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Good morning, Warrington. Mike here. This is The Warrington Scoop.

I bumped into someone this week who moved away for work years ago and has just moved back. I asked how they were finding it and they said, “Honestly, I forgot how much I missed it.” It’s still got everything they remember, plus a few new things they didn’t expect, which was nice to hear. Have you ever left Warrington and come back?

Grab your favourite brew, and let's start. ☕

We have another Warrington Scoop podcast for you this month. Charles has been out to meet Sarah Hall, the MP for Warrington South.

Sarah was a borough councillor for Bewsey and Whitecross before becoming an MP, and she talks about where it all started (writing letters to party leaders when she was 7), what life as an MP is really like with two young children, and how she deals with online criticism. She also talks about being part of the “neurospicy crew” with ADHD, and why that drives her campaigning on SEND provision and neurodiversity inclusion in schools and workplaces.

Listen to it on YouTube by clicking the video above, or click here and you can listen to it on your favourite podcasting app.

This week was a particularly busy week on socials, so there is plenty for you to look at this week.

💺 We brought back a feature we did a while back (purely for fun) called bench of the week. This one was at Ackers Pit in Stockton Heath, and we gave it quite a high score!

🤷 The old Chicago Rock building is still empty, and it’s up for rent for £60,000 a year. This week, we asked people on social media what they would like to see here. What do you reckon would work here? There were some interesting replies on social media.

🚧 We wondered if some work was taking place on what was the old KFC building on Winwick Street as barriers were placed in front of it, but we think it was maybe just due to the high winds. The state the building is in we can see why.

🛑 I know you love an update on the Sankey Street roadworks that are currently underway (just based on how many views it gets on socials), so here is another update for you.

🍺 The Ferry Tavern has a beer festival next weekend (13th and 14th) with a fish and chips food truck there on both days as well.

🚨 Celestial Collectables has been targeted by thieves again, and the team are trying to help the police find the vehicle involved. They haven’t managed to get its registration yet, so if you’ve got dashcam, doorbell or CCTV footage from around Lovely Lane, please get in touch with the police. They’d also like to say a big thank you to everyone who came over to help.

☕ Bob & Berts has teamed up with Cash for Kids this Christmas. They’re donating 10p from every Christmas drink sold to buy gifts for disadvantaged children, and the money stays local to the store where it was raised, including their Warrington store. The goal is £30,000 across all their stores. (Bob & Berts).

🎸 Warrington Music Festival’s Winter Showcase is back at Parr Hall on Saturday 23rd January, with a record 21 homegrown bands and artists across about 12 hours of music. It’s headlined by Freight, a rising four-piece from Thelwall and Lymm, and tickets start at £7.

If you’ve ever been to a gig at Parr Hall, you’ve been inside a building given to the town by a banking family.

The Parrs’ bank started on Winwick Street in 1788, set up as Parr & Co by Joseph Parr, a sugar refiner, with the brewer Thomas Lyon and the attorney Walter Kerfoot. In 1865 it became Parr’s Banking Co Ltd, with Joseph’s son Thomas as its first chairman, and in 1877 it opened a purpose-built banking house on Winwick Street. By 1918 Parr’s had 235 branches, and it’s now part of NatWest.

The hall was designed by Warrington architect William Owen and presented to the town by J. Charlton Parr, a member of the wealthy banking family. It opened formally on 24th September 1895, and two days later Warrington Musical Society held the opening concert, with the contralto Clara Butt among the guests. It’s now the only surviving professional concert and lecture hall in town, and it’s Grade II listed. The Rolling Stones played there on 25th November 1963, and the Stone Roses held their first reunion show there on 21st May 2012.

This week’s house of the week is a Victorian cottage on Newton Road just outside of Warrington (I know, I know), but you do get a bit more for your money just outside of Warrington.

It’s a semi-detached cottage that has been extended over the years but is still full of character, with three reception rooms, a large kitchen with a conservatory, a utility room and an office. There are four bedrooms, one with an en-suite, plus a family bathroom. Outside there’s a private garden, a detached garage and parking for several cars, and it’s being sold with no chain.

Click here to view it on Rightmove.

Plenty of you got in touch about last Friday’s word, and a few got it in three without needing the clue. One of you tried Ghost first, because it was the day before Halloween. Today’s word has a rough Warrington connection as always, so reply and tell me how you got on.

Click here to play

There is a clue at the bottom of the email if you need it.

Here are some things we think you need to know about.

New parking charges from Monday. Charges go up on Monday 9th November at 10 council car parks, mostly by 10p to 20p. They are Time Square multi-storey and surface level, The Forge in Stockton Heath, Winwick Street, Town Hall car park A, Davies Way, Henry Street and Pepper Street in Lymm, and Birchwood and Warrington West stations.

The big change is at Time Square multi-storey, where Sunday parking will no longer be free. It will be £1.50 for up to four hours or £4.20 for longer, and the evening charges now apply on Sundays too. The Forge and the Lymm car parks stay free on Sundays and bank holidays. (Warrington Borough Council order)

We love featuring the dogs from Cheshire Dogs Home, and this week it's Hero. He's a 6 year old ex-racing greyhound, very confident, very lively, and he gets properly excited when it's time for a walk.

They ask that you don't apply if you've got a holiday booked in the next three months. If Hero sounds like your sort of dog, have a look at dogshome.net.

🐺 Warrington Wolves head coach Sam Burgess has signed a new two-year contract extension, taking him to five years in charge. Since he arrived in 2024 the Wire have reached three major finals, and this year they equalled the club record of 15 home wins in a season. (Warrington Wolves)

Here is a little selection of stories from the local papers that you might want to know about.

🦭 Watch as seal swims along the River Mersey in Warrington

💐 The Warrington duo making people smile with a simple gesture

🛝 Children’s charity begins work on new adventure playground

🎯 Priestley College student takes on Luke Littler in Netflix darts show

🚔 Warrington police museum receives £5,000 funding boost

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Thanks for reading The Warrington Scoop today.

If you found this useful, please share it with someone who is going to do a lot of their Christmas shopping in town this year.

Catch you on Monday

Mike

Wordle clue: Street name

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