THING OF THE WEEK
LARKING AROUND… E-scooter firm Voi has a vision and that vision does not include cars. The coral pink scooters of the Swedish micro-mobility firm can be found in Liverpool, among other places, and while they have not been popular with everyone, Voi is determined to show that its vehicles have a place in the city. To prove its point, the company has mocked up an idyllic image of what a car-free, pedestrianised Lark Lane might look like, complete with e-scooters, of course.
DUTY-FREE… Like cheap booze? Head to Holyhead where you will find what is being billed as the world’s smallest duty-free store. The shop, fashioned out of a shipping container and run by Swedish company R&F Travel Retail, has just flung open its doors. It is the first time people travelling to the UK from Ireland will be able to take advantage of duty-free goodies since 1999 when this kind of trading was scrapped between EU member states. However, thanks to Brexit, cut-price alcohol, cigarettes and perfume can now be procured from within a 40 ft metal container facing the Irish Sea. Every cloud.
RIDE SAFE… Six of Greater Manchester’s 10 boroughs were among the safest places in England for cycling, according to a study by Tredz, a retailer of all things bike-related. Tredz carried out the study across the country taking into account a variety of factors including CO2 emissions, how many cars are on the road, and the number of bike thefts. Rochdale came out on top and was joined by Oldham, Wigan, Bury, Bolton and Tameside in the top 10. Chris Boardman will be pleased.
LET’S GET LIT… Manchester’s Oxford Road corridor is set to receive an illumination makeover this October when artists turn it into their canvas during the Corridor of Light event. Starting on 21 October, creatives will use light as their artistic medium, with pieces like a giant heart-shaped mirror ball at Circle Square, the transformation of the Homeground in First Street site into a “fire garden” and neon lights over Booth Street East. You can catch the show from 6pm to 10pm 21-23 October. You can find more information on the Oxford Road Corridor website.
LIVERPOOL GO… Liverpool and Birkenhead are about to get the augmented reality treatment, with US gaming company Niantic set to curate their historic sites into popular games “Harry Potter: Wizards Unite” and “Pokémon GO”. Niantic worked with history engagement organisation Big Heritage to do the same thing for Chester back in 2017, adding bits of historical intel into the game maps for players to discover. That led to Chester hosting a massive gaming event with 20,000 people and, according to Big Heritage, it is still a big tourism draw. So, will Pikachu be spotted sharing facts about the Three Sisters? Or will potion ingredients be found at the birthplace of the Guide Dogs? Only time will tell, but if you notice more people glued to their phones than usual in Liverpool this could be why