Oldham

Greater Manchester is a step closer to getting a natural oasis in the city following today’s announcement that up to £4.9 million regeneration funding could be made available from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).

Up to 71 hectares of post industrial damaged land across North Manchester and Oldham has been proposed for extensive environmental regeneration works that will transform it into vibrant community woodland, helping to promote the local area’s physical and social regeneration. Through the £59 million environmental regeneration scheme, Newlands, which is led by the NWDA and Forestry Commission, the site will also become a green artery, connecting the area to a network of green spaces that include Lightbowne Country Park and the existing Newlands site, Moston Vale.

NWDA and the FC will now work with the site’s landowners, Manchester City Council, Oldham Council and Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority in partnership with Groundwork Northwest, Environment Agency and Pennine Edge Forest to develop detailed costed proposals to regenerate the area named after the watercourse that runs through the site, Moston Brook.

Four times the size of the Trafford Centre, Moston Brook straddles the urban communities of Failsworth and New Moston. The vision for Moston Brook is to stimulate the local economy by attracting people to live, work and play in a community with ample businesses and good quality green spaces. Part of the eastern edge of Moston Brook falls within the Oldham and Rochdale Housing Market Renewal (HMR) pathfinder area, and it is Newlands’ intention to create a much-valued city forest.

Newlands at Moston Brook hopes to repeat the success of their earlier work in the North Manchester HMR area, which saw the value of houses directly abutting another Newlands site, Moston Vale, almost treble once it was transformed from a former landfill into community woodland.

Financially and physically, Newlands at Moston Brook is the largest investment the programme has made to the city regions of Manchester and Oldham. Connecting the Moston Vale and Moston Brook sites brings Newlands investment to Manchester and Oldham to more than £6 million for the transformation of over 92 hectares of brownfield land.

Oldham Athletic will make football history when they play in the first professional football game in England legally broadcast for free on the internet.

Their first round FA Cup tie against Leeds United at Boundary Park will be shown live on the Football Association website. Kick off is at 5.30 pm on November 7 2009.

Each team will receive payment £67,500. Latics Chief Executive Alan Hardy said, ‘We were offered a financial boost by the FA by having the game broadcast over the internet via the FA’s web site and I am pleased that negotiations with the Police went well, they have been very accommodating knowing that the broadcast fee is vital to the club and I would like to place on record my thanks to them.’

The match itself will be all ticket with no sales on the day of the game.

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.

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.

Travelodge has announced that it will open 22 hotels across the country between now and Christmas. New hotels in the North West will include the Travelodge Blackpool Tower and the Travelodge Blackpool Tower. Both are opening late December.

The budget hotel group is currently offering thousands of rooms at only £19 for stays in December and January. They can be booked via this special page on their website.

Tourism businesses in the North West were honoured at the Northwest Tourism Awards last week. The event was held at St George’s Hall in Liverpool on October 22 and was hosted by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. Winners and finalists included:

Large Hotel of the Year

Marriott Worsley Park Hotel and Country Club, Manchester (Winner)
Cottons Hotel and Spa, Knutsford
Macdonald Old England Hotel and Spa, Bowness
Big Blue Hotel, Blackpool
Marriott Liverpool City Centre Hotel

Small Hotel of the Year

White House Manor, near Macclesfield (Winner)
Appleby Manor, Appleby
The Shireburn Arms Hotel, Clitheroe

Bed and Breakfast of the Year

Augill Castle, Kirkby Stephen (Winner)
Number One, South Beach, Blackpool (Highly Commended)
Moss Lodge, Rochdale
42 Caldy Road, West Kirby
Sand Hollow Farm, Burwardsley

Large Visitor Attraction of the Year

Manchester Art Gallery (Winner)
Ness Botanic Gardens, Neston
South Lakes Wild Animal Park, Dalton in Furness
Sandcastle Waterpark, Blackpool

Small Visitor Attraction of the Year

The Quaker Tapestry Exhibition, Kendal (Winner)
Cotebrook Shire Horse Centre, Cotebrook
Farmer Ted’s Farm Park, Ormskirk
Smithills Hall, Bolton
Mersey Ferries Manchester Ship Canal Cruises

Self Catering Holiday of the Year

The Beach House, Blackpool (Winner)
Staying Cool, Manchester (Highly Commended)
Premier Apartments, Liverpool
Mellow Brook Cottage at Harrop Fold Farm, Macclesfield
The Lodge Holiday Cottage, Hayton

Holiday Park of the Year

Park Cliffe Camping and Caravan Park, Windermere (Winner)
Newton Hall Holiday Park, Blackpool
Manor Wood Country Caravan Park, Coddington

Excellence in Business Tourism

The Rheged Centre, Penrith (Winner)
Park Royal Hotel, Warrington (Highly Commended)
Barton Grange Hotel, Preston
Manchester United
The Conference Centre at LACE, Liverpool

Taste of England’s Northwest

Roses Tea Room, Heswall (Winner)
The Hollies Farm Shop, Cheshire (Highly Commended)
The Village Bakery Melmerby
Northcote Manor, Langho
Isinglass Restaurant, Urmston

Tourism Experience of the Year

Manchester International Festival (Winner)
Tate Liverpool – Turner Prize (Highly Commended)
Shacklabank Free Range Walking, Sedbergh (Highly Commended)
Byways Breaks, Cheshire
Downy Duckling Experience, WWT Martin Mere
Lancashire Food Festival, Accrington
Cholmondeley Fireworks Concert and Garden Party

Excellence in Customer Service

Gary Henshall – Sandcastle Waterpark, Blackpool (Winner)
Julie Lyons – De Vere Carden Park Hotel, Chester
Daniel Fairweather, Windermere Marina Village
Pam Simpson – World of Glass, St Helens
Madge Butler – Crowne Plaza Manchester Airport

Sustainable Tourism Award

Palace Hotel, Manchester (Winner)
Cote How Organic Guest House, Rydal (Highly Commended)

RSPB Leighton Moss Nature Reserve, Silverdale
Carden Park Hotel, Chester

Tourism for All Award

The Beacon Museum, Whitehaven (Winner)
The Trafford Centre, Manchester (Highly Commended)
Wyre Estuary Country Park
The National Wildflower Centre, Knowsley

Tourist Information Centre of the Year

Congleton TIC (Winner)
Fleetwood TIC (Highly Commended)
Manchester Visitor Centre
St.Helens TIC
Keswick TIC

Plans to redevelop Oldham Athletic’s Boundary Park stadium were given the go ahead by Oldham Council’s planning committee last night. In November councillors had rejected the proposals, sparking demonstrations by supporters.

Jubilant Chief Executive Alan Hardy said, ‘It’s something the fans deserve, because for years they’ve been going to other towns and seeing the benefit of rebuilt and redeveloped stadia. This is almost as good as getting to the Wembley in the League Cup Final and FA Cup semi-finals, but this redevelopment is important because it’s about the future. It’s not to do with the past, this is about looking ahead and hopefully Oldham Athletic will now have a bright future to look forward to.’