Rochdale

Thursday 9 – Sunday 12 September
www.heritageopendays.org.uk – fully events listing and details

Later this week properties across England will throw open their doors for free as part of the country’s annual celebration of local architecture, history and culture.

Supported nationally by English Heritage and run locally by an army of volunteers and community champions, Heritage Open Days takes place on people doorstops and is the country’s leading grassroots cultural event.

One million people are expected to take advantage of the four day event, exploring more than 4,000 properties of every style, period and function, many of which are normally closed to the public or usually charge an admission fee.

Participating properties in North West England include:

Barrow – Dalton Castle (Dalton-in-Furness)
Birkenhead – Birkenhead Park, Birkenhead Priory, Lady Lever Art Gallery
Blackpool – Blackpool Tower, Winter Gardens
Bolton – Bolton Steam Museum
Burnley – Gawthorpe Hall (Padiham), Queen Street Mill Textile Museum
Bury – Fusilier Museum, East Lancashire Railway, Peel Tower
Carlisle – High Head Sculpture Valley
Chester – Chester Racecourse, Grosvenor Museum, Little Moreton Hall (Congleton)
Kendal – Abbott Hall Art Gallery, Museum of Lakeland Life, Sizergh Castle
Lake District – Beatix Potter Gallery (Hawkshead), Blackwell (Windermere),
Liverpool – St George’s Hall, Cunard Building, Liver Building,
Macclesfield – Quarry Bank Mill
Manchester – Victoria Baths
Morecambe – Morecambe Town Hall
Oldham – Saddleworth Museum
Penrith – Acorn Bank
Preston – Samlesbury Hall
Rochdale – Healey Dell, Rochdale Pioneers Museum, Touchstones,
St Helens – World of Glass
Stockport – Hat Works, Staircase House, Air Raid Shelters, Bramall Hall
Warrington – Norton Priory (Runcorn)
Wigan – Museum of Wigan Life, Trencherfield Mill Engine

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.

X Factor star Jamie Archer will be one of the star names who be in Rochdale this week to switch on the town’s Christmas lights.

The fun starts at 6 pm on Thursday November 19 on the Butts. The show will be hosted by Ditchy and Salty from the Real Radio Breakfast Show and will alos feature pop group Alphabeat, Rochdale AFC manager Keith Hill, the cast of the musical ‘Rent’ and Fizz from the Tweenies.

Parking on all council car parks and metered street parking is free after 3 pm.

Councillor Andrew Abbott, Chair of Rochdale Township said: “It’s going to be a great night for all the family, and I’m delighted that Jamie is going to be appearing in Rochdale. He is a fantastic talent and I’m sure he has a big future in front of him.”

Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council has unveiled ambitious plans to transform Rochdale town centre.

The £500 million scheme includes a number of proposals:

• A new, pedestrianised town hall square; the largest public square in England.
• A cultural and learning quarter.
• Town Centre East – a new retail and leisure area.
• A number of linked green spaces with the town centre.

Members of the council’s Rochdale Township Committee will be asked to comment on the master plan draft this week. It will then go out to public consultation in October before a final decision is made.

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.

Rochdale’s Kandy Klub will reopen next month after winning back its licence.

Last month the town’s main nightclub was ordered to close temporarily by Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council and Greater Manchester Police. The move led to protests in Rochdale town centre by staff and customers.

The licensing committee concluded a 2-day hearing yesterday and decided that the club can reopen on August 14 providing certain conditions are met by the club. These include installing CCTV cameras other measures to reduce the risk of disorder.

The 2009 Rochdale Canal Festival will get underway on Saturday 11 July with a week-long programme of free fun events and activities for all the family to enjoy.

The Mayor and Mayoress of Rochdale will officially mark the start the week of festivities at a Festival Fun Day on Saturday 11 July at Ealees, Littleborough.

In addition to boat trips, face painting, craft stalls and live music, there will also be a taste of days gone by when the Horseboating Society show visitors to the Festival Fun Day how boats used to travel along the canal in the Victorian era.

Using a horse to tow Maria, Britain’s oldest wooden narrowboat, representatives from The Horseboating Society will be spending a week travelling along the length of the 33 mile long restored canal and on Saturday 11 July will be visiting the Festival Fun Day before walking from Littleborough to the Summit.

During the remainder of the week, from Saturday 11 July to Sunday 19 July, a host of different activities including kayaking taster classes, waterway walks, heritage and wildlife workshops and fishing sessions will bring the historic waterway to life.

Lucy Rogers, Rochdale Canal Development Manager at The Waterways Trust, said: “This is the third annual Rochdale Canal Festival and we are delighted to see how much it has grown in popularity. The events programme is packed with an exciting range of hands-on activities to really show off the canal. The festival is the perfect opportunity for people living in Manchester, Rochdale, Oldham and Calderdale to discover all that the restored waterway has to offer.

“I would like to thank all our partners and funders for their help in putting on the festival and look forward to welcoming as many people as possible from the area to the festival and canal.”

A full listing of all events, which are free of charge, can be downloaded from
thewaterwaystrust.org.uk

The Rochdale Canal Festival is organised by The Waterways Trust, British Waterways, Rochdale Council, Manchester City Council, Oldham Council, Calderdale Council and the Rochdale Canal Society. Funding has been made available through the South Pennines LEADER programme (Rural Development Programme for England), which is jointly funded through Defra and the European Union, and is managed by Yorkshire Forward in the Yorkshire and Humber Region, the Environment Agency, Oldham Council and Manchester City Council.

Rochdale’s only nightclub has been stripped of its licence by the authorities.

Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council and Greater Manchester Police have ordered the Kandy Club to close temporarily following a fight outside the premises.

An emergency licensing hearing was held on last Friday because police feared violence could take place over the weekend. Councillors decided to suspend the club’s licence with immediate effect until a full hearing can take place.

The 1000-capacity Kandy Klub is situated on Drake Street and is owned by local businessman Dave Sinclair. He also runs Twist, Kobana, Ko-Ko Lounge, Carousel, Bar Vegas, and Uncle Sam’s.

The East Lancashire Railway Trust has announced a 10 year development plan for the East Lancashire Railway (ELR).

Key features of the plan include:

• Heywood Station – replacement of the existing temporary station with a permanent building.
• Extension to Castleton, Rochdale – extending the ELR from Heywood to Castleton and linking up with the Rochdale Canal.
• Bury Transport Museum – reopening an enhanced ELR Transport Museum in October 2009.
• Rawtenstall Station – the ELR will work with Rossendale Borough Council to offer improved café facilities, a platform canopy and improved links to the town centre.
• Burrs Country Park – the ELR currently passes through Burrs Country Park without stopping. A new stop will be built, linking the ELR with the park’s caravan site and activity centre.
• Buckley Wells Heritage Centre – development of a heritage railway visitor centre.
• Ramsbottom – raising the profile of Ramsbottom as a destination.

The East Lancashire Railway Trust comprises 3 local authorities (Bury Council, Rossendale Borough Council, and Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council) plus the East Lancashire Light Railway Company.