A group of young talented mini journalists in Manchester are attempting to get their voices heard in the ‘Raise Your Hand’ campaign.
The journalists involved are looking to ask Boris Johnson and the Government questions about a variety of issues, including the ongoing pandemic.
The campaign is all about giving children and young people the opportunity to influence how things will look for them post lockdown. They have felt ignored and silenced by the Government and their aim is to challenge the misconception that children lack the knowledge to be involved in politics.
They want to show how passionate they are about their education, climate change and other pressing social issues.
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Those taking part have been inspired by fellow young people taking charge, especially activists like Greta Thunberg, someone who has proven just how influential a young person can be.
Sam, Aisya, and Jack are the mini reporters leading the campaign and have already virtually interviewed Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham. He listened to their queries and attempted to understand why now is such a crucial time to be taking into consideration the perspectives of young people. The group also had the opportunity to speak with the Child Commissioner of England.
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‘Raise Your Hand’ was an idea born in Manchester, but it has gained national attention with children submitting their questions for Boris Johnson to answer from around the country.
They have over a hundred queries ready to send to Downing Street, with the hope that Boris will acknowledge them.
The group of youngsters have been offered the opportunity to take the place of supportive journalists who want to give the children a chance, but they were turned down by the regulators.
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In countries like New Zealand and Norway, children have been afforded the opportunity to speak about their experiences during the pandemic and about what changes they want to see going forward.
The children leading the campaign are all part of the after school group Media Cubs. This Mancunian team is led by former journalist Kirsty Day, who is trying to fight for more diversity in the newsroom.
Media Cubs
Speaking to The Manc, Kirsty expressed her happiness of this campaign being led by Manchester children.
“I am really chuffed that this campaign has started in Manchester – a city I am proud and passionate about – we are always the leaders of change,” she said.
“I am constantly blown away by the range of views and opinions our mini reporters have.”
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Kirsty began Media Cubs after recognising the lack of after-school clubs which celebrated the views, creativity and individuality of her own children, whilst also acknowledging the prestige of those already working in the newsroom.
As it stands, 51% of journalists are privately educated.
Kirsty hopes that by working with children from all different demographics and backgrounds she can change the face of the newsroom.
Already the club has had an impact on some of the 7 – 11 year olds taking part. Even at this early stage in life, some have expressed aspirations to be the next news anchor, write comics or be in charge of filming interviews or significant events.
Aisya is one of these people who was inspired when she met BBC camera woman Emma Bentley at this year’s Women In Media Conference. Whilst running the campaign, Aisya has also started her own blog!
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Media Cubs meeting Emma Bentley at WIM20
Even those that don’t fancy a career in the media have gained valuable skills by being part of the group. Kirsty believes that learning the skills of journalism can give children more confidence to speak their mind and have the belief that they can talk to anybody.
Kirsty hasn’t stopped there, however.
She is also at the helm of ‘‘Talking About My Generation’, where she works with a group of journalists aged over 50. Together, they write about topics they find pressing or fascinating in order to break age stereotypes and diversify the media at the other end of the scale.
Yellow Jigsaw is the social enterprise run by Kirsty and her team. They are all striving for systematic change within the media where more voices from a larger variety of lifestyles are heard and they hope that this change can start in Manchester.
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Two Trafford towns are set to see dozens of new EV charging points installed imminently
Danny Jones
Two big towns on the border of Greater Manchester and Cheshire are set to see a fresh batch of electric vehicle (EV) charging points installed throughout their streets by Trafford Council very soon.
Local authorities have teamed up with engineering and infrastructure company Amey to roll out a series of new EV charging stations across Trafford, starting with Altrincham and Hale.
Dating all the way back to 2020, the collaboration with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), the brand was tasked with helping improve sustainable travel across the area as the government body’s electric vehicle charging suppliers.
Steady improvements have been made across the 10 boroughs, but this particular update marks one of the biggest network upgrades that the likes of Alty and Hale have seen for some time.
Good news – we are thrilled to announce the installation of our first public EV charge points in collaboration with @TraffordCouncil.
Issuing a statement on Wednesday, 17 September, the firm – which specialises in managing, designing and maintaining complex facilities and transport infrastructure across the country – announced that they will “start the installation of EV charging points in Trafford in the coming weeks.”
It is expected that “up to 100 new public charges” will be integrated throughout the respective town centres and residential streets as the suburbs continues to push towards its sustainability goals.
As per Altrincham Today, Amey account director Anna Gornall said: “We’re excited to launch our first EV charge points in Trafford, working in partnership with Trafford Council (TC) to make electric vehicle charging more accessible to local communities.
“As the UK’s leading provider of energy transition and decarbonisation solutions, we’re well placed to use our existing expertise and resources to support TC in delivering a holistic public EV charging network for local communities.
“We’re helping residents make the switch, so everyone can plug in and power a greener Trafford.”
The country at large has various carbon-free initiatives, including the aspiration of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050; the electoral ward of Trafford itself continues to thrive in this field, having recently won environmental accolades, including 12 ‘Green Flag Awards’ this past July.
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Peter Anderson, Managing Director of Transport Infrastructure at Amey, commented: “This is a pivotal moment in Amey’s energy transition strategy. By leveraging our extensive experience in whole lifecycle asset management, strong partnerships, and innovative solutions, we can deliver value for both our clients and members of the public who will use Amey’s electric vehicle charge points.
“Working with Trafford Council, we are making electric vehicle charging more accessible to local communities and helping residents make the switch to EVs.
“Amey is well-positioned to support emerging opportunities within this landscape, and we are delighted to be working with Trafford and other local authorities to provide the public EV infrastructure needed to achieve the government’s transition to net zero.”
As for Trafford Council, Corporate Director of Place, Richard Roe, went on to add: “We are delighted to be working with Amey on this project to bring more and better charging options to the people of Trafford.
“This is an extension to the current EV charging options in the borough and is great news for committed EV owners and those who are thinking about going electric.”
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (via Amey Ltd)
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Further disruption expected as more bus strikes announced across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Further disruption is expected as even more bus strikes have been announced across Greater Manchester this autumn.
It comes after the strikes set to place this month from 19 to 22 September were announced a couple of weeks back, and now a second round will take place towards the end of this month and going into early October.
In case this is the first you’re hearing of the upcoming industrial action, 2,000 workers who are employed by Stagecoach, Metroline Manchester, and First Bus Rochdale – all of which are firms among those that make up the bus part of the Bee Network – are due to walk out in a co-ordinated strike amid an ongoing pay dispute.
Unite the Union says all the firms are ‘highly profitable’ and it’s therefore ‘disappointing’ that workers are being denied a fair wage.
More strikes have been announced on the Bee Network this month / Credit: TfGM
At Stagecoach, around 1,000 drivers based across the Oldham, Stockport, and Middleton depots have rejected a pay offer of 3.5%, and 1,000 Metroline Manchester members will also do the same after turning down an ‘unsatisfactory’ below-inflation pay offer.
Workers at both Metroline and Stagecoach believe the offer doesn’t address years of low pay they’ve recieved, especially given the ongoing cost of living crisis.
Then, over at First Bus Rochdale, 110 members have rejected this year’s pay offer of 6%, as they feel this does not go far enough to address the fact they’ve had years of being paid less than their counterparts at other companies, and are still the lowest paid in the region.
Stagecoach, Metroline, and First Bus Rochdale, part of First Group PLC, are all firms which have seen a rise in profits in recent years.
2,000 drivers are set to stage strike action over two different periods / Credit: TfGM
The second round of strikes will now take place from from 30 September to 2 October.
Speaking ahead of both sets of upcoming strikes, Unite General Secretary, Sharon Graham, said: “These companies are very profitable but are putting greed over their hardworking members of staff.
“Further strike action will be extremely disruptive, however this is a dispute entirely of the bus companies’ making and they could solve it easily by coming back with a better deal.
“Our members involved in the dispute have Unite’s complete support.”
Unite Regional Officer, Colin Hayden, added: “The strikes this week as well as the further action we have called will cause travel chaos in Greater Manchester. However, it is entirely the fault of the employers involved, who have failed to address the issue of low pay and reward their staff accordingly.
Jess Walmsley -
23rd July 2020 
