Life
The store with more. Est. over 29 years
38/42 High Street, Wolstanton, Staffs, ST5 0HE (Disabled access.) T: 01782 20 40 60 Open 7 days a week 9am-5pm, (10am-4pm on Sundays)
BRAND NEW BEDROOM SHOWROOM NOW OPEN
SPECIALISTS IN ALL TYPES OF FLOORING
20% OFF
SPECIALIST KARNDEAN FITTERS
WE WILL BEAT ANY LOCAL WRITTEN QUOTE FROM STOKE TO STONE
Editor s Letter .............................5
Stone Heritage Centre..............26
Buddy Bag Foundations.............6
Red Nose Day............................27
Chantilly ......................................7
Stone Food & Drink Festival....28
Crown Wharf Theatre ...................8
Reader s Photo..........................29
Story Time.................................12
Warmer Homese ......................29
Painsley Catholic Academy ......14
Award Winning ........................30
NHS ...........................................17
Showjumping ............................31
Mary s Meals .............................18
Ironman 70.3 Stafford .............32
Stafford Shakespeare Festival..22
Ecclian Society..........................32
Elections ...................................23
NHS Hero .................................33
Gatehouse Theatre ...................24
Highways England ...................34
Stafford & Stone Canoe Club. .....25
Westbridge Park .......................35
Dog dly frien ays holid
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
WWW.ITRUSTDRIVEWAYS.MOONFRUIT.COM
0800 321 3214
01785 851 848
editor s letter
Packed full of inspirational stories Belinda Hargreaves Contents Editor life@timesandecho.co.uk Erin Tuckwell & Tracey Redfern Design & Production Jane Walters Advertising Manager Tel: 07817 128582 jane@timesandecho.co.uk Tom Brian General Manager Tel: 07855 242693 tom@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
H
ere we are with another jammed packed edition of the Stone & Eccleshall Life Magazine. And it s full of lots of lovely feel-good community stories despite the fact that we are still in the middle of a pandemic. Talking of which, we have an inspirational story of a Stone doctor who has been working hard on the frontline of the nation s battle with coronavirus. Thank you to all our key workers for all their hard work during the past year. Schools across our area, and indeed across the country, have been doing their best to keep our youngsters educated and we have a lovely h feeature ccontaining lots of praise from o parents about p th hat amazing
Cover photo courtesy of Noel Bennett noelbennettphotography .co.uk,
01785 813888
Find us on Facebook search for Stone & Eccleshall Life Magazine
work. We also have the fantastic news of the keys being handed over for Stone s newly built theatre building to the charity which is set to turn the building into the area s top entertainment venue; there s an inspirational story about a local Rotarian who is doing her amazing bit for a children s charity; and we have marvellous stories of kind-hearted school children and staff also fundraising for various charities. There s also an awardwinning builder from Stone, updates from a town group; an announcement that a popular food and drink festival will be back this year; and news of a former Stone teacher publishing her first children s book all about a pirate named Jack. And there s so much more in this edition, we hope you enjoy reading it. If you have a story to tell about life in Stone, Eccleshall or surrounding areas, please do get in touch by emailing me at belinda@timesandecho.co.uk Until next time take care!
Belinda
BUDDY BAG FOUNDATION
Get creative for children s charity
C
reative people across Stone and Eccleshall are being invited to help a charity with its on-going cause to help children in need. Midlands based charity The Buddy Bag Foundation, which provides a backpack of essential items for children in the UK, who are taken away from domestic violence into safety, has launched a new initiative for crafters. Eccleshall Rotarian Sylvia Keris, an Ambassador for Buddy Bags, explained: The charity packs around 200 Buddy Backpacks every fortnight for vulnerable children in safe houses, with clothing and toiletries matched to age groups from little babies to teenagers; and all backpacks include a comfort toy of a knitted teddy bear, which may
be the only friend the child now has, having left their possessions behind when fleeing at short notice. Sylvia acts as a collection point for the teddies - which are then delivered in bulk to the charitys backpacking sessions. Sylvia is looking for more people to knit (or crochet) teddies, and now the charity is also appealing for people who could kindly sew drawstring toiletry bags to include in each Buddy Bag, along with fabric pencil cases, 8" x 10" with a zipped top or folded flap. Sylvia said: Teddy knitters can use their own teddy bear pattern, or there are some patterns on the Charitys website at www.buddybagfoundation.co.u k which can be downloaded via a link.
Any colour wool, or combination of colours, can be used for the bears, with an ideal size between 6 to 12" tall. People sewing drawstring bags can use any suitable children's fabric, such as mixed poly/cotton, or waterproof, sized approx 12" long and 10" wide; with 24" drawstring to tie the bag. All teddies, drawstring bags, pencil cases and also any unwanted Lego (which helps traumatized children) can be delivered for Buddy Bags to me. Sylvia can be contacted, for further information or to arrange delivery, on 01785 851005. Sylvia added: The charity would like to thank people who can knit and sew for their kind support to vulnerable children at this time.
CHANTILLY
A
long-standing lingerie and beauty company is closing its doors this summer after almost 35 years in business. Chantilly Fine Lingerie erie and Beauty Salon, Salon which is situated in Mill Street, Stafford, will be closing its doorss on June 30. In a message sent out to the salon s customers, Sharon and Cynthia said: As most of you will be aware, Chantilly has been a successful, family business for 34 years. Due to Covid closures, the internet an nd the current economic climate, I have no choice but to close the shop and salon doors on June 30, 2021, for good. Many of you have become friends and have been through all our health issues, and ups and downs over the years.
You have been a great support and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We truly loved every minute and will miss you all. They added: We We wou would also like to thank all our wonderful, professional and caring sttaff. Many have kept in to ouch and become very dear friends. d Chantilly would not have thrived if it wasn t h fo or them. It would be lovely to seee you before we finish, so o please feel free to pop in n for a chat (and a bargain g or two). ) If you have a gift voucher which expired between March 23, 2020 and April, 12, 2021 these will be honoured. Take care of yourselves and thank you for your very valued custom.
Crown wharf theatre
Charity signs lease to take on Crown Wharf Theatre building
A
n exciting project to deliver a brand-new theatre in Staffordshire has taken a major step forward. The charity behind the Crown Wharf Theatre in Stone has signed the lease to take on the building from Joule s Brewery, and work will soon be getting under way on the backstage areas. The outer shell of the theatre has been built by Joule s as a donation to the community. It is part of their Crown Wharf development which features a flagship brewery tap that will be opening its doors later this year. The Crown Wharf Theatre charity signed the lease to take on the theatre building on April 1, which will see the charity
paying just a pound each year in perpetuity. It is now down to the charity to transform a shell into a fully equipped and professional performance and events space, with an internal fit-out of the auditorium, back of house and workshop areas estimated to cost around £750,000. A spokesman for the charity said: We are taking a phased approach and looking to raise a proportion of the total figure initially to provide enough equipment and finishes to make the space usable. From there, the theatre can start to be used while fundraising continues to further develop the building over time. Fundraising has been under way for 12 months through a
sponsor-a-seat scheme and events like the recent YouTube live streaming of A Midsummer Night s Dream. Now the lease has been signed, fundraising efforts will be ramped up, with the charity looking to raise money through funding bids, corporate sponsors, private donations and general fundraising. The spokesman said: Work will be starting soon on the back-of-house areas, which will include dressing rooms and green room facilities alongside an on-site workshop, and the charity would like to hear from local contractors, tradespeople and suppliers who can offer expertise, labour and materials to help reduce the overall cost of the back-of-house work.
Crown wharf theatre Businesses will also have the opportunity to become Founding Partners and be recognised permanently inside the theatre on the Founding Partners Wall . When fully completed, Crown Wharf Theatre will seat over 200 people in an octagonal auditorium, with all the seats moveable to create the flexibility for a huge range of events, filling a longstanding gap in Stone s cultural and social landscape. Craig Chesters, Crown Wharf Theatre trustee, said: We are so grateful to Joule s for their help in getting the project to this stage. Right from the start, they ve shared our vision for what a new theatre can bring to Stone, and their support shows just how committed they are to our town. We ve had some incredible help from volunteers, and it s been brilliant to feel the community getting behind the project. Now
we ve signed the lease and are full steam ahead with bid writing and planning some exciting events for 2021, we d love to hear from people and businesses who want to get involved to make Crown Wharf Theatre a reality. Phillipa Machin, Joule s Brewery marketing manager, added: More than ever, we were eager to be involved in the community whilst building our Stone Taphouse, the most important project in the Joule s history which sees the brands return to our historic hometown. What better way to be involved in the community than through the sponsorship of a community theatre, as well as a heritage centre? As we get ever closer to finishing the taphouse and can see the theatre bar evolve, we re excited to work alongside the charity to create a fantastic offer.
I know I can t wait to be sitting in the theatre amongst friends with a pint of Joule s in hand watching a fantastic local production, enjoying a film or even an album launch. So of course we re absolutely thrilled that the Crown Wharf Theatre charity have signed the lease and we re looking forward to seeing the building come to life very soon as they begin works on site. Watch this space for an exciting array of events coming soon. Find out more about Crown Wharf Theatre and how you can support the project at www.crownwharftheatre.org.uk . If you would like to volunteer, you can email info@crownwharftheatre.org.uk.
STORY TIME
Seafaring adventures book published by former Stone teacher Sue with copies of her book
A
newly published children s author with a taste for the high seas has scored a hit with her story about a pirate with a secret and his fun-filled adventures. Retired primary school teacher Sue Brunt, who writes under the name Nanny Sue, has brought her love of teaching children to read to life, in the tale of Jack, The Pirate with a Secret . Sue, who used to live in Yarnfield, and also taught at St Dominic s Priory School in Stone, topped the Amazon charts prior to the book s publication recently, and has been named author of the week by her international publisher Austin Macauley. Sue said: It s been thrilling to see the book come into print and to already be enjoyed by so many children. I ve taught children to read and foster a love of learning through books and stories for many years, and I ve always wanted to write for children. My tale of Jack The Pirate with a Secret follows my own thirst for adventure. I ve experienced storms at sea, just like Jack does in the story. I ve taken part in a pirate adventure on a galleon while on holiday in Mexico, and I ve swum alongside stingrays, barracuda and nurse sharks as a scuba diver. I m always eager to do the extraordinary, just as Jack does in the story. In the book, Jack sails the seas in his ship the Mucky Duck and faces many challenges on his journey through a storm. But the book is a story with a twist, as Jack has a secret and he doesn t
have the opportunity to tell anyone. Sue, who now lives in Cheadle, explained: Children are encouraged to suggest what his secret might be, as a starting point for creative writing, as a discussion in class or at home with the family, and as a way for children to speak out if they have a worry or concern themselves so that they may share it with an adult whom they know and trust. The story is for four to eight year olds, and can be used as part of the PSHE curriculum in schools. It is bright and colourful and illustrated throughout. It is aimed at all reading abilities, with some more challenging words to stimulate more able readers and repeated phrases to encourage even the youngest listener to contribute to the story. As well as faring so well in the book charts, Nanny Sue s story is proving a smash hit at home with her four grandchildren Toby, seven; Evie, seven; Archie, five; and Isla, five. Toby and Isla both live in Stone. Sue said: The grandchildren think it s wonderful, their names are dedicated in the front of the book. Toby has become a star on Facebook in reading the book, Evie pretends she is a class teacher and reads the book aloud, Archie just loves pirates and Isla enjoys the book as a bedtime story.
The front cove er of J Jack, The Pirate with a Secret by Nanny Sue
STORY TIME Sue taught at St Dominic s Priory School in Stone for 18 years, and has a degree in Early Years Education with Science. She is also a qualified Nursery Nurse, and more recently worked part-time as Assistant Librarian at Leek Library. She added: I have always loved books and the magic that they instil. We know that there are so many restrictions on travel and being able to go off and physically roam the seven seas at the moment, but the great thing about Jack and his story is that it allows you to go on an adventure wherever you may be. Sue s book has also now arrived at Bambi e Bimbi Scuola, a school in Verona, Italy; where teacher Stephen Ryder, who is originally from Staffordshire, is using the book to help teach all year groups. Jack, The Pirate with a Secret is available to buy online from Amazon.
Teacher Stephen in Italy with Sue's book Jack
Sue's grandchildren Toby and Isla, who live in Stone, reading Jack
PAINSLEY CATHOLIC ACADEMYY
Parents praise for remote learning from multi-academy trust
Orla Weatherley, aged eight, from St Dominic s
P
arents have been praising a group of schools for their efforts in supporting home-learning during the pandemic.
The praise for the Painsley Catholic Academy Group of Schools comes after a survey was carried out among the parents of students across the 15 schools in the trust which include some Stone and Stafford, as well as in Cheadle, Tean, Uttoxeter, and Leek. A spokesman for the multi-academy trust said: The Painsley Catholic Academy is delighted to have received almost 1,000 positive parent testimonials for its remote learning provision across all 15 member schools. The two high schools and 13 primary schools were amongst the small number of schools who were able to provide remote learning in the first lockdown in March. Following the announcement of school closures this January, all the schools were up and running with their remote learning on the very next day. In a recent survey from all schools to parents, the combined results show that 88 per cent of parents believe that their child has settled into a good remote learning routine. 96 per cent believe that their school has clearly explained how to access remote learning,
94 per cent of parents feel that their school continues to have high expectations for the children during lockdown, and 96 per cent of parents believe that there is a good range of subjects being covered through remote learning. Five schools scored 100 per cent with this, also. Finally, an impressive 84 per cent would recommend their school s remote learning to other parents. Chief Executive Office of the Painsley Catholic Academy, Steve Bell said: We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our parents. They are the very people who are facilitating much of our remote learning, many of them working from home at the same time. Education has to be a partnership between school and parents, and since lockdown we have never seen that so clearly. Our parents are all doing a fantastic job and d we are very grateful for theirr support.
Jacob Hill, age nine, from St Austin's
PAINSLEY CATHOLIC ACADEMY Here are just a few of the comments received from parents at the schools within our area: St Anne s Catholic Primary School, Weeping Cross, Stafford Teachers are doing a brilliant job in very difficult circumstances and we are very grateful for their continued efforts. We really appreciate what the school staff are doing to make the remote learning possible and keep it going at a high standard at this difficult time, considering many of them are parents too. There are so much pressures on them from the pandemic, from work and from family life too which we can only imagine. We thank you for your wonderful work, your kindness, your patience, your hard work, and most importantly, your love for our children, which have brought comfort and confidence to many young lives through this strange time. Please take care and all the best. We appreciate all of the efforts you have all made and continue to make, recognising that you all had very little notice to prepare for this at the beginning of term. It is a very difficult time and you are all working extremely hard, thanks. St Austin s Catholic Primary School, Stafford I think the provision of online learning is fantastic. The teachers are doing an amazing job. Teaching the class and providing online learning to the children at home which must be a challenge in itself - a big thank you and well done. The Year 6 remote learning is running very smoothly from my viewpoint and I can t praise you all enough for all of your hard and difficult work. It is greatly appreciated. Thank you. I think the team at St Austin's have done a tremendous job in ensuring our children have access to online learning during what is a very difficult time for all. Well done and thank you. Mother Teresa s Catholic Primary School, Stafford I feel my children s teachers are brilliant, and are amazing at how they are dealing with this change of learning. I thank them for everything they do for our children. Thank you to everyone who has worked hard so far to ensure a successful remote learning for the children at home." Thank you for providing me with a clear lesson plan and resources so I can help my child to learn at home. She s really enjoyed the different daily content and has enjoyed the tasks in her subjects that have been set. Also thank you for your quick responses, I appreciate that it can be time-consuming to answer to each parent as well as teaching few children in class and am grateful for your replies, thank you.
Blessed William Howard Catholic High School, Stafford We would like to say a huge thank you to all of the staff at BWH for everything that they are doing at such a difficult time. The online classes are offering a sense of routine and I feel that both of my boys are receiving a really good level of education even though they are at home. Thank you to each and every member of staff for everything that you are doing, it is very much appreciated. The remote learning is absolutely the best that it can be in these difficult circumstances. It follows the school timetable, is meaningful and monitored. I am very grateful and am so impressed that it was put together so quickly. It could not be improved. Thank you. During lockdown since March BWH school and all the staff been excellent to provide an outstanding online teaching curriculum to students. As a parent I never felt my child is lacking any lessons because of lockdown. Thank you all for your hard work to make this happen and providing your students an outstanding support. St Dominic s Catholic Primary School, Stone The staff at St Dominic s Catholic Primary, Stone have been exceptional! There is a clear structure to the new style school online working day and I m impressed that they are juggling the teaching of children physically at school and also remotely! Their dedication is out of genuine care for the children s education and support. The head teacher and staff are a credit to the success of the school and it is much appreciated thank you. You are all doing an amazing job for our children. The boys are still more excited about their in-school days which says even more about your fantastic teaching skills. Thank you very much." Thank you for all your hard work. St John s Catholic Primary School, Great Haywood I would just like to thank the staff for how quickly they set up the home learning for the children and how easy it has been to do. It has made such a stressful time easier to deal with." All the staff are doing a fantastic job, the teaching has gone above and beyond what I expected my child to receive and for that I am extremely grateful, it has made this lockdown so much easier compared to last lockdown and my child is much happier this time also. Thank you to each and every one of you that has made all this possible - you are stars. Thank you to all the staff for being there for both
the children in school and at home doing remote learning. >>
PAINSLEY CATHOLIC ACADEMY << St Mary s C Catholic Primary School, Brewood Thank you for co ontinuing your hard work and dedication w du uring these un nprecedented times. Any queries are dealt A with very quickly and w co oncisely, I think it is ex xceptional what you arre doing and would like to say a huge thank you you. Thank you just doesn t seem adequate. It is amazing that the staff have seamlessly managed to move to online learning with such a wide range of subjects, resources and teaching styles. Not only that, all of the staff are on hand to help us through any issues we have with the various platforms, passwords etc... I would wholeheartedly like to thank each and every staff member for making this really difficult time so much easier for the girls. Kind regards to all, stay safe and well. I m so impressed with the school learning which was set up so quickly at very short notice. It s almost like they re at school.
St Patrick s Catholic Primary School, Stafford Thank you so much to all the staff working so hard for the children and setting up lessons and activities so that their learning doesn t suffer- it also plays a huge role in my child s well-being to be able to see her teacher each day- thank you for all that you do. We really appreciate the support we are receiving during this time - it's amazing - the daily lessons are fabulous- teaching continuing and contact with the school. It must be hard teaching some in class and some at home and we do appreciate that we haven't been left at home to try and navigate gate the learning alone. I really appreciate the dedication of all the teachers and I am in n awe of how quickly the remote learning material was prepared.
NHS
Life on the frontline for a junior doctor
T
hroughout 2020, thousands of finalyear medical students from across the UK were deployed to help during the Covid-19 pandemic. Foundation Interim Year One (FiY1) posts were created so junior doctors could be fasttracked to the frontline. The recruitment process was managed by Health Education England, with doctors travelling from as far as Belfast to take part. A year on, how are the class of 2020 feeling about their early graduation into acute care? Here one junior doctor from Stone speaks about the past 12 months. Dr James Chambers, aged 24 who works in the Royal Stoke University Hospital s busy Critical Care unit, has always wanted to study medicine. James and many of his fellow students had just finished their final year as medical students and were counting down to when they would graduate and officially become doctors. James said: When we were asked to help out, we weren t quite sure what we would be letting ourselves in for, but it was a once-in-alifetime opportunity to contribute to something much greater than ourselves and myself and colleagues leapt at the opportunity to get involved. One of my first struggles was getting used to working in PPE. In summer it was far too warm and it was difficult to hear with the masks. Everything took longer too - changing PPE between patients on the ward round and cleaning everything down felt exhausting. But I think like everything, you adjust to it and now it just feels like normal. The best bit of the experience has been interacting with patients relatives and friends. Everyone is so thankful for everything we re doing. It s really humbling to hear and often helps you get through the day. I remember a five-year-old girl s voice on the telephone saying thank you for looking after my daddy, doctor - that was a really sweet moment for me. Being on the frontline at an earlier stage has helped to improve my independence as a clinician, making me a more confident doctor as a result. It s helped to build our resilience for the future. Under the usual Foundation Year One (FY1) system, medical practitioners undertake a twoyear general postgraduate medical training
programme. This forms the bridge between medical school and specialist or general practice training. But last year students had to start work straight away. Volunteers were asked if they would like to join the interim programme for experience until their rotations commenced in August 2020 and medical staff, rota coordinators, medical staffing and occupational health staff at UHNM raced against the clock with colleagues in Keele University s Medical School to have everyone in place as soon as possible. Dr Mark Poulson is a consultant in emergency medicine and associate medical director for postgraduate medical and dental education at UHNM. Dr Poulson said: The FiY1 role is a completely new one, with doctors deployed in the midst of the pandemic at relatively short notice. The FiY1 doctors have contributed enormously to our response and have rightly received high praise. The prospect of being launched into acute care early would have been incredibly daunting in normal times, but to do it because of a pandemic is really something else. They have thrived and risen to the challenge and we are very grateful to them for their support, selflessness and dedication. The junior doctors across the trust - now fully qualified FY1s - will soon begin to move on to different placements as part of their rotation. Dr Poulson said: FY1s represent the next generation of care and we couldn t be more proud of what they have achieved here. We are confident they will have learned a great deal both as clinicians and about themselves. The experience has undoubtedly been very hard for them, but the fact that they entered into it wholeheartedly and have succeeded is a marker of their dedication, determination and resilience all things needed to be a good doctor.
MARY S MEALS
A
GROUP of schools has raised an amazing £120,000 for a global school feeding charity.
The huge donation, which has been raised by the schools within The Painsley Catholic Academy, has been donated to Mary s Meals. It is a record breaking amount which beats any other single donation to the charity from an academy. The donation is enough to feed almost 8,000 children for a whole school year through Mary s Meals. Back at the start of the academic year in September 2019, the 15 schools within The Painsley Catholic Academy, pledged to raise £100,000 for their chosen charity, Mary s Meals, in a campaign they called 20:20 for Mary. The aim was originally to meet this target by the end of the school year in July 2020. A spokesman further explained: Pupils and staff have undertaken a massive range of events including cake sales, sponsored silences, sponsored head-shaves, sky dives, mountain climbs, bike rides, car washes and porridge breakfasts. Since then, Covid has pretty much changed everything over the past 12 months. Plans have had to be cancelled and put on hold and schools had to change how they operate completely. Despite all the challenges that the schools have faced, the students, staff and parents have continued in their support of this charity, finding ever more inventive ways of raising the cash resulting in a fantastic outcome.
Steve Bell, Chief Executive Officer of the Painsley Catholic Academy said: Mary s Meals is a very popular charity with our pupils. It is a simple charity and that is what we like. It costs just £15.90 to feed a child with Mary s Meals for an entire school year. Research shows that children who eat Mary s Meals: have more energy, feel healthier and happier, find it easier to concentrate and do better in school. The school that we were raising funds for is Kafumphe Primary School, Dowa, Malawi; one of the world s poorest countries where many families live through farming, but struggle to grow enough food. Mr Bell added: Our pupils loved the thought that by raising just £15.90, they would enable a child to eat a nutritious meal every day and attend school for a whole year. However, then the pandemic began. We realised that asking for sponsored events was not feasible, and on March 23, 2020, our schools closed their doors to most pupils. However, the children and staff were adamant that they wanted to continue their fundraising efforts. The deadline for the target was extended until December 2020 with a view to raising as much as we could. This determination was underlined by the fact that the Kafumphe Primary School also had to close and the pupils would potentially not receive any food.
MARY S MEALS During the pandemic, Mary s Meals is providing children with food at home, until it is safe for them to return to the classroom. Parents and guardians collect the food from a central distribution point observing all necessary hygiene and social distancing measures. Soap is distributed along with hand-washing guidance to help support communities resilience to the virus. Gillian McMahon, Director of Supporter Engagement and Income at Mary s Meals, said: We never cease to be amazed by the creative and committed fundraising efforts of the pupils and schools who support our work. The amount raised by Painsley Catholic Academy is so impressive. We are immensely grateful to everyone involved for their extraordinary fundraising efforts. This will help to transform the lives of children in Malawi so they receive nutritious meals, supporting them to feel healthier and happier and making it easier for them to concentrate in school. >>
MARY S MEALS << It s clear that raising these funds have also proved life-changing in a different way for the pupils who took part, really demonstrating that so many little acts of kindness can make such a big difference. One of the core values of Mary s Meals is that the charity believes in the innate goodness of people. There is no doubt that the pupils of The Painsley Catholic Academy have demonstrated this goodness. Mr Bell added: More important than the value of the fundraising, are the values that the pupils have learned along this difficult journey at this seemingly impossible time. We must look after each other regardless of where we live, our gender, our background, our colour, our faith. We are one human race in this battle together. The pupils, through their individual acts of kindness, will collectively be providing 7,862 children with meals for a whole year.
MARY S MEALS The celebrations of this achievement have had to be low key due to the current restrictions. However, the students who attend the schools within the academy, and the wider communities who have all played a part in the fundraising were delighted to receive a video thank you message from Founder and Global Chief Executive of Mary s Meals, Magnus MacFarlaneBarrow. In this video, Magnus said: I can t thank you enough for what you ve done, your incredible 20:20 for Mary campaign. You ve ensured that the children at Kafumphe Primary School can carry on eating, so on their behalf, I thank you with all my heart. Schools within the Painsley Catholic Academy in the Stone and Stafford area are: Blessed William Howard Catholic High School, Stafford; Blessed Mother Teresa s Catholic Primary School, Stafford; St Anne s Catholic Primary School, Weeping Cross, Stafford; St Dominic s Catholic Primary School, Stone; St Austin s Catholic Primary School, Stafford; St John s Catholic Primary School, Great Haywood, Stafford; St Mary s Catholic Primary School, Brewood; and St Patrick s Catholic Primary School, Stafford. The Painsley Catholic Academy also includes seven other schools in the Cheadle and Uttoxeter area.
STAFFORD SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
A popular theatrical festival has been postponed
T
he annual Stafford Shakespeare Festival which was due to take place this summer has been postponed. Freedom Leisure and Stafford Borough Council has taken the decision to postpone the event because of the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic. Now the production of Romeo and Juliet will take place in 2022 with all tickets purchased for the 2020 performance automatically transferred. The annual performance of the bard s work is set against the backdrop of the listed Stafford Castle - which has dominated the skyline of the county town for more than 900 years.
But with the Stafford Gatehouse Theatre currently closed to comply with national lockdown restrictions, Freedom Leisure say planning for future events has been extremely difficult and the welfare of their staff, actors and audience has been paramount. Freedom Leisure runs the theatre, leisure centres as well as major events and sporting activities on behalf of Stafford Borough Council. A spokesman for the council said: This was a very sad decision to take. Shakespeare at the Castle is one of the jewels in the crown of the cultural offering in our county. But it is the right decision. We have seen how things change rapidly and with so much uncertainty still surrounding this virus it is
right to postpone now. I hope those who have bought tickets understand why we have taken that decision and, when we are able to, I d ask people to please return to the theatre and these events as they will need our support more than ever. Work is currently underway to refurbish the Gatehouse, making it a safe and welcoming space for audiences and theatre family to return to. If you do have a ticket for a performance of Romeo and Juliet you do not need to contact the Gatehouse. Tickets will automatically be carried over to 2022 and people will be contacted with dates and show times when the Box Office team are back in the building.
ELECTIONS
P
reparations are well underway to make sure elections can go ahead safely in May.
Stafford Borough Council will be running a number of polls on Thursday, May 6 after elections were postponed last year because of Covid-19. Elections will be held to elect a new Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, for all seats on Staffordshire County Council and Creswell Parish Council and a by-election for a seat on Stone Town Council. There will also be a referendum to decide whether residents of Stone accept a proposed Neighbourhood Plan which helps regulate development in the area. The Government recently announced that the elections would definitely go ahead as planned and issued new guidance to ensure this could be done safely. This included social distancing and wearing masks at polling stations and people bringing their own pen or pencil to vote with. Rules around allowing someone to vote on your behalf, known as a proxy, have also been updated. More can be found from the Government website.
Electors can find out more on alternative ways to vote, such as by post, through information on the council s website at www.staffordbc.gov.uk/elections. The council is also encouraging people who have recently moved house to make sure they are registered - which can be done at www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. And letters are set to be delivered to hundreds of teenagers who have turned 18 and will now be eligible to vote for the first time. Electoral Returning Officer, Tim Clegg, who is the Chief Executive of the Borough Council, said the continuing presence of Covid-19 made running elections even more of a challenge. He said: Our very experienced elections teams plans are well underway for the running of all the polls and our priority is that people will be able to exercise their democratic right to vote in a safe environment. The elections for the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner and Creswell Parish Council did not go ahead last year due to the pandemic. For more information on elections go to www.staffordbc.gov.uk/elections-2021.
GATEHOUSE THEATRE
Government cash boost for theatre
T
he Gatehouse Theatre in Stafford has received a grant of £124,950 from the Government s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help the organisation recover and reopen. More than £300 million has been awarded to thousands of cultural organisations across the country, including Stafford Gatehouse Theatre, in the latest round of support from the Culture Recovery Fund, the Culture Secretary announced recently. More than £800 million in grants and loans has already been awarded to support almost 3,800 cinemas, performance venues, museums, heritage sites and other cultural organisations dealing with the immediate challenges of the coronavirus pandemic. The second round of awards made recently are set to help organisations to look ahead to the spring and summer and plan for reopening and recovery. After months of closures and cancellations to contain the virus and save lives, this funding will be a much-needed helping hand for organisations transitioning back to normal in the months ahead. Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, said: Our record breaking Culture Recovery Fund has already helped thousands of culture and heritage organisations across the country survive the biggest crisis they've ever faced. Now we re staying by their side as they prepare to welcome the public back through their doors - helping our cultural gems plan for reopening and thrive in the better times ahead." A spokesperson for the Gatehouse said: The Gatehouse Theatre has long been part of the Staffordshire arts scene, and is proud of its heritage in supporting both the arts and the community. While the past year and the
pandemic restrictions have taken a toll, the theatre is looking forward to re-opening with a brand new look and a great season of shows. We are so grateful for the support of our staff, volunteers, audiences, and the public over this time. Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England, said: Investing in a thriving cultural sector at the heart of communities is a vital part of helping the whole country to recover from the pandemic. These grants will help to re-open theatres, concert halls, and museums and will give artists and companies the opportunity to begin making new work. We are grateful to the Government for this support and for recognising the paramount importance of culture to our sense of belonging and identity as individuals and as a society. The funding awarded recently is from a £400 million pot which was held back last year to ensure the Culture Recovery Fund could continue to help organisations in need as the public health picture changed. The funding has been awarded by Arts Council England, as well as Historic England and National Lottery Heritage Fund and the British Film Institute. To find out about what s coming up at the Gatehouse Theatre, go online to https://staffordgatehousetheatre.co.uk.
STAFFORD AND STONE CANOE CLUB
Grant support of £10,000 for water sports club
A
water sports club in the area has received a cash boost thanks to a trust.
The Arts and Sports Trust has awarded the Stafford and Stone Canoe Club a grant of £10,000 towards their Junior Coaching project and club equipment. A spokesman for the club said: The Arts and Sports Trust have been supporting junior paddlers at the club for many years with individual grants to athletes. They have helped many young athletes to aim for their dreams of achieving success in the sport. Our well-known club has been paddling on the River Trent in Stone for almost 50 years. In that time we have grown in stature and success, providing coached support to both Junior and Adult paddlers. Each year the club recruits a new group of junior beginners to the club and nurtures them through their learning of the sport. Many of these juniors go on to achieve places on the British Canoeing talent squads. The club has become the most successful Canoe Slalom club in the UK, with many of it s paddlers going on to become World and European champions, and Olympians. More recently Lizzie Neave (Semi Finalist London 2012), Joe Clarke (Gold Medallist Rio 2016) and Adam Burgess who will be representing Team GB in Tokyo 2021 Games. The Arts and Sports trust are a family run charity who have for many years supported children under the age of 18 to achieve the dreams in their chosen field of the Arts or Sports. The club spokesman said: They work with organisations in the field of arts and sports who can recognise areas where
they can help their members to realise their potential by lightening the financial burden that often accompanies the accomplishment of their aims. In 2020 the charity changed it s focus from awarding individual grants via organisations to awarding grants to organisations themselves. This would enable the organisations to fund projects that would be accessible to all juniors. Stafford and Stone Canoe Club successfully applied to become one of the organisations that would be supported by The Arts and Sports Trust; and the charity has awarded the canoe club a grant of £10,000 towards their Junior Coaching project and club equipment. S&SCC Chairman Rob Holdway said: Being able to support and encourage new junior members through a group of enthusiastic, qualified coaches, using equipment and a facility that remains fit for purpose, is critical to our success. Ensuring both aspects is a constant challenge. Therefore, obtaining this grant from the Arts and Sports Trust is very welcome and will help us make sure that we can continue to nurture the champions of the future and keep Stafford and Stone on the map as one of the top canoe clubs in the country. Despite the restrictions over the past year due to coronavirus, the club successfully recruited a new beginners group having put in place socially distanced paddling sessions and other support to keep the venue and its members Covid free. They are now putting in place their recruitment plan for juniors wanting to try out the sport at Taster Sessions this year and hope they will soon welcome to the club the Class of 2021. For further information go online to: wwwstaffordandstonecc.co.uk.
STONE HERITAGE CENTRE
Centre will be an important new attraction
S
tone Town Council have announced that it has now moved to the next stage of development with the exciting new Stone Heritage Centre. The centre has been a planned part of the new Crown Wharf development for some time, to showcase the town and its history and to provide a vital learning resource. Stone s old fire station building, which will be the home of the centre, has now almost reached the stage that it can be handed over to the council. Following consideration and approval by the Council s
General Purposes Committee recently, a lease is now set to be signed between Joules Brewery and Stone Town Council for use of the building, which will then allow the keys to be handed over. Over the next few months, the council states that it will be inviting a number of interested and experienced groups and individuals within the town to join it to help finalise the design of the centre. A spokesman for the council said: It is important that the centre is appealing to visitors, and maintains that appeal over time, so we are making sure
that we involve the right g people p p now as we look to develop the future vision for this valuable resource. We are pleased to be able to support this exciting new development, which will enable us to showcase our town and its rich history to residents and visitors alike. As part of the Crown Wharf development alongside a new Joules pub/restaurant and a new community theatre, it will be ideally placed as an important new attraction
RED NOSE DAY
Trust schools l raise over £2,000 for charity
E
ight of the schools in the Staffordshire Universities Academy Trust raised more than £2,101 for Comic Relief recently.
The fundraising schools, with some in the Stafford area, include: John Wheeldon Primary Academy, Littleton Green Community School, St Peters CE, St Pauls C.E, St Leonard s, St Augustine s, Horton St Michael s. They all carried out activities to raise the collective funds on Red Nose day in March. They sold red noses and pin badges, some asked for voluntary donations for non-school uniform day with the theme Wear What Makes You Happy.
Red Nose Day biscuits and brownies were also sold, they were all individually wrapped and created in the kitchen at John Wheeldon Primary Academy in Stafford. Laura Sharratt at John Wheeldon Academy said: We are so pleased with the amount we have collectively raised in the trust. The team had over 700 biscuit requests which was amazing. The pupils did an amazing job at fundraising and we all had fun doing it. Some schools asked parents to donate directly in place of activities. To keep up to date with the activity of the schools and the trust go online to
STONE FOOD & DRINK FESTIVAL
Full steam ahead for town s popular festival
T
he team behind Stone s annual gastronomic gathering has announced that the event will go ahead as planned in 2021. With the 2020 event cancelled due to Covid19 restrictions, organisers went virtual; publishing a series of online cookery masterclasses featuring local chefs, but this year are keen to get the event back in its original live format on Westbridge Park. Chairman Richard Stevens, who heads up the CIC not-for-profit that runs the event, said: With the government announcing its roadmap out of lockdown earlier this month, we ve had a number of serious discussions and are delighted to announce that the festival will be back on Westbridge Park later this year, should everything go to plan. This year, more than ever, our traders and the hospitality industry in general need our support, so we are determined to give them a fantastic platform to connect with food and
drink loving members of the public. We ve got some exciting changes planned to the format but visitors will still enjoy plenty of old favourites like the gourmet shopping marquees, demonstration kitchen, talks and tastings tent and great live music, plus lots of fun for younger visitors too. Joule s Brewery remains lead sponsor for the 2021 event, with anticipation building ahead of the launch of its new Crown Wharf complex in town, with Lexus Stoke once again on board to sponsor the Demonstration Kitchen. A number of other sponsorship opportunities are available for businesses keen to support the event. The 2021 Stone Food & Drink Festival is set to take place on Friday 1, Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 October 2021. For further information go online to: www.stonefooddrink.org.uk.
READER S PHOTO
Paddling in the canal
S
tone and Eccleshall is such beautiful areas of middle England where we are so lucky to have so many scenic sites.
Here s just one such lovely site, part of Stone Canal, which was captured on camera recently by reader David Forrester, with the added bonus of some visitors enjoying a paddle in the canal. HAVE you captured a good photograph of our area recently which you would like to see appear in the Stone & Eccleshall Life Magazine? Email your photos to our editor Belinda at belinda@timesandecho.co.uk.
WARMER HOMES
Affordable warmth scheme in Stone is first for borough
A
street in Stone is set to be connected to the gas mains for the first time in a free initiative aimed at helping people keep their homes warm economically. Work has recently started on the project which will connect more than 20 homes in the town s Meadowbrook Court to the gas network as part of the project backed by Stafford Borough Council. The scheme has been running for almost two years with Meadowbrook Court the first in the borough to see an entire street connected to the gas mains. To date only one-off properties have been connected to gas and received first time central heating systems. Community schemes provide a solution for streets that are too far from the gas network for individual households to be connected, but there are enough eligible applicants to make the work viable. It is hoped that more streets across the borough not currently connected to the gas mains will follow in the footsteps of the cul-de-sac in Stone. The scheme has been created from the £3.7 million Warm Homes Fund awarded to Staffordshire County Council, working in partnership with energy provider E. ON and district and borough councils to connect 1,000 households across Staffordshire to mains gas for the first time. There are 24 homes in Meadowbrook Court set to be connected to the gas mains initially with more householders in the street now expected to sign up to the offer. Eligible households will also receive free central heating systems as part of the
scheme. A spokesman for the borough council said a lot of hard work had gone on in the background to bring this scheme to fruition. They said: I am very pleased to see work starting on this project which is an excellent example of partnership working between the public and private sector to benefit our residents. It is no easy feat getting individual households in a street together in support of this scheme and I m grateful that the residents of Meadowbrook Court wanted to work with us and could see the advantages this will bring. The work on Meadowbrook Court started mid March and is expected to be completed this month. The council spokesman added: For a number of reasons many of our residents are left shivering in their homes - this may be because the heating system is not good enough or they can t afford to run it. Not having a properly heated home can make people ill or exacerbate other illness. I d encourage people to get in touch now if they need help with keeping their home warm as there is a range of other support available. Residents can contact Warmer Homes Stafford, the borough council s heating advice service run by Beat the Cold, for access to funding, advice and information about improving energy efficiency, reducing fuel bills and keeping warm. To contact Warmer Homes Stafford, call Freephone 0800 677 1785 and for more information about them go to www.warmerhomesstafford.org.uk
AWARD-WINNING
Senior project manager named best in Britain
A
building manager has scooped a top national industry award for building the best quality new homes in Britain. Former Stone resident Kirk Raine, aged 48, has been awarded the Pride in the Job Supreme Award for his outstanding work at David Wilson Homes Doseley Park development in Telford. He won the Supreme Award in the Large Builder category of the Pride in the Job campaign run by the National House Building Council (NHBC), beating competition from more than 16,000 Site Managers throughout Britain. Originally from Stone, Kirk has been working for David Wilson Homes Mercia for 11 years. He started out his construction career as a bricklayer, progressed to become a Site Manager in 2000 and is now a Senior Project Manager. Kirk has previously won nine NHBC Pride in the Job Awards, six Seal of Excellence Awards, four Regional Awards and now two Pride in the Job Supreme Awards. The awards are the most coveted in the industry and are given after inspectors from NHBC the industry s watchdog body carry out a series of site inspections to select the best-organised and best-built housing developments in Britain. Site managers are judged on every aspect of their job including technical skill, quality
workmanship, customer service and site safety. Kirk said: I m extremely honoured to have been given the NHBC Supreme Award, it s a privilege. This has been an enormous team effort and I would like to thank the whole site team and my directors for their support. As a team, we take a great amount of pride in the high levels of quality and service we deliver for our customers at Doseley Park and we re proud to be a five star homebuilder. It s great to see the work Site Managers being recognised and I feel honoured to be part of such a great company. The team at Doseley Park work very hard to create great quality homes for our customers and it is wonderful to be recognised for this. David Wilson Homes parent company, Barratt Developments, is the only major national housebuilder to have achieved the maximum five star rating for eleven consecutive years. Dominic Harman, Managing Director at David Wilson Homes Mercia, said, We pride ourselves on our high standards of housebuilding but this applies to our staff as well, who we work with very closely. By employing excellent team players, we can ensure that our trademark high quality is maintained across all of our sites and Kirk is certainly no exception here. We would like to congratulate him on this fantastic achievement.
SHOWJUMPING
Stone rider becomes company ambassador
A
spiring showjumper Steph Gumn, from Stone, has been appointed as a brand ambassador for an equine feed company. Steph is one of 11 ambitious riders who won their place from 650 entries to join the new Spillers Ambassador Programme. With this leg up from Spillers, Steph hopes to take great strides in fulfilling her equestrian dreams this year. During the year Steph will be given coaching sessions from professional showjumpers Yazmin Pinchen and Alex Hempleman who are both
based in Sussex, as well as consultations from a Spillers nutritionist, £250 of feed vouchers and a collection of riding kit. Steph will also be charting and sharing her progress across social media channels and will become a guest blogger on the Spillers website. Steph is aiming to produce her team of horses from national to international level as well as setting up a collection and AI facility. She said: I am over the moon to be supported by Spillers for the 2021 season. I have lots of exciting plans this year both in the
ring and with my breeding programme so to start the year with this support is very exciting. I can t wait to work with Spillers, I can t thank them enough. Steph was one of 20 candidates shortlisted by Spillers for a place on the programme. She won her place by producing a brief video explaining why she deserved the position and horse lovers on social media voted for their favourites. All the likes and loves were counted as votes and taken into consideration when Spillers made the final decision on the winners.
IRONMAN 70.3 STAFFORDSHIRE
New date for county triathlon event
A
large scale triathlon in Staffordshire has been postponed by a month.
The new date for the Ironman 70.3 Staffordshire event is now set for July 18, instead of its normal month of June. The event takes in some scenic sites of the county including Chasewater, Cannock Chase, and Stafford. A spokesman for the event said: Our teams have been hard at work preparing safe and enjoyable in-person events for our athletes in 2021, including the Ironman 70.3 Staffordshire triathlon. After evaluating the continued status of the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK and the resulting restrictions in place, we want to inform you that the Ironman 70.3 Staffordshire cannot take place in June and has been rescheduled for July 18,
2021. We believe the event will be better positioned on July 18 and wanted to ensure that our athletes, partners and volunteers know as early as possible. They added: Please know that we remain just as focused on creating an exceptional race in the future. Our team will continue to work hard developing and refining operational plans in a manner consistent with local community objectives and within the guidelines and recommendations set by public health entities as it relates to Covid-19. We thank our athletes for their continued understanding and look forward to returning with a great event later this year. For further information go online to https://www.ironman.com/im703-staffordshire.
ECCLIAN SOCIETYSHIRE
Blooming news from society
T
he Ecclian Society is dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of Eccleshall. Here's the latest news from the organisation: Bloom Baskets: The Ecclian Society has launched its annual appeal for individuals and organisations to sponsor a basket or oak post manger in the town centre. Those people who are regular sponsors will
have already received the information and booking form but if you would like details contact Mr Freeman at the society on 01785 851590 or email him at brianhfreeman@aol.com . The hanging baskets are £30 and the mangers are £60, and cheques should be made payable to Eccleshall in Bloom. Open Gardens: The Ecclian Society have announced that this year s Open Garden
Weekend will take place on Saturday, June 19 and Sunday, June 20. The society are looking for domestic garden owners who would like to open their gardens for public viewing at this time. For more details email the organisers at eccliansociety@gmail.co m To find out more about the Ecclian Society, go online to http://eccleshallguide.or g/ecclians.
NHS HERO
A
nurse from Stafford has been called a hero by a patient he has looked after for more than 20 years.
Mr Brian Sirrell, of Welshpool, Powys, suffers with the neurological disorder CIPD (Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy), a condition which targets the body's nerves. Scott Dobing, an advanced nurse practitioner in Neurology from Stafford, has cared for Mr Sirrell ever since his initial diagnosis. Mr Sirrell recently sent a handwritten letter to the UHNM Trust thanking Scott for his work and asking for him to be recognised. He said: It took me about five hours to write the letter because of my condition, but it was worth it. Without Scott I wouldn t be here today. I have known him for so long, he almost feels like a son. When I first met him he was working as a junior staff nurse and he has been able to progress to his current role, which is lovely to see. He has always been a leader and a great tutor. Patients really are his priority. I have witnessed him work extremely hard over the years, he really has such extensive knowledge and expertise. Scott said: I feel very proud and honoured to receive the UHNM Hero award
after being nominated by Brian. I have worked in Neurology for many years and have always considered it to be a natural part of my role to improve patient care at every opportunity, so to receive an award for this is a nice surprise. I am very thankful to Brian, who I have had the pleasure to care for and build up a rapport with. Mr Sirrell has given Scott the UHNM Hero Award. Scott has played a pivotal role in developing the neurology service at UHNM, including establishing the Neuro Ambulatory Care Unit (NACU) in 2015, where patients receive neurological treatments on a day-case basis instead of having to stay in hospital overnight. Scott added: Whilst working as a charge nurse on the neurology ward, I noticed how we frequently experienced difficulty finding beds for scheduled patient treatments. This had a negative impact on patients health due to delayed treatments and it also adversely affected their outcomes. NACU began on a small scale in a store room with three infusion chairs that were sourced from other hospital areas, but six years later it is an essential element of neurology care and treatment at UHNM. Many of our patients now receive their treatments and diagnostic investigations on an outpatient basis in NACU.
HIGHWAYS ENGLANDHIRE
Study set to help rivers scheme become a reality
A
£2.5 million scheme to increase wildlife numbers, provide better access for families and alleviate flooding around rivers in a Staffordshire town has moved a step closer thanks to funding from Highways England. The £150,000 donation has funded an environmental feasibility study which is now under way to develop, plan and cost a five-year plan for the Stafford Brooks Project. The project, partnership of Highways England, Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Stafford Borough Council and the Environment Agency, aims to make major improvements to habitats close to the Rivers Sow and Penk. It would restore and create new habitats on a range of sites across the area including Doxey Marshes, Kingsmead Marsh and Radford Meadows. The work aims to enable wildlife to thrive in the area, mitigate flooding issues and allow people to be better connected to nature by improving public access to sites and creating more green space for families to enjoy. These restored sites could become home to a variety of wildlife including otter, wading birds such as lapwing and snipe and a range of amphibians. Highways England spokesperson Peter Smith said: We are delighted to be part of this project which will enrich the town environmentally, bringing more wildlife and biodiversity around the rivers for families to enjoy as well as addressing issues with flooding. Highways England is very grateful to the people of Stafford for their understanding while we are carrying out the upgrade of the M6 between junctions 13 and 15. In addition to the benefits of the motorway upgrade, we are giving something back to the community with projects like Stafford Brooks, the benefits of which would be enjoyed for generations. It is a very worthwhile scheme and we look
forward to helping deliver the results of the study. The study is set to identify around 25 sites which can be improved for biodiversity, flood mitigation and water quality. Action will be taken to help join up some sites so habitats are more resilient and wildlife less isolated. Senior Conservation Manager for Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, David Cadman, said: We are incredibly excited to have an opportunity to link and restore a range of sites across Stafford to improve biodiversity, water quality, flood mitigation and access as part of forming a nature recovery network for the town. A spokesman for Stafford Borough Council said: This is fantastic news and a great example of how we are working alongside key partners to bring a very beneficial environmental scheme to fruition. It will see the enhancement and restoration of Kingsmead Marsh, supporting a variety of flora and fauna, including local rare plants such as purple loosestrife and brown sedge. Our green spaces have great potential and by working on them collectively we can create a green recovery for the town that benefits people and wildlife for now and the future. One of the council s top priorities is Climate Change and we have recently approved a Climate Change and Green Recovery Strategy and this work will support our aims within the plan. Madeleine Gardner, Catchment Coordinator at the Environment Agency said: It s great to be a part of this exciting project. Urban rivers and streams are a vital habitat for wildlife and the restoration of them can significantly improve river ecology and water quality. This project will not only help to improve the River Sow and its tributaries but also support the health and wellbeing of local residents by providing better access to their rivers and green spaces. It will take us another step further towards delivering the 25 Year Environment Plan s vision of ensuring that our rivers become places where wildlife can thrive.
WESTBRIDGE PARK
Transformation of popular park in Stone will go ahead next year
W
ork on a major transformation of a popular park in Stone is expected to begin early next year.
The makeover of the town s Westbridge Park includes proposals for a new multi-use games area, children s playground, skate park, and outdoor gym as well as improved landscaping, picnic and seating areas, along with a dedicated space for events to take place. It is the next stage of the project following the opening of the Stone Leisure Centre in 2019 and a new HQ for the town s Girl Guides at Westbridge Park as part of the £9 million Stafford Borough Council investment. Additional plans to show a view of the new park is set to be unveiled in the summer and as part of the process the council will be looking for feedback from local residents and organisations before a final scheme is agreed. A spokesman for the borough council, said:
This is great news for young people and families in Stone. We have a tremendous track record in developing fantastic leisure and play facilities in the borough, such as the new leisure centre at Stone, and Westbridge Park will be no exception. We are very excited about having a glimpse of how the park will look when these new proposals are unveiled in a few months time. The spokesman added that the council would continue to update residents as work developed to ensure people and businesses had accurate information about the plans. They added: Our aim is to produce a destination close to the town centre that local people can be proud of, where families and friends can spend many hours enjoying time together in the open air, while children enjoy great facilities and that is designed to complement its wonderful setting.