THING OF THE WEEK
DRESSING ROOM… There seems to be an update on Everton’s new stadium every time a brick is laid or a seat installed. You cannot really blame the club for being excited, though, given how long it has taken to get to this point. So far the updates have been focussed on what the stadium looks like from the outside but now we have been given a rare insight into the bowels of the ground. An image showing what the home dressing room might look like once complete has been published. The circular space has plenty of room for designer washbags and marks a “huge leap forwards from the cosy confines of the existing dressing room at Goodison,” according to the club.
JERK JOKE… Until it closed in 2017, Stage Door was the fancy dress and joke shop of choice for Stopfordians into that kind of thing. Having lain dormant for a few years, plans have now been submitted to convert the Underbanks building into a Carribean restaurant. From joke shop to jerk shop.
CARRY ON GLAMPING… The Secret Garden Glamping, whose founder – the superbly named Derry Green – secured £100,000 investment from Deborah Meaden on Dragons Den, has acquired La Mancha Hall in Halsall to expand its glamping empire. Advised by Stephensons, Skelmersdale-based SGG acquired the asset for around £1.8m and Green is already plotting its overhaul. “The purchase of La Mancha Hall marks the beginning of a new, exciting chapter in the history of Secret Garden Glamping,” Green said.
“We have a range of ambitious plans that will be outlined in due course. However, at the centre of those plans will be breathing new life into the property, whilst preserving its history and the natural beauty of its grounds.”
MICHELIN SNUB… This week, tyre/restaurant people Michelin left Manchester’s restaurateurs and foodies disgruntled. They rocked up to Manchester for the annual handing out of stars to establishments that put food on plates with tweezers and completely overlooked the city’s eateries. The snub brought back memories of when Rishi Sunak came to Manchester and told us we would not be getting HS2. That was odd, wasn’t it?
PLINTH… For the last six years, artists have been pitching to have their work displayed on the plinth outside Liverpool Parish Church. The 2024 competition has now been launched with a wider remit with national submissions being invited. Sculptors have until 8 April to submit their entries and a chance to win £2,500. Previous plinth sculptures include Brian Burgess’ Christ on a Donkey and, most recently, Boy with Knife Carnation by Wirral-based artist Brigitte Jurack.
On the Michelin stars, they do say it’s best to deliver bad news in person….
I’m not sure it really matters for (Greater) Manchester whether restaurants get a star or not (although there are a couple of ‘Bibs Gourmands’ already as well as Mana having a star) – when a restaurant gets a star it can just mean (a) the restaurant panics about losing it (b) bookings get harder to get as a load of people who otherwise wouldn’t have given the restaurant a second glance, and may not even be keen on the actual food, book for the ‘experience’ of dining in a venue approved by a tyre company.
I’d be interested to see the numbers on the extent to which getting a star is, in the long run, beneficial for restaurants as businesses. I suppose they might be able to charge a lot more, if they wanted to, and still be full, but I’m not sure it’s an unalloyed positive to the bottom line.
By Chapel St Resident
People can whine and stamp their feet all they want but HS2 is dead.
The scheme’s costs were spiralling through the roof. Meanwhile, there’s many lines which could be reopened eg the Burscough Curves to enable a Preston to Southport connection.
By Rye&Eggs
Rye & Eggs, HS2 was badly mismanaged by this London centric Government so we in the North West should just have to accept it?
By Anonymous
@February 12, 2024 at 11:26 am
By Anonymous
HS2 has been a thing since 2009. The company behind it is called HS2 Ltd.
Like I said, there’s lines between urban areas in the North West which could benefit from reopening.
By Rye&Eggs
HS2’s cost increased principally due to the government adding in extra scope (tunnelling through the Chilterns) and industry-wide cost inflation. The project is still needed and still value for money if and only if it’s delivered in full.
Notwithstanding that, why do we always look at the final cost after 30 years rather than the in-year cost forecast for HS2? No other public service is discussed in this way.
By Anonymous