A miniature children’s village only an hour away from Manchester is now open for your little ones to immerse themselves in.
This is Apple Tree Town, a new role play centre built by sisters Sarah and Nat Peach in Chesterton, just 50 miles down the M6 towards Stoke.
The Biggleton-inspired custom built town (a popular CBBC show) is a fully decked out children’s paradise featuring mini versions of everyday shops and businesses – perfect for your kid to find their ideal career, or just cause carnage in.
It’s home to a supermarket, a bank, post office, hospital (yes, there’s an ambulance), barbers, beauty salon and even a theatre. There’s even a baby-friendly soft play area in the middle of the town.
The centre is aimed at kids between the ages of two and eight, but the sisters say that kids up to the age of ten will also enjoy the experience.
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There’s a cafe for parents to enjoy a cup of coffee or a brew while your kids tire themselves out, giving you ample time to stare at your phone and forget you even have children.
Apple Tree Town
Speaking to Stone-on-Trent Live, mum-of-one Sarah, aged 33, said: “This is a brand new challenge for us. I previously worked with children, so I have experience on that side, but running a business is new for us.
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“We were inspired by the TV show Biggleton – it’s like a miniature village. We thought that something like this would be great for the area – we feel like Newcastle needs an educational, but also fun, play centre.
“Children can come in and role play and decide if they want to be a paramedic, or work at the post office. There’s so many options.
“The centre is best suited for children between two and eight, but we don’t want to put a cap on that. We’ve had nine and 10-year-olds coming and really enjoying it.
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“We’ve also got a baby area, where admission is slightly cheaper, because obviously they can’t enjoy the full centre just yet.
“We’d love for Apple Tree Farm to be a way for children to understand the world around them a bit better, and learn something while they’re playing.”
The experience is fully accessible and will be home to kids’ parties when COVID restrictions allow.
Scouting For Girls announce stacked UK tour with Manchester date
Thomas Melia
British boyband Scouting For Girls are heading out on an extensive UK tour with dates up and down the country, including right here in Manchester.
If the first thing that pops into your mind when you read this headline is “I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know how we’ll make it through this”, then you’re on the right side of history.
Nearly 20 years since their single ‘She’s So Lovely’ reached catastrophic heights and had everyone putting on their best Roy Stride accent, Scouting For Girls are heading back on the road.
This UK tour announcement comes two years after their last project, The Place We Used To Meet, reached our ears and was coined by the band as “Our best work since our debut”.
It’s been 18 years since this Brit trio captivated our hearts with their eponymous debut album, which sold over one million copies and went number one on the UK official charts for two weeks.
Whether you know them for ‘Heartbeat’ or ‘Elvis Ain’t Dead’, it’s clear to say this band had their fair share of smash hit singles throughout the noughties.
This tour, however, celebrates the sophomore follow-up: Everybody Wants To Be On TV, which went on to continue their legacy and secure them their only number one, ‘This Ain’t A Love Song’, back in 2010.
Now, the boys are treating UK fans to an array of live performances, and if you can’t make one date, fear not because there are 20 different locations for you to choose from.
The group will also be playing the likes of Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle and a whole host of other Northern cities, so you have plenty of chances to catch them.
If you can’t wait all the way until March 2026 for your next Scouting For Girls fix, lead singer Stride has his own cameo account where you can get the star to read out a message or even sing you a song: “‘Michaela Strachan’ in full, please?…”
Scouting For Girls are coming to O2 Apollo in Manchester on 21 March 2026, with tickets going on sale next Friday, 2 May at 10am HERE.
You can get FREE tickets to watch The Voice UK in Manchester
Thomas Melia
Fans of The Voice UK can apply to get free tickets to watch the filming of the upcoming series taking place right here in Manchester.
Anyone looking to get their late-night fix more up close and personal than just sitting on the sofa will be delighted to know that The Voice UK is returning, and you could see this show in the flesh.
The music competition show is returning to its usual filming spot right here in MediaCity UK in Salford and offers members of the public the chance to showcase their vocals in front of music icons.
The Voice is known for attracting some of the biggest musical stars, with judges of past seasons including Kylie Minogue, Jennifer Hudson, Meghan Trainor, Ricky Wilson and more.
Last year’s judges included American country-pop superstar LeAnn Rimes and the first-ever double-chair, which seated McFly members Danny Jones and Tom Fletcher.
Fortunately, these tickets aren’t to take part in the show, instead they’re to appear in the studio audience, although we all know Mancs love a good sing-along.
There are three various filming dates all taking place at MediaCity UK in Salford, meaning Mancs have a few opportunities to see the judges discover the next best thing in music.
Although the judging lineup for The Voice 2025 hasn’t been officially announced yet, there are two music mentors who have been on the show since it very first launched here in Britain.
Anyone considering attending is almost guaranteed to see the legendary Sir Tom Jones, as well as notable producer and recording artist Will.I.Am, as both music legends have been on the judges panel since it first aired back in 2012.
It is just us, or does it seem hard to believe it was that long ago?
The Voice UK starts filming at MediaCity UK in Manchester from Thursday, 5 June until the following Saturday (7 Jun), with tickets to all three dates still available HERE.
The Manc -
2nd June 2021 
