OUR Pass - giving Greater Manchester’s 16 to 18-year-olds the freedom to travel, work and learn - is now live and ready for young people to start using.

Thousands of 16-18 year olds have already signed up and received their glossy purple Our Pass card. Young people, for a one-off £10 administration fee, get free bus travel across Greater Manchester. Our Pass card holders can also benefit from half-price off peak one day and weekend travel cards on Metrolink.

Young people helped choose the name, design the card and contributed to how they wanted Our Pass to work. At 16, they face decisions that will shape their lives and sometimes lack the skills they need to travel, explore and navigate the world beyond their doorstep.

Our Pass is designed to help; as they start college, apprenticeships, jobs and the transition into becoming adults.

A new look website features more than 50 organisations who have opened their doors or provided offers. The Our Pass card accesses offers for young people that add up to an equivalent value of over £1 million, with a second wave of opportunities to be announced in October. Details on how to access opportunities can be found by visiting www.ourpass.co.uk

The first wave of opportunities includes:

• Leisure centres across Greater Manchester who are offering a variety of activities from cycling, swimming and the gym; to zip wires, rock climbing, skate boarding and golf
• Our Pass sponsor JD Sports is supplying all card holders with a wallet and lanyard, with flash discounts and exclusive opportunities also to be announced
• Greater Manchester’s arts and culture community has also teamed up to provide an exciting season for Our Pass holders. The Halle Orchestra, Northern Chamber Orchestra, Palace Theatre, Opera House, Royal Exchange Theatre, Chetham’s School of Music and the Oldham Coliseum are all taking part
• Young people can also follow in the steps of Ben Stokes’ Ashes heroics and get involved in cricket. Lancashire Cricket Club are offering young people and their families the chance to come and see a game, with 5,000 free tickets available for T20 matches next season
• A number of football clubs in the city-region are in the first wave of opportunities. Curzon Ashton, FC United, Oldham Athletic and Radcliffe FC are all offering free tickets to every game. There’s also the option to go and watch basketball at the Manchester Giants and rugby league at the Leigh Centurions; with both offering an allocation of free tickets to their home games
• Our Pass holders can also get one month’s free access to online personal trainer Les Mills’s fitness app, discounts at Helly Hansen Watersports Centre, and free taster sessions at Oldham Boxing Club and Challenge 4 Change’s activity centre.

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “Our Pass will change the lives of young people across Greater Manchester. Providing 16-18 year olds with free bus travel and half-price off peak travel on Metrolink was an important step, now by confirming this first wave of opportunities we are giving our young people a reason to get out and about.

“Our Pass is designed to show everyone growing up here we believe in them and these opportunities will give young people the chance to explore this amazing place we live in and to build for the future.

“I’d like to say special thanks to all the first wave of organisations providing opportunities and appeal to the rest of Greater Manchester’s fantastic sports and leisure, arts and culture and business communities to get involved and open their doors to young people.”

Pete Burt, Chair of GM Active and Managing Director at Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles, said: “Our Pass presents a fantastic opportunity for young people to access not only free bus travel, but employment, education, cultural and a wide range of leisure activities which may have previously been out of reach.

“We have lined up a long list of great offers from providers across Great Manchester and look forward to many of our young people taking full advantage of these offers, having fun, getting involved and really getting active.”

Our Pass Lead Rose Marley added: “This is just the start. Our Pass is proving to be very popular and we know it will just grow and grow over the coming months. October has more offers in store including exclusive career opportunities and a few exciting surprises.”

Main image: M20 Photography

Article Published: 31/08/2019 14:43 PM