The popular Farm Weekend full of food markets, lamb cuddles, tractor rides, and more is returning to Cheshire for some springtime fun next month.
Alderley Park is known for being a place where world-leading science, innovation, and stylish living come all come together, but on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 April, it’s set to be taken over by the return of Farm Weekend – a weekend of family friendly activities, performances, markets and local food and drink.
From tractor rides and cuddling lambs, to Easter-themed crafts and artisan markets, there’ll be something for everyone at the two-day event.
Headlining the fun-filled programme of events is CBeebies favourite gardener, Mr Bloom, who will perform four shows over the weekend and use his trademark humour and musical talents to bring fans what looks to be an interactive and energetic set.
With Farm Weekend taking place just as spring blooms into life, and as Alderley Park is also home to a working farm, families will have the chance to experience all the magic of this new season.
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Farm Weekend returns to Alderley Park in Macclesfield on 9 & 10 April 2022 / Credit: Alderley Park (via Facebook)
You can visit the baby lambs, hitching a ride on a tractor, taking in some of interactive animal displays, and even get crafty with a range of different workshops, including wooden egg decorating, bunny ear making, and so much more.
There’ll also be animal-themed face painting, archery sessions, obstacle courses, and you can even go on one of the many scenic woodland walks that Alderley Park has to offer.
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With more than 400-acres of green area to explore, and a wide range of locally-sourced food and drink market stalls also on site, Farm Weekend is ideal for all ages.
It promises to be a “wholesome and inspiring day filled with nature and enjoyment”.
Alderley Park is known for being a place where world-leading science, innovation, and stylish living come all come together / Credit: Jody Hartley (via Alderley Park)
Speaking ahead of the return of Farm Weekend, Sam Darby – Head of Development at Bruntwood SciTech – said: “We are delighted that Farm Weekend is returning to Alderley Park [as] it’s the perfect opportunity to bring our customers, residents, and the wider Cheshire community together to enjoy the vast parkland and amenities the Park has to offer.
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“With the amount of exciting activities programmed over the two days, it’s set to be a weekend to remember.”
If you’ve never been to Alderley Park, it’s basically a life, science, and tech campus that’s home to a range of workspaces for over 250 forward-thinking companies, and it’s the brainchild Bruntwood SciTech – a joint venture between property company Bruntwood, and Legal & General.
Farm Weekend tickets are £6 per person for a three-hour session, with all activities included in the ticket price.
Science and Industry Museum announces new major exhibition taking visitors on an ‘epic space adventure’
Emily Sergeant
A major new exhibition taking visitors on an ‘epic space adventure’ is making its world premiere in Manchester next year.
Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos will invite visitors to explore our wondrous Solar System when it launches at the Science and Industry Museum next February.
Fresh off-the-back of the new BBC Children’s and Education TV show, Horrible Science, the ‘thrilling’ new exhibition will encourage visitors to ‘do science the horrible way’, and join both scientists and supervillains to unveil the secrets of space.
The new exhibition will propel families up into space where mystery, intrigue, and rocket-loads of silly and surprising science await. You’ll get to venture through a series of cosmic zones, walk in the shoes of astronauts, explore the life-giving energy of the sun, marvel at mysterious moons, and discover far-off weird worlds.
Left teetering on the edge of our Solar System, explorers will then find themselves staring into the dark depths of space, on the lookout for any extra-terrestrial life that could be staring back.
Whether its sniffing astronauts’ smelly socks, dancing on an alien disco planet, feeling the tremors from a mysterious moonquake, or launching a space rocket, organisers say this new adventure will engage all the senses in a truly immersive experience.
This is the first time Horrible Science has been brought to life as a major exhibition.
The Science and Industry Museum has announced a new major exhibition taking visitors on an ‘epic space adventure’ / Credit: BBC | Science Museum Group
Visitors will get to see familiar characters from the BBC series – like Dr Big Brain, in particular – on their mission to find out more about our fascinating Solar System through interactive experiments, playful challenges, and sensory exploration.
The exhibition is being developed by the Science and Industry Museum in collaboration with producers of the Horrible Science TV show, BBC Children’s and Education, and Lion Television, together with Scholastic, who are publishers of the much-loved Horrible Science book series by Nick Arnold and illustrated by Tony De Saulles.
‘Unmissable’ objects from the Science Museum Group’s world-class space collection will also be on show when the exhibition premieres.
Horrible Science: Cosmic Chaos will open at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester on 13 February 2026 for an 11-month run before heading down to London, and tickets are now on sale priced at £10 – with family discounts available, and under-threes going free.
Manchester Cathedral to host charity Christmas carols service to raise money for local NHS hospitals
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Cathedral will be hosting a charity Christmas carols service to raise money for our local NHS hospitals.
Organised by Manchester NHS Foundation Trust Charity and now in its twelfth year, Christmas Carols in the City will take place in the spectacular surroundings of Manchester Cathedral in a couple of weeks time, and it’s sounding set to be an enchanting experience for the whole family to be involved with this festive season.
The Grade I-listed Manchester Cathedral is one of our city’s most unique buildings, with the Gothic architecture truly being a thing to behold.
Christmas Carols in the City is being described as a ‘great way’ to start the festive season in style.
Hosted by Hits Radio’s Mike Toolan and sponsored by PG Tips, performances on the night will come from local Manchester choirs.
The event is family-friendly and festive fun for everyone, all while raising funds for the Foundation Trust’s family of NHS Manchester hospitals.
Every penny raised from this year’s event will help to build and run a MediCinema on the Oxford Road hospital campus, which will aim to bring the ‘therapeutic magic of the movies’ to patients of all ages cared for by hospitals such as Manchester Royal Infirmary, Saint Mary’s Hospital, Manchester Royal Eye Hospital, and Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
Manchester Cathedral is hosting a charity Christmas carols service to raise money for our local NHS hospitals / Credit: Supplied
With room for wheelchairs, hospital beds, and medical equipment, and supported by dedicated nurses and trained volunteers, the new MediCinema will offer 260 screenings a year of the latest releases, alongside much loved film favourites.
In recognition of the MediCinema Appeal, Christmas Carols in the City will feature some much-loved Christmas movie classics at this year’s concert too.
Christmas Carols in the City will return to Manchester Cathedral for 2025 on Tuesday 11 December, with doors opening from 7pm and tickets now on sale.
Emily Sergeant -
10th March 2022 
