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NOVEMBER 2026 2 SHOWROOM: 410 Flixton Road, Flixton M41 6QY DOMESTIC & COMMERCIAL ROLLERS - ROMANS - WOOD VENETIANS - VERTICALS bd BLINDS DIRECT Flixton For a FREE no obligation quote call: 0161 749 8525 No part of this publicationmay be used or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure that the articles and advertisements that are carried are authentic, however the publisher accepts no responsibility for claims made. © Investors in Publishing Ltd 2026. This newspaper is publishedmonthly by Investors in Publishing, Publishing House, 3 Bridgebank Industrial Estate,Taylor Street, Horwich, Bolton BL6 7PD. 01204 478812 EDITOR Mike Hulme mike@independentnewspapers.co.uk CONTACT JayneMeadowcroft 01204 478812 07703 045189 jayne@independentnewspapers.co.uk ADVERTISING Robin Atkins 07767 840274 robin@cheshireindependent.co.uk CONTACT US ORIGINAL paintings used to create a Grammy Award-win- ning music video for The Beat- les are on display at Waterside in Sale, as part of a new free exhibition celebrating the art of animation. Camera Obscura: Experiments in Animation runs until January 9, bringing together the work of three acclaimed animators – Eliz- abeth (Lizzy) Hobbs, Em Cooper and Leo Jamelli. The exhibition explores how drawings, paintings, and other tra- ditional techniques become moving images, with original artwork and animation frames displayed along- side the finished films Highlights include five original oil paintings fromThe Beatles’ I’m Only Sleeping music video, created by British artist and filmmaker Em Cooper. Released in 2022 to accompany the reissue of the band’s Revolver album, the video was made using more than 1,300 indi- vidually painted oil paintings and went on to win Best Music Video at the 2024 Grammy Awards. Visitors will be able to see some of those original paintings up close, including artwork featuring John Lennon’s famous round glasses. The exhibition also features work from award-winning anima- tor Lizzy Hobbs, including original artwork from her short film The Debutante and artist Leo Jamelli, whose Spotlight on Care project uses hand-drawn animation to tell the stories of unpaid carers. Rosy Whittemore, curator of the exhibition, said: “We have brought together three outstanding artists working at the forefront of contem- porary animation. “From Grammy-winning film- maker Em Cooper to award-win- ning animator Elizabeth Hobbs and celebrated illustrator-anima- tor Leo Jamelli, the exhibition showcases artists whose work is pushing the boundaries of the medium. Each brings a distinctive visual language and approach to storytelling, capturing emotion, memory and lived experience in ways that are both innovative and deeply human.” The exhibition is part of a wider programme celebrating animation at Waterside and Creative Indus- tries Trafford. The exhibition is open Monday to Saturday, 10am-5pm. A LOCAL bakery has scooped multiple national awards. Lovingly Artisan Bakery, a fixture at Altrincham Market, was named North of England regional champion at the Great British Food Awards and took home six product awards, including three golds. The winners were announced at the first-ever liveGreat BritishFoodAwards ceremony. The bakery’s gold-winning products included its heritage rye flour, Northumberland rye, and whole- meal Barber wheat sourdough. Silver awards went to its marmalade and ginger sourdough bake and rye berry sourdough, while its malt fruit tea loaf earned bronze. A LONG-AWAITED redevel- opment plan could finally move forward. Trafford Council is considering a residential-led scheme for a 4.5- acre brownfield site in Altrincham town centre, bordered by Oak- field Road. The first stages of a new mas- terplan have now been completed for the site, known as the former Altair site, with funding support from the Greater Manchester Com- bined Authority. Cllr Liz Patel, Trafford Council’s executive member for economy and regeneration, said: “It’s been some years since the redevelopment of this key town centre site was considered. “We want to properly explore how it could now be redeveloped for maximum benefit of the town, the community and the local economy.” The Council’s Executive Commit- tee will discuss the proposal in prin- ciple for residential development. A report to the committee sug- gests that while both housing and retail could be considered, space constraints mean only one option may be viable if enough car parking is to be kept, potentially as part of a multi-storey hub. The proposed plan would see the site prepared for sale at a cost of £400,000, with half of the fund- ing expected to come from the GM Good Growth Fund. Cllr Patel said: “The approval of a residential-led approach does not commit the Council to any specific development scheme and any future decisions would be the subject of further consultations and approvals.” The site sits close to Planet Ice, move Altrincham, and the Altrin- cham Interchange and currently includes parking for 320 vehicles and a secure cycle shelter. A final decision will be made fol- lowing further public consultation and executive approval. PLANS to create up to 300 additional second- ary school places in Altrincham have taken a significant step forward with the appointment of a contractor to oversee the next phase of the project. Trafford Council has appointed construction firm Tilbury Douglas to work on the proposed expansion of North Cestrian School into the former Loreto Pre- paratory School site. The council announced in August that it had pur- chased the neighbouring site, paving the way for the school to expand and help meet growing demand for secondary school places in the area. Tilbury Douglas has now been appointed under a Pre-Construction Services Agreement (PCSA), which will see the company work with Trafford Council, Hamblin Education Trust and the design team to develop the scheme ahead of the construction phase. The proposed expansion would allow North Ces- trian to accommodate up to 300 additional pupils, helping more Altrincham children secure places at a local secondary school. Cllr George Devlin, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Babies, Children and Young People, wel- comed the progress. “I am delighted that the project has moved on swiftly with the appointment of Tilbury Douglas on the PCSA phase of the scheme. “This is an excellent project which will help make sure more of our local children can go to an Altrincham school and get them the best start in life – one of our main corpo- rate priorities.” Cllr Tom Ross, Leader of Trafford Council, added: “We are totally committed to the education of our young people and this scheme will mean more sec- ondary school places in Altrincham. “This is majorly important and our schools are, quite rightly, extremely popular.” The former Loreto Prep site is adjacent to North Cestrian School, which is operated by Hamblin Education Trust and is now in its 10th year as a free school. Tim Gartside, the trust’s chief executive, said: “From the beginning, we have shared with Traf- ford Council the vision of ensuring that the former Loreto Prep School site should remain as a site for the education of Altrincham children. “As North Cestrian School begins its 10th year as a free school we look forward to working with the Council during this exciting phase of growth so that all children from Altrincham can attend a local and highly successful school.” The project follows efforts by Trafford Council and local secondary schools to increase capacity for September 2026, with 76 additional places secured in the Sale and Altrincham areas and a further 85 across other Trafford high schools. The council has not yet announced a timetable for construction or when the additional school places are expected to become available. Plans for 300 extra school places move ahead The proposed expansion of North Cestrian School will use the former Loreto Preparatory School site. (Image: Trafford Council) Artisan bakery wins big TOWN CENTRE REDEVELOPMENT PLANS FINALLY MOVE FORWARD Beatles artwork features in new Sale exhibition