Latest news with #RaleighChopper
Scotsman
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- Scotsman
Raleigh Chopper returns in Fizzy Lemon and Space Blue
It's back! And yours for £999. | Raleigh This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. The Raleigh Chopper has made a spectacular return in two bold retro colourways – and for this childhood fan, it's a dream come true. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... I was the proud owner of a gleaming purple Raleigh Chopper back in 1975. Aged ten, I ruled the neighbourhood – or so it felt – perched high on that elongated seat, arms aloft as if hanging from those crazy handlebars, I pedalled with all the confidence of Evel Knievel about to hit the ramp. The Chopper wasn't just a bike – it was a rite of passage. How any of us survived childhood is anyone's guess. There was the time I gave my mate Dave a 'backie' on the rear basket (facing backwards, of course), and we hurtled down the steepest hill in town, narrowly avoiding a Ford Cortina and an angry dog. Or the afternoon I built a ramp from bricks and plywood in a bid to launch skyward like Evel zooming over ten London buses – and came crashing back to Earth with the skin scraped clean off my knees. Now, Raleigh has brought the legend back – and this time it's available in two mouth-watering retro shades: Fizzy Lemon and Space Blue. Just like the originals, these are the real deal. From the oversized banana seat and sissy bar to the bold U-shaped handlebars and working 3-speed shifter, they've recreated the MK2 Chopper almost exactly – with just a few modern safety tweaks. The new Raleigh Chopper stays true to its roots with a retro 3-speed shifter and classic 70s styling. | Raleigh They're so coveted, you can only order one of each colour. And at £999, this is no toy – it's a carefully crafted tribute to an icon. The Fizzy Lemon Chopper is especially eye-catching, with that sunshine yellow frame and burnt orange accents screaming 'summer of '75'. And I'm not the only one feeling the nostalgia. One proud owner wrote: 'Wow, what can I say. What a fantastic bike. I never believed I would own a brand new version based on an earlier design… It's like I have been transported back to the 70s. Congratulations Raleigh.' Another customer added: 'Better than expected – looks exactly like the one I had when I was 10 years old. Mine was stolen when I was 11… I won't lose this one!' For collectors, it's proving just as irresistible. One reviewer, who's had his original 1969 Chopper since new, said the new version is 'simply a fantastic icon' that now sits proudly alongside his vintage model. Another lifelong fan was just as impressed: 'The quality of the craftsmanship and the build is very neat – they're definitely worthy in any bicycle collection or as a bike to use.' The Fizzy Lemon Chopper brings back the original Raleigh branding, complete with retro decals and bold 70s colour. | Raleigh It's not just the styling that's winning people over. Owners are calling out the 'incredible engineering and craftsmanship' behind the new MK IV, praising it as a labour of love that captures everything that made the original a legend. These bikes aren't hanging around for long. So if, like me, you've got a Chopper-shaped hole in your soul, now's the time to fill it. Butlin's just opened its biggest-ever Soft Play – and your kids will go wild Looking for a family getaway that delivers maximum kid-energy burn-off and a bit of peace for the grown-ups? 🎉 Butlin's has just opened its biggest-ever Soft Play centre – and it's a whopper. 🧸 Four storeys tall, 3,000 square feet wide, and filled with colourful themed zones inspired by the Skyline Gang – it's all included in the price of your day pass or break. 👟 Ready to dive in? Click here to book your Butlins break and let the little ones loose 🌈
Scotsman
11-06-2025
- Automotive
- Scotsman
Raleigh Chopper returns in Fizzy Lemon and Space Blue
It's back! And yours for £999. | Raleigh This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement. The Raleigh Chopper has made a spectacular return in two bold retro colourways – and for this childhood fan, it's a dream come true. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... I was the proud owner of a gleaming purple Raleigh Chopper back in 1975. Aged ten, I ruled the neighbourhood – or so it felt – perched high on that elongated seat, arms aloft as if hanging from those crazy handlebars, I pedalled with all the confidence of Evel Knievel about to hit the ramp. The Chopper wasn't just a bike – it was a rite of passage. How any of us survived childhood is anyone's guess. There was the time I gave my mate Dave a 'backie' on the rear basket (facing backwards, of course), and we hurtled down the steepest hill in town, narrowly avoiding a Ford Cortina and an angry dog. Or the afternoon I built a ramp from bricks and plywood in a bid to launch skyward like Evel zooming over ten London buses – and came crashing back to Earth with the skin scraped clean off my knees. Now, Raleigh has brought the legend back – and this time it's available in two mouth-watering retro shades: Fizzy Lemon and Space Blue. Just like the originals, these are the real deal. From the oversized banana seat and sissy bar to the bold U-shaped handlebars and working 3-speed shifter, they've recreated the MK2 Chopper almost exactly – with just a few modern safety tweaks. The new Raleigh Chopper stays true to its roots with a retro 3-speed shifter and classic 70s styling. | Raleigh They're so coveted, you can only order one of each colour. And at £999, this is no toy – it's a carefully crafted tribute to an icon. The Fizzy Lemon Chopper is especially eye-catching, with that sunshine yellow frame and burnt orange accents screaming 'summer of '75'. And I'm not the only one feeling the nostalgia. One proud owner wrote: 'Wow, what can I say. What a fantastic bike. I never believed I would own a brand new version based on an earlier design… It's like I have been transported back to the 70s. Congratulations Raleigh.' Another customer added: 'Better than expected – looks exactly like the one I had when I was 10 years old. Mine was stolen when I was 11… I won't lose this one!' For collectors, it's proving just as irresistible. One reviewer, who's had his original 1969 Chopper since new, said the new version is 'simply a fantastic icon' that now sits proudly alongside his vintage model. Another lifelong fan was just as impressed: 'The quality of the craftsmanship and the build is very neat – they're definitely worthy in any bicycle collection or as a bike to use.' The Fizzy Lemon Chopper brings back the original Raleigh branding, complete with retro decals and bold 70s colour. | Raleigh It's not just the styling that's winning people over. Owners are calling out the 'incredible engineering and craftsmanship' behind the new MK IV, praising it as a labour of love that captures everything that made the original a legend. These bikes aren't hanging around for long. So if, like me, you've got a Chopper-shaped hole in your soul, now's the time to fill it. Butlin's just opened its biggest-ever Soft Play – and your kids will go wild Looking for a family getaway that delivers maximum kid-energy burn-off and a bit of peace for the grown-ups? 🎉 Butlin's has just opened its biggest-ever Soft Play centre – and it's a whopper. 🧸 Four storeys tall, 3,000 square feet wide, and filled with colourful themed zones inspired by the Skyline Gang – it's all included in the price of your day pass or break.
Daily Mirror
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Two huge BBC radio stars join Celebrity Gogglebox and promise 'no filter'
Fellow Boltonians Vernon Kay and Paddy McGuinness have signed up together for the new series of Celebrity Gogglebox, which kicks off on Friday Two Radio 2 stars are teaming up for the first time to appear on Celebrity Gogglebox - and have promised to have 'no filter' when it comes to sharing their opinions. Fellow Boltonians Vernon Kay and Paddy McGuinness, both 51, will be sitting alongside each other when the show returns to Channel 4 on Friday. Vernon told the Mirror he was planning to let his guard down when it came to his comments. "Can't wait to be on Celebrity Gogglebox with Paddy as we both love the show, and always have. It's proper feel-good telly, and I reckon me and Paddy will bring the full commentary package – strong opinions, big laughs, and a serious lack of filter.' Paddy agreed that he was delighted to take part in a series he'd been watching for years. 'I'm delighted to be doing Celebrity Gogglebox with Vernon. I've been on there enough times behind the camera, finally I get a chance to talk about other shows. I've been a fan of Gogglebox for ages, so to be part of it with a fellow Boltonian is belting. As you'd expect with Vernon and myself it'll be full of cultured, intellectual chat. Let the armchair punditry commence!' The pair have plenty in common - not only are they the same age, from the same place, and work for the same radio station, they have both taken on huge sporting challenges for Children in Need in recent years. In 2023 Vernon raised more than £6million with his ultra ultra marathon while last year Paddy pulled in more than £10million by cycling 300 miles on a Raleigh Chopper. And when it comes to TV they really should know what they're talking about - Paddy's former shows include Top Gear, A Question of Sport and Take Me Out - plus Peter Kay comedy Phoenix Nights - while Vernon fronted All Star Family Fortunes, Splash and T4. Many of the regulars will be back for Celebrity Gogglebox including Rylan Clark and his mum Linda, Denise Van Outen and Johnny Vaughan, Gok Wan and Fearne Cotton, Gyles Brandreth and Lulu, Nick and Liv Grimshaw, Clare Balding and Alice Arnold, Mo Gilligan and Babatunde Aleshe and Martin and Roman Kemp. Also new for this series are Inbetweeners star James Buckley and his wife Clair. The 37-year-old actor, best known for portraying Jay Cartwright in the hit sitcom, announced this weekend that he and his wife of 13 years were joining the show. In a video he quipped: 'We are joining the Gogglebox family. We're going to be watching some great TV and some not so great TV.' James and Clair, who met on social media and have two children together, have already won fans over with their podcast, At Home With The Buckleys, which looks at "the wild ride that is modern marriage, parenting and adulting"'.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Paddy McGuinness' incredible gesture to school threatened with closure
Paddy McGuinness has made a surprise visit to the schoolchildren he credits with helping him through his massive Children in Need challenge last November. The TV star captivated the nation last autumn when he completed a gruelling 300-mile journey from Wrexham to Glasgow on a Raleigh Chopper bike. The incredible feat - which McGuinness joked left him with a 'sore bum - raised more than £9 million for Children in Need. READ MORE: Graham Norton speaks out after Remember Monday's Eurovision snub READ MORE: Gabby Logan left 'devastated' by daughter's heartbreaking confession While on his gruelling mission, he was buoyed by the support of kids from St Anthony's Catholic Primary School in Saltney, in Wales. And he went back - with his Chopper - to say thank you last Friday morning (May 16), the Mirror reported. Paddy's visit comes as the school is threatened with closure. Flintshire County Council wants to open a super-school 14 miles away for children aged 3-18 - a move which has upset the children, staff and community. McGuinness has previously recorded a video message backing the school to stay open. Paddy said: "When I did my Children in Need challenge, I remember coming up to your school and feeling really tired, my bum was sore off the bike seat. "When I came up to your school you all came out and drew me amazing pictures, and offered me loads of support, and cheered me on. It really helped me to get to the end of my challenge, so thank you very much. "And here's something in return, I'm sending you all my love and support - let's keep your fantastic school open." On Friday's visit to the school, Paddy thanked the kids for spurring him onto the finish line. A source added: 'His visit meant the world to our children, especially given the challenges our school community is currently navigating. "Seeing their smiles and hearing their laughter as they interacted with Paddy, and received the generous donation of toys he brought, was truly heartwarming.'
Daily Mirror
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Paddy McGuinness in incredible gesture to school threatened with closure
Paddy McGuinness surprised kids at a school under threat of closure who helped support him on his epic Children in Need challenge - leaving them delighted TV star Paddy McGuinness surprised schoolchildren as a thank you for their support during his massive Children in Need challenge. The TV star captivated the nation last November with his Raleigh Chopper cycling heroics. At the time, he was buoyed by the support of kids from St Anthony's Catholic Primary School in Saltney, in Wales. And he went back - with his Chopper - to say thank you last Friday morning. Paddy's visit to the school comes as the school is threatened with closure. Flintshire County Council want to open a super-school 14 miles away for children aged 3-18 - a move which has upset the children, staff and community. He has previously recorded a video message backing the school to stay open. Paddy said: "When I did my Children in Need challenge, I remember coming up to your school and feeling really tired, my bum was sore off the bike seat. "When I came up to your school you all came out and drew me amazing pictures, and offered me loads of support, and cheered me on. It really helped me to get to the end of my challenge, so thank you very much. "And here's something in return, I'm sending you all my love and support - let's keep your fantastic school open." On Friday's visit to the school, Paddy thanked the kids for spurring him onto the finish line. A source added: 'His visit meant the world to our children, especially given the challenges our school community is currently navigating. Seeing their smiles and hearing their laughter as they interacted with Paddy, and received the generous donation of toys he brought, was truly heartwarming.' The comedian's Children In Need challenge raised more than £10 million. The 300-mile bike ride, began in Wrexham, Wales, last month and crossed the finish line in Glasgow.
