Inside Hazel Grove & High Lane Issue 71 by INSIDE MAGAZINES

inside Issue 71

may-june 2019

ha zel grove

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The local magazine our readers love to keep One of six magazines delivered to over 45,000 homes

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In the world of magazine publishing we’re always working months ahead of the actual time of year. As I write this it’s the middle of April, probably my favourite month of the year, yet I find myself focusing on events in May, June, July and beyond; then I worry about how quickly time is flying by! I also need to get my act together and get some dates in my own diary. Month in, month out, we list so many things to do and places to go, and yours truly thinks ‘I’d really enjoy this, I should book tickets for that.’ Next thing I know the events have been and gone! I was away for a couple of weeks last July when it was scorching hot and extremely dry. I wasn’t organised enough to ask someone to water the garden so all the lovely patio plants, including the perennials, bit the dust. I hoped they might surprise me and spring back to life, but they haven’t, so I’m planning some garden visits (with the added attraction of tea and cakes) and plant sales to replenish stocks. Have a look what’s on offer, there’s plenty to choose from!

What’s INSIDE this month 4 Anson engine Museum 7 discover victoria baths 12 Diary of a Geeky Knitter 15 Recipe 16 simply books book club choice 19 Puzzles 20 fabulous phlox 23 NGS Springtime Gardens 24 The Walk 26 In Touch 30 Just 4 Kids 24 33 Children’s Activities 34 INSIDE Guide 39 Declutter 42 inside people 44 Puzzle Solutions 45 Useful Numbers 46 Classified Index

Editor: Claire Hawker

Tel: 01625 879611

Inside Magazines, 352a Park Lane, Poynton, Cheshire SK12 1RL. email: info@insidemagazines.co.uk www.insidemagazines.co.uk Photo courtesy of Plant Hunters’ Fairs

Copy deadline for the next issue: Monday 10 June

Inside Hazel Grove & High Lane is produced by Inside Magazines Ltd. We cannot be held responsible for views expressed by contributors or any advert content, including errors or omissions, or endorse companies, products or services that appear in this magazine. We endeavour to ensure that all local information given in this magazine is accurate, but we cannot always guarantee this. © Copyright Inside Magazines Ltd 2019. Material from this magazine may not be reproduced without prior written permission from Inside Magazines Ltd.

Design and artwork by Spring Creative | www.spring-creative.co.uk | 01925 714203

ANSON ENGINE MUSEUm CRAFT & DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMME 2019 In advance of the new season, a very successful Craft Day was held at Poynton’s Anson Engine Museum in February. It was primarily the monthly meeting of the Cheshire branch of the Association of Pole Lathe Turners and Green Woodworkers (Wood Bodgers) and, together with friends and guests, 20 people attended. The team were engaged on a number of activities including pottery, blacksmithing, pole lathe turning, seat making, and spoon, bowl and scoop carving. It was also the first time the recently-finished wood shed, complete with a period wood burner, was put to use. The engine and local history museum re-opens on Easter Sunday and the following timetable details when steam and craft demonstrations will be taking place. 5 & 6 May

Stott Engine running, craft and steam demonstrations

26 & 27 May

Craft and steam demonstrations

16 June Fathers’ Day craft and steam demonstrations 26 June

Midsummer Mingle, BBQ, Mirlees Reunion and Social Day

22 July

Craft and steam demonstrations

25 & 26 August

Stott Engine running, craft and steam demonstrations

22 September

Craft and steam demonstrations

26 & 27 October ‘Turn the Clocks Back’ closing weekend, craft and steam demonstrations 31 December

New Year’s Eve in Steam and Stott Engine running, weather permitting

In addition to these dates the museum is open each Friday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm until the end of October.

www.enginemuseum.org

Discover Victoria Baths Manchester’s Water Palace When it opened in 1906, Victoria Baths on Hathersage Road, Manchester, was described as “the most splendid municipal bathing institution in the country” and “a water palace of which every citizen of Manchester can be proud.” Not only did the building provide spacious and extensive facilities for swimming, bathing and leisure, it was built of the highest quality materials with many period decorative features: beautiful stained glass, rich terracotta, sumptuous tiles and amazing mosaic floors. Victoria Baths served the people of central Manchester for 87 years and was regarded with universal affection. So, when Manchester City Council decided it had to close Victoria Baths in 1993, there was, unsurprisingly, a vigorous reaction in the local community. The campaign to try and prevent closure of the Baths became the Friends of Victoria Baths and a charitable trust - the Victoria Baths Trust - was set up with the aim of fully restoring the building and bringing the Turkish Baths and at least one of the swimming pools back into public use. This goal is still some way off, but in the meantime, a visit to this wonderful building is well worthwhile.

A Visit to Victoria Baths We were lucky enough to squeeze in a visit last September, on a gloriously sunny Wednesday, just before it closed in October for its winter break. By Garth Aspinall

Our guided tour lasted about an hour, starting with a brief introduction to the history. We visited the Aeratone (Jacuzzi) room. We studied displays of photographs and stories about the many colourful and well-known characters that had used the Victoria Baths. We climbed up elegant, tiled stairways. We visited the three impressive swimming pools, each dominated by amazing stained-glass windows, as well as 64 individual wash baths. We saw the Superintendent’s living quarters and learned much about his daily life and duties. He was responsible for all of Manchester’s baths. Our tour finished with a visit to the Turkish Bath Suite which was reached via a tasteful meeting room, adorned with yet another exquisite stainedglass window – arguably, the jewel in the crown. On completion of the tour, we enjoyed some liquid refreshment and cakes in the attractive Tea Room. There is also a shop offering a range of souvenirs and craft items, many made by local artists. Victoria Baths is beautiful - a great testament to Edwardian architecture, and it merits a visit for this reason alone. That’s why it won BBC Two’s first Restoration programme. That’s also why Victoria Baths has been host to numerous television programmes, including Cold Feet, Peaky Blinders, Who Let The Dogs Out, Life On Mars, Prime Suspect and many more. But equally fascinating is its accompanying social history, depicting a time when females and males were afforded separate facilities and when males themselves were segregated into first and Continued over

second-class groups. As you walk round this large building, you get a sense of just how much restorative effort is still required. This building is very much a work in progress, and you can only admire the enthusiasm of its many volunteers.

The Year Ahead 2019 promises to be an interesting year – more information about the following opportunities is available on the website.

Open Days Usually the second Sunday of the month from April to November, when the admission price enables you to self-tour the building and provides entry to any special event or activity that might be taking place. Guided tours are available every Wednesday afternoon - pay at the door, or book in advance. Group Tours are available midweek, tailored to meet the needs of social groups, schools and colleges.

Be Involved Anyone can volunteer at Victoria Baths, no matter what your skills, experience or background. For most roles all you need is enthusiasm and a willingness to learn. You can also join the VB History Group or donate items to the archive representing the rich history of Victoria Baths and other baths and wash houses. The collections are housed in a temperature and humidity-controlled environment, with items stored in acid free boxes, inserts, tissue paper or fabric. The Trust welcomes memories from any period of the Baths’ life, especially older ones, before they are forever lost. Photographs, objects, newspaper clippings and relevant documents of any description are welcome. There is also a Family History group with an interest in researching family and local history and ancestry links. New members are welcome, and help will be given by experienced members of the group. Just phone the main number to find out details of the next meeting. Victoria Baths also welcomes proposals from Artists, Artist Groups, organisations and arts students who would like to make use of the building for their work. Past uses have included research projects, performance, theatre, experimental work, exhibitions and site related installations.

Offer Financial Support Venue Hire Victoria Baths provides a unique, unforgettable setting for a wide range of events. Wedding receptions, photoshoots, staff training events, food and drink festivals, and a great variety of arts performances and exhibitions have worked exceptionally well here. There are many different spaces and backdrops, from the grandeur of the Gala Pool and 1st Class entrance to the more modest Females Pool and Superintendent’s Flat.

There are many restoration projects yet to be undertaken and there will be many appeals. Details of these can be found on the website or in regular newsletters. Donations are always very welcome. Victoria Baths, Hathersage Road, Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, M13 0FE Tel: 0161 224 2020 www.victoriabaths.org.uk

Celebrating 30 years in the Hearing Industry Highly trained hearing aid audiologist David Roche celebrates 30 years in the hearing industry this May. David set up Cheshire Hearing Centres as a dedicated high street independent centre offering daily clinics Monday to Friday with evening and Saturday appointments by arrangement. Through their head office in Bramhall, the business has earned an outstanding reputation for excellent customer service and client satisfaction. Over the years David has helped thousands of clients, including one or two well-known faces, enjoy normal conversation even in noisy places Cheshire Hearing Centres pride themselves on their independence - this means they are truly able to recommend what is right for the client regardless of the manufacturer. By offering a no-obligation trial on all instruments, they can assist clients in overcoming any initial concerns and help them discover what modern digital hearing aids can do for them.

Being independent allows Cheshire Hearing Centres to introduce the very latest technology to their clients first. Even David with his years of experience is getting quite excited over the latest development from Audibel. Via® AI is the world’s first Healthable hearing aid to provide both superior sound quality and the ability to track body and brain health. Featuring integrated sensors and artificial intelligence, Via AI is the first-ever hearing aid with fall detection and alert capability. It also translates 27 languages instantly, has Amazon Alexa connectivity, voiceto-text transcription, and much more – the list is long! David is extremely approachable, he is more than happy to discuss specific concerns you may have over your hearing or the problems experienced by a loved

one. Even if you haven’t purchased a hearing aid from Cheshire Hearing Centres, they are still more than happy to provide you with a six-monthly check-up service, free of charge. One vital part of the service they offer is Clinical Ear Care - more commonly known as wax removal. Many GP surgeries no longer offer this service and the wait for an appointment at a health centre can be up to six weeks. Cheshire Hearing Centres have developed a reputation as one of the leading companies in this field by investing in hospital quality ENT equipment to provide microsuction, irrigation and instrumentation procedures. They were one of the first practices to introduce video otoscopy (where you can see inside your ear) before, during and after the wax removal procedure. All staff are graduates of the NHS Clinical Ear Care Centre of Excellence in Rotherham. Their fees, £40 for one ear £60 for both, are based on there being a successful outcome – there is no charge if a client needed to come back a second or third time, client comfort and safety is paramount. To celebrate David’s milestone, Cheshire Hearing Centres will be holding two Open days on Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th May, where you can either have a full hearing assessment and demonstration of the latest Via hearing instruments, or just pop in for an informal chat about any hearing concerns. If you are unable to make it to the Bramhall centre, you don’t have to miss out as they will be offering the same opportunities on a home visit basis. Contact them on 0800 970 8850.

Diary of a geeky knitter I’ve written before about the intrinsic link between knitting and mental health, and I am sure you have all read, heard, and come across that this has started to be made known in the ‘mainstream’ too (used in quotation marks here, because of course there is nothing to say that knitters aren’t already mainstream!). But I wanted to bring that topic back to these pages again, because it’s always good to check-in with your own mental health and wellbeing, particularly given the busy dayto-day lives we all lead.

Mental wellbeing has been playing on my mind heavily in recent months. Although the move into spring always lifts my winter mindset (you know the one, where it’s all too easy to be a little lethargic, unmotivated, and just a little down), every year I seem to get busier and busier. Whether it be with work, social outings, checking in with friends and family, or the unknowns that life throws at us, it’s all too easy to feel overwhelmed, and suddenly wake up one day and realise something isn’t right inside you. It’s important to remember that if (or when) this happens to us; it is completely natural and much more common that you might think. You’re doing nothing wrong, and accepting that and working on it, even if it’s just voicing to a close friend that you feel ‘off’ or down is the first step to feeling better! I may

have stepped further into the realms of seriousness here than I would normally on my page, but this is something that is important, not just to me, but to everyone who wants to take care of themselves and feel just a little better than they did the day before.

Knitting yourself together It wouldn’t be the diary of ‘the geeky knitter’ if I didn’t keep it at least somewhat on brand, now would it? So today, instead of just writing that knitting is good for your mental health, I’ve looked up some exercises so that you can incorporate meditative, mindful exercises into your knitting (or sewing, crocheting, baking, gardening, and more) which will just give you a chance to check-in with your mind and body, and calm you if you feel stress, give you energy if you feel lethargic, or just lift you slightly if you feel down. •

Create a space for your knitting - sit comfortably in your own space, perhaps with headphones on and quiet music so you can be with yourself for 10 minutes or more

•

Take a deep breath, and at your own pace, breath in and out in time with your knitting for me, it is about 4 knit stitches to breath in, 4 stitches to breath out

•

Take a moment to feel the knitting in your hands - be aware of how the weight of it feels and the yarn between your fingers

•

Try counting your stitches as you work, encouraging your mind to forget thoughts of other things and instead become totally focused on your craft

•

If after 5 minutes, you want to stop, then do! Try to do a few minutes when you can of complete ‘you time’, meditating on your breathing while you move the needles and knit the stitches jennythegeekyknitter@gmail.com www.thegeekyknitter.co.uk www.etsy.com/uk/shop/geeksgamesandknits

Spinach and Feta Frittata

Method

Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 15 minutes Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients ■■ 2 tablespoons olive oil ■■ 1 medium shallot, finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons) ■■ 1 medium clove garlic, finely chopped (about 1 teaspoon) ■■ 1 (5-ounce) bag baby spinach ■■ 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaved parsley or basil. ■■ Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper ■■ 10 eggs, beaten ■■ 1/4 cup milk ■■ 3/4 cup (about 3.5 ounces) crumbled feta

1. Preheat the grill. Heat olive oil in an 8-inch pan over a medium high heat. Add chopped shallots and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until beginning to soften. Add garlic and continue to cook for a further two minutes until softened. 2. Add spinach and parsley (or basil) and cook, tossing often until spinach is fully wilted and any water released by the spinach has cooked off. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 3. In a large bowl, beat eggs and milk with a whisk until mixed together. Don’t over-beat. Add feta, and season with salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over spinach then gently stir with a spatula to release the spinach from the bottom of the pan so that the eggs are in direct contact with the surface of the pan, so they cook quickly. 4. Cook until the eggs are almost totally set (this takes 10 to 12 minutes), reducing heat to prevent burning. Place pan under the grill for a couple of minutes, until the top is set as well, keeping a close eye on it so it does not burn. 5. To release the frittata from the pan, loosen edges with a spatula. Place a dinner plate over pan, and holding plate firmly flip the pan over so the frittata releases onto the plate. Serve warm.

simply books book club choice Julian Barnes’ new novel The Only Story opens with a question:

Would you rather love the more, and suffer the more; or love the less and suffer the less? And in many ways the tale that follows is an exploration and reflection on this central proposition. In characteristically spare and elegant prose, Barnes narrates the story of a love affair between Paul and (the much older) Susan – starting in the 1960’s and spanning a period of 30 or more years. First love has lifelong consequences, but Paul doesn’t understand or foresee any of that at nineteen. At nineteen, he’s proud of the fact that his relationship flies in the face of social convention. But as the years pass, the demands that love places on Paul becomes far greater and more complex than he could possibly have anticipated. This is a sad and often beautiful tale – sharply observed and carefully crafted in Julian Barnes’ customary style, and with a fascination with the ‘slipperiness’ of memory that carries echoes of his Booker Prize-winning The Sense of An Ending. Such a pleasure to read! My other choice - The Melody by Jim Crace - is by another consummate stylist. Alfred Busi, famed in his town for his music and songs, is mourning the recent death of his wife and quietly living out his days in the villa he has always called home. Then, one night, Busi is attacked by a creature he disturbs as it raids the contents of his larder. Busi is convinced that what assaulted him was no animal but a child - and this belief soon fans the flames of an old rumour about an ancient race of people living outside the town, and a new controversy sparked by hostility to the town’s paupers. The people have had enough – it’s time these feral wastrels were dealt with… The Melody has the feel of a fable for our times. Unsettling – and at times quite otherworldly – this is a poignant and subtle story about human nature and will stay with you long after you turn the final page. And for the children…with Easter in mind Hop Little Bunnies by Martha Mumford and illustrated by Laura Hughes is a delightful lift the flap picture book based on the popular nursey rhyme Sleeping Bunnies. A perfect Easter gift… and much longer lasting than chocolate!

Simply Books 228 Moss Lane, Bramhall, Cheshire SK7 1BD 0161 439 1436 www.simplybooks.info Open Tuesday to Saturday 9am to 5.30pm Andrew Cant

quick crossword Across 3 Worthless dog (3) 7 Beat to separate the corn (6) 8 Ran away to marry (6) 9 Crab claw (6) 10 Supplying with weapons (6) 11 Blood-curdling (5-8) 13 Saying something with wry humour (6-2-5) 18 Gentle walk (6) 19 Sherlock ______ (6) 20 Played at Wimbledon (6) 21 Package (6) 22 Distress call (3)

down 1 Small shellfish (6) 2 Signalling light (6) 3 Devoid of personality (13) 4 Bonds between people (13) 5 Official, decorous (6) 6 ______ and McCartney (6) 11 Perch, squat (3) 12 ___ Wan - TV fashion stylist (3) 14 Discount store (6) 15 Floor, terra firma (6) 16 Mrs. Bill Clinton (6) 17 Hole to poke your shoelaces through (6)

sudoku How to play Sudoku Fill in the grid so that each row, column and 3x3 box, contains the numbers 1 through to 9 with no repetition. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to be a genius. These puzzles use logic alone. Watch out! Sudoku is highly addictive.

Solutions on page 44 19

Fabulous Phlox Border phlox are old fashioned plants with a bright new future as gardeners switch to perennials with great scent, hardy disposition and minimal care requirements. They can give years and years of service in the herbaceous or mixed border and provide a wonderful, scented summer display. The ideal site is sunny, with rich, well-dug soil and perhaps a little late afternoon shade to protect them from the extremes of summer heat. In practice they get full sun or light shade in my garden and do pretty well in either.

Phlox make good cut flowers – cut in the morning and remove the lower leaves. At the end of the season cut down the stems to ground level and put them in the council green waste bin rather than the compost heap to avoid carrying any pests or diseases from season to season.

Border phlox are incredibly hardy and start to show new growth in February. The new leaves are often attractively coloured but only a few varieties maintain these coloured leaves into summer, the others gradually turn green. Good coloured leaf types include Starfire and Blue Paradise. Variegated phlox have lovely white and green or cream, red and green leaves throughout the summer to compliment the flowers. Enriching the soil with compost dug into the top 1ft of soil will do wonders for the plants. I find the chalk in mushroom compost helps to reduce mildew problems. I always give my phlox a good dressing with a wellbalanced fertiliser like Growmore in spring followed by blood, fish and bone in mid-summer. Also give the plants some space if possible, to improve air circulation; plant border phlox about 2ft apart. Water the ground not the plant and try and use water at air temperature (say from a water butt, or a can filled a few hours before) rather than an icy blast from a hosepipe.

by Martin Blow > www.specialperennials.com

There are 100’s of varieties to choose from and often it’s the old, heritage varieties that are new to our nursery range as they are “rediscovered,” growing in happy neglect in an old garden. In recent years we have reintroduced the old German varieties Sternhimmel (Starry Sky) and Lavendelwolke (Lavender Cloud) to go with Monte Cristallo and Kirchenfürst plus a new English variety raised by Terry Dagley and named Maude Stella Dagley, as well as promoting old English varieties such as Elizabeth Arden, Bright Eyes, Border Gem and White Admiral. Once you’ve grown border phlox you will be hooked by the beauty of the flowers and the heady scent on a summer’s evening. Janet and I run Special Perennials, our website www.specialperennials.com is full of colour photos and growing tips. We sell by mail order and at Plant Hunters’ Fairs throughout the season. Please see www.planthuntersfairs. co.uk Locally we will be at Adlington Hall, Macclesfield on Sunday 12 May (£3 for garden & fair entry) and at Henbury Hall Gardens, Macclesfield on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 June (£3 for garden & fair entry). We are happy to bring orders to plant fairs for you to collect.

National Garden Scheme

Spring Openings 2019

At the National Garden Scheme in Cheshire and Wirral, having completed a near-record fundraising campaign during last year (2018), we are looking forward to doing it all over again. Let’s see if we can whet your appetites for what is to come.

On 8 and 9 June, Drake Carr, Higher Disley joins us for the first time, presenting its delightful cottage garden style to visitors. Also, on 9 June, Lane End Garden and small associated nursery at Lymm open again and I am sure will repeat the hit they had on visitors last year.

On 4 and 5 May, the spectacular Mount Pleasant opens, with views across to Wales and the Cheshire Plain. REGRETABBLY, MANLEY KNOLL, SCHEDULED TO OPEN ON 5 MAY, WILL NOT BE OPENING DUE TO ONGOING WORKS TAKING PLACE AT THE PROPERTY.

Also, on 9 June, the two West Drive Gardens open for a second time, having already shown off their snowdrops in February.

Brooke Cottage, home of designer Barry and wife Melanie Davy will welcome visitors again after its refreshing last year: it features on the cover of our current Cheshire booklet.

18 Highfield Road, Bollington, opens on 22 and 23 June. Small but beautifully formed! It shows what can be done with careful structure, a difficult sloping small site and a good knowledge of plants and where to put them. On Saturday 29 June, Beechwood Cottage and 10 Statham Ave (both Lymm) again, will see lots of visitors. On Sunday 30 June, another new garden, Ashton Grange, at Ashton Heyes will be opening showing off extensive gardens. The owners continue to make extensive restorations to the gardens, and we know many visitors like to see how these ‘work in progress’ projects go about it.

Brooke Cottage

We have a new garden for you on Sunday 19 May, Hall Lane Farm in Daresbury. Originally designed by leading designer, Arabella Lennox Boyd for the Daresbury family, it’s now in the capable hands of the Bibby family and their garden team. Cheriton, Alderley Edge opens on 26 May, establishing itself as a favourite, whilst 10 Statham Ave, Lymm will no doubt dazzle visitors with its exuberant, structured planting!

by John Hinde www.ngs.org.uk

Cheshire and Wirral have nearly 80 gardens and it’s only possible to give a sample here. Apologies if we haven’t mentioned your favourite garden. Full details are available in the well-established yellow booklet available in garden centres, libraries etc or, in case of difficulty from johnhinde059@gmail.com, via the website (www.ngs.org.uk) , via the NGS app, or usually by simply putting the garden name into Google (other search engines are available!) followed by ‘NGS’. If you are interested in opening your garden to help us raise money for our charities, (we will be donating about £3M to our charities this Spring based upon money raised in 2018), please contact us (you can use the email address above) and we will be happy to talk to you and if suitable, provide every help and support.

Alderley Edge Walk description: An easy circular walk starting from the NT car park next to the Wizard Inn. It follows good woodland pathways out along the top of the Edge, with great views north, before heading west down gentler pathways towards Nether Alderley. The route follows country lanes, before crossing farm fields back on to the top of the Edge. Distance: 5 miles Map: OS Explorer 268 Wilmslow, Macclesfield and Congleton Start: National Trust Car Park next to the Wizard Inn (SJ 860773) Travelling from the north, use the A555/A34 link to Alderley Edge village. Go through the main street as far as a small roundabout on the Macclesfield junction. Turn left up the B5087, climbing on to the Edge; in less than a mile, the car park is just beyond the Wizard Inn on your left. Toilets available in the car park. Leave the car park by a gate opposite the toilets, cut across the field and turn right after the swing gate on to a wide walking track. When you reach a junction of pathways, turn left through the gate and follow the good path slightly uphill until you reach a sandstone outcrop and former copper mine workings. This Triassic sandstone is a remnant of desert conditions from about 220 million years ago. Notice the rounded and quite large pebbles embedded in the rock, thought to have been carried by occasional river floods in the desert.

by Barry Wilson, Marple District Rambling Club

Copper mining on the Edge dates back to the Bronze Age and later Roman times, but most was mined from the late 17th until the early 20th Century. The views north and east extend over the Pennines and nearer hills of Werneth Low and Marple Ridge. The main path doubles back round to the left of this outcrop, eventually reaching the Beacon Mound, dating back to the Spanish Armada. Continue west beyond the Beacon but keep to the higher path next to a wall. This takes you along the edge of a field before arriving at a further rocky outcrop, with further stunning views north. Just past this rocky area, go slightly left then immediately right down some steps to a lower path through woodland. Walking below the sandstone edge and heading left, pause to look at the layers of sandstone showing remnants of windblown sand dunes. Soon you reach the well-known Wizardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Well with inscriptions above it. Not long after this point, veer left up a path which leads you away from the downhill track. A gentle climb brings you to the back of houses, so follow this narrow path where you reach an access road. Go left down the hill to the main Macclesfield road. Walk down hill to the right for 400 yards or so and look out for a path marker leading between the houses on the left. The narrow pathway takes you to a stile next to the rear garden wall of a new house. Cross the stile and bear right to a further stile. This leads you down a fenced pathway to another access road. (SJ 847776) Bear right down the road between some stunning

properties, but look out for another marked pathway on the left in less than 400 yards. Take this clear path behind the houses going due south; there are a series of gates between the fields before you slope down across a slippery footbridge and on to Artists Lane. A good stopping place with seats is at the bottom of Artists Lane and across the former busy Congleton road. (SJ 844769) Return across the road and walk back up Artists Lane until you come to a footpath marker pointing right. This takes you behind more cottages and round a field before reaching a stile and short fenced track. A final stile brings you out on to the cobbled surface of Bradford Lane. Go left up the gentle hill until you reach a wide private road and bridleway on the right. Bear right along this good track through woodland and past a very old stone cottage before reaching a well marked pathway on the left. Go through the kissing gate and head north behind a large walled garden of Haymanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Farm before breaking out on to a field track. This heads up to woodland, where you go right and follow the edge of the wood which has a private fishing pond in what appears to be a former quarry or mine. Looking behind you, there are stunning views across the Cheshire Plain. Head along the path round the wood and then up to further kissing gates, along field edges until you reach a huge mansion on your right. The path leads you out on to their driveway and through to the access road.

The Walk

Follow the lane past some stables and then bear left into Finlow Hill Wood and along a marked pathway which can be a bit muddy at times. This reaches the Macclesfield road, so cross with care down to the track opposite. In a few yards, take the path on the left, eventually crossing on awkward stile before a driveway to the stunning mansion on the right. Take the path along their left fence between trees until you arrive at a junction of pathways. Go through the gate and turn immediately left between a wire fence and hedgerow. This brings you out on the first track we followed from the car park. Go left through the gate and you will arrive at the small gate across the field and back to the cars. Either the rustic cafe or the Wizard Inn is worth visiting for welcome refreshment. Marple District Rambling Club organises up to nine walks each week on Thursdays and Sundays. For more information, either ring our Chairman, Sue Gilmore on 07775 620398, or our Membership Secretary, Claude Prime on 0161 483 8596. Alternatively, you could visit our website on www.marpleramblers.org to learn more about our Clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s programme of walks, socials and walking holidays.

in touch your local community noticeboard

may - june 2019

JOURNEY INTO LIGHT Journey into Light, an exhibition of prisoners’ artwork, is coming to Norbury in May. From its launch in Chester Cathedral last September, the exhibition is being displayed in 25 churches in the Chester Diocese. We at Norbury are thrilled to be one of them. The artwork has been created by prisoners from Styal and Thorn Cross. The aim of the exhibition is to demonstrate the experiences of prisoners and the stories behind their convictions and sentences. The hope is that visitors to the exhibition will gain an insight into the prisoners’ lives, their sensitivity, their compassion and their humanity. Through their art, prisoners have discovered new ways to explore and express their emotions and thoughts. If you can identify with some of the choices, mistakes and circumstances that the prisoners have faced, then the artists have fulfilled their goal, to connect with others. Hopefully visitors will leave the exhibition with a greater understanding of how prisoners feel and communicate, and perhaps share in this celebration of renewal and restoration, the foundation stones central to the chaplaincies and the life of our prisons.

The Exhibition will run from Thursday 9 May to Saturday 18 May, from 12 noon to 4pm each day. More information about the exhibition, and other churches where it will be displayed, can be found at www.chester.anglican.org/social-responsibility/journey-into-light/

U3A ART EXHIBITION I joined the U3A art group in January 2018. This was rather daunting in one way as I hadn’t done any arty things since messing about with my two daughters when they were toddlers and before that at school. I was persuaded by a friend to join and was immediately hooked. We are a mixed group in terms of ability and gender, and we meet every Thursday at the village hall in High Lane from 1.30 to 4pm. Everyone is relaxed and so friendly, and we have occasional outings to art exhibitions in Manchester. Brian Chadwick, the group organiser, suggested we hold an exhibition in May – why not come along and see what we do? The exhibition will be at High Lane Village Hall on Saturday 18 May from 10am to 5pm. There will be a raffle and art demonstrations as well as some art displayed, some of which will be for sale. Refreshments will be available. Hope to see you there! Val Brown Continued over

in touch - your local community noticeboard

Something different from St George’s Singers St George’s Singers go on tour every year and this year they will be heading to Belgium where they will sing in historic churches and cathedrals in Bruges, Ghent and Brussels. Soon after they return, they will be presenting their summer concert at their “home” church, St George’s Poynton on 8 June at 7.30pm. SGS are known for their versatility with a repertoire ranging from Early Music to contemporary, from classical to jazz and from a capella part songs to symphonic works, but the music chosen for their tours includes an even wider range with a selection of items in a lighter vein. For their summer concert in Poynton they have chosen to bring their tour music to a home audience with a programme of more than 20 pieces, ranging from choruses from Handel’s Messiah to Teddy Bear’s Picnic and everything in between (and including some items that will be familiar to other singing Poyntoners!). Full details will be published on the choir’s website. Tickets are £12, £10 concessions, with £2 students and children with reductions for group bookings, and can be booked by phone 01663 764012, email to tickets@st-georges-singers.org.uk or online at www.st-georges-singers.org.uk.

The choir’s final concert at the Bridgewater Hall on July 5th is by invitation from Chetham’s School of Music to perform with their choir and amazing orchestra to perform Mahler’s huge Symphony of a Thousand. Tickets will be on sale from the Bridgewater Hall Box Office 0161 907 9000.

Curtain Call for Henbury Hall We are really pleased to confirm that the highly popular plant fair at Henbury Hall will go ahead for one last time this year on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 June and that this is the final opening of the garden before the hall and gardens moved into new ownership. So, we encourage all garden lovers to make the most of this opportunity to come along and explore this treasure. Entry to the lovely 12-acre gardens and plant fair is only £3. Henbury Hall is a hidden gem in the heart of the rolling north Cheshire countryside, set in an undulating landscape and surrounding two magnificent lakes, the gardens contain many fine trees and shrubs including some rare specimens as well as more intimate spaces such as the walled garden. The plant fair features highly respected specialist nurseries with a great range of perennials, alpines, shrubs, trees, rare species and old heritage varieties. The fair is open from 10am5pm and there is lots of free parking. Homemade refreshments and light lunches will be available. Dogs on leads welcome. The gardens are two miles west of Macclesfield on the A537, (SK11 9PJ for Satnav).

Full details from www.planthuntersfairs.co.uk

Answers: safety goggles, test tube, microscope, bunsen burner, thermometer, chemicals Extra letter answer: beaker

S D I K 4 JUST

Children’s Activities

Things to do with pre-school kids

Monday

Story Time 11-11.30am High Lane Library. Contact 0161 217 6009 for more information.

St. Thomas’ Children’s Choir 5.45-6.30pm St. Thomas’ Church, High Lane. The choir is completely free and will help children to learn to sing and how to read music. We will sing a wide variety of music and songs; children’s music, pop songs, show songs and some sacred music.

Tuesday

For more information please contact marc.hall@me.com

Parents & Tots 9 - 11.15am Term time only. St Thomas’ Church, High Lane. A chance for all parents/carers to meet other carers in a safe environment – lots to do and refreshments provided. £1 per adult and up to two children. Contact Rev. Janet Parker on 01663 764519

thursday

Story Time 11am Hazel Grove Library. Stories, rhymes and songs followed by some colouring. Contact 0161 217 6009. Playtime Toddler Group 1-2.30pm Term time only. Offerton Community Centre, Mallowdale Rd, Offerton. Lots of toys and room to play, song and snack time plus craft activities. Free of charge but donations welcome. Contact Sharon 07843094039.

Wednesday Baby & Toddler Group 9.15-11am Term time only. Brookside Primary School, High Lane. £2 for one adult and child, £1 per extra child, price includes a snack. Contact 01663 308 008 for more information. Sing & Sign Opportunity Group 9.30-11.30am Independent Options, 67 Chester Road. Especially for children with additional needs/learning disabilities, this session encourages children to start to use speech, or gives them signs if difficult. £4 per child. Book into the session on 0161 482 7933. Norbury Toddler Group 10 - 11.30am Term time only. Norbury Parish Church, Hazel Grove. Cost £2 (includes a drink and biscuits). Please phone before to ensure there are spaces. Contact Cath on 0161 487 2390 or email cath.downs@norburychurch.org.uk www. norburychurch.org.uk

Norbury Toddler Group 10 - 11.30am Term time only. Norbury Parish Church, Hazel Grove. Cost £2 (includes a drink and biscuits). Please phone before to ensure there are spaces. Contact Cath on 0161 487 2390 or email cath. downs@norburychurch.org.uk www. norburychurch.org.uk Sensory Stories 9.30-11.30am Preschool group offering interactive story time for children with additional needs and their siblings.Independent Options, 67 Chester Road. £4 per session.To book on the session email Sam on swalsh@independentoptions.org.uk or ring 0161 4566502.

Friday Toddler Group 9.30-11.30am Independent Options, 67 Chester Road. £2 for one child, £1 per additional child. Book into the session on 0161 482 7933. Wesley Street Stay & Play 9.45-11.30am Hazel Grove Methodist Church, Wesley Street. Contact Kelly Heath on 07530 460 087

saturday Messy Church 3.30pm-5.30pm, 2nd Saturday of every month A time of welcome, crafts, celebration and meal together. St Thomas’ Church, High Lane. For further information call: Canon Janet Parker 01663 764519.

Story Time 2pm

Weekly

Great Moor Library, Gladstone Street. Stories, rhymes and songs followed by some colouring. Contact 0161 217 6009.

Baby Splash Life Leisure Hazel Grove. Call 0161 439 5221 for lesson details.

If you run a local activity for young children and email would like to be included on this page please uk es.co. agazin nsidem c.blackie@i

Compiled by Clare Blackie > email: c.blackie@insidemagazines.co.uk

inside guide

selected events in your area

Monday 29 April to Saturday 4 May

Wednesday 8 May

Sweet Charity A musical capturing the rhythm and fun of the 1960’s. Includes the show stopping hit ‘Big Spender’ Box office 0161 302 2302 Brookdale Club and Theatre, Bramhall 7.30pm, Saturday matinee at 2.15pm

Disley & District Flower Club A Floral demonstration by Sue Maddocks entitled ‘Buds of May’. Visitors welcome High Lane Village Hall 7.30pm

Thursday 2 May Would you like to meet new friends? Thursday Group is a social group for unattached people of mature years, with several activities run by the members every week. These include walking, dancing, badminton, theatre and restaurant visits. For more info see www.thursdaygroup.co.uk or ring Bill on 07505 076838, or just come along to new members night on the first Thursday in each month where you will be met by group members. The Bulls Head Pub, 30 Wilmslow Road, Handforth, SK9 3EW 8.30pm

Saturday 4 May Disley & Lyme Horticultural Society Coffee Morning - The ever-popular Tomato Extravaganza plant sale, along with the usual plants, cakes, coffee and of course a good old chat. Disley Community Centre 10am to 12 noon

Monday 6 May Manchester Jazz £7 entry, enquiries 01663 763532 High Lane Conservative Club, Buxton Road, High Lane. SK6 8DR 8pm

Wednesday 8 May The Arts Society North East Cheshire Dame Zaha Hadid was one of the most distinguished and awarded architects in the world before her untimely death in 2016. This lecture by Anthea Streeter will show Zaha’s completed works around the world in breath-taking images Potential new members are welcome. To attend as a visitor please contact Maggie Schofield on 0161 427 9451 or info@theartssocietynortheastcheshire.org.uk Brookdale Club, Bramhall 10.30am with coffee from 9.45am

may - june 2019

Thurs 9 to Saturday 18 May Journey into Light. An exhibition of prisoners’ artwork created by prisoners from Styal and Thorn Cross. Norbury Church, Hazel Grove, 12 noon to 4pm daily

Thursday 9 May The Family History Society of Cheshire, Bramhall Group FANY and SOE from WW1 to Present by Sandra Webb. The story of the women of the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry Corps and their extraordinary connection with the Special Operations Executive. Admission charge £2. For further details please email bramhall@fhsc.org.uk for further details. All visitors are most welcome. United Reformed Church Hall, Bramhall SK7 2PE 7.30pm

Thursday 9 May St Thomas’ High Lane Men’s Forum Betty Hayhurst “A Visit to an Antiques & Collectors Fair.” Plus valuation of Items brought in (not Jewellery) St Thomas’ Church Hall, Buxton Road, High Lane 2.15pm

Friday 10 May to Saturday 18 May Carver Theatre Harvey a comedy by Mary Chase. Fast paced with great one liners involving a perfect gentleman, an invisible rabbit, sisters and a sanatorium. Great script, talented cast and an intimate setting. Tickets £9 and £8 concessions available from www.carvertheatre.co.uk or from Hollins of Marple tel 0161 449 8363 Carver Theatre, Chadwick Street, Marple, SK6 7AX 7.45pm (Saturday matinee 2.30pm on May 11th)

Saturday 11 May Messy Church A time of welcome, crafts, celebration and a meal together. For further information call Revd Canon Janet Parker on 01663 764519 St Thomas’ Church, High Lane 3.30pm to 5.30pm Continued over

Sunday 12 May

Monday 20 May to Saturday 25 May

Plant Hunters’ Fair Half price entry to the Gardens & Plant Fair £3 (children under 15 Free) Details at www.planthuntersfairs.co.uk Adlington Hall, Mill Lane, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 4LF 10am to 4pm

Poynton Players present Straight and Narrow. A warm and moving exploration of not so well-hidden secrets and deep personal and familial love. Presented by special arrangement with Samuel French Ltd. Book tickets online www.poyntonplayers.co.uk or phone 0333 6663399. Poynton Theatre, Georges Road West, Poynton, SK12 1JY

Tuesday 14 to Saturday 18 May Sister Act Bollington Light Opera Group present the musical based on the hit movie. Music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater, book by Bill and Cheri Steinkellner, and additional book material by Douglas Carter Beane. Tickets: £12, Concessions £10 (restrictions apply) Call: 01625 431038 Email: blogbookings@aol.com Bollington Civic Hall 7.30pm, Matinee on 18th only at 2pm

Friday 17 May Stockport Historical Society Annual General Meeting followed by “The Clayton Hall Story”, presented by Beryl Poole. Visitors very welcome Admission £3. Further information from Tony Nightingale 0161 440 0570. Stockport Sunday School, Nangreave Road, SK2 6DQ (Next to Aquinas College) 7.45pm

Saturday 18 May U3A Art Exhibition Refreshments will be available. There will be a raffle and art demonstrations as well as some art displayed some of which will be for sale. High Lane Village Hall 10am to 5pm

Saturday 18 & Sunday 19 May Mellor Country House Plant Sale Collect your orders or browse what’s available on the day. 299 Longhurst Lane, Mellor, Stockport SK6 5PP 10am to 4pm

Sunday 19 May Stockport Symphony Orchestra A summer matinee concert with something for everyone! Milhaud Le Boeuf sur le Toit, Woolfenden Oboe concerto: soloist Simon Beesley, Beethoven Symphony No. 5 Conductors Anna Hartmann and Laurent Zufferey www.stockportsymphony.co.uk Tickets available at the box office, online or on the door. Stockport Town Hall 3pm

Monday 20 May Hazel Grove & District Gardening Club ‘Hemerocallis in the Garden’ Richard and Jill Rallings, from Mynd Hardy Plants, tell us how to grow and care for the wide variety of hemerocallis in our gardens. Further information 0161 483 6051 or www.hazelgrovegardeningclub.com St Peter’s Church (Parish Centre) 16 Green Lane, Hazel Grove, SK7 4EA 7.30pm

Monday 20 May Hazel Grove Townswomen’s Guild Mr Gordon Longworth will talk on Sierra Leone For details call the Secretary on 0161 483 9559 Hazel Grove Civic Hall, London Road, Hazel Grove 1.30pm

Sat 25 to Sun 26 May Mickey’s Big Day Out presented by NK Theatre Arts Get ready for that special Disney Magic delivered in NK’s unique way and join us for Mickey Mouse’s great adventure during MICKEY’S BIG DAY OUT! Featuring Mickey and Minnie and a host of Disney heroes and villains including some of the most memorable Disney songs of all time. Why not dress up as your favourite Disney Character, meet the characters after the show and join Mickey on his big day out! Tickets: £9/£8 / Family of 4 £30 24hr Box Office 0333 666 3366 www.theforumtheatre.co.uk The Forum Theatre, Romiley, Stockport SK6 4EA 2pm

Fri 31 May & Sat 1 June Movie Music & More. Poynton Gilbert & Sullivan Society Spring Concert. Tickets will be available from tickets@poyntongands.co.uk or 01625 876394. Also, from Mates DIY on Park Lane or on the door. £10 for adults and £5 for 16 and under. Poynton Legion, George’s Road West 7.30pm

Monday 3 June Manchester Jazz £7 entry, enquiries 01663 763532 High Lane Conservative Club, Buxton Road, High Lane SK6 8DR 8pm

Compiled by Claire Hawker > email: claire@insidemagazines.co.uk

Thursday 6 June

SATURDAY 8 JUNE

Would you like to meet new friends? Thursday Group is a social group for unattached people of mature years, with several activities run by the members every week. These include walking, dancing, badminton, theatre and restaurant visits. For more info see www.thursdaygroup.co.uk or ring Bill on 07505 076838, or just come along to new members night on the first Thursday in each month where you will be met by group members. The Bulls Head Pub, 30 Wilmslow Road, Handforth, SK9 3EW 8.30pm

Werneth Concert Band presents a Summer concert of light music in aid of Epilepsy Action. Tickets are £8 and available online at www.wernethconcertband.org.uk or from “Interiors by Gainsborough” Compstall Road, Romiley. The Forum Theatre, Romiley Concert 7.30pm

Friday 7 June A Recital in aid of The Wellspring by International Concert Pianist Patrick Hemmerle Programme: Bach/Petri: Sheep May Safely Graze. Schubert/ Liszt: 2 Lieder. Wagner/Liszt 7: Isolde’s Death. Mendelssohn/ Rachmaninoff: Scherzo from the Midsummer Night’s Dream. Prokofiev: Four Pieces from Romeo and Juliet. Etudes by: Lyapunov, Scriabin, Tchesnokov, Rachmaninoff and Kapustin. Tickets £12 students £10 available from Peter 0161 427 4700 The Hallam Hall, Stockport Grammar School, Buxton Road SK2 7AF 7.30pm

Saturday 8 June St George’s Singers Summer Concert Full details will be published on the choir’s website. Tickets are £12, £10 concessions, with £2 students and children with reductions for group bookings, and can be booked by phone 01663 764012, email to tickets@st-georges-singers.org.uk or online at www.st-georges-singers.org.uk St George’s Church, Poynton

stand out from the crowd

with our paid INSIDE Guide listings Call 01625 879611 or email info@insidemagazines.co.uk for further details.

Saturday 8 June Messy Church A time of welcome, crafts, celebration and a meal together. For further information call Revd Canon Janet Parker on 01663 764519 St Thomas’ Church, High Lane 3.30pm to 5.30pm

Wednesday 12 June Disley & District Flower Club A Floral demonstration by Wendy Graveston entitled ‘Seasons to be cheerful’. Visitors welcome High Lane Village Hall 7.30pm

Thursday 13 June St Thomas’ High Lane Men’s Forum Walk/Drive to Pub for Lunch. (Details from 0161 483 8318.)

Thursday 13 June The Family History Society of Cheshire, Bramhall Group Staircase House and Stockport Heritage Magazine by Steve Cliffe. The Editor recounts his thirty years in publishing and the fight to save one of Stockport’s most important buildings. Admission charge £2.00. For further details please email bramhall@fhsc.org.uk for further details. All visitors are most welcome. United Reformed Church Hall, Bramhall SK7 2PE (corner of Robins Lane and Bramhall Lane South) 7.30pm

Saturday 15 June Stockport Symphony Orchestra Rimsky-Korsakov Capriccio Espagnol; Shostakovich Piano Concerto no 2: Soloist Slava Sidorenko; Elgar Enigma Variations. Conductor Diego Costa. For more information see www.stockportsymphony.co.uk, tickets available at box office, online or on the door. Stockport Town Hall 7.30pm

Monday 17 June Hazel Grove & District Gardening Club ‘Advice from our show judge’ Peter Owen gives an insight in to the judging process, with hints and tips to help you present your flowers/fruit/veg to show them at their best. He will also answer your questions on growing for the show etc. Further information 0161 483 6051 or www. hazelgrovegardeningclub.com St Peter’s Church (Parish Centre) 16 Green Lane, Hazel Grove, SK7 4EA 7.30pm

Monday 17 June Hazel Grove Townswomen’s Guild Mr Brian Greene will talk on Best Musicals Part 2 For details call the Secretary on 0161 483 9559 Hazel Grove Civic Hall, London Road, Hazel Grove 1.30pm

Saturday 22 June Jumble Sale. Admission 50p, refreshments available, free car park at the side of the church. Short Street United Reformed Church, Hazel Grove 10am to 11.30am

Friday 28 and Saturday 29 June Plant Hunters Fair Entry to the lovely 12-acre gardens & plant fair is only £3 Henbury Hall Gardens, Henbury, Macclesfield SK11 9PJ 10am to 5pm

Declutter Your Life If you can’t lay your hands on items you need because they’re buried under piles of junk; if you’re constantly moving items from one pile to a new ‘temporary’ pile; if you find yourself thinking, “I can’t throw this away, it might come in useful one day,” you’re probably a clutter-victim. You could tune into the new Netflix series ‘Tidying Up with Marie Kondo,’ in which expert declutterer Marie will teach you how to transform your home into a permanently clear and clutter-free space with the incredible Japanese KonMari Method. Her method is based on a ‘once-cleaned, never-messy-again’ approach. If that’s a bit too extreme, but you are ready to have a good sort out and spring clean, the following tips might help you. ■■ Deal with one room at a time and the task will seem less daunting. Stick with that room until it’s finished. ■■ Choose a nice day and take the room contents outside. Psychologically it’s easier to sort and let go if you’re one step removed. It’s also less likely that the clutter will make it back inside the house! ■■ Sort everything into three piles - label them dump, donate and keep. Be realistic: if the item in question hasn’t been used for over a year it is unlikely you will ever use it.

■■ Deal with the dump and donate piles. Do this before anything comes back into the house. It’s much harder to mess up your good work if the stuff is physically gone. ■■ Sort and label - place the remaining items in clearlylabelled boxes. Make sure there is a temporary box to house items which really belong in another room. As each room is sorted those items can be replaced, and other misplaced items can be housed there, while the de-cluttering process continues. ■■ The maxim ‘A place for everything and everything in its place’ is a good one. As you return the items you’re keeping to the room, keep small items in clear plastic boxes and store them in cupboards or wardrobes. ■■ To keep on top of things, instigate a ‘one thing in: one thing out’ rule in future. It will make you think twice about acquiring something if you know something else must go. ■■ Finally, once a week, take two bags and go through your home. One bag is for rubbish, the other for items in the wrong place. When you’ve finished throw the rubbish away and replace the misplaced items. Follow these small steps and in a relatively short space of time you will be enjoying a calm and clutter-free environment. By Claire Hawker

The House that George Best Built

Illustration by Stephen Millership

It’s hard to believe, as you drive past there today, that the house situated on the corner of Moor Lane and Blossoms Lane, at the point where Bramhall becomes Woodford, was once the most talked about house in the country. Towards the end of the 1960s Manchester United superstar George Best decided it was time for him to move out of his digs in Chorlton and into his own home. He approached Bramhall-based architect Frazer Crane to design a house for him that was to be built on that plot of land. Best moved into his new house in October 1970. It had cost him £35,000 (just over half a million in today’s money). The house quickly became a hot topic of conversation, not least because many observers felt the house looked like a public convenience, primarily because of the white glazed-brick which adorned its exterior. The News of the World ran a competition to name the house and the £10 prize was won by Miss E. Bardsley for her suggestion, ‘Que Sera’. Best chose the name because it reminded him of his maternal grandfather, George Withers. He explained at the time, ‘Grandad Withers was my hero when I was a boy in Belfast. I remember one time Grandad Withers took me on holiday when ‘Que Sera, Sera’ was the big hit song. It seemed to be played everywhere we went, and ever since I’ve always associated it with him.’ A few months after moving in, Best put on a lavish house-warming party, which the Daily Express bought

by Stuart Bolton

the rights to. Over a hundred guests were invited, many of them famous celebrities such as Bob Monkhouse, Ronnie Corbett, Tommy Trinder (who quipped at the time, “I remember this place when it was the Odeon”), Lionel Blair and Swedish actress Yutte Stensgaard. A week after the party, the Daily Mirror featured on its front-page a report (later unfounded) about an anonymous caller contacting Cheshire police claiming that officers had used a police car to collect fresh supplies of drink from The Smithy, a local pub on Grove Lane in Cheadle Hulme. Not long after moving in, the house was to bring a multitude of problems for its first-time buyer. Best later recalled, ‘I would have got more privacy if I’d bought a giant goldfish bowl and lived in that. You’d get groups of tourists outside and if I just walked down to the local paper shop, I’d have thirty people following me and asking for autographs. It was so bad that I had to keep the curtains closed all the time.’ Some of these unwanted visitors also used to take ‘souvenirs’ with them, such as pieces of turf off the front lawn or goldfish out of the fishpond. Like something out of ‘Thunderbirds’ the house included a range of remote-control gadgets, even though the technology was often not fit for purpose. Best later reflected, ‘Everything was push-button. The bathroom had a sunken bath that was so large that the water tank couldn’t fill it higher than three-inches. I had a television set that disappeared into the chimney. I had a console beside the bed that controlled everything. All I had to do was press a button and I could open and close the garage door, the front door, operate the

television, and the stereo, open and close the curtains, which was all well and good until I found out that when an aeroplane flew overhead, it set off the whole system.’ Within a couple of years Best had had enough. In July 1972 he put the house up for sale and moved back in with his landlady, Mrs Fullaway. Three months later the house was sold for £40,000 to Irish haulier Patrick O’Dwyer, who commented at the time, ‘It’s a dream come true.’ The current owner is Harry Yeung, co-partner of the Yang Sing restaurant in Chinatown, who has lived in the house for nearly twenty years. Yeung bought the property in 1999 from Wendy Hird for £400,000. Mrs Hird had lived there with her late husband Bill since 1993. The Hirds had bought the house for £200,000 and, surprisingly, when they purchased the house the details neglected to mention the identity of its original owner. The Hirds only found out the name of its famous former resident from a local taxi driver shortly after they’d moved in, which begs the question: where had the Hirds been living up until then, on Mars? Not much is known about the owners immediately prior to the Hirds, but during their occupation the swimming pool had had its water pipes filled with concrete during one apparent fit of rage. The white glazed-brick which had so defined the look of the house had gone too. In fact, when the Hirds first moved in they discovered the discarded bricks piled-up at the bottom of the disused pond. The house today is barely recognisable from how it looked in the Seventies. The glaring white bricks have been replaced by a more common brick, the roof has been pitched, and there are metal railings surrounding the property, accompanied by a dense privet hedge which provides the property with something that was sadly missing when George Best first moved in – privacy. For more about the locations in and around Manchester connected with George Best, please see ‘Trailing George Best’ (Pitch Publishing) written by Stuart Bolton and Paul Collier.

inside people moira taylor

Moira Taylor was born in Stepping Hill hospital and attended Moss Hey Primary and Bramhall High schools. She has a brother and a sister and her father, who is 90, still lives in Bramhall. Moira has always been willing to involve herself in voluntary care work. “I think it is important that we help those less fortunate than ourselves; people who feel isolated and vulnerable.” She worked as a volunteer for Wellspring, spending Saturday mornings organising classes on IT and internet use for vulnerable adults aged between 22 and 50. There was great satisfaction helping people write CVs and develop their computer skills and seeing their confidence improve. In 2013, Moira worked for the Stockport care scheme and was linked as a befriender to an elderly lady who she visited every Sunday. They became good friends, both looking forward to the get togethers which lasted for three years until the lady died at the age of a hundred. Currently Moira works as a complaints handler in the Properties and Facilities Management arm of the NHS. Their function is to support hospitals, GP surgeries and health centres with a range of issues around catering, building maintenance, car park resurfacing and so on. The organisation recently decided to partner with The Silver Line, a charity established in 2013. When her manager asked for volunteers, Moira and nine of the team stepped forward. After attending a training session, they are now a part of The Silver Line which aims to alleviate loneliness and isolation in older people, to provide information, advice and friendship and to

connect people to their community. They do this by providing a free, confidential 24-hour helpline available 365 days a year. Callers may also be offered friendship through Silver Line Friend volunteers who are matched to an elderly person and commit to calling them the same time each week for 30 minutes. Since its launch the Silver Line has had over 2.3 million calls and now receives on average 1,500 every day. They have trained 4,500 Silver Line Friends but need more volunteers as well as corporate partners to help raise awareness and offer support. If you volunteer as a Silver Line Friend, training is given by experienced volunteers over the phone and support provided by regional volunteer managers. People contact The Silver Line seeking help on a wide range of issues ranging from information on their local community, to those who have significant personal issues in their lives, but the majority are simply lonely and just want a chat. When she isn’t busy at work or engaged in voluntary activity, Moira’s hobbies are keep fit, walking with friends and horse riding. She likes R and B music and is an avid reader of crime books, both fiction and factual biographies. Moira’s heroine is Victoria Wood who she believes was a comic genius. When harassed or tired, her relaxation cure is a Victoria Wood tape to cheer herself up. Her great delight was to meet Victoria in person when she was appearing at the Palace theatre. A seasoned traveller, Moira’s holiday list reads like a world atlas index. New Zealand, Canada, Washington, San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Poland, Jersey, Eastern Europe, as well as numerous city breaks. Last word from Moira Being a volunteer is so rewarding. I hope this article inspires people or even local companies to volunteer to help The Silver Line or encourages others who need support to make contact. Information about volunteering can be found on the www.thesilverline.org.uk Anyone wishing to contact The Silver Line for advice or just for a chat can call 0800 4 70 80 90. by Ed Blundell

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useful numbers Churches Norbury Parish Church Hazel Grove Methodist Church St Peter’s Roman Catholic Church Hazel Grove Baptist Church St George’s Parish Church, Stockport Short Street United Reformed Church Parish Church of St Thomas, High Lane Windlehurst Methodist Church

Schools 0161 483 6325 0161 483 0150 0161 483 3476 0161 487 3708 0161 480 2453 0161 285 5229 01663 764519 0161 483 3706

Hazel Grove High School Hazel Grove Primary & Infant School Norbury Hall Primary School Moorfield Junior & Infant School St Peters R.C Primary School Torkington Primary School St Simons Catholic Primary Brookside Primary School High Lane Primary School

0161 483 6222 0161 426 5250 0161 426 9292 0161 426 9777 01663 762222

Police

Doctors Beech House Medical Practice Springfield Surgery Haider Medical Centre Dean Lane Medical High Lane Medical Centre

Hospitals Stepping Hill Hospital NHS Non-Emergency

0161 483 1010 111

Leisure Centre Hazel Grove Leisure Centre Life Leisure Hazel Grove

0161 456 3467 0161 439 5221

Libraries Hazel Grove Library High Lane Library

0161 217 6009 0161 217 6009

Local Government Stockport MBC

0161 480 4949

Non Emergency

0161 456 4888 0161 483 3699 0161 483 1786 0161 483 4521 0161 483 2431 0161 483 2188 0161 483 9696 01663 763943 01663 762378

101

Utilities Electricity – Power Loss Gas – Emergency Water- Faults, United Utilities Environment Agency Floodline

105 0800 111 999 0345 672 3723 0345 988 1188

Helplines Alcoholics Anonymous Al-Anon Citizens Advice Bureau Childline Crimestoppers Directory Enquiries National Dementia Helpline RSPCA Samaritans The Wellspring, Stockport

0800 917 7650 020 7403 0888 03444 111 444 0800 1111 0800 555111 118 500 0300 222 1122 0300 1234999 116 123 0161 477 6344

Travel Bus & Train Times National Rail Enquiries Manchester Airport

0871 200 2233 0345 748 4950 0808 169 7030

Post Offices Hazel Grove Post Office Fiveways Parade Post Office High Lane Post Office

0161 483 2332 0345 611 2970 01663 766877

pharmacies Peak Pharmacy, High Lane Scorah Chemists, Hazel Grove

01663 762235 01625 872267

classified index ARTWORK Rob Wilson Art

BATHROOMS Hazel Grove Bathroom Centre

BOOK SHOPS Simply Books

FUNERAL SERVICES

OSTEOPATHS

Adlington Memorial Park Back Cover

Hazel Grove Osteopaths

Brian Sharples & Son Inside Back Cover

PATIOS

All In Stone 16

BUILDERS

Pure Clean Drainage Solutions

FURNITURE 14

GARDEN MAINTENANCE & LAWN CARE

Abstract Roofing Services

Greenthumb

SECURITY

Robinsons Garden Maintenance

City Lock & Safe

Whitehall Builders Ltd

Streetwise Garden Services

SOLICITORS

Vernon Building Society

CHILDCARE Stepping Stones Nursery

The Granite & Marble Shop

William Wragg MP

City Lock & Safe

Manners Pimblett Inside Front Cover

The Stair Shop

9 27 5

ASAPP Cars

TREE SERVICES Swift Tree Services

Cloudy 2 Clear

The Window Repair Centre

LOFT LADDERS 17

More Than Loft Ladders

WINDOW & CONSERVATORY REPAIRS 18

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget! Copy deadline for the next issue is Monday 10 June Tel: 01625 879611 email: info@insidemagazines.co.uk 46

Inside Front Cover

TAXIS

LOCKSMITHS

FIRES Brilliant Fires

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

ELECTRICIANS SCZ Electrical Services

Dream Doors Matt Finish

DRAINAGE Pure Clean Drainage Solutions

Cheshire Hearing Centre

STAIR RENOVATIONS

KITCHENS

CHURCHES Hazel Grove Baptist Church

HEARING SERVICES

CHIMNEY SWEEPS Mr Soot

Carrington Doors

Keoghs Nicholls Lindsell & Harris

GARAGE DOORS

ROOFING

Coppice Joinery & Building

BUILDING SOCIETIES

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