Category: 2023

Common Edge Community Sports Village

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In 2023, a state-of-the-art £6 million Community Sports Village opened at Blackpool Airport Enterprise Zone, marking the completion of the first phase of the zone’s development. The Common Edge Community Sports Village is a flagship facility, boasting 14 new grass football pitches, a full-sized floodlit 3G football pitch, a floodlit rugby pitch with a dedicated training area, and a modern sports pavilion designed to support both athletes and the wider community. The pavilion features six spacious changing rooms, two officials’ rooms, two kitchens, and a large community room, offering a welcoming and practical space for teams and local residents alike…. Read more »

Blackpool’s Abingdon Street Market

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Abingdon Street Market in Blackpool reopened on 27 May 2023 after a long period of closure, bringing new life to the area. With its eclectic mix of independent food vendors, bars, and coffee shops, it has quickly become a popular destination for both locals and visitors. The market has exceeded initial expectations for footfall and business projections, and the operating team, The Little Blackpool Leisure Company, is excited to continue developing the space. Their focus is on expanding the market’s retail offerings and rolling out further phases of recruitment to attract more independent retailers, while continuing to offer unique entertainment… Read more »

Frasers Comes to Blackpool

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On 22 November 2023, the highly anticipated Frasers store officially opened its doors, occupying over 100,000 square feet in Blackpool’s Houndshill Shopping Centre. This innovative retail destination unites popular brands such as Frasers, Flannels, Sports Direct, Game, and Evans Cycles, creating a vibrant shopping experience under one roof. The opening marks a major milestone in Blackpool Council’s efforts to rejuvenate the town centre. Since taking ownership of Houndshill in 2019, the council has worked tirelessly to boost the town’s recovery from the pandemic and transform the shopping centre into a cornerstone of its regeneration strategy. Part of Blackpool’s £2 billion… Read more »

Blackpool Ambulance Hub

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The new NWAS Blackpool Ambulance Hub in South Shore officially opened on Tuesday, 14 March 2023. Designed by Bluesky Architects, the state-of-the-art facility embraces a low-carbon approach aligned with the UK government’s net-zero strategy. The three-storey station hub features a double-height ‘make ready’ bay for rapid refuelling and restocking, significantly enhancing response times and operational efficiency. The facility also includes ample parking, offices, refreshment areas, training and meeting rooms, as well as locker and changing areas. In collaboration with the client and supply chain, efforts were focused on minimizing the building’s carbon footprint. This involved optimizing the envelope construction for… Read more »

Blackpool Amusements

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Blackpool’s newest family entertainment centre offers fun for all ages, spread across two floors in the iconic former Woolworth’s building, located right next to Blackpool Tower. The vibrant, selfie-friendly décor sets the scene for a great time, while the impressive prize shop and spacious café on the second floor—offering stunning views of the promenade—make it the perfect spot for both excitement and relaxation. Unlike traditional arcades, this modern venue is designed with families in mind. Crown Leisure has transformed the space into a bright, welcoming entertainment hub that caters to everyone. This new arcade replaces the former Golden Mile Amusements,… Read more »

Blackpool Taco Bell

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Taco Bell has opened its first location in Lancashire with a new drive-thru restaurant in Blackpool. The popular US fast-food chain began serving customers on Rigby Road, near the Central Drive junction, on Thursday, 22 June 2023. This vibrant new eatery offers its signature Mexican-inspired dishes, including tacos and quesadillas, every day from 10:30 am to 11 pm. The two-storey restaurant seats up to 52 guests in its spacious upstairs dining area, while the ground floor features digital self-order kiosks and a reserved table for disabled customers. Taco Bell also plans to introduce a delivery service across Blackpool. The menu… Read more »

Blackpool CAN

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Blackpool CAN is also called Blackpool Community Action Network. Through the pandemic Blackpool Council and the Blackpool VCFSE sector have seen the critical value of thriving communities. People helped and supported others around them. Local government and health services developed stronger relationships with their local community, often facilitated by the VCFSE sector. Towns and cities with a thriving VCFSE sector supported by infrastructure organisations were able to put forward a better coordinated, stronger response. In the current economic climate, small locally based VCFSE organisations need support more than ever and it has been determined that there is a need to… Read more »

Fylde Coast Radio Digital

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They pride themselves on being a “live” radio station, dedicated to keeping listeners informed about all the exciting events and developments in and around Blackpool and the Fylde Coast. Their playlist spans the ages, bringing listeners the best music from past decades to today’s latest chart toppers. To ensure listeners never miss out on local events, concerts, theatre shows, breaking news, traffic updates, travel information, and much more, the radio station encourage people to download their smartphone app, in effect putting the radio station right in people’s pockets. Long time residents or a first time visitors will find that Fylde Coast Radio… Read more »

Meet The Funders Event

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The first Meet the Funders event was held at the The Fifth Floor, Blackpool Tower’s iconic new venue on Wednesday 27 September 2023. The event was very well attended and open to individuals and organisations from across the Fylde Coast. Blackpool-based artists, arts organisations, community organisations, registered charities, community groups, community interest companies (ClCs), non-profit limited companies by guarantee, social enterprises, churches, community-led charities and not-for-profit organisations were all encouraged to attend. More than 200 delegates from the VCFSE sector gathered at the iconic Blackpool Tower for a series of presentations by some largest grant funding bodies, regionally and nationally. The… Read more »

Young Blackpool Filmmaker Ryan J. Smith Achieves Worldwide Movie Releases

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The Skint Film Company, founded in 2019, is the film production vehicle of filmmaker Ryan J. Smith.Skint was formed to handle all aspects of production and delivers high quality films for theatrical and streaming distribution. Its recent productions TALKING TO GHOSTS and LOTTERY are available on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Tubi, Plex and more – putting them in position to undertake more commercial projects with bigger studio and financing partners. Previous productions include the documentary feature RED LIGHT SOLO and the short films BRIGHT EYES and THE BULL AND THE BEAR. Ryan works closely with friends Adam Bentley (visual effects), Alisdair… Read more »