Manchester Day parade returns for 2022 following two-year hiatus
The huge celebration of the city will return this summer, bringing the vibrant Manchester Day parade back to the city's streets following a two year absence
After a two-year absence, Manchester Day is back for 2022 and promises to be bigger and better than ever before.
The countdown is officially on for the celebration of Manchester, its people, and of all things Mancunian.
It will take place this year on Sunday 19 June, heralding the return of the vibrant Manchester Day Parade, which will return to weave its way through the city’s streets once again.
Back for its first outing since 2019, the spotlight for this year’s big return of the city’s much-loved free event will be dedicated to Manchester’s children and young people, who Councillor Pat Karney said: “have missed out on so much during the pandemic.”
“It’s been a really tough couple of years for them, and we’re determined to help them smile again and have some fun.”
Manchester Day will celebrate the re-opening of the city in 2022
As the celebration of the city returns for 2022, revellers will delight in a kaleidoscope of colour, sound and culture as youth and community groups from across the city join the famous parade, which has become the highlight of the day.
As always, music and dance will also spill over into the city centre squares for an afternoon of family entertainment, food and drink – with more details revealed in the coming weeks.
Anyone can be part of Manchester Day, and the callout is now on for youth groups, community groups, volunteers, and anyone else who wants to take part to reach out to organisers.
There are lots of different ways people can get involved – be that working with a professional artist to turn their creative idea into a creation for the parade or bringing their own colourful costumes or traditional cultural dress to dance, strut or style their way along the streets as part of the parade.
Manchester Day 2022 will focus on the city’s children and young people
People can also join a pop-up workshop and work with others to make something spectacular, or get involved in volunteering opportunities, both on the day and in the lead up to the event.
Councillor Pat Karney, Chair of Manchester Day, said: “What a long three years it has been! We never dreamt as the sun set on Manchester Day in 2019 that it would be another three years before we would be able to get together and celebrate our wonderful city again.
“Absence really does make the heart grow fonder though and we’ve already had a fantastic response to our call-out for community and youth groups to get involved.
“The return of Manchester Day is a chance for everyone to show the world what Manchester is made of and celebrate kicking Covid good-bye in true Mancunian style.
“I cannot wait!”
The huge task of creating all the amazing artworks, costumes, and props for what promises to be a spectacular return to the streets for the Manchester Day Parade begins now, and will once again be overseen by the award-winning local arts organisation, Walk the Plank.
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The Manchester Day parade has become one of the big highlights of the day.
Hundreds of participants and volunteers from local communities will spend the next few months working with local artists to help bring Manchester Day to life.
Liz Pugh, Creative Producer of Walk the Plank, said: “We’re particularly excited to see how children and young people want to shape the future of the city, and how that might be reflected in the sections of the Parade.
“We know the impact of climate change is a big issue for them, and that will feature in some of the floats. And there’s always great dance from some of the street crews, along with some of Manchester’s best loved music.”
Manchester Day also strives to limit its carbon footprint and impact on the planet. Sustainability is key to the event, which aims to be as green as it can by recycling materials as much as possible, limiting waste and training participating teams in an awareness of the carbon dioxide costs and impacts of everyday activities.
The 10th annual Manchester Day parade – Leedah and daughter Shanae Caraang.
Fossil-fuelled vehicles are banned from the parade, which instead harnesses people power and embraces structures that can be pushed, pulled, wheeled, or walked.
Councillor Pat Karney said: “It’s fantastic to be bringing Manchester Day back to the city’s streets again and this year we’re determined to make sure the event is greener than ever as the city works hard towards becoming zero carbon by 2038.
“We’re going to be pulling out all the stops to make sure the day plays its part in this and to help ensure generations of children and young people will still be able to celebrate Manchester Day many years from now.”
The callout for any youth or community groups who want to take part in the parade and workshops closes on 11 February.
To express an interest in taking part or for more information on how to get involved in MTo express an interest in taking part or for more information on how to get involved in Manchester Day this year, visit the Manchester Day website here.
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Met Office predicts UK is set for ‘hotter than average’ summer
Emily Sergeant
The Met Office is predicting that the UK is set for a ‘hotter than average’ summer this year.
Fresh off-the-back of the news that 2025 is already the hottest spring on record, with a recorded 630 hours of sunshine from 1 March until 27 May, beating out the previous sunniest spring in 2020 by just four hours, the Met Office is now predicting that the UK is on the verge of a summer that’s ‘hotter than usual’.
According to its three-month outlook, the Met Office has predicted that it’s 2.3 times more-likely than ‘normal’ that it will be hot in the UK between 1 June and 31 August.
The average temperatures during those months are set to range from 10-17°C.
As we head towards June and the start of meteorological summer, will we see some warm weather? 🌡️
After it was revealed that this has also been the UK’s driest spring in more than a century, meteorologists are warning Brits that there could heatwave conditions could be reached at various times throughout the summer.
The release of the long-range forecast – which gives an indication of possible temperatures, rainfall, and wind speed over a period as a whole – comes after temperatures soared to 8°C (46F) above the average for this time of year this Saturday just gone (31 May).
It is important to note, however, that the Met Office thinks these predicted temperatures are similar to those in recent years, and it does not guarantee ‘prolonged’ hot weather.
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The Met Office is predicting that the UK is set for ‘hotter than average’ summer this year / Credit: Mylo Kaye (via Unsplash)
The Met Office said in a statement: “While the current three-month outlook shows an increased chance of a hot summer, the temperature signals for this summer are similar to those for recent years and consistent with our warming climate.
“The increased chance of hotter than average temperatures is not a guarantee of prolonged hot weather or heatwaves, but it does mean that heatwave conditions could be reached at times.
“However, it’s important to bear in mind that an increased chance of hot conditions could also reflect a mix of hot and cool days, warm nights, or less extreme levels of warmth rather than continual heatwave conditions specifically.”
Featured Image – Garry Knight (via Flickr)
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NHS becomes first in the world to roll out ‘revolutionary’ blood test to help treat cancer patients
Emily Sergeant
The NHS has become the first in the world to roll out ‘revolutionary’ blood tests to help treat cancer patients.
Tens of thousands of patients with lung and breast cancer in England are set to benefit from the new ‘liquid biopsy’ test that can speed up access to targeted therapy by up to two weeks earlier, all while helping some patients avoid further tests and treatments – including chemotherapy.
The test is to be used before traditional tissue biopsies to help diagnose certain types of cancer.
A ‘liquid biopsy’ works by detecting tiny fragments of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) and looks for specific genetic variations of cancer, allowing patients to access targeted therapies which are tailored to the genetic profile of their cancer.
The blood test is being rolled out nationwide following a successful pilot, and NHS England expects that around 15,000 patients with suspected lung cancer could now benefit from the test each year.
Thousands of patients with cancer will benefit from a new blood test which can speed up access to targeted therapy.
Pilot data in lung cancer showed that in some cases, patients received the results of ctDNA testing needed to make treatment decisions 16 days earlier with liquid biopsies compared with the standard cancer tissue biopsy approach.
An independent health economic assessment of the pilot estimated the test could save the NHS up to £11 million per year in lung cancer care.
Because of this, the NHS says it’s now looking at using the test in a range of other cancers too – including pancreatic and gallbladder cancer.
“Liquid biopsies are leading us into a new era of personalised cancer care,” commented Professor Peter Johnson, who is the NHS’s national clinical director for cancer, “and it’s fantastic that we are now able to expand the use of this revolutionary test on the NHS to help tailor treatment for thousands of patients across the country.
The NHS has become the first in the world to roll out a ‘revolutionary’ blood test to help treat cancer patients / Credit: Wikimedia Commons | Pexels
“Cutting-edge genomic testing is helping us deliver more targeted and kinder care for patients, enabling some to avoid more intensive treatments such as further chemotherapy, which can have a huge impact.
“We are already seeing the difference this test can make in lung and breast cancer, and we hope to roll it out for patients with other forms of cancer in the near future.
“As research progresses, it’s exciting that this approach has the potential to help us ‘scan’ the body in a single blood test to see where and how cancer may be developing and target it with speed and precision to help save more lives.”
More than 1,600 patients with suspected lung cancer and around 600 advanced breast cancer patients have had liquid biopsy tests done since April, but the test is now available for all eligible lung and breast cancer patients in NHS hospitals across England.
Georgina Pellant -
25th January 2022 
