Mancs are being invited to head out on a huge organised walk along The Bridgewater Canal in the name of charity.
The beautiful route will pass some of Greater Manchester’s most recognisable landmarks, including Manchester United’s home ground at Old Trafford.
It’s all to raise money for The Christie and its world-class cancer centre, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust.
The 5km walk will start at Trafford Palazzo and weave its way along the Bridgewater Canal to Castlefield, with entertainment at the start and music, street food and drinks at the end.
The new challenge is the biggest-ever charity event in the waterway’s 260-year history.
ADVERTISEMENT
Peel L&P, who own and operate the Bridgewater Canal, have organised the charity walk and hope to get more than 500 people taking part on Sunday 4 June, raising tens of thousands of pounds for The Christie charity.
All abilities and paces will be welcome to walk along the route, which has plenty of space and accessible walkways.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Bridgewater Canal walk will pass sights like Old Trafford. Credit: Unsplash
All money raised through The Bridgewater Way Walk will support The Christie’s pioneering bloods closer to home service.
The service allows patients to book their own appointments online at a time and location that suits them, with 11 convenient locations across Greater Manchester and Cheshire. It cuts down on travel times which can be draining for patients undergoing treatment.
The fundraising walk will take place along the picturesque and historic Bridgewater Canal, the 39-mile waterway that stretches between Runcorn and Leigh.
ADVERTISEMENT
The canal was constructed more than 250 years ago by the Duke of Bridgewater to transport coal from his mine at Worsley in Greater Manchester efficiently and cheaply to the rapidly expanding towns and cities nearby.
The Bridgewater Canal in Castlefield. Credit: GeographWalkers will start the Bridgewater Canal walk at Trafford Palazzo. Credit: Trafford Palazzo
Notable sites along the walk will include Old Trafford football stadium, Lancashire County Cricket Club’s ground, The Trafford Centre and the Embassy Village site which will be the UK’s largest purpose-built village for rough sleepers, being delivered by Peel L&P and partners.
Anyone who signs up will receive fundraising tips, a sponsorship pack, and a free t-shirt to celebrate participating in The Bridgewater Way Walk in aid of The Christie, as well as a medal once walkers have completed the event.
To help with The Christie charity’s goal to support its bloods closer to home service, the organisers would like to ask everyone who takes part in The Bridgewater Way Walk in aid of The Christie to aim to raise a minimum sponsorship of £50.
Walkers will finish the Bridgewater Canal walk in Castlefield. Credit: Unsplash
Peter Parkinson, director Bridgewater Canal at Peel L&P said: “We are really looking forward to delivering this event in aid of The Christie charity. The Bridgewater Canal is a fantastic location with a fascinating history and is regularly enjoyed by many individuals and communities.
ADVERTISEMENT
“This will be the biggest charity event to ever take place in The Bridgewater Canal’s history and we are excited to welcome so many new visitors to enjoy our accessible space which encourages wellness, connecting with nature and for walkers to see the iconic Manchester skyline from the canal side.”
Anna McIntosh, major relationships development manager at The Christie charity, said: “We are extremely excited that Peel L&P is creating this event to support The Christie and its Bloods Closer to Home service.
“This type of support means a huge amount to The Christie and funds raised from this event will directly improve services and helps us to support patients by making treatments more accessible in the surrounding area for many years to come.”
Kate Holland, head of charity and community initiatives for The Peel Group said: “We are proud supporters of The Christie charity and the pioneering research and support it provides to those affected by cancer. We wanted to create an event utilising one of Peel L&P’s most historic assets, whilst promoting the health benefits of walking and exercising as well as raising much needed funds for such an important charity to our region.
“We hope that lots of families, friends, teams and individuals feel encouraged to take part in this inclusive event, going at their own pace and enjoying the surroundings of the scenic Bridgewater Canal whilst raising much-needed funds for The Christie to support its services.”
ADVERTISEMENT
You can sign up now to take part in The Bridgewater Way Walk in aid of The Christie on Sunday 4 June by visiting the website here: bridgewaterwaywalk.co.uk.
Sign up prices are £15 per adult, £8 per child under 16, £38 for a family (two adults, two children) and £65 for a team of five adults.
Featured image: Supplied
Things To Do
Huge line-up revealed for Leeds International Festival of Ideas
Sophie Smith
The 2023 line-up for Leeds International Festival of Ideas has been released, and it’s all taking place in a brand new venue.
The huge event will bring together some of the most thought-provoking speakers of our time and is well worth the trip across to our neighbouring city.
Taking over the Leeds Playhouse will be a diverse programme and educational discussions, The Hoot reports.
Giving a glimpse of what we’re in store for this year, LIFI has announced the first of its highly-anticipated speakers.
Best-selling author and mental health campaigner Ruby Wax will be bringing her unique brand of humour to the festival as she takes the audience on her journey to address the importance of mental wellness.
Ruby Wax is “thrilled to be a part of the line-up”. / Image: Supplied
The author, performer and activist is excited about joining the festival: “Leeds International Festival of ideas 2023 looks really exciting and I’m thrilled to be part of the line-up this year. I can’t wait to visit Leeds again and take audiences on my journey to mindfulness.”
Steven Bartlett, perhaps most notably known as the podcaster Diary of a CEO, co-Founder of Social Chain, and also as an investor on Dragon’s Den, amongst other business endeavours, will be taking to the stag to share an insight into ‘how he spots the next big thing’.
Steven Bartlett will be telling Leeds how he ‘spots the next big thing’. / Image: Supplied
Bringing an insight into representation and inclusivity in the media, reality TV star and LGBTQ+ activist Bimini, will also be a key speaker at the International Festival of Ideas.
And this is just the beginning.
The four day festival promises to host a programme of panels and keynotes which focus on topics such as grief, political systems, womxn’s health inequalities and self-sufficiency, among others from Wednesday 27 September – Saturday 30 September 2023.
Bimini is bringing a wealth of knowledge to LIFI23. / Image: Supplied
And what better venue than the Leeds Playhouse?
The award-winning cultural hub was recently recognised at the UK Theatre Awards as the Most Welcoming Theatre in 2022. With a mission to seek out the best companies and artists to create inspirational theatre in the heart of Yorkshire, Leeds Internationals Festival of Ideas, will be joining the long list of exciting productions, festivals and events that Leeds Playhouse have hosted over the past 50 years.
Martin Dickson, Leeds International Festival of Ideas has commented: “We are thrilled with the programme we are bringing to the city for LIFI23, built on the outstanding success of last year, we think it is our strongest speaker line-up yet.
“We’re also hugely excited to be presenting the festival at the incredible Leeds Playhouse, on of the most famous theatre venue in the city, a privilege and an honour.
“LIFI23 will once again address some of the most important social issues affecting us all, taking them on over 4 inspirational days across 11 events and shining an outspoken light on Leeds, projecting the city once again as a bold, innovative thought-leading city.”
The full lineups and tickets will be available from Tuesday 4 April but in the meantime those wanting to grab tickets are encouraged to visit the Leeds International Festival of Ideas website to sign up for announcements and ticket updates.
The comedian is in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the most downloaded internet show of all time – and is known for his satirical comedy that often divides opinions.
After performing Armageddon in London last year, the comedian took to Twitter to say he’d have his fans ‘reported for hate crimes’ for laughing at the new material, according to The Independent – just to give you an idea of what may lie ahead.
The tour has already sold out its first five dates, with the rest (including a Leeds stop) going on sale this week.
You can get tickets from 10am on Friday 31 March through Ticketmaster.
Daisy Jackson -
8th February 2023 
