THING OF THE WEEK

FAREWELL… Rail enthusiasts are being given the chance to say goodbye to the Merseyrail network’s old rolling stock. The Class 507 fleet has serving passengers across Liverpool City Region since 1978 but is currently being phased out in favour of a shiny new set of trains. A series of special journeys will be put on next month so that people can bid farewell to the fleet, believed to be one of the oldest models currently in operation on Britain’s railways. Somebody should probably alert Tik-Tok train botherer Francis Bourgeois.

𝐉𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝟓 𝐒𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐋𝐄𝐅𝐓 𝐔𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐋 𝐂𝐇𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐒 🎄🔔

It’s not to late to secure those all important Christmas parties!

Enquire about Christmas at 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐏𝐄𝐄 via the link in our bio. 👆#TheOastHouseMCR pic.twitter.com/iyBxXb73Iu

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TEEPEE… The teepee at Manchester’s Oast House is a popular cosy haunt during the winter months. So popular, in fact, that New World Trading Company is requesting permission to enlarge it for a second time. Consent for the original teepee was granted in 2015 and permission for a bigger one was given in 2020. Four years on, the teepee is set to grow once more. Either Oast House is getting more popular or Manchester’s winters are becoming harsher.

Morecambe Winter Gardens will receive a new extension with lifts and toilets thanks to the Cultural Development Fund. Credit: Wikimedia UK user Nilfanion via CC BY-SA 4.0, bit.ly/3FAlkqq

MORECAMBE SEATS… Plans to increase the capacity of Morecambe’s Winter Gardens took an important step forward with the submission of a planning application this week. One part of the project will see seats reintroduced to the venue’s circle, which has been chair-less since the 1982.

The seats were sold and presumed to be lost forever, only to be rediscovered 40 years later, an excerpt from Buttress’s design and access statement states. The Leyland Masonic Hall, which bought the seats for reasons unknown, “has extensively refurbished the chairs, leaving them in excellent condition”. The mystery of the missing theatre seats is an intriguing tale that raises more questions than it answers, like: why were the seats sold in the first place? How much for? And where were they kept for 40 years?

Eccles always inspires this amount of excitement, Place finds. Credit: Ellie Philcox

COMPLETED IT, MATE… If you are looking for a way to while away the hours this bank holiday weekend look no further. Ellie Philcox, director at Euan Kellie Property Solutions, and her nephew Harry spent last Saturday trying to “complete the Metrolink” and are challenging tram fans to try and beat their score. All told, they alighted at 46 of the 99 stops on the Metrolink network; a solid effort that will be hard to beat. Harry’s highlights included the Blue Peter garden at Media City and Besses o’ th’ Barn. Presumably, Harry (or Ellie) is a fan of apostrophes.

Children will be supervised as they climb on the netted frame. Credit: via planning documents

DROPPING OFF THE KIDS… A new adventure course at Hollingworth Lake, a popular beauty spot in Rochdale, will be built to offer parents a chance to drop off their kids, have some alone time, and take in the scenic views. Content as their children play, supervised and suspended 2 metres in the air, safely surrounded by netting. The playground hopes to increase tourism to the area – those searching for peace and quiet will be warned to stay away.