Newcastle Life Issue 30

Life

ISS UE 3 0 Editors Letter ........................................5

Charity Fundraising ...........................23

Mayor of Newcastle..............................6

New Pump Track ................................24

Britain in Bloom....................................8

Silverdale Country Park ....................25

Government Funding ..........................9

Keele University .................................26

Volunteer Awards ..............................10

Restoration Donation.........................27

Young Farmers ...................................14

Gardening...........................................28

HM The Queen s Birthday Honours 15

Gardening Competition....................29

Local Athlete ......................................16

Freedom Of The Borough ................30

Newcastle Market..............................17

Children s Art Competition...............31

Town Centre Gardening ...................20

Quiz Corner ........................................33

Community Litter Pick.......................21

Community Award ............................33

New Vic Theatre.................................22

Work shifts and away from your property, all blue light workers get 10% off new systems

26

y expeears rienc

Indian Stone e Block Paving New Lawns Artificial Grass Fencing Decking Timber Sleepers Gravel Work

DH LANDSCAPING

B JO NO OO L T L A SM

Call 07905 555194 or 01782 850687 for a FREE QUOTE

@dhlandscaping69

Based in Newcastle (ST5 3EJ)

A local family-run business

Mini, Midi & Large Skips Mini Digger Hire

24-7 SERVICE Tel: 01785 330 310 Mob: 07971 566383

www.boultonsskiphire.co.uk

EDITOR S LETTER

Exciting times are ahead for town

W Belinda Hargreaves Contents Editor news@timesandecho.co.uk Erin Tuckwell Tracey Redfern Design & Production Thomas Brian General Manager tom@timesandecho.co.uk Mobile: 07855 252693 Jane Walters Advertising Sales jane@timesandecho.co.uk Times, Echo & Life Publications 18 Tape Street, Cheadle, Stoke-on-Trent ST10 1BD Tel: 01538 752214 www.timesechoandlife.co.uk life@timesandecho.co.uk

ell it s certainly exciting times ahead for Newcastle!

Not only will our community be joining the nation as the country, hopefully, comes further out of the Covid-19 lockdown, but also millions of pounds of Government funding has been secured to improve communications, infrastructure and connectivity, and more, in Newcastle. Read all about the latter on page 9.

I hope you enjoy reading this, the latest jam-packed edition of Newcastle Life Magazine. We have lots of articles celebrating life in the area including features focusing on much-valued volunteers within the community gaining welldeserved recognition, whether that be through a local annual awards initiative, or in Her Majesty The Queen s latest honours list.

And there s more news of other awards which have been handed out including to the area s main hospital; a community support hub; and also the awarding of funding to our town s theatre-in-the-round.

We also have lots of greenfingered stories from a new celebration floral artwork in town; a competition for all to get

involved in; to a gardening tips being offered by an expert in the town centre.

And there s so much more to read in this edition so grab a brew, sit and relax while you read all about life in your community.

We would love to hear from anyone in the Newcastle area about what they have been up to lately. Maybe you have celebrated a fantastic achievement? Perhaps your community group has gone above and beyond for others lately? Or maybe you would just simply like to send us a few words about how you enjoy being a part of the Newcastle community? Please do not hesitate to get in contact with us by emailing news@timesandecho.co.uk.

We would also love to feature lots of lovely scenes from the area in our forthcoming editions, whether that be a selfie of you and your family while out and about in town, or a scenic view of the surrounding countryside, again please do email us your pics.

Until next time take care!

Belinda

Cover Photo Our front cover photo, taken by a representative of Newcastle Borough Council, is of Ian Minshull, from Black Star Ceramics, with a new floral sign which has been made for Newcastle.

See page 8 for the full story Find us on Facebook search for Stone & Eccleshall Life Magazine

Have you taken a photo in or around Newcastle which you would like to be considered for use on the front cover of our magazine? Email us at news@timesandecho.co.uk

MAYOR OF NEWCASTLE

Ordinary chap is elected to civic role

T

he new Mayo r of Newcastleunder-Lyme for 2021-22 has been elected as councillor Ken Owen.

He received the nomination and won the vote at the council s May Full Council meeting.

Ken has been elected as a borough councillor twice, first from 2014-18 and he was then re-elected in 2019. He is ward councillor for Holditch and Chesterton and is a member of the Newcastle Independent Group.

Ken said: I can t quite believe that I m actually going to be the Mayor and am really

touched by the thought.

I m an ordinary chap who became a councillor to do the best I can for the area I live in, which is Holditch and Chesterton, and I will do the same as Mayor.

He added: I am passionate about North Staffordshire, I ve lived in Newcastle for 51 years and I love the place. I can t think of a bigger honour than being the Mayor of Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Ken stated that he is set to support the TriServices and Veteran Support Centre, based in Hassall Street, and the Royal British Legion in North Staffordshire during his year of office.

The Deputy Mayor was elected as Gill Burnett who is the ward councillor for Kidsgrove and Ravenscliffe.

The Mayoress of Newcastle-under-Lyme is Rachel Eaton and the Mayor s High Constable is Daniel McDonald, the new Mayor s eldest grandson.

BRITAIN IN BLOOM

Going potty for bloom masterpiece

N

ewcastle Borough Council has teamed up with a local potter and sponsor to mark a milestone anniversary for the borough in the country s largest horticultural

campaign.

Black Star Ceramics, based in Baldwins Gate, has produced and donated a bespoke sign to help celebrate 30 years of success for Newcastle-underLyme in Britain in Bloom.

The vibrant and floral sign the company s largest build to date is made up of 84 hand-painted ceramic tiles and includes hidden details relating to wildlife.

It has been created by company founder Ian Minshull, an experienced ceramicist who has worked for the world famous Royal Doulton, Beswick and Paladin.

The painstaking production process took approximately four weeks to complete, with Ian going through individual and time consuming processes such as rolling out the clay, cutting the tiles, engraving the design, drying the tiles, firing them in the kiln, glazing and cleaning them followed by the final assembly.

The special feature is now taking pride of place in the old carpet bed area at the front of St. Giles Church in Newcastle town centre and is enhanced with colourful planting.

Ian also sponsors the area as part of the Newcastle in Bloom campaign.

Councillor Jill Waring, Cabinet member for leisure, culture and heritage at the borough council, said: When

Ian heard about Newcastle s special anniversary in Britain in Bloom, he couldn t wait to get involved and produce a bespoke piece to mark the milestone.

The sign is absolutely fantastic we couldn t have wished for anything better. We re very lucky and grateful to accept this wonderful donation from such a talented ceramicist who has gone above and beyond to support the bloom campaign. The potteries is in our blood so I m sure residents and visitors will appreciate this kind gesture for years to come.

Black Star Ceramics, established in 2016, prides itself in making unique, handmade items using traditional techniques such as slip casting or hand throwing on a wheel. It sources materials and tools from local businesses.

Ian, aged 45, said: I m delighted to donate the sign in addition to sponsoring the bed. We ve had so much support from the local area as a business, and we live in the borough as well, so it s really nice to give something back.

I love my job. I ve made many things over the years but I love challenging myself and have always wanted to do something bigger like this. I m really pleased with how the sign has turned out. It s in a really nice place, one of the gateways into the town, so it should hopefully be seen by a lot of people. It s aimed at pedestrians as well as motorists. I hope everyone likes it.

Both me and my partner are keen gardeners and enjoy wildlife so we really appreciate the Newcastle in Bloom campaign and what it stands for.

Newcastle-under-Lyme first entered Britain in Bloom as a small city in 1991. In 2018 it was named the overall winner of Heart of England in Bloom for the third consecutive year and in 2017 secured Gold and category winner in the national finals. The borough also competed in the national Champion of Champions category in 2018, achieving a gold award, the highest accolade in the campaign.

GOVERNMENT FUNDING

A

vision to improve communications, infrastructure and connectivity in Newcastle-under-Lyme has been given the go-ahead by Central Government and awarded £23.6 million to make the plans a reality.

The success of the Town Investment Plan (TIP) is the most recent confirmation of the Government s confidence in Newcastle-underLyme Borough Council s aspirational Town Deal proposals which, so far, have seen more than £50 million invested in unprecedented regeneration programmes for Newcastle and Kidsgrove. This includes a successful funding bid of £11 million secured through the Future High Streets Fund.

It is believed that the projects outlined in the TIP will generate an increase of more than £69 million a year in increased gross value added (GVA) for the area; a £2.3 million uplift in land values and will enable the regeneration of communities across the borough.

Leader of the Borough Council, councillor Simon Tagg, said: This is yet more fantastic investment for the government in our town and builds significantly on the exciting improvements already underway in Newcastle funded by £1 million of advanced Town Deal funding such as the subways upgrade, CCTV extension and the demolition of a long-term vacant building to make way for accommodation for residents and businesses among other things.

The TIP is a shared local vision of where we want our town to be in the future. Our ambition is to create a more attractive place to live and work, and to support our local economy, creating more jobs for more people and attracting investment and businesses into the area.

Leader of Newcastle Borough Council councillor Simon Tagg

The £23.6 million will kick start a programme of investment that will ultimately total more than £135 million. It will provide transformational change, improve infrastructure and connectivity for communities, improve transport links and boost our heritage and culture."

Newcastle set up a Town Deal Board to help develop the TIP. Professor Trevor McMillan, the Chair of the Town Deal Board, representing Keele University and Stoke Staffs LEP, said: The news of this investment is a real testimony to the Deal s ambition to develop and support communities across the borough and increase the prosperity of the area. The projects that form part of this will benefit many people and set Newcastle out as an area that is preparing itself well for the new digital and sustainable world we now need to live in, while supporting a real sense of physical communities in the town centre and surrounding villages.

The TIP sets out in three key objectives, with projects aligned to them, how the Town Deal funding will be spent, what it will achieve and also how the £23.6 million will bring in other investment to the area.

Objective 1: Open up growth opportunities through enhanced physical and digital connectivity aligned with clean and sustainable economic development.

Objective 2: To diversify and enhance the town centre experience by encouraging new uses to increase demand, footfall and boost the dwell time of residents and visitors.

Objective 3: To channel investment into regenerating communities, ensuring these areas are sustainable places to live and provide residents with the infrastructure needed to improve their quality of life.

To find out more about the Government investment into Newcastle, go online to: https://www.newcastle-staffs.gov.uk.

VOLUNTEER AWARDS

Volunteers recognised

V

olunteers across Newcastle have received much deserved recognition at an annual awards ceremony.

Support Staffordshire hosted its 2021 Newcastle-under-Lyme Volunteer Star Awards virtually on Tuesday, June 8. The awards aim to: recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements and commitment of volunteers and organisations who go the extra mile to support our communities.

To watch the virtual award ceremony, go online to: www.youtube.com/channel/UCALwWQP47FS0Z JuAa2YuPNQ.

Personal Achievement Award Winner: Carly Leese - Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service In her nomination for Carly, Helen Wood said: Carly volunteers for SFRS and Safe+Sound in Newcastle (and other areas). After some tough personal challenges, Carly started taking a counselling course to teach her to provide counselling for others, she will qualify in 2021. She started volunteering for SFRS in July 2019 when she supported Safe+Sound in Newcastle. She has grown in strength and confidence and is now a highly valued member of our volunteering team, providing her services as host at Safe+Sound events. Carly s help is invaluable and she helps the children attending Safe+Sound really get the most out of their visit she meets and greets the children and teachers on arrival, and helps them as they move around the Fire Station between workshops. As her confidence has grown she has really started to take ownership of the hosting role and is now comfortable to be left to monitor time and keep workshop partners on track with delivery. Teachers attending events have commented on the smooth operation and organisation of events which is due, in no small part, to Carly. Carly deserves to win as she has overcome huge personal challenges and

volunteering is really helping her regain skills and confidence. She is a motivated, enthusiastic and willing volunteer who is a pleasure to work with.

Commendation in the Personal Achievement Ward category went to: June Handy at Caudwell Children; and Mike Clayton at Sting.

New Volunteer Team of the Year Winner: Windmills Charity (Leeanne Clay & Zara Toussaint) In David Hughe s nomination for the Windmills Charity, he said: Created in 2019 this fledgling charity was the brainchild of two organ donation specialist nurses. Whilst conducting their normal duties they perceived a monumental lack of support for children and young people when someone significant in their lives receives terminal diagnosis/prognosis. The aim of Windmills, which is now a registered charity and is run on a nonprofit voluntary basis by Leeanne and Zara, whilst holding down full time jobs, is to solely preserve and protect the physical, emotional and mental health of children and young people in Staffordshire. When someone significant in these young peoples lives is dying, or has died they provide bespoke, focused and supportive acute bereavement care. Their service is free of charge and absolutely anyone can refer to them, whether they be a family member, teacher, healthcare professional, friend .the list goes on. Windmills is now receiving referrals from all sectors of the community thus proving it is a much needed service in Staffordshire, and I feel that both Leeanne, Zara and Windmills deserve some recognition.

Commendation in the New Volunteer Team of the Year went to: Whitmore & District Active Living Group.

Volunteering Support for Young People Winner: Stephanie Mayer - Maryhill Children's Centre In her nomination for Stephanie, Kate Tomson-Rayner said: Stephanie has been volunteering at the children s centre for just under a year. She attended the centre activities with her children and wanted to give something back.

VOLUNTEER AWARDS

t nnu l Steph became the Session Lead for Maryhill Explorers Stay and Play session. She plans activities, delivers the sessions and promotes them within the local area.

Since Steph has taken on the role she has planned for and delivered weekly sessions that have been attended by over 100 0-5 year olds since the sessions have been running. The families attending state that the group is welcoming and supportive. That Steph helps them by sharing information on other services and activities in the area. They also say that the children love coming to the Maryhill Explorers sessions as they have fun and can take part in activities that they wouldn t be able to do at home. Steph has also taken on the volunteer role of the Parent Representative on the Newcastle Family Improvement Board. She helps to shape services and provides a parent s point of view.

She can also bring to the meeting any suggestions from parents who attend her group. As part of her volunteer role, Steph has been kind enough to allow us to film her for the Staffordshire County Council #DoingOurBit Campaign. In the video she speaks of why she wants to volunteer, what she gets from volunteering and how she sees her role helping others. This film was distributed during Volunteers Day in November and Senior Leaders commented on what a fantastic job Steph was doing in the area by delivering the Maryhill Explorers group. Here is the link for the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpKvvWLY B-o. As Steph is an Early Communication Champion for the Early Outcomes Fund Project, she was asked to contribute to the BBC Tiny Happy People Campaign by providing ideas and suggestions on how the BBC could offer additional resources for voluntary groups accessing the website. This led to the BBC developing short videos and downloadable resources for volunteers to use and signpost families to. Steph had completed all of this whilst caring for her two children and being pregnant with her third. She is a valuable member of the Maryhill team and is dedicated to supporting families in the area. She is a great asset to the Children s Centre, and we are very proud of her contribution to our service and partner agencies too. Thank you, Steph.

rds

Volunteering Support for the Over 65 s Winner: Jon Cacia - Beth Johnson Foundation In her nomination for Jon, Jane Snape said: The Healthy Generations Project is a Health & Wellbeing Project that supports Older People to improve their wellbeing by the use of digital technology. The volunteer role is one of Digital Tech and is an intergenerational volunteering role supporting people to get online and access digital tech. The volunteer role was of face to face, until the pandemic and not if totally remote working, either by telephone or internet. I would like to nominate Jon Cacia. Throughout this last year, from April 2020 to March 2021 Jon has given 156 hours. Supporting beneficiaries of the project with digital access, downloading apps, transferring files, talking through the process over the telephone to join a zoom session. The skills that Jon has supported with enables beneficiaries to contact family members or contact other professionals and make appointments. Jon excels at information gathering both over the phone and on a virtual meeting. Jon supports on zoom sessions, ensuring group members are included in conversation. He is mindful to ask how they are and respectful of members conversations. He welcomes new members, also acts a host of the session when required. Jon is a younger person volunteering with the older generation and Jon deserves this award for his dedication to this volunteer role and the impact he has made to the lives of the lonely isolated people that he has supported to get online and join in with activities that have been made available from the project.

New Volunteer Team of the Year Winner: People's Pantry Team - Alice Charity In her nomination for the People s Pantry Team, Stephanie Talbot said: People's Pantry opened in 2017 when the Alice Charity could no longer afford to sustain the increased requests for support with food from local families. People s Pantry is situated within the premises provided free of charge by Aspire, it is staffed by volunteers and all the food is donated.>>

VOLUNTEER AWARDS <<Run entirely by volunteers, the team offer food to local families every weekday from 11am to 1pm, providing a hot drink and emotional support as well as three days of food. The team also process food donations when they are dropped off at the Pantry following statutory guidelines, keep the Pantry clean and document all cleaning activities. They must complete safeguarding and food hygiene training. The team also complete a data form with the family, which requires tact and kindness, to ensure that Alice Charity can monitor use of the foodbank and offer additional support as required. Sometimes the team must engage in a difficult conversation with families to advise that we can no longer support them, although fortunately this is a rarity. Often, a visit to the People s Pantry is the first time a vulnerable family has reached out for support so the team must be able to spot this, respond sensitively and, when appropriate, escalate the family into the Alice Charity for further support. It is essential that families feel able to visit the Pantry as often as they need, so the team make them feel welcome, respected and comfortable. The team are a lovely mixture of a couple of retired nurses and a retired teacher, an autistic gentleman, a part time lecturer, a couple of mums building up some experience before returning to work, a couple of families that we have supported in the past who now want to give something back by volunteering. It is important to us that the People s Pantry team feel part of the wider Alice Charity so are always included in events and training.

The People s Pantry team deserve to win because their kindness makes everyone feel welcome and quickly dispels any embarrassment, and their reliability ensures that People s Pantry is open every day.

In 2019 People s Pantry fed 1,793 people in 2019, an 86 per cent uplift v 2018. It is hard to place yourself in the position where you cannot feed your family, so it s crucial that we offer an accessible and respectful service. The impact on our local communities, of our children going into school with a full tummy, is huge and we just couldn t offer this service without the team of volunteers at the People s Pantry.

Commendations in the Volunteer Team of the Year went to: Newcastle-under-Lyme Air Ambulance Charity Shop Team; and Caudwell Children Applications Team.

Trustee of the Year Winner: Elliott Lancaster at I Have a Voice CIC, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust and of Spirit Of Peace Ltd. In his nomination for Elliott, Timothy Mellish said: Elliott is an exceptional Trustee and volunteer, supporting the community for over five years across several organisations. It is rare to see an individual with the intellect, passion, and dedication, demonstrated by Elliott s encouragement of other young people. Elliott s impact, directly or indirectly across the range of his activities are innumerable.

When attempting to segment Elliott s broad range of

activities, two themes of Youth Empowerment and Sustainability emerge. It is impressive how he has overcome challenges and accomplished so much while balancing his academic studies and at-home caring responsibilities. Elliott is a board member of I Have a Voice CIC encouraging young people, from all backgrounds, to engage in apolitical debates and become active citizens, working in partnership with schools and youth groups to increase political literacy and engagement. Elliott was instrumental in developing the regional Youth Ambassador Programme to discuss what s happening in politics, contact MPs and design social media campaigns. The purpose of Elliott s work is to support the goals for improving mechanisms for people to get their voices heard - their views do matter. As a Trustee of Staffordshire Wildlife Trust (SWT), Elliott led the work to establish the local Youth Council, chair debates, increase youth engagement, and provide a more comprehensive community activity range.

Including mobilising social media platform techniques to increase youth volunteering. Founding the Sustainability Project Group (as chair), he lobbied for SWT to become carbon neutral by 2025. As a Trustee of Spirit Of Peace Ltd, Elliott is leading the organisation s regional governance and communications arrangements and working with international partners in developing countries.

Bringing people together across ethnic, cultural and national boundaries, fostering harmonious relationships to work for the common good. Forming partnerships and providing project support to energise local partner initiatives by connecting them with projects and leaders abroad. Elliott deserves this award, as he has demonstrated to his peers, staff and management what leadership with integrity is as a young person. Elliott has a rare depth of integrity and therefore can get things done without offending or upsetting people; this is coupled with respect for process and controls. His work makes him an excellent ambassador for all young people, having been a representative at parliamentary receptions and featured in local media, on BBC News Website, on The Wildlife Trusts Our Bright Future website, to name just a few. Elliott has been genuinely inspirational in showing what can be achieved. He has taken every opportunity to widen his experience, excelling in so many different university life areas and beyond. His contribution to his peers and broader society is exemplary, and we feel befitting of a Volunteer Star Award.

Commendation in the Trustee of the Year category went to: Hayley Jones at The Nappy Project.

Young Volunteer of the Year Winner: Natalie Lennox at Caudwell Children.

Natalie was nominated for the award by Ellie Chesterton.

VOLUNTEER AWARDS

Volunteer of the Year Winner: Elena Sudlow at Maer Village and Community In her nomination for Elena, Sue Jackson said: Elena is the busiest person in our village and plays a huge role within our community. During this lockdown period especially, she has played an even bigger supporting role....so she really is our star volunteer.

Elena has always been an active member of Maer village and has been on the Village Hall committee for several years. She gives her own time freely to organise and support events in the village as well as provide help particularly to her more elderly neighbours for example, transport for hospital visits or other appointments, collecting the fish and chips for the quiz night and cake baking for the Christmas Fair. Last year a new local Activity Living Group was formed to provide a community service to the more elderly population and tackle rural loneliness. Elena quickly volunteered to become secretary and events organiser for this group helping to organise the monthly meetings and book events for the members including theatre trips, tea room visits and informative talks. As a long standing member and clerk of the parish council she ensures the local and wider community is represented and informed on all local issues. When lockdown happened this role became even more important as she provided an information leaflet that was delivered to all parishioners offering support (and her own contact details) during this very difficult time. She took on shopping tasks and prescription collections for many of the elderly people who were having to shield, and organised the set up of several WhatsApp groups for each area of the parish to enable folk to stay in touch with each other. This has been hugely successful and in some areas (Maer village especially) this has absolutely rejuvenated the community to come together, get to know and support each other, and have a lot of fun. Quite early on during the lockdown she organised a book/jigsaw/magazine swap in the village hall which meant cleaning all the donated items herself before they were swapped. Using our WhatsApp group she organised a food donation collection for the Alice Charity based in Newcastle and delivered two car loads of items to them. Her latest idea was to make a fun map of all the Lockdown residents of Maer using cartoon pictures, and has now organised making this into a tea towel that everyone can purchase.

And if all that wasn t enough, she now wants to get involved with the set-up of a new community coffee shop. However, what most people in the village don t know, that alongside all of these brilliant activities and giving of her time to the local community, she also supports her partners elderly parents who live many miles away in Telford. If you want a job done, ask a busy lady and this is certainly Elena. Several of us have said to each other: she deserves a medal. So I am really hoping that this nomination will show you why she is a deserved winner of a Volunteer Star Award.

Commendations in the Volunteer of the Year category went to: Peter Till; and Rose Walley, both at Newcastle-Staffs Foodbank.

Lifetime Achievement Winner: John Cooper at Bradwell Lodge/Chesterton Community Sports College In her nomination for John, Jennifer Cooper said: John has held voluntary roles over a significant period of time. Despite a period of serious ill health and continued health problems (involving cancer and heart problems) John has continued in these roles. Firstly, he was a founder member and continues to be an active committee member of Porthill Residents Association.

This is now a vibrant community group, with excellent engagement with many local residents. Secondly, he is the Chairman of Bradwell Lodge Community Centre. He has fulfilled this role for the last 12 years. The lodge was faced with closure so if it was not for the action of people such as John, this resource would be lost to the community. Currently the venue is available for hire for functions, there is a busy programme of activities and events and the volunteers like John run the community centre day to day ensuring its availability, security and maintenance. He also was a founder of providing a fun day for the benefit of the local community and continues to play a pivotal role every year in organising and running this community fun day at Bradwell Lodge. This event has become well established in the community calendar, it is very well attended and enjoyed by community members of all ages. The event is free to enter and there has been live music, donkey rides, fair rides, fairground games, circus skills, market stalls and refreshments. John is also a school governor at Chesterton Community Sports College and has volunteered for this role over the last 26 years. John has been a longstanding part of the team that has helped to secure the present success of this school. He also served as a school governor for St John Fisher Catholic College for a six-year period. He is always keen to help people no matter how busy he is and has served in all he does with dedication and pride. He obtains funding for a community Christmas tree and lights which is enjoyed by the whole community each year. John really does want to make a difference in the life of local people and help the community to become a better place for all to enjoy. I feel that the number of activities he has involved himself with over many years demonstrates his passion to support the community and not many people give so much of their time over an extended period to support local causes. Many people may not have continued with such roles when faced with serious ill health; however, John has shown that he is utterly determined to continue to support the community despite his problems.

In the face of real adversity, he has shown true selflessness, continued drive and courage.

YOUNG FARMERS

Y

oung farmers across the county, including members of the Ashley club, have been putting their best feet forward to raise funds.

Members of the Staffordshire County Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (SCFYFC) have, between them, covered more than 1,300 miles across the beautiful countryside in the county.

The campaign, which was launched by the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs (NFYFC), Give it Some YFC Welly Relay has helped to raise over £1,000 to help to continue to deliver the muchneeded service to young people in the rural communities across Staffordshire.

A spokesman for SCFYFC said: The County Federations funding was affected during the last membership year following the cancellation of all its spring and summer fundraising events.

Jack Salt Chairman of Ashley YFC

Sarah Hope of Ashley YFC and Sean Whiteway of Eccleshall YFC

Despite continuing to deliver services to members in a virtual manner, including two Virtual Rally s and a Virtual County Show, the impact of the pandemic has been greatly felt, with only 33 per cent of members re-joined for the current membership year.

With face to face events and activities still on hold this fundraising effort has been very important to bring members together.

Staffordshire YFC took on the challenge and planned to cover 500 miles in one month, but hit that target in just one week.

The total miles covered was 1,318 and clubs who covered 35 miles or more are set to benefit from this fundraising campaign.

The members in Staffordshire covered the

miles by walking, biking, horse riding and one member, Henry Walker of Ashley YFC, even took to the water and clocked up nautical miles on his sailing boat.

Staffordshire beauty spots including Dimmingsdale near Alton, the canal at Weston and Marshes Hill in Brown Edge provided some great viewpoints, frosty mornings, perfect sunsets and sunny daytime strolls.

Anyone interested in supporting Staffordshire YFC and their Give it Some YFC Welly campaign can visit the JustGiving page as there is still time left to donate. www.justgiving.com/ fundraising/ staffordshire -yfc.

HM THE QUEEN S BIRTHDAY HONOURS

Royal recognition for three townsfolk

T

hree members of the Newcastle community have been recognised in the latest Queens Honours List.

An MBE has set to be awarded to Julia Catherine Bridgewater, of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Group Chief Operating Officer at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, for services to the NHS, particularly during Covid-19; an MBE to Karl Humphries, of Newcastle-under-Lyme, of Get Hooked on Fishing, for services to Education; and an MBE for Clifford John Thornton Stott, of Keele, Professor of Social Psychology at Keele University, for services to Crowd Psychology and the Covid-19 response.

In her background information, as provided by Staffordshire County Council, it states that Julia Bridgewater is a highly-respected NHS leader with over 36 years service, who is responsible for the day to day operation of a £1.8 billion turnover Trust which employs 23,000 staff across ten hospitals and community services. She managed the Trust s response to the Manchester Arena bomb and delivered the largest ever NHS Trust merger that created MFT and a new era of healthcare for the people of Manchester and Trafford. In each case, her meticulous planning, collaborative approach and personal commitment over many weeks and months guaranteed success. From day one of the merger, she ensured all services functioned at the optimal level and immediately started to deliver patient benefits such as faster access to treatment, shorter hospital stays and increased clinical capacity. Her contribution to the planning and oversight of MFT s pandemic response was fundamental to ensuring hospital and community services across Manchester and Trafford delivered exceptional care. Her experience and foresight influenced the MFT Board to start transforming services two weeks before the increase in demand predicted by the scientific data.

This head-start enabled the Trust to rapidly re-skill staff for safe re-deployment to critical care units, train back office staff for frontline roles and transfer other colleagues to key support functions. Julia also played a major role in the rapid commissioning of the NHS Nightingale Hospital North West, ensuring patients from across the NW region quickly benefited from its substantial resources and expertise. She ensured MFT had robust PPE supplies and mutual aid transfers of PPE across Greater Manchester to help other Trusts. In response to an urgent national

request for six additional ECMO beds she found the resources to establish and staff them. This response saved many lives. She also made a major contribution to the regional and national pandemic management strategy. Her current challenge is to lead MFT s massive Covid-19 recovery programme, restoring planned care but also encouraging teams to adopt and adapt the new ways of working learned during the pandemic to provide even better care for patients.

Meanwhile, in his background, again provided by the county council, Clifford Stott is a world-leading expert on crowd psychology, 'riots', 'hooliganism' and policing. His research has had high-level impact nationally and internationally, informing policy, guidance and practice in the management of crowds for a range of organisations. With colleagues Cliff developed a model of crowd conflict which is now widely viewed as the leading psychological theory of its kind. His research showed that, far from being random and chaotic, riots are structured and driven by beliefs, and that crowds can be managed more effectively when police concentrate on enabling lawful behaviour such as protests rather than on merely trying to control criminal behaviour with fear and force. Cliff was involved in the development of the policing approach for the 2004 UEFA European Championships. His research subsequently provided evidence that this approach contributed to the low levels of violence during the tournament. His work has informed a range of government and police organisations in the UK, including the Home Office, the Association of Chief Police Officers, the College of Policing, the Metropolitan Police Service, Staffordshire, Sussex and West Yorkshire Police. In 2011 he helped design, develop, train and implement the UK's first Police Liaison Teams, which are designed to avoid conflict through dialogue.

Internationally, his work has influenced policy and guidance on the policing of crowds of the European Council, the European Union, the USA and police forces in Sweden, Denmark and Australia. In February he joined the Independent Scientific Pandemic Insights Group on Behaviours (SPI-B). His contributions to the Government s understanding of the social and behavioural impacts of the application and enforcement of national and local lockdowns, social distancing, guidance around masks, travel bans, protest movements, and more, led to the creation of the Policing and Security (P&S) subgroup of SPI-B, which he co-chairs.

LOCAL ATHLETE

Athlete leaps in with support for new play area

A

triple jumping athlete from Newcastle has helped to officially open a brand new play area at a school.

The Glebe Academy in Fenton was in urgent need of expansion and upgrading, and now the school s dream has come true thanks to a £24,000 donation from JCB, which funded the installation of a 330 square metre artificial grassed surface.

The new play area was recently officially opened by JCB-sponsored athletes, slalom canoeist Adam Burgess, aged 28 of Stone, and triple jumper Ben Williams, aged 29 of Newcastle, who staged a special PE lesson for pupils to mark the unveiling.

The pair took a break from training from the summer games in Tokyo to put youngsters through their paces after cutting a ribbon at the opening ceremony.

Glebe Academy Principal Suzanne OakesSmith said: As the school sits in the lowest two per cent of deprivation in the country, with many of our pupils having no gardens or access to outdoor space, being able to provide this new area at the school is extremely significant.

Our limited outdoor space has always been a huge challenge, so the JCB donation has turned a dream into a reality. A project of this size would have been out of the reach of the school and this work will benefit us for years to come.

We are thrilled and very thankful to JCB and Lord Bamford for making this happen. It s also come at just the right time as it gives our children a safe outdoor space and enables us to meet the social distancing needs of the Covid-19 pandemic.

JCB Chairman Lord Bamford: I m delighted to support the Glebe Academy with this initiative because it s so important that children have access to safe outdoor spaces.

Ben is Britain s leading triple jumper. He was crowned British Triple Jump Champion in 2019 with a lifetime best jump of 17.27 metres almost the length of a double decker bus.

Ben added: We had a great morning with the Glebe Academy and hopefully we ve managed to pass on our love of sport and the fun you can have in keeping fit during the PE lesson.

Both athletes are sponsored by JCB to help in their preparations for the summer games.

Adam started canoeing at the age of ten on the River Trent in his home town of Stone and has been competing internationally for Great Britain and winning medals since the age of 14.

He said: We had great fun taking the PE lesson with the pupils on the new JCB play area.

Fitness and exercise has been an integral part of my life since childhood and I really appreciate the importance of children having somewhere safe to exercise and run around.

NEWCASTLE MARKET

Market is the Real Deal say community leaders

N

ewcastle Borough Council is the first to gain a national accreditation protecting local shoppers and genuine traders since the pandemic began.

The authority is voluntarily signing up to the Real Deal charter, working with Staffordshire County Council, as part of ongoing work to enhance the growing Newcastle-under-Lyme Market.

A spokesman for the council said: Adopting the charter run by the National Markets Group for IP Protection (NMG) is a preventative measure to stop rogue traders from selling counterfeit and illegal items on The Stones meaning that visitors can shop, and stallholders trade, in safety and confidence.

The council is committing to working very closely with the county council s trading standards team, being aware of who is trading on the market at all times and showing a commitment to fair trading.

As well as having access to guidance, information and promotional support, market regulations have been updated to state that suspected counterfeit items may be seized and formal action may follow.

There are further principles for trading standards and industry/trademark representatives.

Officials from the Real Deal initiative travelled from South Wales and the north of England for the signing event.

Councillor Stephen Sweeney, Cabinet member for finance, town centres and growth, said: Markets are a valuable part of our local communities and make a vital contribution to the consumer experience. We re putting a great deal of time and effort into making our historic market more vibrant and attractive. This is paying off in dividends with greater choice at our general, farmers and antique/collectibles markets which run alongside our popular themed events such as Castle Artisan Market and the Record Fair as well as visiting markets.

As we welcome more and more traders to Newcastle town centre, and with restrictions easing, signing up to this national charter feels like a natural progression. We re really proud of our market s reputation and want to reassure residents, visitors and businesses that we re committed to maintaining a safe and fair environment in which to shop and trade.

Seeing the Real Deal logo is a visible reminder that shoppers can expect to buy only genuine and quality goods from our hardworking traders not fakes, pirated or potentially unsafe items. We want them to enjoy their purchases and protect traders from losing sales.

Staffordshire County Council s communities leader, councillor Victoria Wilson, said: No one wants to see counterfeit goods on sale in our communities. It s bad for our local economy, the goods can be unsafe and legitimate local traders can be driven out of business.

It s wonderful news that Newcastle Outdoor Market has signed up to the Real Deal charter, which will give customers real peace of mind and legitimate

businesses the chance to compete on a level playing field.

The Real Deal campaign has already been a huge success in Staffordshire. It gives us all the opportunity to work together to combat the sale of illicit, counterfeit goods.

The NMG is a partnership of law enforcement, government and industry stakeholders, supported by the National Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA).

Graham Mogg, Chair of the NMG and ACG Intelligence Co-ordinator, said: Counterfeit products bring a host of problems: consumers are ripped off; untested products are potentially unsafe; legitimate businesses lose sales; revenue is lost from the economy to the black market; and often the trade is linked to organised crime. Most people involved in market shopping or trading would be horrified to think that they may, unwittingly, be funding organised crime. We are grateful to Newcastle-under-Lyme Market and Staffordshire County Council Trading Standards for working together on the Real Deal programme. They are sending out a strong message that fakes are not welcome at this market.

Gavin Terry, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute Lead Officer for Intellectual Property (IP), added: The trade in fake goods presents real threats to consumer safety and to businesses that play by the rules. Initiatives like the Real Deal foster a co-ordinated approach between trading standards, marketplaces and IP rights owners. As council resources become increasingly stretched, this type of partnership helps to support the work of trading standards in ensuring that communities benefit from safe, fair trading practices.

TOWN CENTRE GARDENING

From flower pot making to seed sowing

A

rtist-gardener Ladybird Su has been commissioned by Appetite to encourage locals to get green-fingered as part of their Newcastle Common programme.

Su is currently establishing her garden at 23 High Street, Newcastle.

Members of the public are invited to visit Artist Gardener for the Growing Season Su at her garden on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays, during themed weeks up until October half term. There will always be the chance to get involved, with activities including flower pot making and seed sowing.

In weeks when Ladybird Su is away from her garden she will be giving hints and tips on social media, and asking people to share photographs of their gardens.

Visitors are being encouraged to share their memories and gardening tips at the garden, or on social media using the hashtag #TakeAwayGarden.

The remaining themed weeks throughout the residency include: 5 July - 11 July: Wimbledon Week Learn how to grow strawberry plants in beds of straw; 10 Aug - 16 Aug: National Allotment Week This time it s all about the veggies. Join Su for growing tips and create your own wildflower seed envelopes; 25 Oct - 29 Oct: October Half Term Prepare for the colder months by sowing winter veg and creating microsalads for the window sill.

Appetite Director Gemma Thomas said: It is so exciting to be welcoming our third Newcastle Common artist-inresidence, Ladybird Su into the

town centre where members of the public can get involved with the hands-on activities, delivered in a Covid-safe way and in accordance to current government guidance.

We are looking forward to people being able to take a piece of Newcastle Common home with them. We re hoping that Su s takeaway garden will be able to offer that to people faceto-face as well as online too through social media, which has also been a great source of community. We want to watch the seeds grow in peoples homes and gardens so will also be asking people to share images back with us on #TakeAwayGarden. This is an exciting residency for arts and culture to grow on high streets and in your home or garden; creating a sense of connection and community.

Amy Williams, Newcastleunder-Lyme BID Manager, said: We are delighted to have yet another artist in residence confirmed for the Newcastle Common Project. Ladybird Su will be bringing some amazing activities for people to get involved with, including making flower pots and planting seeds.

This is really something that all

the local community can enjoy whilst visiting the town. It is really great to see one of the previously empty units being put to such good use in the town and we cannot wait to see the Newcastle Common project go from strength to strength in the coming months.

Appetite, in partnership with Newcastle BID, announced the Newcastle Common project earlier this year. It is a programme focused on the changing Newcastle-underLyme town centre, transforming empty shops and the high street into places of art and creativity.

Ladybird Su is Newcastle Common s third artist-inresidence, joining contemporary artist Ian Mood and hat maker Holly Johnson.

Newcastle Common will shortly be in place at 23 High Street and 12-14 Astley Walk.

Appetite are looking for people to help them shape Newcastle Common through their Make Things Happen campaign and welcome anyone interested to get in touch.

For more details visit http://appetite.org.uk or contact askus@appetitestoke.co.uk or call 01782 381373.

COMMUNITY LITTER PICK

A

borough-wide litter pick organised by Newcastle Borough Council has contributed to a national initiative beating its ambitious target to make one million miles of British outdoor spaces cleaner and greener.

Schools, businesses and community volunteers in Newcastle-under-Lyme rolled up their sleeves and spent 72,000 minutes safely collecting more than 100 bags of rubbish from streets, neighbourhoods, parks and open spaces covering 3,600 miles in the process during the recent Great British Spring Clean initiative.

The annual campaign, run by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, aims to improve public places by cutting litter and this year covered 1.16 million miles.

In addition to co-ordinating the events, the borough council provided hi-vis vests, litter pickers and bags for 1,200 people before removing the rubbish and recycling it where possible. One area of focus was the mineral line in Silverdale where a pushchair was found among the trees.

Womble Orinoco paid visits to the following schools to thank them for their hard work Dove Bank Primary School, Kidsgrove;

Churchfields Primary School, Chesterton; Ellison Primary Academy, Wolstanton; the Coop Academy Friarswood, Newcastle; Hugo Meynell Primary School, Loggerheads; The Richard Heathcote Community Primary School, Alsagers Bank; Silverdale Primary Academy, St. John Fisher Catholic College, Newcastle; St. Margaret s Junior School, Wolstanton and Thursfield Primary School, Harriseahead.

The businesses involved were WJ North Ltd based in Knutton, McDonald s Dimsdale and Goose Street Morrisons.

Councillor Trevor Johnson, Cabinet member for environment and recycling at the council, said: Litter is a major problem and has a negative impact on our neighbourhoods.

Even though people shouldn t drop it in the first place, we re keen to support residents and businesses who want to help create a cleaner and greener borough for everyone to enjoy.

Cllr Johnson added: Everyone who took part in the Great British Spring Clean did a brilliant job and they should be very proud of their efforts.

It s fantastic to hear that the children really enjoyed helping their local environment.

NEW VIC THEATRE

Cash boost for theatre-in-the-round

T

he New Vic Theatre in Newcastle-underLyme has received a grant from the Denise Coates Foundation.

The grant of £1,004,830 has been awarded by the Foundation with the aim of ensuring that the New Vic can recover following the impact the last year has had. The grant is also set to allow the theatre to make the greatest possible difference to the economic, community and artistic recovery of Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire.

A spokesman at the theatre said: The significant investment is committed to enabling the theatre to continue producing shows made in Staffordshire and delivering activities within the community from this summer and into 2022, and goes alongside the continued investment from Arts Council England and local funders.

The pandemic has meant that whilst the New Vic were able to take some of their

community engagement work online with virtual workshops, and outdoors on high streets and in gardens and parks, the theatre s income from its activities over the past 18 months has been drastically reduced due to long periods of enforced closure.

This grant recognises the significant role the theatre plays in the cultural life of the area and the crucial impact it makes for thousands of local people.

Theresa Heskins, New Vic Artistic Director said: We are so grateful to the Denise Coates Foundation for this generous grant. This support will allow us to continue producing innovative productions and grassroots work in the same New Vic style that our audiences and participants know us for. The New Vic was built by the community and is for the community.

It has never felt more important for us to be a place where all members of our local area feel welcome, and with the

support from Denise Coates Foundation, we will continue to be able to offer the same high quality productions and activities that we are both locally and nationally celebrated for.

Denise Coates CBE, Denise Coates Foundation founder and Trustee said: The area is blessed to have the New Vic on its doorstep. It delivers high quality productions in an inthe-round setting. We should cherish what we have and do all we can to ensure that the Theatre has a viable long-term future. I am pleased that the Foundation was able to help.

As we emerge from the effects of the pandemic, for some, the Arts will be a source of great joy. Society has suffered so much over the last 18 months and the New Vic will play an important part in returning enjoyment and happiness to people s lives.

For more information on the New Vic and the theatre s forthcoming season of shows, visit newvictheatre.org.uk.

CHARITY FUNDRAISING

M

embers of the county s police force have been supporting a Newcastle-based charity.

Staffordshire Police officers and staff based at Longton Police Station in Stoke-on-Trent have been driving up donations for a charitable cause.

Officers and staff spent a week collecting dry food items and toiletries for their Bring A Can fundraiser, with more than 1,000 items piling up during that time.

And the large pile of donations was collected recently by the Alice Charity s Philip Rhodes to stock up their People s Pantry, which supports families in need across Stokeon-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Ruth Davies, a Vulnerability Co-ordinator with Staffordshire Police s Harm Reduction Hub South, organised the appeal.

She said: Following a talk from the founder of the Alice Charity,

Emily Petts, about what they do I was really inspired to help out.

So I emailed everyone and asked people to bring a can or other food item with them and they responded so well. It was incredible to see how much we collected. The support was really good.

The charity is a good resource for us at the police to refer families to for help. And it s a two-way thing - however we can help them out it s a good thing to do.

Sergeant Chris Moss, from Staffordshire Police s Stoke South Neighbourhood Team, said: Ruth wanted to help them out so arranged all of this and everyone who works at Longton just brought something like a packet of pasta or tin of something to work over the past week.

Philip came to collect them and just brought his car they nearly didn t all fit in.

It s a brilliant idea and we love doing as much as we can to

help out. These charities support our police work so it s good to be able to help them out too.

The People s Pantry is a central part of the Alice Charity, supporting families throughout Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastleunder-Lyme to provide a helping hand when it s most needed.

The People s Pantry offers families a place they can call upon in difficult times and get a balanced choice of food, allowing them to put a homecooked meal on their table.

Philip Rhodes, Manager of People s Pantry, added: I couldn t believe the amount of food that had been raised. This will make a massive difference to the families we help.

It enables us to add variety to our food parcels rather than just the basics as we ve had some sweet treats donated and it enables us to bulk out the food parcels a bit too.

From left, Ruth Davies, Philip Rhodes of The Alice Charity and Chris Moss with the donations in Philip's car

NEW PUMP TRACK

Pump Track Ready to Roll in Kidsgrove

A

state-of-the-art pump track in Kidsgrove hailed the best in the country has been officially opened.

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council formally unveiled the facility, which is based at Newchapel recreation ground, recently following the completion of construction work by internationally renowned track builders, Clark & Kent Contractors from Ashley.

A spokesman for the council said: The large pump track, suitable for all ages and abilities, features a number of elevated starting platforms and a host of jumps and obstacles supplemented by directional arrows including berms, rollers, angled rollers, table tops, doubles, a shark fin and a left-handed hip jump.

The design, developed in consultation with residents, maximises momentum with minimal pedalling using wheeled equipment such as BMX bikes, rollerblades, scooters, skateboards and wheelchairs.

A small group of pupils from surrounding schools accepted invitations to go along with their bikes and helmets to test the track at the official launch event, and also watch demonstrations by Kyle Evans a two-time Olympian and European BMX champion from Manchester and amateur rollerblader Kirsty Meakin from Kidsgrove.

The council is financing the project using £100,000 of the £750,000 advanced Town Deal funding it has received from the Government to improve residents health and well-being in the town.

The pump track also includes new seating, bins and free, off-road car parking.

Councillor Jill Waring, Cabinet member for leisure, culture and heritage at the council, said: One of the council s priorities is to create a healthy and active borough by ensuring residents and visitors have access to a wide range of facilities and activities to help improve their health and quality of life. I m absolutely over the moon that we are able to officially open this fantastic pump track in Kidsgrove in the height of summer.

This is hugely positive news for everyone.

We ve waited a very long time for something like this and I know that young people have

sometimes, and understandably, struggled to contain their excitement. This once in a lifetime opportunity has allowed us to replace the very old and informal ramps with something extremely special indeed that will provide visitors with something fun, healthy, challenging and free to enjoy for years to come.

Cllr Waring added: We want to encourage youngsters in particular to leave their PlayStations or Xboxes behind and get out of the house to exercise and socialise in the fresh air. The mental health benefits are just as important as the physical ones.

The contractor has done an amazing job as predicted I hope people show their appreciation for this major investment by respecting the facility, behaving responsibly and using the bins provided at all times.

Kyle Evans, who works for Clark & Kent Contractors, qualified as a BMX reserve athlete for the London 2012 Olympic Games and competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He raced into the record books in 2018, leading an historic European Championship one-two for Great Britain in Glasgow.

The 27-year-old added: It s been fantastic to build a track like this on our own doorstep. We ve put our heart and soul into it. It s as suitable for a complete novice as it is to intermediate and expert riders. The young people are so hyped we ve already seen such talent and I guarantee that within the next 10 years we ll have riders coming out of Kidsgrove and Newcastle making something of themselves.

The remaining advanced Town Deal funding is set to be spent on the early works associated with the refurbishment of Kidsgrove Sports Centre; filling a gap in match funding to guarantee the delivery of modern leisure facilities for the King s School and the community; and a series of upgrades at Clough Hall Park. The council has since received an additional £16.9 million for major projects to make Kidsgrove a more desirable place to work, live, visit and invest.

SILVERDALE COUNTRY PARK

C

onservation volunteers has started an exciting new project on two of The Land Trust s sites; Silverdale Country Park in Newcastle, as well as at Hassall Green Nature Reserve in Cheshire.

The project is a TCV Green Gym, a new health project to get people out and about in nature for health and wellbeing.

The project consists of a variety of activities from health walks to conservation tasks, from outdoor cooking to willow weaving.

The first one took place at Silverdale Country Park and began with a health walk around the park.

A spokesman said: Green Gyms are fun and free outdoor sessions where you will be guided in practical activities such as planting trees, sowing meadows and establishing wildlife ponds.

Unlike other conservation projects, the emphasis is very much on health and fitness volunteers warm up and cool down in preparation for a range of light to vigorous activities to suit all abilities.

In fact, almost a third more calories can be burnt in some Green Gym sessions than in an

average aerobics class.

All activities follow Covid-19 safe guidelines and participants are asked to meet at the entrance to Silverdale Country Park by the football club at 10.30am, with each session running until 1.30pm.

The remaining dates which have been scheduled so far are: July 14 and 28, August 11 and 25, September 8 and 22, October 6 and 20, November 17 and 31, and December 15.

Travel to site may be available if required with prior booking at a designated pick-up point.

Booking is essential to take part in these sessions, contact Neil McMahon (TCV Senior Project Officer) on 07740 899716 or by email at n.mcmahon@tcv.org.uk.

KEELE UNIVERSITY

Solar panel installation underway on campus

T

he installation of 12,500 solar panels at Keele University has begun, as part of a major low carbon energy project supporting the University s pledge to be carbon neutral by 2030.

The solar photo-voltaic (PV) panels are being installed at ground level in fields on the edge of the campus as part of the University s low carbon energy project. Two large wind turbines and an industrial size battery for storing generated energy will also be installed later this year.

The solar panels will be managed and financed by ENGIE, a leading energy and services company focused on producing and supplying lowcarbon energy, which has

agreed a 25-year deal with Keele to fund, design, build and operate a multitechnology energy park that will generate at least 50 per cent of the University s campus electricity requirements from renewable sources.

The combined carbon emissions savings from the wind and solar farm will be around 1,500 tonnes per year.

Professor Mark Ormerod, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost and institutional lead for sustainability, said: The installation of the first solar panel on our new Low Carbon Energy Generation Park is a significant moment in our journey to becoming a carbon neutral campus.

This is a really exciting step for the University and the installation of the solar

panels reflects Keele s commitment to providing as much of its electricity requirements as possible through on-site renewable energy generation to minimise our carbon emissions.

Keele was one of the first universities in the UK to declare a climate emergency in 2019 and has recently published its Climate Action Framework principles, outlining its holistic approach to tackling the climate crisis.

Keele was also named Sustainability institution of the Year at the 2020 Green Gown Awards, a national awards scheme celebrating the efforts of higher and further education institutions to promote and embed sustainability across all of their operations.

RESTORATION DONATION

A

damaged sculpture of a heroic soldier from Wolstanton has been restored to its former glory thanks to the generosity of a local resident.

Newcastle Borough Council has repaired the wood carving honouring Tom Brown Tivey who fought in the First World War and reinstated it at the award winning Brampton Park following a kind donation from regular visitor Colin Hepher.

Mr Hepher, who walks his dog at the park, contacted the council recently to enquire about the popular sculpture and subsequently offered a financial contribution to help fix it.

A spokesman for the council said: The 6ft 4in model had to be removed for safety reasons as the weather had weakened the base.

It was creatively carved from the stump of a horse chestnut tree by sculptor Anthony Hammond as part of a joint project between the council and the North Staffs Model Engineering Society which runs the miniature railway at the park to commemorate the centenary of World War One. Tom courageously fought for the North Staffordshire Regiment, the Leicester Regiment and the Northumberland Fusiliers.

Colin unveiled the reinforced carving in its new location, closer to the metal sculpture of

borough-born author, feminist and war nurse Vera Brittain, late last week.

The 67-year-old said: I moved to the area in 2018 and I ve enjoyed visiting Brampton Park ever since. It s a beautiful place like an extended garden.

Every morning I d see Tom and it would remind me of my visit to the war graves in Belgium which was a very moving experience.

Then one day he just disappeared. After a period of time I decided to contact the council to find out what had happened to him.

I was really happy to fund the repair work because it means residents and visitors can enjoy seeing him again. It s a fantastic piece of art and I m glad I could do something to help.

Councillor Jill Waring, Cabinet member for leisure, culture and heritage, added: I m absolutely delighted that the sculpture of Tom Brown Tivey is back in its rightful place. It s lovely to see him standing proud in our beautiful park once again. It s a very fitting tribute to a local war hero and has certainly been missed.

I would like to thank Mr Hepher for his very generous donation. It s a very kind gesture and hopefully it means that visitors will be able to enjoy this thought-provoking masterpiece for many years to come.

GARDENING

of the Border

B

urnets, or Sanguisorbas to use their proper name, come in a wide range of heights and spreads and are easy plants to grow, flowering on and off through the summer. They come in shades of red, pink and white and many have large, impressive flowers.

Perhaps the showiest is the variety Lilac Squirrel who s long, dangling, feather-boa flowers in glowing lilac pink adorn the 3-4ft / 90-120cm tall plants from July to September.

Like most Sanguisorbas the leaves are very attractive from the moment they unfurl like a fern frond in March until they die back in winter.

The more upright flowers of the variety Pink Brushes are a softer pink, and the pure white flowers of the Japanese Burnet (Sanguisorba obtusa alba) grow on plants that are just 2ft / 60cm tall.

Other burnets have smaller, less showy flowers but more of them at a time and often held tall on waving stems that rarely need staking. One of the loveliest is also one of the tallest the deep red Arnhem is 5ft / 150cm tall and in peak flower in early summer. Pink Elephant is tall, and a soft shade of pink, Burr Blanc and Canadensis are white and all of these look wonderful waving in the breeze at the back of the border.

For the front of the border, Rock and Roll is a good choice as he stays to around 2ft / 60cm tall and there s even a variegated one with red flowers and green and cream leaves called Shiro Fukarin.

Ideally, Sanguisorbas prefer a deep, rich, soil that holds some moisture in the summer.

They also cope with my poor, dry sand pretty well. They like some sun, but light, part or dappled shade is fine.

Sanguisorbas are tough and hardy and form bigger clumps each year. You can divide them

in spring but be warned an old clump has a very tough rootstock and is difficult to break up. They benefit from a light feed in spring and an occasional feed until August.

We ve not noticed any particular pests or diseases affecting them in the garden so all in all they are quite easy to grow. Allow 2-2 ½ ft / 60-75cm between the taller varieties and a bit less for the short ones.

Sanguisorbas are becoming very popular with nurseries and garden designers so you should find a good number of varieties available to choose from at a Plant Hunters Fair.

Janet and I run Plant Hunters Fairs, specialist plant fairs at wonderful locations offering special reduced entry rates on the plant fair dates.

Plant Fair dates for 2021: Cholmondeley Castle Gardens, Malpas on Sunday, July 18, Garden and Fair £4 (usually £8.50); Capesthorne Hall, Macclesfield on Sunday, August 15, Garden and Fair £3.50; The Dorothy Clive Garden on Sunday, August 29 and Monday, August 30, Garden and Fair £4 (usually £9).

Entry to all these fairs is by advance ticket only. For further information and to book tickets go online to: www.planthuntersfairs.co.uk Martin Blow

GARDENING COMPETITION

Blooming competition is back with a difference

G

reen-fingered residents are being invited to enter a digital version of an annual gardening contest.

Newcastle Borough Council is running its popular horticultural competitions organised as part of the borough s Heart of England in Bloom campaign in a slightly different way this year after last year s event was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Rather than judges visiting people s entries this time, gardeners are being asked to submit up to five photographs of their chosen project highlighting aspects such as wonderful views of a front/rear garden, an outstanding feature, good practice or evidence of encouraging wildlife along with an optional short written summary.

The categories are the same as usual: allotments, residential gardens, community projects (schools), community gardens (groups) and licensed premises/businesses.

Residents are being asked to register their entry first before submitting images.

Application forms are available at https://bit.ly/3yb8kCt and should be posted to Castle House or e-mailed to newcastleinbloom@newcastle -staffs.gov.uk by 5pm on Friday, July 16. The council is planning to announce the

results at the New Vic Theatre later in the year.

Susan Maydew s beautiful cottage-style garden in Milehouse, pictured, was declared the best residential garden in Newcastle-underLyme in 2019.

Councillor Jill Waring, Cabinet member for leisure, culture and heritage at the council, said: I m delighted that our gardening competitions are back, albeit in a slightly different form, as the borough celebrates 30 years of success in Britain in Bloom an achievement we re very proud of.

Our competitions play an important part in the borough s bloom campaign by bringing communities together, through their shared love of horticulture, to help make Newcastle look absolutely wonderful. They attract a lot of talented

Susan Maydew in her award winning garden in Milehouse

gardeners every year.

Even though restrictions are easing, we feel the digital element is the safest option for now. The pandemic has forced more people to stay at home and many have been focusing on home improvements, especially sprucing up the garden which is very therapeutic, so by making it easier to enter we can hopefully encourage even more entrants.

The continued success of the campaign as a whole is down to a borough-wide partnership involving residents, businesses, schools, community groups and a wide range of volunteers who take great pride in improving where they live.

As well as improving community links, it makes Newcastle-under-Lyme a more pleasant place to live, work and visit.

FREEDOM OF THE BOROUGH

Council announces top accolade recipients

T

he Royal Stoke University Hospital is to be awarded the Freedom of the Borough by Newcastle-underLyme Borough Council.

The accolade is awarded to local people or organisations who have, in the opinion of the council, given outstanding services to the borough.

The hospital s nomination states that the council is expressing its admiration and appreciation of the long and continuing service given by the Royal Stoke University Hospital to the residents of the borough and especially their selfless work, dedication and care given to borough residents and beyond, during the coronavirus pandemic.

Leader of the borough council, councillor Simon Tagg, said: We have seen incredible efforts from the teams at the Royal Stoke, particularly during the pandemic when staff have worked tirelessly to care for the residents of the borough and across Staffordshire.

The NHS frontline workers risked their own lives to help others and we want to use this special honour, the Freedom of the Borough, to acknowledge that and to thank them all.

The council formally approved the honour at a Special Council meeting recently.

The nomination comes as the country continues to move through the Government s unlocking roadmap and a step towards getting back to normal.

It is believed to be the first nomination for Freedom of the Borough for the Royal Stoke in Staffordshire.

Later this year a short

ceremony is set to take place where the official scrolls of freedom will be handed over to the Chief Executive of the Royal Stoke University Hospital, Tracy Bullock, to mark the honour.

Tracey said: We are delighted to receive this honour and I know our dedicated staff will be very grateful to be recognised in this way. These have been unprecedented times and on behalf of University Hospitals of North Midlands I would like to pay tribute to council colleagues, all our partners and our local communities for their support and generosity.

Thank you to everyone who got involved in supporting our amazing staff and our patients.

Also being awarded the Freedom of the Borough this year is borough resident Jim Worgan.

Both Freedom of the Borough nominations were proposed by the outgoing Mayor of Newcastle-underLyme, John Cooper, and Jim s is in recognition of his life-long support of community groups and associations in the borough.

The community associations that Jim has been a member of are numerous and include Newcastle-under-Lyme Civic Society, the Chamber of Trade, the Philip Astley steering group and Friends of Brampton Museum.

Jim worked for 32 years in the mining industry and has also been a stalwart supporter of local mining memorial groups including the Minnie Pit Memorial Group, the Diglake Colliery disaster memorial group and Apedale Mining

Heritage Centre. He also served for four years as the final curator of the Chatterley Whitfield museum.

Jim has also carried out other public roles and recently served the borough council as mace-bearer. He said: The Freedom of the Borough is such an honour. I am really proud to be nominated, especially in the same year as the University Hospital 26 years ago the staff there saved my life and I m still so grateful to them.

I am Newcastle born and bred - and you could say that I ve lived my whole life in the heart of the borough - I can see the old police station in Merrial Street from where I live.

Over the years I have done all I can to promote and serve the town and to remember and celebrate its communities, its long history and its traditional industries. I think that my late wife, Audrey, would have been proud of this recognition of my commitment to the town - she was always my inspiration.

Previous recipients of the Freedom of the Borough include Gordon Banks, Neil Baldwin (Nello), Sergeant Watchman V, Staffordshire Regiment s Official Mascot. The Staffordshire Regiment was given the honour in 1973, the year of the Borough s OctoCentenary.

CHILDREN S ART COMPETITION

You ungsters focus on policing for competition

Y

oungsters across Newcastle were invited recently by Staffordshire Police to showcase their creative talents and come up with some policee-theme pieces of art.

Offfiicers with Newcastle Neighbourhood Policin ng Team laid down the challenge for the winnin ng creative child to receive a voucher, as well ass a visit from a police dog to their school.

Neiighbourhood officer PC Natasha Egar said: C Children are now back in school after what has been a tough few months for them.

Du ue to the lockdown we haven t been able to go out to our schools as much as we have done preeviously and by doing a contest like this it was a nice chance for us to continue engagin ng.

PC Egar invited children from Newcastle s primaryy schools to come up with some policethemee artwork with participants being able to do a drawing or use some materials to

build something.

The neighbourhood policing team linked up with the force s dog handlers where one of the dogs will make a special visit to the winning child s school.

PC Egar also won the support of one of Newcastle s branches of Morrisons, who kindly donated the other prizes including a £15 voucher.

A spokesman for Staffordshire Police posted these pictures of some of the entries to the competition on the force s Facebook page and stated: A huge thank you to all of the children who entered our recent art work competition.

We were so impressed with all of the entries and wanted to share with you the winners.

PC Egar will be in touch to arrange your prizes.

1 Who became the oldest winner of the Best Actor Oscar this year when he won aged 83?

2 Which word links a small piece of land, a storyline and a conspiracy?

3 What is the only mammal wholly covered in scales?

4 Which TV programme s original theme tune was Barnacle Bill?

5 Which team beat Manchester United to win the 2020-21 Europa league?

6 Neptune, Four Rivers, Boat, Triton and Trevi are fountains in which European capital?

7 Which world leader played cricket for Sussex?

8 What unit was based on the distance from the elbow to the fingertip?

9 One of the world s busiest, where is Europoort?

10 Which two players, from England and France, were the first to be entered into the Premier League Hall of Fame this year?

11 What is the only mammal wholly covered in scales?

12 What type of bird is a mollymawk?

13 Which sitcom had a reunion in May seventeen years after the show finished?

14 Who was famously bequeathed a second best bed ?

15 Which 50-year-old golfer won the 2021 US PGA Championship?

16 What can be added to Chi, Col, Dor, Man, Ro, Si and Win to make up the names of seven English placenames?

17 Who did Dominic Cummings say should have been sacked 15 to 20 times since covid began?

18 Diana Ros, Audra McDonald and more recently Andra Day have all played which singer on stage or screen?

19 What is the name of the river that goes over Niagara Falls?

20 Istanbul should have hosted this years Champions League final. Which other city did it move to?

General Knowledge Answers:1 Anthony Hopkins 2 Plot 3 Pangolin 4 Blue Peter 5 Villareal 6 Rome 7 Imran Khan (now Pakistan MP) 8 Cubit 9 Rotterdam 10 Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry 11 Great Fire of London 12 Albatross 13 Friends 14 Anne Hathaway (in Shakespeare s will). 15 Phil Mickelson 16 Chester 17 Nick Hancock 18 Billie Holiday 19 Niagara River 20 Porto

COMMUNITY AWARD

Thanks for two decades of community support

A

community service in Chesterton has been recognised for its muchvalued work over the past two decades.

The recognition was given by Aspire Housing to the One Stop Shop Chesterton Community Forum.

A spokesman for Aspire Housing posted these pictures on their Facebook page recently and

stated: Congratulations to the One Stop Shop in Chesterton for 20 years working in the community.

Thank you for the dedication of the volunteers who have helped so many over the years.

The One Stop Shop provides information on a wide range of subjects, issues, and events, displaying leaflets on behalf of numerous non-commercial agencies and organisations.

Quizzes compiled by Paul Steele - email: pnsteele@aol.com - Paul's 'Which One?' quiz game is available on Amazon.

qUIz CORNeR

WE RE HEAR FOR YOU

FULLY OPERATIONAL & COVID SAFE DURING LOCKDOWN, FOLLOWING STRICT INDUSTRY GUIDELINES

OPEN ✓APPROVED PPE ✓APPOINTMENT ONLY ✓EXTRA HYGIENE PRECAUTIONS ✓TELEPHONE CONSULTATIONS AVAILABLE

CALL NOW FOR YOUR APPOINTMENT TEL: 01782 622 545 www.ridgwayshearingcare.com NEWCASTLE 25 Marsh Parade, Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Staffordshire ST5 1BT

ENDON

(NEW CENTRE NOW OPEN)

Station Buildings, Station Road, Endon, Staffordshire ST9 9DR

In line with government guidelines and guidance from our professional bodies, both our practices are open in Newcastle, along with our new centre in Endon.

The health and wellbeing of you and your families are of the utmost importance, and we will be implementing strict procedures to ensure the safety and welfare of all our clients and employees.

Please book appointments in advance and comply with our enhanced safety procedures to allow us to serve you and our community to the highest standard of hearing health care.

l

Your local independent hearing specialist With the introduction of masks into our lives, lip reading is impossible, meaning it s so important now to address any hearing

WE ARE ABLE TO FIT HEARING AIDS FROM ANY SUPPLIER

issues you may have.

HERE AT RIDGWAYS WE OFFER:

Give yourself an edge With Livio Edge AI, the power of artificial intelligence is at your fingertips, giving you next-generation sound performance in the most challenging listening environments.

Oticon Opn S is proven to give you even better speech understanding with less effort in noisy environments than our previous generation of hearing aids. Enjoy speech understanding on par with normal hearing.

OPENING TIMES: Monday to Saturday - by appointment, Sunday - closed