For the first time ever, Chester Zoo is going to stay open after hours so visitors can see its 27,000 animals once the sun has gone down.
If you’ve ever wondered what an elephant’s evening routine looks like, how a cheetah chills out after a long day, or what it’s like to sail the Lazy River as the sun sets, then now’s your chance to find out – because the UK’s biggest charity zoo giving you the chance to spend an enchanting evening exploring everything it has to offer.
The brand-new Into the Night sessions are running on an exclusive handful of evenings across July and August from 5:30pm – 9pm.
During the exclusive after hours sessions, animal lovers will get access to the whole zoo.
Into The Night is the first time Chester Zoo ever offered unlimited access to the zoo after hours, and this means that all visitors’ favourite parts of the zoo will be open – including animal habitats, indoor areas, and restaurants too
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The zoo says its animal houses will close at 8pm on event evenings.
As well getting to see all the fan-favourite animals in a whole new light as the sun starts to set, staff say visitors can also expect to be able to see some of the zoo’s nocturnal animals too, like aardvarks, bats, and more.
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🐻☀️VISIT THE ZOO AT SUNSET!☀️🦁
For the first time EVER, we're inviting you to FOUR special evenings this summer where you can see what the animals get up to after hours!⏰ pic.twitter.com/1j9uLFJFlo
The new Into The Night experience is being launched to raise money for the zoo’s vital efforts to prevent extinction in the UK and around the world.
If seeing the animals wasn’t exciting enough as it is, during the exclusive nights, there’ll also be the chance to tuck into some delicious themed food and drink, all while you watch a thrilling lineup of entertainment.
Some of the performances will include amazing acrobatics, dance, and upbeat African music by Tanzanian Acrobats – who have previously performed at the Glastonbury Festival – and Global Grooves will also bring playful puppetry and vibrant costumes to the zoo.
Chester Zoo is staying open after hours so visitors can see its 27,000 animals once the sun has gone down / Credit: Chester ZooThe brand-new Into the Night sessions are running on an exclusive handful of evenings across July and August / Credit: Chester Zoo
Fancy it then? Into The Night sessions are taking place on Friday 29 July, Saturday 30 July, Friday 12 August and Saturday 13 August, and given this is an extremely rare opportunity that’s never happened before, it’s expected to be popular.
Only a limited number of tickets are available each night, and will set you back £15 for adults and £10 for children aged three-17.
‘Prolific’ South Manchester burglar jailed for thefts which included peanuts…
Daisy Jackson
A ‘prolific’ burglar has been jailed for just over two years, for numerous thefts including sunglasses, airpods, and peanuts…
The man was caught red-handed inside someone’s property, where he claimed he was just wanting a glass of water – but was found by police officers to have the resident’s car keys in his pocket.
Fazal Alnesi, 26, from Moss Side, was then linked to a number of other burglaries, attempted burglaries, and thefts across South Manchester.
Fazal was sentenced to 27 months at Manchester Crown Court last week after pleading guilty to offences including six counts of burglary in June of this year.
He was arrested on 12 June, when a man returned to his home in Fallowfield in the early hours of the morning and discovered Fazal inside his address.
He claimed he was there because he wanted a glass of water but subsequently refused to leave, which led to police being called.
Officers placed Alnensi in handcuffs and found the resident’s car keys in his pocket, as well as indications that he’d been rummaging through the man’s drawers.
He was later linked to other thefts include a wrench set from a car, a pedal cycle worth £350, airpods, sunglasses – and even peanuts from one address.
He additionally took an electric bike charger from one address worth hundreds of pounds.
PC Jon Holden, from GMP’s City of Manchester district, said: “Alnensi took various items from several homes and cars across a two-week period earlier this year, making off with hundreds of pounds worth of goods.
“Ultimately, Alnensi left people feeling unsafe in his own home, and I am glad he is now behind bars.
“Our team will investigate all burglaries, and I would encourage people to get in touch with us – all intelligence helps us lock up criminals and bring them to justice.”
The top 10 ‘happiest’ places to live in the North West in 2026 have been named
Emily Sergeant
The top 10 happiest places to live in the North West have been named for 2026.
It comes as Rightmove has published its annual ‘Happy at Home’ index this week, just as it has done for the last 14 years now, exploring exactly what it is that makes people feel content about where they live, and highlighting the happiest places nationwide ahead of the new year – with thousands of residents across more than 200 locations providing feedback.
The residents told the leading property listing platform what they love (or don’t love) about their community, from the friendliness of their neighbours, to job opportunities, access to green spaces, and so much more.
The survey also outlined the differences in happiness in rural, urban, and suburban environments, as well as the way our sense of ‘home happiness’ changes as we age.
So, when it comes to the North West as a whole then, where do we have in the top 10?
Well, to kick things off, you may have already seen that one Lancashire market town has earned its place in the top 10 nationwide, not just for the North West region – and that’s Chorley.
Closest to the Bolton and Wigan boroughs, Chorley – which is is about a 40-minute drive outside of Manchester, and sits on a direct train route into the city centre.
But aside from the national top 10, when it comes to the regional top 10, the next two towns following Chorley in second and third are both in Greater Manchester.
The North West’s top 10 happiest places to live 2026
Chorley
Stockport
Altrincham
Chester
Macclesfield
Southport
Kendal
Wirral
Northwich
Carlisle
Altrincham has been named one of the North West’s happiest places to live / Credit: The Manc Group
The ever-thriving Stockport comes in at number two, followed by Trafford favourite Altrincham directly behind it at number three.
Other of the region’s inclusions like Bury, Bolton, Wigan, and the Manchester borough itself all ranked towards the bottom.
Speaking on this year’s list, Colleen Babcock – a property expert at Rightmove – explained: “The balance between greenery and everyday convenience runs through the wider findings. Even among people who would ideally choose a rural setting, access to amenities, parks and public transport remains important.
“This year’s results suggest that the places people rate most highly aren’t simply urban or rural, but often bring together some of the best elements of both.”
Featured Image – Roger Kidd (via Wikimedia Commons)
Emily Sergeant -
14th July 2022 
