Amongst the most-viewed stories were some truly tragic tales and our hearts go out to the friends and families of the victims.
Coronavirus news featured heavily throughout the year but no stories made it into the top spot in any month.
Two picture galleries in the middle of the year reached the summit of the page views chart and are continuing to prove popular with readers. The December gallery from the Boxing Day Fancy Dress bash in Wigan town centre was our most popular piece of the year with almost 110,000 page views.
Everyone loves Fancy Dress!
Here are the top stories from January to December of last year by the number of page views they received ...
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9. September 2021
Security has been stepped up and the council is in talks with the firm managing asylum-seekers at a Wigan hotel amid claims of schoolgirls’ being watched and harassed. Written by Charles Graham.
10. October 2021
A Wigan mum has died after collapsing in a holiday park swimming pool. Jodie O’Connell, from Marsh Green, was on a break with family at Butlin’s Skegness resort when she suffered an aneurysm. Written by Gaynor Clarke.
11. November 2021
A Wigan headteacher has issued a warning to pupils over offensive TikTok videos which have targeted members of staff. Julian Grant, from Shevington High School, says the content posted on the social media platform are defamatory and offensive. Written by Amos Wynn.
12. December 2021
The annual Boxing Day tradition of party-goers hitting the pubs and clubs in fancy dress in Wigan returned this year, after the pandemic forced the event online in 2020. Photo gallery by Michelle Adamson.