousands of nocturnal birds reclaim what modern construction quietly took away. The Little Owl once nested in old stone walls and traditional farmhouses. But as rural architecture modernized, those natural cavities disappeared — leaving these small hunters without shelter. So conservationists from the Grup de Naturalistes d’Osona and Grup de Natura Sterna designed something brilliant. They created the Teula Mussolera — a modified clay roof tile that doubles as a high-tech birdhouse. Here’s why it works: It looks exactly like traditional Spanish roofing — preserving the beauty of rural homes. Its internal tunnel is predator-proof and thermally stable, protecting chicks from heat and hunters. It allows owls to live alongside humans as villages expand. And here’s the smartest part… This isn’t charity. It’s partnership. The Little Owl is an elite natural pest controller — hunting thousands of insects and rodents every year. Farmers who install these tiles aren’t just helping wildlife… they’re recruiting a silent, feathered security team that reduces the need for chemical pesticides. Sometimes conservation isn’t about separating humans and nature. It’s about designing a way to thrive together.

Someone drove him to a remote spot. He was weak and left there to die. Luckily we got word. Tofu wasn't ready to go and although his sight isn't perfect he is very happy in our little retirement village with his senior friends. Glad to give him his dignity back