Burnley

Gawthorpe Hall is offering visitors a unique chance to discover its unseen treasures absolutely free of charge on Sunday, 13 September as part of the national Heritage Open Days initiative.

Heritage Open Days celebrates England’s fantastic architecture and culture by offering free access to a wide range of buildings and properties, of all ages and styles, which are usually closed to the public or normally charge for admission.

For one day only, visitors to Gawthorpe Hall will have the opportunity to tour the magnificent house for free and the chance to access two special areas of the Hall that are usually closed to the public.

Visitors will be allowed to use the spiral staircase to the basement Victorian kitchen just as the servants would have done in Victorian times. Here, they can meet with the housekeeper who will talk about life at Gawthorpe Hall during this period, what the servants did, what the house guests ate and how the cooks prepared it. Visitors will also have the opportunity to look onto the Minstrels Gallery giving a bird’s eye view of the Dining Room.

Outside, the historic vehicle cavalcade will also be stopping at the Hall from 1.00pm on its tour of local historic properties, this year there will be some real classic gems including a 1928 Aston Martin, a 2nd World War jeep, a 1911 Model T Ford and many more.

The Heritage Open Day at Gawthorpe Hall, Padiham near Burnley, BB12 8UA, will run from 1pm to 5pm with the last admissions at 4.30pm. The tea room will be open serving delicious refreshments from 12.30pm.

For more information contact the Hall directly on 01282 771004.

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.

The official opening of the newly refurbished Padiham Leisure Centre will take place on the bank holiday weekend, as the Mayor of Burnley and council representatives gather to unveil the £1.25 million project.

At lunchtime on Sunday 30th August 2009, The Mayor of Burnley, Councillor John Harbour will cut the ribbon to the centre, and the Centre will re-open at 2.00pm allowing residents their first glimpse of months of hard work and planning by Burnley Council to improve the towns’ leisure facilities.

Sunday will be an opportunity to use the gym, browse round the premises, find out more about the facilities, pick up a timetable for the gym, pool and group exercise classes, and ask the Leisure staff any questions they may have.

The centre will also be open on Bank Holiday Monday 31st August 2009 between 10.00 am and 3.00 pm, and then all week between 8.00 am and 10.00 pm. From Wednesday 2 September the pool will be back in operation and exercise classes at the Centre will recommence on that day.

The new facilities and improvements include a larger fitness suite with modern and extensive fitness equipment, a health suite with sauna and steam room, new changing rooms and improved changing area, a completely refurbished multi purpose room, and new reception area.

The centre also boasts an innovative and unique children’s fitness gym, with specialist equipment designed for younger visitors. This area will be opened the following weekend (Sunday 6th September) with a special fun day to celebrate the Leisure Centre being fully open for business.

This year’s Pendle Canal Festival takes place on Saturday 12 September – and it promises to be the best yet!

Reedley Marina will play host to an afternoon extravaganza of free family fun and entertainment – and everyone is invited.

Just turn up at the Barden Lane venue from 12 noon – 5.00pm to see over 100 boats, canoeing demos, plus an exciting range of live entertainment, including Nelson Brass Band, local group Acoustic Legacy, juggling unicyclist Dan Collins and comedy slack rope act Syrovy.

The festival, which is being organised by Pendle and Burnley Councils, coincides with the national Heritage Open Days event, which takes place every year on four days in September.

It will be officially opened at 12 noon by the Worshipful the Mayor of Pendle, Councillor Marjorie Adams before Nelson Brass Band leads the entertainment.

Councillor Allan Buck, who is in charge of economic development and tourism in Pendle, said “Heritage Open Days are the chance for people to celebrate England’s fantastic architecture and culture – and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal is both a vital part of Pendle’s heritage a key factor in Pendle’s future prosperity.”

He added, “Places like Reedley Marina, the beautifully maintained Greenberfield Locks, the newly extended Lower Park Marina in Salterforth and the recently opened Café Cargo in Foulridge are all helping to attract more people to the area.”

Vaughan Jones, Pendle Council’s Tourism Manager, added “We’re delighted to be back at Reedley Marina this year, showcasing the wonderful facilities and promoting our multi award-winning canal corridor. Reedley Marina is a great place for the family to enjoy, with a tea-room and a picnic area with stunning views of Pendle Hill and the surrounding countryside.”

Shakespeare is coming to Gawthorpe Hall with a special outdoor performance of Much Ado About Nothing.

Off The Ground Theatre will be staging the production in the beautiful grounds of Gawthorpe Hall on Saturday, 25 July as part of their summer tour.

Much Ado About Nothing, set in Sicily, tells the tale of two young lovers, Hero and Claudio, as they prepare for their wedding. The pair conspire with the prince, Don Pedro, to trick their friends, Beatrice and Bendick, into confessing their love for one another. As the temperature rises, the merry war of words between Beatrice and Benedick reaches new heights, whilst the prince’s brother Don John, jealous of Don Pedro’s power and his affection for Claudio, plans to sabotage the wedding.

Theatregoers are invited to bring a picnic and their deckchairs to enjoy a summer evening of music and dancing and discover one of Shakespeare’s greatest love stories.

The performance starts at 7.30pm, grounds open from 6pm.

Tickets are £10 adults with concessions priced at £7. To purchase your ticket please contact Off The Ground Theatre on 0151 625 2929 or you can purchase tickets on the night at Gawthorpe Hall.

For more information about this event please contact: Rachel Pollitt, Assistant Keeper, on 01282 771004 or gawthorpehall@lancashire.gov.uk.

A new £4.5 million bus and rail interchange has opened in Nelson, near Burnley.

Features include a covered passenger concourse with 10 bus stands, a direct link between the bus and train stations, a travel information centre, public toilets, electronic passenger information displays, taxi and drop-off areas, and cycle stands.

Lancaster County Council invested £3.5 million in the development with the remaining £1 million coming from the Pendle Partnership, using funding from the Northwest Regional Development Agency. The land was donated by Pendle Council.

Peter White, Executive Director of Development at the Northwest Regional Development Agency, said, ‘Investment in infrastructure is vital to bring about economic growth. The new interchange is an important piece of the puzzle in making that happen in Pendle. People and businesses must have access to good public transport links and the new interchange is an excellent facility which will make a considerable difference to both.’

Burnley Football Club have opened at temporary Christmas store at Burnley Market.

It was shop was opened by stars Brian Jensen, Ade Akinbiyi and Martin Paterson yesterday and compliments the official Clarets Store at Turf Moor. It will be open until at least January.

Budget hotel operator Travelodge is currently offering rooms at just £9 per night.

The offer is available on this special page on their website and is valid for bookings made now for stays between February and April 2009.

Rooms for other dates are also available from £19 and £29 provided bookings are made 7 and 21 days ahead respectively.

Burnley Council has confirmed that their free swimming programme will be extended to residents aged 16 and under.

In August they announced free swimming for pensioners from April 2009 at the St Peter’s Centre in Burnley and the Padiham Leisure Centre.

The scheme is being funded by a grant from central government.

A new JD Wetherspoon’s pub in Colne will be named after one of the town’s most famous sons. The Wallace Hartley is set to open on November 28 and is named after the bandleader on the Titanic.

Wallace Hartley was born in Colne in 1878 and gained fame as he and his fellow band members played on as the ship sank. Hartley and the rest of the band all died in the tragedy. His body was later recovered and 40,000 people lined the streets of Colne during his funeral procession.