Never-before-seen images of the Jodrell Bank Observatory have been released to the public ahead of the opening of a new £21.5 million visitor attraction.
The First Light Pavilion – which is part of the wider First Light Project, and is all about telling the stories of its pioneering scientists and opening up the inspirational history of the important Cheshire site – will showcase archives and artefacts, together with animations and projections, when it officially opens to the public this Saturday 4 June.
This major addition to the observatory will open up the inspiring history of the site by sharing the stories of its scientists, and its groundbreaking feats of science and engineering, as well as giving visitors the chance to experience a meteor shower, crawl into a black hole, or even see like a snake.
The building itself was an original idea developed by Jodrell Bank professors Teresa Anderson and Tim O’Brien, was designed by the award-winning architect HASSELL Studio, and takes the form of a grass-topped 76m-diameter dome.
It’s said to “cleverly mirror the shape and scale of the landmark Lovell Telescope”.
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Ahead of @JodrellBank’s First Light Pavilion opening this weekend, our Exec Director @Isabel_hunt710 has revealed a personal connection.
— National Lottery Heritage Fund (@HeritageFundUK) May 30, 2022
One such charming example is the story of Thomas ‘Barry’ Wade – the father of The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Executive Director, Isabel Hunt – who, having lived through WWII and then completed his National Service, put his civil engineering degree from Sheffield University to use at his first civilian job as a trainee engineer at Jodrell Bank from 1951-1952.
During his time on the site, Barry and his colleagues worked on prototype versions of the famous Lovell Telescope.
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Unseen images of the Jodrell Bank Observatory have been released to the public / Credit: Isabel Hunt
The unseen images, which have now been released, have been passed down from his working days and not only show Barry and his colleagues’ engineering skills, but also give an insight into what the Jodrell Bank site looked like at the time.
Speaking on the release of the unseen images, Isabel Hunt said: “When I joined The National Lottery Heritage Fund, I was really looking forward to making a difference for the UK’s heritage, but it was even more exciting to find out that one of our major investments at Jodrell Bank was intertwined with my very own family heritage.
“My father spoke very fondly of his time at Jodrell Bank.
“Along with all the other fascinating history being shared as part of the First Light Project, I am sure these stories will inspire the next generation of engineers.”
The images have been released ahead of the opening of a new £21.5 million visitor attraction / Credit: Isabel HuntThe pictures tell the story of Thomas ‘Barry’ Wade, who worked as a trainee engineer at Jodrell Bank from 1951-1952 / Credit: Isabel Hunt
Speaking ahead of the opening of the First Light Pavilion this weekend, Professor Anderson – Director at the Jodrell Bank Centre for Engagement – said: “After years of planning, we are thrilled to finally be able to announce the opening of First Light – a moment [that] will mark a whole new chapter for Jodrell Bank.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming our first visitors through the doors and in to this beautiful new space.”
The project has been made possible with funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
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The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded £12.5 million to the project “so that the site’s powerful human stories of curiosity, exploration, and discovery could be shared with the public”, according to chief executive Eilish McGuinness.
She added: “Jodrell Bank is truly a unique heritage site, of national and international importance, with an inspirational story of Britain’s role as a leader in the science of the exploration of the universe.”
You can find out more about the First Light Pavilion here.
Featured Image – Isabel Hunt
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Southampton troll Manchester City after Ruben Dias’ frustrated interview
Danny Jones
Southampton FC have decided to respond to Manchester City star Ruben Dias with some casual trolling following his frustrated post-match interview this weekend.
In short, someone let the admin off the leash, and we’ll admit it caught us a little off guard.
Man City shared the points away at St Mary’s Stadium against the already relegated Saints – a fate which plays somewhat into the rather nonchalant nature of their social media this past Friday, 9 May.
Southampton hosted City for what turned out to be a beyond forgettable bore draw, although Dias himself was clearly still dwelling on it at least somewhat after the full-time whistle, claiming the home team put in very little effort. To which this was their reply…
While plenty of people online had already seen Ruben‘s review of their performance, the south coast side had no problem in drawing even more eyes to it by sharing the video above.
There’s one thing to disagree with/mock a single player’s response in a moment of tension, but putting together a mini blooper reel about last season’s Premier League champions and recent Treble winners to the rather out-of-tune flute version of ‘September’ by Earth, Wind & Fire felt pretty bold, to say the least.
Again, not that they’ll care one bit, given they won’t be even in the same division for at least another year.
It’s also just not all too often that you see football clubs’ official media channels memeing other teams, so it’s hard not to react when instances like this do happen.
Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola had a fair few of his own visibly frustrated feelings on the match as well, including some words for his own players, although stating that they should have been able to break down a team that’s already on their way to the Championship.
Pep’s post-match press conference following Southampton 0-0 City in full.
It’s also worth mentioning that while it may have felt like a bit of a damp rubber game, there was actually a lot more at stake in the grander scheme of things.
Not only did the draw rescue Southampton from setting a new record for the lowest points tally in the top-flight competition’s history, but much more importantly, it meant crucial points were dropped for the Blues in the race to secure Champions League football.
Most supporters would rightly assume Man City will be in UEFA’s premier continental competition next season, but it’s not a certainty just yet.
You can watch the highlights, or lack thereof, down below.
Who had more of a point, do you think – Ruben Dias or the Southampton admin?
Featured Images — Sky Sports (screenshots via YouTube)
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Why are people queuing HOURS for these viral toys in Manchester?
Thomas Melia
A viral craze has yet again struck the internet, and this time it’s a cute plush collectible toy character even causing queues in Manchester.
In Britain it’s safe to say we are accustomed to a queue or two, but this newest line which has started forming outside a toy and collectibles shop on Market Street has puzzled a fair few Mancs.
The queues aren’t appearing from nowhere either; social media users describe how they’ve walked past the store as early as 7:30am and seen dozens of people standing outside waiting.
The culprit of these queues? An adorable collectable plush toy character that goes by the name of ‘Labubu‘.
Here’s the reason why Market Street has those insane queues.Labubu has made her way to Manchester in all her variations.Credit: Pop Mart
If your follow-up question is, “What is a Labubu?”, don’t worry because we asked exactly the same thing before we ended up nose-deep in the world of these widely popular plush toys.
Labubu is the name of the viral plush toy created by Hong Kong-born, Netherlands-raised designer Kasing Lung, who drew inspiration from his love of fairytales to make this worldwide cuddly phenomenon.
Recognised by their bunny-like ears, large eyes and big smiles (which some people find off-putting), Labubu has become a bit of an overnight superstar and shows no signs of slowing down.
The general public aren’t the only ones all over these famous fur-balls either, as celebs and stars alike have been attaching them to their handbags and sporting them like a prized possession.
And these are some pretty big names too, everyone from global superstar Rihanna to pop princess Dua Lipa have been pictured with a variation of Labubu dangling from their handbag.
People don’t just want to buy these viral toys as they are, part of the reason people are so obsessed with Labubu is the surprise element as you’ll find thousands of unboxing videos online.
Avid TikTok users will come across plenty of unboxing style videos, where collectors predict which colour or variation of the viral toy they will get before inevitably find out for themselves.
Previous Love Island contestant, reality TV star and model Olivia Attwood has got involved in this current Labubu trend, making lots of videos on social media expressing her love towards these plush collectables.
Attwood has become an unofficial mascot for Labubu through her various videos on social media, where she either unboxes or makes reference to these ‘monsters’.
This adorable plush toy character has even made its way into the rap field with UK drill act Central Cee not only having one but five variations of Labubu.
Each Labubu falls under a category or ‘series’, Cench seems to be a fan of the ‘Have A Seat’ range with all his collectibles in a sitting position.
The series all have their own names and limited edition style characters too including ‘Wings Of Fortune’, ‘Big Into Energy’, Pop Mart even launched a collaboration with household brand Coca Cola.
Labubu toys are exclusive to Pop Mart and available in their stores nationwide including Manchester Market Street and soon in their brand-new Trafford Centre destination too HERE.
So, that explains all the queuing, at the very least.
Emily Sergeant -
3rd June 2022 
