Santa is taking to the skies this Christmas, and families will get the chance to meet him in one of the most unique locations in the region.
With the festive season fast approaching and now less than 50 days to go until the big day is here, there’s arguably no better place in the North West to get cracking on your Christmas shopping than at Cheshire Oaks.
Just less than an hour’s drive from Manchester city centre, Cheshire Oaks is the largest Designer Outlet in the UK, and is home to over 400,000 square feet of retail space – with more than 150 boutiques, restaurants, and cafés to choose from.
But no festive visit to the shopping village is complete without meeting Santa.
Although this year, Cheshire Oaks’ beloved grotto will look a little different to usual as Santa and his trusty elves are taking to the skies and inviting you on a fantastical festive adventure on the outlet’s all-new Big Wheel.
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Cheshire Oaks has today unveiled its brand-new Big Wheel for 2022, which is located next to the outlet’s iconic Christmas tree – standing at over a 100ft high in the heart of all the action – and it will offer shoppers breathtaking views of the Cheshire skyline.
You can meet ‘Santa in the sky’ on a festive ferris wheel at Cheshire Oaks this Christmas / Credit: Cheshire Oaks
The Santa in the Sky experience is the perfect way to celebrate Christmas as a family this winter, and make memories to last a lifetime.
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Open every weekend throughout December, with 10-minutes flights taking place from 10am-1pm, included in the ticket price is four spaces on the Big Wheel flight with Santa and his elves, and you’ll also get to sip on a mulled wine or hot chocolate and enjoy a festive cookie, as well as get a little gift to take home with you from Santa.
While Santa in the Sky and the unveiling of the big wheel are both bound to be stand-outs, that’s not all that’s on offer at Cheshire Oaks this Christmas.
The outlet’s much-loved Winter Village has also undergone a makeover, and now offers even more indoor seating options alongside the option to book one of the popular Christmas huts, so you can take a break from shopping and snuggle up to enjoy a festive drink and bite to eat.
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Cheshire Oaks’ much-loved Winter Village has undergone a makeover and is better than ever / Credit: Cheshire Oaks
Whether you’re in the mood for a bratwurst straight from the swing grill, a cup of hot mulled wine, or a delicious hot chocolate, the German Christmas market-inspired Alpine Lodge within the Winter Village is an ideal place unwind and soak in the festive spirit after a long day of shopping.
As the big day gets closer, there’ll also be live performances from local gospel choirs, brass bands, and other festive singers happening across across the outlet from 25 November to get shoppers suitably in the Christmas spirit.
There’s also personalised Christmas gifting available to help you pick out the perfect present.
Christmas is officially back at the Designer Outlet shopping village / Credit: Cheshire Oaks
“We are excited Christmas is officially back at Cheshire Oaks,” said Kenny Murray – General Manager at McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Cheshire Oaks.
“From our iconic Winter Village, to the never-before-seen Santa in the Sky experience, we have made sure our guests will have an unforgettable experience visiting our centre this festive season, and ware confident our unbeatable prices across a selection of much-loved premium brands will allow our guests to shop for the best festive gifts, whilst also enjoying the holiday cheer through the many activities scheduled this winter.”
You can find out more about what’s on at Cheshire Oaks this Christmas here.
Featured Image – Cheshire Oaks
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Manchester’s historic connections to slavery will be at the heart of a major new exhibition
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s historic connections to slavery are to be explored during a major new exhibition coming soon to the city.
The Science and Industry Museum, in the heart of our city centre, is already known and loved for telling the story of the ideas and innovations that transformed Manchester into the world’s first industrial city.
But now, a new free exhibition is set to “enhance public understanding” of how transatlantic slavery actually shaped the city’s growth.
Produced by the Science and Industry Museum, in partnership with The Scott Trust Legacies of Enslavement programme, and developed with African descendent and diaspora communities through local and global collaborations, this landmark project will put Manchester’s historic connections to enslavement at the heart of a major exhibition at the museum for the first time.
Featuring new research, it will also explore how the legacies of these histories continue to impact Manchester, the world, and lives today.
Set to open in early 2027, the exhibition will run for a year in the museum’s Special Exhibitions Gallery.
Alongside that hub at the Science and Industry Museum itself, the project is also set to have a collaborative city-wide events programme, and a lasting legacy – with a new permanent schools programme, and permanent displays in the future too.
As mentioned, the new exhibition is part of The Scott Trust Legacies of Enslavement programme, which is a 10-year restorative justice project launched in 2023.
Manchester’s historic connections to slavery will be at the heart of a major new exhibition / Credit: Science Museum Group Collection
Through partnerships and community programmes, the project aims to improve public understanding of the impact of transatlantic slavery on the UK’s economic development, and its ongoing legacies for Black communities – with a strong focus on Manchester, the city in which The Guardian was founded back in 1821.
The museum’s existing gallery content and ongoing work around sharing the inextricable links between Manchester’s growth into an industrial powerhouse and a textile industry reliant on colonialism and enslavement will be developed through the project.
Through a “collaborative re-examination of the past”, the exhibition will also share a more inclusive history of a city that prides itself on being at the forefront of ideas that change the world.
It’s opening at the Science and Industry Museum in early 2027 / Credit: Science and Industry Museum
Speaking ahead of the exhibition’s arrival in early 2027, Sally MacDonald, who is the Director of the Science and Industry Museum, says: “This will be an exhibition about important aspects of our past that are profoundly relevant to the world we live in today.
“Revealed from the perspectives of those who experienced enslavement and whose lives have been shaped by its legacies, we will foreground stories of resistance, agency, and skill.
“The exhibition will explore themes of resilience, identity and creativity alongside exploitation and inequality, and will feature a specific focus on the ways that scientific and technological developments both drove and were driven by transatlantic slavery.”
Further details on the project will be announced in due course, so stay tuned.
Featured Image – Science Museum Group
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Charlotte Dawson will be handing out compliments and big prizes in Manchester to brighten Blue Monday
Daisy Jackson
TV star Charlotte Dawson will be cheering up Blue Monday in Manchester, dishing out compliments to strangers and awarding some big prizes too.
The actress, who is the daughter of the legendary late Les Dawson, will be bringing her signature sunny energy to Printworks on Monday 20 January.
Otherwise known as Blue Monday, it’s believed that the third Monday in January is the most depressing day of the year – so she’s here to nip that in the bud.
Between 1pm and 3pm on the huge gaming screen inside Printworks – part of its £21m transformation that included adding a huge digital ceiling – Charlotte Dawson will be spreading joy and laughter.
She’ll be live streaming straight to passers-by, spreading smiles and dishing out compliments.
Charlotte will also be treating visitors to some amazing prizes from Printworks’ collection of bars, restaurants and leisure venues.
These prizes will include free brunch for four at Walkabout, gaming sessions at Bierkeller, or family cinema tickets with Ice Blasts at VUE. Other prizes include Nando’s vouchers, a drink and activity for two at the new Trax Social, and much more.
And the top prize will be a luxury overnight stay for two at Hotel Indigo, just across the road in the very heart of Manchester.
Charlotte Dawson will take part in Blue Monday at Printworks, Manchester
There’ll even be free coffee vouchers for Todd St Cafe on offer to brighten your Blue Monday.
Kristian Brennan, Marketing Manager at Printworks, said: “We couldn’t be more excited to have Charlotte at Printworks this Blue Monday.
“As a true Mancunian icon, her vibrant personality is exactly what we need to brighten up the most depressing day of the year and we know she’ll bring plenty of laughs and smiles to everyone who stops by.
“What makes this event truly unique is the opportunity for the public to chat with Charlotte under Europe’s largest digital ceiling, which will showcase new mood-boosting content.
“It’s an innovative and exciting way for people to connect, and we can’t wait to see families and friends come together to create joyful memories in this truly unique setting!”
Emily Sergeant -
9th November 2022 
