Some of the most popular tourist attractions in the UK will be opening up their doors with hugely reduced ticket prices this week, as part of the National Lottery Open Week.
Hundreds of country parks, museums, galleries, historic houses, National Trust parks and other visitor attractions will be granting entry free of charge – all you need to do is show a lottery ticket or scratch card.
The scheme, which runs between 18 and 26 March 2023, has been created to say thank you to National Lottery players for the ‘£30million raised for Good Causes every week’.
And it means that us up north can visit some of the country’s best tourist hotspots for the price of a scratch card.
Taking part around Greater Manchester are National Trust sites like Dunham Massey, Lyme Park, and Quarry Bank, famed for their historical buildings and their lush gardens, as well as the deer that roam around.
There’ll be free guided walks around Dovestone Reservoir thanks to the RSPB, where you can see mountain hares and even have a go at planting some new wildlife as part of the area’s conservation efforts.
Dovestone reservoir. Credit: Unsplash @stravekc
Bluedot Festival at Jodrell Bank. Credit: Lucas SinclairQuarry Bank
Jodrell Bank, the UNESCO World Heritage Site that’s home to the mighty Lovell Telescope, is offering two-for-one entry, which includes access to the new £21.5 First Light Pavilion.
Head a bit further afield, and you can pop in to Biddulph Grange, the ‘horticultural Disneyland’ and unusual garden where you can see spaces inspired by ancient Egypt, Italy and China in a single stroll.
Loads of venues around the Lake District and Peak District will be offering half price or free entry all week too.
And if you’re really up for taking advantage of the National Lottery Open Week deals and are willing to travel, the list around England includes iconic landmarks like the Eden Project, the Tower of London, and the SS Great Britain.
Darren Henley OBE, Chief Executive of Arts Council England and Chair of the National Lottery Forum, said: “The National Lottery Open Week offers players a fantastic opportunity to enjoy a low-cost day out at venues across the UK – from castles to nature reserves, museums to sports venues.
“It’s our way of saying thank you to National Lottery players who raise an incredible £30million each week for Good Causes.
“That funding makes a huge difference to venues and projects across the arts, sports, community and heritage sectors, funding many iconic venues, historical landmarks and other amazing days out across the UK.”
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road Mancunian Way to close for resurfacing
Emily Sergeant
Mancunian Way is set to close for resurfacing works next month.
As Manchester City Council looks to ‘improve’ what is, by far, one of Manchester’s busiest and most-used roads, given the fact it is the main thoroughfare in and out of the city centre, it has been confirmed that Mancunian Way is due to undergo crucial resurfacing works.
With an estimated 15 million journeys taken along this road annually, the Council says it’s vital that necessary maintenance is carried out to keep traffic flowing.
As a result, plans are now in place to resurface Mancunian Way overnight during a four-week period, beginning from next Monday (3 March)
The resurfacing work will be split into two sections, starting with the eastbound carriageway from River Street to Fairfield Street, before moving on to the westbound lane from Fairfield Street to Upper Brook Street.
Work along the eastbound section – in the direction of Ashton Old Road – will run between Monday 3 March to Friday 14 March, with the operating hours being between 7pm and 5am, during which the carriageway will be fully closed, while the westbound carriage in the direction of Regent Road will take place overnight between Monday 17 March until Friday 28 March, with closures at the same time.
Manchester’s ‘busiest’ road Mancunian Way will be close for resurfacing next month / Credit: Pixabay
Due to events taking place during this period of works, slightly later road closures will be in place from 7:30pm on the 7, 10 and 14 of March during the eastbound section, and on 19 March during the westbound secion.
No work will take place Europa League fixture dates, or on Saturday or Sunday nights either.
“These works are taking place overnight to mitigate any potential disruption,” explained Councillor Tracey Rawlins, who is the Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment and Transport at Manchester City Council.
“But as always, we would encourage people to plan their journeys ahead of time and allow more time to travel if they need to go via the Mancunian Way.”
Signed diversions will be in place during the course of the works, and details of this can be found on the Council’s dedicated webpage here.
Featured Image – Geograph
Travel & Tourism
Life-saving defibrillators to be installed on dozens of trains travelling through Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Life-saving defibrillators are set to be installed on dozens of trains travelling through Greater Manchester.
Rail operator TransPennine Express (TPE) has started work to install the units on all 51 of its Class 185 trains over the next two months, and can be used by both staff and passengers if someone goes into cardiac arrest.
The defibrillators will be fitted by technology company Siemens Mobility, and will be located in an emergency equipment cupboard in the middle of the train.
Every defibrillator being installed on the trains has step-by-step, spoken word instructions built in to them, which explain how to use on someone in an emergency, so passengers and staff need not panic if they’re unsure what to do.
Computers inside the defibrillators will work to analyse a person’s heart rhythms to find out if an electric shock is needed, and if required, electrodes then automatically deliver the shock.
⚡Work has started to fit defibrillators across more than 50 TransPennine Express trains
🚆 The life-saving units will be installed on all 51 of our Class 185 trains by the end of March
The defibrillators – which are already installed on TPE’s Nova 1 trains – have been purchased from the British Heart Foundation charity, which is the biggest independent funder of heart and circulatory research in the UK.
The news that the defibrillators are being installed on trains travelling through Greater Manchester and across the UK come after it was announced back in 2023 that the machines were being installed at more than 100 Northern stations to help save people in cardiac arrest.
Speaking on the installing of the defibrillators on trains, Bushra Khan, who is the Head of Engineering at TransPennine Express, said: “Our defibrillators are a huge benefit to both our customers and the communities we serve.
“This rollout will ensure that people travelling on our services will feel safe and confident that defibrillators are available to help in the event of an emergency, potentially saving lives.”
Daisy Jackson -
17th March 2023 
