THING OF THE WEEK

OASIS… Prestwich is the epicentre of Oasis-related marketing stunts. Walk up the main street and you’ll see references to the band’s much-anticipated return everywhere. The Gallagher brothers and the other two will make their big hometown return a stone’s throw from the village at Heaton Park in a week’s time and local businesses big and small are falling over themselves to capitalise on the action. This week saw Aldi’s Prestwich store rebrand as Aldeh, while local estate agent Normie took a similar approach, changing its name temporarily to Normeh. If all you need is cigarettes and alcohol, Bargain Booze can be found between the two.

Puma Kings, a perm, and rolled down socks, Sinclair looks every bit the eighties footballer. Credit: Colin Sinclair

HAPPY MEMORIES… These days Colin Sinclair is seen as one of the main driving forces of regeneration in Liverpool. This week he has been reflecting on his days as the co-owner of the Boardwalk club on Little Peter Street in Manchester during the 1980s and 90s. Sinclair is actually writing a book on the Boardwalk, which, alongside others like the Haçienda, was a pillar of the Madchester music scene. There are no doubt plenty of tales to tell and, evidently, pictures to share. Sinclair posted one image of that era on LinkedIn this week of him playing a shirts vs skins game of football with none other than Manchester icon Bez. We can’t wait for the book and, hopefully, a return of the perm to mark the launch.

Credit: Nora Jane Long via Unsplash

GRASS WARS… A row has broken out in Sefton over some overgrown lawns. Landlord One Vision Housing has stopped cutting the grass outside some of its properties having deemed the areas private gardens. Some residents are clearly unhappy about this and have expressed their “concern and dismay” to local councillors. Next week a motion aimed at forcing One Vision Housing to resume grass cutting duties will be tabled at a council meeting.

GLASS… The World of Glass museum in St Helens is facing closure unless it can raise £50,000 in the next three months. A crowdfunding campaign has started well with just shy of £10,000 donated at the time of writing. Much of St Helens’ identity is wrapped up in the glass industry and the recent launch of the Glass Futures R&D facility demonstrates the extent to which the town’s future is tied to the sector. To see World of Glass close would not be a good look.

Three schools will get all of this equipment. Credit: via Harland & Poston

HENCH… Harland & Poston is in the process of redeveloping Formby Hall Golf Resort and Spa after acquiring the 79-room hotel late last year. As part of the process, the owners are getting rid of the old gym equipment but instead of selling it for scrap it is being donated to three local schools.

Students at Formby High, Scarisbrick Hall, and Range High will soon be the beneficiaries of free weights as well as cardio and resistance machines. Physical education has clearly come a long way from the days when running in the mud while your lungs burned was the key tenet of the curriculum. Expect to see some especially hench teenagers knocking about in Formby in about six months’ time.