Cheshire

‘There must be a way’ – Andy Burnham vows to save Jodrell Bank after funding cuts

"It won’t happen under my Government."

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 2nd September 2026

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has vowed to save the UK’s largest telescope at Jodrell Bank.

In case you hadn’t heard, back in July, theUK Research and Innovation (UKRI) announced that the Jodrell Bank Observatory – which is home to the Lovell Telescope – will not be prioritised for further funding after its current agreement ends in March 2028, despite the telescope standing in its Cheshire home since 1957.

The UKRI said the decision not to continue funding priority was ‘the result of a comprehensive, evidence-based prioritisation process’.

Since the news broke, however, it has been a topic of national uproar and discussion as to how to ensure its legacy lives on.

A proud part of the University of Manchester (UoM), Jodrell Bank had a pioneering role in the development of radio astronomy, and has evidence from its emergence as a new science in the 1940s through to the present day, making it an outstanding part of scientific heritage.

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The Prime Minister was pressed to address concerns surrounding the future of the site by Sarah Russell, Labour MP for Congleton, in the House of Commons yesterday (1 September 2026).

Mr Burnham replied: “Every one of my generation went on a school trip to Jodrell Bank, and there is no way that we can see its demise – it won’t happen under my Government.

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“I know there’s changes that have been made in relation to research funding, but Jodrell Bank is a heritage asset for the country, as well as a research asset.

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“I will indeed set up the meeting she requires.

“There must be a way to save Jodrell Bank, and I give a commitment today, at this despatch box, we will find it.”

Featured Image – The Manc Group

Cheshire

Chester Zoo announces return of its £10 tickets for limited time only with extended opening hours

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Kids at Chester Zoo

Chester Zoo has announced the return of its popular £10 tickets deal for a limited time only.

You may remember that earlier this summer, Chester Zoo invited people from across the North West to visit for just £10, and as the offer proved so popular, they’ve now brought it back again for a limited time.

For the past three years running now, Chester Zoo has officially been named the UK’s best zoo thanks to tens of thousands of positive TripAdvisor reviews, and now as the summer draws to a close, you’ll get to see exactly what makes it such a special place worth visiting for a cut price.

With the offer only applicable to afternoons this summer, Afternoon Tickets allow entry to Chester Zoo from 3pm onwards – with the last entry being one-hour before it closes.

World's rarest lions at Chester Zoo
Chester Zoo elephants
Chester Zoo is offering £10 tickets to visitors this summer / Credit: Chester Zoo

Without this offer, standard admission tickets to Chester Zoo usually cost up to £38 for adults, £37 for students, and £28 for children, all including a 10% donation to the zoo’s conservation efforts, while babies and carers go free.

So it really is worth making the most of these limited-time £10 tickets while you still can – with the offer now running until 6 September.

The best bit about the offer returning? The zoo is currently operating its extended opening hours until 6pm too, so included for the bargain price of a £10 ticket, you’ll even get to see all the animals while the sun goes down.

Afternoon tickets are only available online and must be booked in advance to claim the £10 offer.

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Tickets can only be purchased online before 4pm on the day of your visit, and standard admission tickets can be purchased from our ticket office at the main entrance.

Find out more and book your £10 tickets online here.

Featured Image – Chester Zoo

Cheshire

The farm shop adored by Molly-Mae Hague, with pick’n’mix cakes and a wall of cheese

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Hollie's Farm Shop

There are farm shops, and then there is The Hollies.

The Cheshire institution has been around since 1959, when it began life as a humble roadside vegetable stand with an honesty box.

More than six decades later, it has evolved into the sort of place where you can arrive intending to buy a few vegetables for dinner, and leave several hours later with a basket of fancy crisps, a wedge of local cheese, a candle, a house plant and a pumpkin sculpture on legs.

And if the name sounds familiar, you may remember it from the rather sizeable Molly-Mae effect it experienced in 2023.

The influencer and former Love Island star visited The Hollies with her sister Zoe and daughter Bambi, filming a vlog around the farm shop and declaring that ‘everything in here is just unreal’ – and huge queues followed within days.

But visit now and it becomes immediately obvious why this place has become such a destination in its own right, because this isn’t just somewhere to pick up a locally grown cabbage.

The first thing that hits you is the produce. There are mountains of fruit and vegetables laid out, including marrows the size of your thigh, grapes in paper bags, and punnets of strawberries you can smell as soon as you walk through the door.

The Hollies says its farm shops stock seasonal produce alongside goods sourced from more than 70 local suppliers, as well as products from across the UK and further afield.

Fresh produce at The Hollies Farm Shop. Credit: The Manc Group

The food hall is where a normal farm shop trip – and your weekly budget – starts to spiral.

You’ll find jars of beans that look suspiciously like they belong in an extremely well-dressed pantry, Gymkhana cooking sauces, colourful pasta for people who like to photograph their dinner, and some of the poshest crisps outside of Harrods.

Then there’s the bakery, where alongside fresh bread loaves is a range of treats from local Cheshire business Allison’s Kitchen, including one particularly brilliant idea: a pick’n’mix cake (a full cake made of four slices, like an edible pie chart).

One of the most impressive sights is the wall of cheese, which showcases plenty of local produce from soft and blue cheeses through to big, punchy cheddars.

Olives beneath an olive tree
Olives beneath an olive tree
The wall of cheese
The wall of cheese
The Hollies bakery
The Hollies farm shop bakery
The pick'n'mix cake
The pick’n’mix cake
Multicolour pasta
Multicolour pasta
The salad bar
The salad bar

Nearby, the deli and salad bar turns the whole thing into something approaching a countryside version of a very glamorous food hall.

There are fresh pies, pasties, quiches and sandwiches, alongside all the ingredients needed to put together a very respectable picnic.

And then there is the wine. A huge wine selection.

At this point, your original plan to ‘just pop in for some fruit’ is looking increasingly unrealistic.

And then The Hollies is so beautifully put together, it’s hard to tear yourself back outside – the olives are displayed on a softly lit table beneath an olive tree, and root vegetables sit beneath an acorn tree, like walking through a series of carefully designed little sets.

I’ve never been so inclined to take a picture of a potato before.

If you think you’ve finished once you’ve conquered the food shop, you’re very much mistaken. The Barn is the gift, retail and lifestyle side of The Hollies, and it feels like autumn has been given an unlimited budget.

Autumn gifts in The Barn
Autumn gifts in The Barn
The Barn at The Hollies Farmshop
The Barn at The Hollies Farmshop
More gifts and cards at The Hollies
More gifts and cards at The Hollies
The Fresian Rooms
The Fresian Rooms
The Fresian Rooms
The Fresian Rooms

There are seasonal decorations, pumpkins and orange leaves alongside Jellycats and other soft toys, greetings cards, candles, mugs, bags and fashion.

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Finally, there’s The Friesian Rooms, where you can sit with a coffee and cake or grab some lunch, on a sunny terrace that feels (on a good day) very akin to Soho Farmhouse.

The Hollies has taken the humble idea of buying good food directly from the countryside and turned it into a full-blown Cheshire day out – one with exceptionally good cheese, extremely photogenic vegetables, and just the occasional influencer wandering through…

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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