A new ‘Fireground’ experience has opened up inside an old museum, and it gives kids the chance to play at being firefighters for a day.
Newly-opened attraction Fireground Rochdale has replaced the Greater Manchester Fire Service Museum in Rochdale’s old fire station, and it has everything from fully-restored fire engines, historic horse-drawn fire carriages, and manual hand-operated pumps, to an immersive Victorian street scene, and a scene from the blitz complete with lighting and sound effects all under one roof.
But probably one of the best parts about the new attraction for children is the countless interactive display elements that are there to teach them about the fire service’s impressive and extensive history.
Some of these interactive elements include fire engine toy replicas, a driving simulator game, the chance for kids to try on some firefighter costumes and helmets while sitting inside a real fire engine, and so much more.
One of the activities that’s proved most-popular is the child-sized fireman’s pole to slide down.
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Fireground has replaced the Greater Manchester Fire Service Museum in Rochdale’s old fire station / Credit: Fireground Rochdale (via Facebook)
Inside the main building of Rochdale’s historic Maclure Road Fire Station, the new Fireground Rochdale is four-times bigger than the original museum.
It’s part of a £1.6 million renovation project that’s been five years in the making.
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Explaining a little bit more about Fireground on its website, the company states that its mission is to “explore, preserve and make accessible the history of fire, fire engineering and the fire and rescue services in the Greater Manchester region and, through our collections and resources, to further the education and promotion of fire safety in the community.”
And it’s fair to say that the reviews for the new Fireground have been glowing, with one parent and blogger, Katrina Heywood, saying it was “the best time” after visiting with her young son Joseph last month.
Another parent left a recent review claiming the family-friendly experience is “a great place to visit with lots of history and interactive activities”.
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“The staff were so friendly, welcoming and engaging,” another parent added in their review.
The immersive experience gives kids the chance to play at being firefighters for a day / Credit: Fireground Rochdale (via Facebook)
As well as getting to make the most of all of the interactive displays and historical elements of Fireground, there’s also a cafe on site serving hot drinks and cakes, as well as a small shop selling toys, helmets, books, and other firefighter-related products.
A number of events are planned at the museum later this year – including an ‘Easter Trail’ on 14 & 16 April, a ‘Mega Machines’ event on 25 June,’ and a Family Fun Day’ on 20 August.
Tickets for children and concessions cost £5, adults £7, or family tickets for £20, and children under the age of four visit for free.
For more information and bookings, you can visit the Fireground Rochdale website here.
National Trust and Pokémon team up for exclusive trading card game and trail this half term
Emily Sergeant
National Trust and Pokémon have teamed up for an exclusive trading card game and immersive trail this half term.
Families are invited to National Trust sites across the UK, including here in the North West, this upcoming May half term, as a brand-new partnership has been launched with Pokémon, and it’s bringing the widely loved brand to the great outdoors through a series of Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) Mega Evolution Trails.
The partnership is set to bring together the places the National Trust cares for and Pokémon’s spirit of play and discovery.
Exclusively designed for the National Trust, the Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Trails are going to be running throughout May half term at 14 National Trust places nationwide, combining ‘imaginative play’ with ‘gentle physical activity’ inspired by Mega Evolution Pokémon.
National Trust and Pokémon have teamed up for an exclusive trading card game and trail this half term / Credit: James Dobson & Annapurna Mellor (Supplied)
Each trail point features a simple physical or creative challenge inspired by different Mega Evolution Pokémon.
From showing courage and curiosity with Darkness-type Mega Gengar ex, to unleashing energy and imagination inspired by the powerful Fire‑type Mega Charizard Y ex, the trails blend imaginative play with gentle activity.
A trail sheet will help young trainers keep track of their discoveries, and at the end of the trail, explorers can celebrate their achievement together with a photo opportunity at a Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Trail backdrop.
It’s hoped that it’ll help more families feel ‘welcome, confident, and curious’ about exploring the outdoors together.
Quarry Bank in Cheshire, Sizergh in Cumbria, and Speke Hall in Merseyside are the three National Trust sites in the North West where the new experience will be talking place.
The Pokémon TCG Mega Evolution Trails are exclusive to the National Trust and are included with standard National Trust admission (free for NT members).
Beyond May half term, the Mega Evolution Trails form part of a wider National Trust partnership with Pokémon, marking the first of several playful experiences for families throughout the summer holidays, kicking off in July.
Featured Image – James Dobson / National Trust (Supplied)
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Manchester City turn down Old Trafford offer for FA Youth Cup final in favour of Joie Stadium
Danny Jones
Manchester City have turned down an offer from rivals Man United to hold the FA Youth Cup final at Old Trafford.
The Cityzens have instead chosen to host it themselves, only not at the Etihad Campus’ main ground, but rather the Joie Stadium.
Primarily used for City Women and the club’s EDS (elite development squad) and academy teams, the arena was formerly and simply known as The Academy Stadium, was renamed for sponsorship reasons back in 2023, and has seen several updates over the years.
Seating just a fraction of the amount possible across the city at the ‘Theatre of Dreams’, the decision has disappointed many, but has been seen as a shrewd bit of gamesmanship by some, as it could effectively see any home advantage handed over to their opponents.
With this set to be the first Manchester derby FA Youth Cup in four whole decades, many supporters were hoping to go along and back their young teams in big numbers.
Proving somewhat divisive among both fan bases, with each of their under-18s squads having enjoyed promising seasons, to say the least, literally tens of thousands look set to miss out on potential tickets as a result of the announcement.
For context, the last time Man United won the coveted academy tournament – which has often served as a key first piece of silverware won by entire generations of young talent – they welcomed a record youth crowd of 67,492 in May of 2022.
In comparison, even with a sold-out stadium, the Joie would only be able to match around 10% of that figure at most.
That being said, it goes without saying that United fans have been some of the most vocal on social media following the controversial confirmation.
best two youth teams in England meeting in the FA Youth Cup final and playing them in small stadium at MCFC is such a shame. 60,000 would watch this game if it was done right.
On the day, the winning team featured the likes of now fully graduated senior stars like Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho, and Joe Hugill, along with several still-rising prospects.
Some of the starlets that lots of fans would have been looking forward to seeing live in a large and historic sporting arena include Jim Thwaites, Noah Ajayi, Kai Rooney, JJ Gabriel on the red half, and the likes of Kylan Midwood, Divine Mukasa, Stephen Mfuni, Reigan Heskey and more in the blue.
Head coach Oliver Reiss (who took over in July 2024) led his City side to the U18 Premier League North title at the start of this month; meanwhile, Darren Fletcher has returned to oversee his young Red Devils after a spell as caretaker manager of the men’s first team.
While tickets were expected to be snapped up rather quickly already for the all-Manc FA Youth Cup final, it’s now set to be a race for followers of both teams to get their hands on their respective allocations.
Emily Sergeant -
20th January 2022 
