‘St Luke’s Afternoon Tea’

A ‘St Luke’s Afternoon Tea’ fund-raising event takes place on Sunday 6^th July 2014 (2-5pm) at Pyms Lane Guide Hut, Pyms Lane, Crewe, CW1 3PJ. A cup of tea or coffee with a mix of finger sandwiches. Served with a selection of mini cakes and scones with jam and clotted cream. Plus stalls with gifts and a raffle. Tickets = £5 per person, or £6 on the door. All proceeds to St Luke’s Cheshire Hospice http://www.stlukes-hospice.co.uk/ . For further information please contact Julie Foden, Tel: 01270 586582. 

Wistaston Rose Queen.

ReporterJonathan White, Wistaston

Naomi Barker (aged 11) has been the Wistaston Rose Queen for the past twelve months and during her year she has organised a variety of events with all the proceeds going towards her nominated charity of ‘Alder Hey Children’s Charity’ http://www.alderheycharity.com/ .

Her year started in June 2013 when she was crowned at the Wistaston Village Fete and held a Chocolate tombola and Treasure hunt which went down very well with everyone. Other events during the year were cake stalls after church, being guest of honour at a Wistaston garden party attended by the Mayor, attending the Wistaston annual Duck race, a stall at the St Luke’s Christmas fair, a family portrait session, organising a Quiz night in the church hall, a Ukulele concert by Ukebox enjoyed by over 140 people and finally a sponsored cycle ride from St Mary’s Church, Wistaston to Chester Cathedral. Thank you to the generosity of all her family, friends and Wistonian’s the grand total raised for the year was £2,720.

35th World Worm Charming Championship

Reporter Jonathan White, Wistaston

The ‘35th World Worm Charming Championship’ - http://www.wormcharming.com/ - took place on the afternoon of Saturday 28th June 2014 within the grounds of Willaston Primary School http://www.willastonprimary.co.uk/ , Willaston, near Nantwich, Cheshire. The Championship started at 2pm and participants in each of the 144 plots had 30 minutes to collect as many worms as possible from their 3x3 metre plot. There were 'traditional' plots for teams of two and 'tag-team' plots for teams who wished to change their pairings throughout the charming period. Techniques included vibrating a garden fork, singing and playing a musical instrument.

The Chief Wormer's trophy for youngest wormer with 64 worms in plot 19 was won by 29 day old Arwyn Davies.

Most Promising Newcomer Award with 184 worms in plot 36 was won by Lucas and Melvyn Mostran.

The Heaviest Worm trophy was won by Liam and Patrick Martin in plot 27 with 5.84g.

The Championship trophy for Most Worms with an impressive haul of 394 worms in plot 83 was won by the Bowden’s with Dad Andy, son Dale and nine year old daughter Georgia. Mum provided verbal support. They live in the village of Tarleton near Preston and it was the second year running that they had competed in the Championship. Once presented with their trophy they were filmed and interviewed by a news crew from Russian 24/7 English-language news channel 'RT' - http://rt.com/ - so will receive global recognition for their achievement. They were also raising money via sponsorship for Addaction http://www.addaction.org.uk/ , which offers a residential rehabilitation service to help people beat their problems with drugs and alcohol.

The championships also included representatives from Australia (259 worms), the Philippines (81), Holland (202), Switzerland (114) and India (84). The International Federation of Charming Worms and Allied Pastimes (IFCWAP) charmed 48 worms.

Willaston Primary School Headteacher Clare Grehan gave her sincere thanks to event organiser Mike Forster, all the volunteers and visitors for their continued support of the event.

Events in the arena and playground area included the a performance by the Willaston School Percussion band, the Willaston Scouts Ninja Poi Display Team, dancing by the X Academy of Performing Arts, and singing by TheFunkyChoir.com. The arena and adjacent areas were surrounded by charity stalls, an inflatable slide and food and drink outlets.

Fortunately, the rain stayed away and was enjoyed by several hundred people.

 

I’ve uploaded all my photos to a Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jonathanawhite/sets/72157645455908873/

Diabetes UK Garden Party

Reporter Jonathan White, Wistaston

Sheena & Ken Sambrook of the Crewe and South Cheshire Voluntary Group of Diabetes UK - http://crewe-and-south-cheshire.diabetesukgroup.org - are once again opening up their garden for a fund-raising Garden Party. The event will take place on Wednesday 9th July 2014, from 7pm, at their house at 6 Westfield Drive, Wistaston. Entrance is 50p and includes tea and biscuits. Strawberries & cream, cakes and plants will be available for sale. There will also be a bring & buy stall and a raffle stall. The Wistaston Rose Queen and Mayor will be in attendance. Please contact Ken for further information: Tel. 01270 662455.

Strawberry and Cream Tea Concert

Reporter Jonathan White, Wistaston

A ‘Strawberry and Cream Tea Concert’ takes place on Saturday 12th July 2014 (3pm) at St Stephen’s Methodist Church, Gainsborough Road, Crewe. Cream tea and strawberries during the interval. Parking available at Ruskin Road School. Tickets = £6. Proceeds in aid of Church and Choir funds. For further information please contact Choir Secretary Jill Oakes Tel: 01270 662940.

The Wistaston Singers

Reporter Jonathan White, Wistaston

The Wistaston Singers took their talents on the road recently when they travelled to Elworth. They performed a fundraising concert in the evening of Saturday 21^st June 2014 at St Peter’s Church Hall http://www.stpeters-elworth.org.uk/ .

Phil Houghton was the Musical Director and also introduced each song and soloist. Ann Farrington was the accompanist. The choir sang 42^nd Street (Warren), a Phantom of the Opera medley (Lloyd Webber), All in the April Evening (Roberton), Can You Feel the Love Tonight (John), The heavens are telling (Haydn), One Voice (Manilow), Oliver (Bart) and Love Changes Everything (Lloyd Webber). There was a duet from Liz Wood and Linda Walker of I Know Him So Well (Andersson et al).

Chris White (ukulele), accompanied by Phil Houghton (piano), performed four songs that were all popular during World War I to mark the centenary of the war: Keep the Home Fires Burning (Novello), Goodbye Dolly Gray (Barnes), Pack Up Your Troubles (Powell) and If You Were the Only Girl In The World (Ayer). The audience were given the lyrics to the songs and were encouraged to join in for each chorus. Jay Robinson (guitar) performed solo with the choir for the first time and sang A Giver in Life, which he had written himself.

Refreshments were served during the interval.

Proceeds from the concert will go to Christian Aid http://www.christianaid.org.uk/ .

Musical Director Phil Houghton said, "The choir had a wonderful visit to Elworth and are most appreciative to the audience for coming to watch us perform at this charity concert."

The Wistaston Singers were originally formed by members of the choir at St Mary's Parish Church, Wistaston in May 2000 and now number over forty members singing four-part harmony music. The choir perform a variety and eclectic choice of music ranging from choral church music and anthems, Gilbert and Sullivan items, music from the shows, music from modern composers such as John Rutter encompassing from the 15th century to the 20th century. They perform up to five concerts a year at various venues in south Cheshire. The choir is also available to perform at weddings in the area. The choir rehearse weekly in the parish rooms of St Mary's Church, Nantwich on a Wednesday evening from 7:30pm to 9:30pm. New members are welcome and further details may be obtained from Choir Secretary Jill Oakes, Tel: 01270 662940 and email: jillandjohnoakes@uwclub.net

Their next concert will be a ‘Strawberry and Cream Tea Concert’ at St Stephen’s Methodist Church, Gainsborough Road, Crewe on Saturday 12^th July 2014 (3pm). Cream tea and strawberries during the interval. Parking available at Ruskin Road School. Tickets = £6. Proceeds in aid of Church and Choir funds.

The Wistaston Singers perform at St Peters Church Hall Elworth.JPG

Three Attacks by Fishermen on Swans in Queens Park

After the horrific Death of the mother swan who had 7 signets in the Queens Park which is still a mystery more attacks have happened this week. We heard disturbing news off a bailiff fisherman. He has witnessed twice in one day, two males fishing who purposely dangled bait in front of the cygnets and caught them up. The bailiff had to untangle them and threaten the males involved. Another witness told me how he had seen a fisherman hitting a swan with a keep net so that is a total of 3 attacks in one day. The mothers death is still a mystery as its claimed by the press that the RSPCA have no knowledge of it but it was quoted on Face Book that the park had called them and it was the wardens who had made the call but speaking to them this week they said they hadn't made a call and knew nothing about the dead swan. The body has disappeared and a request to the park were it went hasnt been answered. A vet who specialises in swans looked at our photo and said with out the body he cant be sure but it looked like a human attack from the photo as there were no canine teeth marks.

Legal status

As native wild birds, swans enjoy statutory protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and it is an offence to intentionally injure, take or kill a wild swan. 

The Act similarly protects the eggs and nests of swans. It is an offence to take or possess the egg of a wild mute swan, or to damage or destroy the nest of a mute swan whilst in use or being built. Unfortunately, swans and their nests are sometimes a target for vandals. 

Anyone seeing an offence against swans or other wildlife is encouraged to contact their police Wildlife Liaison Officer through their local police station.

There is history at the Queens Park of swan abuse with vandals stealing and smashing their eggs and no one does anything about it but now a new wildlife conservation group has been formed and the first meeting will be in the Queens Park pavilion Sun 6th July if you want to help save the wildlife in the park come along. You may wish to ask your local councillor why the CEC isnt doing anything to protect the wildlife as they have a duty of care. Since the attacks they have taken no action to patrol the park or get the Police in to investigate

Council warns residents over Council Tax ‘refund’ scam

 

Cheshire East Council is warning residents to be on their guard against a Council Tax ‘refund’ scam.

The fraud works by an email being sent from REFUND@direct.gov.uk claiming individuals are eligible for a Council Tax refund and asks for confidential bank and credit card details and passwords. The email also implies association with local government.
Cheshire East Council never texts or emails residents to request personal information. If refunds are due or there is any change to a resident’s bill then statements will be sent through the post.
The Council is urging residents to not give out their bank or credit card details, as this potentially gives unscrupulous people access to your money.
Councillor Peter Raynes, Cheshire East Cabinet member in charge of finance, said: “This is a total scam. We are warning residents not to get sucked into filling in forms and giving away financial or personal information to unscrupulous conmen.

“Unfortunately, some people may be taken in. However, Cheshire East Council never texts or emails residents in this way to request personal or financial information.

“If refunds are due, or there is any change in your bill, then statements will be sent through the post. We either refund the money direct if you pay by direct debit or by cheque sent to the bill payer's address.

“We have alerted Cheshire police to this issue and would urge people to be vigilant. If you receive this scam email you should delete it and not complete the form and contact the police.”

Anyone who receives such a message should not reply to it. Scams like this should be reported at www.actionfraud.police.uk which is the Police's dedicated website for reporting fraud and internet crime. You can also contact them on 0300 123 2040.
If you suspect you have been the victim of a Council Tax scam telephone the Citizen’s Advice Consumer Service on 08454 04 05 06 to report it and to get advice.

South Cheshire store director has a mountain to climb as he faces his fears for Diabetes charity

 

A BRAVE South Cheshire opticians’ store director, with a ‘severe hatred of both heights and the freezing cold’, is in training to face his fears and take on a gruelling charity mission to climb Mont Blanc.

Michael Elleray, store director at Crewe Specsavers in Market Street for the past 22 years, admits he is also a complete climbing novice. But despite being anxious about facing some of the world’s most treacherous conditions, Michael insists he is all set to take on the six-day challenge.

Setting off to the Alps with a team of eight people on Saturday 28 June, Michael and the group plan to reach the summit by Friday 4 June, and, having already paid for the trip in full, every penny donated in support of their challenge will go directly to the Insulin for Life, a global diabetes charity.

Diabetes is one of the leading cause of blindness in UK’s working age population. People with diabetes are 20 times more at risk of going blind than someone without the condition. Regular eye examinations can prevent eye damage associated with diabetes as early detection and treatment prevents sight loss.

Michael, aged 52, who is also store director of Specsavers Nantwich in High Street, says: ‘I’m a little nervous but very excited about the challenge. I make no secret of the fact that I don’t like heights or the cold so, I’ll be honest, I can’t wait to get to the summit.

‘I’ve bought myself a pickaxe and my training is going really well so I’m as prepared as I’ll ever be.

‘We’ve chosen to support Insulin for Life with this challenge and it is certainly a cause that all of the team at Specsavers are very familiar with.

‘An eye examination can detect signs of diabetes among people who don’t even realise they have it, which is why we urge everyone to have an eye test at least every two years’

Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are life-long conditions that if left untreated can lead to heart disease, stroke, nerve damage and blindness.

Diabetes affects the eye in a number of ways; the unusual changes in blood sugar levels seen in diabetics can affect the lens inside the eye leading to blurred vision. This can lead to cataracts if undetected.

All Specsavers optometrists are trained to spot the signs of diabetes during a regular eye examination.  Eye tests are free under the NHS to the over 60s and those under 19 in full-time education, as well as to people already diagnosed with diabetes. 

To sponsor Michael’s challenge and donate to Insulin for Life pop into Specsavers in Crewe or Nantwich.

To book your next appointment at Specsavers Crewe call 01270 250707 or visit www.specsavers.co.uk/stores/Crewe.  To book your next appointment at Specsavers Nantwich call 01270 621660 or visit www.specsavers.co.uk/stores/Nantwich.

For more information about Insulin for Life visit http://www.insulinforlife.org/

Council Leader welcomes Chancellor’s call for new ‘HS3’ to create powerhouse of the North

 

The Leader of Cheshire East Council has warmly welcomed the Chancellor’s call for a third high-speed rail line to boost connectivity and the economy of the North of England.

A so-called HS3 high-speed rail link between Manchester and Leeds could help to create a ‘northern global powerhouse’, George Osborne said today (Monday, June 23).

He said better road and rail links would allow cities across northern England ‘to take on the world’, as London has done.

The Chancellor said the plan could cost up to £7bn – but could be cheaper if existing rail lines were updated.

Councillor Michael Jones, Leader of Cheshire East Council, who is pushing for the creation of a multi-million pound strategic HS2 transport hub at Crewe, said: “This is great news and I warmly welcome the Chancellor’s support for greater high-speed rail connectivity in the North.

“This is the right strategic solution – not just for Crewe and Cheshire East – but for the North and the country as a whole. And we need to act now to get it right and unlock the potential of high-speed rail to rebalance our country’s economy.

“Let’s be clear: ‘business as usual’ is not an option. What we need is the transformational change that HS2 and a strategic transport hub at Crewe and now HS3 will bring.”

Mr Osborne said the building of the east-west link should be considered as part of a review into the second phase of the £50bn HS2 high-speed rail project.

The Chancellor’s announcement follows on the back of two major reports (the Higgins and Deighton reports) that backed the benefits of HS2 for the North of England and which called for the creation of a major strategic transport hub at Crewe.

A new strategic HS2 hub station at Crewe would create up to 60,000 jobs and deliver an estimated £1.5bn in transport benefits, with potential for a further £1bn of wider economic benefits.

The Deighton Report (in March) said Crewe was ‘ideally placed to act as a hub station to connect HS2 into the surrounding regions’.

The report said the extra capacity released by HS2 provides an opportunity to reconfigure services and better utilise the strategic location of Crewe to serve major centres in the North West, such as Liverpool, Warrington and Chester and also Stoke, Stafford and all the local stations, which form part of the commute into bigger cities – supporting regeneration in the process.

The report further said Crewe is a natural gateway to North Wales. Additional connectivity at Crewe into North Wales also supports the proposed strategic European freight corridor through to Dublin, via Holyhead.

This helps unlock investment in North Wales’ growing advanced manufacturing sector.

On March 17, Sir David Higgins, CEO of HS2 Ltd, published a report which called on the Government to speed up high-speed rail delivery and create a strategic transport hub for the North at Crewe.

Sir David said a 43-mile stretch of HS2 to Crewe should be built by 2027, rather than 2033 as planned, to extend the benefits to the North more quickly.

Consultation Launched On Garden Waste Winter Shutdown

 

Cheshire East Council has launched a consultation to find the best time to start the seasonal shutdown of garden waste collections.

If follows a full public apology made by the Council over the issue when the Council trialled suspending brown bin collections between the months of October and March this year.

An unusually mild autumn meant that the brown bins were considered to be still required by some residents when collections were suspended in October.

The Council acknowledges that it got it wrong which is why a consultation has now been launched to find out what residents think is the best solution.

Residents are being urged to take part in the consultation, in preparation for the 2014/2015 autumn and winter period.

Cabinet portfolio holder David Topping said: “Shutting down the garden waste service over the coldest months of the year makes complete sense.

“The policy is designed to ensure efficient use of Council resources and, of course, save money. Demand at this time of year is low and the shutdown reduces carbon emissions.

“The consultation is all about getting the views of our residents and putting them first. We want to know when residents consider is the best time to shut down the service, the length of the shutdown and what’s the best way to get the message out to them.”

The consultation runs until July 23, 2014, and can be accessed on-line by visiting: http://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/council_and_democracy/council_information/consultations.aspx

For those residents who do not have internet access at home, they can complete a survey at their local library or customer service centre.

Residents who normally purchase additional garden waste bins will not be asked to pay for their bin until after the consultation.

Save the wildlife at the Queens Park

 

There are still 6 signets left and we have lots of people watching out for them after the mysterious death of the mother. The controversy roles on with claims made by the press that the RSPCA no nothing about the death  even though the park made this statement on  Face book  Sadly Swan found dead on the lake this morning. RSCPA notified. All indications are eaten, possibly by a fox, no indication of being ravished by dog. Hence previous assumption removed off the web as unnecessary. However, mum may possibly find it difficult to look after all her young, so please all keep monitoring them and help. She has plenty of food thank you to all. Thank you Waynne also for your prompt call.

Queens Park wildlife conservation group

The group was setup after the death of a swan and other wildlife the aims and objectives are.

Urgent need for ramps onto all islands on the lake so wildlife can escape onto them away from human and natural predators

Islands to be planted with wildlife friendly plants to provide cover and suitable nesting

Lake plants need to be planted to provide to oxygenate the water and provide nesting for wildlife reed beds are needed in the middle of the lake for protected species that cant nest on land ie Grebe

Make the park more wildlife friendly by planting suitable bushes and plants to encourage wild life which fits in with the schools education programme

After a serious dog attack last year we were promised a dog control order which hasn’t been actioned dogs off the lead are a major problem as they attack wildlife and children the order is of no use unless dog wardens enforce it. The remaining swan was attacked last week by a dog off the lead.

Small water holes to be placed around park for wildlife to drink from as most can drink from the lake.

Log piles and bee hotel to get more insects in the park cost nothing and helpful for children’s education.

There will be a meeting in the park pavilion on Sunday 6th July 2pm all invited

There has been a lot of dead fish in the lake estimates between 50-100 and experts say this is down to failure of the CEC not providing plants for the lake or a fountain to oxygenate the lake. Its believed they all died due to lake of oxygen. This is all despite Cllr Jones promising last year to do all he could to protect the wildlife in the park they have failed to get the dog control order requested last year and no effort has been made to do anything for wildlife 

D-Day commemorations in Normandy.

Photos courtesy of Robert Richardson. Reporter Jonathan White, Wistaston

The Corps of Drums of The Cheshire Constabulary Band http://www.cheshirepoliceband.co.uk/Corps_of_Drums.htm combined with the West Yorkshire Police Brass Band http://www.westyorkshirepoliceband.org.uk/ to perform at the recent D-Day commemorations in Normandy, France.

 

They played in front of tens of thousands of spectators, Veterans of the D-Day landings, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Prince of Wales during a five day tour of the British and Canadian sectors of the beaches and were based in Benouville.

On 5th June they led the march across Pegasus Bridge before playing to the Prince of Wales at the Pegasus Memorial Museum, then led the 9th Battalion of the Parachute Regiment after their commemorative jump.

On 6th June - "D-Day" 70th anniversary - in the morning they played at Gold Beach and gave a stick lifting rendition of the Royal Marines Regimental March when leading former Marines at Juno Beach. In the afternoon of the same day they led the parade into Arromanches and played in front of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Prince William and Kate Middleton) at a concert broadcast on BBC One.

Wistaston resident, Robert Richardson, aged 42 who is a drummer with The Corps of Drums said, “It was the opportunity of a lifetime to perform in front of members of our Royal Family and to meet with some of the gentleman who landed on the beaches of Normandy. It was a privilege and an honour to perform during the commemorations.”

The Corps of Drums can be seen at the Kings Shilling Walk commemorations in Queens Park, Crewe on Sunday 3rd August and at a World War I commemoration concert at Nantwich Civic Hall on Sunday 5th October.

Warm welcome for Cheshire Show

 

The Cheshire Show attracted more than 80,000 visitors this year, with temperatures averaging a comfortable 20C over the two-day show.

More than 600 trade stands filled the 200-acre site at Tabley, stretching across five kilometres of open countryside.

Cheshire East Council hosted a business stand, highlighting why Cheshire East is officially the ‘best place to live in the North West’.

Council Leader Councillor Michael Jones said: “The Cheshire Show is part of our heritage and it is a great showcase for our farming community and a brilliant day out for families.

“It has also been a great opportunity to promote Cheshire East as officially ‘the best place to live in the North West’, as well as shout about the regeneration happening in Crewe and Macclesfield, our vision for an HS2 hub at Crewe, our aspiration to tap into geothermal energy and so much more.

“Well done to all those who make this show a success year after year and to all the exhibitors who really make the event special to the Borough.”

The Cheshire Show was first held in 1838 and was historically an agricultural event. Today exhibitors range from TV stars to owners of vintage farming machinery.

Food and Farming Minister George Eustice MP also attended the event on Wednesday to discuss current issues with local farmers.

Nigel Evans, executive director of the Cheshire Show, said: “The Cheshire Show is a wonderful celebration of all things country…and was a perfect opportunity for thousands of visitors to enjoy a flavour of rural life. It was two brilliant days with something for everyone – thank you to all our volunteers, supporters and visitors.”

Plans for Lifestyle Centre take shape

 

Ambitious plans for a state-of-the-art £15m lifestyle centre in Crewe have taken a major step forward.

To prepare the way for construction, Cheshire East has issued a series of statutory notices in and around the Christchurch car park area.

From early August, motorists who normally park their cars at Christchurch car parks will need to find alternative parking arrangements. Alternative car parks include Oak Street and Chester Street.

There will be no access along Crewe Street and Forge Street from this time, although access to Chancery Court and Lyon Street will remain.

The lifestyle centre, which will include health facilities as well as adult and social care services, will act as a catalyst for the Crewe civic and cultural quarter vision and make the town centre a more attractive proposition for commercial investors.

Council Leader Councillor Michael Jones said: “This is all part of the exciting build-up to actually putting a spade in the ground and making Crewe’s lifestyle centre a reality.

“Some people will see the initial preparations as an inconvenience but we will do everything we can to ensure that residents come first and know exactly what is happening and when.

“The project realises a bold vision to combat alarming health inequalities in areas of Crewe, meaning many people actually die a whole decade earlier compared to other areas in the borough.

“That is a situation that we cannot allow to continue and it is a huge motivating factor in getting the centre built as soon as is possible.”

The lifestyle centre will house an eight-lane, 25-metre pool, plus a large teaching pool, sports courts, state-of-the-art fitness suites, new library facilities, and children and adult social care services.

It is anticipated that construction will begin on the lifestyle centre in August and will be up-and-running for the public to use towards the end of 2015.

Council Leader welcomes Chancellor’s call for new ‘HS3’ to create powerhouse of the North

 

The Leader of Cheshire East Council has warmly welcomed the Chancellor’s call for a third high-speed rail line to boost connectivity and the economy of the North of England.

A so-called HS3 high-speed rail link between Manchester and Leeds could help to create a ‘northern global powerhouse’, George Osborne said today (Monday, June 23).

He said better road and rail links would allow cities across northern England ‘to take on the world’, as London has done.

The Chancellor said the plan could cost up to £7bn – but could be cheaper if existing rail lines were updated.

Councillor Michael Jones, Leader of Cheshire East Council, who is pushing for the creation of a multi-million pound strategic HS2 transport hub at Crewe, said: “This is great news and I warmly welcome the Chancellor’s support for greater high-speed rail connectivity in the North.

“This is the right strategic solution – not just for Crewe and Cheshire East – but for the North and the country as a whole. And we need to act now to get it right and unlock the potential of high-speed rail to rebalance our country’s economy.

“Let’s be clear: ‘business as usual’ is not an option. What we need is the transformational change that HS2 and a strategic transport hub at Crewe and now HS3 will bring.”

Mr Osborne said the building of the east-west link should be considered as part of a review into the second phase of the £50bn HS2 high-speed rail project.

The Chancellor’s announcement follows on the back of two major reports (the Higgins and Deighton reports) that backed the benefits of HS2 for the North of England and which called for the creation of a major strategic transport hub at Crewe.

A new strategic HS2 hub station at Crewe would create up to 60,000 jobs and deliver an estimated £1.5bn in transport benefits, with potential for a further £1bn of wider economic benefits.

The Deighton Report (in March) said Crewe was ‘ideally placed to act as a hub station to connect HS2 into the surrounding regions’.

The report said the extra capacity released by HS2 provides an opportunity to reconfigure services and better utilise the strategic location of Crewe to serve major centres in the North West, such as Liverpool, Warrington and Chester and also Stoke, Stafford and all the local stations, which form part of the commute into bigger cities – supporting regeneration in the process.

The report further said Crewe is a natural gateway to North Wales. Additional connectivity at Crewe into North Wales also supports the proposed strategic European freight corridor through to Dublin, via Holyhead.

This helps unlock investment in North Wales’ growing advanced manufacturing sector.

On March 17, Sir David Higgins, CEO of HS2 Ltd, published a report which called on the Government to speed up high-speed rail delivery and create a strategic transport hub for the North at Crewe.

Sir David said a 43-mile stretch of HS2 to Crewe should be built by 2027, rather than 2033 as planned, to extend the benefits to the North more quickly.

WISTASTON WARD COUNCILLORS INTRODUCE DOG WATCH AT JOEY THE SWAN

Cheshire East Wistaston Councillors Margaret Simon and Jacquie Weatherill have launched their community Dog Watch scheme in the Joey the Swan area of Church Lane.

Dog Watch aims to encourage responsible dog ownership by engaging both dog owners and members of the public.  They are supported by Hillside Veterinary Centre, Crewe Road, Nantwich, who have donated hundreds of ‘poo bag dispensers’ for distrubution to dog walkers.  The Councillors, with Hillside Vet Nurse Bev Richards Community Warden Tim Beckett and Dog Warden Keith Massey, have put up ‘Dog Watch’ signs in the Joey the Swan area and handed out leaflets and wallet sized cards containing useful contact phone numbers enabling residents to report dog fouling incidents, report a straying dog, discuss dog related issues and a number of other Council services including general enquiries.

Margaret Simon says;

“Dog Watch is a very positive way of engaging the public and dog owners in addressing and taking responsibility for keeping our streets and open spaces free from dog fouling.   I have two dogs of my own and, whilst I am out walking them, other dog owners often grumble about the amount of dog mess in certain parts of our local area.   The idea of Dog Watch was mentioned to me by a fellow dog walker who was keen to see us implement an initiative to tackle the problem in a positive way.  We chose to start at the Joey the Swan area because we have recently had a number of complaints about its public pathways.  So far everyone who has taken the time to stop and speak to us about Dog Watch has been very pleased that we are doing something to try to reduce the problem of dog fouling.  They have also suggested other areas close by that would benefit from Dog Watch.  Clearly we are on the right track with this scheme.”

Jacquie Weatherill says;

“Perhaps unbelieveably, complaints about dog fouling are amongst the most common reason for residents to contact their Councillor.  The Council often gets criticised for the small number of penalty notices it gives out for dog fouling but most residents would understand that our Wardens are unlikely to be ‘on the spot’ to witness every incidence.  That’s why we need to work proactively with our residents. Our Ward covers a very large area, we have the Connect 2 pathways in our Ward and also the linear pathways and open spaces by Wistaston Mill, we intend to roll out Dog Watch in those areas in the very near future.”

“Vet Nurse Bev Richards, from Hillside says;

Everyone at Hillside is delighted to support Cllrs Simon and Weatherill in their Dog Watch scheme, responsible dog ownership is key to keeping our streets and open spaces clean.  Picking up after your dog helps us to have  clean and safe places for everyone to enjoy whether you are a dog owner or not.  We are happy to donate the ‘poo bag dispensers’ to the Councillors to give away to dog owners.  We would like to think that most dog owners already carry poo bags and we would also hope that all owners have their dogs microchipped so that their pet can be returned to them if it gets lost or strays.  Hillside is working with the Dog’s Trust at the moment and is offering free microchipping for your dog until the end of the year.”

Community Warden Tim Beckett says;

“I think Dog Watch is a brilliant way to engage the public in a positive way.  Joey the Swan is the ideal area to start this scheme as it is widely used by children, families, walkers and dog walkers.   I’m looking forward to working with Cllrs Simon and Weatherill when they roll Dog Watch out to other areas in their Ward.” 

“Whilst we were on the Joey the Swan pathway we came across a lost dog.  It came to Cllr Simon and her two dogs but we quickly realised that his owner was not with him.  Fortunately we were able to use the Microchip scanner on him and we were able to start the process trying to reunite him with his owner.  Bev’s message about getting your dog microchipped is a very important one.”

The important Cheshire East contact numbers contained in the Dog Watch literature are:

To report a dog fouling incident or

To report a straying dog or

To discuss dog related issues – 0300 123 5021

For all other enquiries 0300 123 5500

If you would like to have your dog microchipped free, under the Dog’s Trust  microchipping scheme, phone

Hillside Veterinary Centre on 01270 625310.