Youngsters are being encouraged to take part in the Junior & Mini Great Manchester Run in just a couple of weeks time.
The iconic Great Manchester Run will take place on Sunday 22 May, and is set to see tens of thousands of runners from across the region and beyond take to the city’s streets for either a 10k race or a half marathon – but it’s not just the grown-ups that are being encouraged to challenge themselves either, as budding athletes can also get in on the action too.
Returning to The Etihad on Saturday 21 May, the Junior & Mini Great Manchester Run is giving little Mancs the chance to lace up their running shoes and join in.
The Mini run is for dinky dashers aged three-eight over a 1.5k course, while the 2.5k Junior event is for those aged nine-15.
“By popular demand, the Junior and Mini event has moved back to Saturday as a standalone event, meaning that families can make a day of it at the Etihad and care givers still have the chance to take part in the 10K or Half Marathon events on Sunday, explains” Event Manager Sharon Angel.
“It’s never too early to give your kids a taste of that big-event buzz and inspire a lifelong love of being active.”
Youngsters are being encouraged to take part in the 2022 Junior & Mini Great Manchester Run / Credit: Great Manchester Run
She also added there will be “lots to see and do for the whole family.”
With athletics superstars Sir Mo Farah and Eilish McColgan performing official starters duties for the around 1,500 runners expected to take part in the event in just a few weeks time, young people are also being encouraged to “embrace” the city’s worker bee emblem by taking a massive bee themed fancy dress competition on the day.
Some of the youngsters already signed-up to take part in this year’s event will be running for a number of really worthy causes.
Five-year-old Lola Monks from Tottington in Bury will be running for the neonatal unit at Royal Bolton Hospital, as she spent 244 days there after being born 11 weeks premature, and she is now ready to try and give back to those who “helped her survive”.
Lola’s mum Gemma said it’s “a small token of appreciation” and thanks for a debt that can never be truly repaid, and they know the nurses and doctors who cared for Lola would be thrilled and amazed to see her do something like this.
The Junior & Mini Great Manchester Run is returning to The Etihad on Saturday 21 May 2022 / Credit: Great Manchester Run
It’s not just the grown-ups who have the chance to challenge themselves / Credit: Great Manchester Run
Similarly, eight-year-old Alexander Grey from Sale will be running to raise awareness of children just like him who are born with Prader-Willi Syndrome – a complex rare genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal abnormality that results in problems including constant urges to eat, restricted growth, learning difficulties, and decreased muscle tone – and he is hoping to raise money for the Prader-Willi Association UK.
Read more: Water pistols, DJs and an apres-run zone added to Great Manchester Run for 2022
“Alexander has many challenges in his life which he has to overcome on every day basis,” Mum Pavlina explains.
“One of the biggest challenges is the food obsession, as his brain constantly tells him that he feels hungry, and his muscle tone is very poor which makes it very hard for him to exercise and keep up.”
Around 1,500 young people are expected to take part in the event in just a few weeks time / Credit: Great Manchester Run
Fancy it then? There’s still plenty of time to be a part of what is set to be a fun day out for all the family at the Junior & Mini Great Manchester Run.
You can find more information, and stick your little one’s name down here.
Featured Image – Great Manchester Run
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Star of hit CBBC show Operation Ouch! to host live Q&A and meet and greets in Manchester this summer
Little Mancs can meet the star of one of their favourite TV shows at the Science and Industry Museum this summer.
In case you hadn’t heard, Operation Ouch! is back in Manchester again with a fresh new experience for 2025, and this time around, visitors can journey through an ear canal covered in gooey wax, squeeze past sticky snot, and delve deeper into how our brains interpret the world.
Thousands of families from across Greater Manchester and beyond have already visited the city centre museum make the most of the new exhibition, and get stuck into the wide range of immersive and interactive activities it has on offer.
But for those who haven’t been able to pay a visit yet, this summer couldn’t be a more ideal opportunity to do so.
That’s because Dr Xand Van Tulleken – who is one of the presenters of the BBC showOperation Ouch! – will be at the museum in a couple of weeks time to meet visitors as part of his myth-busting mission to answer some of the public’s deepest questions about our senses.
The Science and Industry Museum has unveiled its ‘summer of senses’ programme / Credit: Science Museum Group
Dr Xand Van Tulleken will be at the Science and Industry Museum for one day only, and will not only join mini medics on their voyage through the senses, but will also be on-hand to answer brain teasers from the audience during a series of live Q&As.
Whether it’s banging on a super-sized eardrum, venturing into a massive eyeball, or even taking a whiff of a ‘smell library’, this world-premiere exhibition dives into the science behind hearing, sight, touch, taste, and smell – and Dr Xand will be there every step of the way.
Dr Xand’s visit comes amid a senses-themed summer programme at the city centre museum, where visitors can enjoy everything from silent discos and science shows, to a ‘bogie lab’, brain-boggling challenges, and loads more during six weeks of activities inspired by its latest exhibition.
Book your tickets to visit Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You on Tuesday 12 August, for any of the time slots between 11:30am – 1pm, and 2:45 – 4:15pm for the opportunity to grab a selfie with Dr Xand from inside the exhibition.
Tickets will cost visitors £10 each, with those under three going free, and a range of family discounts available.
Are you a budding artist looking to get your work seen or know some who is? Well, you might want to pay attention because there’s an opportunity to have your creation seen by countless passers-by and on one of the biggest displays in the entire UK over at the Printworks.
If you’ve passed through the much-loved hospitality and leisure complex over the past year or so, you’ll have noticed their roof is now no longer a roof at all, really; the striking ceiling is now a constantly moving image and the largest of its kind in all of Europe.
Meaning that anyone who got their artworks on there would effectively be securing one of the biggest displays and public installations on the continent.
As Printworks themselves put it: “This isn’t just a screen; it’s an artistic stage viewed by millions of visitors every year, with the power to turn a single artwork into a 360-degree sensory experience.”
With that in mind, they’re giving one lucky individual the chance to grab the spotlight and see their creative expression plastered on the 1,000m² wraparound LED canvas.
“Supporting emerging talent and seeing fresh, creative perspectives is always inspiring, and I can’t wait to see what these young artists bring to the table! It was so surreal seeing my artwork on the digital.”
Past installations have included the ‘Spaces Up-Above’ exhibition by world-renowned light artist, Rupert Newman, as well as an International Women’s Day showcase by Heitzman herself, as a fellow Manchester-based creative.
In case you need a better idea of the sheer scale of this screen and why this is such an exciting opportunity for up-and-coming local artists, here’s how they celebrated Oasis returning to Manchester for their Heaton Park reunion gigs this week:
Synchronised with sound and added motion effects, the competition is now open to students who are currently enrolled in college, university or art school.
Better still, you don’t even have to be from or based in the area to take part – this is a nationwide competition hoping to spotlight the best talents in the UK.
All you have to do to enter this exciting competition in Manchester is simply provide Printworks your details and upload your artwork of choice HERE by Sunday, 3 August.
Emily Sergeant -
3rd May 2022 
