In case you have no idea what we’re on about here, let us get you up to speed – boasting over 165,000 active members and growing by the day, the brilliantly-named Wetherspoons Paltry Chip Count is a public Facebook group that brings together people from right across the country to share in the clearly-popular activity of counting the amount of chips that the restaurant chain sticks on its characteristic blue floral plates and dishes out to customers.
As bizarre as it sounds, hundreds of people share snaps of their chip portions every week.
And although the group has produced some iconic reactions and pretty unexpected stars in its time, there’s one Manchester man who’s really got everyone talking at the moment.
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Meet Boris Bennett.
Boris is boldly going where no one – or at least, where we can only presume no one – has gone before, and is currently on an important mission to collect one chip from every single Wetherspoons right across the UK.
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He may be no stranger to posting in the popular group, having had a few of his chip portion posts make an impression with people in the group – in particular, the post where he recreated the Stonehenge out of his measly chip portion – but the post about his collector’s mission, which was shared earlier this month, has amassed a whopping 12,000 interactions and over 4,000 comments from impressed foodies.
Wetherspoons Paltry Chip Count boasts over 165,000 active members / Credit: Facebook (Wetherspoons Paltry Chip Count)
Explaining his mission in his own words, Boris said: “Evening all. You may remember me from such fine works as the stonehenge/chiphenge post ™, but today however I bring you this.
“I am currently on a mission to collect and record one chip from every Wetherspoons in Britain, and here is what I have got so far. If you are wondering “does that bloke really walk around with a trading cards collection book full of chips?”
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“The answer is yes, yes I do.”
Alongside the detailed explanation of his mission, Boris also shared a picture of his trading cards-style chip book.
Boris also shared a picture of his trading cards-style chip book / Credit: Boris Bennett / Wetherspoons Paltry Chip Count
According to the picture shared of his chip book, the Greater Manchester-based Wetherspoons’s Boris has managed to collect from so far are the Bull’s Head Hotel in Walkden, the Spinning Mule in Bolton, Mardi Gras in the Trafford Centre, the Robert Shaw in Bolton, the Seven Stars in Manchester, and the Thomas Burke in Leigh.
He’s also saved a chip from the Lord Wilson and the Cherry Tree, both in Huddersfield.
Of course, Boris’ post was an instant hit among the Wetherspoons community, with one person commenting: “I think you could be my soul mate,” and another added: “I hope there is an award for such a noble venture.”
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We do too.
Fancy following Boris on his journey then? Make sure to go over and get in on the action on the Wetherspoons Paltry Chip Count page here.
Featured Image – Wetherspoons | Wetherspoons Paltry Chip Count
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Four North West towns named among Britain’s top 10 seaside ‘property hotspots’ for 2026
Emily Sergeant
Four North West towns have been named among Britain’s top 10 ‘property hotspots’ by the sea for 2026.
You may already be familiar that, every year, leading property listing website Rightmove takes a look at all the cities, towns, and residential areas across the UK where house prices saw a significant hike on average last year, and puts together a top 10 list.
The ‘hotspot’ table is made up of a variety of locations where prices rose the most, when compared to the end of the year prior.
But now, they’ve done a special seaside version too.
Of course, “Manchester‘s got everything except a beach” so it won’t come as a surprise that no Greater Manchester towns are featured on this list, but that isn’t the case for the rest of the North West though, as Merseyside and Cumbria are well represented.
In fact, it’s actually the North West that’s taken the top spot, as Bootle in Merseyside has been named Britain’s top seaside house price hotspot, with asking prices having risen 11% in the past year alone, and that’s even with an average house price still way below the national average at £141,680.
Four North West towns have been named among Britain’s top 10 seaside ‘property hotspots’ for 2026 / Credit: James Feaver | Gabe Fender (via Unsplash)
Second place can be found just 10 minutes further up the coast in the town of Crosby, where the average asking prices are up 9% compared to last year, reaching £330,900.
Wallasey comes in at sixth place on the list, with house prices rising 7% to £200,753 on average, while Barrow-in-Furness in Cumbria ranks at number nine with house prices increasing 6% to an average of £185,169.
Rightmove says the data shows that coastal living remains ‘relatively accessible’ in several areas, with nine of the top 10 fastest growing seaside locations still priced below the national average, and across more than 100 coastal areas analysed, more than 80% also have an average asking price below the national average (£378,304).
“The fastest-growing seaside markets this year show that demand for coastal homes in many areas remains resilient, even as overall price growth across the UK stays more modest,” commented Colleen Babcock, who is Rightmove’s property expert.
“While some locations are seeing strong price increases, there are still many areas where living by the sea is more affordable, giving buyers a wider range of options depending on their budget.”
Featured Image – Mitchel Orr (via Unsplash)
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Lottery Winners help debut new hometown anthem ‘Song For Leigh’ at massive stadium gig
Danny Jones
Indie pop favourites Lottery Winners smashed their first-ever solo stadium show at Leigh Sports Village at the end of May, and they also helped debut a dedicated hometown anthem for the town.
One of several current stars coming from in and around the Wigan music scene, it’s been a big few years for the Greater Manchester band, and their biggest-ever headline show on Saturday was yet more proof of just how much they’ve achieved in their career thus far.
That being said, however, this lot will never, EVER forget where they’ve been and, most importantly, where they come from.
You’ll find no better example of that than their sold-out LSV gig, which saw multiple celebrations of their local area, than one particular moment…
Posting on social media in the aftermath of the landmark live performance for the four-piece, frontman Thom Rylance wrote: “Little old Leigh, I haven’t slept a wink. I’m not sure I ever will again. I’ve never felt such a powerful punch of love hit me like that before, and I’m not even sure what to do with it all.
“Thanks isn’t enough, but let’s start there. Thank you for carrying us all this way. Thank you for making us feel special. Thank you for making all of this feel proper. Thank you to the grown-ups who trusted us with such a mammoth thing. Absolutely stupid that you let us do that, but I hope we made you proud.
“The feeling I get from looking across and seeing my best mates on the planet literally living their dream, in full HD, makes me so happy I could burst into bubbles. And thank you to Leigh. Our home. Our people. Nobody does it better. Last night was proof that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things.”
But as mentioned, perhaps the most wholesome part of the entire event was when they aired a brand-new tune created by Spirix Collective – a group of local musicians, dancers, and all-round creatives based in the heart of Leigh. Here’s what they’ve made:
What a lovely thing for everyone tied to this place.
Produced partly in an effort as part of the historic Lancashire county village’s bid to become the UK’s next first Town of Culture, it’s a track created on behalf not just of Leigh itself but to further help shine a light on the often criminally-overlooked borough of Wigan.
As for natives themselves, they signed off the milestone by adding in the caption: “Lottery Winners are massive. KOKO [Keep on keeping on].”
It’s fair to say that after seeing some of the scenes from over the weekend, we tend to agree.
Who was there on the night and, whether you were lucky enough to be or not, what do you make of the ‘Song For Leigh’ now you’ve heard it?
Emily Sergeant -
5th November 2021 
