Lately, she'd spent a lot of time trying on other people's lives. Maybe that's what everyone did at 45. In the winter light, the town looked even more down at heel than usual, vacant shops scarring the street like broken teeth. Give it another hour, and the watery sun would sink below the horizon. Then the first of the party-goers would appear, kids with red faces and skew-whiff antlers. Marian laughed when they claimed to be doing the 12 Pubs of Christmas. "Sure there aren't 12 pubs left," she'd point out. After a glance at her watch, she decided to risk the post office. Marian taught English in St Ursula's Community School, the same school she'd attended. As much as she valued her job, she didn't cherish all of her students equally. Her next class was with the dreaded second years, as unruly a bunch as she'd ever taught. She should have been back in the staff room, preparing for them. Instead, she'd nipped out to post her cards. She'd also collected Eddie's best suit from the … [Read more...] about The woman in the green coat
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From ‘Salford slums’ to billionaire businessman
Peter Done is a man who knows his numbers. And it’s not surprising really, having built multi-million pound business Peninsula from the ground up - quite literally. Seated in his panoramic city centre office in the modern high rise, built during the recession, Done knows his business inside out. A Salford lad But for a lad from the ‘slums of Salford’, who left school at 15 to join a bookmakers, he admits the odds were initially stacked against him. Describing the Ordsall two-up two-down that his family inhabited as a youngster, the boss recalls how he and his three siblings slept in one room. Now, along with his older brother Fred, they run a global business empire, including high street betting chain BetFred. Yet, despite phenomenal success and the associated wealth, business remains his first priority. Modest and exceptionally hardworking, the 71-year-old details how his business interests have just ‘evolved’ over time. “We never stopped and … [Read more...] about From ‘Salford slums’ to billionaire businessman