JUST as York prepares to put its up, Manchester is taking its down.

So revolves the circle of life for Britain's Ferris wheels.

Parts for the "York eye" are due to arrive at Leeman Road this week, with the first spin pencilled in for April 7.

This is despite opposition from some residents who argue that a fairground ride is inappropriate for an historic city like ours. They include the anonymous reader who dropped in a cutting from Saturday's Manchester Evening News, attached to a Post-It note reading: "York doesn't want one and Manchester fights to save theirs!"

The Evening News report reveals that their big wheel - "one of the city's most popular attractions" - is to be dismantled after April 23.

Operated by World Tourist Attractions, the company involved in bringing the revolutionary experience to York, the Manchester wheel will come down on the order of councillors. They wish to free up space for other events in Exchange Square and "even suggested the people of Manchester had grown tired of the stylish and sleek addition to the city skyline".

Not the view of residents quoted by the paper. Comments included: "It's fab", "it's a great tourist attraction", and "it's part of the skyline and an icon for the city".

Hosts of the Yorkshire Wheel, the National Railway Museum, will be hoping for a similarly enthusiastic reception when York's turn comes.

MORE on William Sessions' wartime amusements. Its Millionaire board game, featured in this column yesterday, was so popular the company even devised a "Braille feeling game" for use in the blackout. Another diversion suited to the conditions was Noises In The Dark.

Altogether there were half a dozen distractions dreamed up by the Huntington Road printer. It scored an early success with a card game based on the popular wartime song "We're gonna hang out the washing on the Siegfried Line".

"By 1950, after a ten-year run, the indoor games market was becoming increasingly sophisticated and needing special production machinery, whilst our other printing and label-making specialisms were booming," writes William K Sessions.

"So our range of six indoor games was discontinued.

"In our little archives room here we have specimen sets of each of this series of games, so if any entrepreneur would like to revive one of them, please contact us."

And the Diary will claim only ten per cent of any profits...

TWO transport stories caught the eye in yesterday's Evening Press. First, the revamp of the railway station "gateway", which seems to have caused more traffic problems. And second, the Clifton cycle path that ends abruptly in a wooden fence, as featured on the Warrington Cycle Campaign website.

Green councillor Andy D'Agorne manages to combine both stories in his two-wheeled observations.

"The new cycle lane over the bridge near the station heading towards Blossom Street needs to be exposed as a ridiculously narrow lane - at one point it is only the width of a standard drain grate," he tells the Diary.

"I think York Cycle Campaign could follow Warrington's example and have a feature a month on the website, starting with this new one."

Updated: 09:59 Thursday, March 30, 2006