The Royal Air Force’s (RAF) Aerobatic Team – of course, more commonly known as the Red Arrows – will be making their way from their base at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire over to Blackpool Airport this afternoon, which means people will be able to catch a rare glimpse of the impressive jets as they fly over head from wherever they are in the region.
The Red Arrows are known for representing the speed, agility, and precision of the RAF.
Having been displaying since 1965, the Red Arrows are instantly-recognisable to aviation fans thanks to often flying in their trademark Diamond Nine shape, and for their combination of close formations and precision flying too.
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The Red Arrows are flying over Greater Manchester today / Credit: Royal Air Force
The team flying these distinctive Hawk fast-jets are made up of pilots, engineers, and essential support staff, who work to assist in recruiting to the Armed Forces, act as ambassadors for the UK at home and overseas, and promote “the best of British”.
And while the planes won’t be shooting out their eye-catching red, white, and blue vapour trails as they fly over Greater Manchester today, it’ll still be spectacle worth watching regardless.
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So, when exactly should you be watching out for the Red Arrows today? When are the planes flying over our region? And what’s their expected flight path?
The Red Arrows are known for representing the speed, agility, and precision of the RAF / Credit: Royal Air Force
The planes will take off from RAF Waddington at 4pm today.
They will then begin their journey by flying towards the Peak District and from Glossop towards Oldham, before heading over Denshaw, Newhey, the south of Rochdale town centre, and Heywood, then making their way to Bury town centre.
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Harwood and the north side of Bolton town centre should look up next, then the people of Smithy Bridge, Horwich, and Blackrod just after, before the planes head to over to Wigan and pass by Worthington, Standish, Shevington, and Parbold.
They’ll then be turning towards Skelmersdale and go on to Liverpool, before eventually landing at Blackpool Airport just before 4:30pm – so it’s a pretty fleeting flight in reality.
Here’s the exact flight path timings:
RAF Waddington – 4pm
North East of North Scarle – 4:02pm
North of Ashbourne – 4:08pm
Buxton – 4:11pm
East of Glossop – 4:13pm
South of Marsden – 4:14pm
East of Denshaw – 4:15pm
Flypast Rochdale – 4:16pm
East of Burscough – 4:19pm
North West of Rainford – 4:20pm
Flypast Prescot – 4:21pm
East of Liverpool Airport – 4:22pm
West of Liverpool Airport – 4:23pm
West of Formby – 4:25pm
West over Irish Sea – 4:27pm
Blackpool Airport – 4:29pm
They’ll be flying over our region this afternoon / Credit: Royal Air Force
If you’re going to be stuck inside for one reason or another, and you happen to miss out on seeing the Red Arrows fly over Greater Manchester today, then not to worry, there’s no need to having FOMO just yet.
You can just try again tomorrow.
Luckily, there’ll be another chance to see the jets on Saturday, as they will once again fly over the region as they head to Southport Air Show for midday and will get to work wowing the crowds with a display they’ll never forget.
Bolton will be the lucky lot on Saturday in particular, as the best expected view of the planes will be when they make their way over the borough’s skies at around 11:56am.
Featured Image – Royal Air Force
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8 million Brits are predicted to write their Christmas cards using AI this year, new research finds
Emily Sergeant
Millions of Brits are predicted to use AI to help them write their Christmas cards this year.
According to some new Royal Mail research, AI is most likely to be used for researching gifts (19%), festive party ideas (13%), and decoration inspiration (13%) throughout this festive season, but in what is a revelation many will find surprising – and even alarming – it’ll even be used for the timeless tradition of sending Christmas cards.
2,000 UK adults who celebrate Christmas were surveyed by the postal service early last month on how they plan to make use of technology this festive season.
The new research found that 11% of respondents will be using AI to help write the messages for their Christmas cards, which works out to be around eight million people.
It’s the under-55s who are driving the trend, as you can probably imagine – with 57% of this age group planning to lean on AI for guidance, compared to just 14% of those over 55.
Oh, and you’ll want to keep an extra eye on the Christmas cards that come from the men in your life too, as men are 67% more likely than women to use AI to help them.
Eight million Brits are predicted to write their Christmas cards using AI this year / Credit: KoolShooters
Although it may be largely frowned upon, it’s fairly easy to see why people are turning to tech to find the right words, as the Royal Mail’s research found that nearly one in five (19%) Brits say they don’t know what to write in cards, and this figure rises even further to 31% when it comes to 18-24-year-olds.
Despite the use of AI as a helping hand, three quarters of Brits (74%) do still think it’s important to keep the tradition of sending handwritten Christmas cards alive.
“AI is becoming part of everyday life for many people,” says technology journalist and broadcaster, Georgie Barrat. “So it’s natural we’ll see it used during the festive season. When it comes to writing cards, it can help you go beyond a simple ‘Merry Christmas’ and choose words that feel more unique.
“Often, people know what they want to say – they just need a little help expressing it.”
Richard Travers, who is the Managing Director of Letters at Royal Mail, concluded: “No matter what you include in your card, or how you choose to write your message, cards are truly a way of spreading festive cheer.”
Featured Image – Richard Bell (via Unsplash)
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Developers share new look at Stockport’s newest indie neighbourhood at Weir Mill
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester has been given another peek at the new neighbourhood and hangout spot in Stockport, Weir Mill.
Situated on the banks of the River Mersey, which runs through the heart of the old Cheshire town, Stopfordians will be more than familiar with the old building, which sits in the shadow of the Hat Works Museum tower.
The familiar North Western red brick is set to remain a noticeable structure below the recognisable Victorian Viaduct, but beneath it is set to become the home of at least new independent businesses.
Now, developers Capital and Centric have shared further glimpses at what they’re hoping the mini-district will look like when finished…
We visited the site back in 2023 not long after work begun.They have big plans to make it a suburban destination.Credit: The Manc Group/Capital and Centric
As you can see, besides the new homes and other buildings popping up in and around SK, this particular development (which will hopefully replicate the success of similar canalside regenerations such as those in Manchester city centre’s New Islington Marina) spans a whopping 65,000 sq ft.
Revolving around a new village epicentre, of sorts – simply known as Weaver Square – will see an influx of at least 10 new bars, restaurants, cafés and more indie traders spilling out of Weir Mill’s soon-to-be transformed ground floor onto what they hope will be a bustling new terrace.
Come the summer, this could be a great suntrap spot, too.
Aiming to bring these varied, open, social spaces to life with both local businesses and residents in mind, they’re promising live music, street food pop-ups, parties and al fresco eats under the iconic arches.
Pictured below, the space will not only include the aforementioned riverside terrace but a central courtyard with a lush, green, plant-laden sunken courtyard in the middle, plus plenty of other nooks teeming with character.
After being greenlit by Stockport Council, the project itself has actually been moving forward since 2022, but it now appears like it’s starting to take real shape.
Credit: Supplied
Cllr Micheala Meikle, Stockport‘s cabinet member for economy, skills and regeneration, states: “Our UK-leading town centre regeneration is about more than building new homes, it’s about creating vibrant neighbourhoods and breathing new life into Stockport’s heritage, giving our historic buildings a future.”
“While the Grade-II listed former mill is being carefully restored for residents, the new public square will create opportunities for independent businesses to thrive and for people from across the borough to come and enjoy our buzzing town centre.
“It is incredibly exciting to see how our riverside will soon be opened up into an inviting outdoor space where local communities can come together over great food, live music, and creative events from day into night.”
Better still, with Stockport’s growing transport links as part of the Bee Network only set to be extended further in the coming years, Weir Mill will be a simple train/tram ride away soon enough.
Emily Sergeant -
8th September 2023 
