Wistaston Fireworks Display

Reporter Jonathan White, Wistaston

The 39th annual Wistaston Fireworks Display took place on Saturday 5th November 2016.

The event took place at the Eric Swan Sports Ground off Church Lane in Wistaston.

It began with a procession - led by bagpiper Reg Flower - from the Park Drive/Westfield Drive junction to the Eric Swan Sports Ground off Church Lane (behind Church Lane School, Wistaston). The judging of the children’s best pumpkin and best fancy dress competitions then took place and were followed by the fireworks display.

The results of the children's best pumpkin competition, judged by Wistonian of the Year, Roger Woodward and assisted by Gwyneth Brown, were:

1st prize - Bella Ullmer, aged 4, with 'Fred'.

2nd prize – Millie.

3rd prize – Mia.

The results of the children's best fancy dress competition, judged by Wistonian of the Year, Roger Woodward, and assisted by Gwyneth Brown, were:

1st prize – Harry Baxter, aged 2, who was dressed as a firework with numerous lights.

2nd prize – Annabel as Pudsey Bear.

3rd prize – Poppy as a vampire.

Costumes also included several fairies and witches, a crocodile, a ghost, and a ghoul.

Locally-based online community radio station RedShift Radio - http://www.redshiftradio.co.uk/ - for the seventh year running generously provided, setup and staffed the PA system before the fireworks and played music during the display. RedShift Radio presenters Kelly-Ann Davies and Liz Southall got the crowd warmed up before the display.

Professional fireworks display specialist Gekostar Fireworks - http://www.gekostarfireworks.co.uk/ - setup the fireworks display.

Children’s best fancy dress competition winner Harry Baxter was given the honour of officially starting the fireworks. The fireworks used during a magnificent 11 minute display took 12 hours to setup and included shells, cakes, mines and Roman candles.

The 35th South West Cheshire, Wistaston Scout Group - http://www.wistastonscoutgroup.org.uk - served hot and cold drinks and food during the event and ‘Glow’s North West’ sold children's flashing novelties.

The event was organised by the Wistaston Community Council and funded by the Wistaston Community Council and the Wistaston Parish Council.

Entry was by donation and several hundred people attended the event.

Dane Chaplow, Chairman from the Wistaston Community Council, said, "The children's pumpkin and fancy dress competitions were well supported. We had a great turnout at the Eric Swan Sports Ground with superb fireworks from Gekostar and excellent music, as always, from RedShift Radio. We thank our supporters and volunteers for their help and the public for attending this annual event".

The Wistaston Community Council desperately requires new members to help organise next year’s Fireworks Display, as well as other Wistaston-based events such as the Summer Fete, Flower and Produce Show and the Christmas concerts. Please visit http://www.wistastoncommunity.co.uk for further information if you would like to join.

Are you prepared for winter driving?

Subject: Are you prepared for winter driving?

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As the cold nights start to draw in officers in Cheshire are reminding drivers to take extra care when driving in hazardous weather conditions.
Superintendent Martin Cleworth said: "It’s important that all drivers are aware that driving conditions may be more hazardous during the winter period. For example, road surfaces are more likely to be wet in the winter months, which can make them slippery and cause flying spray which is another hazard.
“There may also be patches of mist, fog and ice, all of which make driving more dangerous. To reduce these risks all drivers need to ensure there are aware of the current conditions and reduce their speed to allow for them."
“It’s also important that motorists ensure their vehicles are ready for the extra demands that will be placed on it over the winter period. I advise that all motorists take the following steps:
• Examine your tyres, they should be in good condition, have plenty of tread and be set at the correct pressures
• Check your oil levels
• Keep screen wash as full as possible and use correct additives
• Ensure your car windows and mirrors clean – keep a cloth handy
• Keep your vehicle fuel to a reasonable level with some spare capacity– remembering that journeys can take longer than usual
• Ensure that all screens and lights are clear of frost/snow prior to driving. (Be extra careful when defrosting the vehicle. Do not use boiling water)
• In severe conditions, question the need for the journey and avoid travelling wherever possible
• Carry a charged mobile phone, warm clothing, a torch, food and drink if you must make a journey in severe conditions. Let somebody know the details/times of your journey
• Listen to weather warnings on the radio prior to and during the journey
As well as taking extra care on the roads the force are also reminding motorists to ensure their vehicles are secure at all times.
Superintendent Cleworth added: "Opportunist thieves will see a cold spell of weather as a perfect opportunity to snatch a vehicle - especially if the driver has left the engine running and the car unattended whilst it’s defrosting.
"We are urging drivers across the county to remain security conscious and to take steps to reduce the chances of being targeted by thieves."
Further information about road safety and crime reduction can be found on the Cheshire Police website at www.cheshire.police.uk.

Double standards for Local residents

Here is another example of how in Cheshire East,Macclesfield gets everything and residents in the south of the Borough, like Crewe,are given an unfair deal.

There is a by election in Crewe West.If anybody wants to stand for election they have to HAND DELIVER their signed papers to MACCLESFIELD. A round trip of 45 miles.

They are not allowed to post them.Neither are they allowed to hand in their nomination papers in any of the several Cheshire East offices in Crewe.

In contrast, there is a forthcoming by-election in Macclesfield. Candidates there will not have to make a 45 mile round trip to hand in their nomination papers. They will just be able to take them along to Macclesfield Town Hall.

You could not have a better example of double standards.

It is about time that Crewe Town Council really stood up for the residents of the town and stopped Cheshire East treating the citizens of Crewe as second class citizens.

Crewe voted for Brexit but Labour want to ignore your vote.

Labour want you to vote again and keep voting until you get it right.

Labour think that anyone who voted for Brexit is a racist who did not know what they were doing.

UKIP believes that Crewe got it right the first time.

We need to Brexit to stop open door immigration, to make our own laws and to stop giving the EU a net £200m a WEEK, that would be better spent in towns like Crewe.

You should Vote UKIP in the Crewe West By-Election to ensure that the other parties don’t drag their feet and try to overturn the biggest democratic vote in the history of the country.

MPs by a ratio of 6-1 voted to have the EU Referendum.

In the leaflet sent to every house before the EU Referendum, the Government stated to all electors,”This is your decision. The Government will implement what you decide.”

The REMOANERS and the Labour Party are just bad losers.

We should be out of the EU in months, not years.

The Government should get their finger out.

LEAVE means LEAVE.

There is a whole new world of opportunity out there. We need to grasp that opportunity to benefit the lives of all our citizens.

Cllr Brian Silvester

UKIP Candidate Crewe West By-Election.

Council launches consultation on its Budget Proposals

 

Cheshire East Council today publishes a report which outlines its draft proposals for how the council could deliver a balanced budget and direct its resources more effectively to meet the needs of its residents.

The public consultation on the pre-budget report for 2017 – 2020 will now begin and will run from November 4 to January 10. The responses will then be analysed and considered before budget-setting decisions are taken by a meeting of full council in February 2017.

Cheshire East is a high-performing council which delivers over 500 services every day to meet the needs of local people and businesses.   Despite the fact that the council already delivers good services and provides value for money to its residents, it is still required to find £100m to balance the books over the next three years. 

This is because Cheshire East, like most councils, is facing significant reductions in funding from central government whilst facing increasing demand from those who need support from our social care services.

These proposals support the council’s broad aims to ensure that it continues to:

· Support all of its communities

· Ensure that Cheshire East has a strong and resilient economy

· Provide people the right level of skills and education to secure employment

· Protect and enhance the quality of the natural and built environment

· Ensuring local people live well and longer

In addition the council is committed to running a responsible, effective and efficient organisation so that as much of its resources as possible can be targeted to its front line services.

The council proposes to meet this financial challenge through a mix of tax increases and changing its service offer. The overall aim is to make the council financially self-sufficient – by reducing its reliance on central government revenue support grant from £40m in 2015/16 to nil by 2020.

It is proposed to increase Council Tax by 3.99 per cent to invest in vital frontline services. Half of this rise will go to adult social care. This follows last April’s 3.75 per cent increase after five years of Council Tax freeze.

Councillor Peter Groves, cabinet member for finance and assets, said: “Cheshire East is a high-performing authority and a great place to live, work, do business and visit. Our residents enjoy good living standards and, when they need help from the Council, we are consistently recognised as providing excellent services.

“However, setting out our financial plans for the next three years is particularly challenging in the UK-wide context of big reductions in government grants to councils and rising demand for vital services such as social care.

He added: “The consultation document provides a strong set of initial proposals that balance the council’s medium-term finances. It is also a real opportunity for interested parties to engage in the budget-setting process.

“Cheshire East puts its residents first. I value the opinions of local residents, businesses and organisations and I would encourage people to give their views via the consultation.”

“New ideas that could help the council achieve its outcomes, are always welcome, so I would encourage people to respond to the consultation.”

Cheshire East will now invite feedback from residents, businesses, councillors, staff, town and parish councils and other stakeholders to inform decisions. This consultation will be an ongoing process over the next three years.

Winter Wellbeing – Stay Warm this winter

 

Cheshire East Council and its partners are offering a range of advice and support to residents on how to keep warm, well and safe this winter.

This week, we remind people of the importance of staying warm.

Staying warm can help to prevent colds, flu and more serious health problems, such as heart attacks, strokes, pneumonia and depression.

That’s why it’s important to ensure you keep up to date with the weather and the forecasted temperatures, as well as keep your home at the correct temperature and wear enough clothes to stay warm.

It’s also important to think about how you can cut down on your energy costs.

If you have reduced mobility, are aged 65 or over, or have a health condition such as heart or lung disease, the advice from Public Health England is that you should heat your home to at least 18C. It's a good idea to keep your living room at 21°C and your bedroom at 18C temperature all night if you can.

You can also use a hot water bottle or electric blanket – but not at the same time – to keep warm while you're in bed.

Other advice includes wearing lots of thin layers – clothes made from cotton, wool or fleecy fibres are particularly good and help to maintain body heat – and wear shoes with a good grip to prevent slips and falls when outside.

Before the colder weather sets in, it’s also a good idea to find out if you could be saving money on your energy bills.

With award-winning energy provider Fairerpower, a partnership formed between Cheshire East Council and OVO Energy, you could save more than £200 a year on your bills.

Fairerpower can be contacted by calling 0800 408 6701 or via email at hello@fairerpower.co.uk. Further information can be found at www.fairerpower.co.uk

Here are some top tips from Fairerpower for saving energy:

• When you boil a kettle, use only as much water as you need;

• Cover pots and pans when you’re cooking – they’ll boil a lot faster;

• Defrost your freezer regularly;

• If you’ve only got a small amount of food to heat up, using a microwave rather than a conventional oven could save you energy;

• Wash your clothes at 30°C – it can be just as effective unless you’ve got a very dirty load;

• Only run your washing machine or dishwasher with full loads;

• Avoid tumble drying;

• Replace old light bulbs with energy-efficient ones.

Of all the things you can do to save energy, improving your home’s insulation will have by far the greatest impact. Here are some easy, quick fixes:

• Fitting cavity wall insulation can cut around £115 off your heating bill each year;

• Get draught excluders for external doors, windows and letterboxes. It’s also worth tackling gaps between skirting boards and floorboards;

• Double-glazing keeps the heat in, and also reduces noise and condensation;

• Close your curtains as soon as it starts to get dark, to lock in the heat.

The Council's care and repair service provides support to older, disabled and vulnerable people to improve their homes. The service includes accessing urgent works grants for home repairs such as heating and insulation, and helping to organise the works. For more information, phone 0300 123 5017 (select option four).

Energy Projects Plus also provides a telephone advice service on 0800 043 0151 (or 0151 637 3670 from a mobile) for Cheshire East residents, offering a wide range of advice on energy efficiency, information on insulation grants and offers, switching energy suppliers, managing fuel debt, renewable energy, and much more. More details can also be found at www.epplus.org.uk

To keep up to date with the weather, tune in to the Met Office’s weather forecasts on radio and television. Severe weather warnings are also issued on the Met Office website, through their Twitter feed (www.twitter.com/metoffice) or you can ring their 24-hour weather desk on 0370 900 0100 or 01392 885 680.

For further winter-related advice, please visit: www.facebook.com/cheshireeastcouncil and www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/winter

Residents can help friends and neighbours who do not have internet access by downloading and printing off information from the website and giving it to them.

Fill in childcare survey – and win Christmas panto tickets

 

Grab your chance to win panto tickets by filling in a short council survey.

A family ticket for four to see a magical Christmas performance of Aladdin is on offer to parents who give their views on improving access to childcare, such as day nurseries, pre-schools, childminders and out of school clubs.

Cheshire East Council values the thoughts of parents and carers and would like to engage with residents as part of an online questionnaire.

Those who take part will be entered into a free prize draw to win a family ticket for four to see‘Aladdin’ at Crewe’s Lyceum Theatre starring the legendary comedy duo Cannon and Ball and CBeebies star Sid Sloane.

This spectacular pantomime adventure is packed full of sparkling costumes, special effects, hilarious comedy and a lamp-full of magic!

The findings of the survey will be published next year as part of Cheshire East’s childcare sufficiency assessment.

Councillor Liz Durham, Cheshire East Councillor cabinet member for children and families, said: “We hope that parents and carers will have five or 10 minutes to spare to take part in this research by completing the online questionnaire, which is anonymous and confidential.

“You will not be identified in any report and we thank you in advance for your help in this research, it is much appreciated.”

The questionnaire can be accessed by visiting: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/csa-parent-2016

It closes at 5pm on Wednesday, November 30.

Autumn Colour Mostly in Queens park

 

Just to brighten  winter the colours in the park

Cheshire gets its very own 'Little Book of BIG Scams'

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The ‘Little Book of BIG Scams’ has arrived in Cheshire, providing all the information you need to help minimise the chances of becoming a victim of fraud.
The booklet provides a comprehensive guide on fraud prevention, explaining some of the most common scams in existence and providing essential advice on how to reduce the chances of being scammed.
Detective Sergeant Ian Robinson, from the Economic Crime Unit, said: “Fraudsters have many ways of seeking to gain our confidence; they are manipulative, imaginative and creative when convincing us to part from our savings.
“Anyone could become a victim of fraud and the effects on victims can be devastating, but by spending time reading this booklet now you could save yourself or somebody close to you, a lot of money and heartache in the future.”
The ‘Little Book of Big Scams’ was originally launched by the Metropolitan Police in 2012, and following its success it has now been adopted by Cheshire Police.
The52-page booklet is designed to raise awareness of the varied techniques which are being used by fraudsters across the country to part innocent members of the public with their cash. The guide includes advice on a wide range of scams, including identity theft, door-to-door scams, online fraud and banking scams.
Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner David Keane said: “This booklet is packed with all the latest information on fraud prevention and provides essential tips on how to minimise the chances of becoming a victim of fraud.
“I’d encourage all residents to take some time to have a read through this publication and learn some of the easy steps that you can take to help protect yourself and others.”
The ‘Little Book of Big Scams’ can be downloaded from the Cheshire Police website at: https://cheshire.police.uk/advice-and-support/fraud-and-scams/the-little-book-of-big-scams/
Anyone who has believes that they may have been a victim of fraud should report it by contacting Cheshire Police on 101. Alternatively you can call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or report it online at www.actionfraud.co.uk.

Latest HS2 report reinforces case for Crewe high speed hub

 

Cheshire East Council has welcomed the latest HS2 report – which outlines the many positive impacts on outlying towns – including Middlewich.

The 56-page report – ‘Changing Britain: HS2 taking root’ – emphasises the huge economic benefits that high-speed rail will deliver to the many large and small towns not directly connected to mainline services.

It flags up the enormous financial and economic impact HS2 will make on the Northern Gateway Development Zone, stretching across mid and south Cheshire and north Staffordshire, including Stoke on Trent and the A500 corridor.

It has the potential to create 100,000 new homes and 120,000 new jobs.

Councillor Rachel Bailey, Leader of Cheshire East Council, said: “This report provides further evidence of the great benefits HS2 will bring to Cheshire East and to the wider region.

“This is not just about Crewe and a hub station, it is about increasing connectivity, growth and benefits for Birmingham, North Wales, Merseyside, Stoke-on-Trent  and Staffordshire, as well as the Greater Manchester conurbation, including the airport.

“It will also deliver prosperity for towns such as Middlewich, Winsford and Northwich in addition to Chester and Warrington.

“I welcome this report and look forward to the Chancellor’s autumn statement, when we hope he will confirm that Crewe will be the location for a high-speed hub station.”

In his report the chairman of HS2, Sir David Higgins, says: “The creation of the Northern Gateway Zone in Staffordshire and Cheshire, led by the council leaders and LEP chairs, has gained significant momentum over the past months.

“With plans to create 100,000 new homes and 120,000 new jobs, the partnership and its consultants are currently preparing the joint HS2 growth strategy – and early work will articulate the overall vision.

“This will be underpinned by masterplans, including for Crewe, Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford, and the Weaver towns of Winsford, Northwich and Middlewich.

“Crewe already acts as a major interchange on the rail network and Network Rail is working on developing options for a Crewe hub.

“This could also provide opportunities to better connect North Wales and the Mersey-Dee region to London and the South East.” 

HS2 is predicted to carry 300,000 passengers per day with significantly- reduced journey times to and from London, while freight services could cut lorry journeys by as many as 800 trucks per day.

As many as 18 high speed trains could operate per hour, increasing overall capacity on the network and opening up the potential for new services to towns not currently benefitting from a direct connection to London.

Cheshire East Council looks forward to working with HS2 Ltd, the Department for Transport and Network Rail, as well as the LEPs and neighbouring authorities to deliver the full benefits of high-speed travel.

The council supports the use of less-congested West Coast Main lines to carry an increased volume of freight, generated by the predicted economic growth resulting from HS2.

HS2 is already forecast to arrive in Crewe in 2027 – some five years sooner than originally planned.

Many Crewe residents feel a stranger in their own town

Many Crewe residents feel a stranger in their own town because of the huge wave of immigrants into Crewe in the last 12 years.The town has been transformed.Nobody asked the good people of Crewe if they wanted this to happen. The immigrants just came.In parts of the town, 20% of the population is non-English.

Despite this Labour want yet more immigration,they want total open door immigration into the UK and into towns like Crewe.

Labour do not want ANY restrictions at all.

Anyone can just walk in. Once here, they can use our NHS, take up places in our already overcrowded schools, take up subsidised social housing tenancies, clog up our roads and claim in-work and out of work benefits, that are paid for with our taxes.They can even claim child benefit for children that have never set foot in England.

Labour are now run by a far left metropolitan elite who sneer at the legitimate immigration concerns and fears of the working class they once represented.

The Tories have promised for 6 years to get net immigration down to 100,000. Instead it keeps going up.

It is now over 300,000 a year and rising.

UKIP are the only party that are listening to the 75% of the population who want to see net immigration reduced.

UKIP is the only party that will ensure that immigration actually goes down and not up.

Yours faithfully,

Cllr Brian Silvester

UKIP Candidate, Crewe West By-Election.

Councillors launch community chess set

 

Visitors to Crewe town centre witnessed an open-air chess match between councillors today when Market Square’s giant chessboard was brought into action.

A supersized chess set has been purchased by Cheshire East Council for community use and was tried out by Councillor Simon Yates, leader of Crewe Town Council, and Councillor Chris Andrew, Cheshire East deputy portfolio holder for finance and assets.

The equipment is available for use by prior arrangement and is intended to encourage community engagement, with plans in the pipeline for chess events next year.

After almost an hour of play, the closely fought match between the councillors was declared a draw.

Crewe Town Council clerk Steve McQuade then played against Macclesfield Town Council clerk Pete Turner, with the latter coming out on top.

The chess pieces will be stored by Crewe Town Council and arrangements for their use can be made by emailing: mayor@crewetowncouncil.gov.uk

Cllr Simon Yates said: “Crewe has a great sense of community pride and so it’s pleasing that we can offer residents and groups the opportunity to make use of this chess set, which I’d like to thank Cheshire East Council for purchasing.

“This is but a small part of a range of initiatives that Crewe Town Council and Cheshire East Council are working on together to improve the town centre for residents and visitors. A number of other events for families to enjoy are also planned for the next few months and 2017.”

Councillor Chris Andrew said: “This chess set is a great community asset and one that I hope residents and groups will make use of for years to come.

“It was great fun testing out the set with Simon and we really would encourage people to use the facility as often as possible.”

Market Square, where the chessboard is marked out, was part of the recently completed ‘deep cleaning’ programme for the town centre.

The work was carried out by contractors on behalf of Cheshire East Council’s arms length company Ansa Environmental Services to help improve the shopping environment for visitors.

This Sunday, the Market Square will also be in use as part of Crewe Cosmopolitan Food Festival, which takes place from 10am-5pm.

More than 40 stalls will line the streets offering flavours from across the globe and there will be live music performed by the Pantonic All-Stars Steel Orchestra, plus go-karts on the Market Square.

Another of the initiatives currently taking place in Crewe is ‘Shop of the Week’.

In the lead up to Christmas, Cheshire East Council and Crewe Town Council are turning the spotlight on the town centre’s independent retailers and promoting what they have to offer – with some great prizes and offers up for grabs by shoppers.

The Shop of the Week campaign launched on the council’s Facebook and Twitter accounts on Monday and will run for several weeks.

Independent retailers in Crewe town centre that have not yet been visited by a member of the council’s communications team, but wish to take part in Shop of the Week, can find out more information by calling communications officer Rhiannon Hilton on 01270 686587 or emailing rhiannon.hilton@cheshireeast.gov.uk

Audio recordings to make council more open and transparent

 

Cheshire East Council has taken a further significant step towards openness and transparency.

All formal council committee meetings in future will be audio recorded as will full council meetings.

The council’s regular cabinet meeting will continue to be webcast.

Audio recordings will be made available via the council’s website and work is progressing to put in place the required technology for this.

Council leader Rachel Bailey said: “There has been overwhelming support for this move in full council and I am pleased that we have taken a further step towards becoming a council that is open and fully transparent in the work that we carry out on behalf of our residents. 

“We are now in a position to move forward with this and we hope that everyone who wishes to keep in touch with our decision-making bodies will find this of assistance to them.”

Cheshire East has recorded three meetings so far and the recordings will be posted on the meetings calendar page of the council’s  website. The calendar of meetings can be accessed at: http://bit.ly/2dRP31M

As the council has no established council chamber and only limited facilities for video recording meetings elsewhere, it is hoped that, by audio recording all public meetings in future, this will more than meet the requirements of the council in terms of public access to information and council business. 

Cheshire East Leader to spearhead devo-Cheshire working group

 

A cross-party working group to explore devolution proposals for Cheshire is to be set up by the Leader of Cheshire East Council, Councillor Rachel Bailey.

The Council would then hope to develop discussion with Cheshire West and Chester Council with a view to creating debate around devolved powers for Cheshire along similar lines to the Northern Powerhouse, championed by former Chancellor and Tatton MP George Osborne.

Leader of Cheshire East Council, Rachel Bailey said:  “We have strong and successful partnerships with our neighbouring authorities and this joint working will continue”

“However, I want to secure the right deal to deliver our ambitious growth plans in Cheshire East.”

“This is why I am establishing a cross party working group within Cheshire East to work with me on developing the best possible case. 

“This has the support of the Conservative group and full Council.

“The working group’s objective will be to enable an understanding to shape what devo could mean for the borough.

“In addition, I would like us to have more powers over things such as large scale infrastructure projects, public transport, skills and health services provided to our residents.

“I believe that these are the right areas to focus on if we are going to secure economic prosperity for all our residents and protect and enhance the quality of place we have within Cheshire East.”

Cheshire East highways recruit latest apprentice and graduate intake

 

Cheshire East Council’s latest group of apprentices and graduates have started work in the council’s highways service – the first step in their established career development schemes.

This year’s apprentice and graduate intake will see four local young people employed in highway maintenance, four in engineering, one in business administration, one in technical administration, one in street lighting maintenance and one person in finance.

Apprentices will rotate between departments within the highways service and supplement their on-the-job training with college studies, over a two year period. Successful completion of the apprenticeship and college course secures permanent employment with the highways team.

Graduates also rotate around various departments to benefit their career progression.

Councillor David Brown, Deputy Leader of Cheshire East Council and cabinet member for highways and infrastructure said, “This is an exciting time to bring new talent into the service as we continue to deliver improvements throughout Cheshire East.”

“Both apprentice and graduate schemes help local young people to get into a career that presents clear opportunities for learning and progression. They are supported and mentored throughout their schemes, and gain a nationally recognised qualification.”

Apprentices and graduates account for 7 per cent of employees in the highways team at Cheshire East, exceeding the average in this business sector.

The highways team has now employed a total of 29 apprentices and three graduates since 2012, which is helping to secure the skills required for the long term delivery of highways services in Cheshire East.

Cheshire East Council’s highways service is delivered by Ringway Jacobs, which has committed to the development of young people through its membership of ‘The 5 per cent Club’. The 5 per cent Club is an organisation that encourages public and private companies to have 5 per cent of their UK workforce consisting of young people on structured training such as apprenticeship and graduate schemes.

Winter Wellbeing – preparing your home for winter

 

Cheshire East Council and its partners are offering a range of advice and support to residents on how to keep warm, well and safe this winter.

This week, we remind people that there are numerous checks that can be completed which can minimise the affects of adverse weather.

Advice includes:

· Insulate pipes and drain off outside taps to prevent frozen pipes.

· Know where your stop tap is and make sure you can turn it on and off with ease.

· If you are going away, consider asking a friend or neighbour to check on your house regularly. That way, if you have a burst, it will be discovered early.

· Leave your heating on if the weather is forecast to be freezing.

· Contact Broad Oak Energy on 01782 550 371 for details of free or discounted loft and cavity wall insulation.

· Fit draught proofing to seal any gaps around doors and windows.

· Get your boiler serviced regularly by a qualified engineer. Remember, for gas boilers, check that your engineer is Gas Safe registered.

· Be prepared for clearing ice and snow this winter – have a snow shovel, brush and grit or salt ready.

· If a member of a person’s household is of a pensionable age, has a disability, is chronically sick, has a hearing and/or visual impairment or has a child under eight years old, they may be eligible for free services. It is advisable for people to contact their energy supplier to check whether they are eligible for free or priority services. Suppliers have a duty of care to households with customers who may be vulnerable regarding their energy supply.

· Winter is also a good time to be aware of what to do if electricity supplies go off. Don’t assume that suppliers will know that power supplies are down – call them and have your name, postcode, house number and telephone number handy.

Councillor Paul Bates, cabinet member for communities and health, said: “Throughout winter the Council will be issuing advice and information to help our residents to prepare for the colder weather, while also encouraging them to check in on their neighbours.

“Winter can be a daunting time of the year for some members of our community but there is support out there for residents to access. Some of that help and advice is available online and residents can help friends and neighbours who do not have internet access by printing off information for them.”

For further winter-related advice, please visit: www.facebook.com/cheshireeastcouncil

and www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/winter

Crewe and Macclesfield crematoria introduce online funerals

 

Cheshire East Council arms-length company Orbitas is to improve the services it offers to the bereaved at Crewe and Macclesfield crematoria by webcasting funeral services.

Webcasting will allow people who cannot attend the service to take part from anywhere around the world.

Losing a loved one is difficult but being unable to attend the funeral can often make it worse. Now, the bereaved are being offered the facility to view the service privately and securely on the internet. 

The service will only be available for family and friends on request, who will be given a password to access the website. The broadcasts are live but remain accessible for seven days after the funeral.

Councillor Paul Findlow, Cheshire East cabinet member for corporate policy and legal services, said: “These webcasts are intended as a way of helping families who may have spread out across the world. The service is designed very much with the distant relative or ill friend in mind.”

Councillor David Marren, chairman of Orbitas said: “There will always be people who cannot attend a funeral and they will have very good reasons for not being able to.

“This service allows people who may have health issues, are hospitalised or who simply just live too far away to be a part of the service. It will allow them to observe, take comfort and to mark their respect from anywhere, worldwide.

“We are also able to offer DVD and CD audio recordings of the funeral service to provide a lasting tribute for loved ones.”

Fund-raising walk

Reporter Jonathan White, Wistaston

Members of Wistaston Jubilee Tennis Club have completed a fund-raising walk along the entire 34 mile length of the Sandstone Trail.

George Raiswell, Tony Mason and Ryan Harper-Griffiths walked a twenty mile section between Whitchurch and Tarporley on 27th August 2016 in eleven hours. George, Tony and Ryan then walked the remaining fourteen mile section between Tarporley and Frodsham, with Ben Reinhardt, Eric James and other club members, on the 15th October 2016 in seven and a half hours, despite getting lost!

During the walks they had elevated views at Frodsham, Raw Head and Bickerton Hill and took in some beautiful scenery and saw a wide range of flora and fauna.

Each member paid to participate in the walks and all funds raised will go to Sport Relief http://www.sportrelief.com/

A representative said, “It was a difficult but memorable walk with fantastic views. We have all improved our fitness levels and have the blisters to prove it! It was all for a good cause and we are so pleased to support Sport Relief in their fund-raising efforts.”

Their next challenge is to take on the 35 mile Gritstone Trail from Disley in Cheshire to Kidsgrove in Staffordshire, taking in Lyme Park, Sponds Hill, Tegg’s Nose, Croker Hill and Mow Cop. They plan to tackle the trail in three separate sections.