Believe Square
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| Coordinates | 53°32′46″N 2°37′52″W / 53.546°N 2.631°WCoordinates: 53°32′46″N 2°37′52″W / 53.546°N 2.631°W Fatal error: The format of the coordinate could not be determined. Parsing failed. |
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| Construction | |
| Completion | 2012 |
Believe Square is a public space in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England, situated by Wigan Town Hall, and is the site of the town's Walk of Fame, known as the "Believe Stars".[1] Established in 2012, Wigan Council honours individuals and organizations, embodying Wigan's "Believe" mantra, with a star, on the basis of their contributions to society and the community.[2]
Architecture
The square is the site of the "Face of Wigan," a 2008 sculpture by artist Rick Kirby.[3][4] The piece features a steel face, with facets reflecting the Wigan community and its hinterland.[5]
Wigan Life Centre
The Wigan Life Centre on the square is a hub for education, the arts, and leisure, as well as the site of civic offices.[6][7][8] The Life Centre adjoins Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council, on the site of the former Wigan International Pool.[8][9] Opened in 2011, as a consolidate public services hub.[10] The Life Centre consists of two main buildings: the North and South sites.[10] The North site houses a library and neighbourhood support facilities, the South site's "Healthy Living Zone", focuses on leisure and health services, including a 50-metre (160 ft) swimming pool,[11][12] a gym, and fitness studios.[10][13]
The hub is used for education, employment, and healthy-living programs.[14][15][10][16]
Believe
The "Believe" mantra has been associated with the local sports teams of Wigan since the early 2010s.[17] In 2013, Wigan Athletic F.C. won the 2012–13 FA Cup,[18] and the Wigan Warriors rugby league club won the Super League Grand Final.[19] The "Believe" slogan developed from then.[20][21] A related town square, Civic Square in Leigh, Greater Manchester is also the site of "Believe Stars".[22][23]
Notable Inductees
Individuals and groups awarded stars on Believe Square include:
- John Winnard MBE (2012) - Co-owner of Uncle Joe's Mint Balls[24]
- Stuart Maconie (2012) - Writer and broadcaster[24]
- Billy Boston MBE (2012) - Rugby league legend.[25]
- Jenny Meadows (2012) - middle-distance runner[24]
- Dave Whelan (2013) - Former owner of Wigan Athletic F.C..[26]
- Sir Ian McKellen (2015) - Acclaimed actor.[27][28]
- NHS and Key Workers (2021) - Following the COVID-19 pandemic.[24]
- Joseph's Goal (2022) - Non-ketotic hyperglycinemia (NKH) charity.[29][24]
- Joining Jack (2023) - Duchenne muscular dystrophy charity.[24][29]
- Wigan Youth Zone (2023) - A boys and girls club.[25][30]
- Keely Hodgkinson (2023) - Olympian[31]
References
- ↑ "❤ wiganworld - Wigan Message Boards". WiganWorld.co.uk.
- ↑ "Believe stars: which famous faces and organisations feature on the walks of fame in Wigan and Leigh". Wigan Today. 6 May 2024.
- ↑ "Take the road to Wigan and find an historic town packed with fascinating people". Great British Life. 27 November 2024.
- ↑ "Sculpture makes every passer by the face of Wigan". Thetimes.com. 13 December 2008.
- ↑ "The Face of Wigan - Rick Kirby (b.1952)". ArtUK.org. Retrieved 2025-03-03.
- ↑ Fulcher, Merlin (16 February 2012). "AStudio and LCE complete £50m Wigan Life Centre".
- ↑ "Memories should come flooding back with these pictures of the former Wigan International Pool". Wigan Today. 12 December 2024.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Wigan Life Centre: northern verve". NewCivilEngineer.com. 1 September 2010.
- ↑ Wigan International Pool 1966–2008 (PDF), Wigan-Best.org.uk, archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2012, retrieved 7 July 2009 Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 "First Peek inside Life Centre". Wigan Observer. 16 September 2011. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 26 November 2011. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 25 things you never knew about Wigan (PDF), Wigan.gov.uk, archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2009, retrieved 2 July 2009 Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Wigan BEST website, Wigan-Best.org.uk, retrieved 7 July 2009
- ↑ "Wigan Life Centre - Services and Facilities". Wigan Council. Retrieved 2 March 2025.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ Hyland, Bernadette (31 August 2012). "Wigan stakes its claim to be the home of Socialism". The Guardian.
- ↑ "Labour Market Information ahead of upcoming events in Wigan this month". 11 September 2024.
- ↑ "New Wigan Life Centre Opens to the Public". Manchester Evening News. 5 September 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
- ↑ "Serie B Confirm Wilshere Can't Register In Italian Second Tier Due To Non-EU Passport". Independent.ng. 31 August 2021.
- ↑ White, Jim (11 May 2013). "FA Cup final 2013: Wembley dream comes true for Ali Al-Habsi, the hero of Oman". Telegraph.co.uk.
- ↑ "Wigan Athletic: The 12th Man - 'It's time to believe again and come out fighting...'". Wigan Today. 8 November 2024.
- ↑ "#BelieveImOnlyHuman". Wigan.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 2017-07-08. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Believe Talent Fund". Wigan.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 2021-04-15. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Sixties pop legend Georgie Fame honoured in Leigh". BBC News. 29 May 2015.
- ↑ "Olympic star Keely honoured with 'Believe' Star on row with former coach". Leigh Journal. 19 May 2023.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 24.4 24.5 "Believe Stars - Recognizing Wigan's Finest". Wigan Council. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 "Believe Stars - Wigan's Walk of Fame". Wigan Today. 15 January 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
- ↑ "Wigan Athletic Owner Honored at Believe Square". BBC News. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
- ↑ "McKellen gets star on Wigan walk of fame". BBC News.
- ↑ "Sir Ian McKellen: Wigan honours Gandalf and Magneto star". BBC News. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
- ↑ 29.0 29.1 "Efforts of two charities to be recognised with stars on Wigan's walk of fame". Wigan Today. 3 March 2022.
- ↑ "Wigan Youth Zone gets its own walk of fame star in its 10th anniversary year". Wigan Today. 1 June 2023.
- ↑ "New stars announced in borough's International Women's Day celebrations". 11 March 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-03-11 – via Wayback Machine. Unknown parameter
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