Travel & Tourism

Chester Zoo forced to close as high winds from Storm Pia set to battle country

It's going to be windy out there today folks.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 21st December 2023

Chester Zoo has announced that it will have to close for the safety of its animals, as Storm Pia is set to bring strong winds across the north west today.

The popular tourist attraction says it’s now working to get in touch with people who had booked an experience at the zoo, including school visits and the ‘Dine with Santa’ experience.

A yellow weather warning is in place for large parts of the UK, including Greater Manchester and Cheshire, until 9pm on Thursday 21 December.

Storm Pia has been named by the Danish Meteorological Institute and is expected to cause travel disruption.

Chester Zoo has taken the decision to close the zoo today, Thursday, to look after all the animals kept there as well as to keep the public safe.

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They wrote: “It’s going to be a bit windy out there tomorrow, so we’re going to have to keep the zoo closed on Thursday 21 December for the safety of our staff, visitors and the animals under our care.

“If you have booked tickets to the zoo for tomorrow then we’ve automatically extended them until the end of June 2024 (this includes pre-booked tickets as part of our ‘kids go free’ offer).

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“You don’t need to do anything, just turn up to the zoo anytime with your confirmation and enjoy your day! If you’ve booked on to an experience, school visit or Dine with Santa, our team will contact you directly.”

Chester Zoo’s Lanterns & Lights festive light trail is expected to run as normal as the weather calms down in the afternoon, but ticket-holders are advised to check the zoo’s social media pages at midday for an official update.

The zoo then added: “We’re really, really sorry for causing any disruption to your plans but we hope you understand. Our team of conservationists will, of course, be at the zoo making sure the animals are tucked up and cared for with their favourite treats.”

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It also said an official update on reopening the zoo would be shared soon.

The Met Office has said its yellow weather warning for wind may bring the following:

  • Some bus and train services affected, with some journeys taking longer
  • Some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport expected
  • Some short term loss of power and other services
  • Coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities will be affected by spray and/or large waves
  • Delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges

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Featured image: Chester Zoo

Travel & Tourism

Manchester Airport unveils bumper Christmas makeover with Santa’s Grotto and last-minute shopping ideas

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Manchester Airport unveils bumper Christmas makeover with Santa’s Grotto and last-minute shopping ideas

Christmas has officially landed at Manchester Airport, and with an estimated 1.1m of us travelling through the busy transport hub in the coming weeks, the airport is really kicking off the festivities. 

The halls have been decked with all sorts of festive touches, like a 20ft Christmas tree in Terminal 2, and plenty more glitter and sparkle around the entire airport. 

There are dozens of discounts on stocking fillers as part of Manchester Airport’s ‘Holidays Mode Activated’ campaign, along with festive menus at bars and restaurants.

A Santa’s Grotto in Terminal 1’s free play area, the Little Flyers Zone, will be open until Wednesday 18 December, where little Mancs can send off their list to the big man with a Letters to Santa Station. 

Santa himself will be on hand to greet families on Thursday and Fridays, but his elves will be there throughout the next few weeks too. 

There are more than 200 destinations you can fly directly to from Manchester, from city breaks to other Christmas markets to snatched fortnights of sunshine to flights to spend the festive break with loved ones. 

You can do your Christmas shopping at Manchester Airport with brilliant businesses like The Sculpts
You can do your Christmas shopping at Manchester Airport with brilliant businesses like The Sculpts

And whether you’re one of those who’s panicked and left your shopping until the last minute, or are biding your time to save cash on beauty, booze and fragrance at World Duty Free, you can tick everything off your list on your way home for Christmas. 

Shops at Manchester Airport include legendary toy shop Hamleys, fragrance favourite Jo Malone, and sportswear brand JD Sports. 

You can stock up on gifts like fashion accessories from shops like BOSS and Accessorize, or get all your gifts for 2024 in one go at duty free. 

And don’t miss The Sculpts, a Manchester-based design business operated by a local couple, who sell a range of handmade homeware and souvenirs including their signature alphabet tiles. 

Manchester Airport Managing Director Chris Woodroofe said: “Christmas is a magical time here at Manchester Airport. 

“We’re always proud to connect the North to the world but the importance of that role really shines through at this time of year. It feels wonderful when you see travellers having emotional reunions in arrivals and families in departures getting ready to visit Father Christmas in Lapland.

“It’s also always a popular time to fly and, having broken our passenger records every month for well over a year now, we expect this Christmas to be the biggest and busiest we’ve ever seen with over a million passengers flying in the two-week festive period. 

“Not only will those passengers receive a great service – last month 82% of our passengers waited less than five minutes to get to security – but they will also be able to soak up some of the magic we have here, including Santa’s grotto in our Little Flyers Zone in Terminal 1 and choirs singing carols at various spots in all three terminals.

“We can’t wait to welcome passengers to Manchester Airport this festive season.”

Read more: Aer Lingus is serving ‘classic’ Christmas dinners in the sky this festive period

Featured image: Supplied

Travel & Tourism

Record 29 million people expected to drive home for Christmas this year

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Drivers are being told to prepare for long queues, as a record number of festive trips are predicted across the UK ahead of the big day.

With the festive season generally known to make the roads nationwide busier than usual, travel warnings have now been issued to all those making Christmas getaway trips for the holidays – with an annual study by the RAC and INRIX suggesting that 29 million journeys are planned before Christmas Day arrives.

Nearly half of these journeys (14.3 million) are set to be crammed into this coming weekend.

But, as Christmas falls mid-week this year, the figures suggest there will be an extended period of ‘pre-Christmas panic’ on the roads, with 5.7m trips taken yesterday and today alone.

The true festive getaway kicks off tomorrow (20 December), with an expected 3 million trips on this day, before the figure then jumps up to 3.7 million and 2.9 million this coming weekend (Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 December) – which is the final weekend before the big day itself.

A record 29 million people expected to drive home for Christmas this year / Credit: Geograph

By far the single busiest day, however, has to be Christmas Eve, with 3.8 million separate getaway journeys expected by car, on top of the final flurries of commuter traffic.

To make matters worse for everyone, the RAC’s research has also revealed that a further 4.7 million trips are expected at some point between the 20 and 22 December, and 2.5 million on either the 23 or 24 December, all coming from motorists who haven’t yet decided which day they’ll travel.

When it comes to the best and worst times to travel over the festive period, the research has revealed that the worst time to travel along major routes will be between 1pm and 7pm, especially tomorrow and Saturday, so both the RAC and INRIX are suggesting that drivers set off early in the morning, or later in the evening when the heaviest of the traffic should have subsided.

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After the big day, there are an additional 4.4 million trips predicted on Boxing Day and 3.8 million on Friday 27 December.

On these days, drivers are advised to avoid major roads during the hours of 10am to 3pm, which is when journeys are expected to take significantly longer than usual.

Featured Image – Vladimir Proskurovskiy (via Unsplash)

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