THING OF THE WEEK

KENNEY HAPPY RETURNS… Cheshire property consultancy Kenneymoore celebrated its 30th birthday that week. Founded in 1995 by Tim Kenney and Howard Moore, the firm has cemented itself as a stalwart of the North West property scene. Three decades in business is a hell of an achievement for a small company and THING is sure you will agree that the founders have not changed a bit since the mid-1990s. Here’s to Kennymoore years to come! 

Mill Gate’s toilets are something to behold. Credit: via Citypress

FLUSHED… There is nothing worse than walking into a public toilet and being faced with a scene akin to that one from Trainspotting when Ewan McGregor ends up swimming in the u-bend. The team at Mill Gate Shopping Centre in Bury appreciates this and its hard work to maintain the cleanliness of its facilities has earned recognition.  

The retail complex secured a hat-trick of Platinum Loo of the Year awards recently, having also won the gong in 2022 and 2023. Other North West shopping centres will have to scrub harder if they are to remove Mill Gate from its porcelain throne.

Credit: via Carousel

SCREEN TIME… As part of the £27m redevelopment of Manchester’s Printworks, DTZ Investors had a huge 10,000 sq ft digital screen installed on the roof of the leisure venue. As this Monday was officially the saddest day of the year, the team at the Printworks decided to cheer us all up by allowing influencer Charlotte Dawson – daughter of comedian Les – the keys to screen in the centre’s first ever celebrity live stream. The event was described by Printworks bosses as an “immersive and joyful experience that captivated attendees”. It is good to see the screen being put to good use. 

Credit: via LCRCA

FAN… Have you ever driven through a long road tunnel and wondered how much those big fans on the roof weigh. Wonder no more. The Mersey Tunnel in Liverpool is having 36 new jet fans installed – costing £1.5m in total – to improve safety and air quality underground. They each weigh a whopping 635kg. That reminds me, I must renew my car insurance.

Padel is a rapidly growing sport. Credit: Tomasz Krawczyk via Unsplash

SINGLE COURTERS… Padel is primarily a doubles sport, which can present difficulties when trying to get a game going. Who has three other friends? Let alone three other friends who all happen to be free at the same time and have a basic level of hand eye coordination.

However, the latest in a long line of padel court planning applications may have a solution for that particular quandary. Plans have been lodged for 12 courts within a spare unit at Vaughan Street Industrial Estate. Nine will be standard doubles courts but three will be narrower, perfect for those with fewer friends. By our estimates, the trio of courts are the first to be delivered in Manchester for the lesser-seen singles variation of the sport.