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adidas and JD are giving away FREE Nell’s pizza with a Manchester Marathon medal

If this doesn’t motivate you to run 26.2 miles…

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 18th April 2026

Manchester Marathon finishers will be able to reward themselves with free Nell’s pizza this weekend, thanks to a collaboration with adidas and JD.

The sportswear giants will be teaming up with one of the city’s top pizza spots to hand out the ultimate post-race reward at Kampus this Sunday.

It’s all to celebrate the launch of the new adidas EVO SL ATRs, a shoe that’s built with running miles in mind.

And there’ll be a chance to grab an exclusive t-shirt too, and have your official marathon finish time branded on-site.

adidas and JD are giving away FREE Nell’s pizza with a Manchester Marathon medal / Credit: Supplied

As well as a free slice of Nell’s famous New York-style pizza and a drink, Manchester Marathon finishers will be able to enter into a range of giveaways, with prizes including the EVO SL ART, adidas merch, and range of other prizes.

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And you’ll be recovering with a slice in hand and a live DJ keeping the post-race energy high

All you need to do is show your Manchester Marathon medal at Nell’s at Kampus, to grab your free slice, and check out adidas and JD’s latest drop.

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Friends and family are encouraged to join too – after all, all runners know a marathon isn’t possible without that support crew.

There are also a bunch of giveaways and more to look forward to / Credit: Supplied

Pizza slices will be handed out on a first-come, first-serve basis, so make sure your sprint to Nell’s is your fastest yet.

Thankfully, the adidas EVO SL’s are built for speed…

adidas x JD x Nell’s – Manchester Marathon event

  • Taking place on Sunday 19 April, from 12pm to 8pm
  • Free pizza slice and a drink when you show your Manchester Marathon medal (while stocks last)
  • Exclusive merch and great prize giveaways from adidas and JD
  • Plus photo moments, live DJs, and more
  • Find it at The Bungalow, Kampus, M1 3GL (next to Nell’s)

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Parents in Greater Manchester say friendship is one of school’s most valuable lessons

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Parents in Greater Manchester say friendship is one of school’s most valuable lessons

Some of the most valuable lessons that children learn in school are friendship and confidence, Greater Manchester parents have revealed. 

It’s been revealed thanks to new research conducted by the Department for Education.

The data has found that 82% of local parents believe school has improved their child’s confidence, with a similar number (79%) believing that the social skills developed at school have also positively influenced behavior at home. 

Parents also say that making friends is one of school’s most valuable lessons, with more than four in five (83%) saying that child’s school friendships extend beyond the classroom. This is helping to boost confidence and a sense of belonging for young people. 

Reflecting on their own early years, more than two thirds (69%) of parents in Greater Manchester said their school years were the best years of their lives, and two thirds (66%) are still in touch with friends from school.

The Department for Education has found that 88% of parents believe children learn valuable social skills at school, well beyond traditional subjects and education. 

The top five lessons gained at school are, according to parents, making friends (52%), confidence (50%), teamwork (48%), respect (42%) and problem solving (40%). 

But school absence can really impact a child’s opportunity to learn and develop these social skills and life lessons, making the transition from school to the rest of life more difficult. 

Which is why five high-performing schools in Greater Manchester have been selected by the Department for Education to run Attendance and Behaviour hubs. 

Parents in Greater Manchester say friendship is one of school’s most valuable lessons

These are networks of schools that will share effective practice on attendance and behavior through collaboration, supporting thousands of children and families by working with other schools in the area to identify absence early, build strong routines, and create positive environments. 

It’s hoped that this support-first approach will help schools to understand the barriers that stop children from attending school, and put plans in place to help overcome them. 

The five local schools running Attendance and Behaviour Hubs will be among 93 hub schools nationally, which have capacity to support more than 3000 schools each year. 

Kersty, a local parent in Greater Manchester, said: ”My daughter really struggled with anxiety and wasn’t able to go to school for a while. 

“We got in touch with our local council attendance support team who were so supportive and they directed me to an attendance course to help support my child’s return to school. 

“We take things one day at a time and she’s now starting to settle into the school routine, speak to other children, and make friends.

“From my experience, I’ve found that school is about a lot more than just classes, it’s where children gain important social skills. They learn how to make friends, sort out the little fallouts, and feel like they’re part of something.”

Other curriculum reforms coming into action from September 2028 will include an expanded curriculum with more focus on areas like arts, sport, digital skills and financial literacy. 

Children will have more regular opportunities for enrichment activities like sport, arts, outdoor learning and community activities. 

Schools will also provide clearer information about progress, behaviour and at-home support for parents, plus will identify learning or wellbeing issues to provide earlier support for children who struggle. 

And mainstream schools will improve support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) so more pupils can succeed alongside their peers. 

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To find out more about the hubs and the government’s wider reforms to support belonging at school, head HERE.

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Hordes of people dressed as giant poos run through Manchester for bowel cancer awareness

Danny Jones Danny Jones

If you happened to be in town on Thursday and noticed a bunch of people dressed as giant poos running through the city centre and wondered, ‘What the hell is going on?’, it was this…

We know Manchester has a serious case of the runs, what with the annual Marathon and Great Manchester race, both just around the corner (one literally just next week), but this takes the cake.

On a more heartfelt note, although there is an obvious and innate silliness to this now annual get-together, it’s all for a very important and worthwhile cause.

Uniting for a fourth time, the Pall Mall Medical team (along with a couple of us here at The Manc) are hoping to flush out the stigma and silence surrounding bowel cancer awareness.

blaze running club
blaze run club manchester
Credit: The Manc Group

Starting from Pall Mall’s very own clinic on King St, more than 105 runners laced up their shoes and popped on emoji suits, toilet costumes, daft poo hats and more for a 5k jog around the city centre alongside local run club, Blaze.

They even tried to make the route in the shape of a poo, too.

Why such a specific number, you ask? Well, that’s the exact number of people who are sadly diagnosed with bowel cancer across the North West every single week.

It’s an alarming statistic, but once you pair it with the fact that they make up the rising number of new cases being reported in the country – more than a whopping 41,000 each year – you can see why they’re desperate to get more people talking about the disease.

Moreover, the rate among under 50s has also seen a concerning rise since the 90s, but this also means that the earlier it’s caught, the better people like Pall Mall can help with treatment.

The sooner it’s spotted, the greater the chance of survival, with 90% of those diagnosed at the earliest possible stage surviving for five years or more; that’s why these lot are hoping to better the discourse around bowel-related issues.

Besides offering important scans and blood tests for numerous health conditions, they also boast the dedicated and revolutionary ColoAlert® testing service, which is a German import that’s more accurate (around 85%) and effective than most others here in the UK.

runners manchester city centre
poo protests run
poo run route bowel cancer awareness
A lovely bunch of sh**heads… (Credit: The Manc)

It has quite literally proved to be a life-changing bit of kit for so many, and for Pall Mall’s Dr Chun Tang, this whole initiative has a deep personal connection.

Having sadly lost his father to the illness, as well as his brother being diagnosed with bowel cancer, he knows all too well how important increasing the conversation is – bowel cancer being the second biggest killer in the UK after lung conditions.

Even before you book in a check-up, Dr Tang says it’s simple to spot noteworthy signs at home: “Any blood in the stools, streaks in your poo, on the pan or on the paper; any changes in your digestion such as diarrhoea, constipation and [continued] fatigue, then see your GP or come visit us at Pall Mall.”

Best of all, the money raised with the latest ‘Poo Protest’ all goes towards Bowel Cancer UK, so well done to everyone involved.

For once, we couldn’t be happier to hear so many people talking sh**.

Throughout April, Pall Mall are offering £75 off the ColoAlert® Bowel Cancer stool test, and 20% off the Virtual Colonoscopy in Aprilo. To find out more about the event and book an appointment, you can click right HERE.

dr tang pall mall
pall mall medical manchester
Credit: The Manc

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

Featured Images — The Manc Group

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