Here's hoping for a brighter Wigan town

True, it’s not yet Christmas. But even now my brain is buzzing with New Year resolutions.

Well, I say “resolutions” I’m more meaning things I’d like to see happen in this good old town of ours.

Let’s face it, 2018 hasn’t been a great year with council cuts still biting, but we should be thankful that we have a spanking new bus station.

And will there come a day when the car park in the Galleries is given a face lift? By heck it’s grim having absorbed the fumes of millions of cars over the years.

The massive stone crest removed from the top of the old town hall before demolition is still lurking somewhere. What about finding a place for it in the new down-sized town centre improvement?

And I know for sure that we are all looking forward to the massive chaos at the Saddle Junction being finished. It will, in my view, be fascinating to see the project justified when hundreds of cyclists suddenly appear.

Only then will be know if it’s been worth it.

When will dear old Marks and Spencer’s store shut its doors for the last time after serving Wiganers for years?

How quickly will the store be reoccupied rather than standing empty? We must live in hope.

I may be in cloud-cuckoo land when I dream about all those shops on the first floor of the silent Galleries suddenly being re-occupied. In truth, I’m not optimistic.

The play on the life of George Orwell earlier this year came in for praise. I’d certainly like to see more dramatic productions in this Pottery Road space. That said, the news that our very own Sir Ian McKellen is talking about his life in two shows at Wigan Little Theatre next spring is more than welcome.