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There's still time to get involved in Digitober!

Our Digital Wigan team have been out and about across the borough this week, running free digital activity events in libraries as part of digital festival #Digitober24


It was great to welcome BBC Radio Manchester to Golborne Library this week at one of our events. You can listen to their coverage on yesterday's (Thursday's) breakfast show via their website.


And don't worry, there's still time to get involved in Digitober! Our final free event for the month will be at Leigh Library tomorrow (Saturday) from 10.30am-1.30pm.


There'll be retro games, the chance to have a go at coding and a virtual reality experience, robotics, led by partners Daresbury Laboratory, along with a digital arts workshop and chance to meet lots of local support services.


Everyone is welcome, there’s no need to book, and you don't need any digital skills, just come along and give the activities a go - it's great fun for all of the family. 


Our cabinet member for resources, finance and transformation, Councillor Nazia Rehman, explains why we’re proud to be supporting Digitober in this short video.

Digitober 2024
Learn more about Digitober and Saturday's event

In other news...

🏆 The best of Wigan Borough's traders have been recognised at this year's Good Trader Awards. The Good Trader scheme is a council-run programme to connect traders and residents, with reviews from real people helping you to choose the right trader for you. Find out this year's winners on our website.


📣 Ashton residents, shoppers, businesses and visitors... give us your thoughts! We want to know what you think about the latest proposals for Ashton town centre, from the historic market square, new crossings, planting, seating and much more. You can give us your feedback in person at drop-in sessions at The Gerard Centre on Saturday 2 November (10am-4pm), or you can have your say online by completing our short survey.


It's Recycle Week and you're invited to join Wigan Council and Recycle Now and save five packaging heroes from being rubbished. Save Dee Dee the deodorant, Rey the plastic trigger spray, Yogi the yoghurt pot, Fitz the perfume bottle and humble Hube - the toilet roll tube by making sure they get recycled in the right bin. Visit our website for a recycling refresher.


📱 Find. Book. Check in… all in seconds! Whether you’re hitting the gym, going for a swim, playing sport or joining us for a walk or bike ride, our new Be Well app is the easiest way to access all your favourite activities. Download it from your app store NOW.

What's on

Tom's Table of Horrors

‘Eye of newt and toe of frog…’ 😱

Well, not quite – but with toxic tar and around 4,000 chemicals in every cigarette, it’s scary what smoking does to your health.


For a real Halloween fright, check out Tom from our Be Well Stop Smoking team’s gruesome ‘Table of Horrors’.


We know the prospect of quitting can also be scary for some, but research shows you’re four times more likely to succeed with support from our friendly team of health advisors.


So if you’d like to quit this Stoptober then give us a call on 01942 404220 or make an online self-referral.

Find out more about the Be Well Stop Smoking Service

More of what's on...

🐝 Come along to a Bee Network drop-in event to find out more about plans for a new Travel Hub in Tyldesley: Monday 28th October, 2.00pm - 7.30pm at Tyldesley Rugby Club, Astley Street, Tyldesley, M29 8HG. The hub will provide extra parking near the Park and Ride and walking and cycling links.


👉 SEND transition event... If you’re interested in post-16 education, employment, or training, our annual SEND transition event is here to help. Explore the wide range of opportunities tailored for young people with special needs or disabilities.

📅 Tuesday 29 October 2024

🕒 4:30pm – 7:30pm

📍 The Edge, Riverside, Wigan, WN3 5AB


🏊‍♀️ Is your child ready for swimming lessons? With Be Well they’ll have fun, grow their water confidence and become safe, strong swimmers. All our lessons are delivered by experienced, qualified teachers and follow the official Swim England framework so you can easily understand and track your child’s progress on their swimming journey! Find out more.


Volunteer for Light Night Wigan! We’re looking for sparkling volunteers to help steward our amazing light festival in Mesnes Park. You can sign up for stewarding slots on 21st, 22nd, and/or 23rd November. If you're interested in volunteering drop us an email at lightnightwigan@gmail.com with the subject line 'VOLUNTEER.' Full training is on Wed 20th November.

Our communities

Community safety initiative sees big results in crackdown on illegal off-road biking 🏍

In collaboration with GMP, the Community Safety Partnership has made significant strides in tackling illegal off-road biking through Operation Handbrake.


Launched earlier this year, the initiative has led to:

👉 30% overall decrease in off-road biking incidents

👉 50% reduction in hotspot areas like Bikershaw Country Park and Lowton

👉 98% reduction in Worsley Mesnes and surrounding areas

👉 42 vehicles seized, worth £210k

👉 13 individuals arrested or prosecuted


Resident reports have been crucial to the success of the initiative, enabling officers to take swift and effective action against offenders.


Your intelligence is really important to helping stop anti-social behaviour. 


You can report information anonymously via the independent charity Crimestoppers via their website or by calling 0800 555 111.

You can report off-road vehicles by clicking here

More from the community...

Don't forget from this Sunday 27 October (when the clocks go back) our recycling centres move to their winter opening hours: 9am-5.45pm, open 7 days a week, except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.


🤝 Are you a working parent with a child aged 9 months to 35 months? Have you applied for funding for 15 hours of free childcare? To find out more about childcare funding and how to apply, visit the gov website. Don’t forget, you must have received and confirmed your code by 31 December 2024 to get your place for January 2025.


🏆 Do you know a potential sporting superstar who needs financial support to chase their dreams? Our Believe Talent Fund provides grants of up to £500 to help pay for travel, accommodation, equipment and competition fees. Applications for the next round of grants are open until 31 October… so don’t miss out!

Here for you

A helping hand as winter nears... 🤝

With the clocks going back this week, make sure you pay our income maximisation team a visit to see if you're entitled to an extra financial support ahead of winter.


Many people, both here in Wigan Borough and all over the UK, miss out on support because they don’t know it’s available, don’t know who to turn to, or have difficulty completing forms.


In the coming days we’ve got drop-in events across the borough where you can come along and speak to our team to ensure you’re getting the support you need during the cost-of-living crisis.


Specialist advisors will be on hand to listen to your circumstances, complete benefit checks, make sure you receive everything you’re entitled to, and support you through the claims process.


Here’s where you’ll find us…

👉 Ashton Bears ARLFC - Wednesday 30 October, (10.30am - 11.30am)
👉 Leigh Life Centre – Wednesday 30 October (10am to 4pm)

👉 The Brick Food Pantry – Tuesday 29 October (10am to 3pm)

Find a Help to Claim event near to you
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