LUKE MARSDEN: We need more town centre restaurants, but please support those we have!

​In this column last year I documented the walks I enjoyed for months on end through Haigh Hall plantations.

I’m desperate to get back to this but the rain so far has been grim across Wigan.

I’ve noticed a peculiar pattern this year compared to last though: more people I know seem to have been down in the dumps for longer. Perhaps that is because things have been financially tougher for many compared to before.

To quote a famous slogan from a political party I’m not a member of: things can only get better. Inflation hasn’t increased; this week it was announced it has stuck around at four per cent. The country was bracing for a recession so that’s a silver lining.

On a less optimistic note, I’m off car shopping with my sister this weekend and we’re planning on dining out in Wigan afterwards. But the big debate has been: where can we have a nice meal there?

The handful of restaurants actually left in the town centre are our usual haunts, so if we want something a little different must we leave our town?

In the grand scheme of things, this may seem like a trivial problem but it’s important. Just this week I overheard a lady telling her daughter she was heading to Chorley for the day because “at least it’s still standing.”

If you disagree (I’m sure many will) send me suggestions (tweet me - if people still say that - @LukeMarsden) about where we can possibly eat in Wigan town centre that doesn’t involve the usual (but great) suspects.

I was a strong supporter of shopping local in this column throughout the pandemic years and that continues as much now.

Inflation may be stagnant but small businesses are too; they need our support so let’s do more than just have food for thought, let’s eat!