Paige Oldfield

Experienced senior journalist with over eight years in the industry, covering a wide range of stories for the biggest publications in the world – from fast-paced breaking news and high-profile court cases to long-form human-interest features. Known for the ability to find compelling angles, build strong contacts and produce accurate, engaging copy to tight deadlines.

Daily Mirror •

'My £300,000 addiction destroyed me - I'm only 24 and will have no bladder'

A 24-year-old who spent more than £300,000 on ketamine has revealed how the drug has destroyed his body.

Oliver Westall, from Neath, Wales, first tried ketamine he was just 15. It was introduced to him as a party drug but quickly spiralled from occasional use to full-blown addiction. "The first time I used it, I felt like I was floating on a bubble," he explained. "It instantly took away my anxiety and made me feel warm and numb inside."

At the height of his substance abuse, he was taking up t...
Manchester Evening News •

'I started my makeup empire with a loan from my nan. Now it's set to make £65m'

When Paige Louise Williams started building her makeup empire, she had just one person on her mind – her mum.

Having grown up with five brothers on a council estate in Droylsden, her main goal was to make sure her mother never worried about money again.

With no cash, no qualifications and no business plan, Paige borrowed a £20,000 loan from her nan and took a leap of faith.

READ MORE: 'The unusual way I can make £1,200 in a DAY - and anyone can do it'

What started as a Prestwich-based makeup...
Manchester Evening News •

Dad-of-four given just days to live after complaining of stomach ache

Sat by her husband’s bedside, Kimberley Nicols watched doctors and nurses gather in the hospital corridor. When they walked into his room together, she knew.

A consultant knelt down next to Jonathan and took his hand. That’s when they broke the news. His leukaemia treatment was no longer working and there was nothing more they could do.

“How long?” Kimberley asked, scared of the doctor's reply. No matter how fearful she was, nothing could prepare her for his answer.

“Weeks,” he said.

READ MO...
Manchester Evening News •

'Has daddy done something?' Awful moment my mum caught dad abusing me

Danielle Keenan listened to the sound of her door creak open. Light poured into the room for a moment before disappearing behind a silhouette.

Her body froze as her father climbed into bed with her. It was that time of night again. At seven-years-old, she never understood what he was doing. She just remembered that it hurt.

“He said if I told anyone, I would have to shoot him and the army would make me watch,” the now 18-year-old told the Manchester Evening News. “But I just knew he was my dad...
Manchester Evening News •

We asked people how they're coping. It took five minutes before someone cried

Over the last year, the Manchester Evening News' Paige Oldfield has visited towns across Greater Manchester to find out how people are coping with the cost of living crisis. During that time, she met a man who hadn’t eaten for three days. She consoled a sobbing mother forced to light her home using candles.

But this visit to Oldham has been among the most harrowing. It took just minutes for someone to break down when asked about rising bills, while a disabled woman described being trapped upsta...
Manchester Evening News •

I drank 28 pints and a bottle of vodka a day until I was given two hours to live

Staring up at the fluorescent lights on the hospital ceiling, Ashley Varley knew he'd hit rock bottom. The 38-year-old was just hours away from death after drinking himself into oblivion.

Boozing to the point he didn't know his own name was a state he got into every single day. And now his life was at risk. Something had to change.

Just 10 years earlier, things were completely different. Settled down in a house with his childhood sweetheart and three children, Ashley was living the dream. He h...
Manchester Evening News •

Woman wakes up choking moments before explosion tears her home apart

A woman whose flat was destroyed by a devastating fire has revealed the moment she woke to find her home engulfed in flames.

Paige Hope lost everything she ever owned when she left a chip pan unattended in the early hours of July 20. The 29-year-old had not long taken medication which led to her accidentally falling asleep.

To her horror, she woke up choking to find her home full of thick black smoke. Paige tried to jump from her window with her dog Molly but the frame was too hot to touch. Mo...
Manchester Evening News •

Mum, 42, thought pregnancy signs were COVID - and gives birth to surprise twins

A 42-year-old who gave birth to ‘miracle’ twins after mistaking her pregnancy signs for Covid has spoken of her joy. Claire Mcwhinnie had just returned home from Dublin when she began feeling unwell in September 2021.

The property developer, from Bolton , felt nauseous and likened her symptoms to a ‘long hangover’. Despite believing she had Covid, she decided to take a pregnancy test just to be sure.

To her disbelief, it turned out she didn't have the virus – she was expecting. But Claire and...
Manchester Evening News •

On the Greater Manchester street so haunted you had to sign a WAIVER to move

On the outskirts of Bolton lies a street with a dark secret.

Wingates Grove in Westhoughton was said to be haunted by a poltergeist throughout the 1990s – terrifying all those who lived there.

The malevolent spirit was said to have attached itself to a row of council houses and tormented families for years.

READ MORE: Police find body in search for man who went missing on the day of his mother's funeral

The hauntings reputedly became so frightening Bolton Council was forced to intervene, but...
Manchester Evening News •

"I felt numb": Mum's agony as baby boy dies after getting caught in blind cord

The mother of a little boy who died after getting caught in a blind cord in Oldham says her life feels “empty”.

Kane Davidson was playing at home with his brother when tragedy struck on January 28.

The tot was left alone for just seconds while his mum Natasha Ogden went to the bathroom.

READ MORE: Woman, 21, seriously injured in 'hit-and-run' crash

When she returned, Kane had disappeared.

Natasha walked around her Greenacres home before spotting his reflection in her bedroom window.

She be...
Manchester Evening News •

Life on the Salford streets where families live one bill away from disaster

On Wednesday, Rishi Sunak unveiled his second Budget of 2021. The Universal Credit taper will be cut by eight per cent, allowing claimants to keep more of their benefit.

But 4.4million households have seen their income fall by £1,000 a year after the £20 uplift was recently scrapped. The cash could be the equivalent of a week’s worth of food or new school shoes for a child.

The decrease means some are having to choose between basic necessities. There are people living in Eccles who are barely...
Manchester Evening News •

Hope in a time of darkness: The maternity ward during Covid

A weary midwife removes her PPE as she prepares to finish her shift.

She’s spent the last 16 hours on the maternity ward surrounded by babies – despite not seeing her own for nine weeks.

Shielding from loved ones is a sacrifice made daily by midwives at Royal Bolton Hospital.

But amid the nightmare of the pandemic, a sense of wonder fills the ward.

In every room, tired but excited parents cradle their newborns.

Many are packing their bags as they prepare for a new adventure together at home...
Manchester Evening News •

One person dead after house explosion leaves scene of devastation - LIVE updates

One person has died following a suspected house explosion in Bury, police have confirmed. Emergency services were called to East View in Summerseat at around 9.20pm on Wednesday night (February 17). Local residents reported hearing a 'loud bang' on Wednesday night. A major emergency response from Greater Manchester Fire Service, GMP and North West Ambulance Service was quickly prompted. A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: "Five properties were evacuated as a precaution and a small...
Manchester Evening News •

Ex-Salford TV producer made redundant from Jeremy Kyle show took her own life

A former Salford TV producer made redundant from The Jeremy Kyle show after it was axed took her own life, a coroner has ruled.

Natasha Reddican struggled to find work after the well-known ITV programme was cancelled in June 2019.

The 31-year-old lost her job along with others in the wake of the death of guest Steve Dymond, who passed away after appearing on the show earlier that year.

Ms Reddican spent months applying for jobs without success. Her loved ones said she suffered with depression...
Manchester Evening News •

Dad who threw baby into river thought son was 'turning into devil', jury told

A father who threw his 11-month-old baby boy into the River Irwell believed his son was 'turning into the devil', a court has heard.

Zak Bennett-Eko said he had been 'hearing voices' in the months leading up to the incident in Radcliffe, Bury, last year.

He was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia at the time, jurors have heard.

The 23-year-old thought his son Zakari William Bennett-Eko had killed several people and did not belong to him, a jury has been told.

His mental health deteriorated...
Manchester Evening News •

Cordon in place after man stabbed in Wythenshawe

A man was stabbed in Wythenshawe this evening (Tuesday). Multiple police vehicles and ambulances were seen near Lidl in Baguley at around 5.15pm.  Video taken at the scene appeared to show a large cordon. An air ambulance landed nearby.  A witness described a man being tended to by paramedics.
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Manchester Evening News •

Man using A SNAKE 'as face covering' seen riding bus in Greater Manchester

A man carrying a huge snake around his neck was spotted riding a bus in Salford.

The man, who appeared to be using the large reptile as a face covering, was seen boarding the Swinton to Manchester service at Salford precinct yesterday (September 14).

Shocked passengers watched on as the man removed the snake from around his neck and allowed it to wrap itself around the hand rails.

One witness, who did not wish to give her name, told the Manchester Evening News the sight was “definitely entert...
Manchester Evening News •

LIVE updates: Seven-year-old girl stabbed to death in Bolton park in horrific random Mother's Day attack

A woman has been arrested following the murder of a little girl in Bolton. Earlier today (Sunday 22 March 2020) at 2:34pm, police were called to Queen’s Park in Bolton following reports that a child had been stabbed. Ambulance and police attended and found that a seven-year-old girl had been attacked by a woman with a knife. The child sustained extremely serious injuries and, despite the best efforts of her family and medical responders, she sadly died a short while later. A 30-year-old woman wa...
Derbyshire Live •

Derby 'EXPLOSION': Thick plumes of smoke billow from city centre after 3 blasts heard

A huge explosion at a Derby business park rocked the city on Monday afternoon. Plumes of smoke could be seen for miles across the city after the blast, which happened at a commercial unit off Stores Road in Derby. A first loud bang was heard at around 1.40pm. A second bag was heard around five minutes later. At 7pm, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service units were still in attendance but with the incident firmly under control. A spokesperson from East Midlands Ambulance Service has confirmed that n...