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Hollywood comes to Wigan
Wigan Life Centre launch with Joyce Redfern and the VIPs Stuart Maconie, Billy Boston, John Winnard and Lord Peter Smith
THREE of Wigan’s most famous sons had their names immortalised in a Hollywood-style Walk of Fame at the launch of the final part of the Wigan Life Centre.
Rugby league legend Billy Boston, writer and broadcaster Stuart Maconie and John Winnard, one half of the team behind Uncle Joe’s Mintballs, were honoured for their services to the town by having their names unveiled on stars.
The stars were the first to be placed on the Walk of Wigan Life, situated on the open piazza at the front entrance of the new North site, housing a new library and facilities for public services and voluntary organisations.
The council hopes the trio will be joined on the Walk of Wigan Life by other people who have helped the town or put Wigan on the map.
Billy said: “It’s absolutely fantastic to have the star. Wigan’s a wonderful town with the best people in the world.
“People keep saying about what I have done for Wigan, but really it’s what Wigan has done for me. The new Life Centre is a lovely facility, and it’s fantastic for the town.”
Stuart said: “I’m particularly pleased to see the new library, which is a subject very close to my heart. I believe passionately that libraries empower people, and I remember as a child the library seemed a magical place. It’s fantastic to have the star, and particularly nice for my family and parents, who are Wiganers born and bred.” John, who recently travelled to Buckingham Palace to receive his MBE, said: “I’m very proud and honoured, and it’s especially nice to be recognised by the local community. To be alongside Stuart and Billy is absolutely fabulous.
“The new facility could be a heartbeat for Wigan, it reminds me of the sort of one-stop shop the Investment Centre was years ago.”
The last part of the multi-million pound Life Centre to be officially launched, the Information, Learning and Neighbourhood Zone contains a huge library split over two floors, facilities for council services including touch-screen computers which people can use to search for information, advisers on issues including housing, benefits and jobseeking, and voluntary services including the Citizens Advice Bureau.
One of the key aims for the site was to bring all the council’s public services under one roof.
The library has 37 computers with free internet access, separate rooms for teenagers, children and children’s activities such as storytelling sessions.
The south site of the Centre, housing the town’s new swimming pool, a leisure complex and council offices, opened last year.
Wigan Council leader Lord Peter Smith said: “It’s been very tough and needed a lot of hard work to get the project finished. We’ve now got great facilities right in the heart of Wigan, and the building is for the future, and shows that we are looking forward.”
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Friday 25 May 2012
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Comments
There are 28 comments to this article
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Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at 01:22 AM27 jupiter ....well said
jupiter
Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 02:47 PMI hope that the Councillors enjoy their wonderful building which has been paid for by closing local libraries and baths. They should be ashamed of themselves for depriving local people of these facilities just so they can say look at us aren't we great. No this Council is not great - they want everything centralised and everything their way.
warriors18
Friday, February 24, 2012 at 01:00 PMpost 24- ferg1985 - ROFL!!! By the way Billy Boston is a wigan legend whether born in wigan or not and also a lovely lovely man!
Truth Advocate
Friday, February 24, 2012 at 09:55 AMQuestion: Are Wigan Taxpayers being refund by the Department of Works and Pension (DWP) for accommodation in the ‘life centre’ - as both Jobcentre Plus and for Citizens Advise Bureau are 100% DWP funded services or is this yet again, another area that ordinary people are left in the dark to transparency of financial accounts to who is paying for what ! --------------------- As to 37 computers? for a population Wigan Borough population of 300,000 this seems very little, given the fact that actual local area services are being cut - local libraries, local baths, no local rubbish dumps etc hey but at least the councillors have an empire building !
Ferg1985
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 06:48 PMGet on to Royal mail for me, Jemward - I'd hate to divert all my post and bills to adhere to your notion of belonging. I'd hope you've put a lot of thought into your burial plot to, I'd hate to think that come the day you're laid to rest, they have your remains crossing 3 boundaries. Unless you're being cremated, perished the thought of how many boundaries you'd be in then. Just off to the corner shop, I'll be sure to take my passport and papers, should they have border control.
Mr Good Guy
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 01:17 PMi might be wrong here but what about george formby
Scarecrow
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 07:28 AMIf we are being pedantic, Frank Randle was born in New Springs which was part of Aspull UDC until 1974.
JemmyH
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 10:12 PMFerg1985 - if you were born in Billinge and raised in Ashton-in-Makerfield, you're no more from Wigan than you are from Tyldesley. ...... The area of Wigan is about 4 square miles with a population around the 30,000 mark. ..... That puts your estimation of Wigan's size and population figures way off the mark, proving you don't know much about the town you claim to belong to (but don't).
phillykenny
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 08:21 PMi bet hollywood are shi##ing there pants
Ferg1985
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 08:00 PMWouldn't want to play pin the tail on the donkey with that Jemmy, you'd have no chance.. well, more chance then pinning the position of Wigan on a map I'd suppose..Wigan would have a population of 2 with an area barely a square inch if it were up to that one. But then what would I know, I was born in Billinge and raised in Ashton-in-Makerfield, so I'm an apparent 'outsider'.
JemmyH
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 06:20 PMRay Ashton - Joe Gormley wasn't from Wigan. He was born in Ashton in Makerfield and worked there, in the St.Helens area of the south Lancashire coalfield. He was the miners union representative for that area before ending up at the top.
cartmankenny
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 04:24 PMPost 15 - Fair comment. Thanks for that.
Scarecrow
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 03:53 PMBut you can comment on another thread?
leviticus
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 03:40 PMcartmankenny: post 10, the reason you can't comment on the warders in the dock case is because it is an ongoing trial so any comments are prohibited by law, - after the trial they can open it up to comments but not whilst it is still proceeding. - i hope that helps you
Ray Ashton
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 09:09 AMFamous Wiganers lets start with Ted Ray, Roy Kinnear, Brian Finch, J. Lawrence Isherwood, Sir William Gorman, James Anderton, Kay Burley, and of course George Alfred Christopher who gave the town the Christopher Home and Christopher Park ( where Latics now train) Joe Gormley, Frank Randle to name but a few who are far more famous than the three honoured and in some cases have promoted Wigan to a far greater extent.
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