Plans for the UK’s first all-season beach with real lapping waves has been unveiled for the new £250 million Manchester waterpark resort.
After it was revealed late last year that the upcoming Therme Manchester resort and spa at TraffordCity- which has been dubbed an ‘urban oasis’ – will feature a whopping 35 water slides, 25 pools, and 30 saunas and stream rooms across its 25-acre site, new CGI images have now been released to show the vision of the country’s first indoor all-season beach.
The beach is billed to include “lapping waves” and “soft sands”.
Developers say the ‘urban beach’ element of the new highly-anticipated resort will form part of Therme’s “next generation waterpark”, that’s also set to include thermal bathing, a wellbeing spa, an on-site urban farm, botanical gardens, and “immersive digital art features”.
Bosses say the new aims to be “far more” than a waterpark and spa, and will “create an integrated experience to benefit physical and mental health”.
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Plans for the UK’s first all-season beach have been unveiled for the new £250 million Manchester waterpark resort / Credit: Therme Manchester
Therme’s updated plans – which are being delivered in partnership with Peel L&P – are said to adopt the very latest technology to make the development even more sustainable and deliver additional exciting features for visitors.
It includes the world’s first ‘living waterslides’ with a 3D printed superstructure to house thousands of plants.
Therme has also announced that the resort will also include a visitor and education centre where school and community groups can learn about sustainability, food and nature.
Manchester is getting an all-season beach thanks to @ThermeGroup!
Therme Manchester, the wellbeing resort at @TraffordCity, will bring the urban beach to fruition as part of a series of additions to existing plans.
“Our commitment to bring Therme Manchester to the UK is as strong as ever,” said Stelian Iacob, Senior Vice President of Therme Group and CEO of Therme Group UK.
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“Expert independent studies have shown the hugely positive economic and social impact that Therme Manchester will have, helping to create jobs, economic prosperity and bringing health and wellbeing to the daily lives of millions of guests.”
James Whittaker – Executive Director of Development at Peel L&P – added: “We are proud to be working in partnership with Therme Group to develop this exceptional wellbeing resort in TraffordCity.
The beach is billed to include “lapping waves” and “soft sands” when it opens in 2025, according to developers / Credit: Therme Group
“Therme Manchester will lead the way in health and wellbeing.
“With the updated plans now including the UK’s first all-season urban beach and the world’s first living waterslides, we are excited to continue working with Therme Manchester to deliver this innovative health and wellbeing experience in TraffordCity, the UK’s foremost retail, leisure and commercial destination.”
Construction on Therme Manchester is still expected to begin in 2023, with a build time said to be of around two years.
Featured Image – Therme Manchester
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NHS launches new AI and robot cancer detection pilot offering ‘glimpse into future’
Emily Sergeant
The NHS has launched a ‘trailblazing’ new AI and robot pilot to help spot cancers sooner.
Patients who are facing suspected lung cancer could get answers sooner under the new pilot that makes use of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotic technology to help doctors reach hard-to-detect cancers earlier, and all without with fewer tests too.
At the moment, patients are faced with weeks of repeat scans and procedures to come to a diagnosis.
But this could soon be replaced with a single, half-hour cancer biopsy – reducing prolonged uncertainty, and avoiding more invasive surgery.
According to the NHS, the new approach uses AI software to rapidly analyse lung scans and flag small lumps that are most likely to be cancerous, before a robotic camera is then used to guide biopsy tools through the airways with much greater precision than standard techniques.
A new NHS pilot using AI and robotic technology will help doctors reach hard-to-detect lung cancers earlier.
Weeks of scans and procedures could be replaced with a single biopsy, reducing uncertainty and avoiding more invasive surgery.
The robot can reach nodules as small as 6mm – which is around the size of a grain of rice – that are hidden deep in the lung and are often deemed too risky or difficult to access using existing methods, and once AI has highlighted higher-risk areas, doctors can then take a precise tissue sample, which is sent to specialist laboratories and reviewed by expert cancer teams to confirm or rule out cancer.
The NHS’s top cancer doctor hailed the pilot – which is currently being carried out at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust – as ‘a glimpse of the future of cancer detection’.
“Waiting to find out if you might have cancer is incredibly stressful for patients and their families,” admitted Professor Peter Johnson, who is NHS England’s National Clinical Director for Cancer.
The NHS has launched a new AI and robot cancer detection pilot that’s offering a ‘glimpse into future’ / Credit: rawpixel
“Our lung cancer screening programme means that we are picking up more cancers at an early stage than ever, and by bringing AI and robotics together in this trailblazing NHS pilot, we’re bringing in the very latest technology to give clinicians a clearer look inside the lungs and support faster, more accurate biopsies.
“This is a glimpse of the future of cancer detection.
“Innovation like this is exactly how we can help diagnose more cancers faster, so treatment can be most effective, and why the NHS continues to lead the way in bringing new technology safely into frontline care.”
If successful, the pilot will help the NHS to generate evidence to develop a national commissioning policy for robotic bronchoscopy.
It will also support more consistent access to the technology across the NHS in future.
Featured Image – Tima Miroshnichenko (via Pexels)
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Chester Zoo announces new spring date for its popular running event to help UK wildlife
Emily Sergeant
Chester Zoo has announced that its popular Run For Nature is back again this year, and this time, there’s a new spring edition.
The UK’s biggest charity zoo seen success with this event in the past few years, with thousands of runners signing up for one of the North West’s most unique athletic experiences and all funds raised going towards efforts to protect highly-endangered giraffes in Africa.
This year though, the much-loved event’s focus brings conservation ‘a little closer to home’ and will protect some of the UK’s most threatened species instead – with all funds helping to safeguard hedgehogs, kingfishers, otters, harvest mice, and more.
It comes as the UK is currently considered one of the most nature-depleted countries on Earth.
Participants will first get to wind through the zoo and enjoy glimpses of elephants, lemurs, and other incredible species along the way, before heading out into the picturesque Cheshire countryside.
Adults can choose from a 10K or 5K route, while younger runners are invited to take part in a one-mile ‘Zoom’ race, open to children aged four-15, which takes place entirely within the zoo’s incredible 130-acre grounds.
All runners will receive free entry to the zoo for the rest of the day as part of their registration, along with a 25% discount for friends and family who come along to show support.
Chester Zoo’s popular 10K charity run is returns with a new spring date / Credit: Chester Zoo
Lorraine Jubb, who is the Fundraising Lead at Chester Zoo, called the Run For Nature a ‘really special event’.
“In previous years, runners have already supported conservation efforts for Asian elephants, Eastern black rhinos and Northern giraffe,” she explained. This springtime though, we’re turning our attention much closer to home in the UK, and to the wildlife we share our gardens, parks and countryside with.
“With one in six species now at risk of extinction in the UK, every runner will be playing a vital role in helping us protect animals and supporting our growing nature recovery work across right across Cheshire.
Emily Sergeant -
4th April 2022 
