A miniature children’s village only an hour away from Manchester is now open for your little ones to immerse themselves in.
This is Apple Tree Town, a new role play centre built by sisters Sarah and Nat Peach in Chesterton, just 50 miles down the M6 towards Stoke.
The Biggleton-inspired custom built town (a popular CBBC show) is a fully decked out children’s paradise featuring mini versions of everyday shops and businesses – perfect for your kid to find their ideal career, or just cause carnage in.
It’s home to a supermarket, a bank, post office, hospital (yes, there’s an ambulance), barbers, beauty salon and even a theatre. There’s even a baby-friendly soft play area in the middle of the town.
The centre is aimed at kids between the ages of two and eight, but the sisters say that kids up to the age of ten will also enjoy the experience.
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There’s a cafe for parents to enjoy a cup of coffee or a brew while your kids tire themselves out, giving you ample time to stare at your phone and forget you even have children.
Apple Tree Town
Speaking to Stone-on-Trent Live, mum-of-one Sarah, aged 33, said: “This is a brand new challenge for us. I previously worked with children, so I have experience on that side, but running a business is new for us.
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“We were inspired by the TV show Biggleton – it’s like a miniature village. We thought that something like this would be great for the area – we feel like Newcastle needs an educational, but also fun, play centre.
“Children can come in and role play and decide if they want to be a paramedic, or work at the post office. There’s so many options.
“The centre is best suited for children between two and eight, but we don’t want to put a cap on that. We’ve had nine and 10-year-olds coming and really enjoying it.
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“We’ve also got a baby area, where admission is slightly cheaper, because obviously they can’t enjoy the full centre just yet.
“We’d love for Apple Tree Farm to be a way for children to understand the world around them a bit better, and learn something while they’re playing.”
The experience is fully accessible and will be home to kids’ parties when COVID restrictions allow.
Gladiators Live Tour to make ‘triumphant’ return to Manchester on UK arena tour
Emily Sergeant
The Gladiators Live Tour will make a triumphant return in 2026.
Following its explosive debut in 2025 and overwhelming fan demand, the Gladiators Live Tour is set to head out on a UK tour later this year, bringing the iconic phenomenon back to arenas nationwide for an electrifying new run of shows, and making a stop off in Manchester, of course.
Audiences will, once again, have the chance to experience the action-packed spectacle featuring the stars of the hit BBC reboot series on an epic scale.
The 2025 live tour thrilled audiences nationwide, selling over 200,000 tickets and proving the arena spectacular is ‘bigger, bolder, and more electrifying’ than ever, and that energy is only set to continue this year when the show returns to Manchester’s popular AO Arena.
GLADIATORS, READY!
Following its epic debut in 2025 the triumphant live show brings the energy to Manchester on 14 & 15 Nov!
This adrenaline-fuelled event sees the legendary Gladiators storm back into the arena to face fearless contenders in a heart-pounding live adaptation of the smash-hit television phenomenon.
Expect iconic fan-favourite events, breathtaking stunts, epic head-to-head battles and the unforgettable Eliminator finale.
Featuring stars from the hit BBC series, audiences are being told to expect a truly immersive, high-octane experience, as arenas are transformed into modern gladiatorial battlegrounds complete with purpose-built sets, spectacular lighting, and cinematic staging.
The Gladiators Live Tour 2026 kicks off in Aberdeen on 10 October, before heading to other major cities like Glasgow, London, and Birmingham, as well as northern locations like Leeds and Newcastle, and of course, Manchester’s AO Arena for two nights on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November.
Tickets officially go on sale this Friday 27 March, with two shows per day available, and you can grab them when they go live here.
Featured Image – Supplied
Things To Do
An official and completely FREE Manchester Marathon fan zone is returning for 2026
Danny Jones
Yes, last year’s newest and official Manchester Marathon fan zone is returning for 2026, promising more positive pre- and post-race vibes than the first time around.
Here’s hoping for some lovely sunshine to go along with the atmosphere on 19 April.
Set to host the city centre’s runners and spectators for just the second time, Circle Square’s Symphony Park will be home to the 2026 Manc Marathon fan park, complete with independent pop-ups, big screens to watch all the action on, plus plenty more.
Best of all, it’s completely free to enter all day long for participants and those of you cheering your loved ones along, as well as being an ideal all-ages spot for families to relax and enjoy.
Located just moments from the finish line, just outside the University of Manchester along Oxford Road Corridor, you simply follow it down towards the tall Vita Group and Bruntwood SciTech buildings.
Circle Square itself hosts many events and activities all throughout the year, and they couldn’t resist getting back in on the raceday party once again, as more legends are set to take part than ever.
For context, 2025 saw more than 35,000 sign-ups, but this April is expected to see a whopping sold-out crowd exceeding 42,000 – a record number for the annual event.
With that in mind, finding a place to fit all of them and the countless fans who come along to cheer them on from the sidelines is paramount, so it’s a good job the Symphony Park x MCR Marathon fan zone will be open from 9am on the day.
Here are some more scenes from the last edition:
Credit: Jody Hartley (supplied)
Although more are set to be revealed nearer the time, visitors can expect “a lively schedule of entertainment, food and drink pop-ups, family-friendly activities and special offers from our community of independent businesses and brands.”
Set to close around 5pm as the hordes of runners will doubt either head home for a long bath, leg rub or straight to the pub for their victory pints, we can assure you lots of time will be spent on the square.
The Manc -
2nd June 2021 
