Northern has just launched another massive recruitment drive, and is looking to hire hundreds of new train drivers and conductors.
The best bit? You don’t even need any previous rail experience to apply.
The train operator says it is looking to recruit as many as 300 drivers and conductors across right the north of England this year – with the new recruits all set to form part of the team that is responsible for running the over 2,500 services Northern provides to more that 500 stations throughout the region each day.
Northern says both its driver and conductor roles “require no previous rail industry experience”, as full paid-for training will be provided at its academies in Manchester and Leeds.
The company wants to welcome 108 new train drivers and 198 conductors in 2024.
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Northern is hiring hundreds of new train drivers and conductors across the region / Credit: Northern
The train driver roles – which will be advertised in the coming months in Manchester, as well as other nearby locations like Blackburn, Blackpool, Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, and more – come with a starting salary of £23,000 a year, which eventually rises to £54,500 after completing a 64-week training course.
The conductor roles, on the other hand – many of which will also be advertised in Manchester too – come with starting salaries of £22,000 that rise to £29,000 on completion of 16-weeks of training.
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Northern says its 2024 recruitment drive is part of a “normal and ongoing recruitment process” across the region, and comes as a handful of its other team members retire, earn promotion, or move on to the next stage of their career.
No previous rail experience is required for the roles / Credit: Northern
“We have a range of rewarding roles for anyone who wants to become part of a dedicated team,” commented Tricia Williams, who is the Chief Operating Officer at Northern, as the recruitment drive launched this week.
“We are looking for customer-focused people with excellent communication skills, who thrive in a dynamic environment and may not have considered a career in rail before. We want our workforce to reflect the communities we serve, and we’re proud to include people from all walks of life in our team, from military veterans and ex-police officers, to former office workers, and stay-at-home parents.”
Ms Williams said the rail operator will be recruiting all throughout 2024, and is encouraging hopeful candidates to register for job alerts on the Northern website so they don’t miss out.
You can find out more information and apply for roles here.
Featured Image – Northern
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A literacy charity is making its way to Manchester bringing lots of FREE books
Thomas Melia
A charity dedicated to literacy is coming to Manchester in May providing families and individuals with plenty of free books.
Led by Bookbanks, this London-founded organisation was set up in line with food banks to provide people with access to free books and now they’re coming all the way to Manchester.
This charity started in 2022 all thanks to writer and journalist Emily Rhodes, who has read her fair share of books and wants to give this privilege to anyone who might not be able to get their hands on any.
The charity has seen widespread positive reception quickly expanding into Norfolk and is now partnering with various food banks in Manchester, marking the organisation’s first Northern venture.
Bookbanks gives out an average of 30 books per week, per site and has distributed over 5,000 books so far at food banks.
Crates being organised in Manchester food bank.Credit: Publicity Picture (via Supplied)
Titled Bookbanks after the fact that they work very closely with food banks to provide books far and wide to food banks across the UK, they also host a range of interactive events.
Alongside all the fantastic work the team do, there’s a handful of free workshops and author events on offer for all ages and backgrounds, to further build the connection between people and their books.
Currently, there are two famous figures backing this book-based charity, Elizabeth Day and Andrew O’Hagan, both of which are no stranger to a pen and paper.
Day is an award-winning author who has written nine fiction and non-fiction books to date, while O’Hagan is Booker Prize nominated and is London Review of Books’ Editor-at-Large.
Bookbanks relies on the general public to spread their message further and there’s even a section on their website detailing how you can get involved to continue distributing books within food banks.
One of Bookbank’s many free author events, some of which will hopefully take place in Manchester.Credit: Publicity Picture (via Supplied)
Whether you’re an avid runner or keen to try something new why not raise money for and be sponsored by Bookbanks, knowing you’ve done your bit to bring books to those who need them most.
If you don’t fancy lacing up those trainers and heading out for a run, why not donate any old books you’ve finished reading to this book-focused charity and allow others to discover a whole new world of reading.
Bookbanks first official Manchester site will launch on Friday 2 May at Manchester Central Food bank and a second site is already in talks at Greater Together Manchester’s Social Supermarket in Miles Platting.
To find out more ways to get involved as a company, publisher, member of public and more, you can find all information on their official site HERE.
Featured Image: Publicity Picture via Annabelle Williams
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Touching tribute paid to man and his dog who died together in fatal collision
Daisy Jackson
The family of a man who was killed in a fatal collision last month, alongside his beloved dog, have paid tribute to him.
Andrew Old, 61, had been walking along Greenwood Road in Wythenshawe when he was struck by a vehicle that had been involved in a collision.
He had been waking his ‘lovely’ dog, Liddy, who also died at the scene.
Emergency services rushed to the scene on Sunday 9 March but tragically both Andrew and his beloved pet passed away.
Paying tribute to him, Andrew’s family said: “Andrew was our happy go lucky brother and he is so sadly missed by us all.
“We miss his smiles, his laughter, his jokes and his hourly phone calls.
“Words cannot describe the shock and disbelief that we feel due to the loss of Andrew, we are absolutely devastated.
“Andrew tragically died only metres from his home, whilst walking his lovely dog Liddy.
“The only solace we have is that Andrew and Liddy were not alone at such a horrific time and that they were together. Andrew and Liddy will always be in our hearts.”
Emily Sergeant -
19th March 2024 
