1980's Electronica tribute band 'Electro 80s'

Reporter Jonathan White, Wistaston

1980's Electronica tribute band 'Electro 80s' - http://www.electro80s.com/ - performed a fund-raising concert at 'The Studio Nightclub & Entertainment Venue' - http://www.thestudionantwich.co.uk/ - in Nantwich on Friday 23rd September 2016.

The concert took place in the music and stage area on the middle level with additional viewing available from the balcony area around the top level.

Electro 80s arrived on stage shortly after 10pm and performed a two-hour set recreating songs by artists including Gary Numan, OMD, Visage, Tears for Fears, Kraftwerk, A Flock of Seagulls, Howard Jones, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Spandau Ballet, The Human League, Erasure, and Yazoo.

Their show was accompanied by robotic dancer 'Man O' Chrome' and a fantastic light display.

The finale was 'Say Hello, Wave Goodbye' from Soft Cell.

Entry was by donation and the £536 raised will go to St Luke's Cheshire Hospice https://www.stlukes-hospice.co.uk/ in Winsford.

Nigel Woodhouse, Director of Operations at The Studio, said, "Electro80's always provide excellent entertainment. We hope everyone had a great night. We are pleased to support St Luke's Cheshire Hospice in their fund-raising efforts."

Future fund-raising concerts at The Studio for St Luke's Cheshire Hospice:

-Friday 7th October 2016 – Beardsmith – doors open 8:30pm, on stage 9:30pm. Entry by donation.

-Friday 4th November 2016 – The Bon Jovi Experience - doors open 8:30pm, on stage 9:30pm. Entry by donation.

'Wheels of War:

The annual 'Wheels of War: Past & Present' classic military vehicle show took place on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th September 2016 at Crewe Heritage Centre on Vernon Way in Crewe.

The show featured military vehicle displays, trade stalls, model displays, and a tombola. Numerous people came dressed in 1940’s clothing. On the Saturday night there was a 1940's themed dance night in the Centre’s Exhibition Hall with live music from The Cheshire 20 Big Band http://www.cheshire20bigband.co.uk/ .

Crewe Heritage Centre - http://creweheritagecentre.org/ - was open to visitors including its three signal boxes, the Advanced Passenger Train, model railway displays and layouts, static locomotive displays and rides on a miniature railway.

The event was organised by Crewe & District Military Vehicle Club in support of Help for Heroes http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/ .

Crewe & District Military Vehicle Club meet on the last Tuesday evening of each month at Hops Belgium Bar in Crewe. New members are always welcome. For further information please visit http://www.cdmvc.co.uk/

Another successful Ward Walk has been held in Rope

 

Rope Parish.Cllr Brian Silvester said, "The main concern we observed was the overgrown hedges which obstruct some of the footpaths.Action will be taken on this. Otherwise the Parish is clean and tidy with no litter or dog fouling. The Parish is a credit to its residents.Well done to them."

Borough Cllr Sarah Pochin said "These ward walks are really gaining momentum and are a great way of keeping on top of the small things that really matter to residents, like overgrown hedges, pavements, streetlights, dog bins etc. We are lucky to have the support of our PCSO Vicky Moulton and PC Oliver Cross who joined us today and are on hand to help with information and advice. I would urge residents to keep an eye on the Parish notice boards and join us next time."

Cllr Brian Silvester

Rope Parish Councillor

  Over three months ago 56% of Crewe voters voted to leave the EU.What has happened since? Not a lot. Mrs Delay May has dragged her feet and knocked back any of her Brexit Ministers who have had the audacity to try and move matters forward.

Every week that goes by we have to give the EU a net £200 million of our hard earned taxes.That money should be spent  in the UK not in the EU.There is no advantage in delay.Every week that goes by thousands of EU migrant are free to walk into the UK, use our NHS, use our schools,take up subsidised social housing tenancies and claim in work and out of work benefits, that are paid for with our taxes.We cannot control EU immigration until we actually leave.

We should repeal the 1972 European Communities Act now and leave.It could and should be done in months not years.Once we are out we can continue with all the rules and regulations we have now. Once out we can then decide to alter or repeal whatever we want at our leisure.

The EU would be mad not to have tariff free trade with the UK. We buy £70,000,000,000 a year MORE from the EU than what they buy from us.

UKIP is the only party that is not dragging its feet on Brexit or trying to overturn 

Brexit with another referendum. Voters should vote UKIP at every opportunity to ensure that Brexit actually happens.

The people of Britain have spoken and they are getting increasingly frustrated with the politicians who think they know better than them. The idea that the voters will wait years until we are out of the EU is ridiculous.

'Hands Off Wistaston' residents group

 

WISTASTON RESIDENTS ANGER AT PLANNING APPROVAL FOR 300 HOUSES

Wistaston residents are shocked and angered by the decision to allow planning permission for 300 houses on land off Church Lane, known locally as Witter’s Field.

The field is a much loved part of Wistaston that helps to give the area a semi-rural feel. Many people enjoy walks across the field and, as Green Gap land, local councils had been clear that this should be left free from development. This is a sentiment echoed by many across the parish who fought the proposal, including the residents group Hands Off Wistaston (HOW). HOW spokesperson Peter Wainwright said:

“This decision is a huge blow for people in Wistaston. Thousands of us have signed petitions and objections to this development. We’ve spoken against this proposal along with the Parish Council and Cheshire East Council. It couldn’t be clearer that this development is not what the community wants.”

The decision to allow planning permission was taken by the Government after the developer, Gladman Developments, appealed against Cheshire East Council refusing planning permission.

This is the second such appeal, with Gladman losing a previous decision on the same site in early 2015 – shortly before the last general election - when the previous Government refused planning permission. This u-turn has left many bemused and annoyed. Peter commented:

“The Housing Minister has, sadly, shown himself to be the ultimate NIMBY – opposing a development in his own patch in London because it would ‘significantly change the character of the local area’ but sees no issue in forcing 300 houses on Wistaston against wishes of the vast majority of local residents and others. Yet again us ‘little people’ aren’t listened to by those in the corridors of power.”

The decision can potentially be challenged at the High Court, which Hands Off Wistaston will be hoping Cheshire East Council can pursue if legal grounds for a challenge can be found.

Fundraising activity for World’s Biggest Coffee Morning

 

Encourages Local Community to Follow Their Dreams

Encouraging the community to come together and chat about their career dreams, Pitman Training in Nantwich is holding a free career focused drop in session on Friday 30th September to join in with Macmillan’s World’s Biggest Coffee Morning, to encourage people to grab life by the horns, after recent research revealed that many of us are not following our dreams in our careers.

Running from 8am til 12.00 at Pitman Training, Hospital Street, a light breakfast will be provided and community members are invited to come and share a bite to eat, gain inspiration from each other, and benefit from the guidance of the team to chat career development over cake.

Pitman is calling for any students who did not go to Uni to drop in for coffee and chat, on the back of recent research illustrating that 84% of 16-24 year olds don’t know how to turn their passions into a career, and 49% feel lack of qualifications halts them exploring aspirational career opportunities.

All are welcome though, and with the research also revealing that 45% of 25-34 year olds and 32% of 35-44 years olds wouldn’t know where to start to turn their passion into a career, Pitman is keen to get people talking in a relaxed environment to see if any lightbulb moments occur.

Centre Manager Allan Virr and his team will be on hand offering free CV and career advice and voluntary donations will be collected in support of Macmillan Cancer.

Allan said: “We know that many people have career dreams that remain just that, dreams, after they have fallen into a certain industry, or taken a certain path for whatever reason. What we want to do is help those people who still have a desire to do something different to what they are currently doing, to ensure they are truly happy in their career. Things like Macmillan fundraising make us realise that life really is too short to be going down the wrong path, and that it’s important to craft the futures we want, so we hope we can help people take action towards this over a relaxed cake and coffee”.

To find out more call 01270 626083 or find visit www.pitman-training.com/nantwich.

Pitman Training has been synonymous with office based training since Sir Isaac Pitman invented shorthand in 1837, and the company now helps thousands of students each year progress their careers through tailor-made study programmes and Diplomas with one to one support at over 100 local centres, as well as via online courses, and short seminars to help top up skills. For more information see www.pitman-training.com

SANDBACH FAIR – MANAGING ANTI SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

Subject: SANDBACH FAIR – MANAGING ANTI SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

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This is a message sent via Neighbourhood Watch. This information has been sent on behalf of Cheshire Constabulary

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Liz Biddle (Police, Community Engagement Officer, Chesh Engagement Unit)

The Sandbach Fair will be in town this coming weekend 23 – 26 September
Several young people were stopped by Cheshire Constabulary last year during the Sandbach Wakes Fair. As a result of their behaviour they were issued with a dispersal notice which banned them from the area for up to 48hours.
These notices are issued when Anti-social behavior is at such a point that it is deemed necessary to ban them from the locality for this period. Failure to comply with this order could result in the person being arrested.
Cheshire Police and The Safer Cheshire East Partnership treat all incidents of Anti-Social Behaviour seriously, especially where the quality of life of others is affected. The Partnership agencies will be monitoring incidents with a view to taking appropriate action.
We would also appreciate the assistance of the community, where you have an opportunity to influence young people, to remind them NOT to engage in any sort of Anti-Social Behaviour at this years’ event.
The event is for everyone’s enjoyment and shouldn’t be affected by the behaviour of the minority.
There will be a police presence at this event, with a zero tolerance approach to unacceptable behaviour.

NanoCon' comic-con

Reporter  Jonathan White, Wistaston

The third 'NanoCon' comic-con took place at Nantwich Civic Hall on Sunday 18th September 2016 after previous events in May this year and November last year.

The main hall featured a collectors market of stalls, selling a whole host of collectable merchandise, hand-made goods and artwork, and ample autograph/photo opportunities with stars of TV and the movies.

Numerous characters and superheroes were seen outside and inside the venue including Stormtroopers, Kylo Ren, a Jawa, Boba Fett, Pikachu, Jack Sparrow, a Dalek, Batman, Captain America and Iron Man. There was also a scale-model of the Battlestar Galactica rag-tag fleet, hand-made over three years by Philip Cocking.

Several children and adults came in costume including Darth Vader, the Hulk, Wonder Woman and the Joker.

The event was attended hundreds of sci-fi lovers and TV/movie fans and in an official capacity by Nantwich Mayor Councillor Andrew Martin.

The Wistaston Jubilee Tennis Club (WJTC) Finals Day

Reporter  Jonathan White, Wistaston

The Wistaston Jubilee Tennis Club (WJTC) Finals Day took place on Sunday 11th September 2016, in sunny weather, on the two courts behind the Wistaston Memorial Hall & Community Centre on Church Lane.

Bill Heath (WJTC Chairman) introduced the presentation of trophies inside the Memorial Hall:

- Men’s Singles Final: George Raiswell beat Paul Unwin 6-4, 5-7, 6-2.

- Men’s Doubles Final: George Raiswell and Robert Sheffield beat Nick Green and Roy Broughton 7-6, 3-6, 6-4.

- Open Doubles Final: Nick Green and Robert Sheffield beat Arvind Anandakumar and Ryan Harper-Griffiths 6-1, 6-2.

- Presidents Tournament Final: Kath Charlesworth and Hazel Dunn beat Jean Proudlove and Marion Proudlove 6-4, 6-2.

There was also a Junior Singles exhibition match between George Raiswell and Ryan Harper-Griffiths.

Wistaston A players displayed the two shields they won as winners of both the Men’s Division 3 Summer division and Men's Division 3 Winter division in the South and Mid Cheshire Tennis League: http://www.smctennis.co.uk/ . Wistaston A captain is George Raiswell, aged 15, who is a Year 11 pupil at Shavington Academy.

Refreshments were provided by members of the club.

For WJTC membership details please contact Bill Heath (Tel. 01270 560471).

George Raiswell serves to Roy Broughton during the Mens Doubles Final.JPG

Basshunter

Reporter Jonathan White, Wistaston

'Basshunter' - http://www.basshunter.se - returned to 'The Studio Nightclub & Entertainment Venue' - http://www.thestudionantwich.co.uk/ - in Nantwich on Friday 16th September 2016 as part of his UK-wide 'Freshers Tour'.

The Swedish singer, songwriter, record producer and DJ - real name Jonas Altberg - last performed at the venue in October 2015.

Basshunter has sold over four million records worldwide, has over 2.8 million friends on Facebook and his hits have had over 750 million views on YouTube.

Basshunter posed for photographs with VIP fans, then moved to the stage in the large music and stage area to entertain the audience.

He performed a full DJ set, then sang many of his hits including club classics 'Angel in the Night', 'Walk on Water', and 'All I Ever Wanted'; reaching a climax with 'Now You're Gone'.

The set was enhanced by a fantastic laser & light show.

His appearance was organised by SOML Events.

Nigel Woodhouse, Director of Operations at The Studio, said, "We are pleased to once again bring this international artist to entertain the people of Nantwich, Crewe and surrounding areas. At The Studio it is all about the entertainment. We hope everyone had a great night."

Annual Duck Race and Children’s Model Boat Race’

Reporter Jonathan White, Wistaston

The annual Duck and Boats’ races were postponed on 3rd September 2016 because of the inclement weather – too wet for ducks!

The 21st event took place at the Joey the Swan Recreation Ground, by kind permission of the Wistaston Parish Council, on Saturday 10th September; this time there was no duck-out or wash-out, eider way.

Members of Wistaston Memorial Hall’s management committee, and friends, organised this quacking spectacular. The ticket sellers were Audrey and John Astbury, Helen Heath, Helena King, Eileen Bamber, Kathleen Conroy and India Sloan. The on-stream marshals were Rob Dutton, Mark Ray, Christopher and Jonathan White, Dave O’Harah, Bill Heath and Meurig Jones. The nine stalls were organised by Glenys White, and did well. The guests of honour were Emma Horne (Wistaston’s Rose Queen) and Roger Woodward (Wistonian of the year).

The first activity was the judging of the best designed children’s boats, which resulted:

1st - £10 prize – Chloe Brereton with boat ‘Cat-amaran’.

2nd - £8 – Fabio with ‘The Wistaston Flyer’

3rd - £6 – Leah Wood with ‘Leabobs’.

The prizes were presented by Emma, the Rose Queen.

The second activity was the Boat Race – 40 boats competed in the assault course:

1st - £10 prize – No.26 – Jess Chesters

2nd - £8 – No.1 – Chloe Brereton

3rd - £6 – No.20 – Hayden Jones.

The prizes were presented by Roger, Wistonian of the year.

The third exciting activity was the Duck Race. 700 ducks were billed to start, and ducked and dived to the finish:

1st - £100 prize – No. 338 – Bernard Cliffe

2nd - £50 – No.517 – Luke Thomas

3rd - £25 – No.409 – Dad Underhill.

The Most Stuck Duck was No.2.

The sponsorship of the afternoon’s prizes was kindly given by Nigel Huxley of Wistonia Electrical and Security Ltd. The hire of the ducks was sponsored by Crewe Movie Makers and the printing of tickets was sponsored by the Wistaston Community Council. We are most grateful for this support.

Cheshire East commit to energy efficiency with new lights

 

Cheshire East Council is showing its commitment to putting residents first by investing nearly £10m in LED street lighting.

Following the successful upgrade of street lighting on main traffic routes last year, a further £9.5m is being invested to convert the majority of Cheshire East Council’s street lights to LED over the next three years.

The LED replacements start this month and focus on residential roads. A total of 24,000 lights are to be replaced over three years, including 3,000 lampposts.

The new street lighting produces a ‘white light’ which improves visibility and colour recognition to help promote and maintain safety for residents and road users. The improvement in the quality of lighting will have a positive impact on vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, children, the elderly and people with disabilities.

LED street lighting is also designed to direct light downwards on to the road, reducing light pollution into properties.

It is more economical and produces less carbon than conventional street lighting. Installation of this technology across Cheshire East is reducing the Council’s carbon footprint and will deliver annual savings on street lighting energy consumption in excess of 40 per cent for the Council and Cheshire East residents.

LEDs are more reliable than the existing street lighting and have an estimated service life of 10-20 years. The improved reliability will result in fewer faults and therefore less disruption to the network, which would otherwise require engineer repair visits.

Councillor David Brown, Deputy Leader of Cheshire East Council and Cabinet member for highways and infrastructure, said: “The energy savings and carbon reduction associated with this investment in LEDs will secure real benefits for Cheshire East.

“Most importantly, though, we hope that this innovation will help to improve feelings of safety within our communities.”

A total of 11,500 street lights have already been replaced following a programme of upgrades focused on traffic routes. Additionally, there has been a successful pilot of residential areas which led to this widespread LED lighting programme.

The street lighting LED programme can be found on Cheshire East Council’s website at www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/highways. Cheshire East Highways can also be contacted on 0300 123 5020.

'Community Open Day'

Reporter . Jonathan White, Crewe

A 'Community Open Day' takes place this Saturday 17th September from 10am to 4pm at St. Andrew's Church on Bedford Street in Crewe.

The Church will be open and there will be free refreshments and children's arts activities provided by Cheshire East Council's Community Team.

Visitors can hear about the work of the Church starting with children via the 'Messy Sunday School' and new pre-school group 'Little Fish'.

Members of the local community can take part in a consultation exercise in relation to the proposed new parish hall & community centre.

The day will also host representatives from Crewe Town Council together with families and visitors involved in the town's twinning visit from Germany and Poland.

The event has been organised in partnership with Cheshire East Council and Crewe Town Council.

For further information please call or text Revd Lynne Cullens on 07544350692.

Phishing Email Alert

Subject: Phishing Email Alert

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This is a message sent via Neighbourhood Watch. This information has been sent on behalf of Action Fraud (National Fraud Intelligence Bureau)

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Message sent by

Action Fraud (Action Fraud, Administrator, National)

There is a phishing email currently in circulation that claims to be from the City of London Police. The departments that it claims to represent include the ‘Fraud Intelligence Unit’ and the ‘National Fraud Intelligence Bureau’. The email is titled ‘compensation fund’ and has a letter attachment that claims to be offering financial compensation to victims of fraud. The letter uses the City of London Police logo.
The letter states that in order for compensation to be arranged, the receiver of the email should reply disclosing personal information. It states that HSBC and the South African Reserve Bank have been chosen to handle the compensation claims. All of these claims are false.
The email and letter are fraudulent and should not be replied to.
Protect Yourself

• Opening attachments or clicking links contained within emails from unknown sources could result in your device being infected with malware or a virus.
• The City of London Police and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau will never email you asking for you to disclose personal information.
• If you believe you have become a victim of this fraudulent email get your device checked by a professional and make a report to Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud and cyber crime reporting centre:  http://www.actionfraud.police.uk

Council Leader salutes medal success of Borough’s athletes

 

The Leader of Cheshire East Council has praised the phenomenal success of local athletes competing in the Rio Paralympics and the jiu-jitsu Asian Open.

The salute from Councillor Rachel Bailey follows a clutch of eye-catching and medal-winning performances from locally-based stars on the world stage.

Record-breaking 12-times gold medallist Dame Sarah Storey, 38, from Disley, scooped her latest cycling gold in Rio in the 3,000m individual pursuit – and could yet bag further medals. Dame Sarah is Britain’s most-decorated Paralympian.

Congleton Cycle Club member Megan Giglia, who now lives in Stockport, earlier won Britain's first gold medal at the Rio Paralympics by clinching the C1-3 3,000m cycling race. She told the BBC that ‘sport gave her something to live for’ after she suffered a stroke and a brain haemorrhage three years ago, aged 27.

Sophie Thornhill, 20, from Poynton, with pilot Helen Scott, won gold in the velodrome B 1,000m time trial and then added a bronze in the B 3,000m individual pursuit.

Sophie, who won silver with Scott at the World Championships in March, said: “I can't believe it. Gold is something I've dreamt of for so long and we have it.”

Nantwich’s Andy Small, 23, last night bagged the bronze medal in the T33 100m sprint final – with Middlewich’s Daniel Bramall, 31, just two tenths of a second behind in fourth.

Meanwhile, as our Paralympians were shining brightly in Rio, Congleton’s Becky Bursnoll, 22, struck gold in Tokyo by becoming the 2016 Asian Open jiu-jitsu champion.

Cllr Bailey said: “I am sure that everyone in Cheshire East will join me in congratulating each and every one of our local athletes on their tremendous success.

“We are all very proud of what they have achieved on the world stage and these incredible results are testament to their dedication and the hard work they have put in over many, many years. I hope they really enjoy their much-deserved medals and sense of achievement!”

Councillor Paul Bates, Cabinet member for communities and health, said: “The success of all these young athletes is absolutely fantastic and truly inspirational. Every one of them is an exemplary role model for young people of all abilities. They are true stars.

“As a fellow Congletonian, I am also really pleased to see young Becky Bursnoll add the title of Asian Champion to her already fabulously-impressive CV.

“I hope the example of all these local athletes will inspire many more people to take up sport – either competitively or just for fun – so they can reap the real benefits to their health and wellbeing throughout their lives and live well for longer.”

Crewe town centre to undergo ‘deep clean’

 

Crewe town centre will undergo a deep clean this week to help improve the shopping environment for visitors.

In partnership with Crewe Town Council, the work will be carried out by contractors on behalf of Ansa Environmental Services and Cheshire East Council and will begin tomorrow(September 13).

Cheshire East Council has carefully considered the best time to carry out the work in order to minimise disruption to businesses and shoppers. The work will take place between midnight and 8am and is expected to be completed by Friday, October 7.

The following areas will be covered within the deep cleaning programme: Heath Street, Lyceum Square, Market Street, Victoria Street, Queensway, Tower Way, Delamere Street, Market Square, Earle Street and Memorial Square.

Councillor Simon Yates, Leader of Crewe Town Council, said: “The deep clean of Crewe town centre is really positive news and this approach by Cheshire East Council should be both welcomed and applauded.

“The Town Council calls on the people of Crewe to take full advantage of a cleaner Crewe, to support the businesses and activities which take place in the town centre and to help in maintaining this improvement. A cleaner Crewe will be so much more attractive and it would be great to make sure that this remains the case.”

Councillor Don Stockton, Cheshire East Council Cabinet member for regeneration, said: “We recognise that a clean town centre is important to residents and businesses, as well as visitors.

“The work will make a visible difference to the town centre and we hope it will encourage more people to go and spend time there.

“We’re appealing to residents to also play their part in keeping the town centre clean and encourage them to ensure any litter is placed in the bins provided.”

South Cheshire Model Engineering Society

Reporter Jonathan White, Wistaston

South Cheshire Model Engineering Society held their annual open day on Saturday 10th September 2016.

This free event took place on their premises at the rear of the Peacock Hotel, Crewe Road, Willaston, Nantwich CW5 6NE.

There were miniature-gauge steam train rides on the 5-inch railway track which is almost a quarter of a mile in length, miniature-gauge steam train rides on a temporary straight section of 7¼ -inch railway track and rides across an adjacent field pulled by miniature steam traction engine 'Maud'. The Clubhouse contained a display of locomotives and engines produced by Society members.

Nantwich Mayor Councillor Andrew Martin perused the proceedings and was given a guided tour of the impressive site.

Refreshments were served by Society volunteers in the Clubhouse, with further refreshments available outside from the Wilson House Scouts http://www.wilsonhousescouts.org.uk/ .

The event was enjoyed by hundreds of visitors who were treated to sunny weather all day.

The Society currently has over eighty members and meets on the first Tuesday of every month at 7.45pm in their Clubhouse. For further information relating to the Society please visit: http://www.southcheshiremes.com .

The track and Clubhouse are available for birthday party hire from the last Saturday in March to the second Saturday in October. Book in January if you require a specific date in the year, as it is a popular venue. Please contact Don Potts via the website for costs and further details.

Cheshire East riders get on their bikes for the 2016 Cycle Challenge

 

More than 300 cyclists from 18 local employers have signed up to the Cheshire East Cycle Challenge – a fun competition aimed at getting more people on their bikes during September. 

And, following Stage Three of the Tour of Britain, which came through the Borough this week, it is also hoped local riders will sign up for national Cycle to Work Day on September 14.

Riders from across the Borough are hoping to win prizes including holidays, bikes and shopping vouchers, as part of the nationwide Cycle Challenge, which is coordinated by Love to Ride.

Competitors log each of their cycle journeys throughout September, while employers compete with each other to see who can get the most colleagues using pedal power.

A local leaderboard on the Love to Ride website allows competitors to see how they are performing.

Local employers who have signed up include Bentley, Leighton Hospital, Sainsbury’s in Nantwich and Cheshire East Council.

Cheshire East Council staff Mark Bayley, from Holmes Chapel, Mike Harris, from Pickmere and Andrew Arditti from Guilden Sutton expect to be clocking up more miles than most during the month of the challenge. 

The trio has completed a long-distance ride together every year since 2012 and will be cycling nearly 200 miles from Cork to Dublin in the Republic of Ireland over three days later this month. Every mile will be logged for the Cycle Challenge, including training runs in Cheshire. The team are raising funds for the Christie cancer charity in the process.

Previous years’ rides have included the English coast-to-coast challenge from St Bees Head to Robin Hood’s Bay (which raised more than £3,000 for the charity Alzheimer’s UK), London to Paris, Newcastle to Edinburgh and the gruelling hills of Majorca.

This year, riders can record their progress using a free app called Moves. Cheshire East hopes to use information provided by the App to better plan local cycling infrastructure and make riding a bike safer and more enjoyable for everyone.

Councillor David Brown, Cheshire East Council Cabinet member for highways and infrastructure, said: “The response to this year’s Cheshire East Cycle Challenge has been incredible and we are thrilled with the number of cyclists and employers who have signed up.

“The challenge is a fun and friendly way for people to get out and enjoy the benefits of cycling.  With the Tour of Britain coming through the Borough this week, it’s fair to say Cheshire East is cycling mad at the moment!

“What’s great about the Cycle Challenge is that it’s about much more than who can ride the furthest. It’s also about which organisations can get the most people cycling. People who are already into cycling are taking up the challenge but people who are new to cycling are also signing up.”

“As well as fostering friendly competition the challenge is also providing us with important information so we can better plan cycling routes and facilities in the Borough.”

Cheshire East cyclists are also being urged to get on their bikes on Wednesday (September 14) for national Cycle to Work Day.

Riders are encouraged to take to two wheels for at least one day – and join the estimated 741,000 people who cycle to work daily.

For more information visit: https://www.cycletoworkday.org/what-is-cycle-to-work-day