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Editor s Letter ..................................7 Rotarian ...........................................8 County Show ..................................10 Stone Food & Drink Festival .........12 Queen s Honours ...........................13 Tokyo Olympics .............................14 Girlguiding .....................................16 Allotments ......................................17 Cricket Club....................................18 Stafford Flower Club......................18 When You Wish Upon A Star........20 Reader s Pics ..................................21 Crown Wharf .................................22 Open Gardens................................24 Award-Winning Builder................24
Eccleshall Show .............................25 Fundraising....................................26 Heritage Open Days ......................26 Charity Campaign..........................27 World Record Breaking ...............28 Music Album .................................29 Stafford Gatehouse Theatre...........30 Community Awards .......................31 Retirement .....................................31 Volunteer Awards..........................32 Charity Funding.............................32 Women s Institute .........................33 Gardening.......................................34 Quiz Corner....................................35
editor s letter
Community events are making a welcome comeback Belinda Hargreaves Contents Editor life@timesandecho.co.uk Erin Tuckwell & Tracey Refern 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
So the nation is, of some sorts, getting back to normality after such an unusual past 18 months with the pandemic. As normal times begin to emerge, so too are the events and activities within our community which makes for exciting times ahead. We have the Staffordshire County Show making a welcome comeback, as too is the Stone Food & Drink Festival which always sees our town of Stone buzzing with a fantastic community vibe. Check out our round-ups for both events inside on pages 10 and
Cover photo courtesy of Noel Bennett noelbennettphoto graphy.co.uk,
01785 813888
12. We also have news of the new Crown Wharf project in Stone coming alive with activity, from the opening of the Joules Taphouse to the goings-on at the all-new neighbouring theatre. There has also been lots of celebrations in our area from residents being honoured by royalty, to local sportsman achieving top marks in their fields. And there s so much more for you to read all about in your area. I hope you enjoy our jam-packed edition of the Stone & Eccleshall Life Magazine. If you have a story to tell about life in the area, please do get in touch by emailing me at hargreavespr@outlook.com. Until next time take care!
Belinda
ROTARIAN
A
n Eccleshall Rotarian has been honoured with a prestigious award.
Sylvia Keris has been honoured by Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland with a Champions of Change award. Held annually, Champions of Change are part of Rotary s Champions Awards which recognises unsung heroes whose volunteering efforts have had a huge impact on people s lives both at home and internationally. Sylvia, who is a member of the Rotary Club of Eccleshall Mercia, received her award during a virtual ceremony in June alongside 11 other recipients as well as last year s winners whose ceremony was postponed due to Covid-19. For the past two years Sylvia has become a champion for the Buddy Bag Foundation, which supplies essential items for the immediate wellbeing of children who find themselves in emergency care following a traumatic incident. As an Ambassador for BBF, Sylvia sends out publicity and collects in and labels up the 100 s of comfort knitted teddies, and delivers them to the charity for their weekly mass backpacking sessions, which she has additionally helped at. In 2019 she walked the length of the Grand Union canal from Birmingham to London, and through publicity for the Rotary Clubs she met along the way inspired support for the charity s appeal for knitted teddy bears, toiletry bags and Lego: a message spread nationally via newspapers, posters and social media. So far more than 3,500 knitted teddies have been collected and delivered via Sylvia to BBF, with the figure increasing daily. Her canal walk also raised over £3,100, split between Buddy Bags and Rotary s End Polio campaign, while her 24 hour a day costumed Elf activity throughout December 2020 brought some festive cheer and raised a further £552 in online donations. The search for this year s winners was carried out across Rotary s vibrant network of over 1,700 Rotary clubs, with Rotary members and also members of the public having their extraordinary work recognised. This ranged from feeding disadvantaged people during the Covid19 pandemic to knitting teddies for children in emergency care. Tom Griffin, President of Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland, said:
Thanks to Sylvia and those who were inspired by her, this very worthwhile charity has received fantastic support in providing comfort for children at a time when they really need it. She is a true champion who selfless actions rightly deserve to be celebrated with this welldeserved award. The Champions Awards is about giving those who pioneer, lead and support some amazing volunteering projects the recognition they deserve. The selfless and truly life-changing impact of our champions really demonstrates how we can make a difference and touch people s lives. Rotary is certainly a place where people can turn their passion and ideas into lasting change. There are so many heroes out there and to them I say thank you and keep doing what you re doing . Sylvia said: It is busy but so rewarding to help such a worthwhile charity as Buddy Bags, but thanks must also go to the people across the country who are kindly knitting and sewing teddies and toiletry bags for vulnerable children, and delivering the items to my door. These include Rotarians, people undertaking the Discovery Award (akin to DOE Award) and many individual knitters. For more information about Rotary s Champions Awards visit: www.rotarygbi.org/events or to get involved in Rotary and make a difference in your community, visit www.rotarygbi.org/join
www.stdominicspriory.co.uk www.stdominicspriory.co.uk
OPEN DAY 16TH OCTOBER 2021 16TH OCTOBER 2021
COUNTY SHOW
The county show will go on this year
T
he organisers of Staffordshire County Show have announced that the annual show will go ahead as planned on Wednesday, August 25 and Thursday, August 26. The community extravaganza is set to have all the attractions visitors expect from one of the county s premier events. The show offers something for visitors of all ages. Youngsters will be able to enjoy the Miniature Steam Railway or traditional attractions such as Punch & Judy whilst teenagers and adults will be thrilled by the daredevil, gravity defying stunts performed by the Bolddog Lings Motorcycle Display Team; whilst the next generation of farmers will be inspired by the first-class entries in livestock competitions across the Showground that are at the heart of this traditional agricultural show. The show at the County Showground on Weston Road, some four miles from Stafford, is one of the area s major summer events. During the school summer holidays the County Show offers a full day out for all the family. A packed Main Ring programme includes a range of attractions from the breath-taking Bolddog Lings to show jumping and the Grand Parade of Livestock. In the Country Pursuits Arena visitors can watch the birds of prey display, the ferret roadshow or sit back and learn all about pigs with the Hogg Show. Around the Showground there will be demonstrations of traditional rural crafts such as thatching and drystone walling. However, at the
heart of the Show is livestock with over a thousand cattle, sheep, pigs and goats and over fifteen hundred horses and ponies. There are a number of competitions and shows within the show including the Sheep Shearing Competition, Farriery Competition where blacksmiths compete to make the perfect horseshoe, the Fur and Feather Show with a vast array of poultry, waterfowl and rabbits and the Bees and Honey Show with its working hive. Children of all ages are especially well catered for with a children s farm, an exotic animal display, donkey rides and fairground rides. Shopaholics will be able to browse over four hundred trade stands selling everything from cars to hot tubs. In addition there is a Food Hall with a further fifty stands selling a range of mouth watering local produce. When it s time to take a break what better way to relax than having a picnic next to the bandstand listening to the brass band or the jazz band. However, for something more tranquil there is a twenty-acre woodland, ideal for a walk in the shade or a quiet picnic. The 2021 Show s main sponsor is local business Dunstall Holdings Group incorporating it s two main brands Rea Valley Tractors and Altegra Integrated Solutions. Rea Valley Tractors is one of the region s leading agricultural machinery dealers and they will have a trade stand on the corner of the main ring. Advance tickets, which offer a saving on the gate price, are on sale now, from www.staffscountyshowground.co.uk
