News from North West England

It has been announced that the highly anticipated Creamfields 2010 line up will be revealed exclusively on BBC Radio 1 on Friday 26th March from 8pm.

The multi award winning festival which won ‘Best Dance Festival’ at last years UK Festival Awards, will take place on August Bank Holiday weekend and returns to its idyllic countryside home of Daresbury in Cheshire.

ALL tickets including day tickets / weekend non camping and the much sought after hospitality tickets will be on sale from 9am Friday 26th March here.

Preston’s Guild Wheel project has been given a huge boost following the news that Lancashire County Council is to invest £1.5m in the scheme.

The ambitious scheme will create a 21-mile greenway around the city which will be used by thousands of cyclists, walkers and runners each year. It is the idea of local man Peter Ward and is being led by Lancashire County Council with support from Preston City Council.

County Councillor Geoff Driver, leader of Lancashire County Council, said: “The Guild Wheel promises to be one of the best cycling routes in the country.

“Not only will it provide a more environmentally friendly way of getting around the city, it will be a place where people can take in Preston’s historic sites, keep fit and use purpose-built play facilities. The Guild Wheel will also be lined with trees and hedges attracting a variety of wildlife.

“The 2012 Guild promises to be a spectacular celebration of Preston’s history and heritage and I’m pleased to work with the city council on this scheme.”

The aim is to provide a route that can be used by people of all abilities for recreation, accessing the countryside, and getting to work and school. It will help people to lead a healthier lifestyle through exercise.

This scheme will also develop a green corridor, and bring wider environmental benefits such as an improved habitat for wildlife, upgrading play areas, and planting of trees and hedgerows.

Peter Ward, chairman of the Preston Cycling Forum, explained: “The idea is to create a fantastic cycling and walking route that thousands of people can enjoy year in, year out – a place for people to relax, exercise or just get from A to B easily no matter what their age or ability.

“I’m pleased this project is moving forward and the £1.5 funding, together with support from other partners will help make this idea a reality.”

Preston’s Guild Wheel Cycling project was launched four years ago. Although exact route details have not been finalised, the general course of the path has already been confirmed as follows:

From Avenham Park, the route will run along the river to the docks. It will then connect with the Ribble Link, running via existing cycle paths and quiet lanes to Brougton. It will then travel through the east side of the city and is likely to run via the Midgery Lane Cycle Track and Preston East Employment Area, before joining the riverside cycle path near Brockhole’s Bridge.

The route will feature a good surface with access for people with disabilities, monuments depicting Preston’s rich and diverse history and activity, adventure and play areas for children.

This is one of the many projects which will mark the 2012 Preston Guild. Preston’s Guild dates back to around 1179, when King Henry II granted the town its first royal charter, and is celebrated every 20 years. The Guild Week celebrations planned for 2012 are likely to include carnivals, processions, dances, firework displays, sporting events and much more.

Friday 30th July – Sunday 1th August 2010
Lowther Deer Park, Hackthorpe, The Lake District
www.kendalcalling.com

Nominated for Best Grass Roots festival and Best Small festival at 2009 UK Festival Awards
8,000 capacity – 8 stages – 3 days and nights of fun in the fields

The Kendal Calling hive is buzzing with the news that dance promoters APE and Wax:On will take over the Dance Tent; an announcement that will ignite the passions of dance lovers everywhere. Club curators Ape and Wax:On both respectively throw some of the biggest Drum n bass & dubstep events in the UK and book a repertoire of the world’s best DJ’s. We can’t reveal the DJ line up just yet but one thing is certain; it’s going to be BIG with these heavyweights on board! Wax:On will take the reins on Saturday and Ape will host the arena on Sunday.

For festival-goers bringing little ones, Kendal Calling crew have a plan for families to experience the best of both world’s with the all-new Emperors field! This year’s Emperor Family Camping area will be located in a quiet field away from the main campsite, a stone’s throw from the main arena and offer a special pass to camp next to your car (available for £10).

Set near the campervan field, the quiet family camping will have its own toilet facilities including showers & even a baby changing unit. Gone are the days of summoning superhuman strength at festivals to carry big bags & babies, this family camping experience couldn’t be easier.

ABOUT APE:

Since its conception in 2005 Ape has gone from strength to strength to become a major force in the world of drum n bass, dubstep & other bass driven genres. With innovative line ups, a real emphasis on good time vibes and a loyal and up-for-it crowd, Ape strives to combine the leading names in clubland with breaking talent and the freshest underground artists from around the world.

With their residency at The Warehouse Project firmly established since 2006 and massive Manchester Apollo shows under their belt; some of the best North West dance events of recent times have taken place under the Ape monikor and now they are raring to host the dance arena on Sunday at Kendal Calling!

ABOUT WAX:ON:

For the last 5 years Wax:On have hosted some of the most sought after electronic dance events in the country and played host to over 200 amazing DJ’s and live artists.

They’ve recently taken a leap into releasing music; pioneering the promotion for some of the sterling artists that have set their Wax:On dancefloors alight! Now they are soon to release tracks by Matt Walsh, Doorly & Eskimo Twins.

Dan Blackledge from Wax:On said: ‘’Over the last few years Kendal Calling has grown to become one of the most innovative and exciting festivals in the country and we are extremely pleased to be involved this year. We’ll be bringing in some massive headline talent alongside some amazing upcoming DJs and Live artists from the world of electronic music’’

Director of Kendal Calling Ben Robinson says: “We can assure people that with Ape & Wax : On building our line ups we are going to have an energetic and electric feel that will be a literally mind-blowing experience for all our dance music lovers.”

In travel news Big Green Coaches are on board this year, for as little as £15 they are offering travel to our beautiful Lowther Deer Park from 19 locations across the UK. For those arriving by train Big Green coach will also be running a shuttle between the site & Penrith train station for a discounted rate of £8 (advance bookings).

Kendal Calling revealed the first details of the 3 days extravaganza a few weeks ago and sold out of 500 early bird tickets in 1 minute! With the first line up announcement coming soon, there will be 12 stages and areas mixing up everything from world famous bands on the main stage to Europe’s biggest solar powered tent Croissant Neuf and our booty shaking Dance Arena. This year KC also hosts a kid’s area, Garden of Eden and Peaceful Progress; a creative crew of graffiti artists, breakdancers & sculptors and much more.

TICKET DETAILS:

Date: 30th July – 1st August 2010
Location: Lowther Deer Park, Hackthorpe, CA10 2HN
Ticket Price: Weekend Camping Tickets: £85

Family Camping tickets offers: https://secure.ticketline.co.uk/tickets/13244128/kendal-calling-emperors-fields-family-camping/cumbria-lowther-deer-park/2010-07-30

Big Green Coach travel & festival ticket: £93 available at http://www.biggreencoach.co.uk/index.php/product/affview/kendalcalling/

Direct Tickets: www.kendalcalling.com

A multi-million pound scheme to regenerate an area of Blackpool town centre has been approved by Blackpool Council.

Plans for the £220 million Talbot Gateway scheme were submitted by Muse Developments last November and include shops, council and business offices, restaurants, hotels, and a supermarket.

The development will be located close to Blackpool North train station and will cover an area of more than 300,000 square feet.

Construction work on the first phase is expected to commence in 2011.

A heavyweight new arrival charged into Chester today – a gift from the world-class zoo on the city’s doorstep.

Chester Zoo has donated a bronze elephant calf – similar to that at its own main entrance. From its new home on St Werburgh’s Street/Northgate Street, the female calf will be symbolic of the links between the UK’s largest zoo and the city. It is also hoped that the 1m tall statue, sculpted by Hampshire-based sculptress Annette Yarrow, will encourage city tourists to venture to the zoo.

Alasdair McNee, Corporate Director for Chester Zoo, said: “We are delighted to unveil the latest addition to the city centre. Chester city has a world-class attraction – the UK’s largest and most successful zoo – on its doorstep and we hope this magnificent sculpture will be a permanent reminder of that fact. Our own bronze elephant is a huge draw for young and old alike and we hope to recreate this impact in the city. Chester Zoo however is far more than a visitor attraction and has conservation at the core of all its activities. The city’s new calf reflects what the zoo is all about.”

The zoo has been working closely with Chester Renaissance, which has looked after the installation and interpretation for the city’s new attraction.

Renowned sculptress Annette, who also crafted the zoo’s bronze elephant, has drawn on her experience of growing up in India to create the calf, which took her six months to complete.

The elephant installation will be followed shortly by interpretation panels to tell both members of the public and visitors the story of the elephant and the city’s links with the zoo.

Saturday 3rd – Sunday 11th April 2010
9 days … 4 cultural venues … tons of prizes … bags of fun!

Liverpool is inviting everyone to get crackin’ this Easter, on a magical mystery trail with a difference.

Liverpool’s Crackin’ Easter Trail invites super sleuths of all ages to get creative, crack the clues and be in with a chance of winning £500 or one of the many cultural gifts and prizes on offer … and all for FREE!

Open Culture and Culture Liverpool have teamed up with the Bluecoat, FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology), Tate Liverpool and Walker Art Gallery to make you all very happy bunnies this Easter! This Trail is a legacy of the Great Royal Liver Easter Hunt, produced by Open Culture in Liverpool’s Capital of Culture year 2008.

Simply pick up a free Crackin’ Easter Trail, earn your stamps by taking part in the free activities and solve the clues inside our four great venues. The more you see and do this Easter, the more you could win!

How do you get involved?

From Saturday 20 March you can pick up the Crackin’ Easter Trail from the Bluecoat, FACT, Tate Liverpool, Walker Art Gallery, Lady Lever Art Gallery, 08 Place on Whitechapel and Albert Dock Visitor Information Centre.

Or you can request one by post or email, simply email info@culture.org.uk but be quick; there are only a limited number available. So what are you waiting for? Hop to it and get cracking!

Prizes include the £500 grand prize; fabulous family meals at the Tate Liverpool café and the Bluecoat Bistro, jam packed Rennies Arts & Crafts art hampers provided by Walker Art Gallery, fantastic FACT family cinema tickets, the Bluecoats brilliant crafty art bags and much, much more.

And what’s more, with every stamped Crackin’ Easter Trail you can gain 10% discount in the participating cafes or shops (please see trail map for details).

For more information on this free event please visit Open Culture www.culture.org.uk or check out the participating venues websites.

The exciting plans for the first phase of the transformation of Chester’s historic Cathedral Quarter are to be displayed for people to comment on.

The Chester Cathedral Quarter partnership is keen for Chester residents and visitors to view the display boards and feedback their comments.

Rita Waters, Chief Executive of Chester Renaissance, said: “The people of Chester are a vital part of our consultation process and we want to encourage everyone to get involved in this exciting transformation of the cathedral.”

The display about the project will be placed in the Cathedral Undercroft and the second floor of the Forum Offices on Monday, 15 March for two weeks. The display will then move to the Visitor Information Centre at Cheshire Oaks from Monday, 22 March.

Phase one of the transformation of Chester Cathedral is being led by a partnership of the Cathedral, Cheshire West and Chester Council and Chester Renaissance with the aim of attracting an extra 130,000 visitors a year to the city.

Cllr Richard Short, Executive Member, Culture and Recreation said: “We are confident that this project will result in a major increase of visitors to the Cathedral and city bringing considerable economic benefits to Chester and the whole region.”

Plans to redevelop a hotel in Hoylake have been approved by Wirral Council.

The £6.5 million development will likely see the Kings Gap Court Hotel rebranded as a Holiday Inn before The Open Championship returns to Hoylake in 2014.

The hotel is operated by Sanguine Hospitality Management. Other properties in the North West managed by the group include Days Hotel Chester North (formerly the Gateway to Wales Hotel), the Doubletree by Hilton Chester, and the West Tower in Aughton, Lancashire.

An innovative new tourist information centre has been unveiled at Cheshire Oaks.

The initiative offers a showcase for Cheshire’s visitor economy for more than seven million visitors who flock to the outlet village each year, many travelling more than an hour to reach the destination.

They’ll also have access to high quality service and information designed to help them make the most of their visit to the area.

The new centre, which replaces an existing facility, is the result of a partnership between the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), destination management organisation Visit Chester & Cheshire and McArthur Glen.

Staff will have a high level of product knowledge and the emphasis of the service will be on meeting and exceeding visitors’ specific expectations.

“This is a huge opportunity to access a massive and growing visitor base, many of whom are travelling from farther afield to visit Cheshire Oaks,” said Visit Chester & Cheshire’s Chief Executive, Chris Brown.

“This is a timely improvement to the quality of information facilities that will encourage visitors to stay longer, spend more and return more often to explore the vast range of Cheshire’s visitor opportunities, among them food and drink, accommodation, events, and gardens.”

Colin Wilding, General Manager of McArthur Glen Cheshire Oaks added: “This is a further milestone in the close relationship that has been established between MacArthur Glen and Visit Chester & Cheshire, one that will generate significant benefits for Cheshire Oaks and the wider visitor economy in Chester and Cheshire.”

The new visitor information centre is the latest in a series of major investments made by the NWDA to improve the provision of visitor information across Cheshire and the whole of the Northwest.

Nick Brooks-Sykes, Director of Tourism at the NWDA said: “Our aim is to have a modern network of well located visitor information centres across the whole of the Northwest. This investment in Cheshire Oaks Visitor Information Centre will ensure it is able to provide an excellent visitor experience as well as a top quality signposting service for Cheshire and the wider Northwest region.”

International tennis legend John McEnroe will play at this year’s Tradition-ICAP Liverpool International Tennis Tournament.

The former world number one will play and entertain the crowds at Calderstones Park in June. He will be joined by the world number one doubles champions the Bryan Brothers.

During his successful career, McEnroe won seven Grand Slam singles titles, three at Wimbledon and four at the US Open. He also won nine Grand Slam men’s doubles titles and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title.

However the enigmatic star is best remembered for his shot-making artistry, confrontational on-court behavior and famous rivalries with Björn Borg, Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl.

John McEnroe said: “I am really looking forward to returning to Liverpool to play in the International Tennis Tournament alongside other great players and young and upcoming talent. I like the idea of playing in a public park on grass courts in front of enthusiastic tennis fans. I still love to compete and win so I am working hard to be able to bring my very best to Liverpool this June.”

Jeremy Bates, who won the first British doubles title at Wimbledon in 1987, for the first time in 51 years, and later went on to win the Australian Open in 1991, will also be among the line-up at this year’s event. He won two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles during his career and after retiring from the professional circuit he has continued to be heavily involved in tennis, captaining Britain’s Davis Cup team. Paul-Henri Mathieu, from France, will headline the ATP Players’ singles event in Liverpool. He is currently ranked 41 in the ATP list.

The five day tournament attracts approximately 17,500 members of the general public and 2,500 corporate individuals and numbers are increasing year on year as the tournament continues to grow in popularity.

Tickets for the Tradition-ICAP Liverpool International Tennis Tournament, which takes place from Wednesday 16th June – Sunday 20th June, are now on sale.

Tickets are available from Northern Vision’s dedicated Liverpool International tennis tournament website www.liverpooltennis.co.uk. Alternatively tickets are also available from Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.co.uk and the Liverpool Echo Arena at www.echoarena.com