Live updates for Greater Manchester and east Cheshire have finished for the day, but we'll be back from 08:00 on Friday with more of the day's news, sport, travel and weather.

BBC Weather

A final look at the weather now, and it's looking like a frosty evening with some cloud and a chance of rain. Highs of 4C.

More from BBC Weather

Image source, Nick Potts - Press Association

Manchester United goalkeeper Sam Johnstone signs for Aston Villa on loan for the rest of the season.

Bury Times

Four members of the Bury Ladies Lifeboat Guild, who in total have given 146 years service, have been presented with Gold Awards, external at a special ceremony.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola insists he is not ready to quit management despite earlier saying he is "arriving at the end" of his career.

Manchester Evening News

Joshua Elgar-Chetwyn said he felt compelled to photograph Manchester's homeless, external after noticing an increasing number of people sleeping on the streets.

BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

Bolton manager Phil Parkinsonhas said this weekend's FA Cup tie against Crystal Palace will be "a good test" for his side. 

"We will go into it as underdogs, but we're relishing the challenge. Our players will be eager to show the football world what they are capable of against top flight opposition," he said.

"We want to show the wider footballing world that Bolton is alive and kicking and we look forward to doing that, especially this weekend."

A village hall is due to get a makeover after the developer of a nearby housing site agreed to put money towards it.

Image source, Google

Salford City Council said more than £59,000 will be used to transform Boothstown Village Hall, which was built by the aristocratic Egerton family in 1874.

In 2011, the family gave the building to Manchester Diocese, which leases it at a peppercorn rent to Boothstown Village Hall Association. 

Councillor Derek Antrobus said the funding was part of the conditions of granting planning permission for 12 houses on Vicars Hall Lane.

• Discount supermarket chain Lidl hopes to build a new warehouse in Bolton, which is expected to create up to 500 jobs
• A woman from Salford says she is donating a kidney to a stranger in order to repay the NHS for saving her husband's life
• Public events have started in Cheshire over plans for a high speed rail link route

Police have issued CCTV footage of an armed robbery at an Oldham shop, external where the offenders managed to flee despite the store’s emergency locking system.

Image source, GMP

Two men threatened staff at the premises on Butler Green, Chadderton, with a machete-type weapon and a crowbar on 17 December.

One snatched a cash bag from a cashier and both tried to flee, but were at first unable to escape as a shop worker activated the store’s emergency magnetic locking system.

The men forcefully pulled on the doors until they opened before fleeing on mountain bikes. Police have appealed for information.

James Longman
Victoria Derbyshire Reporter

Zach was four years old when his mother's new partner, David Potts, broke into the family home in Manchester and set it on fire. 

Potts, Zach's mother and his 15-year-old half-brother Shaun all died in the blast. Zach was left with severe burns. 

He tells the Victoria Derbyshire programme he still remembers the moment he found out his mother had died.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport

The fall-out from Pep Guardiola's rather terse post-match interview continues, with the Man City boss explaining he was unhappy that his players were not being given credit for beating Burnley, despite playing the majority of the game with 10 men.

Image source, Getty Images

It's also fair to say City are not impressed at how the story has been covered, considering there are plenty of other examples of managers not dealing with their media commitments well - often famously involving Sir Alex Ferguson.

For the record, Guardiola was relaxed, polite and courteous in his media meeting today. He answered every question properly and insisted, as I tried to navigate a way round to asking about his interview with NBC that generated additional headlines this week, that he would answer any question I cared to put about it. Which he did.

• Supermarket chain Lidl hopes to build a new warehouse in Bolton, which is expected to create about 500 jobs
• A woman from Salford says she is donating a kidney to a stranger in order to repay the NHS for saving her husband's life
• Public events have started in Cheshire over plans for the route of the HS2 high speed rail link

Discount supermarket chain Lidl is planning to build a new warehouse in Bolton, which is expected to create up to 500 jobs.

Image source, Getty Images

The German company has spent £22.5m on the freehold of a 44-acre site at a development at Middle Hulton. 

A planning application is due to be submitted later this year.

BBC Sport

Image source, PA

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has said he will not be "rotating" the squad for Friday evening's match against West Ham. 

"They are a Premier League team. We are away, it’s tough. I want to continue in the competition. I’m going to decide on Willy Caballero. Vincent Kompany has started training now but he’s not ready to play tomorrow. 

"From what I hear, the FA Cup is special because the low teams can beat the big teams - that’s why it’s fascinating. I’m looking forward to it."

A cold afternoon with lots of winter sunshine. Staying dry with light winds. Highs of 4C.

A woman says she is donating a kidney to a stranger in order to repay the NHS for saving her husband's life.

Catherine O'Brien, 37, from Salford, Greater Manchester said she is having surgery to remove one of her kidneys and become a living donor next month.

She said her husband Shaun found a cancerous lump on his neck in 2015. He was given the all-clear following surgery and treatment in March.

"I'm sharing a spare rather than losing one," said truck driver Catherine.

Phil McCann
Cheshire Political Reporter, BBC News

A consultation is being held in Crewe today over plans to have a high-speed rail station in the town.

Image source, Farrells

In 2015 the government announced that the town would have the only HS2 stop between Birmingham and Manchester, as part of the preferred route for the scheme. 

The plans are on show between midday and 20:00 today at the Alexandra Stadium on Gresty Road, external. 

An old newspaper with autographs of the Beatles that were forged by John Lennon has sold at auction for £2,000.

Image source, Adam Partridge Auctioneers

A front page photo shows Paul McCartney crowning the carnival queen in Northwich, Cheshire, in 1963.

It was taken by photographer Les Goode and featured in Alkali News - an in-house magazine for chemical company ICI.

He sent it off to the Beatles to be autographed, but John Lennon signed it on behalf of all four band members.

Salford Red Devils sign centre Kris Welham from liquidated Championship side Bradford Bulls on a two-year contract.