. February 2020 - Page 4 of 7 - Wilcop Media

February 2020

Lancashire News

3 more major leisure and retail brands have joined the £80 million Rochdale Riverside scheme. South African restaurant Nando’s, famous for its Portuguese inspired peri-peri chicken dishes, has taken a 3,500 sq ft unit on a 15 year-lease. Nando’s will be joined by luxury dessert chain Heavenly Desserts, which is taking 2,000 sq ft of space on a 10-year lease.

Superdrug will also be joining the retail mix with a 4,500 sq ft unit, offering the best in accessible health and beauty products and services. The latest deals follow handover to M&S, H&M, Next, Boots, Reel Cinemas and Hollywood Bowl’s new mini golf concept, Puttstars, with all currently undertaking internal fitout works on site. JD Sports and River Island will also take units in the scheme.

Delivered in a joint venture between Genr8 and Kajima in partnership with Rochdale Borough Council, Rochdale Riverside comprises approximately 200,000 sq ft (60,970 sq m) of retail and leisure accommodation in the heart of Rochdale. Work on site is set to complete in April 2020 with a launch festival scheduled for Easter weekend. These new deals mark another major step forward for the scheme, which will bring 24 new retail and leisure units to the heart of Rochdale town centre, alongside a 6-screen cinema.

Lauren Gavaghan, Development Manager at Genr8 Developments, said:
“We are delighted to have agreed a deal to bring 3 popular brands to the Rochdale Riverside scheme. These occupiers will complement the current tenant mix in the scheme and will help drive forward the leisure element.
“The scheme is now 80% let and with works continuing to progress at pace, we are now looking forward to completion and the launch.”

Councillor Allen Brett, leader of Rochdale Borough Council, said: “Rochdale town centre has undergone a major transformation in recent years, and Rochdale Riverside is a key part of it. These new additions will complement the ever expanding offer in Rochdale town centre, which includes fantastic new independent restaurants, Bombay Brew and the Mannerist, and will soon welcome a Hogarth’s pub as part of a £1 million restoration of one of our major historic buildings.”

Cheetham & Mortimer and LTL Property are joint agents on the scheme.
Warwick Smither, director at Cheetham and Mortimer, said: “This is a massive endorsement for the town and the Rochdale Riverside development. “Securing brands such as Nando’s, Superdrug and Heavenly Desserts is a huge boost for the scheme and everybody involved.
We are looking forward to the launch of Rochdale Riverside and announcing further deals as we draw closer to completion.”

Lancashire News

An ambitious plan to transform Oldham, including creating more than 2,000 new homes in the town centre, 1,000 new jobs and 100 apprenticeship opportunities, is set to be approved by Oldham Council. The ‘Creating a Better Place’ vision will unlock £306m of investment across Oldham by focussing on building more homes for local people, delivering new jobs through town centre regeneration, and ensuring Oldham is a great place to visit and do business.

Oldham Council has undertaken a detailed review of the regeneration plans for the borough in order to strengthen the focus on building homes in the town centre. This means it will be able to meet the urgent need for more housing for residents – designed for a range of budgets and needs – by prioritising urban sites, and where possible, avoiding building on greenbelt land to protect the borough’s much-loved open spaces.

‘Creating a Better Place’ is expected to significantly boost regeneration across the town centre, making it a destination of choice with lots of family-friendly and accessible places to go, creating a vibrant night-time economy and improving the variety of retail space. The Council is also committed to preserving Tommyfield Market and providing a sustainable future for it.
Councillor Sean Fielding, Leader of the Council, said: “Since becoming Leader of the Council I have listened to what residents are saying about the future of the borough and I have undertaken a detailed review of the evidence.

“I believe that this refocus of our plans will be revolutionary for Oldham, bringing jobs, homes and investment into our town centre and will help to create a better place to work, live and visit. “Oldham Town Centre is at the heart of our borough and the potential to create lasting change is immense. Together, we can Create a Better Place to secure the future of our town centre and ensure it thrives.”

‘Creating a Better Place’ is a boroughwide plan building on Oldham Council’s Town Centre Vision – a framework published in July last year which aims to address the challenges faced by town centres and sets out the priority areas for regeneration with housing as the catalyst.

It will provide an approach for the Council to support inclusive growth, thriving communities and the co-operative agenda by:
• Building quality homes
• Providing opportunities to learn and gain new skills
• Providing opportunities to grow local businesses and create jobs
• Supporting Oldham’s ambition to be the greenest borough
• Embedding sustainability, energy efficiency and low (zero) carbon
• Improving life-chances and the health/well-being of our residents and local communities.

The strategy will build on Oldham’s recent successful town centre regeneration projects including the redevelopment of the Old Town Hall, improved connectivity via Metrolink and the redevelopment of Oldham Leisure Centre and Parliament Square.

Whilst construction work to transform the former Oldham Library into OMA – a state-of-the-art £13m arts and heritage centre which will offer galleries, a modern archive facility and performance space – will soon begin.

It accompanies ongoing investment and regeneration projects across the borough including:
• The new Saddleworth School in Diggle
• Redevelopment of Alexandra Park depot to support the ground-breaking Northern Roots project which will create the biggest ecological centre and urban farm in the UK
• The refurbishment of Royton Town Hall
• The development of a leading hotel at Prince’s Gate, Oldham Mumps
• Other projects to be announced in the coming months.

Lancashire News

Walmsley Primary School and Egerton Park in Bolton today saw a special visit from Tour of Britain mascot ToBi to present them with their trophy for winning the National Land Art competition. The 2019 Tour of Britain finished with a spectacular Greater Manchester stage, that saw the world’s top professional cyclists race through all ten boroughs of the city, including Bolton, before the finish in the heart of the city, where Mathieu van der Poel was crowned Tour of Britain winner.

The Egerton community came together with Walmsley Primary School to create the winning cycling installation that was shown around the world on the race’s live television coverage, and came out on top in the public vote via tourofbritain.co.uk

“Once again the reception to the Tour of Britain Land Art competition was outstanding and we had some truly exceptional entries from across the country. I would like to congratulate the whole community in Egerton on their award, but also for their work in helping so many people to enjoy and be involved in the Greater Manchester stage of the Tour”, said Tour of Britain Race Director Mick Bennett.

Bolton Council leader, Cllr David Greenhalgh, said, “I’m thrilled that Walmsley Primary School and Egerton Park have won the National Land Art competition. To come top among so many fantastic entries from across the UK is testament to the hard work and creativity of everyone involved.
“From Bromley Cross and Egerton to Horwich and Blackrod, I was so proud of the way everyone came out to support the event and cheer on the competitors. The support and enthusiasm of the local community is part of why major sporting events like the Tour of Britain want to come to Bolton.”
Commenting on the presentation, Cllr Samantha Connor from Bolton Council and Miriam Shamir from the Play team said, “We were very excited that the Tour of Britain was coming to Bolton and passing right through our village so wanted to get the whole community involved to support the cyclists.

“Along with the Play team and Walmsley Primary School we created our land art Installation on Egerton Park and Bolton Council provided T-shirts for all the children to spell out ‘Bolton’. “This combined with the Play team’s fun activities, face painter and an ice cream van provided an exciting and memorable day for everyone as the Tour of Britain raced past.

“We were thrilled to be shortlisted and then to actually win is an honour and a credit to every single person involved within our community!” Egerton Park and Walmsley Primary School follow in the footsteps of the South Molton Farmers from Devon that won the inaugural land art competition in 2018.

The 2020 Tour of Britain is a part of the new UCI ProSeries and will take place between Sunday 6 and Sunday 13 September, starting in Cornwall for the first time and finishing in the Granite City of Aberdeen eight days later. In October race organisers SweetSpot announced that they are looking for a new title partner for the 2020 race, following the successful conclusion of a three year partnership with OVO Energy.

The Tour of Britain is British Cycling’s premier road cycling event, giving cycling fans the opportunity to see the world’s best teams and riders competing on their doorstep and helping to build a great cycling nation.

Lancashire News

OLDHAM Council and its partners are encouraging people to consider volunteering as part of the final week of its New Year New You campaign. Thousands of people volunteer in Oldham each year and there is room for more to give just a small part of their time to help others as well as gaining personal benefits such as to their health. Studies have found that when people stop thinking about their own problems and focus on someone other than themselves, stress levels start to decrease. And playing a role in the local community is a very important part of Oldham’s great heritage.
Councillor Arooj Shah Oldham Council Deputy Leader and Cabinet Lead for Social Justice and Communities, said:

“January is a great time for people to set personal goals and volunteering is one of those ‘hidden gems’ that people who give time to help others say they wished they had started sooner.

“For children and young people, volunteering builds social skills and develops awareness that proves very attractive to future employers.
“For older people, the benefits of volunteering show up quickly and have long-term effects. For example, the benefits of consistent socializing include better brain function and lower risk for depression and anxiety.

“And for all those busy people who think they haven’t got time to volunteer, just a couple of hours volunteering a week can prove a fun distraction from the stresses of everyday lives.” Action Together is an accredited Volunteer Centre in Oldham that helps both individuals find a suitable place to volunteer as well as working with organisations to advertise suitable opportunities.

Based in offices in Manchester Chambers (just off West Street), Oldham Town Centre, Action Together offers a range of support to strengthen communities. Their belief is that by learning together, sharing skills and pooling resources more can get done.

Nayan Joshi, Senior Partnerships & Project Officer at Action Together, said: “It is great to think that one person’s efforts can change the life of someone else in Oldham. However, the best part, and often overlooked, is that volunteering is just plain fun. ​“We support people to get help, providing opportunities to get better connected to what is going on in their local community and find the support they need.

“We also strengthen community and voluntary groups by providing support to run their group, find and secure resources and work together to do more.”

For more detail go to Action Together’s website www.actiontogether.org.uk and to find out more about Oldham Council’s New Year New You campaign go to https://www.oldham.gov.uk/newyearnewyou

Lancashire News

Bury town centre has been awarded Purple Flag status for a fifth consecutive year in recognition of its thriving night time economy.
Purple Flag is a town and city centre award – similar to the Green Flag for Parks and Blue Flag for beaches – which promotes excellence in the evening and night time economy and aims to raise the standard and broaden the appeal of town and city centres between 6pm and 6am. Areas awarded the Purple Flag are recognised for providing a vibrant and diverse mix of dining, entertainment and culture while promoting the safety and wellbeing of visitors and local residents.

Bury is one of only two town centres in Greater Manchester to fly the Purple Flag, having been the only town across GM for the last four years.
The accolade comes as Bury starts 2020 as the first GM Town of Culture, which includes plans for a multitude of family-friendly ‘Happy’ events inspired by the legacy of Bury’s own Victoria Wood. Councillor David Jones, leader of Bury Council and chair of the Purple Flag Steering Group, said:

“We are delighted to receive this prestigious award for the fifth year in a row, and the timing could not have been better. “I had the pleasure of picking up our first Purple Flag years ago, and our fifth flag is a tribute to all the efforts that partners across Bury have put in to maintain our high standards. “We will continue to work together to ensure that Bury continues to go from strength to strength and offers an enjoyable and safe evening out for everyone.’’

To retain Purple Flag Status, the Bury team had to provide detailed information for a range of criteria including, cleanliness and safety, movement and transport, the range of attractions, entertainment and events, high quality environment and strong partnership working.

The team has recently been working to strengthen the Town Centre Pub Watch group, support the Street Pastor service (who help vulnerable people on a night out), improve safety standards across the taxi/hackney carriage service and work towards a Best Bar None scheme which will be led by Greater Manchester Police. This programme, supported by the Home Office, is designed to improve standards within licensed premises through partnership working with the licensed trade, police and Bury Council.

The aim is to create safer, busier and more successful businesses coupled with reduced levels of crime and disorder. Not only has Bury retained Purple Flag accreditation but it has also been selected by the Purple Flag Panel as a finalist for the Purple Flag Award in the “Movement” category. This reflects the strong partnership working with TfGM and the authorities continued work to ensure that all town centre users have a range of safe options to travel to and from Bury.

The town will be up for the award with two other areas chosen from other Purple Flag rounds, with the winner being announced at the Association of Town and City management (ATCM) and Purple Flag awards in June 2020 in Cardiff. John Locke, chair of Bury Pub Watch, said: “This is fantastic news and reflects the ongoing hard work of the Bury Purple Flag partners including Pub Watch and GMP. We are determined to create an expanding and improved quality offer for Bury, and ensure all of our customers can enjoy a safe, enjoyable night out in Bury.

We will continue to work with all partners to improve standards, support our evening economy businesses and ensure Bury offers entertainment for all age groups.” The Purple Flag assessor commented: “I was exceedingly impressed with the commitment and enthusiasm of the Purple Flag Assessment Team and partners during the assessment. Their pride in the town was palpable. I have no hesitation in recommending Bury for retention of their Purple Flag status. They are leading the way for Greater Manchester authorities.”

For more details about Bury being the first GM Town of Culture, go to https://www.mynewsdesk.com/uk/bury-council/pressreleases/get-happy-bury-secures-prestigious-greater-manchester-town-of-culture-accolade-2955167

Lancashire News

A prolific flytipper, who repeatedly dumped rubbish in the street behind her home, spent a weekend in the cells before being ordered to complete 100 hours of community service. In the strongest message yet that flytipping will not be tolerated, Livia Krskova was hauled before Bolton Magistrates’ Court for numerous waste offences.

The court heard how Bolton Council enforcement officers found a mattress, a bed frame and a fridge-freezer behind Krskova’s Woodfield Street home in August last year. The discovery was made just 24 hours after she had failed to attend court charged with an earlier flytipping offence. Krskova, 38, admitted leaving the items in the public street but again failed to attend a court hearing scheduled for the following month.

As a result, a warrant was issued for her arrest. A further offence was discovered in November when officers noted 29 black bin bags of household waste dumped in the same spot at the rear of the property in Woodfield Street. The rubbish was easily linked to the Krskova’s address and the offence was added to her growing list of charges. Krskova was eventually arrested on Saturday (Jan 18) before spending two days in custody ahead of a magistrates’ hearing on Monday morning. The court ordered her to pay a £100 fine and £90 victim surcharge for each of the August and November offences. She was also handed 12 Month Community Order which will see her complete 100 hours of unpaid work. Bolton Council’s Executive Cabinet Member for Environmental Regulatory Services, Cllr Anne Galloway, said: “I welcome this tough sentence which I hope will serve as a deterrent to the small minority who choose to blight our neighbourhoods and public spaces.

“This is a particularly shocking case of an individual who has shown utter disregard for her neighbours and repeatedly failed to take responsibility for her own actions. “Not only has she spent time in custody, but she will now spend 100 hours giving back to the community she has harmed. “As a council we are very clear that flytipping is an inexcusable crime. If you offend, you will be prosecuted like any other criminal.”

Lancashire News

Two men who targeted several businesses in Ormskirk during a burglary spree have been jailed. Lee Brown, 26, of Muirhead Avenue, Liverpool and Kurtis Nelson, 26, of Kemsley Road, Liverpool, were arrested in January after raiding a number of addresses across Lancashire and Greater Manchester.

Around 10pm on January 5, three men broke into the Costa coffee shop in Ormskirk before stealing more than £460 from the safe and making off from the scene in a white Audi, reported stolen from an address in Wigan in December.

The same offenders were later seen breaking into the Post House Bar in Orrell in the early hours of January 6, smashing a glass window and stealing £200 from a safe and till.

The group then returned to Ormskirk around 5.20am on January 6, breaking into Spit Roast restaurant and stealing cash before accessing the adjoining The Buck I’Th’ Vine, setting off an alarm. Police arrived with one officer, who attempted to arrest two of the men, hit on the leg with a crow bar by Nelson. The officer attempted to arrest the offenders, with one making off on foot and Nelson jumping into the Audi, driven by Brown.
The Audi was pursued and traced to an address in Kirkby, Liverpool. Brown and Nelson were arrested with safe and till drawers from the Spit Roast and Post House Bar seized from inside the Audi.

Nelson and Brown were both charged with three burglary offences and an offence of handling stolen goods. Brown was also charged with driving while disqualified, dangerous driving, driving without insurance and failing to stop. Nelson was given a further charge for assault with intent to resist arrest. Both pleaded guilty last month, with Brown jailed for 50 weeks and Nelson jailed for 38 weeks at Preston Crown Court yesterday (Monday, February 10).

Det Insp Steve Monk, of Lancashire Police, said: “Brown and Nelson are brazen and prolific offenders who went on a relentless crime spree targeting a number of addresses, including Ormskirk. “Thanks to the quick actions of officers, the trio were found caught in the act. Unfortunately one of the offenders made off from the scene, but Nelson and Brown were pursued and later arrested in the Liverpool area. “This was a great cross-border response with excellent work by all involved. “The officer attacked by Nelson thankfully suffered minor injuries and soon returned to work.”

Nottingham News, Notts Sport

Joe Clarke and Ben Duckett hope a period of warm-weather training in South Africa will give them a head start in the run-up to the 2020 county season. The Notts pair are trading the Trent Bridge indoor school for the southern sunshine for a two-week period – and Clarke feels the change of scenery has come at an ideal time in their preparations.

“We’ve been training indoors since November, and you can get a bit too used to the surfaces – they’re a bit samey,” he said. “We wanted to change it up, and see if the things we’ve been working on in the past few months bear fruit in an outdoor environment. “We’ve got training facilities sorted out, as well as some net bowlers and bowlers from other counties who are happy to train with us, so it seemed like it would benefit us.”

Duckett’s winter has been dominated by drills designed to solidify the left-hander’s technique – and feels that now is an apposite time to test his work out overseas. “My biggest focus this winter has been making some changes to my technique and putting in time so that they feel normal.
I’ve not always had this opportunity to spend a good stretch of time focusing on my game in the winter without any matches. “Me and Mooresy [Peter, Head Coach] sat down at the start of pre-season to discuss what I was looking to do.

I thought it would take three or four months to get into a groove, but everything started feeling normal about a month in. “It’s just been a case of hitting a volume of balls and having the time to figure things out for myself.” Clarke and Duckett will be hoping to link up with a fellow Outlaw during their time south of the equator, with Chris Nash continuing his coaching work with Gary Kirsten and amongst the England setup.
It is a role which Clarke expects to have suited the 36-year-old.
“I’ve spoken to him a few times while he’s been out there, and I think he’s been loving the coaching,” he said.

“There were periods last summer where he was getting the old dog stick out and throwing balls at lads, and he always speaks really well about batting and cricket. “I’m sure whoever he’s worked with has really enjoyed it, and hopefully with the experience he’s gained from the England camp he can give me and Ducky some good feedback.” “It’s been a case of hitting a volume of balls and having the time to figure things out for myself.”

Ben Duckett
Both relative newcomers to Trent Bridge last winter, Clarke and Duckett have had the privilege of welcoming two fresh batsmen into the Nottinghamshire dressing room this pre-season, in the shape of Haseeb Hameed and Peter Trego. Duckett expects that, while they may take contrasting approaches to the game, both will show their quality while representing the Green and Golds. “We know exactly what Hass is going to bring to us, and it’s something we lacked last season,” he said. “His game is based around a more old-fashioned approach to four-day cricket, and having someone like that at the top of the order can make it easier.

“It’s not just easier for whoever’s opening with him; to know you’ve got someone at the top who’s really going to graft away and take the shine off the ball makes it easier for the guys lower down the order too. “And Pete [Trego]’s experience from all the years he’s played could be really important for us – he’s been involved in some of the most successful four-day sides of recent years. “He’s fitted in really well, and I think he’ll excite a lot of the fans.”

Nottinghamshire Membership for the 2020 season is on sale, with those who join for next season bestowed access to all scheduled Notts home matches, international tickets in Members’ areas and a range of exclusive benefits.

Nottingham News, Notts Sport

Carlton Town 0-1 Kidsgrove Athletic
As the new year entered it’s first day it was a second meeting and a chance for the opposition to avenge their early season defeat. Again as before this would turn out to be a close encounter with very little to choose between either side. Kidsgrove were well organised and disciplined and proved very difficult to break down and with the game only seconds away from a no result would break through the Millers stern resolve and score to take all three points leaving the home faithful disappointed.

Sutton Coldfield Town 1-1 Carlton Town
With only a couple of days from the previous fixture the team travelled to the north side of Birmingham and to opposition that they had also beaten earliar in the season. Again the home side would hold their fort afloat for the first forty-five minutes as Carlton failed to capitalise on their good early work. With the game evenly balanced the home side from their first furore of the new half would open the scoring leaving the Millers stunned and shocked from such an early execution.

This only encouraged Carlton forward and they increased their pressure and intensity on the game to take control of affairs putting the opposition on the back foot for most parts. It would take only another fifteen minutes from going behind for the ever industrious Clarke to score at the far post with a bullet header to even things up. The Millers would finish the game the stronger and more inventive with their play but unfortunately would not put any more digits on the scoreline.

Carlton Town 6-4 Wisbech Town
With a visit next from the lowly placed Wisbech and a club with personal connections from the past in the form of my great uncle Sam Jennings their first professional player/coach came a chance to get back to winning ways. This one was an absolute goal fest and started poorly for Carlton as they would find themselves two goals down after only eighteen minutes gone.
But as we have seen over the season so far the team would stick to their plucky resolve and fight back scoring twice within a minute from a Maddison penalty and an Opoku strike right on the stroke of half-time. The team started the second half brightly and it would take only four minutes more for Blake to add to the tally before further goals later on from Maddison and Blake sandwiched by a reply from the Fenman would take the game beyond the visitors. A final flurry at the end of the game would see the ever patient Darryl Thomas come off the bench and put his name on the scoresheet to complete a good afternoon’s work.

Sheffield 0-3 Carlton Town
An away day next to the oldest football club in existence and a performance that ranked up their as one of the best so far. Carlton pressed the opposition right from the first whistle giving the home side no time whatsoever to settle or enact their game plan. TheMillers played with a great determination producing some nice free-flowing football putting the home side on the defensive for a lot of the first half and would be rewarded twice before the break with a brace from the on fire Blake.

The home side came out for the second half the better but were always up against it and were unable to pull anything back into the game before Maddison put this one to bed from the spot with ten minutes to go.

Carlton Town 2-1 Bingham Town (aet)
Up next was a Senior Cup clash and a potential spanner in the works as the opposition on the night were like an infectious itch that just wouldn’t go away.

This would turn into a real hustle bustle affair with the opposition ruggedly fighting their corner throughout and would prove to be a tough night for all involved. Both teams went in at half-time evenly matched and it would be the visitors that would take the advantage midway through the second half before Blake would hit the net with equaliser soon after to take the game to extra-time. Seven minutes into added time Akaunu would give the Millers the edge and the result in a game where the opposition supporters would choose to throw unfounded and ridiculous racist comments at the Carlton players.

We have no place in the game nor the world for people of this nature and i would hope that the personnel within the football club at Bingham Town deal with the offender harshly as we are all equal whatever race creed or colour. It’s an absolute disgrace that we still have people in our society that seem to think they can go about discriminating against people because they don’t like what they see or because as individuals they aren’t capable of reaching the levels of the people they target.

Article by Phil Jennings

WE STAND UNITED !!!!
Forthcoming Fixtures:
5th Feb Loughborough Dynamo(h) 745pm
8th feb Wisbech Town(a)
12th Feb Chasetown(h) 745pm
15th Feb Newcastle town(a)
22nd Feb Stamford(h)
29th Feb Spalding(a)
All 3pm kick-off’s unless otherwise stated.

Nottingham News, Notts What's On

Vampire Rocks- Ghost Train rolled into Mansfield to entertain a sold out crowd at Mansfield’s Palace Theatre. Vampire Rocks- Ghost Train is the brainchild of Steve Steinman, who made his name as a Meat Loaf impersonator many decades ago, (Some of you might be old enough to remember seeing him appear on Stars in Their Eyes). Vampires Rock is one of his productions that started way back in 2003, since then it has gone through various reincarnations over the years, with each year improving on the previous year. This years tour was no exception.

Within that time, there have been various cast members and on odd occasions he has secured the services of very well known musicians (Torah Wilcox, Eddie Ojeda, Sam Bailey). Although these “celebrities” got tongues wagging and raised the publicity of the show, and are undoubtedly very talented, Steve and his cast are more than able to entertain the crowd to the same standard as those musical “celebrities”.

The storyline is as old as time itself, Vampire wants new bride to feed on.
Vampire marries girl. Vampire bites girl. Girl becomes a Vampire. So no prizes for an original story line, however Steve and his cast of dancers and musicians inject a tongue in cheek approach to the classic story which is underpinned by some of the greatest rock anthems ever recorded.
The script is written in a light hearted way to create an evening of laughter, at times even having friendly banter with the audience. The script had been altered recently to include gags about Prince Andrew, The masked Singer and Phillip Schofield. You can’t be more current than that.

The plot has a dark and mysterious twist with a masked character called Van Halensing, who is on a mission to kill Baron Von Rockula. Even though most of the fans of this show like Steve’s vocals, the audience have lots of opportunity to listen to the other vocalists such as Claire Micallef who plays the naïve Roxy Honeybox and is more than capable at belting out classic rock anthems to an impressive standard, songs such as “Poison” and “I Need A Hero” and “Total Eclipse of The Heart”all hit their mark.

Alongside Claire, the Queen Vampire played by Emily Clark was also given her fair share of vocal duties which she nailed with absolute laser precision. Baron Von Rockulas servant Bosley (played by John Evans) also has moments throughout the show to perform. He never fails to deliver enough energy to get the audience stood up swaying and rocking along to Van Halens “Jump” and Europe’s “Final Countdown”.

The dialogue at times is self depreciating and appears to be not taken too seriously, the music is a stark contrast, Steve and his musicians try to replicate classic rock tracks with the utmost professionalism, anthems such as “Back in black”, “Devil Gate Drive”, “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, “Tainted Love”, “Pour Some Sugar on me” and “The Monster is Loose” all make for a wonderful musical backdrop as the storyline progresses through Baron Von Rockulas journey through dating, marrying, dying, and reawakening from the dead to seek revenge on Van Halensing.

Whilst the musicians Pete Jean (drummer), Zoe Parr (Bassist), Henry Bird (Guitarist) and Jamie Hiscox (Guitarist) all managed to deliver the musical assault on the ears, the dancers Victoria Hawley and Trixabelle Bold provided the visual stimulation to bring an incredibly sexy edge to the music. The dancers attire mainly consisted of leather, leather and more leather, as well as the occasional corset.

The show finished with Meat Loafs “Bat Out of Hell”. The crowd lapped up every moment of this legendary rock anthem. Arms swaying from side to side whilst the sold out crowd sang along. The audience wanted more, and sure enough The cast of Vampires Rock- Ghost Train were more than happy to give the fans what they wanted by performing “Crazy Crazy Nights” by Kiss.

This is a great uplifting witty show with incredible rock anthems. will this stage show ever win an Olivier award? Possibly not. However it’s intention is to entertain and it always manages to do that after nearly two decades of touring. Great music, great entertainment, and great value for money, what else could you ask for?

Tickets are already on sale for Steve Steinmans other productions “Anything For Love” and “Love Hurts”.
Review by Luke Seagrave.
Photographs by Luke Seagrave.