Little Mancs will get the chance to discover how Manchester has kept the world moving through a range of transport-themed activities this half term.
With the next school holidays right around the corner on Monday 30 May – Friday 3 June, Manchester’s very-own Science and Industry Museum in the heart of the city centre is making sure the region’s children are kept entertained, engaged, and educated as always through a number of dedicated hands-on workshops and activities.
Kids will be given the chance to design and make their own moving machines, before putting their creations to the test to see how fast and far they go.
They’ll also be given the chance to hear some of the inspirational stories of the Museum’s historic site and the vehicles that passed through there, including the famous Stephenson’s Rocket – a “legendary locomotive” that was built to run on the world’s first inter-city passenger railway line, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.
There’s even some brand-new ‘Curiosity Stops‘ throughout the museum too, and you can join the Museum’s team of expert Explainers on journeys through air, on land, and even in outer space to discover special science secrets.
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You can discover how Manchester has kept the world moving through a range of transport-themed activities / Credit: Science Museum Group
Constructed in 1984, the unique moving sculpture is the last work by one of Britain’s best loved artists, sculptors, and famed Chitty Chitty Bang Bang creator, Rowland Emett, and it was saved for the UK after being purchased for the Science Museum Group Collection with support from Art Fund, the Science Museum Foundation, the Friends of the National Railway Museum and private donors.
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It means visitors to the Museum this half term can see two scenes from the work of art telling the story of a journey aboard the imaginary ‘Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Railway,’ based on one of his cartoons.
You’ll be treated to “cogs whirring, characters toasting teacakes, and catching butterflies”.
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A Quiet Afternoon in the Cloud Cuckoo Valley / Credit: Science Museum Group
The half term is also the perfect time to check out the Museum’s free interactive gallery, Experiment, which is designed for the whole family to enjoy together and has recently just undergone a revamp to add some new interactive elements – including the chance to experience heat vision with a thermal camera, play with magnetic art, and throw some shapes to tell stories with a shadow wall.
You can also build sturdy bridges and tall towers, make music with your body, try to see through walls and find out how you can shake hands with yourself, test your senses, flex your superpowers, and discover whether or not you’re strong enough to lift a car with one hand.
You can even play songs on musical pipes, and get creative with glow-in-the-dark art.
The half term is also the perfect time to check out the Museum’s free interactive gallery, Experiment / Credit: Science Museum Group
There’s also plenty of fun activities designed especially for younger visitors aged 5 and under.
There’ll be an interactive reading of You Can’t Take an Elephant on A Bus by Patricia Cleveland-Peck on the agenda, as well as cConstruction Packs, high-vis jackets, hard hats, and wooden tools available to borrow so that little ones have everything the need need to ‘work’ around the museum.
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Discover how Manchester has kept the world moving with our fun-filled, transport-themed activities this half term. 🚂🚗🛸
Thanks to Terminal 2’s major upgrade, now holidays really do start at Manchester Airport
Danny Jones
It’s a phrase that’s almost as old as air travel itself, but luckily, Manchester Airport are well and truly getting your holidays started early, courtesy of the new and improved Terminal 2.
T2‘s massive upgrade technically finished in 2025, but with other bits debuting already this year and even more to come in 2026, Manchester’s biggest terminal is a more fully-fledged travel hub than ever.
Complete everything from the essentials and a healthy supply of food and drink, to lots of luxuries and plenty of ways to unwind and kill time between both before and after flights, you can feel extra smug about getting to the airport early.
As part of their latest ‘Terminal Explorer’ campaign, we recently paid a visit to see just how much fun we could get up to in and around T2. Spoilers: quite a lot.
With a little help from their wayfinding screens dotted around the various areas, from the World Duty Free section and ever-growing internal shopping district, to all the bars and restaurants that have opened since the big refurb, we took ourselves on a very fun day out.
And that was without even having an actual holiday booked to look forward to, so just imagine how good it must feel to top all this off with a real trip away.
In fact, you don’t even need to think that hard about it; roughly 80% of all passengers heading in and out of Manchester Airport now come through T2, and with the experience improving all the time, they’re seeing a serious uptick in visitors and their time spent enjoying some leisure before their getaway.
From additions like the LEGO store to keep the kids entertained, as well as numerous places to grab a brew, a bite, or even your first adult beverage of the holiday, it’s up to you how you choose to explore – they’ve just given you plenty of options.
There’s no bigger testament to the latest hospitality offerings in Terminal 2 than the recently opened Great Northern Market, which brings a rather big taste of the Mackie Mayor vibe to Manchester Airport.
A VERY comfortable place to wind down any wait times before you fly.
You’ll be blown away by the amount of choice on offer in here – we certainly were – and, of course, the multi-vendor culinary destination epicentre is just one of many fantastic food and drink offerings now boasted by the T2 ‘2.0.’
For instance, we could happily spend most of the time before our next hypothetical flight just chilling in the super stylish Fever-Tree Bar, which includes a wonderful range of breakfast and light bites, charcuterie boards, small plates, sandwiches and so on – plus a cocktail menu perfect for any occasion.
Put simply, you’ve now been given all the tools and means to turn downtime of almost any duration into an excuse to explore Manchester Airport at its best; in fact, scratch that: it’s an opportunity to go for a wander and make the most of it – and it’s one you don’t want to waste.
Whether it’s stocking up pre-flight or kicking back with your first drink of many, don’t just be another person sitting watching the departures board, be a terminal explorer.
Sensory-friendly Northern Lights to illuminate Printworks’ digital ceiling to mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week
Emily Sergeant
This week marks the start of Neurodiversity Celebration Week.
Approximately 15-20% of the population has a neurological difference, according to the most recent statistics, and Neurodiversity Celebration Week (16-20 March 2026) highlighting the importance of championing, raising awareness of, and accommodating neurodiverse people.
And Printworks is marking the occasion in its own special way, with a series of new initiatives designed to create a more ‘inclusive’ and ‘sensory-friendly’ environment.
You may already know that the popular indoor entertainment complex in the heart of Manchester city centre is home to more than a dozen bars, restaurants, and leisure activities – including one of the largest IMAX screens on the continent – and Europe’s largest digital ceiling too, of course, but this week’s experience is unlike anything the venue has welcomed before.
Throughout the week, Printworks will be transforming its digital ceiling with calming Northern Lights and constellations which have been specifically designed to create a relaxed, sensory-friendly atmosphere for visitors with additional sensory needs.
Northern Lights to illuminate Printworks’ digital ceiling to mark Neurodiversity Celebration Week / Credit: Supplied
As part of a long-term commitment to accessibility and inclusivity, Printworks is also introducing a weekly sensory-friendly hour every Sunday too, where lighting throughout the venue will be dimmed, and music and SFX volumes reduced for a reduced-stimulus environment.
200 free sensory packs – which can be collected at Vue cinema – with a pair of ear defenders and sensory-friendly toys, designed to support visitors who may benefit from sensory tools while enjoying the venue, are also on offer throughout the course of the week.
On top of this, there’s also a range of autism-friendly cinema screenings taking place on the last Sunday of every month at 10:30am.
An additional autism-friendly screening will be taking place with a showing of Hoppers this Sunday 22 March at 10:30am, with tickets now available from Vue’s website.
“Neurodiversity Celebration Week is an important time for brands and venues to recognise and support the diverse ways visitors and audiences experience the world,” commented Dan Davis, who is the General Manager at Printworks.
Emily Sergeant -
27th May 2022 
