They created an Olympics-style hammer using polystyrene, black masking tape and a painted toilet roll, and used tinfoil to make a pile of shot puts.
Samantha then used a bit of makeup to give Courtney a monobrow and tied her hair up in a bun.
We think she looks absolutely mint.
Featured image: Supplied
Kids & Family
All Brewers Fayre and Beefeater locations across the UK are closing down
Danny Jones
It looks to be the end for not one but two of Britain’s best-known and long-running restaurant franchises, as Brewers Fayre and Beefeaters will be closing down all of their locations.
Dating back to the mid-1970s, there will soon be none left anywhere in the country
The pair of recognisable chains, owned by parent company Whitbread PLC – who also own Premier Inn, hence why they usually come as a joint package – have nearly 200 sites across the UK, but they are already in the process of a wholesale shutdown.
News of the impending closures first began circulating back in April, but now the process is said to be fully underway, with multiple Greater Manchester names on the chopping block.
A real shame all brewers fayres are closing down. As a member they’ve sent me a last free main. So enjoying a mixed grill pic.twitter.com/EIHMZ7LCvv
— Daniel Turner⚽️ 🏟️ 1️⃣1️⃣5️⃣8️⃣ (@puffpuff65) August 4, 2026
With roughly 3,800 staff set to be made unemployed as part of the major restructuring by Whitbread, the job cuts will see approximately 12% of their workforce laid off from a total of around 30,000.
One local duo due to face the music is the soon-to-close Stable Gate in Denton and Wheatlea Park in Wigan – both of which are Brewers Fayre branches.
89 of the brand’s boozers have been given until early September (some dates may vary) to shut up shop and hold not just their last orders, but their final dinner service full stop.
The rest of the venues closing next month are Beefeater pubs, including the Heaton Park one in Crumpsall, The Quay House at Salford Quays, and the Whitgate Inn over Oldham way.
As for others nearby, Macclesfield’s Springwood Park is also set to close.
The older of the two British mainstays is Beefeater, which was founded by Whitbread back in 1974 when they opened their first pub, The Halfway House, down in Enfield.
Brewers debuted up North in ’79, with a maiden watering hole called The Farmers Arms in Preston, before going on to open several locations around Lancashire and eventually nationwide.
Most of you will likely have visited or at the very least passed one of those food and drink spots in your time, and while they may be more associated with hotels and service stations these days, they still served as regular haunts for plenty of people who will no doubt be gutted to see them go.
Speaking of services, another big name is expanding further into the North West.
Work on Greater Manchester’s very own ‘Tebay-style’ motorway service station is finally underway
Danny Jones
You heard us right: the time has come for Greater Manchester to level up its service station game, as work on the long-talked-about Tebay-style venue over in Trafford has finally begun.
Those motorway trips are about to get even better.
We first heard about the vision to provide a brand-new Tatton Services back in March 2022, with the Westmorland Family – known not only for Tebay but the similarly popular Gloucester and Cairns Lodge equivalents – promising to deliver a new top-quality stop-off point in the region.
It’s one that people across the North West have been keeping a keen eye on ever since, and now the dial is finally moving on the major project. You can see more detailed images here:
With the Westmorlands and the official Tatton Estate agreeing a partnership that weighs heavily in the former’s favour, the new services will be located around the M56 near the Bowdon Roundabout in Altrincham.
Bordering the electoral ward of Trafford and Cheshire, it is set to be located between junctions seven and eight of the M6 motorway near neighbouring Millington and Rostherne.
It’s estimated to cost more than £65 million and will be one of the most expensive developments of its kind the country has ever seen, with only the pending Chalfont St Peter station by Extra Motorway Services Group set to be more expensive (approximately £90m).
As per Forecourt Trader, the blueprints include a dedicated 100-room hotel, one of their trademark farm shops that those travelling rave about so much, a petrol station, as well as 40 charging bays for electric vehicles. Service station facilities have come a long way since 1972, when Tebay first opened.
However, while plans are at long last getting underway, it will be arriving much later than expected, with the initial opening date slated for some time later this year; instead, it is now they are now aiming for spring 2028, meaning you’ll just have to make do with the OG for now.
We promise this was purely a coincidence on our way back from Kendal Calling 2026, by the way…
Speaking on behalf of family, the Tatton Services Proposal team, and members of the estate, Westmorland chair Sarah Dunning said in a recent statement on the update: “We’re very excited to bring our proper food offer and ethos to Cheshire.
“From day one, this is about creating something rooted in the local landscape and community. We have committed to working with at least 70 producers within 30 miles of the site – and we hope that number will grow as relationships flourish.
“We’re also creating over 400 skilled jobs for local people, alongside apprenticeships and training programmes designed to build meaningful, long-term careers in the food industry. Our ambition is not only to serve travellers but to create opportunities and lasting value for the communities around us.”
What do you make of the proposed plans for the ‘next Tebay‘?
Daisy Jackson -
3rd March 2022 
