Archive for October, 2007

The annual Northwest Tourism Awards will be held at Manchester Central on October 10. The event, organised by the Northwest Regional Development Agency, will be hosted by BBC TV presenter Ranvir Singh. The finalists include:

Large Hotel of the Year

Grosvenor Pulford - Chester
Lakeside Hotel - Windermere
Lancaster House Hotel - Lancaster
Radisson Edwardian Hotel - Manchester
Holiday Inn - Liverpool

Small Hotel of the Year

Alderley Edge Hotel - Cheshire
Swinside Lodge Hotel - Keswick
The Millstone - Mellor, Blackburn
Great John Street Hotel - Manchester
Hillbark Hotel - Wirral

Large Visitor Attraction of the Year

Chester Zoo - Chester
Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery - Carlisle
Blackpool Zoo - Blackpool
Urbis - Manchester
Walker Art Gallery - Liverpool

Food produces from across the North West are showcasing their products this month in Manchester. The Local Producers’ Market in St Ann’s Square started on Wednesday and will run until October 14. It is part of the Manchester Food and Drink Festival, now in its 10th year. Participants include Savin Hill Farm from the Lyth Valley which specialises in meat from rare breeds of pigs and cattle, traditional drink makers Mawson’s, and cheesemaker Holwood Dairy.

A Polish Market will be held in Bolton’s Victoria Square this week. The market will be open from Thursday to Saturday, 9.30 am to 5.30 pm, and will offer Polish beers, sausages, and other Eastern European delicacies. The event is part of the Bolton Food and Drink Festival.

The skies of Southport will be lit up to the sound of music when the British Musical Fireworks Championships return to the resort this weekend. Each evening, from October 5 to October 7, there will be displays by two of the UK’s top professional firework companies at the Marine Lake. The programme starts at 7.30 pm each evening; with gates opening at 7 pm. Tickets are £5 on the door with under 5’s admitted free.

Lancaster University has been named as the best university in North West England by a prestigious university survey. The Sunday Times University Guide 2007 ranked the university above its rivals Manchester, Liverpool and the University of Central Lancashire. Nationally it ranked 18th, breaking back into the top 20 after a 5 year absence.

Lancaster University Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Wellings said, ‘We are delighted to have this vote of confidence from students, peers and head teachers which has combined with our sound research and teaching record to prove what we at Lancaster already know, that Lancaster University is an outstanding, friendly collegiate community which students love with an academic reputation that rivals its bigger competitors.’