GALLERIES AND EXHIBITIONS

BLACKBURN MODEL RAILWAY EXHIBITION, King George's Hall, Northgate, Blackburn. October 12-14. Adults £4, children £2.50. Ticket details 01254 582582.

SALFORD MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY, Peel Park, The Crescent, Salford. Phone 0161 7362649.

ARC GALLERY STORE, Oldham Street, Manchester. Open Mon to Sat 10am to 6pm and Sun noon to 4pm. Ring 0161 831 7454.

ASTLEY HALL MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY, Astley Park, Chorley. Open Tues to Sun, noon to 5pm. Adm free for Chorley residents with proof of address, adults £2.90, concs £1.90, family ticket £7 (up to two adults and two children under 16). Ring 01257 515555.

BETTER WORLD SPACE, St James's Building, Oxford Street, Manchester. Ring 0161 247 1900.

BLACKBURN MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY, Blackburn. Ring 01254 667130.

BLYTH GALLERY, Brazil Street, Manchester. Town versus Country, paintings by award wining Manchester artist, runs from September 4-29. Open from 10am to 5pm Fri and 11am to 3pm Sat. Adm free. Ring 0161 236 1004.

BOLTON MUSEUM, ART GALLERY AND AQUARIUM. Wildlife Photographer of the Year runs until Saturday September 29. Bridgeman Printmakers - An exhibition of printmaking by Bolton based artists, runs from October 6-November 3. Lubaina Himid recounts anecdotes and stories about Farnworth, runs September 29-December 1. Open Mon-Sat 10am to 5pm. Ring Bolton 332211.

BURY ART GALLERY AND MUSEUM, Moss Street, Bury. Open Tue to Sat 10am to 5pm. Paper art in the 21st century featuring 36 artists from all over the UK runs until October 27. Look out for lunchtime talks on Tues in the art gallery. They start at 12.45pm, free tea and coffee served from noon and you are welcome to take along your sandwiches. Talks last no longer than 45 minutes. Ring 0161 253 5878.

CASTLEFIELD GALLERY, Campfield Avenue Arcade, Liverpool Road/Deansgate, Manchester. Open Tues to Sun noon to 5pm. Ring 0161 832 8034.

CATALYST, MUSEUM OF CHEMICAL INDUSTRY, Mersey Road, Widnes, Cheshire. An interactive world where science and technology are brought to life with working exhibits, games, puzzles and multimedia programmes. Travel 100ft in the glass lift to marvel at the views from the rooftop observatory and learn about the sights, sounds and smells of the past discovering how the chemical industry has changed everyday life. Open Tue to Fri and Bank Holiday Mons 10am-5pm, Sat and Sun, 11am-5pm. Ring 0151 420 1121.

CHAPMAN GALLERY, Chapman Building, University of Salford, University Road, Salford. Mon to Fri 10am to 5pm. Adm free. Ring 0161 295 5241.

CHARACTERS ART GALLERY, St George's Craft Shops, St George's Road, Bolton. Open Tues to Sat, 10am to 5pm. Adm free. Ring 521302.

CHINESE ART CENTRE, Edge Street, Manchester. Open Mon to Fri 10.30am to 4.30pm. Ring 0161 832 7280.

COLIN JELLICOE GALLERY, Portland Street, Manchester. Open Mon to Fri 11am to 5pm, check though because closed some Mons, Sat 1pm to 5pm. Ring 0161 236 2716.

CORNERHOUSE, Oxford Street, Manchester. Ring 0161 228 7621.

CUBE, Portland Street, Manchester. Tues to Fri, noon to 5.30pm, Sat and Sun noon to 4pm. Ring 0161 237 5525.

DRUMCROON ART CENTRE, 2 Parsons Walk, Wigan. Ring 01942 321840.

EXECUTIVE BUSINESS CHANNEL LTD, The Edgar Wood Building, Daisy Bank Road, Manchester. Tues/Thurs 12.30pm to 5.30pm.

GALLERY OF COSTUME, Wilmslow Road, Platt Hall, Platt Fields, Rusholme, Manchester. A Suit of Her Own: A History of the Working Woman's Wardrobe. A fascinating look at the development of the working woman's wardrobe in a bid to achieve equality in the workplace. Open daily 10am to 5.30pm. Ring 0161 224 5217.

GAWTHORPE HALL, Padiham, Nr Burnley. Ring 01282 771004.

GENERATION X, New Wakefield Street, Manchester. Mon to Thurs 11am to 11pm, Fri and Sat 11am to 2am, Sun noon to 10.30pm. Ring 0161 236 4899.

GREEN ROOM, Cafe Bar and Foyer areas, Whitworth Street West, Manchester. Contact venue for full details. Ring 0161 950 5900.

HALL I' TH' WOOD MUSEUM, Green Way, off Crompton Way, Bolton. Ring 332370.

HARRIS MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY, Market Square, Preston. Open Mon to Sat from 10am to 5pm. Adm free.

Heaton HALL, Heaton Park, Middleton Road, Manchester. Open Wed to Sun 10am to 5.30pm. Ring 0161 773 1231.

HENRY DONN GALLERY, Bury New Road, Whitefield, Manchester. Mon to Sat 9.30am to 5pm, closed 1pm to 2pm. Ring 0161 766 8819.

HOLDEN GALLERY, Cavendish Street, Manchester. Open Mon to Fri, 9.30am to 5pm.

Horwich HERITAGE CENTRE, Longworth Road, Horwich. Specific aspects of Horwich life over the last 100 years through videos, displays, artefacts and exhibits. Admission is free, open Sat 10am to noon and on Wests from 2pm to 4pm. Special openings can be arranged. Ring Bolton 692930 or 693462. Subscriptions OAPs £4.50, others £5.50, members pay 30p per meeting and non-members pay 60p per meeting. Ring Bolton 692930.

IRLAM HERITAGE UNIT, Irlam Library, Hurst Fold, Liverpool Road, Irlam. The Irlam and Cadishead Local History Society present a special exhibition to mark the new millennium. If music be the Food of Love. Photographs and displays and musical memorabilia from the Irlam and Cadishead Local History Society. Open Mon 9.30am to 7.30pm, Tues, Thurs and Fri 9.30am to 5.30pm (closed for lunch 12.30pm to 1.30pm), Wed 9.30am to 1pm and Sat 9am to 1pm. Ring 0161 775 3566.

JOHN RYLANDS UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, Deansgate, Manchester. Mon to Fri 10am to 5.30pm, Sat 10am to 1pm. Ring 0161 834 5343.

G-MEX CENTRE, Manchester. Ring 0161 834 2700.

THE GALLERY, MANCHESTER'S ART house, Portland Street, Manchester. Contemporary Classics by Richard Hoey. An exhibition of three dimensional forms and furniture made of metal and stone. Also, Summer Exhibition of Gallery Artists. Scottish Exhibition of Fine and Applied Art, runs until Saturday October 6. Open Mon to Fri 10am to 5pm, except Thurs 10am to 7pm, Sat 10am to 4pm. Ring 0161 2373551.

KIOSK PHOTOGRAPHERS GALLERY, Smithfield Buildings, Tib Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester. Tues to Sat 10am to 6pm. Ring 0161 833 3300.

THE LOWRY, Harbour City, Salford Quays. Who Chose That? Pictures from the L S Lowry Collection including famous figures from Simon Callow to soap stars. Adm free. I, Mancunian - celebrations of pop with paintings of ravers and fans jostle with images of their memorabilia. Adm free. The Strays by Jim Medway. Lairy lads and edgy girls as brandwearing cool cats. Adm free. AFortunato Depero: Carnival of Colour. The colours and designs of Italian Futurist art. Adm £3 and £2.50 for concs and Salford residents. Open Mon to Wed 11am-5pm. Thurs, Sat and Sun 11am to 8pm and Fri 11am-10pm. Adm free. Ring 0161 876 2000.

LANCASHIRE FUSILIERS REGIMENTAL MUSEUM, Lancashire Headquarters, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, Wellington Barracks, Bury. Open Mon, Tue, Thur and Fri. Closed West and Sun. Adm £2 for adults and £1 for OAPs. U16 free.

MANCHESTER CRAFT AND DESIGN CENTRE, Oak Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester. Mon to Sat 10am to 5.30pm. Ring 0161 832 4274.

MANCHESTER JEWISH MUSEUM, Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester. Phone 0161 834 9879.

MANCHESTER'S ART HOUSE, Portland Street, Manchester. Specialising in British Contemporary Art including ceramics, furniture, jewellery, paintings, sculpture and textiles. Open Mon to Fri (not Thurs) 10am-5pm, Thurs 10am-6pm and Sat 10am-4pm. Ring 0161 237 3551.

MANCHESTER METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY, Righton Gallery, All Saints Campus, Higher Ormond Street, Manchester. Open Mon to Fri 9.30am to 5pm.

MANTO, Canal Street, Manchester. Taking The Proverbial by John Adams.

MID PENNINE GALLERY, Yorke Street, Burnley. Looking for the Ideal Place to Pitch a Tent -- a new work by Louisa Fairclough runs until October 27. Open Mon to Sat from 10am to 5pm, except Tues, closes 1pm. Ring 01282 421986.

MILLYARD GALLERY, Alexandra Craft Centre, Uppermill, Oldham. Tues to Sun 10am to 5pm. Ring 01457 870410.

MOULDSWORTH MOTOR MUSEUM, Smithy Lane, Mouldsworth, Cheshire. A unique collection of over 60 vintage, classic, sports cars, motorcycles and early bicycles housed in an a 1930s Art-Deco building. Open Suns noon-5pm and all bank holiday weekends. Ring 01928 731781.

MUSEUM OF THE LANCASHIRE TEXTILE INDUSTRY, Helmshore Textile Museums, Rossendale includes Higher Mill and Whitaker's Mill and Queen Street Mill, Burnley. For Helmshore ring 01706 226459 and for Queen Street Mill. Details 01282 412555.

MUSEUM OF LANCASHIRE, Stanley Street, Preston. A chance to explore Lancashire's rich culture, history and national heritage. Trace the story of the Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry and walk down a 1940s street. Open Mon-Wed, Fri and Sat, 10.30am to 5pm. Adm £2 for adults and £1 concs. Ring 01772 264061.

MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY, Liverpool Road, Castlefield, Manchester. Backyard Monsters, an exhibition of state-of-the-art, automated creatures in this one-off UK showing. Enormous ants will join a sky-scraping 13-foot scorpion, a colossal praying mantis and a gigantic beetle the size of a car in this new exhibition which allows visitors to shrink to pint-size proportions and enter the fascinating world of insects. More than 1,000 exotic insect specimens are included in the exhibition as well as a range of hands-on exhibits to help you learn how insects live and closely study their fascinating physical abilities. Runs until September 30. Museum admission price of adults £6.50, adult concs £3.50. The museum is open from 10am-5pm every day. For more details ring 0161 832 2244.

THE MUSEUM OF HATTING, Wellington Mill, Wellington Road South, Stockport. Ring 0161 355 7770. Stunning display of hats through the centuries. Open Mon to Sat 10am-5pm and Sun from 11am to 5pm. Adm charges are adults £3.95, children, £2.50 or family tickets £11.

MUSEUM OF TRANSPORT, Boyle Street, Manchester. Ring 0161 205 2122 for further information.

NATIONAL FOOTBALL MUSEUM, Sir Tom Finney Way, Deepdale, Preston. The true story of the world's greatest game featuring the FIFA Museum Collection, exhibits and memorabilia. Learn how the game came to be invented and developed over the last 150 years and what the future holds for players and supporters. There is also a chance to explore the time capsule, the length of a football pitch which contains amazing objects from football's past. Also, become a guest panellist in a special edition of Match of the Day or try your hand at table football. Open Tue to Sat 10am to 5pm, midweek matchday 10am to 7.30pm, weekend matchday 10am to 2.30pm and Sun 11am to 5pm. Adm adult day ticket £6.95, season ticket £14.95, under fives free, children 5-15, day ticket £4.95, season ticket £9.95, concs day ticket £4.95 or £9.95. Family tickets for two adults/two children, £19.95, two adults/three children £22.50 and two adults/four children £24.95. Ring 01772 711600.

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHY, FILM AND TELEVISION, Bradford, West Yorkshire. Open Tue to Sun (plus Bank Holidays and Mon during school holidays) 10am to 6pm.

OLDHAM ART GALLERY, Union Street, Oldham. Tues 10am-1pm, Wed to Sat 10am-5pm.

OPIES MUSEUM OF MEMORIES, Wigan Pier. Ring 01942 323666.

ORDSALL HALL MUSEUM, Ordsall Lane, Ordsall. Ring 0161 872 0251.

THE OX, Liverpool Road, Castlefield. Mon to Thurs 11am-11pm, Fri and Sat 11am to midnight. Ring 0161 839 7740.

PHILIPS CONTEMPORARY ART, Little Lever Street, Manchester. A new gallery for local art enthusiasts. The gallery focuses on presenting the work of young, contemporary British artists. Also, Can't Take My Eyes Off You. Tues/Thurs noon to 4pm, Sat 1pm to 4pm, or by appointment. Ring 0161 282 0318.

PLATT HALL, Platt Fields, Rusholme, Manchester. Daily 10am-4pm. Ring 0161 224 5217.

PORTICO LIBRARY AND GALLERY, Mosley Street, Manchester. Open Mon to Fri, 9.30am-4.30pm.

PUMPHOUSE PEOPLE'S HISTORY MUSEUM, Left Bank, Bridge Street, Manchester. All Our Sats. An exhibition exploring how people in the North West have spent their Sats from Victorian times. Runs to October 28 2001. Open Tues to Sun, 11am-4.30pm, closed Mons, adm £1, children and concs free. Ring 0161 839 6061.

QUEENS LANCASHIRE REGIMENT MUSEUM, Fulwood Barracks, Preston. The story of the Lancashire Lads who came from the towns of Lancashire to serve in their Regiment. The collection includes archive and library material. Open Tue to Thur 9.30am to 4.30pm. Ring 01772 260362.

QUARRY BANK MILL TRUST LTD, Styal, Cheshire. Explore one of the largest historic working cotton mills. Contact venue for Adm prices. Open Tues to Sun 11am-5pm.

RICHARD GOODALL GALLERY, Thomas Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester. Open Tue to Sat, 11am to 6pm. All works are for sale. Ring 0161 832 3435.

RIGHTON GALLERY, Cavendish Street, Manchester. Open Mon to Fri from 9.30am-5pm.

ROSSENDALE MUSEUM, Whitaker Park, Rawtenstall. Rossendale. Open Mon to Fri, 1pm-5pm, Sat 10am-5pm and Sun noon-5pm. Ring 01706 226509.

ROYAL ARMOURIES MUSEUM, Armouries Drive, Leeds. Open 10am-5pm. Admission £4.90 for adults, under 17s, over 60s and concessions free and couples £9. Ring 0113 220 1940.

SADDLEWORTH MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY, High Street, Uppermill, Oldham. Places of Mystery, Recent Paintings by Charles Hickson, runs until October 14. Open Mon to Sun 10am to 5pm. Ring 01457 874 093.

SALFORD MUSEUM AND ART GALLERY, Peel Park, The Crescent, Salford. Open Mon to Fri 10am to 4.45pm, Sat and Sun 1pm-5pm. Adm free. Ring 0161 736 2649.

SAMLESBURY HALL, Preston New Road, Preston. Open every day except Mon 11am- 4.30pm. Ring 01254 812010. Adm for adults is £2.50 and children under 16 £1.

SANDBAR, Grosvenor Street, Manchester. Mon to Sat 11am-11pm, Sun 5pm- 10.30pm. Ring 0161 273 1552/3141.

SLUG AND LETTUCE, Canal Street, Manchester. Ring 0161 228 1360.

STOCKPORT ART GALLERY, Wellington Road South, Stockport. Mon to Fri 11am to 5pm, (closed Wed), Sat 10am-5pm, closed Sun. Ring 0161 474 4453.

SWINTON LIBRARY ART GALLERY, Chorley Road, Swinton. A show of portraits and landscapes in watercolours, oils and pastels by Swinton Art Club. Open Mon 9.30am to 7.30pm, Tue to Fri, 9.30am to 5.30pm and Sat 9am to 1pm.

TURNPIKE GALLERY, Civic Square, Leigh. Open Mon, Thur, Fri, 9.30am to 5.30pm, Tue, 10am to 5.30pm, West, 9.30am to 5pm and Sat 10am to 3pm. Ring 01942 404469.

Turton TOWER, Chapeltown Road, Turton, Bolton. Open Sat and Sun 1pm to 5pm. Mon to Thur 10am to noon, 1pm to 5pm. Tea room open 11am to 2pm, 2.30pm to 7pm.

WENSLEY GALLERY, 6-8 Market Place, Ramsbottom. Open Mon to Sat 10am to 5pm and Sun 10am to 4pm. Ring 01706 824772.

WHITWORTH ART GALLERY, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester. Open Mon to Sat 10am-5pm and Sun 2pm-5pm. Also, The House. A display drawing examining the representation of the house in art and its place in culture. Runs to January 2002. Ring 0161 275 7450.

WORLD OF GLASS, Chalon Way East, St Helens, Merseyside. St Helens. A Tableau of Bright Images by Beryl Appleby runs until November 5. Rugby League Memorabilia Exhibition; exhibits from St Helens Rugby League Club, St Helens Town FC and Liverpool St Helens RUFC including a feature on Bill Foulkes, ex-Manchester United star and Munich Air Disaster survivor. Opening times 10am to 5pm daily. Ring 08707 444 777.