Archive for April, 2008

A statue to legendary Bolton steeplejack Fred Dibnah was unveiled in his home town yesterday. The 8 ft tall bronze sculpture, by Jane Robins, stands on Oxford Street next to a working steam engine he loved to visit.

Dibnah shot to fame in the late 1970s after featuring in a BBC documentary Fred Dibhah: Steeplejack. The eccentric character went onto present and feature in a number of TV shows, mainly about the Industrial Revolution.

Fred Dibnah died of cancer in November 2004, aged 66. Yesterday would have been his 70th birthday.

Leighton Hall opens its doors for its 2008 season this week. The opening on May 1 will mark the 50th anniversary of the famous stately home near Carnforth opening its doors to the public.

Events planned for 2008 include the Lakeland Classic Car Rally on July 13, the Leighton Hall Food and Craft Fair on September 6 & 7, and the Doll’s House and Miniatures Fair on October 12.

The 2008 season runs until 30 September. Leighton Hall is open Tuesdays to Fridays, bank holiday Sundays and Mondays, and Sundays during August. Admission prices to the hall and grounds are £6 for adults, £4 for children (aged 5-12), and £5 for senior citizens. Family tickets (2 adults and 3 children) priced at £18 are also available.

A bronze statue of Liverpool legend Ken Dodd is take pride of place at Liverpool Lime Street train station. The statue, by Liverpool-based artist Tom Murphy, has been commissioned by Merseytravel and is set to be unveiled before the end of the year.

Ken Dodd received the news at the 20th annual Scouseology Awards, held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel last week.

Previous works by Tom Murphy include the statue of John Lennon at Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

Tickets for Manchester Pride, the city’s annual gay festival and parade, go on sale Thursday May 1. The Big Weekend, the highlight of the festival runs from August 22 to 25, at the Gay Village. Tickets are available from See.

The Enjoy England Awards for Excellence were held at St George’s Hall in Liverpool last night, the first time they taken place outside London. Winners from the North West were:

Gold Awards:

Tourism Website of the Year – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
Tourism Information Centre of the Year – Liverpool 08 Place

Silver Awards:

Large Hotel of the Year – Radisson Edwardian Manchester
Meet England Business Tourism Award – Manchester Central
Caravan Holiday Park of the Year – Sunset Park, near Blackpool
Large Visitor Attraction of the Year – Tullie House Museum, Carlisle

Several new buildings and landmarks in the North West have been shortlisted for the 2008 Structural Steel Design Awards. The Liverpool Echo Arena, the Halo sculpture in Rossendale, the Singing Ringing Tree sculpture in Burnley, and the Turning the Place Over public art display in Liverpool will compete against the likes of Terminal 5 at Heathrow for the prestigious design award.

The winner will be announced at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum on July 8.

Shellys Restaurant on Bold Street in Warrington has been crowned the North West’s best café in a competition organised by builders merchant Roof Shop. Owner Michele Butterworth received the award at a ceremony held in the Belfry in the West Midlands on March 27.

A discussion on the state of the Manchester restaurant scene will be held at the Circle Club next week. Organised by the Circuit Series the debate will feature a panel of esteemed connoisseurs including Ray King, food and drink writer for Cheshire, Lancashire and Lake District Life magazines, and David Heeley, founder of the Hi-Life Diners Club.

The debate takes place at the Circle Club in the Barton Arcade in Manchester at 6.30 pm on Tuesday April 22 2008. Admission is free for Rejuvenate and Circle Club members, and £5 for non-members. Dinner is available at £10 per head. To book email rsvp@thecircuitseries.com.

A travelling theme park with over $10 million of rides and attractions arrives at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton tonight. The Great American Theme park features the UK’s largest travelling rollercoaster, a 100 ft Ferris wheel, a reverse bungee jump, and over 30 more rides and attractions.

The Great American Theme Park runs from Friday April 18 to Sunday April 27 2008. Unlimited ride wristbands are available for £4.99 (1 – 5 pm) and £7.99 (6 – 10 pm) on Sunday 20 and 27 April.

The International Slavery Museum in Liverpool has received a cash boost of £1.8 million from the Northwest Regional Development Agency. The money will be used to extend the museum from its current location in the Merseyside Maritime Museum into an adjacent building.

Richard Benjamin, Head of the International Slavery Museum, said ‘The success of the International Slavery Museum so far can be measured by over 200,000 people that have visited since we opened in August 2007. The support from the Northwest Regional Development Agency will help take the museum to a new level, developing new facilities to continue its work as thought-provoking, stimulating and challenging.’