What started as an idea to support local families through the school holidays has become a regular thing here at Manchester. With the cost-of-living crisis forcing some households to choose whether to eat or heat, it got us talking. We knew we wanted to help.

I served in the Royal Air Force for around 7 years prior to joining NATS.  Although Air Traffic Control was a career that I always wanted to get into, I assumed that I’d need to be super qualified, so I never explored it any further. 

When I finally decided that I needed a new challenge in life, my attention drew back to ATC, and luckily by now the internet was readily available so I was able to carry-out some research.  Realising the career was accessible I submitted my application and my first round of assessments were booked without hesitation.  

Last weekend is normally one of our busiest at Manchester so when we were asked to fit an airshow in around the normal commercial aircraft we knew it would be a challenge.

If you’ve ever wondered just how an air traffic control tower is built then our time lapse footage of the construction of one of the country’s newest will show you.