Keswick Museum and Art Gallery has received a welcome boost in the form of a £1.25 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The cash will secure future operations and will also be used to build a new café, toilets, and gift shop.
Our Kid: Medical Manchester | 1948 - 2008, 22 October – 29 November 2008, the foyer at Manchester Central Library
‘Our Kid’ is a 7ft high steel sculpture in human form and the centrepiece of an innovative, new multimedia exhibition that charts changes in healthcare over the last 60 years. It marks the anniversary of the announcement in Manchester of the founding of the NHS.
The figure is embedded with digital screens packed with information, interviews with experts, original public service broadcasts and forward-looking films made by local young people. Together they tell the stories behind the changing face of healthcare, the vital contribution made by research and the breakthroughs that came out of Manchester.
Alongside the installation will be a new graphic novel on display for the first time. ‘Alisa’s Tale: a short story’, by acclaimed artist Al Davison, tells the story of a young woman with a genetic condition, in a witty, original and refreshingly honest look at dwarfism.
Spaceport at Birkenhead has recorded record visitor numbers for the first 9 months of 2008. The space-themed attraction at Seacombe Ferry Terminal has seen visitor number rocket from 47,500 in 2007 to 87,500 this year.
A new café has opened at Preston’s Avenham Park. The Riverside Café, located in a new pavilion on the banks of the River Ribble, offers sandwiches, cakes, and Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance approved products.
The café is part of a scheme to regenerate Avenham Park. The improvements have seen the old bandstand demolished and replaced with the pavilion, refurbishment of the Swiss Chalet and Belvedere, improved lighting and signage, and cycle routes.
The café is open 7 days a week from 10 am until 5 pm.
A plan to ban dogs from Wirral beaches was overturned by Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council’s Tourism Committee last night.
Under the proposed scheme dogs would have been banned from beaches during the summer months. The proposal was deemed to be too expensive and difficult to enforce. It was decided that extra bins would be provided at entrances to beaches and additional notices erected warning owners of the penalties for not clearing up after their dogs.
A brand new, state-of-the-art fitness centre has opened in Haslingden. The £1.3 million Haslingden Lifestyle Centre, an extension to Haslingden Sports Centre, was opened by representatives of Rossendale Borough Council and Rossendale Leisure Trust last week.
The facility features a 60-station gym, specialist dance and aerobics studio, a redesigned multi-purpose room and changing facilities.
Special membership offers are running throughout September. For more information call Haslingden Sports Centre on 01706 227016.
Warrington’s annual beer festival, Oktoberfest, will be held at Parr Hall and will run from October 16 to 18 2008. The event is being organised by the Warrington Rotary Club and is sponsored by various local companies and individuals with all profits going to charity. The event is now in its 12th year and the £5 entry fee includes a souvenir pint glass. There will be around 70 real ales, speciality bottled beers and ciders plus live music every session (Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings plus Saturday afternoon).
After 14 years at the Howcroft pub, the Bolton Beer Festival is moving to a larger site at Bolton Rugby Club.
The popular event will feature more than 200 real ales, plus lager and cider bars. As usual proceeds from the event will be donated to the Bolton Lads and Girls Club.
The Bolton Beer Festival will run from Wednesday October 8 to Sunday October 12 2008.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach has announced that it will charge a £20 entrance fee during October. All visitors to the popular theme park, with the exception of children, under 1m high, will have to pay the fee.
The entrance fee will allow unlimited rides and is considerably cheaper than the £32 currently charged. It will however prove controversial as many visitors, such as pensioners taking their grandchildren, do not have to pay.
Earlier this year Pleasure Beach announced their intention to introduce admission fees for the 2009 season. Under the scheme a £5 charge would allow access to just a handful of the least popular rides.
Visitors to Gawthorpe Hall in Padiham will have the chance to step back in time and discover what life was like in the Victorian age.
On Sunday October 28 history will be brought to life as the housekeeper and butler take up residence for the afternoon, in full period costume, talking to visitors about how a Victorian stately home was run on a daily basis and about the household that used to work in Gawthorpe Hall.
As part of this event, visitors will also have a rare chance to explore the Victorian kitchen located in the basement of the house which is normally closed to the public.
The Bring History Alive talks will take place at 1pm, 2pm and 3pm and are suitable for all ages. This is a fun and informative day out that the whole family can enjoy.
Admission to the hall costs £4 for adults with accompanied children going free. There will be a small extra charge of £1 for adults and 50p for children wishing to participate in this special event.