Anyone aged 18 or over in England can now book an appointment to get a COVID-19 vaccination, the NHS has confirmed.
Around 1.5 million texts are due to be sent out to people aged 18 to 20 on Friday (June 18) – as the country prepares for a “final push” in its fight against the pandemic.
Less than 200 days after administering the first coronavirus vaccine, the health service is now inviting everyone to come forward to book a jab at one of the 1,600 operating vaccination centres.
NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens described it as a “watershed moment”.
High demand is expected, with the first group of people in their 20s to be offered vaccines booking more than one million appointments in a single day.
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Around eight in 10 adults in England have already had their first dose while more than half have received a second.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “In our race between the vaccine and the virus, we’re approaching the final stretch and we are doing all we can to vaccinate people as quickly as possible with first and second doses.
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“When you get the call, get the jab so we can put this pandemic behind us for good.”
The end of lockdown in England has been delayed by four weeks in a bid to buy more time to vaccinate higher numbers of the population.
Cases are continuing to rise sharply due to the spread of the Delta variant – which is thought to be around 60% more transmissible and has now become the nation’s dominant strain.
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was “sensible to wait just a little longer” to remove remaining COVID measures.
The new prospective date for England exiting lockdown is now July 19.
The NHS is inviting all adults to come forward as part of the “final push” in the pandemic / Image: Wikimedia Commons
How to book a coronavirus vaccine
In England, people can book their vaccination appointment online or by calling 119.
You may also receive a text message over the next few days inviting you to book an appointment.
A map of vaccination centres in Greater Manchester is available here.
Featured image: TOI
UK News
‘I wouldn’t change this career for anything’: trainee probation officer amidst new recruitment drive in Greater Manchester
Danny Jones
We sat down with Lea, who is currently working towards her Professional Qualification in Probation – or PQiP for short – to become a fully qualified probation officer here in Greater Manchester.
Here’s Lea on life as a trainee probation officer…
So, how did you get into this particular career, and what made you want to jump into the probation service, specifically?
I’ve always had an interest in the legal world and love watching crime dramas. I started off in courts admin, where I was exposed to a lot of different roles in the Criminal Justice System, like probation officers, solicitors, judges and so on.
Credit: The Manc Group
I decided that was the kind of career I wanted, and I feel like, with probation, if you like watching crime documentaries and understanding human behaviour, then it might be the perfect career for you. It was kind of the moment everything clicked into place for me.
I’m sure training to be a probation officer involves a little more than your average nine-to-five, but what does a typical day look like for you?
Every day is different. You do have different priorities; a lot of the time, you prioritise things around emergencies and what is most urgent.
For example, today one of the offenders I work with, who’s only 19, got kicked out of his house, so I’ve been trying to find him a place to sleep tonight to keep him off the streets.
Criminal behaviour is often about taking shortcuts, I would say, so it’s prioritising that situation to keep him on the straight and narrow, but also making sure that the public is protected. I think that the number one priority with probation is public protection.
Typical days can also include making sure offenders follow what they’ve been ordered to do by the court, whether that’s Community Payback or other measures.
On top of that, it’s about making sure they have the support they need. Some people struggle to keep appointments, so we carry out referrals and mental health checks to help them stay on track.
These all sound like quite emotional situations to be thrown into. How do you deal with the emotional side and high-stress scenarios?
It can be hard on you emotionally. Although you’re dealing with offenders, they’re often in the situation they’re in for a multitude of reasons. It’s about trying to keep a cool head and manage the situation strategically.
You can’t do it on your own – it’s impossible – but as a probation officer, you are the first point of call. You’re kind of like their ‘life manager’ working to make sure they’re okay, as well as following the law.
It sounds like very important and fulfilling work. What’s the training process like?
As a trainee probation officer, it is difficult at times because they really do throw you into stuff, but they do it strategically, slowly increasing the level of cases you work on and providing opportunities to shadow more experienced colleagues.
I can easily lean on my colleagues, and in addition to the practical training, there’s the university side of it as well. It’s quite a dynamic role, and you still benefit from the split between study and practice.
How do you unwind after this job?
That’s a really great question. I cycle to work, and that’s my silent time, so even that hour alone of cycling is a way to keep me off my phone and allows my brain to properly switch off.
I think that’s really important because you can do everything you possibly can to help offenders, and you need to take care of yourself, too.
Do you think you can make that impact during your working day?
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I certainly like to think so. I think it’s important that you do take breaks as well; people forget that it’s not a normal job. You will have to be able to deal with challenging offenders, but it’s just about being resilient and following what you learn in training, remembering it’s about the circumstances they’re in and trying to understand that.
And do you get satisfaction and fulfilment from that?
Oh yeah, absolutely. In probation, there is that pattern of people making the same mistakes over and over again, and you’ll see them over and over again for years, but then you remember that people are capable of change – it just takes longer for some than others. When I’m struggling, I always think of those I have helped turn their life around and take pride in knowing they’re doing better and are happier.
Is there one particular case that springs to mind?
Yeah, there’s one particular offender I always think of. When he first came to court, he wouldn’t speak to anybody, and even when he went on probation, he just wouldn’t say anything or even show up to anything.
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He was then allocated to me – and sometimes it’s not necessarily the officer, but it’s something about that emotional connection, or it could just be how you get along with people – that finally clicked.
I did a lot of work with him; he was homeless, jobless, had an addiction problem and wasn’t compliant with his court order, but now he’s housed, has a job, and he’s doing really well.
Credit: The Manc
That’s such a lovely story. What skills or qualities would you say are needed to do this type of work?
The top one would be resilience. Resourcefulness, communication and organisation. Being able to stay calm is a really big one, too.
What other benefits are there to a role in the Probation Service?
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I feel like lots of people don’t realise that this is one of those roles where you can start at the very bottom and work your way up, and there are so many areas that you can work in the Probation Service
It’s like the NHS: so many different lanes you can go down, different specialities, and it is a Civil Service job, so the pension is really good.
Of course, and lastly, if you were to give one piece of advice to someone interested in a career in the Probation Service, what would it be?
Persevere. It’s not always going to be easy, and you’re going to go through a lot, because it’s a hard job and you’re dealing with challenging people, but you just have to push through because it does get easier.
It is such a rewarding job, and I wouldn’t change this career for anything.
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Interested?
If Lea’s story has made you think a career in HM Prison and Probation Service might be for you, you can find out more about the opportunities in Manchester on the Service’s recruitment website.
You can hear from Vinay, a Community Payback placement coordinator who works in the Probation Service, in the video below.
Richard Ashcroft and Blossoms to headline Neighbourhood Weekender 2026 lineup
Danny Jones
The first wave of the NBHD Weekender lineup for 2026 is officially out, and Greater Manchester leads the way in terms of headliners, with local music legend Richard Ashcroft and Stockport’s finest, Blossoms, both confirmed for the big slot on the main stage.
Now THAT is how you kick off an announcement.
Yes, Neighbourhood Weekender always promises a healthy dose of Northern acts on the lineup, including plenty of Mancs, scousers and others from Cheshire and the region at large, but to get two much-loved music artists from our boroughs topping the 2026 bill is an absolute treat.
With other noteworthy appearances in the Kaiser Chiefs, DMA’s, Jamie Webster, Example and many more on there already, it feels like next year’s festival is shaping up to be a potential all-timer.
As you can see, the first wave of the NBHD 2026 lineup also includes returning crowd-pleasers like Shed Seven, Razorlight and The K’s.
Other acts that also caught our eye include our own natives like Arkayla, The Guest List, Luvcat and The Covasettes, just to name a few, as well as rising ‘Britainicana outfit’, Westside Cowboy, who just so happen to star on our most recent round-up of what we’ve been listening to.
In fact, there are a few past Manc bands of the month features on this lineup, not to mention more nearby names in Lucvat, The Royston Club, Keyside, Nxdia and so on, who are all well worth earmarking ahead of the stage splits being announced.
As for the headliners, indie heroes Blossoms need no introduction; nor does Wigan’s most famous musical son, with Ashcroft riding a real resurgence at the moment – he’s also one of our artists of the month, naturally.
In fact, confirmation of both Ashcroft and his Oasis Live ’25 support act partners, Cast, being booked for Warrington’s Victoria Park and the next NBHD Fest comes after the 54-year-old confirmed a fellow hometown band for some very big shows of his own.
The organisers have already promised that a lot more musicians are set to join the lineup for next May Bank Holiday Weekend (Saturday 23- Sun 24 May 2025), and we can’t wait to see who else they rope in for the festival.
Sign-up for pre-sale is set to go live next Thursday, 6 November at 9:30am and, as always, those living in WA1-WA5 postcode get exclusive early access ahead of that from the same time on Wednesday.
As for general admission tickets, they’ll be available from the following Friday (7 Nov) – once again, from 9:30 onwards – and new for this year, there will also be different payment plans via their website.
You can get ready to grab your tickets HERE. See you in the fields!
The Manc -
18th June 2021 
