Award-winning illuminations event Lightopia is returning to Heaton Park in Manchester with new “festive fantasy” installations and light shows.
Ahead of the grand opening of the popular outdoor Christmas lights event – which is returning for the third year running – next Friday, Lightopia has also announced a new charity initiative called Light of Love that supports a range of local organisations around Greater Manchester, and for 2021, will officially partner with Hits Radio’s Cash for Kids ‘Mission Christmas’.
Cash For Kids ‘Mission Christmas’ is known for bringing the magic of Christmas to children who may otherwise wake up without a visit from Santa.
Last year, ‘Mission Christmas’ was able to help 30,697 children across the region, while Cash for Kids itself aims to support the one in three children that are living in poverty across Greater Manchester.
Visitors to Lightopia this year will be able to add on an optional donation as they purchase tickets for the Manchester outdoor Christmas lights event.
Lightopia is returning to Heaton Park in Manchester with new “festive fantasy” installations / Credit: Lightopia
Commenting on the exciting partnership, Michelle Williamnson – Regional Manager at Cash For Kids – said: “We are thrilled that Lightopia Manchester is supporting Mission Christmas this year, as with more families hitting unexpected hardship over the past year, Christmas is a luxury that many simply can’t afford [and] some households are having to make difficult decisions between food, heating, and gifts.
“For some children and young people, Christmas can be just like any other day – but we want to make sure it’s different and as special as possible this year.
“Every child deserves a gift, and with your help they can wake up to a visit from Santa on Christmas morning.”
Lightopia is promising a ‘state-of-the-art’ lakeside water show for 2021 / Credit: Lightopia
Ian Xiang – Creative Director of Lightopia – adds: “We are excited to bring a new element to Lightopia Manchester this winter, Light of Love aims to support local charities doing vital work in the Greater Manchester communities.
“The work of these organisations has never been so important [and] this year, we are helping to raise funds for Cash for Kids Mission Christmas, helping to make Christmas special for every child, with a gift this Christmas.”
The Light of Love initiative will also be supporting OUR PASS and SEND this year.
OUR PASS is a membership scheme for young people who live in Greater Manchester, for both school leavers and care leavers, while SEND is the system that supports children and young people with additional needs throughout their education.
Visitors to Lightopia this year will be able to add on an optional donation as they purchase tickets / Credit: Lightopia
The Light of Love initiative, and additional outdoor light installations aren’t all that’s new at Lightopia in Manchester this year, as there’s also the new illuminated ‘Dining Domes’.
Nestled in the park’s woodland and surrounded by lanterns, the ten domes make for a unique and atmospheric dining experience for families, friends and couples, while The Stables Courtyard Bar and Dining will offer a more casual dining experience, with food, music and festive spirit under a heated canopy.
Lightopia will be open to the public Thursdays – Sundays from the 25 November until 11 December, and then will be open every day until Monday 3 January 2022 except for Christmas day, with opening times between 5pm to 10pm, and last entry is 8.30pm daily.
Lightopia’s illuminated ‘Dining Domes’ make for a unique and atmospheric dining experience / Credit: Lightopia
Advance tickets are priced at £20 for adults (or £22 on the day), £13 for children (or £15 on the day), £60 for families of two adults and two children (£68 on the day), and children under three can go free.
Essential carers of disabled visitors can attend for free, the disabled visitor pays the normal admission fee.
New free app launches to help people find the best nature spots in and around Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A new free app has launched to help people find, discover, and visit nature on their doorstep.
Wildling is aiming to be a simple one-step solution to the growing mental health crisis and the urgent need to care for the natural world.
By helping people visit nature more easily, and giving them tools to truly connect with it at this same time, Wildling is well on its way to supporting personal wellbeing and the joy of easily discovering nature across the UK, all while nurturing a sense of care and action for the planet.
Supported by partners including the RSPB, Marine Conservation Society ,and Forestry England, and backed by advisors and environmentalists like Ben Goldsmith, Eden Project founder Tim Smit, and Dragon’s Den’s Deborah Meaden, the new app brings the UK’s wild spaces and hidden green spots together in one place.
A new free app has launched to help people find the best nature spots in Manchester / Credit: Kitera Dent | Robin Worrall (via Unsplash)
Featuring more than 1,500 locations across the country, from coastlines and woodlands, to nature reserves, the app also includes a wide range of tips to help you make your time in nature easier, more enjoyable, and more meaningful.
The app has been created with the input of research carried out by the University of Derby, based on responses from more than 68,000 adults across England over two years.
The study found that people who spend time in nature every day report up to 22% greater life satisfaction, 17% higher happiness, and an average uplift of around 19% in overall wellbeing, compared to those who rarely go out.
Regular time in nature was also found to have a ‘striking’ effect on pro-environmental behaviour too, according to the survey.
Wildling was created by impact entrepreneur Ant Rawlins who wanted to make accessing nature ‘easier’ for everyone.
“We wanted to give people the tools to engage with nature by making it genuinely easy to visit, by showing them nearby nature places and giving them everything they need to make it happen,” says Ant Rawlins commented.
Wildling connects Mancs to the outside world and all it has to offer / Credit: Sol Stock (Supplied)
Ant said the study shows that spending more time in nature just a nice idea, it makes you happier, increases your satisfaction with life, lifts your overall wellbeing, and encourages you to look after the world around you.
“That’s exactly why Wildling was created,” he concluded.
The Wildling app is available now to download for free through the App Store and Google Play, and you can find out more here.
Featured Image – Shironosov (Supplied)
News
Chester Zoo’s viral new snow leopard cub ventures outside for the first time
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo’s adorable baby snow leopard who went viral last week could very well be about to go viral again.
That’s because new footage of it venturing outside for the first time have been released.
After arriving to first-time parents Nubra and Yashin, who are both three-years-old, last month (10 June 2025), keepers at Chester Zoo said mum and cub had mostly spent their time quietly tucked away in a cosy den, away from the eyes of the onlooking public – but now, it’s time for the little one to see what the outside world is all about.
Now, at seven-weeks old, the cub has gained in strength and confidence, and experts expected that it could venture outside at ‘any moment’.
Zookeepers are still yet to confirm the sex of the cub, and will be able to do soon once it has undergone its first health check-up with the vets.
We can also expect to hear one the little one’s name is very soon too.
If you’re unfamiliar with snow leopards, they are classed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and it’s believed there are as few as 4,000 now remaining in the wild.
Nicknamed the ‘ghosts of the mountains’, these elusive – but adorable – big cats are found in the rugged, remote regions of Central Asia and the Himalayas – but sadly, despite being known for living in desolate, harsh environments, they continue to face threats from habitat loss, climate change, poaching, and retaliatory killings by farmers.
Chester Zoo’s viral new snow leopard cub ventures outside for the first time / Credit: Chester Zoo
The cub’s birth follows the opening of Chester Zoo’s Himalayan habitat in May 2024, which is a vast, rocky environment that authentically recreates the mountainous terrain of Central Asia.
“This is the first snow leopard cub to be born at Chester Zoo,” commented Dave Hall, who is the Team Manager of carnivores at Chester Zoo, last week when the adorable hidden den cam footage was first released to the public.
“It’s a truly historic moment and a real cause for celebration – not just for our teams here, but also for the future of this magnificent species globally.”
Although it’s still early days, carnivore experts at the zoo say Nubra is showing ‘excellent maternal instincts’ by nursing her new arrival every few hours and always keeping close by.
Emily Sergeant -
17th November 2021 
