Plans to ban vehicles from Botchergate in Carlisle on weekend evenings have been put on hold because the council does not have the budget to carry out any necessary work. The scheme, proposed by the police and intended to reduce drink related accidents, will next be considered in 2008 at the earliest.
Warrington’s annual beer festival, Oktoberfest, will be held at Parr Hall and will run from October 11 to 13 2007. The event is being organised by the Warrington Rotary Club and is sponsored by Cains and local companies with all profits going to charity. The event is now in its 11th year and the £5 entry fee includes a souvenir pint glass. There will be around 70 real ales, specialty bottled beers and ciders plus live music every session (Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings plus Saturday afternoon).
Liverpool will celebrate its 800th birthday today with one of the UK’s biggest ever firework displays. The show will start at 10 pm with fireworks being launched from the Pier Head, the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the Anglican Cathedral.
The city was granted its charter by King John on August 28 1207.
Everton fans have given their backing to the club’s proposal to move their stadium to Kirkby. On Friday the club announced that 59% of fans voted in favour of the plans.
The ballot was run by the Electoral Reform Service and was open to season ticket holders, shareholders and fan club members, with just under 26 thousand votes received. It is thought that this is the first time that a major European football club has handed over such a significant decision to its supporters.
Competitors for the World Fireworks Championships 2007 in Blackpool have been announced. The four countries taking part are Portugal, Canada, Austria and the UK. The competition will take place throughout September with fireworks being launched from the North Pier. The schedule is as follows:
September 2 – Portugal
September 7 – Canada
September 14 – United Kingdom
September 21 – Austria
September 28 – Celebratory performance and announcement of winner
The displays are free to view and start at around 8.30 pm.
Over £2 million of improvements have been completed at Liverpool’s Lime Street train station in time for the city’s 800th birthday celebrations. Additions include flooring on the south concourse, information screens, a taxi rank, additional cycle parking and a short stay car park with dedicated spaces for the disabled.
The Manchester Evening News Arena has been named as the top selling concert venue in the world. Pollstar, the international music trade publication, lists the MEN Arena first in its survey of the busiest concert venues for the first half of 2007. Ticket sales at the MEN Arena for the period were 604,662. Second place went to Madison Square Garden in New York with 579,511 ticket sales.
National Museums Liverpool has announced that the new International Slavery Museum at the Liverpool Maritime Museum will include a learning centre dedicated to a murdered black teenager. 18-year old Anthony Walker was killed in Huyton, Liverpool in July 2005.
Anthony’s mother, Gee, said ‘I’m grateful that the museum has decided to name one of its learning centres after Anthony. He would be incredibly proud. I have been lucky enough to have a preview of the museum and believe it is an incredibly vital local resource. It’s essential that we all learn from the past in order to build a better and more harmonious future. It is the goal behind the charitable foundation established in Anthony’s name and the museum itself.’
The International Slavery Museum will open on August 23 2007, Slavery Remembrance Day. It will be situated on the third floor of the Merseyside Maritime Museum and will replace the Transatlantic Slavery exhibition that was housed in the basement.
The new museum will feature displays about the transatlantic slave trade, including a music desk tracing how some of today’s music evolved from the days of slavery, a Ku Klux Klan outfit, and a display dedicated to significant black figures.
To mark the opening of the new museum the Amistad slave ship will be moored at the Albert Dock from August 20 to 26.
The most successful dance music event ever held in Manchester returns to the city next month. The Warehouse Project will run from September 29 to January 1 at the former air raid shelter underneath Piccadilly train station. Acts scheduled to appear include Armand Van Helden, Dave Clarke, John Digweed, Grooverider, Erick Morillo, Goodgreef, and Aphex Twin. Tickets are already selling fast and are available from Eastern Block, Piccadilly Records and Fat City Records, all in Manchester city centre.
Anthony Wilson, the music mogul and broadcaster, died last night at Christie Hospital in Manchester. The 57-year old was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year.
Born in Salford in 1950, ‘Mr Manchester’ was famous for setting up Factory Records, the label of New Order and the Happy Mondays, founding the Hacienda nightclub, and the In the City music festival.
However we will remember him most for a little known late night TV show from the late 1980s. At a time when North West England was distinctly unfashionable and economically ruined, Tony worked tirelessly on the Other Side of Midnight to promote the region, particularly Manchester. Without his inspiration, this site probably wouldn’t exist.