Dining out at The Villa
has just got better, especially with our Afternoon Tea Offer! Until
the end of July, we are offering a Luxury Afternoon Tea for the price
of a Traditional! That is just £15.95 for a selection of sandwiches
and savouries, cakes, scones, tea or coffee and a glass of sparkling
Prosecco or non-alcoholic Elderflower Fizz.
If Afternoon Tea is not
your thing then do not worry! We also serve delightful dishes from
our Lounge Menu, Table D’Hote Menu, A La Carte Menu and Grill Menu.
Not to mention our weekly offers…
Fish Friday
Every Friday between
12pm and 9.30pm we serve a beer-battered fish with hand-cut chips,
mushy or garden peas and homemade tartare sauce for just £6.95. To
go large just add £2.
Super Sundays
Sunday is the day of
rest so allow us to do all of the cooking! Get two fabulous courses
for £18.95 or three courses for just £22.95. Served from 12 noon
until 8pm.
You can find us located
in the quaint village of Wrea Green close to the towns of Lytham and
St Annes. To book, call 01772 80 40 40.
Weddings at The
Villa
For
over a decade we have been making weddings dreams become reality. Our
4 Star Hotel with a 2 AA Rosetted Restaurant and magnificent grounds
ensure that every wedding is unique and memorable. We have 31
luxurious en-suite bedrooms, all of which have been refurbished to a
5-star standard. Our newlyweds will receive a complementary bed and
breakfast stay in one of the four staterooms of their choice on the
night of their wedding.
We have several
function rooms to choose from which all boast a certain charm. Our
Hall is our popular Ceremony Room with its high, oak beamed ceiling,
grand fireplace and sparkling chandeliers. The Pavilion is the ideal
Wedding Breakfast room, able to hold over 300 people. Its white,
draping, starlit canopy with fairy lights and mood lighting
transforms the ambience to match the change from the day to the
night-time celebrations.
There is no better time
to book your wedding with us than now! Our Summertime Offer is only
valid until the end of August, so if you would like to take advantage
of securing your wedding day with just a £500 deposit, call 01772 80
40 40!
Animals, birds, and all things natural are being carved into new entrance features for Woodnook Vale Local Nature Reserve, inspired by the ideas of local school children.
Working alongside local residents, children and young people from the local schools, Fern Gore Residents Association and Hyndburn Council – Community Interest Company Proffitts – Investing in Communities are leading a project to improve three of the main entrances at Woodnook Vale Local Nature Reserve.
The project gives local families the opportunity to get involved in planting trees, shrubs and bulbs and produce environment themed artwork which will define the entrances and make them more welcoming. Year 5 children from Woodnook Primary School worked alongside local artist Rick Goodwin from Stump Art to design a new, carved seat for one of the entrances close to their school. The children were given an exciting carving demonstration and have designed a seat that has a fox and a deer at either end, with other creatures being included such as hedgehogs, squirrels, butterflies and bees. It was a fantastic workshop that gave the children the opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors and get back to nature.
Joanne Fisher, of Woodnook Primary School, said; “The children were amazed at the skill. strength and imagination needed to create animals out of wood. They were thrilled as they saw a fox being created before their very eyes. Rick’s talent and enthusiasm sparked their interest and created a new appreciation for the work of artists and their local area. They can’t wait to see their ideas actually take shape. “
Cllr Miles Parkinson, Leader of Hyndburn Council, said; “I’m so pleased to see the involvement of children from Woodnook Primary School and see their interest in the nature reserve grow. It’s a great outdoor learning space for all the schools in the surrounding area”.
Martin from Proffitts – Investing in Communities said; “The children are really excited to see their design ideas come to life. Rick from Stump Art gave a fantastic demonstration and it’s great to see outdoor projects like this inspiring the next generation of woodland workers and nature lovers.’’ The pupils will return to the nature reserve later in the year to see the seat in place and plant some bulbs there. And in the coming months, improvements will have been completed at 3 entrances from Perth St, Miller Fold and Royds St, Accrington. For more information about the scheme visit: http://www.proffittscic.com/community-projects/woodnook-local-nature-reserve-entrances/ https://www.hyndburnbc.gov.uk/woodnook-vale/ or contact Martin Proffitt at Proffitts (CIC) on 07989928038 or martin.proffitt@proffittscic.com.
Download Festival
returned to Donington Park for 3 days of pure rock music. This
mammoth extravaganza now in its 17th year is a highlight
in the festival calendar, boasting a line-up that included Slipknot,
Def Leppard and Tool as headliners, you would be hard pushed to find
any other festival with such established names.
Unlike other festivals
where they rely on just the headliners to pull in the punters,
Download Festival also ensure that the non headliners are just as
appealing. Acts such as legendary guitarist Slash playing with Myles
Kennedy and the Conspirators, Smashing Pumpkins, Trivium, and
Whitesnake all worthy of catching live on their own, let alone
together at one event.
As always Download try
to put on little gems just to add that extra sparkle to their rock
music crown. These are bands that are formed by individuals from
other famous bands and if you don’t do your research you might miss
them.
One band that could be
considered a gem, were the main stage opening act Last in
Line. Created from the
former members of Dio, surprisingly even Vivian Campbell (guitarist)
managed to be awake early enough to ensure that the band was ready to
go on time, despite also performing as part of the headline act Def
Leppard later in the evening.
One other such band on
Friday was Deadland Ritual. Comprising of Geezer Butler (Black
Sabbath) Matt Sorum (ex-Guns N Roses) Steve Stevens (Billy Idol
guitarist) and vocalist Franky Perez (Apocalyptica) they impressed
the crowd with their brand of rock on the Zippo Encore stage.
Over the weekend there
were numerous issues with the merchandise stalls accepting card
payments, some punters waiting over an hour to get to the front of
the queue just to be told that the card machines weren’t working.
Better communication would have been appreciated. A hoodie would have
set you back £45. Drinks such as Pepsi were £3.50 for their version
of a large size. Alcohol prices started at £4.50 all the way to over
£16 for a bottle of wine. Tea and coffee were around £2. There was
a whole variety of food stalls, ranging from £5 for doughnuts up to
£9.50 for Filled Yorkshire puddings.
Unfortunately, despite
Download having a stellar line up, the weather was not playing ball.
Biblical downpours and endless mud were the conditions for this
festival. Occasionally, the sun would make appearance to tease the
rock fans to remind them of what could have been. As the saying goes
“Julia Cesar and the Roman Empire couldn’t conquer the blue
skies” neither could the organisers of Download.
Whitesnake managed to
create one of the biggest responses from the crowd, with their blend
of tongue in cheek sing-along anthems. Although it was hard to tell
if it was Whitesnake material or the fleeting appearance of sunshine
that sparked the audience into life. Vocalist David Coverdale tried
to get the audience to sing a long and at times it fell flat. However
musically the band are still a tour de force when it comes to playing
live, although it did feel like most people watching were just
waiting for the classic hit “Here I Go Again” rather than
all of the other material that they did back in the 80’s such as
“Still of the Night”.
There were plenty of
highlights throughout the weekend, with so many bands it would be
hard not to find something to like, in summary some of my personal
highlights were Slash with Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators
performing a setlist that wasn’t heavily reliant on Guns N Roses
tracks. (Ok so they did slip in ‘Night Train’, but they
can be forgiven for that one).
Seeing Def Leppard
perform the album “Hysteria” in its entirety brought back lots
of memories and appeared to be well received by the rain-soaked
crowd.
Bad Wolves performing
their version of “Zombie” was probably one of the more poignant
highlights of the weekend. Dedicating it to Delores O’ Riordan.
Slipknot were another
phenomenal highlight, a performance that was high octane from the
opening notes of “People=S##t” to the dying notes of their
final song “Surfacing”. It was a masterclass in taking the
music to the fans.
Also, Slayer performing
what has been widely publicised as their last ever UK appearance was
a set list designed to please the fans one last time. Songs such as
“Raining Blood” and “South of Heaven” sent the
crowd into a frenzy. Fingers crossed that it isn’t the last time
Slayer play live in the UK.
Another amazing
Download Festival, albeit a muddy one. The only issue the organisers
have now, is how do they make 2020 even more rocktastic!!
So here it comes… Chipping Steam Fair 2019…our 21st show!!! We’re very nearly ready to open our gates to you all, just a few final preparations to make and then once again Green Lane Show field will be a hive of activity for 3 days (Sat 25th, Sun 26th & Mon 27th May)!
If you’ve never been before then you can expect a combination of sights, sounds and smells that you only really experience here at CSF. Set in the heart of the Forest of Bowland, aka “the Switzerland of England”, with its stunning 360-degree back drop of rolling fells, woodlands and picture postcard villages it’s one of the UK’s best kept secrets. Once at the show there is literally something for everyone… if your 3 or 103, from donkey rides to the digger play pen, tea and scones to burger and chips, funfair to food hall.
The list goes on… beer tent and live music (until late Sat & Sun), gift and crafts fair, arena entertainment, live commentary of what’s on around the field, competitions and static displays, working machinery and demonstrations, awards, trophy’s and presentations, not to mention the hundreds of vintage vehicles and exhibits. Set up by Mary Harrison in 1998 who is still at the helm supported by her tenacious team of enthusiastic volunteers who work tirelessly throughout the year to put on the best show possible for their thousands of regular visitors, with all proceeds going to local charities and good causes.
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter www.chippingsteamfair.com
Barrow BID has teamed up with The Super Soapbox Challenge Company Ltd, a professional event organiser, to host a major soapbox race in Barrow-in-Furness town centre later this year. The event takes place on Barrow’s high street on Saturday 29th June and will become an annual event, attracting crowds that have topped 20,000 people in other locations. The races will take place throughout the day, with the wild and whacky soapbox carts hurtling down a huge ramp to launch themselves down the course. Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards will be starting the event and launching himself down the ramp to set the first time of the day. Prizes will be for the fastest times of the day, but there will also be a number of other prizes including; ‘most innovative cart design’, ‘best turned-out soapbox crew’ and ‘joker of the day’.
Given Barrow’s engineering heritage, it is hoped that the event will attract plenty of well-built carts although entries so far have come from as far away as Manchester. There are two prices for team entry, the first is £400 inc VAT for businesses and companies who will gain significant promotion as part of the event. The second price is £200 inc VAT for; individuals, charities, not-for-profit organisations, emergency services and armed forces, which is an affordable price to provide access to this prestige event. As well as the racing itself, culminating in the cork-popping, prize-giving ceremony, there will be a large funfair, live music and lots of food and drink concessions.
If you would like to enter a team in the event visit: www.supersoapboxchallenge.co.uk/barrow Follow this event and other events in Barrow on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/visitbarrow
Chorley’s iconic Astley Hall will undergo a major transformation to secure the future of the historic building. Chorley Council, which owns the Grade I listed building, is investing £1.7million as part of the coming year’s budget to carry out urgent repairs to safeguard the historic hall for future generations.
The investment will also see major improvements to the visitor experience, as well as the creation of a museum shop, which will help to make the site more sustainable. A spokesperson for Chorley Council said: “We see Astley Hall and Coach House as a major part of the borough’s history but also a vital part of the future for the visitor economy and that’s why we are committing major investment to preserve and improve it for years to come.
“Buildings like this need major work every 60/70 years and we are at that time in the Hall’s life that it needs a major overhaul to set it up for the next generation. “Some of the work will be quite dramatic as we need to repair the front of the building and some will help us to make the site sustainable by ensuring it provides an offer for visitors that is fit for the modern age.” The council has submitted two bids to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), which were knocked back, so the authority is going to fund the work itself to ensure the building has a long term future. The bids were supported by huge amounts of feedback from residents and visitors and all that information is being used to direct the improvements planned for the site, which sits in the beautiful grounds of Astley Park.
“One of the main reasons the HLF didn’t back our bid was the uncertainty around what condition the brick is in behind the render on the front of the Hall,” explained the spokesperson. “We know how important the Hall is to the people of Chorley so we’re going to fund the work and once the render has been removed and we know what lies beneath we hope the HLF will consider another bid as this is a building of historical significance.
“We’d also like to thank the thousands of people who took part in the consultation and gave us their thoughts on the future of the Hall and Coach House complex. “This won’t go to waste because it demonstrates how much people value the site and it will influence our plans going forward.”
The investment by the council will cover improvements to the Hall as well as work to bring Ackhurst Lodge back into use and look at the creation of an adventure golf course in the park. To learn more about Astley Hall and Park visit astleypark.co.uk.
Burnley Council leader Mark Townsend will hold his next “out and about” surgery on Saturday 2nd March in Burnley town centre, between 10am and noon. As well as picking up your shopping, you can raise your points and questions with him about local services and issues for the town and get information on council services. Councillor Townsend will be in Curzon Street (between Marks & Spencer and Next).
He said: “I invite anyone to come along and talk through any issues or concerns they have. These Out and About surgeries are an opportunity for people to talk to me face-to-face about things that matter to them and their community.”
If you can’t make it along in person to one of these drop-in surgeries, there are other ways to contact the council leader: by phone – 07854 437417; by email – mtownsend@burnley.gov.uk; or by letter – Cllr Mark Townsend, Leader’s Office, Burnley Town Hall, Manchester Road, Burnley, BB11 9SA.
New facilities added to a popular play area in Baxenden have proved a hit with local children. The new facilities, which local school children helped to choose, have been added to Baxenden Recreation Ground play area and include an aerial runway, a basket swing, a rodeo board, a large rotator and new swings. This complements the existing range of play equipment for younger children including slides, a dish roundabout and a rotating climbing net.
The improvements are a result of Baxenden Community Forum working closely with the Hyndburn Green Spaces Forum to be awarded a grant of £30,000 from the Lancashire Environmental Fund and a further contribution of £30,000 from Hyndburn Council.
Shelia McVan of Baxenden Community Forum said; “Although the weather has been cold the local children have been enjoying the playground when they come out of school. You can tell when they are on it as there is a lot of yelps and laughter”. Councillor Paul Cox said; “The improvements are part of an ongoing plan to improve the Borough’s play areas.
We work closely with local groups like the Baxenden Community Forum and the local community to provide a community facility which can be enjoyed by the current and future generations of children and families.”
The Family Business Network is the latest organisation to move into what is fast becoming a thriving hub of businesses at Cumbria Tourism’s headquarters. As well as being home to the county’s official Destination Management Organisation, the building in Staveley is already a permanent base for long-term tenants Land & Lakes and Lambert Smith Hampton. The Family Business Network now joins two other recent additions: wealth management business Raymond James and placemaking, destination marketing and business development specialist Tapir Ltd. There is also room for further expansion, with a newly converted 600 sq ft (56 sq m) office space currently available for lease and offering desk space for up to 10 people.
The Family Business Network, founded by Sue Howorth, represents a large and growing community of family businesses, which began in Cumbria in 2014 and now covers Yorkshire, Lancashire and Lincolnshire.
Managing Director of Cumbria Tourism, Gill Haigh, says, “It’s a pleasure to be welcoming another leading organisation like the Family Business Network to our impressive and contemporary Staveley HQ. Not only does having a variety of businesses in the building help generate a real buzz and sense of community, but it is also great to be working alongside complementary businesses which all share a common goal of working towards a stronger, more forward-looking Cumbrian economy.”
Founder of the Family Business Network Sue Howorth, add, “The move to a new office space within Cumbria Tourism has given us a rather exciting start to what promises to be a very busy new year for The Family Business Network. The location is perfect for us with its proximity to the M6 and a big advantage of the new premises is the ability to use the internal Conference room. Many of the businesses that we work alongside are already familiar with the building and it offers pleasant surroundings for hosting meetings and events”.
A major maritime-themed show will spearhead ambitious plans to transform Anglesey into the events capital of North Wales. Tourism chiefs have hailed news that the All-Wales Boat and Leisure Show is coming to the Anglesey Showground as an economic boost for the island. The event from Thursday, May 30, to Saturday, June 1, is expected to attract boat lovers from across the UK. It’s grown out of the All-Wales Boat Show that’s previously been staged in Conwy and Pwllheli.
According to organiser Davina Carey-Evans, managing director of Beaumaris-based Sbarc Event Management, the showground is a great venue with huge potential to be developed while Anglesey is the perfect setting.
The marine sector is growing faster in Wales than any other part of the UK and boating generates an annual tourism spend of £282 million. Anglesey is also popular with surfers and scuba divers, who pump £7.8 million into the local economy.
Davina, who has previously been involved with marine events such as the One Ton Cup, a world-renowned sailing event which was based in Pwllheli in 2001 and the annual Round Anglesey Race, said: “The All-Wales Boat Show has evolved and grown and the 2019 event will also include a strong leisure element. “Moving the show to Anglesey showground will hopefully be a catalyst for our plan to turn the island into a major events hub. “We certainly have all the right ingredients. Anglesey is already a destination for 1.8 million visitors every year looking for things to see and do while, the venue is ideal, with 3000 square metres of undercover buildings, parking for 3,000 vehicles and excellent accessibility as it’s just off the A5 and A55. “The show will connect together industry leaders in boat and leisure products and services across Wales, with not only watersport and boating enthusiasts but all those that have a passion for the great outdoors. “The level of interest from the marine sector is unprecedented for the next event, with over 17 of the best-known brands already signed up. “Among them are Robalo, Bayliner, Finnmaster, and Ocean Master, to name a few. “Anglesey is already a mecca for water sports that’s surrounded by 146 miles of brilliant coastline. “We’re aiming for the enthusiasts in the middle of the market, we’re not going for the high-end multi-millionaire yachtsmen or women.
“This event is designed for the people who tow their boats behind their cars, not to mention the kayakers, surfers, wakeboarders and scuba divers. These are the people who do it for the fun of it. “It’s going to be a must-visit for boat owners, water sport-lovers or families looking for a great day out. “Eighty 80 per cent of the people who come to Anglesey are repeat visitors, which means they probably have access to a boat and certainly have access to the water with all the available slipways. “I’m really excited by the potential of the event and how it can be the start of something even bigger.” It was a sentiment endorsed by Phil Scott, who is chair of the Destination Anglesey Partnership and a Director of the award-winning RibRide Adventure Boat Tours, who are based in Menai Bridge.
He said: “Anglesey is defined by its coastline so this is the perfect place for the event to be held. “We’re also very lucky to have Snowdon very close to us, and we always think of Anglesey as the best place to visit Snowdonia from. “RibRide has just recently been honoured as the best tourist attraction in North Wales at the Go North Wales Tourism Awards and we have also been named as the number one boat tour in the UK on Trip Advisor. “The success that we’re enjoying is a good pointer to the huge potential of staging the All-Wales Boat and Leisure Show here on Anglesey.” Jim Jones, the Managing Director of North Wales Tourism, is equally excited. He said: “Maritime tourism is on the up here because North Wales generally and Anglesey specifically has so much to offer. It’s second to none. “We already have fantastic attractions on the Menai Strait, includingRibRide and the brilliant facilities at the National Outdoor Centre for Wales, Plas Menai, which excels in delivering the ultimate in water sports courses and outdoor adventure activities. “North Wales is undoubtedly the European capital of adventure tourism and marine tourism is a big part of that.
“There is so much confidence in the industry, so much investment going into North Wales, and we’re now reaping the rewards. “The plan to stage the All-Wales Boat and Leisure Show at the Anglesey Showground heralds another economic boost for the region and underlines that we are now in a golden age for tourism.”
