Trafford Up 51% in Filming Activity!

OVER the last three years, the Borough of Trafford has experienced a significant growth in filming activity, receiving a record 70 filming days for 2006. If you think that this tally is set for a fall then think again, as between the period of January and June this year the Borough is already up 51% for the same period last year. With only six months into 2007, last year’s total is set to be smashed.

Records are not the only things to be smashed in Trafford, as on Monday 4th June 9.3million viewers (41.9% share) tuned into ITV1’s Coronation Street where they witnessed the exit of factory bad boy Paul Connor. The dramatic car crash, which involved a skip lorry ploughing into the side of Paul’s car, was filmed on a closed off section of Europa Way, Trafford Park on the last Sunday in April.

Organising filming on such a large scale fell to Coronation Street’s Senior Location Manager, John Friend Newman, who first approached the Greater Manchester Film Office to get the process moving. A meeting on site quickly followed with Ian Elliott, Senior Technician Streetworks at the Highways Department of Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council (MBC). Without Ian’s time, assistance and support on this request, the conclusion to one of Coronation Street’s biggest storylines of the year could not have been filmed in Trafford, and would have forced John to find an alternative location.

This is not the first time that Coronation Street have called upon the co-operation of Trafford MBC to film major scenes for the soap, which is why John holds the Borough in very high regard, saying, “the level of cooperation from Trafford Council is unprecedented.”

Examples of other productions that have filmed in the Borough over the past few years include; Vincent (ITV), AA Commercial (Wanted Films), Sorted (BBC), Life on Mars (Kudos/BBC), Cold Blood (ITV), Songs of Praise (BBC), Mobile (ITV), 60 Minute Makeover (ITV), Good Samaritan (ITV), True Dare Kiss (BBC), Drop Dead Gorgeous (Hat Trick North/BBC), Hollyoaks (Lime Pictures/C4), Great British Menu (Optomen Television/BBC), Bold Commercial (Production International), Cracker (ITV), The Street (ITV/BBC), X Factor (Talkback Thames/ITV), Industrial Revolution: Best of British (Wag TV).

The Highways Department at Trafford MBC are instrumental in facilitating filming in the Borough stating, “Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council is a film friendly Borough and is quite happy to accommodate filming to promote its towns and villages. All filming requests will be considered on individual merit and providing there is no major impact on the Highway Network, requests are usually granted.”

However, Trafford has so much more to offer than just industrial backdrops to stage your key dramatic stunt sequences. The Borough is home to the two Old Trafford Stadiums of Manchester United Football Club and the Lancashire County Cricket Club. It has two other major cultural attractions, the Imperial War Museum North located at The Quays, and the National Trust’s Dunham Massey Hall & Gardens in the south of the Borough.

A temporary ice rink, Silver Blades has recently returned to Altrincham to be replaced by a state of the art venue in around 5 years time when the Station Location development gets underway.

As you navigate your way on the M60 motorway between junction 9 and 10, you can’t fail to miss the development of a major new attraction, “Chill Factor^e” which opens this October

with the longest and widest indoor ski slope in the UK, rock climbing, snowplay and tobogganing. The location for this attraction is next to the Trafford Centre, another key tourist attraction in the North West and one of the UK’s leading shopping and leisure destinations, attracting almost 30million visitors per year.

St. Werburgh’s Church in Warburton is recognised as one of Manchester’s key medieval sites. It is also the oldest standing building in Trafford.

With this extensive mixture of new and old and some beautiful park locations, Trafford has to be on your list of places to film.

To view locations in Trafford, please contact the Greater Manchester Film Office on 0161 244 3451 or visit - /section/crew_facilities