Passengers are being told to “make alternative arrangements” for travel as train drivers are set to strike again this weekend.
Following on from the announcement back in February that ASLEF train drivers at several train companies and operators, with Northern being one of them, had voted ‘overwhelmingly’ to continue taking industrial action for another six months, members of the union are set to stage another strike this weekend.
Disruption, as is usually the case, is therefore also expected in the lead-up to and following the day drivers actually strike on Saturday (6 April).
Three separate days of ASLEF action are set to impact different train operators on different days, but Northern is mainly warning anyone planning to travel on Saturday 6 April that it will “not be able to operate” any services across the entirety of its network on that day.
Whilst Northern services are only affected on Saturday 6 April, other train operators face walk-outs by ASLEF members on Friday 5 April and Monday 8 April too.
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Because of this, customers using the Northern network to make journeys that include connecting services on those days, as well as the days surrounding, are being advised to check all legs of their journey ahead of time.
Passengers are being told to ‘make alternative travel arrangements’ as train drivers strike again this weekend / Credit: Network Rail | Northern
Northern says it’s “disappointed” ASLEF members have chosen to stage more strikes this weekend, and will continue to do so in the coming months.
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Advising passengers to “make alternative arrangements for travel” ahead of the strikes this Saturday, Tricia Williams, who is the Chief Operating Officer at Northern, said: “We are disappointed that ASLEF has chosen to call yet more strike action, and we would encourage them to work with the rail industry so we can put an end to this dispute.
“We can only apologise to customers in the meantime for the significant disruption and inconvenience this action by ASLEF will cause.”
Disruption on Northern is also expected on the days surrounding the strike day itself / Credit: Northern
When ASLEF announced its intention to continue taking industrial action for the foreseeable – which is separate to what is a very long-running dispute with the Department for Transport (DfT) over pay and working conditions – back in February, the union’s General Secretary, Mick Whelan, said he was “fed up to the back teeth with the bad faith shown” by train companies.
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He added that train operators like Northern need to “stop what they are doing” and “start to behave properly and honourably”, because their drivers are “no longer prepared to be treated like this”.
For more information on the strikes, and to see the latest travel updates for the next few days, check the Northern website here.
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News
Major headliner pulls out of Manchester Village Pride
Daisy Jackson
One of the Manchester Village Pride headliners has had to pull out of their scheduled appearance, just one day before the celebrations begin.
Nadine Coyle was supposed to be headlining the LGBTQ+ event on Friday 27 August.
But in a statement shared by Manchester Village Pride today, they announced that the former Girls Aloud star is ‘under the weather’.
Nadine will be pulling out of her headline slot to ‘rest and recuperate’, but added that she hopes to see Manchester for Pride again soon.
Thankfully, Manchester Village Pride has already found a suitably fabulous replacement for the main stage on Friday – B*Witched.
The iconic Irish girl group will be encouraging ticket-holders to dig out their double denim and dance to hits like C’est La Vie and Rollercoaster.
In the statement shared by Manchester Village Pride, Nadine’s team said: “Nadine is so sorry to have to step out of Manchester Village Pride this year. It was her very first Pride many years ago and she loves getting to spend time with you all.
“Nadine’s voice has been under the weather and she only wants to give absolute best to you all which sadly won’t be possible this weekend as she needs time to rest and recuperate.
“We hate to do it so near the day. Nadine was really hoping she was going to be well enough and hopes she can see you in Manchester for Pride again soon.
“Thank you for being so kind and understanding and we hope you have a wonderful weekend.”
Manchester Village Pride added: “We know how excited many of you were for a massive hit of 2000s pop nostalgia, and we promised you a party. We’ve been working around the clock, and we are beyond thrilled to announce that pop royalty B*WITCHED are stepping in at the eleventh hour!”
Chester Zoo announces return of its £10 tickets for limited time only with extended opening hours
Emily Sergeant
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 2pm onwards – with the last entry being one-hour before it closes.
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.
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.
Emily Sergeant -
4th April 2024 
