Archive for July, 2007

Morecambe Football Club has unveiled plans for a new multi-million pound football stadium. Chairman Peter McGuigan announced that the club will submit a planning application to Lancaster City council in the next few months for a 6,000-seat stadium in the Westgate area of town. If successful, the club could move into its new home by the start of the 2009/10 season.

The scheme will also include a community area, hotel, and fast food franchises.

Mr McGuigan said, ‘The proposal will deliver a stadium worthy of a Football League side and will give an enormous boost to the club and people of Morecambe alike. The stadium will provide top class facilities for players, fans and sponsors and will be a historic development in the life of Morecambe Football Club.’

The club’s existing ground, Christie Park, will be sold to help fund the move.

Everton FC is to conduct a fan’s ballot to help decide whether the club relocates to a new stadium in Kirkby. The proposed stadium will be built on land donated by Knowsley Council with construction costs of £50 million being met by Tesco, who plan to open a store at the ground.

Those eligible to vote will include anybody who has held a season ticket in the last 3 years, and those who have purchased them for the coming season. Chief Executive Kieth Wyness expects ballot papers to be posted at the beginning of August, with the result known by the end of that month.

TV presenter Steve Berry was in Bury last Friday to officially open a caravan park at Burrs Country Park. The site was acquired by the Caravan Club in 2005 under a 60-year lease fro Bury Council and has since undergone a £1.3 million redevelopment programme. New facilities include a toilet block, disabled toilets, a baby and toddler room, and an enclosed vegetable preparation area.

Bob Black, Chairman of the Caravan Club said ‘We are very proud of this jewel of a site. Burrs Country Park Caravan Club Site will make a significant and positive contribution to the local tourism economy, providing the equivalent of over 80,000 ‘bed nights’ per annum for caravanners who will spend over £620,000 off site, in the locality this year. I think that the location with all it has to offer, combined with its proximity to the hundreds of thousands of caravanners that live in the North West, means it’s a terrific destination for weekend, as well as longer breaks.’

Transport group Stagecoach has taken over the running Manchester’s Metrolink tram network. The company has been awarded a 10-year contract by the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive and has taken over from existing operator Serco, which has managed the service since 2003.

Stagecoach also operates Sheffield’s Supertram network and more than 7,000 buses across the UK.

One of Manchester’s most famous live music venues, the Band on the Wall, has received £3.2 million of funding from the Arts Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund. The money will be used to refurbish the dilapidated building, which closed in 2005, and install a new sound system and music studio.

Ian Croal, Chief Executive of Inner City Music, the registered charity that runs Band on the Wall, said ‘We are delighted with the Arts Council’s and the Heritage Lottery Fund’s support of our project to reopen a much-enhanced Band on the Wall. Together with the generous support of Manchester City Council these grants will enable us to provide Manchester and the UK with an international stage for the best music from around the world and a platform for the finest local talent. We will also develop the venue as a resource for music education and professional development. The funding will also help us to restore the two buildings now involved in the project and to develop a new music archive facility. The grants recognise the important role the venue has played in the musical life of Manchester over several decades, in addition to contributing to its growing future role.’

Work is expected to begin in January 2008 with the venue reopening in early 2009.

Plans to demolish Accrington train station and replace it will a £2.5 million environmentally-friendly version have been approved by Lancashire County Council. The new station will use electricity generated by wind turbines and solar panels, and will use rainwater in sinks and toilets.

The Beatles Story in Liverpool has announced a major expansion programme that will see existing floor space double in time for the European Capital of Culture 2008. The plans include new rooms celebrating the solo careers of George and Ringo, interactive children’s learning centre, a temporary exhibition space, and a new café.

The continuing bad weather has led to the cancellation of yet another festival in the North West. After inspecting the site at Witton Park yesterday, officials from Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, have cancelled this weekend’s Arts in the Park festival. A smaller concert is being organised at King George’s Hall featuring as many acts as possible from original event.

Manchester’s Imperial War Museum North is celebrating its fifth birthday this month with a number of new exhibits. These include the hand-made compass used by Oliver Philpot to escape from Stalag Luft III, part of Rudolph Hess’s plane, and a WW1 flamethrower made in Manchester.

Until January 6 2008 the Special Exhibitions Gallery is hosting the Animals’ War exhibition. This family-friendly exhibition explores the role of animals in conflict from WW1 until the present day. Admission is free.

The 2007 Royal Lancashire Show has been cancelled because of a waterlogged site and forecasts of more bad weather. The event was due to be held next weekend (July 20 to 22) at Salesbury Hall, Ribchester. Dating back to 1767, the event is the UK’s oldest agricultural show and usually attracts around 60,000 visitors.