New era for cultural hub and a visit to gerrumonside!

New era for cultural hub and a visit to gerrumonside!

Earlier this week we made the announcement that the popular Turnpike Gallery in Leigh town centre will be transferred to the council from 2022.

For the last five years it has been run by the Turnpike Community Interest Company (CIC) and we would like to thank their team for all the great work they have done.

It is the Turnpike Centre’s 50^th anniversary year and we are excited to embark on this new era for the gallery and exhibition facility.

We are determined to build on the programme of work that is already in place and maintain the venue as a key hub for the delivery of our wider arts and culture programmes.

This month has also seen the opening of the gerrumonside! exhibition over at the Museum of Wigan Life in Wigan town centre. I was lucky enough to have a sneak preview alongside the Rugby League World Cup trophies.

It is well worth a visit for rugby league fans, young and old, and there’s definitely lots to enjoy for Leigh Centurions fans.

With such a big year for the sport approaching in 2022, we’re proud to provide an experience like this for our residents.

Given that we are very much in the build up to Christmas, please remember to Support Local and take advantage of the free weekday (after 3pm) and free weekend parking schemes in the town centre.

This time of year is very important for our host of independent and small business ventures and factoring them into your Christmas shopping can have a significant impact on our local economy.

Since my last column, the government has introduced the plan B measures to reduce the spread of the Omicron variant.

Throughout recent weeks we have been urging everyone to maintain the public health measures that have served us so well over the last two years.

So please remember to keep washing your hands, watching your distance and wear a face covering as much as you can, in addition to keeping indoor spaces well ventilated. And please come forward to receive your vaccination or booster when invited to do so.

It’s an important time of year but we can all keep taking these small steps to help out our communities.

As this is my final column before Christmas, I would like to wish you all a fantastic festive season. Leigh has a very exciting 2022 to look forward to.