Borough Life Plus Winter 2022

Welcome to Borough Life Plus

It has been a busy second half of 2022 for everyone at the Borough Life team and we’re only just catching our breath after the excitement of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 tournament and the Rugby League World Cup.

The latest edition of the magazine features a recap on each of those tournaments, focussing on our role as host venues and what this will mean now the final whistle has ended.

And, as ever, there’s some bonus content available below which captures a bit of the fun and excitement of playing a part in such major sporting events.

This edition also has a big focus on our Here for You campaign – which is designed to help our residents through the cost-of-living pressures that we will all be experiencing.

For all you need to know, visit Here for you.

We’re very excited to be introducing a brand new feature along with this winter edition with our very first podcast episode.

The Borough Life Podcast, presented by Rosie and James, is aimed to complement the features and information in the magazine itself, but we’re hoping to produce them on a more regular basis.

We have two amazing guests for our first episode so please download it and have a listen – and, share with your friends and family.

You can listen on Spotify, Amazon Music, or visit the Borough Life podcast page (external link). It will be coming to Apple podcasts soon!

The action on the pitch - with the Lionesses storming to victory and goals galore at Leigh Sports Village – was amazing.

But for those who visited Leigh’s fan parties, the action off the pitch was just as good!

We saw the town centre transform into the sea of orange with the Netherlands, only for it to turn yellow and blue a few days later with the thousands of Sweden fans.

Counterparts from Belgium, Portugal and Switzerland also made their mark and left us with lasting memories of a summer like no other.

Here’s a lookback on the matchdays that transformed the town of Leigh.

For the England men’s and women’s sides it was another case of ‘what if’ as they faltered in the latter stages.

But the Wheelchair Team made history by winning their competition and a whole bunch of new fans, what an amazing achievement!

Across Leigh Sports Village and the DW Stadium, our matches were full of amazing tries, big hits and breath-taking skills, as you would expect from top-level rugby league.

And we even had a Royal visit to throw into the mix. Here’s a summary of the matchday experience as we say farewell to our second major tournament of the year.

In November, thousands of people braved the rainy weather to soak in the mesmerising sights of Light Night Wigan and Leigh, with one highlight being the family Light Trail in Wigan.

The mile-long display combined works of local and international artists, along the canalside up to the iconic Trencherfield Mill and incorporating Wigan Pier.

Celebrations continued across in Leigh with a lantern parade and a stunning exhibition at the Turnpike Gallery called ‘Geometric Light’ by Zarah Hussain, which is on show until December 17.

Now a case worker for the service that helped save his life, Borough Life caught up with Jake, whose path to recovery after struggling with alcohol and drug use is truly inspirational.

Financial issues caused Jake to feel as if he had no options. After a tough, challenging but ultimately rewarding journey, he now helps those in a similar situation through the borough-based charity, With You, which helped him so much.

With You is a free confidential service which works with local people to achieve their goals, whether that’s cutting down drug or alcohol use, stopping completely or just getting a bit of advice.

Hear Jake’s story in our video.

Bringing empty homes and vacant business units back into use is a priority for teams across Wigan Council.

Lots of work goes on behind-the-scenes to make sure our communities are getting the best use out of their local locations.

In the latest edition of the Borough Life magazine, we tell the story of how our private sector housing team went on a global journey to help bring an empty residential property back into circulation.

Meanwhile, the Toni Marie Yoga Studio in Atherton (pictured) is a shining example of how business premises can be given a new lease of life.

Owner Toni Aspinall worked alongside council officers to create a new, exciting facility on Derby Street.

Toni, who recently won the ‘Yoga Therapist for Mental Health and Wellbeing 2022’ at a regional Health and Wellbeing Awards,  said: “I am delighted to have opened my yoga studio, welcoming regular clients and new faces to yoga practice.

“The council has been really supportive, helping me to find the right place, and giving me the freedom to make changes.

“It has been a lot of hard work with significant renovation and modernisation, even knocking down a wall to make the space I wanted to create.

 “Yoga practice and mindfulness are such powerful tools for physical and mental wellbeing. I am really looking forward to being part of the community, and hope to work with local organisations and schools.”

If you are looking for a home for your business in Wigan Borough, get in touch via: Estates@wigan.gov.uk