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Welcome to Manchester Voice.
In this edition, we share some major sporting announcements, alongside upcoming events, activities and opportunities in Manchester.
Learn more below!
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 The National Cycling Centre, National Taekwondo Centre and Aquatics Centre have been accredited as UK Sport Elite Training Centres (ETC), recognising their roles in supporting Olympic and Paralympic athletes to achieve success on the world stage.
On 22-23 April, Manchester met with representatives from across the UK Sport Elite Training Centre network to be awarded Manchester’s accreditation as Funded Elite Centres.
The accreditation highlights the organisation’s contribution to providing world-class daily training environments, bringing together high-quality facilities, expert practitioners and a strong performance culture to support athletes and coaches.
As part of the UK Sport network of Elite Training Centres, Manchester City Council will work collaboratively with centres across the UK to support a connected and high-performing system, enabling athletes to access the environments and expertise they need to succeed.
This network of centres plays a vital role in the UK’s high performance system, creating environments that bring together people, expertise and facilities to drive performance and support sustained Olympic and Paralympic success.
Learn more about this accreditation here.
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 Greater Manchester Walking Festival 2026 is here.
Throughout May, Greater Manchester will come together to celebrate National Walking Month with the return of the GM Walking Festival.
With almost 400 free walks taking place across the region, including 62 from Manchester alone, the programme offers something for everyone. There are short local strolls to longer routes, accessible walks, buggy-friendly options and routes close to transport links, cafés and community spaces.
Walking and wheeling play a vital role in supporting physical health, mental wellbeing and social connection. They help people explore their local area, meet others and build stronger communities.
This year’s theme, Celebrating Connected Communities, highlights the power of movement to bring people together.
Explore the full programme of routes here.
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Manchester City Council is excited to share news of a new Sports Fund, aimed at supporting sport clubs and community organisations across the city with grants of £250 – £3,000.
Open from April 2026 to March 2027, this rolling programme aims to support Manchester residents to move more and enjoy being active.
Our priority themes focus on:
- Low/no-cost activities
- Women & girls’ participation
- Activities for 0–5s
- Walk, Run, Cycle initiatives
- Retaining & growing participation
Applicants are encouraged to read the full guidance document before making an application and contact us on email with any questions: grants@mcractive.com
For more information, and the application link, click here.
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 The world’s best cyclists are heading to Manchester!
The routes for the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2027 have now been revealed, and Greater Manchester will take centre stage in what marks the first-ever visit of the Tour de France Femmes to the UK.
Manchester will host the Stage One finish on Friday 30 July and the Stage Two start on Saturday 31 July, with the race travelling through Greater Manchester and beyond.
Manchester celebrated the announcement in style, with a reveal event at the Town hall, alongside city officials, key stakeholders and the cycling groups from up and down the city.
Alongside the racing, the Joy legacy programme will inspire participation, improve health and wellbeing, and connect communities - with thousands of volunteer opportunities and the chance to be part of the largest free-to-watch sporting events in UK history.
Get ready to line the streets and be part of a truly unforgettable moment for Manchester and women’s sport.
Speaking at the event, hear from Dame Sarah Storey, Cllr Bev Craig and some for the key people that make up Manchester’s vibrant cycling community here.
Hosting Stage One and Stage Two cements Manchester's position as world class sporting & cycling city.
Manchester is a #CityOfCycling, Manchester is #AliveWithSport
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 On Thursday 23 April we joined schools up and down the country to celebrate 50 days to go until the Women’s T20 World Cup with #SchoolsCricketDay at Old Trafford Cricket Ground.
It was fantastic to welcome local schoolgirls to take part in some fun cricket activation, hosted by Lancashire Cricket Foundation and former England cricketer Alex Hartley.
Watch some of the highlights here.
Bring on June! #AliveWithSport #T20WorldCup
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Manchester Basketball’s incredible season reached another milestone as the club made it all the way to Weißenfels, Germany for the 2026 ENBL Final in their debut season in the competition.
While the final itself ended in defeat, achieving a silver medal at the first attempt stands as a major statement of intent on the European stage.
This historic ENBL run capped a standout year for the club, coming on the back of both the men's and women's teams reaching the final of the SLB Cup at AO Arena in Manchester.
Manchester Basketball have showcased resilience, ambition, and rapid growth.
Reaching two finals in one season underlines just how far the club has come, and hints at just how high the ceiling could be in seasons ahead.
Better yet, with a playoff quarter final first leg victory against Bristol yesterday, Manchester are still in the running for yet more silverware. Roll on the second leg!
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 Two days of fast-paced and gripping 3x3 basketball action in Manchester.
Grab your tickets for the Glasgow 2026 Home Nations 3x3 Basketball Qualification Event and watch England, Isle of Man, Northern Ireland and Wales battle it out to secure their place at this year’s Commonwealth Games.
The road to Glasgow commences on the 22-23 May at the National Basketball Performance Centre.
Back your country. Witness the glory. Grab your tickets here.
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 There is still time to sign up and receive the Great Manchester Run VIP treatment.
When you run the Great Manchester Run for We Love MCR Charity, you don’t just get a race place, you get access to our VIP Experience.
Based at The Generator in St Peter’s Square, our runners get a relaxed and welcoming space just minutes from the start line, including;
✔ Free race place
✔ Secure bag storage
✔ Refreshments before and after the run
✔ Exclusive facilities (skip the long portaloo queues)
✔ A great atmosphere with fellow #TeamWeLoveMCR runners
Last year our runners stayed long after crossing the finish line to soak up the music, refreshments and celebrations together.
Take on the 10K or Half Marathon and experience race day the We Love MCR way.
Sign up to run for Team We Love MCR. Link here.
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BECOME A QUALIFIED CYCLING ACTIVATOR
 As part of Manchester’s City of Cycling work, we are offering funded British Cycling Community Activator course places.
The Community Activator course is designed to enable 'Activators' to engage individuals, groups, and communities in entry-level cycling activities in a contained traffic-free environment. Such as in a park, playing field or sports court.
The course will provide the basics of delivering fun and engaging community cycling activity on non-technical terrain. The training includes online safeguarding and risk assessment learning and British Cycling membership
The course will take place at the National Cycling Centre (M11 4DQ) on Thursday 21 May, 9:30-4pm.
If you would like to attend, please contact l.kinrade@mcractive.com to recieve an expression of interest form.
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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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