IT Support in Wigan

Technology

In 2021 Wigan council launched a Digital Strategy which aims to outline how businesses, residents and the community at large can reap the beneficial effects of digital innovation.

This five-year plan involves the creation of a Digital Communities Partnership for various sectors to pool their skills and knowledge base, cementing Wigan's reputation as a town with great potential in the digital and tech sector.

The strategy is intended to harness the power of digital, something which has increased over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic whilst also promoting community wellness.

An initiative as part of this project saw computing tablets being distributed to care homes and volunteers offering digital training to the elderly in a bid to combat social isolation. Smart tech such as AI and VR headsets is also becoming increasingly prevalent in areas such as adult social care, education, businesses and the voluntary sector.

Another aim of the Digital Communities Partnership is to address structural health and wealth inequalities which have been highlighted by the pandemic.

The strategy is also intended to support new ways of working, help achieve climate change goals and help with the council's budget priorities.

Retail

Wholesale and retail accounts for 15.7 percent of Wigan's workforce. In 2008, Cabot Circus opened its doors, a £500 million shopping centre.

This was off the back of predictions that Wigan would enter England's top ten retail destinations. Whilst the COVID-19 pandemic has inevitably had some adverse effect on Wigan's high street, the city has seen new businesses open in spite of this.

Innovation and a move to online business has helped Wigan's independent traders to keep going.

Arts and Culture

Wigan is famous for pop music and popular culture, going all the way back to the days of the dancing troupe Eight Lancashire Lads which featured a young Charlie Chaplin.

One of Wigan's most well-known musical exports is the rock band The Verve who found fame during the Britpop movement of the 1990s and are regarded as one of the UK's most significant rock acts. During the 1970s Wigan Casino was host to weekly Northern Soul nights.

These legendary all-nighters brought the venue to prominence, and as a result of this Wigan Casino was ranked “best disco in the world” by the influential American music magazine Billboard in 1978. 1986 saw the advent of an international jazz festival in the town.

Wigan has also hosted music festivals including the Haigh Music Festival during the 2000s which drew in approximately 7,000 guests yearly, and the Wigan Live Festival which occurs in the town centre annually.

Known as the North By North Western Festival, the yearly Wigan Festival of Art, Music and Literature is held by the NXNW collective, a voluntary non-profit organisation.

Tourism

Those with an interest in history and architecture will find many historical landmarks within the town with 125 total listed buildings, nine of which are Grade II.

One of the most famous is Mab's Cross, a medieval stone cross which is thought to date back to the 1200s.

Another draw for tourists is Haigh Hall, a 19th century building built amidst 250 acres of country park with scenic areas of parkland and woodland.

Formerly the town hall, this Grade II listed building was erected on the site of a medieval manor house. Opened in the 19th century, Mesnes Park features a pavilion and lake. Plans for regeneration of the park have been bolstered by the donation of £1.8 million and £1.6 million by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council respectively.

Situated to the north-west of the town centre, Mesnes Park sees two million visitors annually.

Other attractions within the town include a Grade II listed war memorial which was designed by Giles Gilbert Scott, Trencherfield Mill which is another Grade II listed building, and the Museum of Wigan Life.

The town centre is also home to the Face of Wigan, a stainless steel sculpture of a face which stands at over five metres tall and was made by the sculptor Rick Kirby.

Sport

Formerly named the JJB Stadium, the DW Stadium can be found in the Newtown region of Wigan and has a capacity of over 25,000.

The stadium is used by Wigan Athletic football club and Wigan Warriors rugby league football club. Wigan is also home to Robin Park arena which is situated nearby the DW Stadium.

Robin Park Arena is a 1,200 capacity multi-use venue.

History

During the Industrial Revolution Wigan was subject to significant economic growth and a swift population growth.

A key mill town, Wigan once had 1,000 pit shafts within eight kilometres of its town centre. As a result of this, the River Douglas was canalised to facilitate transportation of cloth, food and coal between Wigan, Liverpool and Leeds.

A major mill town, Wigan was renowned for its textile manufacturing trade, and was also home to a number of cotton factories.

During the 1830s Wigan become one of Britain's first towns to have a railway with connections to Manchester, Preston and Liverpool Railway.

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