THING OF THE WEEK

NICHE… The long-awaited redevelopment of Workington Reds’ Borough Park got planning approval this week, which is great news for the town and for the scheme’s architect FWP, which Place is going to dub the Populous of the lower leagues.

Well-known global architecture practice Populous has designed some of the world’s largest football stadia, including Tottenham Hotspur’s £2bn home and the Lusail Stadium in Qatar, which played host to the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France. FWP has designed some of the smaller, but no less impressive, new stadia to emerge over recent years, including for Leamington, AFC Fylde, Hastings United, and FC United of Manchester. Proper football.

Paul Richards will be in the saddle for 11 days. Credit: via Marketing Manchester

END TO END… Stockport Council’s deputy chief executive is not scared of a challenge. Last year, Paul Richards thought it would be a good idea to abseil down Stopford House in the town centre. Turns out it was – not only did he survive, he raised more than £1,000 for charity. His latest challenge takes things up a level or three. Richards will be riding more than 1,000 miles solo from Land’s End in Cornwall to John O’Groats in Scotland over 11 gruelling days to raise money for two local charities – Moya Cole Hospice and Signpost for Carers. Richards said the idea for the challenge came about through “poor decision-making, excessive bravado and an inability to say ‘that sounds like a terrible idea’”.  You can donate here.

Bellway’s intrepid explorers. Credit: via Bellway

TREK… 11 days must be sweet spot of charitable feats of endurance. That is how long six Bellway staff spent trekking through the Himalayas to raise a whopping £27,000 for Cancer Research UK. Kieran James, Antony Ellerton, Jessica Whitby, Lorraine White, and Clare Shacklock from Bellway’s North West division, along with Fergus O’Boyle from the company’s Scotland West division, were part of a wider group of 34 walkers led by eight guides along the rarely trekked 60-mile route. A great effort, guys. Now hurry back, haven’t you heard there is a housing crisis?

How the scheme could look. Credit: via Dela PR

SERVED…It is official, the padel craze has gone Luney. Hurstwood Holdings is keen to capture the enthusiasm around the tennis/squash hybrid with plans for six indoor courts at Lune Business Park. The courts will be constructed in a vacant 15,000 sq ft industrial unit. Surely the undersupply of courts that has prompted the building frenzy is easing by now? The scheme adds to a growing leisure offer at the industrial complex, which includes a gym and a climbing wall.

Credit: via Influential

PURRFECT… How many cat cafes does one city need? Some would argue there is no limit, others would say even one is too many. In Manchester, there are soon to be two. One on Deansgate is already open while Downing has announced a letting to LollipawsClub at Square Gardens on First Street. As well as selling coffee, Lollipaws doubles up as a pet shop offering a range of products as well as professional grooming. The deal completes the commercial line-up at Square Gardens, which is also home to Asda Express, Thai-Chinese restaurant Yaowarat, coffee shop Ty Blawd, and Seol & Tokyo, an East Asian supermarket and restaurant.