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Free festival for kids with den building, climbing walls, DJs, and more coming to Manchester

Manchester Play Day Festival promises to be be "filled with fun" from start to finish.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 29th July 2022

Circus skills workshops, climbing walls, den building, and bug hunts are just some of things Manchester youngsters can be getting up to at a new festival next week.

Just in time to kick-off the start of the school summer holidays across the region, and coinciding with Play Day 2022 – the national day for play, which is celebrated every year across the UK on the first Wednesday in August – Manchester City Council has organised a day jam-packed full of activities and opportunities for children to get stuck into.

Taking over Whitworth Park in the heart of the city centre on Wednesday 3 August, there’ll be everything from face-painting, storytelling, messy play, and other sensory activities for younger children, to a climbing wall, a DJ, circus skills workshops, and so much more for the big kids.

Manchester Play Day Festival promises to be be “filled with fun” from start to finish, with something for everyone to enjoy.

And all of it will be free of charge. 

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On top of all the fun free activities planned throughout the day, families will also get the chance to say hello to TV stars Pip and Posy from Magic Light Pictures’ popular, award-winning animated pre-school series on Milkshake! and Sky Kids.

Pip and Posy will be bringing their “special brand of play” to Manchester Play Day Festival – with lots of entertaining activities lined up and goodies to take home.

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Read more: Salford to get new state-of-the-art Youth Zone with ‘incredible facilities’

Manchester Play Day Festival is part Our Year 2022 – a council initiative to create more activities, opportunities, experiences, and support for children and young people in the city, as the council says its recognises that play is “essential” for children.

Manchester Play Day Festival promises to be be “filled with fun” from start to finish / Credit: Senjuti Kundu | Katherine Hanlon (via Unsplash)

Running from 11am – 3pm, with no need to book in advance, the festival will allow young people to make friends, channel their creativity, and to feel connected to each other.  

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Read more: Greater Manchester parents can apply for grants to help cover school uniform costs

Professionals from Manchester’s youth and play sector will also be on hand with information and resources on how play can support your child’s development.

Refreshments will also be provided.

Manchester Play Day Festival is taking over Whitworth Park on Wednesday 3 August / Credit: Manchester City Council

“National Playday is a great day where we can celebrate the importance of coming together to play, and in true Manchester fashion, we are hosting a full day of exciting activities and entertainment,” said Cllr Garry Bridges – Executive Member for Early Years, Children & Young People at Manchester City Council.

“We’re hoping that young people from all over the city will come along and take part in the event, maybe uncover a new hobby, and even make some new friends.   

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“It promises to be lots of fun, and it’s free.”

Find out more about Manchester Play Day Festival 2022 here.

Featured Image – Manchester Play (via Twitter)

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Huge canal-side charity walk for The Christie will pass local landmarks in Greater Manchester

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson

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.

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.

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.

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
The Bridgewater Canal in Castlefield. Credit: Geograph
Walkers 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.

Castlefield
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.

“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.”

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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.”

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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

What's On

Fall Out Boy announce massive Manchester gig on upcoming tour – how to get tickets

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Fall Out Boy

Fall Out Boy have announced a huge UK and European tour, including a massive gig here in Manchester.

The legendary pop-punk group, who were behind hit songs like Sugar, We’re Goin Down and Dance, Dance, will be heading this way on their headline tour, So Much For (Tour) Dust.

Today, the Grammy Award-nominated noughties rock icons announced 15 dates, including a stop at the AO Arena on 29 October.

The new Fall Out Boy tour is in support of their forthcoming new album So Much (For) Stardust, which is due for release on 24 March 2023.

Patrick Stump, Pete Wentz, Andy Hurley and Joe Trohman surprised fans with a homecoming show in Chicago’s 1000-capacity Metro, which sold out immediately.

They first played the same venue back in September 2002, a pivotal gig in their huge career.

Patrick said on their return: “Twenty years ago, I told my mom I was going to take a semester off [college] because we were headlining Metro and I wanted to see how that would work out…”

Pete Wentz added: “Walking up those stairs is the closest thing this band will have to church.”

The show also featured the live public debut of both Love From The Other Side and Heartbreak Feels So Good, two tracks from the new album.

Fall Out Boy have recently taken part in The Hella Mega Tour, alongside Green Day and Weezer, playing in front of more than one million fans across the globe.

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So Much (For) Stardust is Fall Out Boy’s eighth studio album and first since 2018’s M A N I A, which garnered a GRAMMY nomination for Best Rock Album.

Fans who pre-order the new album from falloutboy.lnk.to/store/ will get exclusive pre-sale access to UK and Europe tour tickets, with the pre-sale going live at 4pm on Wednesday 8 February.

General tickets will be available for purchase from 10am Friday 17 February.

Fall Out Boy will be joined by PVRIS and nothing.nowhere. on all European dates.

Fall Out Boy’s UK tour dates in full

October

  • 27 October – Leeds, First Direct Arena
  • 28 October – Glasgow, OVO Hydro
  • 29 October – Manchester, AO Arena
  • 31 October – Birmingham, Utilita Arena Birmingham
  • 2 November – London, The O2

Featured image: Publicity picture

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