Tabitha Wilson

Leigh Panthers U10s won the Leigh Journal’s World Cup-themed Win Kits for Kids competition, receiving £1,000 worth of sports equipment and 10 tickets to watch Manchester United Women at Leigh Sports Village. Coach Alex Middleton praised the team’s close-knit community and supportive parents, while Leigh Sports Village board member Keith Cunliffe congratulated the players and said the prize would support team spirit and grassroots sport.

A 24-hour Wash.ME self-service launderette has opened outside Bents Garden & Home in Glazebury. It offers 9kg and 20kg washing machines and a 20kg dryer, with free detergent, optional sanitiser and fabric softener, contactless payment, SMS cycle alerts and wash prices ranging from £5.50 to £11.

Photographs submitted by Paul Crompton document Leigh’s former Parsonage Colliery, which closed in 1992 and marked the end of the area’s coal-mining era. The piece highlights mining’s importance to Leigh, noting that 5,782 men and about 200 women worked in mining around the town in 1911, while subsidence from coal extraction helped create what is now Pennington Flash. Readers are invited to share additional photographs and memories of Leigh’s past.

The Chippy Tour visited Gordon Street Chippy, a small fish and chip shop operating from the front room of a house in Leigh. Reviewer Stephen Peel praised its traditional food, reasonable prices and value for money, despite limited space and queues. Food reviewers Gary Eats and Danny VS Food were also present, and footage of the visit, including the shop’s homemade steak puddings, was published on The Chippy Tour’s YouTube channel.

A rare and deep partial solar eclipse will be visible across the UK on Wednesday, August 12, 2026. In Leigh, the eclipse is expected to begin around 6:13 pm, peak at approximately 7:10 pm and end by 8:04 pm, with the setting sun appearing to have a large bite taken out of it. Viewers must use certified eclipse glasses or an approved solar viewing filter and should never look directly at the sun.

Leigh’s history includes notable figures, industrial growth and major social upheaval. James Hilton was born in the town and wrote Goodbye, Mr Chips and Lost Horizon, while Leigh-born singer Georgie Fame briefly displaced The Beatles at number one. The town was also linked to the final days of the Earl of Derby, the exhumation of 7,000 bodies to build the market hall, voting-rights unrest and a major miners’ strike. Leigh grew rapidly through textiles, silk weaving, coal mining and engineering, but mining ended by 1992. The article also highlights Thomas Highs’s overlooked role in developing early spinning machinery and the poor public-health conditions that persisted into the early 20th century.

More than 10 towns, villages, parishes and communities around the world share the name Leigh. The article highlights Leigh in Nebraska, several UK parishes, Leigh-on-Sea in Essex, Leigh in New Zealand, Leigh in County Tipperary, and Leigh in Texas, describing their origins, populations, heritage, geography and local activities.

Five picnic locations in and around Leigh are recommended for summer outdoor meals: Pennington Flash Country Park, Central Park in Atherton, Pennington Hall Park, Bickershaw Country Park and Firs Park. The list highlights features including lakes, nature reserves, walking trails, play areas, formal gardens and accessible facilities, with addresses provided for each site.

Wigan Council confirmed that a new market will open in spring 2027 as part of a wider town‑centre regeneration plan. Traders will remain at the existing site through the next Christmas season before relocating. Feedback from traders is being incorporated into the market’s final design as the council develops a direct‑operation model. The updated venue will combine food and drink outlets with traditional stalls to attract visitors and reinforce the town’s market heritage.

Several black-necked grebes, a rare breeding species in the UK, were reported at Pennington Flash, with sightings including two adults and one juvenile. The nearby Woolston Eyes reserve, known for holding the country’s largest population of the species, is highlighted for its conservation importance.

Prom celebrations in Leigh are expanding into full-day events known as Prom Reveals, where families gather to see students debut their outfits before prom. Event stylist Mandy Brighton describes increasing demand for personalised decorations and pre‑prom gatherings, with social media driving the trend’s popularity. Parents often collaborate on costs, and celebrations can extend from daytime gatherings to post‑prom parties.