Author: Ed

Andrew Finlayson: Championing Social Mobility from Blackpool

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Andrew “Finny” Finlayson is a senior business leader based on the Fylde Coast who has combined corporate leadership with a strong public commitment to social mobility and inclusive growth. He serves as Managing Director at Accenture UK & Ireland and is the firm’s North West Regional Lead. In this role, he oversees regional operations and helps shape digital innovation strategies across the North West. His work spans both private and public sector transformation, with particular involvement in health and public services programmes that focus on modernising systems while keeping people at the centre of change. In late 2025, Finlayson was…

Blackpool Central Railway Station: The Lost Gateway to the Seaside Resort

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Blackpool Central railway station was once the principal railway gateway to Britain’s most famous seaside resort. Opened in 1863 by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, it was constructed to serve the explosive growth of Blackpool’s Victorian tourism industry, bringing thousands of visitors from industrial towns and cities across the North of England. Located just a short walk from the Promenade, the Tower and the town centre, Blackpool Central quickly became one of the busiest holiday stations in the country. At its height in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it expanded to 14 platforms beneath an impressive overall roof….

Blackpool Council Unveils Long-Term Vision for Central Housing Regeneration Area

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Blackpool Council has set out an ambitious long-term strategy to transform parts of inner Blackpool through a comprehensive housing regeneration programme expected to span at least 15 years. The initiative aims to raise housing standards, enhance green infrastructure and reshape neighbourhoods to create more sustainable and attractive places to live, while supporting broader economic renewal across central areas of the town. Blackpool central regeneration area boundary. The Central Housing Regeneration Area Framework, originally approved in December 2024, provides the blueprint for this transformation. The document is designed to guide future development, strengthen funding bids and attract private investment into some…

Ride the Lights: Cycling Through Blackpool’s Illuminated Promenade

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Ride the Lights is one of Blackpool’s most distinctive annual traditions, offering thousands of cyclists the rare opportunity to travel the full length of the Promenade beneath the Blackpool Illuminations before they officially switch on. Held each year in late August or early September, Ride the Lights takes place a few days before the Illuminations’ public opening night. For one evening, the Promenade is closed to motor traffic and opened exclusively to cyclists, creating a safe, family-friendly route stretching approximately six miles from Starr Gate in the south to Bispham in the north. The event attracts riders of all ages…

Tramtown Museum Set To Close

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Tramtown on Rigby Road has been ordered to close after an independent structural survey concluded that the building is unsafe. Lynn Williams confirmed that the museum’s public entrance had been deemed structurally unsound, stating that the council could not risk reopening the site while safety concerns remain. The announcement follows an earlier temporary closure caused by an electrical fault. While repair work was being carried out, a structural engineer’s inspection identified more serious issues with the building. Williams also said recent high winds had worsened the situation, tearing additional roof panels away and leading to further water ingress. All vehicles…

Royal Lytham & St Annes to Host the 156th Open Championship in 2028

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Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club remains one of the most respected venues in championship golf, and in 2028 it will host The Open Championship for the 12th time. The return of the world’s oldest major to the Fylde Coast reinforces the course’s long-standing position on The Open rota and its reputation as one of the most exacting tests in the sport. The Championship will come back to Lytham for the first time since 2012, when Ernie Els claimed the Claret Jug in dramatic fashion. That year also saw Tiger Woods mount a strong challenge, finishing among the leading…

Tiger Woods Golf Career at Royal Lytham & St Annes

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Few venues in golf trace the arc of a career quite like Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club does for Tiger Woods. Sixteen years apart, his appearances at The Open Championship on the Lancashire links captured both the promise of youth and the resilience of an established champion. In July 1996, the 125th edition of The Open Championship brought the world’s best golfers to Lytham. Among them was a 20-year-old amateur already generating buzz on both sides of the Atlantic. Woods was the only amateur to make the cut that week and finished tied for 22nd with a total…

Karen Nicolson Starts Jars of Joy with Her Mum

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We’re delighted to shine a light on Karen, a passionate mindset coach who is stepping confidently into an exciting new chapter of her professional journey. Karen has recently been accredited through Andrea Callanan’s Aligned Coaching Academy (MinstLM – Institute of Leadership & Management), further strengthening her commitment to transformational coaching. She is a Certified NLP Coach and Practitioner with INLPTA and also a Certified mBit Coach — bringing a powerful blend of neuroscience, leadership insight and heart-led guidance to her work. Karen’s mission is beautifully simple yet profoundly impactful: to empower individuals and groups to rediscover joy and reconnect with…

Blackpool Born Striker Matthew Blinkhorn

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Matthew Blinkhorn is a former professional striker closely linked with Blackpool FC, having represented his hometown club in two separate spells during his career. Born in Blackpool on 2 February 1984, Blinkhorn rose through the youth system at Bloomfield Road and made his senior debut in 2001. A determined and industrious forward, he went on to make more than 100 appearances in all competitions during his first spell between 2001 and 2006. While not always a regular starter, he was respected for his work ethic, movement and commitment to the team. After leaving Blackpool, he built a solid career across…