National Trust and Pokémon team up for exclusive trading card game and trail this half term

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

National Trust and Pokémon have teamed up for an exclusive trading card game and immersive trail this half term.

Families are invited to National Trust sites across the UK, including here in the North West, this upcoming May half term, as a brand-new partnership has been launched with Pokémon, and it’s bringing the widely loved brand to the great outdoors through a series of Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) Mega Evolution Trails. 

The partnership is set to bring together the places the National Trust cares for and Pokémon’s spirit of play and discovery.

Exclusively designed for the National Trust, the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Trails are going to be running throughout May half term at 14 National Trust places nationwide, combining ‘imaginative play’ with ‘gentle physical activity’ inspired by Mega Evolution Pokémon. 

National Trust and Pokémon have teamed up for an exclusive trading card game and trail this half term / Credit: James Dobson & Annapurna Mellor (Supplied)

Each trail point features a simple physical or creative challenge inspired by different Mega Evolution Pokémon. 

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From showing courage and curiosity with Darkness-type Mega Gengar ex, to unleashing energy and imagination inspired by the powerful Fire‑type Mega Charizard Y ex, the trails blend imaginative play with gentle activity. 

A trail sheet will help young trainers keep track of their discoveries, and at the end of the trail, explorers can celebrate their achievement together with a photo opportunity at a Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Trail backdrop. 

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It’s hoped that it’ll help more families feel ‘welcome, confident, and curious’ about exploring the outdoors together.

Quarry Bank in Cheshire, Sizergh in Cumbria, and Speke Hall in Merseyside are the three National Trust sites in the North West where the new experience will be talking place.

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The Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Trails are exclusive to the National Trust and are included with standard National Trust admission (free for NT members).

Beyond May half term, the Mega Evolution Trails form part of a wider National Trust partnership with Pokémon, marking the first of several playful experiences for families throughout the summer holidays, kicking off in July.

Featured Image – James Dobson / National Trust (Supplied)

Antony Szmeirek announces second album along with biggest UK tour dates yet

Danny Jones Danny Jones Antony Szmierek Manchester gig tickets UK tour dates 2026

Greater Manchester spoken word artist Antony Szmeirek has finally revealed the name, cover art and release date for his second album, along with his biggest run of UK tour dates yet.

The Tameside teacher turned full-time artist dropped his maiden record, Service Station at the End of the Universe, back in February 2025, and now, just over a year on from its launch, he’s getting ready to deliver his highly anticipated follow-up.

Entitled Decoding Birdsong, the sophomore studio project is scheduled for this summer, with a series of live shows booked for the following autumn.

Having already dropped lead single ‘The Heron’ earlier this year, Szmeirek has just released the opener from his upcoming LP, which is simply called ‘Chalk’; he’s also unveiled the rest of the tracklist and a rather striking bit of album artwork.

The Hyde-born artist is making big moves not only within the spoken word space but across multiple genres, with his music blending everything from indie, hip-hop, electronica and more.

His latest song, for instance, is more of an acid-house-esque meets contemporary EDM outing, and has quickly gone down as a popular addition among fans.

On the album name itself, he’s never one to shy away from a weird title or two – case in point, ‘The Great Pyramid of Stockport’ from his debut and ‘Dave’s Angling Superstore’ on this new record.

The 34-year-old carries that same idiosyncrasy throughout his lyricism and creative concepts, as well.

‘Chalk’ is a perfect example of this, as the song is inspired by The Edge of Everything documentary: a film about the career of legendary British snooker player, Ronnie O’Sullivan.

Here’s the music video…

As for his latest raft of live shows, these will be some of the biggest domestic gigs that the local lad has played in his career so far.

In addition to a pair of hometown shows here in Manchester, he is set to play a dozen different cities across Great Britain and Ireland.

Antony Szmierek UK/IE tour dates – October 2026

We’ve highlighted the Northern stops for you, too:

  • 8 – O2 Academy Leeds, Leeds, UK
  • 9 – The Level, Nottingham, UK
  • 11 – Cambridge Junction, Cambridge, UK
  • 12 – O2 Academy Oxford, Oxford, UK
  • 14 – CHALK, Brighton, UK
  • 15 – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London, UK
  • 16 – O2 Academy Bournemouth, Bournemouth, UK
  • 17 – O2 Academy Bristol, Bristol, UK
  • 20 – Queen Margaret Union (QMU), Glasgow, UK
  • 21 – Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK
  • 23 – Manchester Academy, Manchester, UK
  • 28 – The Button Factory, Dublin, IE

It’s also worth noting that ‘Smerick’ will also be joining the legendary ‘Bard of Salford’ himself, John Cooper Clarke, in November for a night of pure poetry.

For those of you looking to grab tickets to his headline gig, they go on sale at 10am on Friday, 8 May via the likes of SeeTickets.

You can get ready to grab your tickets right HERE.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Press shots via Zak Watson (supplied via SJM Concerts)

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