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The award-winning play area with beaches, pirate ships and dinosaurs for kids to discover
A great place to take the kiddies this Easter!
This award-winning play centre in Cheshire is perfect for your little ones.
With a whole host of huge soft play areas, indoor beaches, pirate ships, dinosaurs and bouncy castles, it’s no wonder Castaway Play in Congleton was named best in the region last year.
This family friendly attraction is bursting with fun things to do to keep the kids entertained on a family day out.
And it regularly changes its themes to keep it exciting and new for visitors to keep coming back for more fun days out.
This magical world of play has grown from being a popular room within a garden centre to a large space with different play zones, since opening in February 2020.
Married couple and parents Joanna and Simon Cotterall came up with the idea to create a varied play centre with plenty of facilities, including for those with special needs.
Castaway Play was crowned ‘Best Indoor Play Centre’ for the Greater Manchester and Cheshire region last year at the Red Kite Awards, following a public vote.
The adventure play venue faced tough competition to the top spot including Clip ‘n’ Climb in Oldham, Tumble Jacks in Marple, and Head Over Heels in Wilmslow.
The popular play centre originally started out as just a pirate ship room but has since expanded to include a lost-jungle room, a construction site room and a sensory play area with plenty of things to discover, even giant prehistoric creatures and dinosaur eggs.
On entering the exciting and imaginative centre, children will first come across Castaway Cove – a pirate ship and treasure island area.
In the far corner, they will stumble across the Lost-Jungle, where dinosaurs and hatchlings are waiting to be discovered among a huge green leafy area.
There’s a glow-in-the-dark outer space room, before kids will enter the Magical Kingdom filled with castles, slides, princesses and plenty of sensory things to play with.
Next, the little ones will find a huge indoor beach as they land on the Tropical Island. Making their way across wooden tree-house bridges and down more slides, they will eventually splash into the Water Park.
Castaway Play even has party rooms that can be hired out for events along with seasonal and themed characters with staff dressed in costumes to bring the experience to life – the perfect place for your child’s birthday.
A full day of play makes for hungry children and accompanying adults, so you’ll be pleased to hear it has three different cafe areas to stop off for a bite and something to drink.
The much-loved play centre fills up fast and so it is advised to book tickets in advance so as to avoid disappointment. Off-peak tickets cost £6.95 and peak tickets cost £10.95. Tickets can be booked via the website, HERE.
Castaway Play is open seven days a week and located at 71 Moss Rd, Astbury, Congleton CW12 3BP.
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What's On
Huge beer festival with more than 500 different varieties coming to Manchester
Can’t wait for this!
Manchester Craft Beer Festival is back for another year, bringing with it more than 80 breweries and 500 different beers to sample.
The fourth edition of the festival will be taking place at Depot Mayfield on Friday July 5th and Saturday July 6th.
Cloudwater, Track, Marble, Northern Monk, Bundobust, Sureshot and Seven Brothers will be there to represent Manchester, alongside other UK stalwarts like Deya, Verdant, Siren and Leeds’ North Brewing Co.
Manchester Craft Beer Festival
Heritage breweries like Timothy Taylor’s, Chouffe and Timmermans will also be there, as well as international breweries from the US, Greece, Spain and Australia.
There will also be some great food options to line your stomach, including bao buns, crispy chicken and katsu tater tots at Bone Daddies, as well as Almost Famous, Bundobust, MorMor and Voodoo Rays.
Manchester Craft Beer Festival
Greg Wells, director of Manchester Craft Beer Festival, said: “It’s been a disheartening year for Manchester’s beer scene so far with closure of the beloved Indy Beer Con Fest and the unsuccessful debut of the International Brewing and Cider Festival, but we’re pleased to announce our return and bring more of what has been loved in the past three years.
“With even more breweries and experiences on offer and larger capacity this year, we’re buzzing to be back to satisfy all the beer lovers out there.
“The addition of a complimentary trade session to our programme is all about promoting this world class beer city and a small gesture to support all the incredible people who work across the drinks and hospitality industries.
“We all have a mutual understanding of the hardships our industries have faced in recent times so we thought it’d be a nice gesture to get everyone together for the love of drinks, food and music to celebrate beer and ourselves!”
Manchester Craft Beer Festival
The entry price includes all your drinks throughout your session, as well as festival glass and access to all the events happening.
And as it’s on during the Euros, it will be screening the football too.
Day tickets cost £57 per day session – with a discount for four tickets – or £145 for the whole weekend. Grab tickets HERE.
What's On
New makers market with everything from dog accessories to house plants and jewellery coming to Manchester
Get this one in your diary!
A brand new makers market is coming to Manchester this late May Bank Holiday weekend, with something for everyone.
Taking place at New Jackson – a new urban neighbourhood located at the southern gateway to the city – Manchester Made Market will be held on Saturday May 25th and Sunday May 26th.
Over the two days you’ll be able to browse a selection of local artisanal traders and small businesses from across the region.
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There’ll be everything, from food produce, homewares, crafts and creations to dog accessories, house plants, jewellery and homemade soap.
Among the traders will be Manchester and Cheshire-based florist and floral artists Dot & Flora, graphic artist Ablott MCR selling music prints, HGT with crochet fashion and homeware designs, and artisan candlemakers Leaves and Prickles.
Elsewhere, there will be essential oils and other treatments from Grounded Wellness, permanent jewellery from Sealed Links, and desserts from Cake With Heart.
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There will be plenty of street food options to keep you topped up while you shop, including The Wild Grill, Food Sorcery, Salvi’s and new favourite Medlock Canteen.
Neighbourhood Brew will be supplying some great drinks as well.
Supported by Renaker, the market is free, but you can upgrade your experience with a limited, free VIP ticket with access to the dedicated bar area.
What's On
Manchester Flower Festival returns with tributes to Sarah Harding and Caroline Aherne
It’s taking place later this month!
The legendary Manchester Flower Festival is returning to our city later this month, complete with pop-ups, installations and tributes to some local icons.
Taking place over the late May Bank Holiday, the event will be headlined by its ‘Floral Trail’.
This year’s theme is Manchester Icons, with a host of names past and present being honoured in flower form, including the late comedy legend Caroline Aherne, pop star Sarah Harding and suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst.
The Vain Photography / Manchester Flower Festival
Collaborating with Manchester illustrator Stanley Chow, floral designer Liv Woodward will create a portrait of Caroline Aherne at the Floral Marquee on New Cathedral Street, using sustainably sourced plants and flowers.
Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding will be remembered in a ‘tribute garden’, sponsored by the AO Arena, with visitors able to donate to the Sarah Harding Breast Cancer Appeal by scanning the QR code at the display.
The homage to Pankhurst has been created by female-led Decordia, featuring an ornate wooden Manchester Town Hall-inspired planter with sashes, posters and colourful icons, alongside a wicker figure of the suffragette herself.
This can be found at the corner of Cross Street and King Street, adorned with purple, green and white plants – the colours of the suffragette movement.
The Vain Photography / Manchester Flower Festival
Other local legends will also be honoured with their own installations, including Happy Mondays vocalist Rowetta and iconic Manchester brewery Boddingtons .
Fringe events will be taking place too, at locations including Northern Quarter art shop Fred Aldous, The Bridgewater Hall, the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel and the National Trust’s Castlefield Viaduct.
Selfridges Exchange Square, El Gato Negro, Tast Catala, Franco Manca, Grand Pacific Manchester and Urban Playground will also be taking part, with alfresco dining, festival-related dishes and cocktails.
The Vain Photography / Manchester Flower Festival
Now in its seventh year, the Flower Festival, which is put together by Manchester City Centre Business Improvement District, attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year, with live entertainment, workshops, and arts and crafts markets.
It all happens from May 24th to May 27th – head over to the website HERE to find more information.
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Huge beer festival with more than 500 different varieties coming to Manchester
New makers market with everything from dog accessories to house plants and jewellery coming to Manchester
New apartment development with huge gardens and outdoor space opening this year
Stagecoach hiring over 100 new bus drivers for Bee Network with £31k salaries
Manchester Flower Festival returns with tributes to Sarah Harding and Caroline Aherne
