Monopoly Run Manchester 2020 - WINNERS!!!

On Sunday 15th March our Scout group entered a team of six into the first ever Monopoly Run Manchester.  The Monopoly Run has been running in London for many years but this is the first time one has been organised in Manchester.

We had to meet at the Monopoly Run headquarters at 9.30am so it was a very early start.  Our train was
cancelled so it was quickly back to the cars and luckily a quiet drive into Manchester.

At 10am we were allowed to open our packs and find out what our tasks were for the day.  The
Manchester Monopoly board covers a very wide area and includes landmarks such as Media City, both football stadiums and Manchester Airport.

As leader in charge I might have given the strategy some thought in advance ;-).  We discussed the pros and cons of heading all the way out to the Airport and quickly decided that it wasn’t worth losing all that time for the points available (a bonus 3) so our first stop was Media City!  Whilst at St Peters Sq waiting for the tram we ticked off our first task of fitting all six scouts in a telephone box!

At Media City we had to do yoga in the Blue Peter Garden, pose like soldiers outside the Imperial War Museum and grab a photo at The Lowry Theatre.

Our next plan of action was to find the stadiums so we took the tram to Old Trafford (cricket and football grounds) then back on the tram to Manchester City and a short walk up to the velodrome.

After the velodrome we took the tram back into town headed for Piccadilly Station.  This was the boys opportunity to eat their packed lunch as we certainly didn’t want to use up any precious walking time!  They were beginning to flag by this point but in true (bossy) leadership spirit we (yelled at) motivated them to keep going!

Once back into town we managed to check off a high number of tasks in quick succession!  These included – Piccadilly Concourse, Canal Street (creating our own flag), Palace Theatre (doing an Irish Dance), The Bridgwater Hall (Barbirolli Statue), The Opera House (singing a song), The Peoples History Museum (Bird sculpture), The Crystal Maze, The Museum of Science & Industry, The john Rylands Library, The Town Hall, The Arndale Food Court (picture on escalator), The Apple Store (with an apple) and our last stop Exchange Square (tram stop sign). 

Whilst carrying out the above we also managed to complete a couple of extra tasks including getting a photo with a Paramedic and a Police Officer.  Sadly there were no Fire Fighters wandering around the City Centre.

We were back at HQ by our deadline of 3pm feeling exhausted but extremely satisfied with what we’d achieved.  We cracked open the Haribo and Chocolate in celebration!  Our team were winners in my
eyes regardless of the outcome but guess what!  We actually won!  190 scouts and 33 teams and our (very young team of 10 and 11 year old) came first!

Well done 40th Bolton ‘Moorland Maniacs’!

Rebecca