Contents:
- Editor's welcome
- Dave Richardson: Man of Rochdale 2023
- Best in region for Rochdale BNI
- Wardle’s rare George V post box
- Access all areas at Hopwood Hall
- BLOKES at Hare Hill House - a safe space for men to socialise
- Hairdressing trend - Wednesday's bangs
- Benches for new Town Hall Square inspired by global fabric designs
- 11 years of bespoke slow fashion at Violet Flamingo
- Triple layer Easter traybake
- Rochdale Riverside Brick Show
- Nature’s Elements: discover your inner magic
- Historical follies photographed from unique aerial perspective
- Lamb shanks with mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables
- Springhill’s Volunteer Appeal 2023
- 10 years of comedy with ACE LIPS »
- Seasonal small business markets at Hare Hill House
- The financial habits to make 2023 less taxing
- Ian Henderson becomes Dale’s all-time record goalscorer
- Gardening tips for spring
- Legal changes ahead for businesses
- Dani Burke: mental wellness through art
- Why spring can still get up your nose
Spring 202310 years of comedy with ACE LIPS
It’s often said that laughter is the best medicine, that laughter is good for the soul. It’s a message that Rick Attwood, of ACE LIPS events, can get behind, having made thousands of people laugh with his regular comedy shows around the borough.
ACE LIPS – Attwood Comedy Events, Laughter In Public Spaces – has been running regular comedy nights across Rochdale, Littleborough and Oldham for 10 years, and now has a permanent comedy club space at The Old Court Room above the Flying Horse Hotel.
“It’s always good to laugh and enjoy that bit of social interaction,” Rick says. “It’s a good way for friends to get together or for employees to enjoy a work’s night out. I actually met my wife at a 2015 comedy night at Littleborough Conservative Club.
“I want people to know that there is something to do, something different in Rochdale town centre, especially as money might be tight now. We all need an occasion to laugh and lift our moods.”
Each ACE LIPS event is different, with a unique opportunity to see some of the best up-and-comers in the country, with many going on to perform at the likes of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival or Live At the Apollo.
Past acts include Nina Gilligan, who has won numerous awards and accolades, and is known for her sharp wit and hilarious anecdotes; Scott Bennett, Live at the Apollo; Archie Kelly from Phoenix Nights, plus Britain’s Got Talent finalist Steve Royle, who helped raise money for three defibrillators in Rochdale town centre; social media sensation Tiny Tim, and Anna Thomas, winner of the BBC’s New Comedy Awards 2021 – and many, many more.
ACE LIPS has also hosted work in progress shows for Clayton Jones and Hayley Ellis at the Leicester and Edinburgh comedy festivals, as well as for a number of leading comedians often seen on stage around the world.
And the events ‘do good’ for the community too, having raised money for local and national good causes and charities like Home-Start Rochdale and Bury, The Maximus Foundation, Springhill Hospice – to name a few.
One event after the 2015 Boxing Day floods – aptly named Floods of Laughter – helped raise £1,600 for people affected by severe water damage, whilst the first event after Covid-related lockdowns saw 18 comedians entertain hundreds of people.
In recent months, Rick has also started off-setting the carbon footprint associated with bringing comedians into the borough, donating a tree for every show hosted. A plot of land in Balderstone has been earmarked for a number of these trees, which Rick finds fitting as it’s very close to the former home of one of his favourite comedians.
He said: “It’s round the corner from the old Dog and Partridge pub; I found out my favourite comedian, Lee Mack, used to live there for a while about 30 years ago, and now there’s going to be trees there, all because of comedy.”
Upcoming shows at the Old Court Room
31 March Aaron Wood, Hannah Silvester, Charlie Lewis, Justina Seselskaite, Nina Gilligan
28 April Liam Pickford, Percy Savage, Mike Carter, Alex Camp, Karen Bayley
26 May Rob Coleman, Griff Sbi-iiwii, Joanne Sarginson, Kay Nicholson, Patrick Monahan
30 June Graeme Rayner, Russell Arathoon, Jonny Brook, Ignacio Lopez