Sandwiched between Manchester and Liverpool, Wigan is known for its strong roots in coal mining, cotton manufacturing and even its sporting history – and now, it’s dawning on a major new era of investment.
464 new homes and a huge shopping centre are set to be unveiled at the site of what was once The Galleries complex – and it’ll now be known simply as Fettlers.
The new name for the £135,000,000 project has been inspired by the local dialect, as ‘fettling’ means to make or mend.
Wigan locals won’t just have the opportunity to shop until they drop though: there’ll also be a bowling alley, a cinema, a climbing wall, a Hampton by Hilton Hotel, and even a co-working space for those who want to mix it up when they’re working remotely.
‘A fettler was someone who worked with metal and poetry, industries with a strong history in our area,’ council leader David Molyneux said of the new project at a launch event held this week.
‘We have worked really closely with our local community to find a name that really meant something to the people of Wigan.
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‘This name and brand celebrates our history, our values and looks towards our bright future of crafting, grafting, dreaming, fettlin’ and making things happen.’
What’s more, the Fettlers’ website envisages the project as helping ‘attract new audiences to live, shop, work and visit Wigan.’
‘Imagined by the people who live here, Fettlers represents Wigan’s proud heritage and celebrates the town’s unique identity,’ it adds.
Meanwhile, some locals have long felt that Wigan has needed a little bit of a revamp.
Over on the r/Wigan Subreddit, @OneFisherman9541 described the locality as ‘just dead,’ while in @Triple_OG_2023’s opinion, it’s ‘a dive.’
‘There’s nothing there. Even the shops that are there have nothing I want,’ they penned.
Meanwhile, @hazbaz1984’s wife is from Wigan – and they report that ‘she got out as soon as she could.’
‘They are all glad to no longer be living there. Sad really. As the folks’ stories about the Wigan of old are really cool. Northern Soul, Wigan Pier and the strong community,’ they added.
‘That’s all gone now. The place is a depressing mess. I hated visiting it, and I’m really glad I never have to go back ever again.’
On the other hand, many locals have only good things to say about the Greater Manchester town. Some places are like Marmite, after all: you either love them, or hate them.
@PixieWitchery has lived in Wigan ‘happily’ for the last decade and has ‘friendly neighbours’ on a ‘fairly quiet street.’
‘Genuinely the best place we’ve lived,’ they wrote. ‘Home is what you make it I think.’
And @meribeldom had nothing but positive things to say about it, lauding it for having ‘decent schools, great music service, excellent bakeries, lots of green space, [a] world class rugby team, great jazz festival, fascinating and important history, and fun nightlife.’
‘On top of that, you’re a stone’s throw from Liverpool and Manchester… the Lakes, Pennines, Bowland, Yorkshire, North Wales, Lancashire coast are all close. London is less than 2 hours away on [the] train,’ they added.
‘It’s an excellent place to live…and if you wanted to get some bang for your buck, it’s genuinely worth considering the area.’
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