Latest news with #Chester-based
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Inside Swindon's newest restaurant 'going down a storm' with locals
Staff at a new restaurant in Swindon have been 'blown away' by the positive response from locals after a successful opening weekend. Hickory's Smokehouse in Middleleaze was scheduled to open on Monday, May 26 but work to transform the former Brookhouse Farm Hungry Horse pub ran ahead of schedule and the team opened up the restaurant three days early. A spokesperson for the restaurant said they have been 'blown away' by the reaction from guests coming in to be the first to test out the new eatery over a busy bank holiday weekend. "Once we announced that we were able to open a little earlier than planned, guests heard the news and came to check out their new smokehouse", a spokesperson said. "So far, the team are settling in well, guests seem to love what we have done with the place and our smokehouse classics seem to be going down a storm." The Texan restaurant features a relaxed neighbourhood bar area, large sporting screens and cosy booths. For younger visitors, the site boasts a 'movie room' with specially designed menus, an interactive fro-co (frozen custard) creation station and an outdoor play area. The menu includes dishes such as Memphis ribs, Texas-style brisket and BBQ pulled pork, which are all smoked using hickory wood. (Image: Hickory's Smokehouse) (Image: Hickory's Smokehouse) (Image: Hickory's Smokehouse) Milkshakes, burgers, steaks and fajitas are expected to be popular choices, and the restaurant assures that vegetarians are also covered on the menu. The Chester-based company opened their first Hickory's in the city over 15 years ago and now has restaurants across the Midlands, Yorkshire, North Wales, and one in Gloucester. The Swindon branch is the first of its kind in Wiltshire. Staff at Hickory's say they're "thrilled to be opening in Swindon", and can't believe the warm welcome they've had. Recommended reading Swindon's top-rated Indian restaurant still on the market as price reduced "We are beyond happy to be in Swindon," said general manager Ajay Palmer, a Swindon local. "I have been part of the Hickory's family for over seven years now, and to be finally opening here in my hometown is an absolute privilege. "We have all been overwhelmed by the welcome we have had, and we cannot wait to introduce them to our new home and hopefully convert a whole host of new fans to all things BBQ." To kick off the opening, Hickory's invited over 300 guests to come and try their menu, including representatives from Swindon Town FC, locally based charities, schools and businesses.
Daily Mirror
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Hollyoaks share major announcement with fans ahead of 30th anniversary
Hollyoaks marks its 30th anniversary this year and to celebrate the special occasion some of the Channel 4 soap's favourite stars from over the years are going on tour Hollyoaks: The 30th Anniversary Tour has been confirmed as the Channel 4 soap marks its milestone birthday this Autumn. The live in-conversation event will take place in October with several iconic cast members taking fans back through the past three decades. Gary Lucy, best known for playing Luke Morgan, is the first guest announced for the tour which will play four special dates in Manchester, Glasgow, Nottingham and London. Gary, who has also starred and produced the award-winning The Full Monty stage show, first appeared in Hollyoaks in 1999 to 2002, before reprising his role from 2017 until 2022. Hollyoaks first launched on October 23 1995 and is the most youth-skewed UK continuing drama with a loyal audience that follow the lives of the residents of the Chester village where it all happens. Streaming on Channel 4 with a live TX on E4, Hollyoaks has for three decades consistently delivered "firsts" in important issue-based storylines, unmissable drama and larger than life characters that are now part of the fabric of soap. This live event will allow audiences to go behind the scenes for the first time, delivering an exclusive access-all-areas live tour, as cast members relive the show's most iconic moments and share unseen footage from the set of the multi-award-winning soap. VP Global Licensing at All3 Jason Easy. said: "We're delighted to partner with Maple Tree Entertainment and Lime Pictures to bring to life the iconic, vibrant world of Hollyoaks off-screen. "As the series celebrates three decades on air, Lime Pictures continually delivers a soap opera that remains a firm fan favourite, packed with charismatic characters, whilst also retaining a modern edge and ability to tackle timely contemporary issues head on. "With an incredible fan base all over the UK we're delighted that audiences will be able to go behind the scenes of the Chester-based soap like never before." The tour kicks off at Manchester's Bridgewater Hall on October 13 before moving onto Glasgow's SEC Armadillo on October 16, Nottingham's Concert Hall on October 18 before concluding at London's Adelphi Theatre on October 21.
BBC News
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
The Land Before Time: Chester girl, 11, cast in remake of classic
An 11-year-old girl from Chester has been cast in the lead role of a remake of the 1980s classic, The Land Before Saunders will play the character Littlefoot in the reboot of Steven Spielberg's 1988 animated film was given the role after a successful second audition, in which she put pencils in her mouth to sound like she was "eating like a dinosaur".The new movie, Littlefoot, will be directed by British filmmaker Joey Lever, who is best known for creating fan film, Spiderman: Lost Cause in 2014. Speaking about the audition process, Saunders said: "There weren't many actors in [the studio] because the actor I was with was from America, on a little computer."For some parts I had to put pencils in my mouth because I'd be eating like a dinosaur and there was lots of moving around." Summer-Joules is the daughter of talent agent Joanne Saunders, who founded the Chester-based Majestic Academy of Performing Arts."I grew up in this and as I grew up with my mum's talent agency so I joined that.", Summer-Joules told BBC Radio Merseyside."When I'm older I still want to be an actress and a performer, but also a barrister."I'd like to use my acting to be a barrister because it's like you're on a stage and having to push your case to the judges."Her mum added: "I'm really, really proud. I just open doors and let [Summer-Joules] decide whether she wants to keep them open."This kind of environment helps raise confidence and self-esteem, all issues children are going though at the moment." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram, and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Yahoo
Staffers charged with abusing 26 students at Pennsylvania school
Twenty staffers at a Pennsylvania charter school have been charged in connection with the physical abuse of more than two dozen children, some of them as young as 5 years old, prosecutors announced. All 26 alleged victims, ranging from kindergarteners to fifth graders, were enrolled in a behavioral and emotional support program at Chester Community Charter School called the Team Approach to Achieving Academic Success. They were each allegedly subjected to painful punishments at the Philly-area school, including what the students called 'shoulder work,' the office of Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said in a statement The tactic involved 'pinching students on pressure points near their necks, placing them in holds with their arms crossed in front of them, and having a knee applied to their back until the student was brought to the ground.' The young victims were also allegedly physically restrained at times as a form punishment. 'This case is every parents' nightmare,' Stollsteimer said. 'We send our children to school expecting the adults will keep them safe, not abuse them physically and emotionally,' he continued. 'Our investigation showed some staffers physically abusing children while others sat passively and watched.' An investigation into the matter was launched in January, after a 7-year-old boy told his parents he was afraid to go to school because his classmates were being physically restrained in a 'positive support room' on campus, according to an affidavit obtained by NBC News. The next day, the relatives of another 7-year-old came forward with similar allegations regarding the mistreatment of their child. Investigators went on to uncover roughly 100 incidents of alleged abuse, all of them caught on security cameras, the district attorney's office said. Of the 20 people charged, nine have been accused of abusing students. They are facing counts of conspiracy, simple assault, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, endangering the welfare of a child and failure to report endangering the welfare of a child, the DA's office said. The other 11 have been charged with failure to report the alleged endangerment, and three of them have been placed on leave pending further investigation. Police said the latter group includes a 'dean of students' as well as 'teachers.' The suspects also include 17 contractors from a Chester-based third-party company called Peak Performers Staffing, according to school spokesperson Max Tribble. The school terminated its contract with the company after learning its contractors were using 'disciplinary methods which are strictly prohibited by the school,' he told the Philly Voice. 'The health and safety of our students is always our top priority and that is why we acted quickly to ensure that students would not be further subjected to any unauthorized disciplinary methods.'
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Yahoo
Staffers charged with abusing 26 students at Pennsylvania school
Twenty staffers at a Pennsylvania charter school have been charged in connection with the physical abuse of more than two dozen children, some of them as young as 5 years old, prosecutors announced. All 26 alleged victims, ranging from kindergarteners to fifth graders, were enrolled in a behavioral and emotional support program at Chester Community Charter School called the Team Approach to Achieving Academic Success. They were each allegedly subjected to painful punishments at the Philly-area school, including what the students called 'shoulder work,' the office of Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said in a statement The tactic involved 'pinching students on pressure points near their necks, placing them in holds with their arms crossed in front of them, and having a knee applied to their back until the student was brought to the ground.' The young victims were also allegedly physically restrained at times as a form punishment. 'This case is every parents' nightmare,' Stollsteimer said. 'We send our children to school expecting the adults will keep them safe, not abuse them physically and emotionally,' he continued. 'Our investigation showed some staffers physically abusing children while others sat passively and watched.' An investigation into the matter was launched in January, after a 7-year-old boy told his parents he was afraid to go to school because his classmates were being physically restrained in a 'positive support room' on campus, according to an affidavit obtained by NBC News. The next day, the relatives of another 7-year-old came forward with similar allegations regarding the mistreatment of their child. Investigators went on to uncover roughly 100 incidents of alleged abuse, all of them caught on security cameras, the district attorney's office said. Of the 20 people charged, nine have been accused of abusing students. They are facing counts of conspiracy, simple assault, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment, endangering the welfare of a child and failure to report endangering the welfare of a child, the DA's office said. The other 11 have been charged with failure to report the alleged endangerment, and three of them have been placed on leave pending further investigation. Police said the latter group includes a 'dean of students' as well as 'teachers.' The suspects also include 17 contractors from a Chester-based third-party company called Peak Performers Staffing, according to school spokesperson Max Tribble. The school terminated its contract with the company after learning its contractors were using 'disciplinary methods which are strictly prohibited by the school,' he told the Philly Voice. 'The health and safety of our students is always our top priority and that is why we acted quickly to ensure that students would not be further subjected to any unauthorized disciplinary methods.'
