Gulliver’s World theme park given permission to start £5.6m extension
According to Gulliver's World representatives, planning approval means the theme park has been able to secure over 200 jobs - and create more than 40 new roles in the long-term.
Warrington theme park Gulliver’s World has been given the thumbs-up to proceed with a multi-million renovation that will see the addition of a spa, woodland lodges and caravan site.
Pet resorts, staff headquarters, storage workshops and accommodation for school groups are also being arranged as part of the 5.6m expansion.
The theme park was granted planning permission this week – despite objections from almost 700 nearby residents who feared devlopment could worsen traffic, harm wildlife, and add to noise pollution in the area.
But, according to Gulliver’s World representatives, the approval means the theme park has now been able to secure over 200 jobs – and create more than 40 new roles in the long-term.
Gulliver’s said that the team is also seeking to complement existing woodland features, eliminate invasive plant species and plant thousands of new trees in the area.
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Image: County Planning Ltd
Gulliver's World in Warrington has been granted permission to expand, despite objections from nearly 700 people. The theme park is building holiday lodges, a campsite and a spa, on land close to the existing site. pic.twitter.com/VitjFaTmLR
Julie Dalton, MD of Gulliver’s World said:”The pandemic has been a challenging time for our operations. Social distancing measures look set to be in place for some time yet and being able to provide visiting families with clean self-contained accommodation is a really important part of our business plan going forward.
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“The permission aligns our Warrington resort with the range of accommodation and activities on offer at our other three resorts and will help secure over 220 jobs and create 41 new jobs in the future.
“We are very pleased with the outcome.”
Now the theme park has been given the green light, expansion work is expected to begin in 2021.
Back in July, a sister park titled Gulliver’s Valley opened in South Yorkshire – costing a total of 37m to launch.
News
Greater Manchester stadiums included in the bid to host the Women’s World Cup confirmed
Danny Jones
The locations for the official UK bid to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup have been revealed, along with the Greater Manchester football stadiums chosen for the honour.
Not exactly a ground-breaking spoiler, but the FA did make a somewhat curious choice when they shared the news.
In case you hadn’t heard the news earlier this year, our nation has officially thrown its hat into the ring for the Women’s World Cup (WWC) in 2035, with England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all set to offer up their arenas as part of the record-breaking proposal.
Naturally, a region as footy-obsessed as ours and with two of the biggest stadiums in the country was always going to be included, but as mentioned, there was a particular detail that lots of people quickly noticed following the announcement.
Yes, in a slightly bizarre but ultimately innocuous turn of events, Etihad Stadium – home of Manchester City FC – has been selected, as was the world-famous ‘Theatre of Dreams‘, the only difference being that it was listed separately from the city itself.
Instead, Man United’s iconic home turf, Old Trafford, has been listed as just that: in Trafford, specifically, as opposed to simply being listed in the same section as its sky blue counterpart.
Now, while it’s true that all 10 boroughs have their own identity, culture (not to mention some subscribing to still being part of Lancashire or even Cheshire), it did strike us and others as a bit odd to put that rather iconic and equally historic venue down as almost separate from the city.
Many would argue that one of the things Manchester is best known for around the globe is the team of Red Devils that play at that ground.
Naturally, ‘Cityzens‘ have had their fair share of fun with the post and, conversely, there’s been plenty of retorts regarding ‘supporters from Stockport’, as you would expect…
Nevertheless, we’re just glad to see the Etihad and Old Trafford continuing to cater to some of the biggest dates on the sporting calendar.
Some have actually argued that the region should have been given opportunities to host more stadiums and/or games as part of the market pitch, as the likes of both Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic’s stadiums were floated as viable or even better alternatives, capacity-wise.
Either way, with the 22 venues that have been selected for the UK’s bid for the 2035 Women’s World Cup and us Brits currently unopposed in the race to secure the tournament, the FA are going all-in for the 48-team competition, which would be “the biggest single-sport event ever staged in the UK.”
You can read more down below.
Our shared ambition: to host the largest single-sport event ever staged in the UK, and the first FIFA World Cup in this country since 1966.#AllTogetherpic.twitter.com/y6GOPEPDdG
Wolf Alice at AO Arena, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
London-formed rock band Wolf Alice are now on the road for their UK tour, and they’re visiting AO Arena in Manchester to put a ‘Smile’ on our faces.
We’re trying our best to be ‘Formidable Cool’, but when Wolf Alice come to town, we think everyone is allowed to lose it a little bit.
Known for bangers like ‘Don’t Delete the Kisses’, ‘Silk’ and ‘Lipstick On The Glass’, just to name a few, this band have built a cult following thanks to their always-impressive discography.
15 years since forming and just over 10 years since their debut album My Love Is Cool hit airwaves, with their lead singles ‘Fluffy’ and ‘Bros’, just three months later, they’ve been on a roll since. Now, Wolf Alice are playing their biggest Manc gigs to date at none other than our iconic 21,000-seater venue, AO Arena.
Gig guide | Wolf Alice at AO Arena Manchester
Wolf Alice’s upcoming gig is taking place at AO Arena in Manchester on Friday 28 November / Credit: Press Shots (via Supplied)
Wolf Alice UK tour dates
Fri 28 November – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
Sat 29 November – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Mon 1 December – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena
Tue 2 December – London, UK – The O2
Wed 3 December – London, UK – The O2
Fri 5 December – Leeds, UK – First Direct Arena
Sun 7 December – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
Mon 8 December – Nottingham, UK – Motorpoint Arena
Wolf Alice tickets for AO Arena gig
This band might be bigger than any ‘Giant Peach’ you could possibly think, but you might just be able to get your hand on a ticket or two for the last Wolf Alice gig in Manchester on their final night this Friday, 28 November.
Stop ‘Leaning Against the Wall’ and get onto your favourite ticket site as there are still a handful of tickets for Wolf Alice’s upcoming Manchester show available right HERE.
What are the stage times for Wolf Alice in Manchester?
AO Arena has a curfew of 11pm, meaning you can get home in time for some ‘Bread Butter Tea Sugar’ before the early hours.
There’s not one but two incredible acts set to support Wolf Alice, and it’s none other than former-FRIGS lead singer, Bria Salmena, as well as American rock trio, Sunflower Bean.
Doors for this event are opening from 6pm, and Wolf Alice are expected to take the stage from around 7:30pm onwards before combining into a supergroup in time for closing time.
Thank u Europe and thank u @Florence_Road Touring in Europe is magic. We don’t take it for granted, so grateful for you all turning up. 🥹 Lots of love xxx
For those of you heading to AO Arena, luckily, it’s connected to Manchester Victoria Station, and it has an integrated Metrolink stop to make your life even easier.
Head along the pink, light blue or yellow lines directly to the Victoria stop, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Train
Considering this live entertainment venue is situated right in the middle of one of Manchester’s most frequented stations, concertgoers should find no problem getting to the arena, wherever they are.
Bus
A variety of buses cover AO Arena andVictoria Station on their route, such as the 2 bus, which stops just a one-minute walk away from the venue.
A full list of buses and their routes can be found HERE.
Getting there by car and parking
The Arena has its own official CitiPark, with 958 car parking spaces, including 40 Blue Badge parking bays, which can be booked in advance.
Alternatively, anyone attending a gig can park at their nearest train station and jump on a train service or the various Metrolink park and ride facilities.
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Walk/cycle
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app.
The Manc -
3rd September 2020 
