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Here at MCRactive we are continuing to support and broadcast the many ways residents of Manchester can feel healthy and well amidst lockdown.
In this latest edition we are pleased to announce that we can finally open our doors and say “welcome back” to our much-loved community leisure centres, gyms, and swimming pools across the city! Following the green light made the government on 9 July, the welcome announcement was the news millions across the country, including here in Manchester, have all been waiting for. Last week we began the communication around the phased reopening of selected community leisure centres, gyms and swimming pools across the city from Saturday 1 August.
Read on to find out all you need to know in advance and the various events and activities occuring in our city. We hope you find these updates informative and beneficial to support your current lifestyle, and help you and your loved ones move more each day.
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 Across Manchester, we're promoting daily messages of support, inspiration, guidance and updates to the city across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – tagging #MCRactive.
Follow @MCRactive to stay connected with the latest updates on staying active and healthy and share details with your friends and family.
We'd also love to hear about the innovative ways Mancunians are being active to share with others. If you have inspiring content – a short video, image or message, you can send via: info@mcractive.com or share them through @MCRactive on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
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We’re very excited to see the phased return of our much-loved community leisure centres, gyms, and swimming pools across Manchester on 1 August. Following a successful trial opening for members only from 25 July, we now cannot wait to welcome all Mancunians back and have broadcast the announcement across our socials @MCRactive. For more information and clarity on what’s open, what remains closed and everything else, visit here for gyms or here for swimming.
We also invited Councillor Luthfur Rahman and Councillor Lee-Ann Igbon to Moss Side Leisure Centre ahead of the full public opening of Manchester gyms, fitness classes & pools on Saturday. As you can see, the centre looks much different and spaced out than previously to encourage social distancing! See for yourself just some of the measures introduced at leisure centres to manage social distancing and the safe return of customers here.
Councillor Luthfur Rahman said: “Manchester is a city that lives and breathes sport. So, for the last 4 months, we know you have felt something missing with the restrictions imposed on accessing local leisure centres, attending your local club, or playing sports with friends and colleagues. We welcome the change in the announcement and cannot wait to welcome Mancunians back from 1 August to our gyms, studio spaces and pools as the first part of our journey. I also wanted to say a huge thank-you to Manchester as a city, and particularly our centre members (whether existing or if you’re looking to join) for your continued patience, understanding and support and acknowledge the staff, partners, clubs, coaches, colleagues – there are too many to mention – who have made the difference during these unprecedented times, embracing the many different challenges as we create this ‘new normal’, and who made it possible to start to see these positive green-shoots of recovery”.
The reopening for people to meet up at a safe distance and exercise in their local centre will go a long way to lifting moods, maintaining good health and reconnecting our local communities again. MCRactive will continue to share real-time updates on places & facilities as they open across the city, sports specific guidance, and support as you begin to find your swim trunks, dust down your gym kit and seek reassurance with the many questions that naturally come on your journey back to being active.
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MCRactive are extremely pleased to announce that the Tennis facilities at the Manchester Tennis & Football Centre will also be reopening to the public on 1 August and the outdoor athletics track at the Manchester Regional Arena will be ready for public use from 3 August. After an amazing revamp over the course of lockdown, the brand new outdoor 400m athletics track was officially upgraded and completed and will no doubt make a superb addition to our cities already enviable portfolio of sporting facilities. Watch here how far the track has come in the recent weeks! MCRactive are eager to welcome local athletes, clubs, community groups, schools and staff back following guidance and ensuring all remain healthy and safe. To check status on facilities as they reopen across the city, visit here.
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We've launched a COVID-19 version of our website, MCRactive.com, to keep you abreast of the latest updates and guidance from the Government, and more importantly, what this means to the city as we start to see the green-shoots of recovery and take those small steps back to being physically active. This includes painting a picture of what this ‘new normal’ will look like for us all. We're committed to being as supportive as we can and will continue to share real-time updates, clarifying the places & facilities as they open across the city, keeping you updated on sports specific guidance and support you with the many questions that naturally come with your journey back to providing a safe place for sport and physical activity.
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 We’re delighted that Sport England has awarded £1m of National Lottery funding to England’s hosting of the UEFA European Women’s Championship in 2022, with a view to increasing the number of adult women playing football in England! The significant investment will support the development of local plans within the proposed EURO 2022 host cities: London, Trafford, Manchester, Sheffield, Rotherham, Milton Keynes, Wigan & Leigh, Brighton & Hove and Southampton. The offer will support new playing opportunities for females, with this being led by female ‘Playmakers’ and will also pilot a new programme in each of the cities to explore whether parents and carers attending the FA's Wildcats sessions, aimed at girls aged 5-11, have a desire to take part in adult sessions that would run simultaneously alongside the Wildcats sessions. “UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 is set to be a record-breaking tournament, and one which offers us huge opportunity both to continue building the profile of women’s football and to inspire more women and girls to get involved in the game" said Louise Gear, head of women’s football development.
Phil Smith, Sport England director of sport, added: “EURO 2022 will be a significant and exciting event, and we're delighted to be working with the FA to use it to grow the women’s game. We believe a ‘place-based approach’ – working with local stakeholders to develop a recreational football programme for the right place, at the right time - can be instrumental in making this happen and ultimately developing women’s and girls’ football in England. For EURO 2022, Sport England and the FA are trying to get ahead of the game. We know the tournament will excite the fans and the public, so we want to use that excitement to support even more women and girls to start playing.”.
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As part of our kindness club, we’d like to remind you that happiness can be found in the seemingly insignificant, mundane things you do every day. Yes that’s right, see the examples and try them out - watch how it gives your brain a boost of feel-good chemicals and keeps them flowing as you adjust your day-to-day tasks with self-loving positivity!
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 MCRactive has assisted Sport England with local stories of people being active during the current COVID-19 pandemic. The team wanted to champion the Wythenshawe Walking Personal Best Programme and Rosemary's Over 50 Fitness Classes which featured in the MEN. We were pleased to share Wythenshawe Board Member Sarah Woolley’s experience who took the challenge with her nine year old son, Harry. You can read Sarah's story here. We were also pleased to recently share the lovely work Rosemary has been doing, providing her Over Fifty Fitness classes online for people of different ages and abilities to access and take part in from their homes during lockdown. You can read Rosemary's story here.
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 Who’s excited for some challenges? Next month, we'll be supporting We Love MCR with their new active challenge which gives Mancunians a chance to support your city and be active at the same time. What's more, everyone who completes the challenge will receive a special edition medal. Starting on 10 August and finishing on 6 September, the day the Great Manchester Run was scheduled to take place, participants are challenged to complete a minimum of 15 activities (walk, jog or run) of any distance over 28 days. For younger runners, there is a junior challenge available. The challenge costs £10 to join, and ALL PROFITS will go to the We Love Manchester charity. Sign up today here and get others involved!
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