An innovative community mindfulness project has been set up in Wigan to help teenagers focus on the positives amid turbulent times.
Mindfulness – which aims to improve mental health by focusing on your awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts and bodily sensations – is often used as a therapeutic technique.
It is known to enable people to become more productive, reduce stress and anxiety, build confidence, and encourage happiness.
This new mindfulness scheme is being delivered by One Together CIC.
One Together is a community interest company delivering a variety of creative programmes to children, young people and their families, all with the purpose of developing confidence, positivity, enhancing self-esteem and promoting happiness.
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Set up over 10 years ago, One Together CIC has developed from its starting point of delivering a wide variety of grass roots community-based projects, to becoming a “respected provider of mindfulness and wellbeing workshops” in the Greater Manchester borough.
The specialist programme involves working with teenagers taking part in sessions using special headsets.
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The first part of the course was delivered online via Zoom due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and then a small group of young people were invited to socially-distanced meetings on Saturdays at a local primary school.
Hayley Kearns – a Director of Aspull-based One Together CIC along with Neil West – said: “We’re delivering the project and it’s being commissioned by community group Parents of Aspull.
“Funding for the virtual reality equipment has come from the National Lottery.
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“The sessions have been online since lockdown for about eight weeks, but the past two weeks have seen a group of young people meet up in a socially distanced way.”
The group have used special VR Oculus headsets to help them with their mindfulness.
Hayley continued: “The virtual headsets allow for the children to immerse themselves in a virtual world, so they can be sitting by a waterfall, or together in a meeting room with others and helping them build resilience.
“They are able to use their headsets from home during the time on the course [and] it’s a way for them to develop confidence and improve their mental health.
“The feedback from parents has been phenomenal,
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“[They] have said how the sessions have helped their children who had become very isolated during lockdown, and have helped them make friends.”
The teen programme is just one of many initiatives hosted by One Together CIC.
As well as a range of other groups tailored towards children, young people and families, Hayley added that the next part of the project will involve helping adults over 60 do the same thing as the children have recently.
Other similar projects will take place in the future too, so keep your eyes peeled.
You can find more information about getting involved in any of these mindfulness initiatives via the One Together CIC website here.
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Former Manchester United star Patrice Evra is set to make his MMA debut very soon
Danny Jones
In another somewhat left-field turn of events in the sporting world, ex-Manchester United star Patrice Evra is set to swap his boots for gloves as he prepares to make his MMA debut.
The retired Man United player and French international ended his playing days back in 2019 after a short one-year spell at West Ham, and has mostly worked as a pundit in recent years.
Evra, 43, stunned his millions of followers online and even more football and fight fans alike by announcing he would be trying his hand at combat sports earlier this week.
Hopping on social media to confirm the news, it’s fair to say he’s already relishing the challenge.
The former left-back made 379 appearances for the Red Devils, winning 14 trophies, but this will be his first in the European division of the Professional Fighters League (PFL), the second-biggest promotion in MMA after the UFC.
As far as we know, Evra has little to no background in fighting of any discipline, even if he was used to the more physical side of the game as a defender.
Writing via X on Friday, 25 April, the 2008 Champions League and ’09 Club World Cup winner, said: “I’m officially training for my first fight with PFL Europe. They will pick my opponent… They asked who I wanna face. I said: Luis Suárez.
“I’ll pay out of pocket. He can even bite me.”
Suárez, still playing at 38, was not only found guilty of at least three instances of biting other players but was famously charged with racially abusing Patrice Evra back in 2011, with the two sharing a strong feud ever since.
Now, since the Uruguayan striker is still playing professional football over in the MLS, alongside the one and only Lionel Messi at Inter Miami, we wouldn’t hold our breaths.
Nevertheless, it seems as though he will be fighting someone on 23 May, once an opponent is selected in the coming weeks.
Evra has been training with Cameroonian-French mixed martial artist and friend, Cédric Doumbé, a former kickboxing specialist and now an established fighter in the welterweight class.
Joking aside, although there are a lot of controversial moves that are legal in MMA, biting isn’t one of them – not that it ever stopped the former Liverpool forward in the past.
Speaking in an official press conference, Evra said: “I’ve performed on the world’s biggest stages, won every major trophy in football, but PFL Europe Paris will be an incredibly special night for me.
“I’ve been training alongside the best in the world for years, and they’ll also tell you I’m ready for this. I’m going to put on a show at the Accor Arena on 23 May, so come watch the spectacle.”
As out of the blue as it may seem, he obviously isn’t the only former athlete to have swapped one sport for another after calling time in their first career.
In fact, he’s not even the first United player to change lanes.
Mix-up leaves tourists bound for Peak District on a day trip to… Rochdale
Daisy Jackson
Who needs rolling hills and country pubs when you could have *checks notes* roadworks and charity shops?
Well, that’s the situation two people ended up in recently after a mix-up rerouted their trip to the Peak District to Rochdale, of all places.
Thankfully seeing the funny side, Canadian TikTok creator Mackenzie shared a video of the day trip they got stuck with.
The pair of mates had been planning a trip to the honeypot town of Castleton in the Peak District, but accidentally ended up heading over to Castleton in Rochdale instead.
In the light-hearted clip, she says: “This is just a reminder to read the small print when you want to do a spontaneous trip. Because Margarita and I thought we were going to the Peaks, and this is where we are…” while panning to the sight of some roadworks.
She continued: “We thought we were going to see gorgeous green hills. Nope.
“Anyways, come with us on our Castleton Manchester, not Peak District adventure.”
They visited Springfield Park, went to a pub to eat onion rings (with a random giant dog staring at them), erm… went to a charity shop, and looked at some houses.
Okay so not quite the Peak District paradise they were picturing.
One person commented: “Absolutely howling. Come all the way from America to end up in Rochdale” (Mackenzie stressed in her reply that she lives in Manchester and also, is Canadian).
Another said: “It’s the Springfield park for me”
Someone else suggested: “Rochdale should rename all of its areas to encourage more tourists. Hahah”
Dying to know if these girls ever made it to Castleton, Derbyshire.
Emily Sergeant -
12th November 2020 
