Panto - it’s Back

By Nicola Gray

Last year, COVID-19 played the part of biggest panto villain ever and the Christmas pantomime season was decimated last year as a result. Booooooooo! Well, its behind you (cue laughter) and Local Life have put together a guide to this year’s most exciting panto experiences in Wigan and beyond.

Wigan LittLe theatre Dick Whittington

Wigan Little Theatre, Crompton Street, Wigan, WN1 3SL 01942 242561 www.wiganlittletheatre.co.uk The tale of Dick Whittington features singing, dancing, comedy sketches and, as usual, there will be a crazy dame to add to the fun.

• Dates: Thursday December 2 to Saturday December 18

• Ticket Information: Standard tickets from £10 other tickets £12. Online bookings subject to a 7.8% fee per ticket.

the OLd COurts Cinderella

The Old Courts, Gerrard Winstanley House, Crawford Street, Wigan, WN1 1NA 0343 208 6015 www.theoldcourts.com Get ready to cheer Buttons, the Fairy Godmother, Cinderella and Prince Charming, but do remember to boo every time you see the Ugly Sisters up to their evil ways.

• Dates: Thursday December 9 to Thursday December 23.

• Ticket Information: Adult tickets - £17.50 and child

tickets - £13.00

st heLens theatre rOyaL Goldilocks & the Three Bears

St Helens Theatre Royal, Corporation Street, St Helens, WA10 1LQ 01744 756000 www.sthelenstheatreroyal.com Goldilocks and the Three Bears come to town this Christmas with a mix of unbelievable circus tricks, madcap comedy capers and a smash-hit selection of chart hits to sing and dance along to.

• Dates: Friday December 10 to Sunday January 9

• Ticket Information: Tickets from £16. Online bookings subject to a 50p fee per ticket.

OCtagOn theatre Peter Pan

Octagon Theatre, Howell Croft South, Bolton, BL1 1SB 01204 520661 www.octagonbolton.co.uk This swashbuckling rendition of Peter Pan takes you to Neverland and join Peter, Wendy and the Lost Boys for an awfully big adventure. • Dates: Friday November 26 to Sunday January 9

aLbert haLLs bOLtOn Beauty & the Beast

Bolton Albert Halls Theatre, Victoria Square, Bolton, BL1 1RU 0343 208 0500 www.alberthalls-bolton.co.uk The Albert Halls spellbinding festive family pantomime this year is Beauty and the Beast, featuring spectacular scenery, glittering costumes, amazing special effects and plenty of audience participation!

• Dates: Saturday November 27 to Friday December 31

• Ticket Information: Adult tickets - £20.00, senior citizen tickets - £16.00, under 16s tickets - £16.00

the atkinsOn sOuthpOrt Cinderella

The Atkinson, Lord Street, Southport, PR8 1DB 01704 533333 www.theatkinson.co.uk This spellbinding panto pits Cinderella against her wicked Stepmother and the jealous stepsisters; will Prince Charming and the Fairy Godmother come to the rescue? • Dates: Friday December 10 to Sunday January 2

• Ticket Information: Adult tickets from £18, concessions from £16 & family tickets from £59

grand theatre bLaCkpOOL Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs

33 Church Street, Blackpool, Lancashire, FY1 1HT 01253 290190 www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk In true rags-to-riches style, SnowWhite manages, with the help of her madcap friend Muddles, to meet a handsome Prince and make her dreams come true.

• Dates: Friday December 3 to Sunday January 2 ManChester Opera hOuse Aladdin

3 Quay St, Manchester, M3 3HP 0161 828 1700 www.atgtickets.com Aladdin will feature a lamp-load of comedy, jaw-dropping special effects, sensational song and dance and plenty of boos and hisses the whole family will enjoy.

• Dates: Saturday December 11 to Sunday January 2

• Ticket Information: Tickets available form £13.00 per person. Online bookings subject to a booking fee of £3.65 per ticket.

‘Less is more’ is a mantra that’s rarely heard around Christmas. This year, show Planet Earth a little love with these five eco-friendly Christmas tips.

Rent, reuse or recycle a tree

Every December, up to eight million Christmas trees are bought in the UK alone, most of which are dumped at the end of the season. That’s a lot of waste!

Plastic trees last for years but take enormous amounts of energy to manufacture. Buying pre-loved ones on eBay, Gumtree and Freecycle, however, is a great way to reuse what would otherwise be thrown away. If Christmas isn’t the same without that authentic pine tree scent, why not rent a tree from a local farm? After you’ve used it, it’ll be picked up and replanted, ready for next year. When buying new, look out for the ‘Grown in Britain’ label or FSC ‘seal of approval’, and find drop-off points in your area where it can be recycled once Christmas is over.

Buy second-hand

Gifts don’t have to be new to bring a smile to someone’s face. Suggest a second-hand present rule this year, where you only buy each other pre-loved gifts. These could be from a charity shop or websites such as eBay. If you’re feeling crafty, you could even whip up some gifts from home. Candles, jams and chutneys or knitted hats and scarves: get creative and see where your talents take you!

Source locally grown food

We’re all guilty of buying – and eating – a little more food than we need at Christmas, so it’s important to make sure it’s coming from a sustainable place. Instead of fighting over groceries in the supermarket aisle, source your Christmas lunch from local farm shops and choose an organic, free-range turkey. Food tastes a lot better when you know where it’s come from! Sadly, Christmas is also the most wasteful time of the year, so make sure you only buy things that you know will get eaten. If you get carried away, turn your leftovers into new meals, see how much you can fit in the freezer or donate to a local food bank.

Rethink your decorations

From Christmas lights to candles, who would have thought that decorations could be bad for the environment?

Fortunately, something as simple as switching your incandescent lights to LEDs can cut energy usage by up to 80%! You don’t have to give up your candle collection either; look out for soy or beeswax candles, which don’t contain harmful paraffin wax. The chances are you have Christmas decorations rattling round in your attic, so don’t waste money – or materials – buying new ones. If you do, head to charity or vintage shops to find some pre-loved styles.

Wrap sustainably

We use over 8,000 tonnes of wrapping paper over Christmas, much of which isn’t recyclable! It’s depressing, but don’t lose hope. Try wrapping presents with old wallpaper, posters or newspapers, and save the wrapping paper on your own gifts for next year. A great way to test if wrapping paper can be recycled is to scrunch it up in your hands and then let it go. If the paper stays crumpled it can be recycled, but if it unfolds by itself it probably contains non-recyclable elements.