Bolton

One of the UK’s most challenging endurance races is returning to Bolton next year.

The Ironman UK Triathlon will be held on August 1, 2010, following its debut in the town earlier this year.

The 2009 event attracted more than 1,500 athletes from 35 countries and thousands of spectators. Approximately £4.2 million was injected into the local economy.

The 2010 race sees a slightly altered route with the 2.4 mile swim taking place in Pennington Flash in Leigh, near Wigan. The 26.2 mile run will head from the lake in Leigh, towards Bolton and pick up the same route as last year, finishing in Victoria Square.

Sheldon Phillips, Head of Regional Major Events at the Northwest Regional Development Agency said, said: ‘Ironman UK is a distinctive major event which attracts athletes and spectators from across the globe. The economic impact from 2009 has surpassed all our expectations and demonstrates not only the success of the first Ironman UK to take place in Bolton, but also how the local area has benefitted.’

Application forms and detailed swim, bike and run routes are available from www.ironmanuk.com.

Laura White will switch on Bolton’s Christmas lights this year. The X Factor finalist will flick the switch in Victoria Square on Thursday, December 3 2009.

The programme begins at 6 pm and includes a Christmas parade, followed by live music and entertainment in Victoria Square.

Laura was born in Atherton in 1987 and attended the University of Bolton. She was one of the 12 finalists in last year’s X Factor.

Bolton-born comedian Peter Kay will host this year’s Royal Variety Performance, taking place at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool on December 7.

Other acts taking part in the show include Bette Midler, Whoopi Goldburg, Alexandra Burke, Diversity, Miley Cyrus, Paddy McGuiness, and Jason Manford.

The Royal Variety Performance was last staged in Blackpool in 1955, the first time the event had been held outside London.

Proceeds from the event are donated to the Entertainment Artistes Benevolent Fund, a charity supporting former members of the entertainment industry.

Heritage Open Days allow visitors free access to properties that normally charge an entrance fee or are not usually open to the public.

The event starts tomorrow and runs until Sunday September 13.

Hundreds of attractions and properties in the North West are taking part. For more details visit the official Heritage Open Days website.

Highlights include:

Barrow

Furness Abbey (more…)

Visitors looking for a cheap place to stay in North West England next year (or indeed the rest of the UK, Ireland or Spain) should take note that Travelodge today launched an amazing offer on budget rooms.

The budget hotel chain is offering 50,000 rooms at only £12. The rate applies for stays between January 1 and April 1 2010. Rooms are also available from £19 (book 21 days ahead) and from £29 (book 7 days ahead).

To take advantage of this amazing offer, visit this page on their website.

Mouthwatering events are on the menu for Bolton’s fourth Food and Drink Festival.

The biggest celebration of food and drink ever to take place within the town is taking place from Friday August 28 to Sunday August 30 and a range of events to suit all palates have been organised.

Celebrity chefs the Hairy Bikers and James Martin are the stars of this year’s three day spectacular. Both will be cooking up dishes in the Rangemaster cookery theatre in Victoria Square throughout the festival.

Victoria Square is at the heart of this year’s activity but there are additional events taking place in and around Bolton town centre.

On Tuesday August 25 join Joan Farnworth from NHS Bolton’s Community Nutrition Team in Bolton Market, on Ashburner Street as she cooks up healthy dishes using fresh produce from traders.

The council’s Love Food Hate Waste team will also be in the market on Thursday, August 27. They will show visitors how to rustle up a tasty treat from the odds and ends that get leftover from meals, forgotten in the fruit bowl or at the back of the fridge.

School meals chef Phil Ogden will cook up a feast on a budget on Saturday, August 29.

Demonstrations will take place from 11am to 2pm, in the kitchen situated in the fish market in Bolton Market. Free samples are available.

Dave Myers, from the Hairy Bikers, encouraged people to visit their local market. He said: ‘I’ve heard about Bolton Market and would urge people to get down there. Markets are cheap, sell fresh produce, and the face behind the counter wants you to come back.’

Other fun food events taking place over the next month include an evening for coffee lovers at Rhode Island Coffee, on Knowsley Street, which will be raising money for Bolton Hospice on Thursday 27 August from 6pm. Learn all about how coffee’s grown, roasted and delivered to your cup. There will also be latte art demonstrations and a chance to try out the espresso machine.

Get the weekend off to a great start with a tapas and wine tasting session with Bolton chef Mike Harrison, owner of Zest Deli and Stuart Rothwell from The Vineyard on Friday 28 August at 4pm and 5pm. Tickets cost £2.

The Sokrates Greek Taverna, on Winter Hey Lane, in Horwich is laying on a special Greek music and meze night on Friday August 28. More than 20 Meze dishes and traditional Greek music are on the bill from 7.30pm, with the dancing starting at 9.30pm. Tickets cost £15.

Experience a 7-course Thai menu specially created for the Festival on Saturday August 29 at Zest Noodle Bar and Thai Restaurant on Bradshawgate.

Sample a wide selection of beers, real ales and continental lagers at the Holiday Inn on Higher Bridge Street on Saturday 29 and Sunday August 30, from noon to 11pm.

Learn how to make your favourite cocktail and sample cocktails from around the globe, from 3pm to 6pm, on Sunday August 30 at Red Bar and Restaurant on Market Street, Westhoughton.

The Vedas restaurant on Marsden Road is encouraging Indian food lovers to experience the setting of an authentic Indian kitchen and have a go at cooking their dish on Sunday August 30. Tickets must be purchased in advanced.

Other highlights include Warburton’s Bakery Tours on Tuesday September 1 and Thursday September 3, and a Chinese Buffet Extravaganza on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 August at The Chinese Buffet, on Bridge Street.

Councillor John Byrne, Bolton Council’s Executive Member for Development, said: ‘Tickets for the Hairy Bikers and James Martin cookery demos are now sold out but there’s still a whole host of gastronomic treats for everyone to get involved in. Local restaurants and pubs are also putting on some great special events and offers, most of which have been extended throughout September.’

The event is sponsored by Warburton’s, Bolton’s family baker. Stallholders will be selling food and drink throughout the festival. For more information on events and offers, call 01204 334321.

One of the UK’s toughest endurance events is coming to Bolton this Sunday, August 2.

More than 1500 athletes from 35 countries and thousands of spectators are descending on the town for the Ironman UK Triathlon.

The race involves a 2.6-mile swim in Rivington reservoir, a 112-mile bike ride in and around Lancashire, followed by a 26-mile marathon in the streets of Bolton.

Ironman is expected to inject around £4m pounds into the local economy and a global television deal will mean more than a billion people will be watching the gruelling 140-mile event.

For the first time in its history organisers decided to move the event to Bolton due to the town’s transport links and ample hotel accommodation. Previously it was based at Sherborne in Dorset.

The event, which is being funded by the Northwest Regional Development Agency, is the UK qualifier for the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii to be held later in the year.

The event starts at 6am with an open-water swim in a controlled environment in Rivington Reservoir, before athletes take to the roads for the cycle race. United Utilities warn that unauthorised swimming in reservoirs is not permitted and can be extremely dangerous.

The bike leg involves three 60 km loops from the reservoir. Competitors will head across Rivington Moor to Belmont, then through Wheelton and Leyland, before embarking on a loop in the Lancashire countryside to the west of Chorley.

Competitors then head back to Rivington Reservoir, when they swap their bikes for running shoes and head off towards Bolton, with the first athlete expected to start the marathon at around 11.30am.

The runners will follow a route from the reservoir, along Bolton Road and into Chorley New Road near the Crown pub at Horwich. Athletes continue towards Bolton, past Middlebrook and to the Beehive pub, where Chorley New Road will be closed.

Competitors turn right into Regent Road, over the Lostock Railway Bridge and join the Middlebrook footpath. After a loop in Queens Park, they retrace their steps back to the Crown pub at Horwich and then, for the final push, they head towards the town centre.

After leaving Queens Park for the second time, athletes follow a route via Chorley Street, St. Helena Road, Bark Street and Knowsley Street into Oxford Street and finally, cross the finishing line outside the Town Hall, in Victoria Square.

Athletes have 17 hours to complete the course and the cream of the crop are expected to cross the finish line from 2pm.

Following a successful launch last spring, the Great American Theme Park returns to Bolton this June, bringing great rides, great entertainment and great prices to the Reebok Stadium for a special three-week run.

Over 30 rides and attractions are promised at this value-for-money event, including the exclusive appearance of the Star Flyer, the first ride of its kind in the UK. Tried and tested on International Drive in Orlando, this 40-metre (130ft) tower of power is one of the highest chair-o-plane rides in the world, delivering an exhilarating experience like no other!

Returning from last year’s Great American Theme Park is the country’s largest travelling roller coaster, the Magic Mouse. Featuring nearly half-a-kilometre of track, this fun attraction features an added twist – the Mouse-shaped cars spin as they race through the ride!

Thrill-seekers meanwhile can check out the Millennium, new for 2009, plus the flying Frisbee and Superbowl. Also included will be all the old favourites like the Waltzer, Dodgems, Ghost Train and many more.

What’s more guests can all enjoy all the fun of the fair at recession-busting prices, including free entry at all times. Each Sunday is Super Sunday when unlimited rides are available for £4.99 or £8.99 (depending on age/height) during either one of two wristband sessions. Midweek deals are also available including all rides from just 99p each.

As well as the rides and attractions, visitors are promised free family entertainment each weekend including appearances from the Bolton Bulldogs American Football Team, Tod Cody the cowboy, Uncle Sam the stilt-walker and the Tower FM Sound Stage. Every wondered how to score a touchdown or throw the perfect lasso? Then this is the place to find out!

Mums and dads can take it easy inside the American Diner food court, or try and win one of the latest soft toys for the kids on the fun fairground games. Little ones will also be spoiled for choice with a great selection of children’s attractions.

The Great American Theme Park takes place from Friday 5th until Sunday 21st June next to the Reebok Stadium in Bolton, BL6 6LB. Open weekdays 6-9pm, and Saturdays/Sundays from 1-9pm.

The winners of the Manchester Tourism Awards 2009 were revealed last night in a ceremony at The Palace Hotel.

The awards were hosted by television and theatre actress Sally Lindsay and attracted an audience of the region’s most influential tourism representatives.

The winners were as follows:

• Large Visitor Attraction of the Year: Imperial War Museum North
• Small Visitor Attraction of the Year: Museum of the Manchester Regiment
• Large Hotel of the Year: The Lowry Hotel
• Small Hotel / Bed & Breakfast of the Year: Brooklands Lodge, Sale
• Self Catering / Serviced Accommodation Award: Blue Rainbow Apartments
• Taste of Manchester Award: The Modern, Urbis
• Tourism Bar of the Year: The Modern
• Tourism Retailer of the Year: Bolton Market
• Business Tourism Awards: The Lowry Hotel
• Sustainable Tourism Award: Radisson SAS Hotel
• I Love Manchester: Sapporo Teppanyaki
• Tourism Experience of the Year: Costumed performers at MoSI (Museum of Science and Industry)
• Tourism Event of the Year: Manchester Pride
• Access For All: The Trafford Centre
• Outstanding Customer Service Award: Mahendran Mayan from The Renaissance Manchester Hotel

A number of the Manchester Tourism Award winners will go on to be entered into the England’s Northwest Tourism Awards 2009 later this year, which are organised by the Northwest Regional Development Agency NWDA.

Shoppers in Bolton will be in for a treat this Sunday (26 April) with the re-launch of the farmers’ market into a new-look local produce market.

The council will take over the running of the market, which takes place in Victoria Square, following a one-year contract with Group Geraud.

Top local chef Mike Harrison, owner of Zest Fine Food, will launch the market with a cooking demonstration at 10.30am, using ingredients from the range of fresh produce on offer. He will also be cooking at 11.45am and 1pm.

There will be an array of locally sourced goods from around 20 traders selling fresh fruit and vegetables; quality meats; speciality breads; cheeses; home-baked cakes; chutneys and jams and even handmade soap and body care products.

All the market stalls have been given a make-over and now feature the eye-catching Bolton brand.

Shoppers can also pick up free booklets with seasonal recipes and take advantage of free Sunday parking in the town centre. Entertainment will be provided by the Eagley Band.

The market will continue to take place every fourth Sunday of the month in Victoria Square, from 10am to 2pm.

For more information about the market or to enquire about a stall, contact 01204 336825.