News

Northern is offering Greater Manchester students half-price train tickets for the entire academic year

An offer to take advantage of while you can.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 29th July 2025

School students in Greater Manchester are to be offered 50% off their train tickets for the entire upcoming academic year.

Now that schools are out for the summer, train operator Northern is encouraging parents and guardians of schoolchildren who use the train to get to and from school to take advantage an early bird discount giving them 50% off tickets for the coming academic year.

The operator hopes that the discount will convince parents of children aged under 16 to ‘trust the train’ for their school run. 

The half-price child season ticket for the 2025-26 academic year is available until 11:59pm this Thursday (31 July).

Season tickets for those under 16, and Year 11 students, that are purchased after this date will only be 40% off the normal child season ticket price, and term time tickets are to also become available from this date too.

Train ticket barrier
Northern is offering Greater Manchester students half-price train tickets for the entire academic year / Credit: Wikimedia Commons | TPE

Any season tickets purchased will be delivered in time for the new school term in September. 

The 50% off offer comes as Northern teams up with TransPennine Express to offer school children maximum flexibility – with education season tickets now valid on both operator’s services on a number of routes across the North. 

“As we continue in our mission to make our railway accessible and as easy to use as possible, annual education season tickets are there to offer the best value for journeys to school and college,” commented Alex Hornby, who is the Commercial and Customer Director for Northern.

“We’re encouraging parents and guardians to take advantage of even bigger savings now before of the end of July, where the discounts available will reduce.

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“Locking-in this earlybird discount with a season ticket not only saves a lot of money; it ticks one more thing off the back to school list and it means no more faffing around with day or weekly tickets too.”

Find more information and take advantage of the Education Season Tickets offer here.

Featured Image – Jonny Walton (via Northern)

News

Stockport County issue statement condemning ‘deeply concerning imagery’ featuring club crest

Danny Jones Danny Jones Stockport County statement on political imagery use of club crest

Stockport County have issued a statement addressing inappropriate and divisive political imagery featuring the club crest recently shared online.

The Greater Manchester side was alerted to the situation this week and quickly released a decisive comment condemning the content that appeared on social media.

Updating the fan base on Monday afternoon, 29 July, the League One team shared the important and well-received response across their official channels, reminding their fan base that not only are they a non-political entity but that the beautiful game is for everyone.

It reads as follows: “Stockport County has been made aware of instances where our club crest has been used without permission on political propaganda, including deeply concerning imagery that promotes hate and division, such as the unauthorised display of our crest alongside anti-LGBTQ+ symbols. 

“We want to be unequivocally clear: Stockport County Football Club is, and always will be, a politically neutral organisation. We do not endorse, support, or affiliate with any political party, candidate [referring to one specific individual in this instance], or ideology.

“Our club crest is a registered trademark and a symbol of unity, community, and the collective passion for football at Edgeley Park.

“It represents all our fans, staff, players, and the wider Stockport community, regardless of their individual political beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, religion, or any other characteristic.” 

They assure that the club, which is made up of all kinds of ethnicities, genders and sexualities, is “no place for hate, discrimination, or exclusion of any kind at Edgeley Park or within our community“, adding that they are “committed to fostering an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome and safe.”

For context, below you’ll find just one example of the unsanctioned and potentially inflammatory iconography exposed via Facebook marketplace, which features the Stockport County badge alongside an image of former UKIP leader and Reform UK MP, Nigel Farage.

The statement goes on to reinforce that “any unauthorised use of our crest, particularly in a political or hateful context, is a misuse of our intellectual property and fundamentally goes against the inclusive values we uphold.”

“We will take all necessary steps, including legal action where appropriate, to prevent such unauthorised use of our club crest and protect our brand integrity.”

They sign off by stating, simply: “We urge all supporters to respect the Club’s neutrality and help us maintain an environment where everyone feels welcome and united by their love for County.”

On the upside, the defiant Stockport County stance was met with plenty of praise and support, with Hatters and football lovers in general commenting, “My community club”, “Not a fan but well done county”, “Keep politics out of football, especially that lot. Top club statement”, just to quote a few replies.

SCFC seem to be getting lots of things right at the moment.

Stockport County to introduce safe standing at Edgeley Park
Besides potential political controversy, Stockport County delighted locals with another statement ahead of the 2025/26 season.

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Featured Images — Stockport County (via Instagram)/Owain Davies (via Wikimedia Commons)

News

More than 1,300 Clean Air Zone signs to finally be taken down across Greater Manchester

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A saga is finally coming to an end… the saga of Greater Manchester’s Clean Air Zone, that is.

The Clean Air Zone was to initially hand motorists daily charges of up to £60 for some of the most polluting vehicles on Greater Manchester‘s roads.

But many will remember that the deadline for the scheme had been put on hold until while the plan was referred back to the Government for ‘urgent review’ in January 2022, following huge backlash and after then Prime Minister Boris Johnson conceded that it was ‘completely unworkable’ for the region.

The Government agreed to delay the deadline for the scheme until 2026, but local leaders wanted to scrap all charges and help to fund vehicle upgrades instead.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) then set out evidence supporting an investment-led, and, crucially for residents and motorists, a non-charging Clean Air Plan back in June 2022 – which it said was ‘the best solution’ to address the roadside nitrogen dioxide (NO2) problem.

More than 1,300 Clean Air Zone signs to finally be taken down across Greater Manchester / Credit: The Manc Group | Flickr

Insights of non-charging plans were published by GMCA back in December 2023.

And then, back in January of this year, it was confirmed that Greater Manchester’s plan for the introduction of a non-charging clean air zone had been backed by the Government.

More than 1,300 Clean Air Zone signs were installed across Greater Manchester at the start of the controversial scheme being initially proposed, as well as a total of 407 automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras.

Government backs Greater Manchester’s plan for a non-charging clean air zone

But while it was initially thought that this technology may go to waste, it was revealed in March 2023 that they were actually being used for an entirely different reason all together – detecting crime.

While the cameras are intended to stay in place and in use, the more than 1,000 signs are to be taken down.

“We’ve always been focused on doing what’s right for Greater Manchester, and by accelerating investment in our public transport network, we’re showing that it’s possible to improve air quality faster than if a charging Clean Air Zone had been introduced,” commented Cllr Eamonn O’Brien, who is the Clean Air lead for Greater Manchester.

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“As we deliver our Clean Air Plan alongside the Bee Network, with support from the Government, we’ll roll out the UK’s first fully integrated, zero-emission public transport system by the end of the decade and improve the air we all breathe for generations to come.”

Featured Image – The Manc Group

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