Horwich Advertiser Issue 634

Page 2 April 2026 AD SALES 01204 478812 No part of this publicationmay be used or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure that the articles and advertisements that are carried are authentic, however the publisher accepts no responsibility for claims made. © Investors in Publishing Ltd 2026. This newspaper is publishedmonthly by Investors in Publishing, Publishing House, 3 Bridgebank Industrial Estate,Taylor Street, Horwich, Bolton BL6 7PD. Tel. 01204 478812 EDITOR Ged Henderson: ged@hendersonnewsandmedia.com ADVERTISING Jayne Meadowcroft: 01204 478812 or 07703 045189 jayne@independentnewspapers.co.uk CLASSIFIEDS Teresa Bond: 01204 478812 teresa@independentnewspapers.co.uk CONTACT US A decade of frustration! ● Cont frompage one Horwich and Blackrod First Independents (HBFI) claim that developers are testing the limits of Green Belt in what the party describes as a “wor- rying new trend.” In a statement HBFI said: “Developers are submitting ‘in principle’ planning appli- cations for small numbers of homes on large Green Belt plots – not because they intend to stop there, but to test the waters under the government’s new ‘Grey Belt’ classification. “Let’s be absolutely clear: These are speculative applica- tions. If even one is approved, A chance to have your say GREATER Man- chester mayor Andy Burnham is backing the bid to bring the Ryder Cup to Hul- ton Park. He has announced a £70m funding package to support developer Peel’s plans to create a championship golf course to host the iconic tournament. Those plans also include build- ing more than 1,000 homes on the site. The mayoral fund- ing will focus on infra- structure, with what is described a “significant package” of transport improvements, including the delivery of the first phase of a proposed new M61-M6 link road. Announcing the may- oral backing for the £240m scheme, Andy Burnham said: “The success of the BRIT Awards in Manches- ter shows that we can we attract and deliver international events to a brilliant standard. “Culture and sport will be major drivers of our good growth, and that’s why we’re bidding to host the biggest ever Ryder Cup in Bolton in 2035. “We’ve had promis- ing conversations with IN BRIEF THE next Horwich Police and Community Together (PACT) meeting will be on Thursday May 21 at Brazley Community Centre. It will run from 6pm-7pm. BOLTON Council’s employment support service has relocated to the One Stop Shop as work progresses on the demolition and redevelopment of Crompton Place. The service has been rebranded as the Bolton Employment Hub, reflecting its expanded offer and commitment to supporting people at every stage of their working lives. BOLTON Wanderers has announced a new partnership with digital mental health platform InsideOut, becoming one of the first clubs in the Football League to offer free mental health support not only to players and staff, but to supporters and fans as well. MEMBERS of Westhoughton Royal British Legion took part in a sleepout to highlight veteran homelessness and to raise money to help. The initiative raised £220. BOLTON College held a Knife Crime Awareness Week, educating their students on the dangers and impacts of knife crime on individuals, families and communities. BOLTON Hospice has announced that its Wellbeing Hub will now open on Fridays, expanding its flexible, drop‑in support service for people living with life‑limiting illnesses across the area. BURNHAM CHIPS IN £70m TO BID FOR RYDER CUP Golf vision: A CGI of Hulton Park’s Ryder Cup course (Photo credit: Peel Land) Cash support: Andy Burnham organisers about bring- ing the tournament to a bespoke, world- class course at Hulton Park. But it will only be possible with the right infrastructure. “We’re doing our bit to make it happen. We’re committing up to £70m to deliver a transport package to not only help spectators get to the site but deliver major benefits for the people living in the surround- ing areas. “As well as the new jobs and tourist spend the Ryder Cup would deliver, there’s also a chance to deliver a last- ing legacy. “We want to work with government to align transport investment to the tournament – deliv- ering more frequent and modern trains on the Atherton line, investing in better rail stations and speeding up work to connect the area to the Metrolink network.” Supporters of the plan say hosting the event would deliver a major economic boost – showcasing the North on the world stage, attracting an influx of visitors and driv- ing spending across hospitality, retail and transport. They say that hosting the Ryder Cup would add more than £1.2bil- lion to the North West’s economy in Gross Value Added (GVA). However, there is opposition locally to the development plans for Hulton Park – a 700-year-old estate. G o l f e r Tommy Fleetwood – part of the Europe team that won the Ryder Cup in 2025 – is also backing the bid. He said: “As a golfer, a Ryder Cup being in Eng- land, first and foremost, would be something spe- cial. On top of that, to do it in the North West of England, where I’m from, would be amazing. “We have so much to offer, the people have a lot to offer, the infra- structure has a lot to offer, and I think it would be something that would be incredible.” A DATE has been set by the town council for this year’s annual Horwich Par- ish Meeting. It will take place on Tuesday May 5 at the Horwich Commu- nity Centre, starting at 7pm. Refreshments will be available. The council is reaching out to local charities and organisations, offering them the chance to give a presentation or set up a stall in order to promote themselves. Any interested groups who would like to take part at the meeting can email townclerk@ horwich.gov.uk with the name of their group/organisation, information on what they do and contact information. A council spokesperson said: “There will also be the oppor- tunity to discuss with elected members about anything related to Horwich and put forward sug- gestions on what the electorate would like to be considered.” An Annual Parish Meeting is a mandatory public assembly held to discuss local affairs. Unlike a parish council meet- ing it is an informal, commu- nity-focused gathering where residents can raise issues, hear annual reports from councillors, and voice opinions. it opens the floodgates for fur- ther development – turning small footholds into full-scale erosion of our green spaces.” ‘Grey Belt’ is a new plan- ning classification introduced by the government, intended to identify lower-quality land within the Green Belt that could be released for devel- opment to help meet hous- ing targets. HBFI said it would chal- lenge any misuse of the clas- sification and oppose any attempt to reclassify true Green Belt land as expendable. It added it would fight any speculative “toe in the water” applications designed to unlock larger schemes A spokesperson said: “We will not allow developers to chip away at our countryside bit by bit. Because once it’s gone – it’s gone.” People living in the Chew Moor Lane area of West- houghton have been showing their opposition to proposals for more than 100 new homes on open land. Local council- lor Arthur Price said: “This application is the first test in Westhoughton of the push by the government for changing Green Belt to Grey Belt. On a road that is crazy busy.” Fellow councillor Neil Maher added: “We are deeply concerned about the impact of extra traffic, and the loss of green fields. Not to mention the increasing pressure on our schools, doctors and dentists.”