A popular wildlife park is appealing to the public for donations after it’s been left “fighting for survival” amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Lake District Wildlife Park, in Bassenthwaite, Keswick, is home to hundreds of endangered and commonly-kept animal residents – from lemurs and red pandas, to zebras and even birds of prey – attracts some 50,000 visitors each year under normal circumstances, and ultimately aims to help to conserve species for future generations.
But due to the unprecedented circumstances over the last 11 months, with the country placed under several national lockdowns and ongoing restrictions, the award-winning Cumbrian zoo has been forced to shut the gates of its park to the public.
This has meant that a vital revenue stream for the park has been “eliminated”.
Unlike many other businesses and sectors across the UK too, the nearly 30-year-old zoo has not been able to furlough all of its staff due to “the enormous amount of care the animals need on a daily basis”.
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And while the team of keepers have continued to work hard to ensure that the animals receive the highest level of care, support and comfort, the park has still been left to cover the cost of the feeding, ongoing veterinary requirements, heating, cleaning and maintenance, which can often end up running into thousands of pounds each week.
The absence of visitors has therefore resulted in a sudden loss of income over the past year, which has placed the park’s animals, resources and team under “extreme duress”.
The park has launched an online Crowfunding campaign to appeal for donations from generous members of the public to help cover some of the aforementioned costs, contribute to several major projects in the future, and primarily put it in the best position to continue fighting the the animals in its care.
A target of £10,000 has been set, with over 300 donations already helping hit £7,500 and counting.
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But the park has stressed that even if you are not in a position to financially contribute, just showing your support and “knowing that you’re there” is equally as important and valued.
Richard Robinson – Park Manager at Lake District Wildlife Park – said: “Now more than ever, we need to support the welfare of our animals to prevent further devastation from the pandemic.
“The smallest donations add up to make a real difference for the park,
“So we’re kindly asking the public to help our where they can and help our beautiful species survive these worrying times.”
You can find more information and make any donations via the Crowdfunder here.
And you can also keep up to date with all of the daily antics at the park, as well as discover the vital work being done to conserve endangered animal species on the Lake District Wildlife Park website, and social platforms – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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A tribute festival in memory of Mani from The Stone have been announced
Danny Jones
After plenty of talk and rumours ever since his passing, a tribute festival in memory of Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield will honour the late great Stone Roses and Primal Scream bass player later this year.
Despite various organisations and regional residents having observed their own memorial services following his death on 20 November 2025, the city and Greater Manchester as a whole made it clear that they wanted to carry out a more dedicated form of remembrance.
And we couldn’t agree more.
Deciding to remember him in the past best way possible – by celebrating one of his greatest loves and legacies: music – ‘Manichester’ festival will be held this spring.
Hosted in partnership with Madchester.com and simply dubbed as “a tribute to a true Manc legend”, names both new, old and current will be joining the inaugural Manichester lineup.
Organised by the website and iconic Manchester streetwear brand GIOGOI, not to mention being “blessed by Mani’s family” directly, artists playing will range from those who were lucky enough to have played with him or, like us all, were simply left inspired by his unforgettable basslines.
As well as a ‘AAA headliner’ still yet to be confirmed, there are some serious legendary names on here, both local and beyond; at the minute, the roster of acts is looking like this:
Manichester 2026 lineup
Cast
Peter Hook (Joy Division, New Order)
The Kowloons
A “specially assembled core band” featuring Aziz Ibrahim (The Stone Roses), Rowetta, Simone Butler (formerly Primal Scream) and Mick Rossi (Slaughter and The Dogs)
Dave McCabe (The Zutons)
Baz Fratelli (The Fratellis)
Zak Starkey (Mantra of the Cosmos)
Steve White (ex-Oasis drummer)
Jon McClure (Reverend and the Makers)
However, as they have teased in the announcement, “that’s just the start”, and with more names incoming, many are already trying to guess who the headliner could be. Some have even suggested Ian Brown himself might get up on the stage…
As per an official statement, key artwork for the event comes from the one and only and equally influential Stone Roses guitarist, John Squire, whose new designs will feature on flyers, limited-edition physical tickets and other promotional materials.
Manichester will take place on Saturday May 30, doors open 2pm.
Most importantly, all the proceeds from the special one-off in memoriam show will go towards Mani’s and Imelda’s twin boys, Gene and George – and who knows? This could be the start of a brand-new annual festival spawned in the name of a very special Mancunian.
GIOGOI added: “Manchester is the best city in the world, and we do things differently here. This is Manchester showing up. This is Madchester showing love. This is ‘Manichester’.“
Taking place on Saturday, 30 May and held at Diecast on Ducie Street in Manchester city centre from 2pm, it’s sure to be a momentous ocassions with thoughts of Mani and his family looming large in everyone’s minds.
The Premier League is keeping its crucial cap on away game ticket prices – for now
Danny Jones
The Premier League has announced it is extending its crucial price cap for away games, as the general cost of match tickets continues to creep up all over the country.
Most season card holders, be they here in Greater Manchester or elsewhere, are likely looking at their annual spending going up simply, so steps like these are key in keeping first division football as affordable as possible.
And that’s just the ongoing cost of living, let alone the clubs that are continuing the trend of charging more each year and, unfortunately, even pricing some supporters out entirely.
With that in mind, the news of England’s top-flight sides voting unanimously to keep the £30 cap intact for at least another two years comes as relief to those who spend most of the year putting their hard-earned cash towards following their team home and away.
BREAKING: The Premier League extend £30 cap on away tickets for another two seasons 🚨 pic.twitter.com/L336aZwmn3
Now confirmed to remain in place until the end of the 2027/28 campaign, travelling fans obviously still spend plenty of money on transport and so on every year, but at least they don’t have to worry about rising general admissions.
At least not for the time being…
Writing in a statement, the Premier League said: “Away fans help create the incredible atmosphere Premier League matches are renowned for. Since the cap’s implementation in 2016, it has contributed to attendance at away games increasing from 82% to 91%.”
They also acknowledged the significant and regular funds that supporters still spend on these trips, with plenty of people online also praising the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), which helped spearhead the campaign over a decade ago.
With so many other obstacles still getting in the way of fans making it to games either at their usual stadium or on an away day – not least of all the constant and increasingly frustrating rescheduling of fixtures – it’s good to see this isn’t an area the Prem are trying to target.
As always, the multi-billion-pound business can always seek out other, newer money spinners, and we’re absolutley certain they will. For instance, there’s at least one happening over in Spain that we’d happily see carried over here.
Following the news, this now means that fans will ultimately have enjoyed 12 back-to-back seasons of the benefit, and long may it continue.
Nevertheless, the biggest barrier for people to watch the beautiful game at its highest level in the UK remains the cost of standard tickets.
The likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Leeds and more have already let matchgoers know that their season ticket prices will be going up, and the likes of Man City have already seen backlash for increasing rates amid the expansion of the Etihad Campus.
Emily Sergeant -
18th February 2021 
