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Little Mancs encouraged to take part in mini Great Manchester Run this month

"It’s never too early to give your kids a taste of that big-event buzz and inspire a lifelong love of being active."

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 3rd May 2022

Youngsters are being encouraged to take part in the Junior & Mini Great Manchester Run in just a couple of weeks time.

The iconic Great Manchester Run will take place on Sunday 22 May, and is set to see tens of thousands of runners from across the region and beyond take to the city’s streets for either a 10k race or a half marathon – but it’s not just the grown-ups that are being encouraged to challenge themselves either, as budding athletes can also get in on the action too.

Returning to The Etihad on Saturday 21 May, the Junior & Mini Great Manchester Run is giving little Mancs the chance to lace up their running shoes and join in.

The Mini run is for dinky dashers aged three-eight over a 1.5k course, while the 2.5k Junior event is for those aged nine-15.

“By popular demand, the Junior and Mini event has moved back to Saturday as a standalone event, meaning that families can make a day of it at the Etihad and care givers still have the chance to take part in the 10K or Half Marathon events on Sunday, explains” Event Manager Sharon Angel.

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“It’s never too early to give your kids a taste of that big-event buzz and inspire a lifelong love of being active.”

Youngsters are being encouraged to take part in the 2022 Junior & Mini Great Manchester Run / Credit: Great Manchester Run

She also added there will be “lots to see and do for the whole family.”

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With athletics superstars Sir Mo Farah and Eilish McColgan performing official starters duties for the around 1,500 runners expected to take part in the event in just a few weeks time, young people are also being encouraged to “embrace” the city’s worker bee emblem by taking a massive bee themed fancy dress competition on the day.

Read more: Sir Mo Farah will join Mancs in the Great Manchester Run again this year

Some of the youngsters already signed-up to take part in this year’s event will be running for a number of really worthy causes.

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Five-year-old Lola Monks from Tottington in Bury will be running for the neonatal unit at Royal Bolton Hospital, as she spent 244 days there after being born 11 weeks premature, and she is now ready to try and give back to those who “helped her survive”.

Lola’s mum Gemma said it’s “a small token of appreciation” and thanks for a debt that can never be truly repaid, and they know the nurses and doctors who cared for Lola would be thrilled and amazed to see her do something like this.

The Junior & Mini Great Manchester Run is returning to The Etihad on Saturday 21 May 2022 / Credit: Great Manchester Run
It’s not just the grown-ups who have the chance to challenge themselves / Credit: Great Manchester Run

Similarly, eight-year-old Alexander Grey from Sale will be running to raise awareness of children just like him who are born with Prader-Willi Syndrome – a complex rare genetic disorder caused by a chromosomal abnormality that results in problems including constant urges to eat, restricted growth, learning difficulties, and decreased muscle tone – and he is hoping to raise money for the Prader-Willi Association UK. 

Read more: Water pistols, DJs and an apres-run zone added to Great Manchester Run for 2022

“Alexander has many challenges in his life which he has to overcome on every day basis,” Mum Pavlina explains.

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“One of the biggest challenges is the food obsession, as his brain constantly tells him that he feels hungry, and his muscle tone is very poor which makes it very hard for him to exercise and keep up.”

Around 1,500 young people are expected to take part in the event in just a few weeks time / Credit: Great Manchester Run

Fancy it then? There’s still plenty of time to be a part of what is set to be a fun day out for all the family at the Junior & Mini Great Manchester Run.

You can find more information, and stick your little one’s name down here.

Featured Image – Great Manchester Run

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‘I wouldn’t change this career for anything’: trainee probation officer amidst new recruitment drive in Greater Manchester

Danny Jones Danny Jones Probation service officer trainee jobs Manchester

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.

probation and prison service jobs greater manchester
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. 

probation office manchester
Credit: The Manc/Ministry of Justice (supplied)

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. 

probation service trainee
probation officer jobs manchester
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.

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

Featured Images — The Manc Group/MoJ (supplied)

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Curious kids can meet star of hit CBBC show Operation Ouch! in Manchester next month

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Got a curious kid on your hands? You can take them to meet the star of one of their favourite TV shows at the Science and Industry Museum next month.

In case you hadn’t heard, Operation Ouch! is back in Manchester again with a fresh new experience for 2025, and this time around, visitors can journey through an ear canal covered in gooey wax, squeeze past sticky snot, and delve deeper into how our brains interpret the world.

Thousands of families from across Greater Manchester and beyond have already visited the city centre museum make the most of the new exhibition, and get stuck into the wide range of immersive and interactive activities it has on offer.

But for those who haven’t been able to pay a visit yet, this summer couldn’t be a more ideal opportunity to do so.

Operation Ouch! star Dr Chris Van Tulleken will be at the Science and Industry Museum next month / Credit: Science Museum Group

That’s because Dr Chris Van Tulleken – who is one of the presenters of the BBC show Operation Ouch! – will be at the museum in a couple of weeks time to meet visitors as part of his myth-busting mission to answer some of the public’s deepest questions about our senses.

Dr Chris will be at the Science and Industry Museum for one day only, and will not only join mini medics on their voyage through the senses, but will also be on-hand to answer brain teasers from the audience during a series of live Q&As.

Whether it’s banging on a super-sized eardrum, venturing into a massive eyeball, or even taking a whiff of a ‘smell library’, this world-premiere exhibition dives into the science behind hearing, sight, touch, taste, and smell – and Dr Chris will be there every step of the way.

Also to celebrate Dr Chris’ visit, the museum is introducing additional sense-themed activities that very same weekend, where sight and sound will be examined during an interactive experience led by the museum’s expert Explainers.

Read more:

Book your tickets to visit Operation Ouch! Brains, Bogies and You on Sunday 9 November, for any of the time slots between 11:30am – 1pm, and 2:45 – 4:15pm for the opportunity to grab a selfie with Dr Chris from inside the exhibition.

Tickets will cost visitors £10 each, with those under three going free, and a range of family discounts available.

Get tickets here.

Featured Image – Science Museum Group

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