A stunning new range of limited-edition shirts, created to celebrate International Women’s Day, have launched in Manchester.
Each shirt has been embroidered with an inspiring quote, with funds raised from sales going to the Young Women’s Trust.
The clothing range is part of a partnership between the charity and French Connection, which has a store within Manchester’s Royal Exchange building.
The brand’s best-selling Rhodes Poplin shirts have been exclusively embroidered with four different messages – ‘Girl Power’, ‘You’ve Got This’, ‘No limits’, and ‘Women can’.
French Connection’s limited-edition International Women’s Day shirts are now available in Manchester / Credit: French Connection
The shirts have been created to pay homage to all the awesome, strong, powerful, independent and passionate women around the globe while shining a light on society’s continual inherent inequalities towards women.
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20% of the total revenue from the limited-edition shirts will be given to Young Women’s Trust charity, which works to support young women.
Young Women’s Trust and French Connection said: “The clothes you wear make a statement; who you are, what you believe in and stand for and what better way to present your ideas and ideals to the world than with a slogan?!
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“Do more good than just spreading the word of equality – invest in an item of clothing that also gives back.”
The designer brand has partnered with Young Women’s Trust / Credit: French Connection
French Connection will also celebrate International Women’s Day with a series of events in London – including a customer-facing panel event on 9 March with Bamby Collective and founder Ambar Driscoll (proceeds from ticket sales going to Young Women’s Trust), and a press and influencer dinner hosted with Good Girls Eat Dinner to further highlight and raise awareness of the great work women are doing in the UK, inviting inspirational female role models from a range of creative industries to share their personal stories and advice between courses.
The range launched exclusively online and in top stores from 6 March.
Featured Image – French Connection
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Major Greater Manchester tram stop officially renamed to Trafford Palazzo
Daisy Jackson
A key Metrolink stop has officially been renamed as part of a partnership between Trafford Palazzo and Transport for Greater Manchester.
Passengers heading out on the Trafford Park line from now on will notice that Barton Dock Road tram stop is no more.
Instead, the stop has been officially renamed Trafford Palazzo, creating a clear connection between the public transport network and the huge retail, leisure and commercial destination.
Around 2.4 million passengers use this particular tram stop within TraffordCity annually to visit destinations like Sports Direct, SeaLife, Archie’s Atomic and the newly-opened Primark Home store.
The renaming of the stop will be marked across the region with two bespoke Trafford Palazzo-wrapped Metrolink trams travelling around the Bee Network.
And there are celebrations planned for 8 November from midday, with roaming living statues taking the tram from Trafford Palazzo Metrolink stop to Deansgate and back.
Directly under the dome within the building, visitors can enjoy a DJ in a pink branded booth, dancing rollerskaters around the fountain, and a pink tribute act.
Mark Whittaker, Managing Director of Peel Retail & Leisure said: “Trafford Palazzo’s partnership with TfGM is a powerful statement of intent.
Major Greater Manchester tram stop officially renamed to Trafford Palazzo
“The partnership is focussed on placemaking and renaming the Metrolink stop to Trafford Palazzo strengthens our identity as a gateway destination within TraffordCity, whilst also reinforcing our commitment to creating a connected, accessible and memorable place for all who visit or work here.”
Fran Wilkinson, Director of Customer and Growth at Transport for Greater Manchester said: “The renaming of the tram stop reflects its location next to Trafford Palazzo, making it clearer for those travelling to this popular destination for shopping, family days out or visiting top attractions like SeaLife.
“More people are choosing to leave the car at home and travel by tram, and I’d encourage passengers to take full advantage of the Bee Network. Services are running later and more often, and we have a range of value fares for people and families, so by choosing the Bee Network you could save money and time.”
The renaming of the Metrolink stop and Trafford Palazzo branded trams are live from Tuesday 28 October, with a celebratory event planned on 8 November – find out more HERE.
‘I wouldn’t change this career for anything’: trainee probation officer amidst new recruitment drive in Greater Manchester
Danny Jones
We sat down with Lea, who is currently working towards her Professional Qualification in Probation – or PQiP for short – to become a fully qualified probation officer here in Greater Manchester.
Here’s Lea on life as a trainee probation officer…
So, how did you get into this particular career, and what made you want to jump into the probation service, specifically?
I’ve always had an interest in the legal world and love watching crime dramas. I started off in courts admin, where I was exposed to a lot of different roles in the Criminal Justice System, like probation officers, solicitors, judges and so on.
Credit: The Manc Group
I decided that was the kind of career I wanted, and I feel like, with probation, if you like watching crime documentaries and understanding human behaviour, then it might be the perfect career for you. It was kind of the moment everything clicked into place for me.
I’m sure training to be a probation officer involves a little more than your average nine-to-five, but what does a typical day look like for you?
Every day is different. You do have different priorities; a lot of the time, you prioritise things around emergencies and what is most urgent.
For example, today one of the offenders I work with, who’s only 19, got kicked out of his house, so I’ve been trying to find him a place to sleep tonight to keep him off the streets.
Criminal behaviour is often about taking shortcuts, I would say, so it’s prioritising that situation to keep him on the straight and narrow, but also making sure that the public is protected. I think that the number one priority with probation is public protection.
Typical days can also include making sure offenders follow what they’ve been ordered to do by the court, whether that’s Community Payback or other measures.
On top of that, it’s about making sure they have the support they need. Some people struggle to keep appointments, so we carry out referrals and mental health checks to help them stay on track.
These all sound like quite emotional situations to be thrown into. How do you deal with the emotional side and high-stress scenarios?
It can be hard on you emotionally. Although you’re dealing with offenders, they’re often in the situation they’re in for a multitude of reasons. It’s about trying to keep a cool head and manage the situation strategically.
You can’t do it on your own – it’s impossible – but as a probation officer, you are the first point of call. You’re kind of like their ‘life manager’ working to make sure they’re okay, as well as following the law.
It sounds like very important and fulfilling work. What’s the training process like?
As a trainee probation officer, it is difficult at times because they really do throw you into stuff, but they do it strategically, slowly increasing the level of cases you work on and providing opportunities to shadow more experienced colleagues.
I can easily lean on my colleagues, and in addition to the practical training, there’s the university side of it as well. It’s quite a dynamic role, and you still benefit from the split between study and practice.
How do you unwind after this job?
That’s a really great question. I cycle to work, and that’s my silent time, so even that hour alone of cycling is a way to keep me off my phone and allows my brain to properly switch off.
I think that’s really important because you can do everything you possibly can to help offenders, and you need to take care of yourself, too.
Do you think you can make that impact during your working day?
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I certainly like to think so. I think it’s important that you do take breaks as well; people forget that it’s not a normal job. You will have to be able to deal with challenging offenders, but it’s just about being resilient and following what you learn in training, remembering it’s about the circumstances they’re in and trying to understand that.
And do you get satisfaction and fulfilment from that?
Oh yeah, absolutely. In probation, there is that pattern of people making the same mistakes over and over again, and you’ll see them over and over again for years, but then you remember that people are capable of change – it just takes longer for some than others. When I’m struggling, I always think of those I have helped turn their life around and take pride in knowing they’re doing better and are happier.
Is there one particular case that springs to mind?
Yeah, there’s one particular offender I always think of. When he first came to court, he wouldn’t speak to anybody, and even when he went on probation, he just wouldn’t say anything or even show up to anything.
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He was then allocated to me – and sometimes it’s not necessarily the officer, but it’s something about that emotional connection, or it could just be how you get along with people – that finally clicked.
I did a lot of work with him; he was homeless, jobless, had an addiction problem and wasn’t compliant with his court order, but now he’s housed, has a job, and he’s doing really well.
Credit: The Manc
That’s such a lovely story. What skills or qualities would you say are needed to do this type of work?
The top one would be resilience. Resourcefulness, communication and organisation. Being able to stay calm is a really big one, too.
What other benefits are there to a role in the Probation Service?
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I feel like lots of people don’t realise that this is one of those roles where you can start at the very bottom and work your way up, and there are so many areas that you can work in the Probation Service
It’s like the NHS: so many different lanes you can go down, different specialities, and it is a Civil Service job, so the pension is really good.
Of course, and lastly, if you were to give one piece of advice to someone interested in a career in the Probation Service, what would it be?
Persevere. It’s not always going to be easy, and you’re going to go through a lot, because it’s a hard job and you’re dealing with challenging people, but you just have to push through because it does get easier.
It is such a rewarding job, and I wouldn’t change this career for anything.
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Interested?
If Lea’s story has made you think a career in HM Prison and Probation Service might be for you, you can find out more about the opportunities in Manchester on the Service’s recruitment website.
You can hear from Vinay, a Community Payback placement coordinator who works in the Probation Service, in the video below.
Daisy Jackson -
7th March 2023 
