Stephanie Cottle, Author at Blackpool Social Club

18 Nov

In Her Place: The Wyre Light

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsColumns & Opinion, Heritageheritage, history, local history, Place, wyre

In this instalment of In Her Place Stephanie Cottle takes us to the lighthouse. When we were first told to ‘stay home’ isolation was, for the most part, a pretty daunting concept. Since March the ‘out every weekend’ types haven’t had chance to see the wee hours in munching kebabs, as night-time entertainment venues doors still remain firmly closed. Similarly most ‘live to travel’ types, fearful of the repercussive 14 days isolation, will have been lucky if they have driven further than a few hours from their home. Our elderly, who might ride the bus into town to sip…

02 Nov

On yer bike: Blackpool joins ParkThatBike initiative

Stephanie Cottle2 CommentsLocal NewsBlackpool, cycling

Blackpool joins ParkThatBike to promote pedal power! If you’re anything like me then-recent events led to you taking bold steps into the shed to seek out what lurks in the dark beneath the dust sheets and years of cobwebs. Your long-forgotten bicycle. That’s right, during lockdown record numbers of us found ourselves pumping up tyres and brandishing cans of WD40 in an attempt to gain as much distance from the house as legally possible at the time. Wonderful freedom, or so we thought. As with so many methods of mobility, cycling still presents the issue of parking and I often…

31 Oct

In Her Place: Layton Cemetery with Deborah Contessa

Stephanie Cottle1 CommentColumns & OpinionBlackpool, heritage, history, Place

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] In this spooky instalment of In Her Place Stephanie Cottle meets Deborah Contessa, tour guide for Layton Cemetery and chronicler of Blackpool’s dark history A deep, grey sea mist hangs in the atmosphere on the chilly autumn morning I arrive at Layton Cemetery. The usually bustling row of shops and cafes are eerily quiet, but we are under tier three coronavirus restrictions – I shrug off the stillness and set about finding the place I am supposed to be in. As I walk alongside the aged and twisted iron railings that enclose the graveyard, I notice a raven hopping between…

11 Oct

Bin other news: Striking new recycling unit installed on Cleveleys seafront

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsLocal News

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] With some scientists warning that by 2050 the plastic in our oceans will outweigh fish, Cleveleys looks to prevent marine litter by partnering up with Green Seas Trust. If you take a wander along Cleveley’s seafront you might spot the new bin that has been installed to encourage residents and visitors to throw their plastic bottles in. Funded by the Rotary Club for North Fylde and District Enforcement, the bin is part of Green Seas Trust’s latest project: BinForGreenSeas. Designed by the University of East London, the bins are quickly becoming an iconic symbol on the English coast,…

07 Oct

In Her Place: a little slice of Fairhaven

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsColumns & Opinion, Heritageheritage, history, local history, Place

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] In this instalment of In Her Place Stephanie Cottle takes us to Fairhaven, one of the oldest marine lakes in Britain. Modern times are seemingly taking their toll on us, so let’s head back in time for a couple of minutes respite from 2020. Pull up a beach chair and we’ll begin. It’s the 1890s and bustling Blackpool is benefiting enormously from the rapidly expanding working-class holiday market. Following the arrival of the passenger railway - which allows people to traverse the landscape at dizzying new speeds - families from across the UK are flocking to seaside resorts in…

15 Sep

In Her Place: open water swimming

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsColumns & Opinion, Sports & WellbeingBlackpool, Place

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]In this instalment of In Her Place, Stephanie Cottle gets her feet wet trying open water swimming – an activity whose up take surged following the closing of swimming pools earlier this year. Sitting with the warm evening sun on my face, I stretch my toes out across the soft, crisp sand and dig my feet deeper into the ground, rooting myself to the beach. It helps with the butterflies, this sense of anchoring. I have a strong urge to keep my feet on the shore. With a dismissive shake of my head I slip off my hoody and stuff…

23 Aug

In Her Place: fragments of a day

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsColumns & Opinionartist, Blackpool, lockdown, photography, Place

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] In this instalment of In Her Place Stephanie Cottle teams up with sound artist Liam Baugh. Together they spent a day in Blackpool collecting snippets of sound, images and thoughts. [/vc_column_text][vc_gallery interval="3" images="29815,29816,29820,29817" img_size="large" onclick=""][vc_column_text]Following the announcement of government plans to ease coronavirus lockdown restrictions, Liam and I headed towards the seafront hoping to capture a sense of Blackpool as it tries to adopt the ‘new normal’ that is so often referred to in the media. Unsure of what to expect, our aim was to simply gather fragments from our town, historically a place dependent on tourism - an…

05 Aug

In Her Place: public transport

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsColumns & OpinionBlackpool, In Her Place, Place, transport, Travel

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] In this instalment of her bi-weekly column Stephanie Cottle discusses the good, the bad and occasionally ugly realities of public transportation. Perceptions of public transport Cast your mind back, if you can, to life prior to coronavirus. When for most of us, homeworking was a pipe dream and the ritual of the daily commute was an unavoidable fact of life. Pre-corona, most news articles referring to making the commute via public transport were unflattering – often with good cause. As a frequent traveller upon public transport, I can tell you first-hand our British transportation systems can be infuriating at times. Crowded trains, bus…

17 Jul

In Her Place: green space in Blackpool

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsColumns & OpinionBlackpool, Green Space, Place, Stanley Park, Wildlife

In this installment of her bi-weekly column, Stephanie Cottle discusses the importance of protecting Blackpool's open green spaces. The View from the Tower Standing atop Blackpool’s landmark tower, most eyes will find themselves immediately drawn to the spectacular views of The North West coastline. It’s not difficult to see why – with it’s whirling grey depths and dramatic, changeable skies it is a mesmerising sight to behold. Blackpool owes much of its success to the sea, having enchanted visitors to the town across the ages, and the birds eye view from the Tower only emphasises the exhilaration we feel in…

30 Jun

In Her Place: cycling on the promenade

Stephanie Cottle0 CommentsColumns & OpinionBlackpool, column, opinion, Place

Stephanie Cottle writes the first of her first bi-weekly columns that consider the forms, functions and possibilities of place. Prior to moving to the area, when I thought of Blackpool my mind would cast back to childhood visits. I’d imagine the muted colours of the Irish Sea, the screech of sea birds and the sharp, delicious taste of salt in the air (and on chips). I suspect these are images that occur to many, especially those who like myself, grew up elsewhere in the North West. For us children of the non-coastal north, the suggestion, ‘Shall we go to Blackpool?’…