Wayne Rooney has popped up in Warrington again, returning to Partridge Lakes in Culcheth for another day of fishing. Not content with one visit back in May, the football legend came back on Monday with his family, which is frankly a decent endorsement for one of our local beauty spots.
According to Partridge Lakes, Rooney was first spotted on Ribbon back in May and returned with a few more catches to his name. The team shared on Instagram that he landed a cracking carp within his first half hour and enjoyed a fantastic day from start to finish.
“First spotted on Ribbon back in May, Wayne returned with plenty more catches under his belt - landing a cracking carp within his first half hour and enjoying a fantastic day from start to finish.”
Staff at the fishery were said to be delighted during his earlier visit, especially as many are lifelong Manchester United fans. Fair enough too. If a club legend turns up at your workplace and starts pulling carp out like he is still chasing a last-minute winner, you are allowed to get a bit giddy.
Partridge Lakes has become quite the celebrity magnet, with Phil Foden, Ricky Hatton and Max George all having visited in the past. Culcheth may not shout about itself as loudly as some places, but apparently it has mastered the art of quietly luring in famous faces, along with sizeable fish.
On the plus side, it is lovely to see a local spot getting national attention for the right reasons. Partridge Lakes is well-kept, popular, and clearly doing something properly if Rooney is making repeat visits. On the slightly more eye-rolling side, the breathless celebrity spotting does sometimes make it sound as though Warrington has discovered fire every time someone off the telly crosses the boundary.
Still, credit where it is due. Rooney choosing Culcheth for a family day out is a nice little feather in the village cap. And if the carp are now behaving like trained PR assistants, Partridge Lakes might need to start charging them commission.