Northern is currently on a recruitment drive, and is keen to welcome dozens of new train conductors to its Greater Manchester team.
And you don’t even need any prior experience to apply for the role.
The rail company is looking to hire as many as 74 new train conductors for its bases in Greater Manchester and Yorkshire over the next 12 months, and is urging anyone that finds themselves at a “career crossroads” to strongly consider sticking an application in as no previous rail industry experience is required.
This is because thorough training will be given to all new recruits through an apprenticeship at Northern’s academies in Manchester and Leeds city centres.
Northern is recruiting dozens of new train conductors in Greater Manchester / Credit: Northern
Luckily, for anyone who lives locally and is thinking about applying, the Greater Manchester roles will be based at either Manchester Piccadilly or Manchester Victoria stations, but for those over the border or who don’t mind travelling a little further, the Yorkshire roles will be based at either Doncaster, Leeds, Skipton, or York.
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The role of a Train Conductor at Northern has a salary of £29,000 once fully qualified, and comes with a wide range of benefits – including things like free train travel.
Initial training takes 12 weeks, and the apprenticeship is complete within a year.
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No previous rail industry experience is required for the roles on offer / Credit: Northern
“The days when apprenticeships were just for school or college leavers are long gone,” admits Lisa Leighton, who is the People Director at Northern.
“But that perception remains and it can be a barrier to more experienced people putting in an application, as lots of jobs have transferable skills that the rail industry can benefit from, so anyone that fancies taking their career in a completely fresh direction should give it go.
“Some of the people working on-board our trains today started their career in very different arenas, from the prison service and cabin crew to social care and financial services.
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“No one should think the railway ‘isn’t for them’ – it’s an industry with much to offer.”
Recruitment for the first of the 74 positions is already underway, with regular opportunities to apply as jobs are released between now and August 2024, so for more information on the roles out there, you can check out Northern’s website.
Manchester Marathon found fresh community fund following milestone charitable efforts
Danny Jones
The Manchester Marathon has begun a new community fund following more than a decade of incredible charity efforts.
Known as the Trafford Active Fund for the last 10 years or so, the initiative covers not only the city and its wider boroughs’ annual 26.2-mile long race, but various other sports and activity-based schemes across the region.
Now, though, the fresh Manc Marathon Fund is evolving in partnership with the existing Trafford Moving Fund and MCRactive arm of Manchester City Council by expanding its vital charity work further afield than ever before.
Launching ahead of the 2026 event this spring, runners will once again be behind crucial funding across the Greater Manchester region and beyond.
The new Manchester Marathon Community Fund logo (Credit: Supplied)
For context, back in 2024, the MCR Marathon raised nearly £30 million for the local economy and roughly £3.7m for charities like the Alzheimer’s Society; last April, that figure surpassed more than £4m, and the fundraising numbers only continue to increase with every year.
With that in mind, more than £60k is distributed to various partner programmes that “inspire movement, improve wellbeing, and create meaningful change for local people”.
Moving forward, not only will £1 from every paid entry into the Manchester Marathon and Manchester Half continue to go directly into the Manchester Marathon Community Fund (MMCF).
Andrew Smith, Chief Executive of A.S.O. UK – organisers of the MCR Marathon and Half – said: “We’re incredibly proud of the positive impact the Trafford Active Fund has delivered locally over the years, and we’re excited to extend that impact across both Trafford and Manchester City [Centre].
“By broadening our reach, the MMCF will help even more people to get active and contribute to a legacy of movement and wellbeing. Our relationship with Trafford remains as strong as ever, and we look forward to continuing to support the brilliant community projects that make a real difference there.”
Community groups and projects in Trafford or the City of Manchester can apply for funding via the Trafford Moving Fund and MCR Active (dependent on their location).
A panel from each organisation reviews applications and selects projects that best demonstrate lasting impact.
We share stories from funded projects throughout the year, so you can see the difference your event entry makes.
We love how much the North West regularly dedicates its charitable efforts, both socially and physically, towards important causes throughout the year.
Featured Images — Press shots (supplied via Manchester Marathon/ASO UK)
Business
Deansgate bar Simmons closes just over a year after opening
Danny Jones
London-born bar brand Simmons has closed their Manchester site just over a year after opening their first Northern location.
They’ve lasted roughly 15 months on one of our busiest nightlife strips.
Opening on Deansgate back in October 2024, Simmons Manchester wasn’t just their first foray here up in this half of the country but their only other venue outside of the capital.
An otherwise well-established and popular chain down south, they have a total of 15 different bars in central London, but things clearly haven’t quite taken off as planned here in Manchester.
Placing a poster in the unit’s shopfront besides the likes of Be At One, Yours, The Moon Under The Water Spoons and the Deansgate branch of Slug and Lettuce, as you can see, the fellow franchise founded over a decade ago said: “After much consideration, we’ve made the difficult decision to close our doors.
“It’s never easy to say goodbye”, they add, “We’re incredibly proud of what the team built here and so grateful to them, as well as everyone who joined us over the past year.
“We’ve had some unforgettable nights. We love Manchester, and we hope to be back under the right conditions.”
They go on to thank everyone for being “part of the journey”, but for now, it looks like the room has closed effective immediately.
Simmons started back in 2012 when founder Nick Campbell opened the first bar below his flat in Kings Cross, and their presence has grown hugely since then. The closing sign was spotted and shared on social media earlier this week.
Offering everything from stylish cocktails to New York-style pizza, live music and even private karaoke booths, the place had plenty going on.
With rising business rates, energy bills and more dovetailing with the continuing cost of living crisis that is still hampering both hospitality and the nightime economy, they are just one of many to unfortunately close their doors of late.
For instance, it was only earlier this month that we saw multiple well-known names shut up shop here in the city centre or elsewhere in Greater Manchester, including another long-standing late-night favourite, Revolution.
It’s a shame for any business to close, and we certainly hope they’ll return someday with a model that can be sustained in the current climate.
Emily Sergeant -
21st September 2023 
