Greater Manchester’s beloved Santa steam train rides are back for more festive fun this Christmas, and tickets are now on sale.
Sure, we’ve still got the small matter of Halloween and Bonfire Night to get through first, but East Lancashire Railway (ELR) is already looking ahead to the most magical time of year, as the iconic heritage railway has announced that its hugely-popular ‘Santa Specials’ steam train rides are back once again from late November.
The famous festive steam trains have become an essential part of Christmas for many families in the North West.
And in recent years, the much-loved event has been even bigger and better than ever before.
ELR’s ‘Santa Specials‘ are your chance to hop on board an old-school steam train and travel through the magical Irwell Valley to make “enchanted memories” that last a lifetime.
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The truly special Christmas day out starts as you make your way through a winter wonderland at Bury Bolton Street Station, and first get to meet some old favourites and new characters, including the magical talking Christmas tree, Mrs Claus, and ELR’s very own Ice Princess, all before before having a singalong with a chorus of musical polar bears.
The festive fun then continues on the Santa Special steam trains themselves, with an 80-minute “enchanting voyage” through the picturesque Greater Manchester countryside.
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And, of course, you can expect a special visit from Santa while you’re on board.
After you’ve grabbed a selfie or two with the big man himself, the grown-ups can look forward to mince pies and festive tipple, while little Mancs can enjoy a soft drink, some chocolate, and take a festive-themed activity pack home with them.
The famous festive steam trains have become an essential part of Christmas for many North West families / Credit: ELR
East Lancashire Railway’s famous ‘Santa Specials’ are running on weekends and selected weekdays from Saturday 25 November – Sunday 24 December.
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Tickets now on sale and starting at £22.50 for kids and £23 for adults.
Details of huge Manchester City parade through city centre announced
Daisy Jackson
The victorious Manchester City will be taking to the streets in the city centre once again to celebrate their historic four-in-a-row achievement.
Details of this year’s parade have just been announced, travelling from the National Football Museum and along Deansgate.
An open-top bus will carry the team and their winners’ silverware through town on Sunday, marking their unprecedented fourth Premier League victory in a row.
If previous years are anything to go by, thousands of fans will flood to the city centre to celebrate with Manchester City when they hit the streets on 26 May.
This also happens to be the same day as the Great Manchester Run, so Manchester is expected to be extremely busy.
After tens of thousands of runners cross the finish line on Deansgate, the space will be readied for the Manchester City Parade, which will take place from 7.30pm until around 9pm.
There’ll be a number of road closures in place on Sunday for both the race and the parade.
The Manchester City parade will take to the streets on Sunday. Credit: The Manc Group
The Blues are the first ever male team since the inception of the Football League in 1888 to win four successive championships.
Councillor Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Congratulations to Manchester City. Being crowned premier league champions once again and for an astonishing fourth year in a row is an incredible achievement by the club and its players, showing once again that Manchester’s world class sporting credentials really are second to none.
“We know how much this means to fans of the club young and old – not just in Manchester but around the globe – and the homecoming parade on Sunday promises to be an unmissable night to remember for fans and players alike as they celebrate this historic title win together.”
A list of road closures over the weekend in connection with the Great Manchester Run is already available online at manchester.gov.uk/roadclosures and will be added to ahead of the weekend with any further road closures deemed necessary in order to facilitate the Manchester City parade.
A giant inflatable obstacle course water park is opening in Blackpool
Daisy Jackson
A giant floating playground is set to open in Blackpool next week, with an inflatable obstacle course, paddle boarding, and loads more.
Wild Shore already has sites in Delamere and Dundee and is now branching out again.
Taking over the old Blackpool Wake Park site, the huge ‘water-based adventure hub’ will take the plunge and open on Wednesday 29 May.
As well as the inflatable aqua park, where visitors can slide, bounce, and clamber over a bouncy obstacle course, there’ll be loads more water-based activities.
The adrenaline-charged activities also include wakeboarding using an overhead cable which pulls you over the surface of the lake.
They even guarantee that if you can’t stand up on your first session, with the help of instructors, you’ll get your money back.
There are stand up paddleboards you can rent to explore the water, or there are fully-guided sessions which will take you on a tour of the lake.
Wild Shore Blackpool is a new water park that’s opening this month. Credit: Wild Shore
And then if you’ve always fancied trying wild open-water swimming, Wild Shore Blackpool offers a safe and secure environment for a dip, with safety instructors on SUP boards and rest pontoons half way around each course.
The Aqua Park itself has a number of Ninja Warrior-style features including Tire Run, Ninja-Jump and Eagles Nest to test your balance, agility, and bravery.
The new Wild Shore Blackpool water park is located at Ream Hills Holiday Park.
It’s set to open on 29 May – you can find out more and book a ticket here.