For full details of all special and regular events and festivals, pick up a What’s On brochure at your local library or visit What's On (external link)
Arts
Turnpike Gallery, Leigh.
01942 404469
Sat 12 Sep to Sat 26 Sep
YOUR STORY – OUR HISTORY
Our past as revealed by antique books from Leigh Library and objects brought in by the public.
Wed 16 Sep – 14 Oct, 7pm - 9pm
WATERCOLOURS FOR BEGINNERS
£25, including all materials for a five week course.
Booking essential.
Sat 3 Oct to Sat 24 Oct
CAMERA CLUBS
Showcase of photography by local camera clubs.
Sat 3 Oct, 10:30am - 12:30pm
ARTS ACTIVE
Free workshop for 5-12s. Booking essential.
Sat 17 Oct, 10am - 1pm
JEWELLERY MAKING FOR BEGINNERS
Create a charm bracelet and pendant. £8, including materials.
Booking essential.
Parks and countryside
Booking essential on numbers shown. Charge applies for some events.
Thur 17 Sep & Thur 24 Sep, 11am - 12pm
HEALTH WALKS
Sturdy footwear needed.
Thu 17 Sep – Orrell Water Park.
Thu 24 Sep – Ashfield Park, Standish.
01942 488481.
Mon 14 and 28 Sep, 7:30pm - 9:30pm
BAT WALK
Three Sisters Recreational Area.
Listen to bats with electronic detectors. Meet at the visitor centre. 01942 720453.
Sat 19 Sep, 1pm - 3pm
HISTORY ON WHEELS
For 8+. Guided bike tour of Haigh Estate. 01942 832895.
Sat 19 Sep, 1pm - 3pm
BEGINNERS GUIDE TO FUNGI
Haigh Country Park.
For 8+. Search for fungi on a stroll through the woods. 01942 832895.
Sat 19 Sep, 1pm - 3:30pm
LEIGH WALK NUMBER 1
Pennington Flash Country Park.
From Pennington Flash towards Glazebury and back past Hope Carr Nature Reserve. Approx. 4.5 miles. Meet at the Visitor Centre.
01942 605253.
Sun 20 Sep
RUN4ALIFE
Men and boys 5km fun run in aid of prostate and testicular cancer awareness.
Run 4 a Life (external link)
Sun 20 Sep, 1pm - 3pm
WILDFLOWER POTS AND CRAFTS
Mesnes Park.
Plant wildflowers and make pots. Meet at the café. 01942 245369.
Sat 26 Sep, 10am
WIGAN FLASHES HISTORY WALK
Hidden heritage of the Flashes. Meet Welham Road, by Hawkley Hall High School. 01942 233976.
Sat 26 Sep, 12pm - 2pm
POETRY PICNIC IN THE PARK
Pennington Flash Country Park, Leigh.
Join Leigh and Atherton writers in an afternoon of poetry reading. Hazel Wellings 01942 678454.
Sun 27 Sep, 6pm - 8:30pm
HISTORY OF THE HALL
Haigh Country Park.
For 8+. Explore areas usually closed to the public. 01942 832895.
Sun 27 Sep and 18 Oct, 9:30am - 11:30am
WHAT’S THAT BIRD?
Pennington Flash Country Park.
Get help with identification. Meet at Horrock's Hide. 01942 605253.
Sat 3 Oct, 1pm - 3pm
WINTER BASKETS
Haigh Country Park.
For 5+. Create a wonderful winter basket. 01942 832895.
Sun 4 Oct, 9:30am - 12pm
AUTUMN WATCH PART TWO
Pennington Flash Country Park.
Walk round the reserve looking at wildlife. A limited number of binoculars available. Meet at the Information Centre. 01942 605253.
Wed 7 Oct, 1pm - 3:30pm
MERSEY BASIN WEEK
Pennington Hall Park.
Walk from Pennington Hall Park to Hope Carr Nature Reserve and sewage treatment works. 01942 720453.
Sat 10 Oct, 10am
FUNGAL FORAY
Wigan Flashes.
Discover the fungi of the Flashes. Meet Welham Road by Hawkley Hall High School. 01942 233976.
Sat 10 Oct, 10am - 3pm
LEIGH WALK NUMBER 2
Pennington Flash Country Park.
7 mile walk from Pennington Flash to Hitchfield Wood, Glazebury and back past Hope Carr Nature Reserve. Meet at the Visitor Centre. 01942 605253.
Sun 11 Oct, 1pm - 3pm
SEED GATHERING SUNDAY
1. Mesnes Park, Wigan.
Plant a tree and celebrate Seed Gathering Sunday. Meet at the café. 01942 245369.
2. Lilford Woods, Leigh.
Gentle stroll through the woods, collecting and learning about tree seeds. 01942 720453.
Sat 24 Oct, 1pm - 3pm
FEED THE BIRDS
Haigh Country Park.
For 5+. Make a fat cake treat and a peanut feeder. 01942 832895.
Sun 25 Oct, 10am - 4pm
LEIGH WALK NUMBER 3
Pennington Flash Country Park.
8.5 mile walk from Pennington Flash to Hitchfield Wood towards Bedford Hall. 01942 605253.
Mon 26 Oct, 1pm - 2:30pm
WORMERIES
Pennington Flash Country Park.
Bring empty 2 litre drinks bottle to recycle into a wormery.
01942 605253.
Haigh Hall
01942 832895
Thurs 8 Oct, 8pm
EVENING OF CLAIRVOYANCE WITH DAVID TRAYNOR
Welcome return for David Traynor. Bar opens from 7pm. £12.
Fri 9 Oct, 7pm
MUSICAL MURDER AT THE MOULIN ROUGE
4-course dinner. Dancing until 1am. Moulin Rouge is open for its usual business until the world famous Chinese mime artist Arsou Arsou suddenly drops dead. Can Inspector Clueso and the guests can solve this mystery… £30
Sun 25 Oct
MONIUSKZO’S HALKA
Contact Heritage Opera Box office on 01772 451 991 or buy on line at Heritage Opera (external link)
Fri 30 Oct, 6-9pm
HALLOWEEN BALL
£5 (3yrs and over - children must be with an adult).
Halloween disco, storyteller and witches’ kitchen. Booking essential.
Fri 13 Nov, 8pm
AN EVENING WITH BARRY McDERMOTT AND TERRY O’CONNOR
£32 including 4 course dinner.
Exclusive appearance of the top Sky Super League pundits. Anecdotes, memories and Q&A sessions. Bars open 7pm, starts 8pm. 01942 825677.
Heritage events
Booking essential on 01942 828128
Heritage Service (external link)
Fri 11 Sep to Sat 12 Sep
LEIGH HERITAGE WEEKEND
Leigh Civic Square.
Tours of Leigh Parish Church and Leigh Town Hall, vintage car show, heritage walks, music, outdoor arts. Leigh Parish Church tours both days between 11am and 3pm. Leigh Town Hall tours both days 11am, 1pm & 3pm. Guided town centre walks 12pm & 2pm.
Fri 11 Sep, 11pm - 3pm
WIGAN TOWN HALL / GOING NORTH
Free tour of Wigan Town Hall. See the famous stained glass windows in the Council Chamber. View ‘Going North’ by George Earl, one of the borough's foremost art treasures. Tours 11am & 2pm.
Sun 13 Sep
TRENCHERFIELD MILL, WIGAN PIER
See the mighty Trencherfield Mill Steam Engine. Hear talks by the engineers. Free at 11am, 1 & 2pm.
Tue 27 & Wed 28 Oct
THE ROMANS WERE HERE
Grand Arcade, Wigan. Learn how the Romans lived right here.
Fri 30 Oct, 1pm - 3pm
WARTIME WHISPERS
Leigh Town Hall.
How wartime propaganda won the battle of hearts and minds during World War II. Tour the archive strong rooms and see treasures from the past. £3 per child, £2 per adult.
Leisure Venues
Fri 18 Sep and 16 Oct, 7pm
AMERICAN PRO WRESTLING
Monaco Ballroom, Hindley.
Ticket hotline on 07703 312 146 or email Richard Noble
£7 per person or £24 for 2 adults,
2 children
Fri 2 Oct, 30 Oct and 6 November 8pm - 11:30pm
LEIGH PHOENIX NCDS
Formby Hall, Atherton
Sequence, ballroom, line and rock ‘n’ roll. Over 45, divorced, widowed or separated. 01942 222537.
£2.50 members (£3.50 non-members).
Sat 24 Oct
BLACKPOOL TOWER’S CHRISTOPHER HOPKINS
Monaco Ballroom, Hindley.
Classic and modern tunes. 07872146896.
Wed 11 Nov, 7pm
TELEVISION PSYCHIC TONY STOCKWELL
Monaco Ballroom, Hindley
01942 825677. £18.
Fri 20 & Sat 21 Nov, 7.30pm
THREE TOWNS OPERATIC SOCIETY
Lowton Civic Hall
01942 883722. £8.
Community events
Fridays until 23 Oct, 7pm
BUDDHIST DROP-IN MEDITATION CLASSES
Orrell YMCA, Winstanley Road, opposite Hewitt House.
Manjushri Courses - Drop-in Class Wigan (external link).
Mon 14 Sep & 12 Oct, 7:30pm
WIGAN CIVIC TRUST
Drumcroon, 2 Parsons Walk, Wigan.
Sept – Mesnes Park Restoration Project; October – Roman Wigan. 01942 245777 or 211279.
Sat 26 Sep, 7:30pm - 9:45pm
WIGAN MUSIC SOCIETY
Trinity United Reformed Church, Milton Grove, Wigan.
Tapestry of Music featuring variety of medieval instruments.
01257 462138 / 01942 238520.
Tue 29 Sep, 6pm – 8pm
HANGING BASKETS
Tudor House, 8 Liverpool Road, Hindley. Plant a hanging basket for the autumn season. Booking essential.
07535 463689.
Sat 3 Oct, 10am - 3:30pm
THE ORRELL EGGCRAFTERS
Salem Church Hall, Church Street, Orrell. Eggcrafting for beginners.
01942 216552.
Sat 10, 17, 24, 31 Oct, 7:30pm
WIGAN PHOENIX
St Wilfrid’s Parish Hall, Church Street, Standish.
Open nights for over 45s. Sequence, ballroom and line. Meet new friends in a friendly atmosphere. Wigan Phoenix (external link).
Tues 13 Oct, 9am-3.30pm
AGE CONCERN - KEEP WELL KEEP HEALTHY
Wigan Town Hall.
Information on services for the over 50s. Get your annual flu jab free!
01942 615882.
Fri 16 Oct, 7:30pm
SAVING GURNEY’S PITTAS
Derby Room, Turnpike Centre, Leigh.
Leigh Ornithological Society illustrated talk by Tim Melling.
Fri 16 Oct, 7:30pm
THREE TOWNS OPERATIC SOCIETY
St Maries RC Church, Almond Brook Road, Standish.
Popular songs from shows, charts and classics. 01257 423291.
£5.
Sat 24 Oct, 7:30pm - 9:45pm
WIGAN MUSIC SOCIETY
Trinity United Reformed Church, Milton Grove, Wigan.
Kate Sawbridge - ‘cello and Duncan Glenday – piano. 01257 462138 / 238520.
ASHTON-IN-MAKERFIELD Festival ’09
SAT 19th September to SAT 3rd October
St Thomas’s Church Ashton.
prices will be listed in the programme
Saturday 19 Sept, 7.30pm
Haydock Male Voice Choir,
St Thomas’s Church.
Sunday 20 Sept, 10am-3pm
Rangers Guided Walk.
Monday 21 Sept, 7.00pm
Songs of Praise, St Wilfrid’s Church.
Tuesday 22 Sept, 11am-12pm
Active Living Guided Walk.
Tuesday 22 Sep, 7.15pm
Ashton Young Musicians,
St Thomas’s Church.
Wednesday 23 Sept, 1.30pm
Memories of Ashton Local Walk, Don Hodgkinson.
Wednesday 23 Sept, 7.30pm
JJB Bands, St Edmund
Arrowsmith School.
Friday 25 Sept, 1.30pm
Author Visit – Margaret Murphy, Ashton Library.
Saturday 26 Sept, 10-11am
Children’s Event, Ashton Library.
Saturday 26 Sept, 7.30pm
Arrowsmith Singers,
St Thomas’s Church.
Sunday 27 Sept, 1-4pm
Rangers Guided Walk.
Monday 28 Sept, 7.30pm
Organ/Cornet Recital,
St Oswald’s Church.
Tuesday 29th Sept, 11am-12pm
Active Living Guided Walk.
Tuesday 29th Sept, 7.00pm
Floral Demonstration,
Ashton Library.
Wednesday 30 Sept, 3.00pm
Demonstration of Cake Decoration, St Thomas’s Church Hall.
Wednesday 30 Sept, 7.30pm
Five in Harmony,
St Thomas’s Church.
Friday 2 Oct, 8.00pm
Irish Night, Brian Boru Club.
Friday 2 Oct, 7.30pm
Quiz Night, St Luke’s.
Saturday 3 Oct, 7.30pm
Lancashire Fusiliers Band,
St Edward Arrowsmith School.
TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM 1st SEPT
Ashton Library
Normal opening times
Market Stall
Tuesdays: 15th, 22th and 29th September. Saturdays: 19th and 26th September
Chatterbox
Tuesdays, 15th, 22nd and 29th September
