Sale Sharks rugby club have launched a brand-new mental health and wellbeing programme in partnership with children’s charity, Place2Be.
The Manchester-based team do plenty of work around local communities and their latest initiative is targeting primary school kids around Greater Manchester.
Kicking off the ‘Try2Connect’ campaign last week with a special event at Ellenbrook Community Primary School in Worsley, several Sale Sharks got involved with the launch and got both learn about and help teach them about ‘the five ways to wellbeing’.
The likes of Joe Carpenter, Georgie Perris-Redding, Molly Wright and Sharks star Ben Curry, who has been a Place2Be Champion for a number of years now, all went along to join in with the sessions and play a bit of tag rugby. Wholesome stuff.
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 2 𝘽𝙚📍
We've joined forces with children’s mental health charity, @Place2Be, to launch a brand-new, school-based mental wellbeing programme called 'Try2Connect'🤝.
This project aims to promote positive mental health through workshops and tag rugby sessions!
As explained in the full announcement, Try2Connect is about promoting wellbeing and positive mental health practices from an early age, starting in the school setting in the hope that children will take the important knowledge out into the world as they grow up.
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Comprising of various classroom workshops designed around the aforementioned ‘five ways to wellbeing’, as well as more active stuff like tag rugby and other multi-sport sessions — all of which are still designed to incorporate the themes explored during lessons — the programme is set to run for the next six weeks.
Alongside the two-hour weekly sessions in and out of the classroom, the project is also aimed at promoting longevity, with a ‘Wellbeing Wall’ tailored to the individuals being built in each school, with a total of 24 schools set to benefit from the scheme over the next 12 months.
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Brilliant stuff, as is the work that Place2Be do day in, day out.
🏫 There are so many ways your school can support children's mental health in the next academic year. How about:
👕 A dress down day? 👟 A sporting challenge? 🍰 Baking?
Sale Sharks Co-Owner, Michelle Orange, said: “We’re extremely proud to have partnered with Place2Be on the launch of Try2Connect, a programme which we hope will have a positive lasting impact on children across the region and is another symbol of our commitment to supporting mental health and wellbeing.
“Starting a new rugby season is a lot like starting a new school year in many ways, each bringing their own sense of anticipation and uncertainty, and it’s important that we do what we can to encourage young people to talk about their feelings.
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“We’re all really excited about the difference we can make, using our sport to drive what is a crucial message.” You love to see it, and you can find out more about Place2Be’s vital work HERE.
With the Sharks set for a historic home semi-final against Leicester Tigers this coming weekend, it’s great to see that they’re still managing to put in just as much effort off the pitch as on it.
Featured Image — Sale Sharks (via Twitter)/Place2Be
Sport
Manchester City releases CGIs and important details of new ‘immersive’ museum
Emily Sergeant
Manchester City has revealed key information about its new museum experience designed to immerse visitors in the history and culture of the club.
Set to open later this year in the heart of the £300m Medlock Square entertainment district at Manchester’s Etihad Campus, the Manchester City Museum Experience will be spread across 10 distinctive spaces and visitors will be able to take a trip down memory lane with nostalgic environments from throughout the club’s history.
Fans can also take part in interactive media experiences, like posing with all 48 major trophies won by the club’s first teams or trying their hand at football punditry.
The experience will combine the latest immersive technology with physical memorabilia drawn from across the club’s history to do this.
Hidden details and surprising ‘did you know’ facts are set to be embedded across the experience, so that even the most devoted Man City fans will have the chance to discover something new about the club they love.
CGIs of what the new museum experience will look like when it opens have been released.
By combining interactive environments, technology, and authentic artefacts, the experience is aiming to appeal to a wide audience – from lifelong Manchester City supporters, to families and those with a broader interest in football, culture, and the city of Manchester.
“Building a completely new museum has allowed us to create an immersive experience that celebrates the people and moments which have shaped Manchester City,” commented Danny Wilson, Managing Director at Manchester City Operations.
“But our story isn’t traditional and straightforward, so why should our museum experience be? We want something different. Something immersive which will resonate with our fans, as well as excite the wider city.
Manchester City releases CGIs and important details of its new ‘immersive’ museum / Credit: Manchester City / Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA)
“In doing so, we have developed something that appeals to fans, complements the Etihad Campus and provides a year round attraction for the city.”
When it opens, the Manchester City Museum Experience is set to complement the club’s existing Stadium Tour – which is currently ranked among the top five visitor attractions in the UK, according to TripAdvisor reviews.
Further information about the museum experience – including booking details – will be shared ahead of its opening later in 2026 during the phased completion of Medlock Square.
Featured Image – Manchester City / Ralph Appelbaum Associates (RAA)
Sport
The new James Bond game is full of Easter eggs – including a nod to Manchester United
Danny Jones
Even if you’re not a big gamer, you may have seen that a rather popular new James Bond game recently dropped: 007 First Light – and if you’ve played it yourself, you will have no doubt come across many Easter eggs and references throughout, including one to Manchester United.
As we happen to be currently playing it for ourselves, we’ll admit that hearing any mention of our hometown or even just quintessentially UK nods that any Brit would enjoy was likely to result in putting a grin on our faces.
That being said, apart from whenever the next FIFA—sorry, EA Sports FC drops, we weren’t expecting to hear Man United brought up in one of the biggest video games of the year.
In fact, we’re going to go out on a limb and say that nobody has this on their 2026 bingo card.
Credit: @CaptPierce93 via r/Manchester (screenshots shared to Reddit)
It may just be a slightly tongue-in-cheek throwaway line in a cutscene, but it’s still been enjoyed by many around the world.
As player ‘CaptPierce93’ writes in his caption of his Reddit post sharing the snippet: “The game has a good splash of product placements that don’t get overwhelming; an earlier portion of the game even has radio chatter of a Manchester City and Liverpool match as well.”
He’s right as well: we’ve come across lots of different little interesting nuggets and cameos during our limited playtime, and it’s safe to say we’re looking forward to seeing what else we can spot.
While any Mancunian or true, dyed-in-the-wool United fan will no doubt squirm a little at the use of ‘Man U‘ (we’re thinking like when people ‘Manny’), it’s still pretty cool nonetheless.
You can see the specific scene in full down below.
Such a surreal few seconds.
There’s something very satisfying about hearing ‘Greenway’ – played by recognisable British actor Lennie James (Snatch, The Walking Dead, Blade Runner 2049) – utter the words “Stretford End”.
And before you ask, no, he isn’t a Red: the South Londoner is a Spurs fan and is also said to have a soft spot for Valencia, as it happens.
We’re pretty sure there aren’t any other Manc references to keep your eye out for, but we’ll let you know if we stumble upon more as we continue playing the game.
There’s something about videogame Easter eggs, in-jokes and refs like these that we never tire of; you just never know what little tidbits are going to inspire someone…
Danny Jones -
10th May 2023 
