Thousands of school children across Greater Manchester are taking action to improve air quality at their school gates for Clean Air Day (Thursday 20 June).

To mark the city-region’s Clean Air Week, Greater Manchester has today joined Edinburgh, Paris, New York and Bogota in signing up to the Open Streets movement – a programme of events that temporarily open streets to people by closing them to cars.

Shoppers, diners and businesses in Stockport town centre are the first in Greater Manchester to benefit from a San Francisco–inspired parklet; a mini-park installed on-street that features seating, greenery and cycle parking. To complement an underused part of the street, a pocket park has also been installed featuring planting, an art wall, a concrete table tennis table and chimes for children to play with.

Part of the Bee Network, Commissioner Chris Boardman’s masterplan to transform streets so that they work for people first, parklets and pocket parks are an inviting space that provide a place for people to stop, rest, socialise and park up a bike.

A statement from Danny Vaughan, TfGM's Head of Metrolink about the pay offer.

We are urging parents and guardians to take action and book places for their children on yellow school bus services for the next academic year.

Due to high levels of demand applications received before 30 June are more likely to be allocated a place. From this date onwards if a bus is fully allocated no further places will be made available.

Applications for the Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) Yellow School Bus services, which exceeded 6,500 last year, can be completed online from Saturday 1 June. Anyone without internet access can call 0161 244 1000 for more information.

Parents can choose their preferred option from the 67 dedicated yellow school bus routes

Work has begun to deliver the first scheme as part of Greater Manchester’s Bee Network - a plan for the UK’s largest cycling and walking network launched in 2018 by Cycling and Walking Commissioner Chris Boardman.

Funded jointly by the Mayor’s Cycling and Walking Challenge Fund, The Bridgewater Canal Company and Wigan Council, the £212,000 project will deliver the much-needed one mile stretch of surface improvements, as well as better access and signage, plugging a vital gap in the Bridgewater Way.

The works will allow people to cycle on the canal path all the way from Wigan Pier, through Leigh and across the Salford boundary to Monton and Patricroft.

Latest figures have revealed that over three million passenger journeys have been made on services using the Leigh to Ellenbrook Guided Busway over the past year.