Carnival atmosphere forecast for Tour of Britain's time in Blackpool

The elite race’s second stage will come to an end at the Solaris Centre on the Prom in South Shore

Hello and welcome to The Blackpool Lead.

On Wednesday, we reported that the cases of Preston Davey and Damion Russell had deeply concerning parallels - most notably that Damion had been seen at Blackpool Victoria Hospital the day before Preston Davey was treated there. In both instances, the hospital did not raise the alarm despite opportunities to do so. In both instances, the children would go on to be murdered.

Our reporting ultimately led that evening’s BBC North West Tonight bulletin at 6.30pm and we thank the BBC for mentioning that it was The Blackpool Lead who uncovered these facts.

It was also picked up - without mentioning who did the work and the research - by The Gazette, Daily Mail, LancsLive, Daily Express, Mirror and Daily Star.

We felt strongly that the reporting was important and crucial to any campaign work to bring about any change to ensure children get the protection they are owed - that’s why we made it free for everyone to read.

But it’s an important reminder of the need to support investigative journalism at its source. This story was reported because of our work - and we hope you can take a paid subscription to back what we do.

Blackpool briefing

🚗 Blackpool Council has spent nearly £6 million improving road surfaces across the town, including repairing potholes, since the end of last year. The council’s highways department have fixed more than 50 roads, with more repairs on the way. But a councillor has called on the authority to be more pro-active in dealing with erosion, to prevent the roads developing potholes in the first place Cllr Julie Sloman said the issue was particularly urgent in the case of the Fylde coast’s cyclists, who risk serious injury when they encounter potholes. She has asked the council to consider dealing with repairs whilst they are minor rather than for them to breach the minimum 40 mm intervention threshold. The scale of the council’s effort to improve roads was highlighted in a report by Cllr Paula Burdess, Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Street Scene and Neighbourhoods, who presented a report to Full Council on Wednesday.

🚧 Work is finally set to start on a multi-million pound project to build a seven-storey block of luxury apartments on Blackpool seafront. The project is based on the site of the former Ambassador Hotel, on the Promenade at North Shore, which was demolished in 2020 after it was deemed unsafe after a huge blaze there in 2018. The ambitious proposals entail plans for a development of 26 two-bedroom, “5-star luxury” serviced apartments for holiday rentals after planners gave the seven-storey scheme the green light. It was initially anticipated that work would begin in early 2023, with a spring 2024 launch, but three years down the line there was no sign of that. However, this week one of the leading figures involved with the scheme said progress would get underway very soon. The project, officially named “The New Ambassador”, is being led by the Dutch investment group Ciconia, with Cifra Solutions has been involved in cost planning, design coordination, and managing approvals. As the site currently stands, hoardings are advertising that the holiday let project will be “coming soon in 2027”.

🩺 Blackpool Council has released a statement clarifying its involvement with the Preston Davey case. Preston became the subject of a national tragedy after he was physically abused, sexually assaulted, and then murdered by his prospective adoptive father, Jamie Varley, in July 2023. Varley, 38, was handed a whole life term last week after a lengthy trial. He was found guilty of murder and a raft of child sex offences, while partner John McGowan Fazakerley was given a 25 year term for allowing the death of a child, child cruelty and one count of the sexual assault of a child. The pair were living in Grimsargh at the time of their arrest. Blackpool Council says that while its thoughts continue to be with Preston’s devastated family, it is also keen to clarify its involvement with the case which, although linked to Blackpool, did not directly involve the council. The authority says that Preston was not known to Blackpool Council during his short life, as the care and adoption proceedings of his case were undertaken by Oldham Children’s Services. Additionally, the council says the couple who adopted him and went on to cause his death, Varley and McGowan-Fazakerley, lived within the Lancashire County Council area.

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Carnival atmosphere forecast for Tour of Britain’s time in Blackpool

The Solaris Centre in Blackpool

By Michael Holmes

A “carnival atmosphere” is expected to descend on Blackpool when it hosts the Tour of Britain’s Women’s race later this summer.

The elite race’s second stage will come to an end at the Solaris Centre on the Prom in South Shore, with millions expected to tune in to see some of cycling’s finest female athletes speeding along the seafront towards their destination.

Town hall bosses, who have pledged £50,000 to the cause, hope to showcase the “pinnacle of women’s professional road racing” and give the resort’s economy and reputation a welcome boost.

They also hope the publicity and buzz around the five-stage event, which will arrive in Blackpool on August 20, will spark a love of cycling in local women and girls.

“The women’s tour provides visible role models at the very highest level of sport, helping to break down barriers and show what’s possible,” a council spokesperson told The Blackpool Lead.

They added: “It brings a major sporting event right into the heart of the resort, highlighting iconic locations and creating a vibrant atmosphere for residents and visitors alike.

“It also reinforces Blackpool’s position as a destination for world-class events.

“The tour is designed to bring communities together and create moments of civic pride, while showcasing local character to a wider broadcast audience.”

About 2,000 resort hotel beds will be needed to accommodate the event entourage - plus more for spectators.