Tony porter Ponders: Spring at last and rules for all online creators.
Though it has not been as bad as in many areas of the UK, finally the rain has stopped.
Another wet, windy winter is ending, though I expect a few more days of misery before spring takes control.
I went for Wigan Walk 52 on Sunday, after work, to Billinge Beacon on top of the lump. Was I in for a surprise.
The views were epic, despite some mist, but I was staggered by the carvings on the building some from the 1800s.
Add to that the Billinge Plantation woods and I was in heaven.
Once again I say that Wigan is one of the best places in which to live with the countryside and nature literally in every direction.
I cannot wait to get out and about regularly to explore new areas like the ones I found at the weekend.
I have tentatively suggested a live Wigan Walk in the summer with an open invitation for viewers to join me on a two-plus-hours walk taking in the canal, Whelley loopline footpath to the plantations at Haigh Hall and back along the canal via Top Lock.
A few have said they would prefer to meet up in a pub for a chat and a few bevvies, and I am up for that too.
Like all of us I want to see Wigan being great again, and things seem to be going well in the town centre with the Colliers’ Market Hall progressing well, though for a few weeks Makinson Arcade bottom entrance is closed, so please don’t forget that there are many businesses there trying to keep going, so have a look inside and see everything from jewellers, collectible and even mystic stone shops, along with many others, it is well worth a visit.
Also, the Royal Arcade, bottom of Standishgate with a place you can buy this paper from, women’s fashion, haberdashery and lots more to see.
People often moan that there are "no shops left in Wigan," but there are: you just have to hunt out these little hidden gems.
I have a YouTube channel that has many different playlists on it. The Wigan ones are trying to show the best Wigan has and its heritage, but there are rules that all content creators, big or small must adhere to.
For example if you follow a celebrity they may on occasion showcase a product, if they have received the product for free, or are paid to promote it they must display, on screen wording for example #Ad as it must be made immediately clear that content is an ad, regardless of the format or media used.
I mention this as there is an advert on GBNews that I have been asked why it has #Advertisement on screen. This is because it is filmed like a daytime TV chat show but is not it is plugging some claims company.
The rules are strict: if discount of services, cash or freebies are given for an influencer to promote on their platform, it must be made obvious from the outset otherwise they could face enforcement action from the CMA, local authority Trading Standards Services if content misleads consumers into thinking it is not a paid promotion.
Rules is rules, misleading the public, for financial gain is a big no no.