A major new entertainment attraction in Greater Manchester is recruiting a pint-sized CEO – that’s Chief Excitement Officer to you.
Oxygen Activeplay is set to open at MediaCity next month, filled with 24 trampolines, loads of inflatables, a giant air bag jump and an indoor aerial Sky Rider.
Ahead of its February launch, the state-of-the-art venue is on the hunt for someone to take on the ‘most fun job in Manchester’, testing out all the attractions inside and overseeing excitement levels.
The mini-CEO role will be offered to an outgoing and creative candidate who must be aged between six and 12 years old.
Once Oxygen Activeplay has found its Chief Excitement Officer, the work can begin…
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Listed responsibilities in the spoof job advert include auditing the bounce-ability of 24 epic trampolines, assessing the Sky Rider’s sky-high feeling, evaluating the energy of Oxygen’s signature Excite Tunnel, and inspecting the floating on-air style cushioning of the mega-airbag.
The successful CEO will also be testing out the ‘fun factor’ of the interactive Strike Arena, calculating the amount of balance needed to cross the high ropes course, and delivering an excitement briefing to Oxygen’s Hero Crew to prepare for the opening.
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They’ll also need to evaluate the tastiness of the cafe’s menu on site, including the slushies.
Essential experience for the role includes ‘a proven track record of playing games, trying new things, and most importantly knowing how to have fun’.
Oxygen MediaCity is recruiting a Chief Excitement Officer – and they must be an actual child. Credit: Supplied, Jamie McPhilimey
The CEO’s first official duty will be to visit Oxygen Activeplay before it officially opens its doors to review the facility alongside Oxygen’s other CEO, Stephen Wilson.
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Then they’ll be hitting the streets to quiz Mancs on how much they really know about ‘BIG-TIME fun’, before cutting the ribbon to the new attraction in MediaCity.
The successful Chief Excitement Officer will receive a salary in the form of an annual bounce pass worth over £600 for them and their family, plus the chance to host their next birthday party at the park.
And they’ll be given a full written reference for their CV, making them the only child in the UK to hold the coveted letters of ‘CEO’.
Stephen Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of Oxygen Activeplay, said: “I’m really looking forward to joining forces with another CEO and hearing their professional input on peak playing protocols to help maximise BIG-TIME Fun.”
Oxygen Activeplay is opening at MediaCity this year. Credit: Supplied
“With Oxygen at MediaCity being our newest park, we’re keen to amplify the excitement levels, so bringing in a professional was the logical step. If you think you’re the best at having fun and bringing the excitement, then we want to hear from you!”
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Peta Young, People Director at Oxygen Activeplay, said: “Recruiting for a role as important as the Chief Excitement Officer is a really big deal and we want to find the bubbliest and bounciest Mancunian to join our team, so we’d like to encourage as many people as possible to apply for the chance to be Oxygen at MediaCity’s CEO.”
To apply, the aspiring CEO should get their parent or guardian to help them send in a video explaining why they believe they’re the most qualified for the job, which can be submitted HERE.
The candidate must be available for official CEO duties on the 14 February evening or 15nFebruary morning, and Saturday 8 or Sunday 9 day time. They must also be available on the evening of Thursday 6 March to cut the ribbon at the VIP opening celebration.
Oxygen Activeplay is set to open its 10th Oxygen park at Quayside, MediaCity in Manchester in February 2025 – find out more HERE.
Manchester’s Cat Café is set to reopen four years after its closure
Danny Jones
Feline fans, rejoice, because Cat Café Manchester looks like it is reopening more than four whole years after its unfortunate closure.
The city centre’s much-loved cat café – the only one of its kind in Greater Manchester and among just a small handful in the North West – closed back in 2021 following unavoidable economic struggles brought about by the pandemic
Despite being hugely popular before having to shut its doors, the business was unable to reach an agreement with their landlord at the time and the owners were left with no other choice than to close permanently – or so we thought…
Seemingly back from the dead and published their first post since 11 January 2021, the official Instagram page shared just one line along with a picture of their soon-to-be new premises.
Briefly teasing fans ahead of an official announcement, the post reads: “Manchester we’ve missed you! There’s only one thing this place needs…”
The shot taken across the road from Manchester’s historic Barton Arcade shows the large shopfront unit on the main Deansgate strip where the original Classic Football Shirts store used to be.
As you can see, although the vintage footy kit reseller’s brand and decals still remain plastered on the windows, the two-storey location has been vacant since October 2023 when CFS moved their flagship Manchester branch to Dale Street in the Northern Quarter.
We’ve personally been wondering what might take the old venue’s place for a while now, with the rest of the Grade II-listed Victorian shopping arcade populated by food and drink spaces, a barbershop and fashion retailers like The R Store, but after all this time the last thing we expect was the Cat Café.
This will no doubt come as wonderful news to the countless fans who were gutted to see it disappear just a few short years ago.
At the time, a fundraiser was set up in an attempt to rescue it and the pet-forward coffee shop format also paved the way for similar ventures like this one over Salford.
Although we’re still yet to hear any more details regarding a possible reopening date, we can safely assume their four-year hiatus will be coming to an end sometime in 2025.
When they were still up and running, the café had 10 resident cats at their original site on the edge of NQ, now home to one of two Gooeys in Manchester.
It is worth noting that there were some concerns raised around hygiene and animal welfare, though we’re sure steps have been taken to address these issues in the interim.
LEGO-loving little Mancs can now compete against the world to become a ‘Mini Master Model Builder’
Emily Sergeant
Little Mancs who love LEGO can now enter a worldwide competition and battle it out to become a ‘Mini Master Model Builder’.
Is your child a LEGO super fan? Do they reckon they could build impressive LEGO creations in their sleep? Well, if they’re feeling brave enough and are ready to put their skills to the test, then you’ll want to take them down to LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Manchester, as the hunt is one for a talented youngster to be crowned the UK’s newest ‘Mini Master Model Builder’.
Young LEGO fans will have the chance to let their imaginations run wild in a “bricktastic” competition, by building the most epic creation entirely out of LEGO bricks in an attempt to take home the coveted title.
Participants are invited to “demonstrate their imagination and creativity” by constructing something extraordinary that will leave the judges in awe – with the judges particularly interested in an array of building techniques and a strong creative flare, so entrants should “think outside the box” and let their personality and interests shine through.
Little Mancs who love LEGO can now compete to become a ‘Mini Master Model Builder’ / Credit: Supplied
Finalists will be chosen by the LEGOLAND Master Model Builders and Playmakers.
Each Discovery Centre in Manchester and Birmingham will then crown its own ‘Mini Master Model Builder’, and the winners will work with the local Master Model Builder to create their final models, which will then compete in the global final.
Winners will be given the unique opportunity of having their creation displayed at the iconic LEGO House in Denmark, plus a prize of £100 to spend in the LEGOLAND store, and a Local Annual Pass for them and their family too.
Up to the challenge then? All hopeful Mini Master Model Builders will need to get themselves down to LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Manchester at Trafford Palazzo – which is next to the Trafford Centre – any weekend up until the start of February.
Entry into the competition is included in the price of one standard admission ticket to LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Manchester.
All entries must be made by those under the age of 18, and only one entry per person can be made.
Daisy Jackson -
24th January 2025 
