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Popular Wigan beauty spot Pennington Flash is getting a £2.4 million ‘makeover’

Work is due to start in March, with the project scheduled to be complete by the end of summer.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 31st January 2022

Wigan Council has confirmed that a £2.4 million makeover to one of the borough’s most popular beauty spots is set to get underway.

According to the major plans for Pennington Flash Nature Reserve in Leigh, some of the new facilities that visitors will soon get to make the most of include a new café, which will offer a full view of the site’s large lake – known as the ‘flash’ – and an outdoor decking area.

There is also set to be a new toilet block and a visitor information centre.

Car parking facilities will also be improved with resurfacing, electric vehicle charging points, better lighting, and a new overflow car park.

Work will also begin on upgrading the footpaths around the car park, and putting eco-friendly features into the current buildings.

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Pennington Flash is getting a £2.4 million ‘makeover’ / Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Future plans for the site include a new natural play area.

Speaking ahead of the start of the makeover, Councillor Keith Cunliffe – Deputy Leader at Wigan Council – explained: “We know how popular Pennington Flash is with our residents and we’re delighted to see the plans taking shape.

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“This year is a big one for Leigh with the Euros and the Rugby League World Cup, and this project will provide top-class facilities to help more people enjoy the great green spaces our borough has to offer.”

He added: “These plans will help address some of the priority areas highlighted by residents during the Believe in Leigh survey and Big Listening Project.

“[It will] provide great facilities for all our residents to enjoy.”

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Work is due to start in March, with the project scheduled to be complete by the end of summer.

Featured Image – Wigan Council

News

Police appeal to find next of kin after man found outside Palace Theatre

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Police appeal to find next of kin after man found outside Palace Theatre

Police are trying to track down the family of a man who died after being found unresponsive outside the Palace Theatre in Manchester.

The man, who has now been named as Jonathan Bernard Carroll, was seen outside the city centre theatre at around 6.30am on Tuesday 12 November.

Emergency services rushed to the scene and Mr Carroll was taken to hospital.

Tragically, the 47-year-old passed away a short time later.

A large cordon was in place on Whitworth Street and Oxford Road while police and security attended the incident.

Greater Manchester Police are now appealing to find his next of kin.

It’s believed that he resided in the Salford area of Greater Manchester.

Anyone with any information should contact the Coroner’s Office on 0161 856 1376.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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Greater Manchester public urged to help get people ‘off the streets and on their feet’ before Christmas

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Locals are being urged to help get hundreds of people “off the streets and back on their feet” this festive season.

As the temperatures told colder by the day, and Christmas creeps closer and closer, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is bringing back ‘1000 Beds for Christmas’, and the massively-important initiative is aiming to provide 1,000 nights of accommodation to people at risk of homelessness before the big day arrives.

Forming part of the ongoing ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, this festive fundraising mission is designed to provide food, shelter, warmth, and dedicated vital wrap-around support for those who need it most.

The charity says it wants to build on the “incredible success of 2023”, which raised more than £55,000 and provided 1,800 nights of accommodation.

Stockport-based property finance specialists, Together – which has supported the campaign for the last two years – has, once again, generously pledged to match every public donation for the first £20,000 raised.  

Unfamiliar with the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme? Since 2017, when rough sleeping peaked, the initiative has helped ensure a significantly-higher rate of reduction in the numbers of people facing a night on streets in Greater Manchester than seen nationally.

The landmark scheme has given people the chance to rebuild their lives, while also giving them access to key services and opportunities that allows them to stay off the streets for good.

Despite the scheme’s recent success, organisations across Greater Manchester are under “a huge amount of pressure” to meet the demand for their services this winter, and given the current economic outlook, household budgets will continue to be squeezed – leaving people on the sharp end of inequality and poverty.

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“Help us be a lifeline to organisations on the frontline,” Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity urged in it’s public appeal for donations.

You can help make sure ‘A Bed Every Night’ is a reality for all by donating here.

Featured Image – EthelRedThePetrolHead (via Flickr)

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