News from North West England

Leigh Sports Village Stadium is thrilled to be hosts to the 2011 Gillette Four Nations England v Wales match on Saturday 29 October. The match kicks off at 2.30pm and will be the first England fixture of the tournament.

It will be the fourth time Leigh Sports Village Stadium has hosted International Rugby League, following the England v France International in June last year and the England Academy v Australia Schoolboys International Test Series in December 2010.

Speaking on the announcement, Leigh Sports Village Chief Executive Simon Toon said, “I am delighted that Leigh Sports Village will be hosting one of the Gillette Four Nations fixtures. The Four Nations is a prestigious competition and it is fantastic that we will be associated with the tournament. Leigh has an extremely proud rugby heritage and I have no doubt that the local community will look forward to watching International Rugby League here again.”

Tickets for the match are now on sale and available by calling the RFL ticketing hotline on 0844 8561113 or online at www.rugbyleaguetickets.co.uk. Tickets start from £10 for adults and £5 for concessions. Leigh Sports Village ticket office will be selling tickets shortly so visit www.leighsportsvillage.co.uk for further information.

On Thursday (7th July), Hobbs, the women’s fashion destination of choice for classic clothing and stylish footwear with a modern twist will be launching at McArthurGlen’s Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet.

Joining the 145 stores at McArthurGlen Cheshire Oaks that make up the 1.2 miles of style, the new Hobbs outlet is the first from the brand to open in the North West and the fifth Hobbs outlet in the UK.

Along with recent additions Armani, Gant and Reiss, Hobbs will further increase the prestige of the impressive fashion line-up on offer at the designer outlet, all offering up to 60% less.

Colin Wilding, UK Country Manager and Centre Manager at McArthurGlen Cheshire Oaks, says,“It is fantastic that Hobbs are joining us. Offering a collection of high quality accessories and an impressive range of classic women’s clothing at up to 60% less, the Hobbs outlet is a welcome addition to McArthurGlen Cheshire Oaks.”

Alana Mazza, Retail Director at Hobbs, says, “We are delighted to launch the Hobbs outlet at McArthurGlen Cheshire Oaks – the first of our outlets to receive a new concept layout. Incorporating contemporary design elements of an English manor house, the store will feature an exclusive shoe lounge peppered with luxe seating and boutique-style fitting rooms for customers to relax in.”

From business suits and smart dresses to weekend wear and fine accessories, Hobbs represents uncompromised quality and craftsmanship.

Launching with a collection of High Summer products, the new Hobbs outlet will then move into Autumn Winter with the 2010 range, which features a strong selection of coats and boots.

The Stockport Open Art exhibition is back this summer for the first time since 2007 with a new name ‘The Open – Contemporary Art Exhibition’ and a new look. Despite the challenging economic climate a group of volunteers “SKarts” have rolled up their sleeves to re-launch “The Open” in 2011.

‘The Open – Contemporary Art Exhibition’ will be held at the Stockport Art Gallery from June 25th to August 14th.

Visitors will have the opportunity to appreciate many works of various genres including oil, watercolour, sculpture, ceramics and textiles. The Closing Ceremony on August 14th will include a ‘meet the artist’ event and presentation of ‘Visitors Choice’ and ‘Artist’s Choice’ Awards.

Whether you would like to buy an art work, get some tips from an expert, or simply admire outstanding talent the exhibition will provide a friendly engaging atmosphere for art lovers of all ages and backgrounds. There will be something for everyone to enjoy and entry to the exhibition is absolutely free.

Website: www.skarts.org.uk

Liverpool’s Write Now One Act Play Festival was an idea which had been slowly reaching germination for more than five years and is back for its second year.

Mention of Edinburgh, Brighton, Buxton even Manchester’s 24:7 are fairly frequent within playwright circles yet it seemed unusual for a city which gave the world Willy Russell, Jimmy McGovern and more had limited occasion for new writing to be aired outside of the Everyman Playhouse Everyword Festival. Thus 2010 saw the inaugural Write Now Festival, eight days of eight one-act plays at Liverpool Actors’ Studio on Seel Street in the city-centre and Write Now 2011 promises more of the same and more! As well as eight world premiere plays, Write Now 2011, has exciting new events including Monologue Slam, a chance to showcase new acting talent in front of industry professionals and Ten Tall Tower Tales, set in an apartment block it tells 10 stories from 10 storeys, each five minutes long. Write Now also has a fantastic writing forum event supported by The Liverpool Everyman Playhouse Literary Department which is free of charge.

“2010 was a huge success” admits Festival Director Ian Moore, “and Easter 2011 will see the second Write Now Festival, another eight new one-act plays, all hoping to build upon the astonishing achievement of last year.

Liverpool playwrights are well represented in Write Now 2011 with three pieces, including Craig Brennan’s exploration of the contrasts between events on the Kop at Anfield and the Boer War event of the same name in The Place Where We Stand, Spion Kop.

In Excess Baggage by David P Griffiths, a farcical comedy set in John Lennon Airport two newly-weds are asked to look after an old man’s suitcase with comic results.

Huyton-born Stephanie Blakeborough’s unconventional rom-com, promises to delight. Mrs Bojangles, the story of a retired showgirl who takes on the role of matchmaker.

Liverpoolcentric but not Liverpool exclusive seems to be the overwhelming feel of this festival, with submissions coming from as far away from Jersey.

Write Now is also proud to announce Liverpool born playwright Neil Walden’s Striker – a play especially for the Family Audience. Black Box Creative Communities, which runs the Write Now Festival, is renowned for its youth orientated work and is proud to bring this expertise to the 2011 festival. So be prepared for a comedy adventure for everyone aged 4 and above; expect spaceships, pirates, mysterious going-ons and a werewolf!

The aim of Write Now is to create a lasting impression and support network for new theatre talent across the North West – and the legacy of the festival is already starting to show. Following the success of I’m Ed Caesar in Write Now 2010 Nick Brelsford returns with a new production set in the Walker Art Gallery, The Bridge is an intriguing look at how art mirrors life.

Other productions also include Rocker of Ages by Kate Shaw, It Works For Us by Dick Curran, whose play Islanders recently won the MEN Best Fringe Production 2010 and Warrington-based Natalie Hickman’s comedy Monkey Nuts.

The Festival is again supported by actress Pauline Daniels, BBC correspondent Roger Phillips and Liverpool Echo Editor Alastair Machray with new patron Dean Sullivan joining the growing band of supporters.

Dean admits, “New writing is the lifeblood of the industry. It’s great that writers will get the chance to showcase their work as there are fewer and fewer opportunities to take risks and discover fresh talent.”

Buy tickets at the Liverpool Philharmonic website https://boxoffice.liverpoolphil.com or by calling on 0151 709 3789.

Find out more at: www.writenowfestival.co.uk

Details of Easter events at Grizedale Forest:

Wild Art Adventure- Self-led activity

2 to 27 April …10am-5pm
Look at the forest and artworks in unimagined ways as you journey into your own art adventure.
Sheets available from shop 80p for one £1.20 for two – all ages

On The Move- FREE Drop-in session in the Yan (small charge for some activities)

9 to 25 April …11am-4pm
Many creatures move from place to place to feed & breed. Find out about, and be inspired by, some of their life-stories & adventures.

A Walk in the Forest

18 April …10.30am
Discover hidden artwork in Grizedale Forest and visit two tarns on the way to a spectacular view point. A joint LDNPA & FC event.
FREE, meet at Grizedale shop for a moderate 6 mile walk. Dogs welcome

Chopping Chips (of the wooden kind)

20 April …1pm-4pm
Grizedale is heated by chips, wood chips! A rare opportunity to see the wood chipper in action and take a behind the scenes look at how they keep Grizedale warm!
FREE, meet at Grizedale shop; half hour slots throughout the afternoon no booking required

For further information contact the visitor centre on 01229 860010 or email grizedale@forestry.gsi.gov.uk

Imaginative new work, original creations and unique special events all feature in the third Manchester International Festival (MIF) this summer.

The festival takes place every other year in the city of Manchester, north-west England, presenting new works from the performing arts, visual arts and popular culture. This year’s MIF, from 30 June to 17 July, contains more than 20 commissions, premieres and special events created by leading artists from around the world, some of which have been three years or more in the making.

Musical highlights of the 2011 festival include the live debut of Sinead O’Connor’s forthcoming album Home, the first UK performance of Snoop Dog’s Doggystyle, with live appearances from all the original featured artists, Rickie Lee Jones performing her album Pirates exactly 30 years since its July 1981 release, and the world premiere of Björk’s Biophilia. Björk will present six shows in the Campfield Market Hall for audiences of 1,800.

There will be a two-night concert performance of Wagner’s Die Walküre, conducted by Sir Mark Elder and supported by a specially commissioned dramatic prologue, The Madness of an Extraordinary Plan. Other stage performances include The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic, a biography of the grandmother of performance art reimagined by visionary director Robert Wilson.

As usual, the festival will contain some innovative ‘firsts’: the first ever UK performance of music by the award-winning French composer Mark André, a concert by blind Malian superstars Amadou and Mariam held entirely in the dark, violinist Alina Ibragimova performing with an interactive film made by the Quay Brothers, and Doctor Dee, a new work composed by Damon Albarn and directed by Rufus Norris.

Festival Director Alex Poots says: ‘MIF is a home for major artists to realise their most ambitious projects and we are grateful to them for entrusting their work to us. We hope audiences will enjoy this year’s programme, featuring a greater number of large-scale productions created in collaboration with leading presenters from around the world.’

Manchester International Festival 2011, various venues 30 June–17 July
Website: www.mif.co.uk
Facebook: manchesterinternationalfestival
Twitter: MIFestival
YouTube: ManchesterIntFest

British electronic pioneers Leftfield and rock band Feeder are the latest acts to sign up for the first ever Chester Rocks Festival, which takes place at Chester Racecourse Saturday 2nd – Sunday 3rd July. Both acts will be joining the likes of Iggy Pop and The Stooges, The Australian Pink Floyd Show and Echo and The Bunnymen on Sunday’s bill. While the Saturday will host some of the biggest names in pop with the likes of Taio Cruz, The Wanted and McFly.

Paul Daley and Neil Barnes formed Leftfield in 1990. The pair were ground-breaking in the field of intelligent dance music and progressive house, being amongst the first to fuse house music with dub and reggae. Along with the Chemical Brothers and Underworld they were among the first electronic musicians to incorporate live guest vocalists.

Last year saw Leftfield return to the live circuit for the first time in over a decade. After a series of stunning headline performances at festivals including Rockness, Benicassim, L.E.D and Creamfields. Neil Barnes returns with a new live show set that will demonstrate once again why Leftfield Live remains one of the must-see music experiences on the planet.

“The reception we received last summer at the festivals was amazing. Now we can’t wait to get out there again and bring the full Leftfield Live experience to Chester Rocks. Let the bass roar” Says Neil Barnes.

Leftfield trail-blazed their unique sound in the early 1990’s, allaying rave with the power of rock music and taking The Sex Pistols and PiL frontman, John Lydon back to the top of the charts in the process. The band’s debut Leftism became a modern classic, heralded as one of the greatest albums of all time by Q Magazine. Sophomore effort Rhythm and Stealth went to number one, spawning the techno anthem Phat Planet which soundtracked that Guinness advert with the horses.

Revealed as the loudest band EVER to play Brixton Academy, Leftfield’s show made such a seismic impact that it remains the benchmark for live electronic music to this day. They can take recognition for inspiring some of the world’s biggest dance acts, including Daft Punk, Basement Jaxx, Chemical Brothers and Underworld, and the original superstar DJ Sasha, who acclaims Leftfield as “writing the commandments on electronic music.”

Alternative rock group, Feeder are the latest addition to Chester Rock’s Sunday bill. The band are one of the most charted acts of all-time, with a total of 20 top 40 singles. The roots of the band can be traced back to Newport, Gwent in the early 1990’s, where Nicholas and Lee played together in short-lived local grunge band Temper Temper. Frustrated by small-town life, the pair changed their name to Reel and relocated to London in early 1995, recruiting Tokyo-born bassist Taka Hirose on the way.

The band’s new commercial dawn came with Buck Rogers – a brash, technicolour pop song that hit the Top 5 in early 2001. It was the calling card for Echo Park, Feeder’s accessible third album. Feeder supported the Manic Street Preachers on their European tour and Stereophonics in the UK, and ended their most successful year to date with a re-recorded version of the absurdly catchy Just A Day. Its selling point was a video featuring Feeder’s teenage fanbase air-guitaring their way through the track in bedrooms across the nation, and it saw the band wind up 2001 on an optimistic footing.

Sadly 2002 saw the death of founder member Jon Lee. The future of the band was thrown into doubt, but Nicholas and Hirose resolved to carry on under the Feeder name after pleas from fans and Lee’s family. Feeder carried on to great pop success.

2010 saw the release of their eight studio album with the current line-up of Grant Nicholas, Taka Hirose and Karl Brazil. The band have just released the download single Side by Side with all profits going to the Red Cross in aid of the victims of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

Saturday’s line-up includes; Taio Cruz, McFly, The Saturdays, Sugababes, The Wanted, Eliza Doolittle, The Christians and Stephen Langstaff.

Sunday’s line-up includes; Iggy Pop and The Stooges, Leftfield, The Australian Pink Floyd Show, Echo and The Bunnymen, Feeder, I Am Kloot, Shaun William Ryder, Lightning Seeds, and Tommy Scott and the Red Scare.

Tickets for the Saturday or Sunday are £47.50 each or £85 for both days and are available from www.chester-rocks.co.uk or by calling 01244 304 610.

For more information and updates on Chester Rocks check out:

Website: www.chester-rocks.co.uk
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ChesterRocksUK
Twitter: http://twitter.com/chester_rocks

There are few places more beautiful and romantic for a celebration than the English Lake District and there would be few celebrations more memorable than an elegant reception on England’s largest lake.

Windermere Lake Cruises now offer bespoke celebration cruises on their charming vintage ‘steamers’, providing a rare opportunity to mark once in a lifetime occasions on the water, against the spectacular moving backdrop of Cumbria’s fells.

The stunning vintage boats can be chartered privately and accommodate between 100 and 180 guests. They boast fully stocked bars, sound systems and even dance floors and can be dressed perfectly to suit any chosen theme.

All celebrations on a Windermere Lake Cruise are individual, there are no set packages and everything from a summer barbeque cruise at sunset, to a chic vintage afternoon tea dance, to a relaxed wedding ‘after party’ can be arranged.

The prices for a celebration cruise are refreshingly manageable too, with a private two hour charter for up to 100 people costing from just £990. There are set menu packages available from around £9 per person and disco hire from approximately £200 but those fancying a ‘DIY do’ can bring their own band, cake, flowers and food for just a surcharge of £2 per guest, making a cruise a real recession busting bash.

For further information on a private charter visit the Windermere Lake Cruises website at www.windermere-lakecruises.co.uk or call 015384 43360.

This week Windermere Lake Cruises will launch a daily cruise service from Lakeside near Newby Bridge to beautiful Fell Foot Park, which has just been named as one of the best picnic spots in Britain.

Fell Foot Park featured in the ‘Food with a View’ list compiled by the National Trust and was recognised as one of Britain’s top ten places to enjoy a picnic.

The Victorian country park offers breathtaking views of the Lakeland fells as well as gorgeous lawns and gardens leading down to the lakeshore and an adventure playground for kids.

From the 9th of April, Windermere Lake Cruises will provide a daily service to the pretty park onboard a charming traditional launch.

The relaxing journey to Fell Foot will cost just £1.50 per adult, 75p per child or £4 for a family of two adults and up to three children.

A boat trip on England’s largest lake, a walk among spectacular scenery and a picnic in one of Britain’s best park…All the ingredients for an idyllic day out with great value for money too.

For further information and to book tickets for a Windermere Lake Cruise please visit www.windermere-lakecruises.co.uk or call 015384 43360.

The Museum of Liverpool will launch 100 years to the very day that its iconic neighbour the Royal Liver Building opened its doors.

The largest newly-built national museum in Britain for more than a century, the new Museum of Liverpool, will open to the public for the first time on Tuesday 19 July.

One of the world’s leading history museums and a stunning new addition to the city’s famous waterfront, the Museum of Liverpool is the first national museum anywhere in the world that is devoted to the history of a regional city.

Demonstrating Liverpool’s extraordinary contribution to the world, it will showcase popular culture and tackle the social, historical and contemporary issues of the city.

Professor Phil Redmond CBE, chairman of National Museums Liverpool said:

“Liverpool’s waterfront is known the world over, and we are pleased that we will soon be welcoming visitors to what is undoubtedly a stunning addition to that World Heritage Site.

“Liverpool’s role in history is also known the world over, as is its iconic symbol, the Liver Bird. It is fitting then that the first purpose-built museum to examine a city’s role in world history, is opening its doors 100 years to the day that the Liver Building itself opened for business.”

Until now, people have found it difficult to grasp the sheer size of the birds that perch on top of what was once the tallest building in Britain. Now visitors to the new Museum in July will be able see for themselves the magnificence of an 18ft life-size Liver Bird, overlooking the Three Graces.

Both the Liver Building and Museum of Liverpool are considered cutting edge architectural designs in their own right. The Museum is the newest symbol of Liverpool’s confidence as a great 21st century city.

Housing more than 6,000 objects, many which have never been on public display before, visitors can unearth an array of stories spanning the Ice Age to the present day.

People will be able to see the stage where John Lennon and Paul McCartney first met, witness the city’s growth into the world’s greatest port, see first hand the last remaining carriage from the famous Liverpool Overhead Railway, and immerse themselves in the city’s rich sporting and creative history.

David Fleming, director of National Museums Liverpool said:

“The Museum of Liverpool is all about telling the stories of the city and its people. This includes the times of struggle such as the Toxteth riots, the triumphs of our musical exports including The Beatles, and the dramatic histories of our football teams.

“Every single event has helped shape this city’s personality. The Museum of Liverpool is here to tell the tale, and like the Liver Building, will be around for many years to come.”

The £72m project is continuing apace, and internal fit-out of the major galleries is taking shape to such an extent that the three-phased opening of the Museum has been reduced to just two, with the second phase opening later this year. Discussions regarding plans for the launch day are currently taking place, and will be announced nearer the date.