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Mancs needed to help out at this year’s Manchester Day parade

Manchester City Council is looking for dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers to "help bring the streets alive".

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 18th May 2022

Manchester City Council is on the lookout for local residents to lend a hand as the Manchester Day parade returns this year.

After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the much-loved free event that is Manchester Day is back for 2022 on Sunday 19 June, with thousands of people set to flood the city’s streets for what promises to be a bigger and better parade than ever before.

And now you could be a part of it

The Council is looking for dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers to “help bring the streets alive”, with applications now open.

People who fancy helping out on the day will be placed “right in the heart of the action”, according to the Council, and they will have behind the scenes access, and a vital role in delivering the spectacle that will be Manchester Day 2022 – with opportunities ranging from setting up the parade, to helping visitors find their way, and assisting the creatives involved. 

Read more: Manchester Day parade returns for 2022 following two-year hiatus

Wayfinding Volunteers, Participant Support Volunteers, and Creative Volunteers with a wide range of responsibilities are all needed to help ensure the parade runs as smoothly as possible, and they will be positioned all around the city.

“It’s great that Manchester Day is returning to the city,” said Cllr Pat Karney – Chair of Manchester Day 2022.

“Manchester Day’s success relies on the passion of our thousands of volunteers who dedicate their time each year [and] the day would not be the same without the enthusiasm of our army of volunteers.”

“I can’t wait to see people get involved in the parade,” he concluded.

Back for its first outing since 2019, the spotlight for this year’s Manchester Day – which is created by Manchester People, and produced by award-winning local arts organisation Walk the Plank – will be dedicated to the city’s children and young people, who Cllr Pat Karney said “have missed out on so much during the pandemic”.

Manchester Day is back for 2022 after a two-year hiatus / Credit: Manchester Day

Revellers will get the chance to immerse themselves in a kaleidoscope of colour, sound and culture, as youth and community groups from across the city join the famous parade – which has become the highlight of the day. 

As always, music and dance will also spill over into the city centre squares for an afternoon of family entertainment, food and drink.

More details are set to be revealed in the coming weeks.

Manchester City Council is looking for dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers to “help bring the streets alive” / Credit: Manchester Day

Fancy helping out?

Applications to volunteer for Manchester Day 2022 are open until 31 May, and you can find more information and stick your name down here.

Featured Image – Manchester Day

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Tom Aspinall is now the UFC’s undisputed heavyweight champion

Danny Jones Danny Jones

Greater Manchester’s very own UFC icon, Tom Aspinall, has been officially named the undisputed heavyweight champion.

Even more miraculously, he did so without even having to face an official title fight against the previous reigning champ.

With the news that legendary mixed martial artist and UFC veteran Jon Jones has decided to finally retire after more than a decade and a half in the sport, Tom Aspinall has now seen his interim heavyweight status upgraded to a full, undisputed world champion.

CEO and President of the league, Dana White, confirmed the decision this Sunday, 22 June, not long after Jon Jones announced his retirement on social media.

The moment Aspinall was named an undisputed UFC champion. You can literally hear the shock in the room when he delivers the update.

After 32-year-old Aspinall famously said, “I’ll retire Jon Jones without even fighting him” back in August 2024, it looks like the famed Salford-born fighter knew exactly how this story would play out.

Despite having long been admired as a pioneer of the sport and one of the personalities who helped put it on the map, Jones has also been heavily criticised for avoiding the Atherton-based athlete in recent years, having even been set a deadline by White to defend his title.

It got to suck a point that the local lad from Wigan even held up a rubber duck to the camera as he poked fun at Jones to millions watching worldwide while sat ringside at UFC London earlier this year.

Seeing Aspinall’s supremacy grow stronger in recent years, it was the fight every fan wanted to see; however, with Jones revealing his somewhat snap decision this week, it looks like they’ll just have to settle for him taking the crown by default.

The result of him hanging up his four-ounce gloves also means that there are now no American male champions in the UFC across all four active divisions for the first time since 2004.

As for Jones, 37, while it hasn’t come as a total shock to everyone given his hiatus (his last fight coming in November 2024 against Stipe Miocic), there were plenty who hoped they would one day see him come against the Manc MMA star.

Informing the fight world of his withdrawal in a lengthy statement on X, he said: “This decision comes after a lot of reflection, and I want to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude for the journey I’ve experienced over the years.

“From the first time I stepped into the Octagon, my goal was to push the boundaries of what was possible in this sport. Becoming the youngest UFC champion in history, defending my title against some of the best fighters in the world, and sharing unforgettable moments with fans across the globe—these are memories I’ll cherish forever.

“I’ve faced incredible highs and some tough lows, but every challenge has taught me something valuable and made me stronger, both as a fighter and as a person.” He went on to thank Dana White, his family, coaches and several others for his career thus far.

He also went on to add: “To my fellow fighters, thank you for bringing out the best in me and for the respect we’ve shared inside and outside the cage. As I close this chapter of my life, I look forward to new opportunities and challenges ahead.

“MMA will always be a part of who I am, and I’m excited to see how I can continue to contribute to the sport and inspire others in new ways. Thank you all for being part of this incredible journey with me. The best is yet to come.”

Between Aspinall’s dominance at the top of the heavy class and Liverpool’s Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett continuing to make waves in the lightweight division, it looks like the time of not just the UK but the North West might be beckoning.

Read more:

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

Featured Images — TNT Sports/Tom Aspinall/DeepCutwithVicBlends (screenshots via YouTube)

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Met Office launches nationwide search for new storm names and wants YOU to pick

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Thunderstorm sky

Is your grandma a force of nature? Does your best friend cause an impact wherever they go? Now you can give them the recognition they deserve…

By naming a storm after them, of course.

We know all the talk is about heatwaves at the moment, especially after weather forecasters have recently predicted that the UK is in for a ‘hotter than average’ summer this year, but let’s turn our eye to the upcoming storm season for a second, shall we?

That’s right – the Met Office is inviting the public to submit their suggestions for storm names for the upcoming 2025/26 season.

Now in its eleventh year, the Met Office works with Met Éireann in Ireland and KNMI in the Netherlands to compile the list every time the season rolls around, and this headline-grabbing naming initiative helps the media and the public communicate about the impacts of severe weather events more easily and effectively.

As part of the naming process, each of the three meteorological organisations will get to name storms using selected letters, with the aim being to reflect the diversity of the three countries, and in-keeping with usual storm naming conventions, names will be picked for every letter of the alphabet except for Q, U, X, Y and Z.

According to the Met Office, a number of factors are considered for a name to be on the list – including how difficult it might be to pronounce, if the name has different meanings in different countries, and if it could be considered controversial in some way.

Once the list of names is decided upon, it will be formally announced by the Met Office in September when storm season begins.

Man walking in rain
The Met Office has launched a nationwide search for new storm names and wants you to pick / Credit: Wikimedia Commons

“The storm naming system has helped us communicate weather to help people stay safe,” commented Will Lang, who is the Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, “and wow we need the UK public to help us compile a new list.

“Whether you want to honour a weather-lover in your family, remember a family pet, or get a friend’s name in the headlines, we welcome submissions from the public to help us pull together next year’s list of storm names.”

People can only submit their names online via the submissions page here, where there’s also the option of adding a reason for the suggestion, and must not be submitted via social media as they will not be counted.

Read more:

You have until 3 July 2025 to make your submissions, and the new list will be revealed in early September.

Featured Image – Johannes Plenio (via Unsplash)

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