Northern Eden Project gets £50m cash injection as part of government ‘levelling up’ fund
Hoping to replicate the success of Cornwall’s Eden Project, the Eden Project Morecambe (originally named the Eden Project North) will focus on marine life.
A new northern Eden Project focusing on marine life is set to open in Morecambe Bay next year thanks to a huge cash boost from the government’s ‘levelling up’ investment fund.
Named as one of more than 100 projects across the UK to win a share of the £2.1bn fund, the new eco-tourism attraction will be built on the north west coast, in the Lancashire seaside town of Morecambe – an hour and a half’s drive from Manchester.
Hoping to replicate the success of Cornwall’s Eden Project, the Eden Project Morecambe (originally named the Eden Project North) will focus on marine life and will feature three impressive shell-shaped pavilions overlooking Morecambe Bay.
The attraction is scheduled to open in 2024 and will appeal to people keen on art, science, adventure, play and performance as well as nature.
Plans to create a second Eden Project in the north of England have been in the running since 2020 but have now been boosted by government support of £50m funding, reports The Hoot.
Part of a wider project aiming to “re-imagine Morecambe as a seaside resort for the 21st Century”, Morecambe’s Tory MP David Morris said it was absolutely “mind-blowing” news.
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NEWS: Eden Project Morecambe has been awarded a £50m investment by the Gov’s Levelling Up Fund. Thank you to the #Morecambe community and our partners for their unwavering support and contribution: @LancasterCC, @LancashireCC, Lancashire Enterprise Partnership & @LancasterUnipic.twitter.com/dCWxeAQEGU
The investment will cover half of the £100m needed to build the highly anticipated coastal-themed attraction.
Eden Project Morecambe is expected to provide “significant economic, environmental and social benefits” for the area.
Those familiar with the original Eden Project in Cornwall will recognise Eden Project Morecambe as a similar attraction combining “exhibits, performance, learning, play, immersive experiences, world-class horticulture, art, food, beverage and retail spaces”.
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Mr Morris said the funding decision had “quite literally changed Morecambe forever. Five years of work has finally come to fruition and, after lobbying four prime ministers and six chancellors, and more meetings and debates in Parliament than I can count, I am absolutely delighted.
“What started off as a dream has now become reality and this will secure prosperity in Morecambe for generations to come.”
Former Manchester City player Joey Barton found guilty of assaulting his wife
Danny Jones
Ex-footballer Joey Barton has officially been found guilty of assaulting his wife following his two-day trial in the capital this week.
Barton, who played for Manchester City, Newcastle United, Queens Park Rangers and a number of other clubs, was convicted at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 25 March, following an incident back in June 2021.
The former midfielder left his wife, 37-year-old Georgia Barton (McNeil), with a bleeding nose and a bruise on her forehead following a drunken row at their home in London.
Barton is said to have grabbed and pushed her to the floor before kicking her in the head. Married in 2019, the two have four children and are thought to still be together.
The 42-year-old was still employed in professional football as the manager of Bristol Rovers at the time, but he was ultimately sacked in October 2023.
His wife called 999 at the time, telling police that he had hit her, but later retracted her statement.
Born in Huyton, Merseyside, the chief magistrate Paul Goldspring recognised that the one-time England has a history of violence.
He was given a 12-week suspended prison sentence, meaning he won’t serve time unless he commits another offence and has been ordered to pay £2,138.
Since dropping out of mainstream football, in particular, Barton has come under heavy criticism for allegations of racism, sexism and controversial right-wing politics; he even started an ‘anti-woke’ podcast called Common Sense with Joey Barton.
Back in June of last year, he was ordered to pay £35,000 in damages to settle a libel claim with presenter Jeremy Vine after a series of inflammatory comments made online.
The Radio 2 presenter sued Mr Barton earlier this year, after the former footballer wrote a series of posts suggesting Mr Vine had a sexual interest in children.
He also accused of threatening fellow former pro, Eni Aluko, after a torrent of abuse regarding her punditry online – the ex-England international even went so far as to say she no longer felt safe staying in the country.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach to close five iconic rides after £2.7m loss
Daisy Jackson
Blackpool Pleasure Beach has announced it’s closing five of its rides for the season, as well as reducing its opening hours, after reporting a pre-tax loss of £2.8m.
The beloved North West attraction has been pulling in families and thrill-seekers since it opened in 1896, famed for rides like the Big Dipper – a classic wooden rollercoaster – and The Big One.
Despite being such a popular tourist attraction, finances are biting for Blackpool Pleasure Beach, and it’s reported that five rides will close for the 2025 season.
The news comes almost exactly a year after it announced the heartbreaking closure of Grand Prix after 64 years.
The theme park has said that visitor numbers still haven’t fully recovered from the pandemic, leading to altered opening times to ‘maximise efficiency and cost’.
Five ‘less popular’ rides will be closed this year – Red Arrows Skyforce, Eddie Stobart Convoy, Alpine Rallye, Thompson Carousel, and Gallopers.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach said that 2025 is an ‘exciting but transformational’ year for the theme park.
In a statement, they said: “This year we’ve made the decision to close some of our smaller, less popular rides during the 2025 season: Eddie Stobart Convoy, Alpine Rallye, Thompson Carousel, Gallopers and Red Arrows Skyforce.
“The smaller rides were already being run on reduced opening times and our rider data showed that they have some of our lowest throughput, while Skyforce is 10 years old this year.
“After a great deal of thought, it was clear to us that the right decision is to make changes which will allow us to reinvest into a bigger and better future.”
Blackpool Pleasure Beach recently announced where some of that reinvestment is heading – and it’ll see an exciting new £8.72M ride opening.
The Gyro Swing will be the largest of its kind in the UK, leaving riders ‘completely weightless’ as they dangle from a spinning pendulum that swings 120 degrees and reaches 138 feet at its highest point.
Recent accounts show that Blackpool Pleasure Beach made a loss of £2.8m in the last financial year, compared to a £789k loss the year prior.
Georgina Pellant -
19th January 2023 
