A Stranger Things Christmas Tree

Spotting a Stranger Things Christmas tree in Manchester.

We went to Manchester on Thursday and upon arriving at Manchester Piccadilly station we sere surprised to see this Stranger Things Christmas tree!

The 'Upside Down' side of the tree

A BMX 'bauble' on the Upside Down side of the Stranger Things Christmas tree

Videos:

• A Stranger Things Christmas Tree at Manchester Piccadilly railway station 1
• A Stranger Things Christmas Tree at Manchester Piccadilly railway station 2
• A Stranger Things Christmas Tree at Manchester Piccadilly railway station 3

The BIG Sports Weekender is coming to Mulligans Guildford this weekend!

Mulligans Guildford is hosting the BIG Sports Weekender this October.

Thank you to the team at Mulligans Guildford for sending over the information below about the brand's first BIG Sports Weekender event.

From Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th October, Mulligan’s Guildford is hosting the BIG Sports Weekender, with live sport, 50p wings, bottomless fries and one of the town's cheapest pints of Guinness, plus the chance to win Premier League tickets.

From the 3rd to the 5th of October, Mulligans Guildford is launching the BIG Sports Weekender, where sports fans of all ages can catch all major games on the venue’s 100" TV screens, enjoy food and drink deals, and enter a draw to win Premier League tickets as well as more epic prizes!

Darts at Mulligans Guildford

In addition to the usual games offered at the venue, such as crazy golf and electro-darts, Mulligans Guildford will be showing a variety of live sports during the BIG Sports Weekender. From Premier League and EFL to the Singapore Grand Prix and Rugby League, there will be something to keep everyone entertained, all weekend long.

Electro-shuffle at Mulligans Guildford

The streaming schedule includes:

Friday 3rd October

• Full coverage of the Singapore Grand Prix
• Betfred Super League semi-finals

Saturday 4th October

• Full coverage of the Singapore Grand Prix (qualifiers)
• Betfred Super League semi-finals 
• Premier League: Chelsea vs Liverpool 
• English Football League: Hull vs Sheffield Utd; Sheff Wed vs Coventry; Blackburn vs Stoke; Wycombe vs Barnsley; Doncaster vs Burton; Newport vs Swindon; MK Dons vs Gillingham

Sunday 5th October

• Full coverage of the Singapore Grand Prix (race)
• Premier League: triple header picks including Aston Villa vs Burnley, Newcastle vs Nottingham Forest, Wolves vs Brighton; Brentford vs Man City
• English Football League: Ipswich vs Norwich
• Barclays Women's Super League Grand Final
• National Rugby League Grand Final (Sydney)

Alongside the busy match schedule, Mulligans Guildford will be serving up exclusive food and drink offers throughout the weekend. Fans can enjoy £2.50 pints of Foster's and Inch’s, 50p wings, and bottomless fries for £5. 

They will also be pouring one of the cheapest pints of Guinness in Guildford, for just £5. To complete the experience, stout lovers can snap a selfie and print it on the head of their smooth pint of Guinness.

For every pint of Guinness purchased during the BIG Sports Weekender, the purchaser will be entered into a draw to get the chance to win epic prizes, including tickets to Premier League matches, football kit vouchers, and more.

Stephen Brown, Chief Operating Officer at Adventure Leisure, said: "We’re thrilled to be hosting the first BIG Sports Weekender this October. We can’t wait to welcome sports fans of all ages to join us for an action-packed weekend full of live sports, exclusive food and drink offers, and epic prizes. See you there!"

Find out more.

For more information, check out the Mulligans website. And to keep up with Mulligans Guildford’s day-to-day updates, follow Mulligans Guildford on Instagram and Mulligans Guildford on Facebook.

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Thanks again to the team at Mulligans Guildford for sending over the information.

Mulligans Guildford opened its doors to two 9-hole crazy golf courses and more in July this year.

We've been to several Mulligans courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and look forward to checking out the two courses at the Mulligans Guildford venue in the future.

Mulligans in Guildford and beyond.

The Adventure Leisure group now has 13 Mulligans sites across the UK which include venues in Basildon, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cheltenham, Hemel Hempstead, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Norwich, Stevenage, Tonbridge, Worcester, and now Guildford.

Adventure Leisure Limited is a subsidiary of Burhill Group Limited (BGL), which also operates 10 golf clubs and the BUNKERS! and Ninja Warrior UK brands.

Minigolf on ESPN8: The Ocho!

Minigolf will be featured on ESPN8: The Ocho this month.

The National Putting Tour American Dream’s Super Roll of Putting tournament will feature as part of the upcoming programming for ESPN8: The Ocho.

Our friends at The Putting Penguin were a part of the event and it'll be interesting to see the show.

ESPN8: The Ocho is ESPN's annual showcase of some of the world's lesser-seen sports. In this, the ninth edition of the channel, ESPN's platforms will air more than 65 hours of sporting action between Thursday 31st July and Sunday 3rd August.

The National Putting Tour American Dream’s Super Roll of Putting competition will be shown on ESPN8: The Ocho at 10pm on Thursday 31st July.

It's brilliant to see miniature golf feature in the line-up, and there are some other amazing sports, games and pursuits in the schedule too - including Dodgeball.

We're big fans of Dodgeball - and inspired by the film Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story we used to run dodgeball leagues back in the noughties. 

Find out more.

You can see more information, find out all the sports covered, and the full schedule on the ESPN8: The Ocho website.

The Power of Parker - filmed in Stockport - is back on the telly

The new series of The Power of Parker starts today, Friday 30th May.

The second series of The Power of Parker will be available to watch on BBC One and the BBC iPlayer from Friday 30th May.

This series of the Stockport-based comedy will be set in 1992.

We won't need to tape the new series as it'll be available on the BBC iPlayer too

We're looking forward to watching - the first series was very funny, and also interesting to see all the filming locations in and around Stockport.

Last November I saw some of the set in Stockport, with the former Bright House shop on Princes Street being turned into 'Parker's Power & Electricals' electrical goods shop!

Watching the first series we also noticed that there was still a piece of Tandy signage in the town!

Happy Shopper shops on 1980s Food: The Ones We Loved & Lost

Check out the Channel 5 programme '1980s Food: The Ones We Loved & Lost'.

It was brilliant to be able to contribute to the Channel 5 documentary '1980s Food: The Ones We Loved & Lost' and help to tell the story of Happy Shopper shops.

A sign at a Happy Shopper shop in Burton upon Trent (2022)

This programme follows 'The 1980s Supermarket' that was broadcast last year, and which included a feature on Happy Shopper shops in episode 3.

A ghost sign at the old Happy Shopper shop in Ormesby St Margaret, Norfolk (2020)

You can watch both programmes via the Channel 5 website:

• 1980s Food: The Ones We Loved & Lost
• The 1980s Supermarket

The Power of Parker returning for second series

The second series of The Power of Parker starts on Friday 30th May.

The new series of The Power of Parker will be available to watch on BBC One and the BBC iPlayer from Friday 30th May.

We're looking forward to seeing The Power of Parker back on the box

This series of the Stockport-based comedy will be set in 1992.

We won't need to tape the new series as it'll be available on the BBC iPlayer too

We're looking forward to watching - the first series was very funny, and also interesting to see all the filming locations in and around Stockport.

Last November I saw some of the set in Stockport, with the former Bright House shop on Princes Street being turned into 'Parker's Power & Electricals' electrical goods shop!

Watching the first series we also noticed that there was still a piece of Tandy signage in the town!

No TV / Audio / Video Sales & Repairs at this speakeasy

Visiting Vice & Co - a TV & Video Repair shop speakeasy cocktail bar in Lincoln.

We visited the very cool Vice & Co speakeasy in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. Like all the best speakeasies the inside 'behind the hidden door' is a million miles away from the exterior and the initial environment when you step into!

Check out the Vice & Co website for further information.

Video Rental at Parker's Power & Electricals in Stockport

The new series of BBC comedy The Power of Parker is filming in Stockport.

We noticed the former Bright House shop on Princes Street was opened up and being filled with old electrical items earlier this week and guessed that The Power of Parker was going to be filming there again. The first series of the show was set in Stockport in November 1990, and the shop unit was used as the location of 'Parker's Power & Electricals' electrical goods shop.

The shop window displays include some TV's from the era, as well as Video Rental cases!

Last year we found out there was a ghost sign from an old Tandy shop in Stockport, as it appeared in the background of a scene in the first series of The Power of Parker.

Stockport's streets are a familiar sight on screen as parts of the town have appeared in a range of TV shows, films, and adverts.

We're looking forward to watching the new series of The Power of Parker when it airs.

The A-Team in Hale Barns

Seeing two of The A-Team's vehicles at Robs Car Fest in Hale Barns.

Face parks however he likes!

It was brilliant to see The A-Team van and Face's Chevrolet Corvette at the charity event held at The Bulls Head pub in Hale Barns near Altrincham, Greater Manchester.

I love it when a plan comes together

Robs Car Fest was due to be held at the Hale Barns Carnival, however that event was cancelled due to weather conditions. Luckily the pub was able to host the car show in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

The A-Team vehicles at the pub

The A-Team's GMC Vandura van

Templeton Peck's Corvette

Check out the Robs Car Fest Facebook Group for more information.

Crazy Fool

K.A.R.R. not K.I.T.T.

Seeing something a bit different in Hale Barns.

One of the other vehicles at Robs Car Fest at The Bulls Head pub in Hale Barns was K.A.R.R - the prototype evil talking clone version of K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider!

K.A.R.R. from Knight Rider

Robs Car Fest was due to be held at the Hale Barns Carnival, however that event was cancelled due to weather conditions. Luckily the pub was able to host the car show in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

A look inside K.A.R.R.

Check out the Robs Car Fest Facebook Group for more information.

Happy Shopper shops

Looking back at our visits to Happy Shopper shops since 2020.

A Happy Shopper shop sign in Ormesby St Margaret, Norfolk

We felt very nostalgic during the coronavirus pandemic and one of the old brands from our childhood we thought about was 'Happy Shopper' - the name alone conjures up images of the 1980's.

A sign at the Pleasant News Happy Shopper in Wisbech (2021)

Emily's first job was at a Happy Shopper in Ipswich and I remember seeing the Happy Shopper shops and branded products a lot when I was growing up in Oxfordshire back in the 1980's and 1990's.

We didn't think there would be many - or any - of the original orange and yellow branded shops still around, but we were proven wrong when we saw one in Preston in September 2020.

A Happy Shopper shop in Preston

Visiting a fully branded Happy Shopper shop is like stepping back in time

The Happy Shopper branding was changed in the year 2000 and I think it lost a lot of its charm and individuality. Many of the former Happy Shopper shops have since been rebranded as Premier shops.

You could still see the 'newer' Happy Shopper branding on Pleasant News in Wisbech in 2021

The shelves inside the store were still the classic orange and yellow design

Since spotting the old shop in Preston we've been lucky enough to spot and snap a few more.

The Happy Shopper on Page Hall Road in Sheffield in 2020

Here's a list of posts about other Happy Shopper shops in:

• Preston
• Sheffield (Sharrow Lane)
• Sheffield (Page Hall Road)
• Ilkeston
• Hitchin
• Fallowfield, Manchester
• Ashwellthorpe
• Ormesby St Margaret
• Lowestoft (2011)
• Lowestoft (2021)
• Wisbech
• Sittingbourne
• Burton-on-Trent 1
• Burton-on-Trent 2

At the Happy Shopper shop on Chaucer Road in Sittingbourne

You can view my YouTube Playlist of Happy Shopper shop videos here.

Tandy in Stockport

Finding a Tandy ghost sign thanks to The Power of Parker!

A recent post in the excellent Tandy UK (InterTAN Ltd) Facebook Group alerted me to the fact that there's a ghost sign from an old Tandy shop in Stockport. A fellow group member had spotted in the background of a scene in the new BBC comedy The Power of Parker. The show is set in Stockport in November 1990.

Tandy lives on!

The store used to be at 111 Prince's Street. It's now home to a Betfred.

The former Tandy shop in Stockport as it is today

My first job was at a Tandy franchise shop in Abingdon, Oxfordshire back in 1996 where I remember selling a number of electronic products bearing the 'RadioShack', 'Genexxa' and 'Realistic' brand names.

Over the years I've found a few more remains of the brand on the UK high street.

A RadioShack Tandy sign at a shop in Whitstable, Kent (September 2012)

It's crazy to think this Tandy signage has been hidden in (relatively) plain sight in my new hometown!

A Tandy ghost sign in Stockport

Related blog posts:

• Tandy
• Tandy in Hitchin (June 2021)
• Lost Shops - RadioShack in Saint Annes on the Sea (August 2020)
• Long Lost High Street Shops - Tandy (July 2020)
• Tandy in Hitchin (January 2019)
• RadioShack in Lytham Saint Annes (June 2017)