Teenagers takes centre stage at Granada to support presenter’s charity triathlon

Act to Shine teenagers from Rochdale, and around the region, with a passion for drama, have had their first taste of life in the spotlight as they enjoyed a behind-the-scenes visit to Granada.

The teenagers were taken on the exclusive visit, supported by Barnardo’s, to meet Lucy Meacock, presenter at Granada Reports, who will soon be completing a virtual iTRI triathlon challenge throughout June to raise money for children supported by the charity.

The teenagers spent time with Lucy and the team at Granada on Thursday 23 May, where they not only experienced first-hand how the news programme is put together, but also got to try their hand at presenting by reading the news to camera during rehearsals, before watching the 6pm show go out live from the gallery studio.

Act to Shine drama group in Rochdale, which is one of several groups run by Barnardo’s, supports children with disabilities and additional needs.

The teenagers said that it was brilliant to read the day’s news to camera, before even Lucy and Tony had done it, and the behind the scenes tour had made them think about possible career opportunities in media. They thanked the team at Granada, who went out of their way to look after everyone and wished Lucy the best of luck with her iTRI challenge for Barnardo’s next month.

Lucy’s iTRI challenge for Barnardo’s will see her and other participants swim a gruelling 2.4 miles, cycle 112 miles and run 26.2 miles over the course of the month of June.

Lucy has been getting in practice for the event by cycling with friends at the weekend and notching up some short runs and tens of pool lengths. Whilst Lucy likes to keep fit in her spare time, she admits that she would only normally run anywhere if she was being chased by a wild animal!

Lucy Meacock, presenter at Granada said: “It was a pleasure to welcome the teenagers and to let them take centre stage in the studio, as well as to show them how it all works behind the scenes at Granada and teach them a few trade secrets.  

“It was also such an inspiration to hear about how the young people are supported by Barnardo’s and to see how much they gain from this support.

“Whilst I’m slightly nervous about completing the triathlon for Barnardo’s, it will be a great challenge for me to achieve and for such a worthwhile cause. I’ve been trying to fit in as much training as possible, meaning I’m usually walking around the studio in my trainers so I can dash out whenever I get chance for a quick run.

“It’s been a great opportunity for me to build up my fitness and run distances I didn’t think would be possible. I encourage others to sign up and get training, whatever their age or size, to raise funds for Barnardo’s and help the charity to do more great work supporting vulnerable children in the region.”

Participants taking part in the iTRI challenge have the freedom to complete the set distances for running, cycling and swimming in their own time and at their own pace from anywhere in the UK.

Participants can either do the whole distance in one go or spread them out into bite size chunks throughout June.

Completed miles can be tracked using Strava and MapMyFitness apps or participants can manually log their workouts via their online profile.

Free registration for the iTRI challenge is open until 14 June and the challenge can be completed any time between 1-30 June.

To sign up, download your fundraising pack or for more details please visit:

• itri.barnardos.org.uk

To support Lucy’s fundraising efforts, visit her Justgiving page:

• www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lucy-meacock1796428702-itri2019