Borough Life Plus Summer 2023

Welcome to Borough Life Plus

Summer 2023 has arrived and we hope you’ve been enjoying the spells of sunny weather we’ve seen across the borough in recent weeks.

This mid-year update will hopefully bring you up-to-speed with key projects such as the #OurFutureAshton masterplan and the progress at Haigh Hall.

We’ve also taken the opportunity to reflect on what has been an extremely busy first-half of the year with the King’s Coronation, the unveiling of the Ella Toone football pitch and Keely Hodgkinson’s Believe Star reveal among the highlights.

As ever, we’d also encourage everyone to check out the BoroughLife podcast. Our latest episode has been released to coincide with this update, but if you haven’t listened before, please go back and catch-up with each episode.

We’ll be back later in the year with a new edition of the magazine, new episodes of the podcast and a further update to Borough Life Plus – see you then!

Focussed on the heart of the town centre and the historic market site, this major regeneration project for Ashton-in-Makerfield is underway.

The #OurFutureAshton plans were one of 16 areas unveiled as part of the government’s Spring Budget and will be spearheaded by the newly formed Ashton Innovation Board.

For an overview of the proposals, please watch the following video from those in-the-know about this exciting development.

The jewel in our crown was a major feature in our last edition of Borough Life magazine so we wanted to provide an update on the huge renovation plans.

So, here’s a sneak peek behind-the-scenes on how the work is progressing to restore the hall to its former glory, courtesy of our contractors HH Smith & Sons.

Our historic and much-loved local landmark is being given a new lease of life as part of our £37m masterplan supported by Levelling Up funding and National Lottery heritage money.

Please take a look below.

If you’re looking for a taste of summer, make sure to check out the amazing Kitchen Courtyard at Haigh Woodland Park.

From tempting artisan treats and delicious local farm shop produce to gifts and flowers, ice cream and chocolates, and craft ales and pizzas at our famous Foodie Fridays, there’s so much to sample...whatever the weather!

Have a look and see what’s on offer below.

What a busy start to the year we have had across our borough.

Our teams have been lucky enough to cover the Coronation weekend for King Charles III along with a host of fun events, star unveilings and visits from two of our amazing homegrown sporting superstars.

We’ve put together a quick snapshot of some of our favourites – we’re looking forward to the rest of 2023 as we approach another Christmas and holiday season.

Pride season is in full-swing and we just absolutely love it!

We were out and about at Pride in Leigh and chatted to people about what the festivals mean to them.

Remember, Wigan Pride is taking place on Saturday, August 12 in Wigan town centre.

For more information, visit Wigan Pride (external link).

The Borough Life podcast has reached episode 7 and this time Rosie and James popped over to Manchester to visit our friends at Feel Good Club.

With their origins in the borough, the Feel Good movement is taking over the world and it was great to catch up with Aimie and Kiera.

You can listen to the episode (external link) along with our back catalogue. Please subscribe so that you’ll receive all the new episodes each month, you can do so via all major podcast providers.