THING OF THE WEEK

COVID KITTENS…The pandemic has been largely bad, all things considered, but many of us agree some good could come from it. Cleaner air, more user-friendly cities and a heightened appreciation for the simple things we have been denied for the past few months, to name a few.  

Anna de la Perrelle, managing director at DelaPR, whose clients include Arkwright House and Hurstwood Holdings, is enjoying – or at least tolerating – an unexpected consequence of the lockdown. Her cat Koko was due to be spayed before lockdown but the procedure was subsequently cancelled.  

Koko took advantage of her reprieve and fell pregnant. She has now given birth to four fluffy bundles of joy. Anna is now responsible for a veritable menagerie of pets, including the kittens, Koko, the cat’s friend (but not the father) Casper, and one outnumbered dog, Luna Blue. All four kittens are free to go to a good home if you can convince Anna’s son to part with them! 


Wirral Smalt Works

HEAVY METAL…Peel L&P’s Wirral Waters development will eventually deliver 1,000 homes across 500 acres of former dockland. The Centre of Applied Archaeology from the University of Salford was let loose with its spades and brushes to see what it could unearth. The findings provided a glimpse of Wirral’s industrial past, with the discovery of remains of the Seacombe Smalt Works, established in the early 19th century to produce smalt, a pigment used at the time in European oil painting. 

Richard Mawdsley, director of development at Wirral Waters, said: “Wirral has a strong industrial heritage – a heritage we have seen firsthand thanks to the findings of this archaeological investigation. We recognise how important it is for history to be recorded and captured for future generations. 


Snowdonia Lodge

LODGE DEAL…Here’s some things you can get for a fiver these days: a ticket at Skelmersdale’s new cinema, three-quarters of a pint in Manchester city centre and a two-bedroom lodge in North Wales with breathtaking views over Snowdonia National Park. Yes, that’s right, three-quarters of a pint and a film for a tenner! But, as pubs and cinemas are locked down at the moment, let’s concentrate on the lodge, shall we?  

Katherine Jablonowska and Ryan Mclean bought the rundown property in the Llŷn Peninsula in 2018 and spent the last two years pouring their hearts into it. Now the lodge is fully renovated, they have decided to sell it in a raffle with tickets costing no more than a deep-sea diver. The couple hopes to get £80,000 in entries by the time the competition closes on 30 September and donate the proceeds to charity. 


CUTOUT…Do you want to see if you’re cut out to be an architect? Manchester-based studio Kelsall Architects is providing the public with the chance to get up close and personal with some of Greater Manchester’s most famous buildings. The firm’s Covid Creative campaign, which aims to “help parents who find themselves suddenly having to juggle homeschooling with working from home”, allows you to download the likes of Manchester Central, Stockport’s Hat Works, and Canada House in 2D form and experience the joy of bringing them to life with your own hands, and a bit of glue. 


Liverpool Wildflower Initiative

From left: Volunteers Richard Scott, Dave Roughley and Bradley Hampson sowing the seeds.

BLOOMIN’ STREETS…The Liverpool Wildflower Gateways Project, a partnership between Liverpool City Council and the National Wildflower Centre at the Eden Project, is preparing to brighten up areas of Liverpool this summer.  A team of volunteers will head out to scatter cornflower, corn poppy, corn chamomile, daisy, red campion and meadow buttercup seeds across the city. 

The project, known by some as the ‘Scouse Flowerhouse’, will add splashes of colour in locations across Liverpool including Croxteth Park, Longmoor Lane, Ullet Road and Everton Park. Flower power indeed. 


Alchemie Technology Visual Of Blue Bell Farm Extension

HOMEWORKING…Dr Alan Hudd, founder and director of Alchemie Technology, which specialises in 3D printing and is developing products to help protect people from Covid-19, is taking homeworking to another level. PWA Planning has won approval for an extension to Alchemie’s laboratory at Blue Bell Farm in Longridge, designed by PGB Architectural Services, enabling the doctor to bring a whole new meaning to the concept of taking your work home. The plans include a residential aspect enabling the doctor to work late into the night before tumbling into his bed just yards away.

The need to be so close to the lab at all times highlights the importance of Hudd’s work, which involves developing antiviral materials and technologies. Hudd, who relocated from Cambridge to Lancashire five years ago, said: “Blue Bell Farm is a perfect location and environment for us to carry out our research and encourage creativity in the development of disruptive digital technologies. 

“Such creativity has allowed us to respond rapidly to the awful coronavirus crisis and accelerate the development of our digital coatings technology, Novara, to create a production process for applying an antiviral coating onto a variety of medical fabrics.”   

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