Catch the wheel deal


Catch the wheel deal

by Angela Kelly
15/ 9/2006

IT'S not often you get to see 62 world champions crowned at a single sporting event - but now is the time and Manchester's Velodrome is the place for the action as the UCI World Masters' Track Championships come to town.

This week, there is a record entry for the final event after 12 years in the city before the huge cycling event goes to Australia for the next three years. And it promises to be something special.

Expect spectacular thrills and spills during the six days which culminate tomorrow (Saturday) as the Brits try to topple the Americans' medal tally and top riders from Italy, France, Germany, Finland and Denmark delight the crowds with their speedy talents.

Mancunians are lucky to have the National Cycling Centre based here as it's Britain's primary indoor Olympic cycle track and widely regarded as one of the world's finest and fastest board tracks.

Cycling in the region has had an enduring boost by having the Velodrome as an accessible venue for enthusiasts, and the sport as visual entertainment has also grown - along with a rise in UK international medal achievements.

The World Masters Track Championships feature an exciting blend of riders including several from the Manchester area, like Benedict Elliott, Simon Churton and Stephen Cwilinski, so there are opportunities to cheer on the local lads!

To find out more visit www.manchester velodrome.com or ring 0161 223 2244.

DISCOVER the joys of ostrich meat, black puddings and jams galore at a Farmers' Market and Family Fun Day in Heaton Mersey Park, in Stockport, on Sunday.

Heaton Mersey Village Conservation Group is organising the event when there will be more than 20 stalls selling all kinds of fresh meat and produce, plus cakes and other culinary delights. There is entertainment for all the family and the event runs from 11am to 3pm at the park in Richmond Road.

DID you know that there are 17 species of bats in the UK and that they're not blind but use echolocation to find their prey by making shouting sounds?

Learn all this and much more about these basically gentle creatures by joining two Bat Walks, which take place at different venues.

Quarry Bank Mill at Styal in Cheshire, is the first venue this evening (Friday) for a Bat Talk and Walk around the impressive estate. It takes place at 7.30pm and costs £5 for adults and £2.50 for children. Ring 01625 527468 to find out more.

And next Wednesday (Sept 20), there's a chance to watch the bats feeding at Etherow Country Park - the halfway point of the 12-mile Valley Way footpath linking Vernon Park in Stockport with Woolley Bridge on the Tameside/ Derbyshire border.

A Bat Walk will be held from 8pm from the Visitor Centre. This event is free, and if you want more information ring 0161 427 6937.

TWO events this weekend are set to inspire and entertain would-be artists and art lovers of all ages.

Tomorrow (Saturday), popular Manchester artist Liam Spencer gives a sell-out free talk at 3pm at the city's art gallery about his 20-year career. This coincides with a last chance to catch his exhibition at the gallery entitled From Manchester to Shanghai, which is a major retrospective of Spencer's paintings.

As well as his pictures of Manchester scenes, the exhibition also includes recent paintings of New York, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing and runs until September 24. Ring 0161 235 8888 to go on the reserve list.

And on Saturday and Sunday, from 10am to 5pm, there will be a Cheshire Open Studios weekend at the Lion Salt works in Marston, Northwich.

The famous traditional inland salt works, in Ollershaw Lane, will be the unusual venue for the work of three artists. Mike Troy, Richard Carman and Bernice Barrett-Brown will not only be showing their undoubted, and different artistic talents but will also talk to visitors about how they work, their techniques and materials.

ANYONE over 50 in the Wythenshawe area with time on their hands can learn to fill it constructively at a helpful drop-in being held at the Forum Library there on Monday.

From 10am to 1pm there will be advice, fun, health information, local history, IT taster sessions and guidance on how to trace your family tree.

Ring 0161 935 4049 for more information or just go along on the day.

FIND out how Manchester's Museum of Science and Industry first began when the man who founded it - Dr Richard Hills - gives an illustrated talk at the city's Central Library next Thursday (Sept 21).

The English historian who has written extensively on the history of technology, particularly steam power, will be talking about the Manchester Association of Engineeers 1856-2006 from 1pm-2pm.

For more details, contact the Central Library on 0161 234 1900.

FANCY a fungi foray? Pop along to Etherow Country Park Visitor Centre in Stockport on Sunday for an unusual and interesting free event.

A Guided Fungi Identification Walk is being held among the park paths from 10.30am. It's free and open to all - just wear sturdy footwear and bring a packed lunch.

Ring 0161 427 6937 for more information.

THERE'S a final opportunity to see the excellent exhibition at Urbis that focuses on what Manchester is really all about.

0161 Manchester: This is What We're Made Of has been pulling in the crowds over the summer months with its interactive, evolving features, ideas, memories and thoughts from the people of the city about what it means to be Mancunian.

Archive footage and photographs, film interviews, portraits and poems all help to make up this comprehensive view, offering visitors the chance to become artists, writers and contributors.

You can also choose your all-time favourite Manchester tunes and, online, store your own memories of the city's music scene past and present with the Manchester District Music Archive. Visit www.mdmarchive.co.uk

The exhibition finishes on October 1. Urbis is situated in Cathedral Gardens in the heart of Manchester and is open from 10am to 6pm Sunday to Wednesday, and 10am to 8pm Thursday to Saturday. For more information, ring 0161 605 8200.

CREATE authentic American log cabin quilting when a special workshop is held at the People's History Museum in the centre of Manchester tomorrow (Saturday). Textile artist Anne Butcher will be showing adults and children how to make the colourful form of strip patchwork, and produce a finished piece to take home. It runs from 10am to 3pm at the premises on the Left Bank in Bridge Street and costs £20 each. Ring 0161 839 6061 to book.


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