Mercury Mottram St. Andre€¦ · at Goose Green. The swallows have arrived from there long journey from South Africa and have settled every year in ... Mottram St Andrew on Sunday

MercuryMottram St. Andrew

Issue 179 Jun / Jul 2018

The Parish Magazine of Mottram St. Andrew

Produced jointly by the Village Hall Committee and the Parish Council

Well what a great start to the summer,could get very used to this gorgeoussunny climate lets hope it is set tocontinue. I have been busy as usual andslowly getting the garden up to someacceptable standard when I have aspare minute to myself. Looking forwardto a long deserved break and I am off toGreece like Shirley Valentine this monthto soak up some sunshine, eat fetaCheese & olives and celebrate myfriends wedding, very excited to say theleast.

All our farming community are busymaking hay while the sun shines, not sogood for hay fever sufferers but I do lovethis time of year, the sweat smell of cutgrass and the long hazy days. We surehave witnessed some beautiful sunsetsat Goose Green. The swallows havearrived from there long journey fromSouth Africa and have settled every yearin around the farm, swooping and diving,beautiful to watch. It always amazes mejust how far they travel. Migratingswallows cover 200 miles a day, mainlyduring daylight, at speeds of 17-22 milesper hour. The maximum flight speed is35 mph. What amazing creatures theytruly are.

As most of you will know we have sadlylost a few treasured members of ofvillage community. Alma Fletcter sadlypassed away on 24th May 2018 age 79.My heart goes out to all the family and Ifor one am honoured to have had theprivilege be her niece. May she travel onwith her next journey and thank you forall the love you gave to everyone and the

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Front cover image In the heat of the morning Sun - Photo taken by Claire Hatch

beautiful memories you made for me.,Which I hold so very dearly close to myheart. Alma was such a big part of thiscommunity and she will truly bemissed, our loss but heavens gain. Wealso sadly lost another magnificentmember of our community NormanWright who died the next day on the25th May 2018 at the grand old age of102 years. Thank you to both of themfor all there contributions, communityspirit and effort that they both put intoour little village over the years. Whatamazing stars shining brightly in thesky. I am sure you will all join me inoffering condolences and our heartfelt love goes out to the families fortheir loss.

If anyone would like to contribute bywriting an article for the Mercuryplease do feel free to email [email protected]

You can keep up to date with up &coming event via our village website soplease take a look & check out what isgoing on .

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Parish Council Chairman’s Report

�By Bill Pilkington

At this year’s Annual General Meeting ofthe Parish Council held in the VillageChapel on Monday 21st May, RobHughes agreed to succeed me asChairman of the Parish Council.

He was my deputy prior to the meetingand is looking forward to the challengesahead.

During my seven years as the Chairmanof the Parish Council, your Councillorspast and present and the Parish Clerkhave worked tirelessly on your behalf inthe interests of the community.

There have been many challenges thathave been satisfactorily resolved bytaking advantage of the contacts thathave been made within Cheshire East,The Cheshire Association of LocalCouncils, Cheshire Police, ManchesterAirport, The Local Area Partnerships andadjacent Parishes sometimes by workingin partnership with them and DavidRutley our Member of Parliament.

We have had the usual planningapplications to deal with and thenumerous consultations to respond to.The latest one being the Cheshire EastLocal Transport Plan. There is still time ifyou want to respond in a personalcapacity because the deadline is notuntil Monday 25th June.

Our response to the Local Transport Planconcentrated on the poor condition ofour roads, the poor broadband speed,poor mobile phone signal and the lack ofpublic transport. We pressed for theneed to retain the Community Transportthat serves the village due to the lack of

public transport. We also commented onthe traffic congestion in the centre ofWilmslow and the lack of car parkingadjacent to the railway station inWilmslow.

Through our contacts we have beenmade aware of many grants that havebeen available and we have takenadvantage of these which has enabledus to minimise the increases in theParish Council precept. We must be oneof the Parish Council’s with the lowestprecept.

The grants have been used to renovatethe Village War Memorial located in theVillage Chapel and to set up the VillageWeb Site a Government requirement.

Listed below are a few of what has beenachieved by your Parish Council’sinvolvement.

Improvements to Lees Lane andWilmslow Road in Newton involving theimposition of a 40mph speed restriction,the resurfacing and reprofiling of theroad surface on the sharp bends on LeesLane and safety improvements to theMill Lane/Woodford Lane crossroads.Further works are planned. All funded byCheshire East Highways.

The installation of Vehicle ActivatedWarning Signs in Alderley Road andPriest Lane plus the installation of the 20mph warning lights that are displayed atthe start and end of the school day. Allfunded by Cheshire East Highways.

Provision of resident’s parking on theCrescent. Funded by Peaks and PlainsHousing Association.

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Renovation of the Village War Memorialpart funded by a grant from CheshireEast.

Production of a leather bound book ofthe research carried out by localresidents of those who gave their livesfrom our small community during thefirst and second world wars. The bookwas funded by donations raised by theBulls Head public house.

Planting of the Diamond Wood on therecreation ground to mark the Queen’sDiamond Jubilee. Trees being providedby the Woodland Trust.

Purchase for £1 and relocation of theredundant telephone box from AlderleyRoad to the village hall car park where itis now a library.

Refurbishment of Mottram Cross at nocost to the parish.

Persuaded Cheshire East to fund theCommunity Transport provided by D&GLittle Bus that provides a vital bus link toWilmslow and Macclesfield.

Arranged with Vispa a small company inGreater Manchester to provide abroadband signal of up to 60 Mbs toresidents in the village due to the poorservice that we were receiving from BTwhich was more or less non-existent.Hopefully this will be resolved soonbecause BT have been installing fibrecables and cabinets in the village. Nodetails of the speeds to be provided buthopefully the fibre connection will beachieved this summer.

Supported the residents in theirobjection to the setting up of a helicopterflight school in the village.

Preparation of an Emergency Plan for thevillage that hopefully we will never needto activate.

We have supported the petition to retainthe Millbrook Hospital in Macclesfield toavoid patients and their relatives theproblems of accessing the proposedfacility based near Chester.

This will be my final report and hopefullyRob will continue to keep you up to date.Although I have stepped down as theChairman I shall be remaining as aParish Councillor to ensure that there isa smooth transition.

All of your Parish Councillors give theirtime freely on your behalf and it would begood if more of the residents attendedthe Parish Council meetings inrecognition of what the Councillors do forthe community. Without your Councillorsinvolvements most of the above wouldnot have happened, so please give themyour support.

Thank you.

Community - News

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Parish Chairman’s Annual Report 2018By Bill Pilkington

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Good evening and welcome to this year’sannual village meeting where it is youropportunity to raise any issues underitem 9 on the agenda.

First of all can I introduce HayleyShenton our deputy clerk and our newcouncillors who are Andy Levis andYvonne Dodd.

Hayley has been shadowing Ron Taylorfor about six months now.

Andy and Yvonne were recruited toreplace Mike Holland who has providedloyal service over many years to thevillage decided to stand down due tobusiness commitments and TuckerWennell whose knowledge andexperience helped us to respond to theair space change document issued forconsultation by the CAA.

Several of you will know by now that RonTaylor who has been the Parish Clerksince 2009 is handing over to his deputyHayley Shenton at this year’s AGM of theParish Council on Monday 21st May inthe village chapel.

During the nine years that Ron has beenthe Parish Clerk he has worked tirelesslyon behalf of the community workingmany hours each week and I would liketo place on record my thanks to Ron forall the help and guidance that he hasgiven me during my seven years as theChairman of the Parish Council. I knowthat he has been guiding and offeringadvice to Hayley to ensure that there willbe a smooth transition when she takesover from Ron at this year’s AGM.

Thank you.

Your Parish Council has again beenextremely busy responding to thenumerous planning applications andconsiderable time has been devoted toresponding to the various consultationsemanating from Cheshire East and otherorganisations.

The main consultations responded towere from Cheshire East and includedthe proposed reduction in bus subsidies,proposed cuts to school transportservices and their pre-budgetconsultation. The other mainconsultation was the proposed changesto air space procedure.

We objected to the proposed reductionin bus subsidies which would mean asignificant cut to the communitytransport provided to the village, theproposed cuts to school transport, theproposed cuts in highway maintenanceand the proposed closure of the librariesat Alderley Edge and Prestbury.

Due to the numerous responsesreceived by Cheshire East they haveincreased the highways maintenancebudget by £5 million and kept thelibraries at Alderley Edge and Prestburyopen. To date there has been nodecision regarding community transport.

You will know by now that Cheshire Easthave increased the council tax for thisyear by 5.99% and more increases arelikely in future years or budget cutsunless they find more efficient methodsof working.

The Parish Council has also made asmall increase in the village precept of2.5% from £7,280 to £7,462 anincrease of £182 and also made a

Community - News

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similar percentage increase to theallotment rents.

During our examination of CheshireEast’s budget we became aware of thesuspensions, resignations and policeinvestigations into the conduct of anumber of senior officers and councillorsat Cheshire East. We understand thatthe investigations so far have costCheshire East Council Taxpayers£720,000, money that could have beenbetter spent on the provision of servicesor minimising the Council Tax increase.We took up our concerns with DavidRutley our Member of Parliament whoforwarded a response from Sara Barker,Head of Strategic HR at Cheshire Eastwhich we have responded to.

Her response stated that Cheshire EastCouncil deals with concerns about seniorofficer conduct responsibly. Theinvestigation and Disciplinary Committeehas made decisions to suspend certainofficers while investigations intoconcerns about officer conduct continue.

They state that the Council is not able tomake any more detailed commentsabout the matters that are underconsideration by the investigation andDisciplinary Committee because theserelate to disciplinary issues which areconfidential.

They assured us that the Council isproceeding with all possible speed inrelation to these matters which havebeen going on for about 12 months.

Moving on we have managed to get thedrains and gullies dealt with this year byCheshire East highways something thathas not happened for some time. Manywere found to be well and truly blocked.

There have also been many water mainleaks in the village the worst ones being

in Wilmslow Old Road which have nowbeen satisfactorily dealt after muchpestering by the Parish Council.

20 mph speed restriction signs havebeen erected on the approach roads tothe village school that are activated atthe start and end of the school day.

Emily Blair who was our PCSO has nowbecome a police officer with the GreaterManchester force. Hannah Jackson tookover as our PCSO and has attended ourParish Council meetings when her dutiespermitted and always provided us with areport of recorded incidents in the villageand surrounding areas. Unfortunatelydue to reorganisations in the local policeforce Hannah has been relocated withinCheshire and her replacement is AnnaJenkinson who unfortunately cannotattend this evening’s meeting but Annawill be in attendance at our ParishCouncil AGM in May and continues toprovide us with police reports.

The telephone box that the ParishCouncil bought and had repositionedoutside the village hall has now beenpainted and shelving fitted and has nowbeen opened as a library as intended.The opening ceremony was performedby Kath Hughes, a local best-sellingauthor, who is the wife of Councillor RobHughes who is the vice chairman of theParish Council.

We have had the finger post directionsigns repainted.

Fibre Broadband is hopefully a stepnearer and Councillor Hughes will bringyou up to date under item 5 on theagenda.

The parish council whilst obtainingquotations for the cleaning of theMottram Cross that is a grade two listed

Annual Report 2018 continued……….By Bill Pilkington

monument near to the cross roads at theBulls Head were approached by thechairman of Aura Conservation ofStockport who carried out the cleaning atno cost to the village.

At our regular meetings at the Airport wewere advised that they are experiencingcongestion problems on the Terminalforecourts and it has been necessary toconsider solutions to the problem.Although they have invested in variousprogrammes to increase capacity, theyare limited by security issues that restricthow close vehicles can get to theTerminal front. The simple fact is theforecourts were not designed to handlethe number of vehicles they do todayand do not have the capacity to copewith any further growth in the number ofpeople being dropped-off immediatelyoutside the terminals.

They are therefore investing in adedicated drop-off site, from where afree shuttle bus service will operate to allthree terminals.

In parallel, an Express Drop-off chargewill be introduced in the areas directlyoutside the three terminals. From June ifyou are looking to drop off or be droppedoff at Manchester Airport; this will bepossible free of charge at their drop offpoint or you can choose to pay £3 for fiveminutes (£4 for ten) to be dropped offoutside the Terminal front.

We were also advised of theGovernment's noise policy,effective from January 2018, which is tolimit, and, where possible reduce thenumber of people in the UK significantlyaffected by adverse impacts from airportnoise.

We were also advised of their planneddual use of both runways.

This year we will be looking into therenovation of the village pump in OakRoad which is part of our village heritage.

We are still trying to get improvementsfor the sighting for vehicles exiting MillLane which is proving difficult due to thehedge being owned by Adlington Hall. Webelieve that only solution is for the hedgeto be replaced by Cheshire Railings thatcan be seen through and we are trying topersuade them to take the necessaryaction.

After more than 50 years of complainingabout the junction of Mill Lane andWoodford Lane with Lees Lane weunderstand that plans are currentlybeing drawn up to improve the junction.Certain works have been carried out inthe last few years after muchcampaigning by the Parish Council thathave included the imposition of a 40mph speed limit on Lees Lane, LeesLane has been resurfaced and re-profiled on the sharp bends by ParkersNursery where there had beennumerous accidents, crash barriers arecurrently being installed and a safe areafor children to await the school bus hasbeen provided. The issue will be raisedagain at the Cheshire East highwaysmeeting at which we will be represented.

We will also be raising our concerns overthe poor state of the roads in the village,there being numerous potholes anddamaged roadside verges which wekeep reporting to Cheshire Easthighways. I would urge all of you to reportany road defects to Cheshire East ontheir web site, the more complaints that

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they get might increase our chances ofseeing improvements.

We are also looking at new ways ofimproving communications with you.Currently there is the village web site andthe Mercury which is issued six times peryear. The current editor has advised thather work commitments are making itimpossible for her to continue and wehave been attempting to find a neweditor. Therefore if there are anyvolunteers please let us know. We wouldlike to set up a circulation list ofresident’s emails with their permissionso that important information can becirculated to all who sign up at theearliest possible moment. Hopefully thiswill not contravene the EU dataprotection directive that comes intoforce in May this year.

The 11th November this year will be thecentenary of the end of the First WorldWar and as a village we will need todecide if we wish to mark this event andif yes how. There will be the annual

remembrance service in the chapelcommencing at 10.30 when weremember all those men and women,especially the 23 men form our smallvillage community, who gave their liveson behalf of their country.

Consideration will need to be given to theupdating of the Parish Council HonoursBoard that is located in the Village Hall.

The emergency plan for the village willneed updating and will be discussed atthe AGM of the Parish Council onMonday 21st May and an updated copywill be available to view on the villageweb site. The Parish Council AGM will beheld in the village chapel in Priest Laneand all are welcome to attend. Themeeting will commence at 6.30pm asusual.Are there any questions on the reports thatyou have heard and are there other issuesthat you would like to raise? The meeting isopen to you.

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Annual Report 2018 continued……….By Bill Pilkington

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Methodist ChurchBy Ian Wright

Community - News

After the winter doldrums we are at lastbeginning to catch up a little with thoseevents cancelled earlier with a coffeemorning hosted in the chapel on 12th

May in aid of East Cheshire Hospice. Asthis is being written before the event theamount raised has yet to be revealedbut more on that and other things nextbulletin!

As we head into summer our nextspecial event of the year is a culinarytreat when on Saturday 4th June wehold a Strawberry tea in the VillageHall from 2pm to 4pm. Suggestedadmission is £5 for adults £2 forchildren, and we can’t do better thanrepeat our comments made last yearwhere we were planning to have asmany tables and teapots ready for atraditional afternoon tea as we did theyear before! Hopefully we will again haveplenty of visitors to enjoy the ‘fruits’ ofour labours! As this is one of our mainfundraisers in support of the chapel wehope those serving and assisting will bevery busy indeed so come along if youcan. You will be very welcome!

On the following Sunday 10th June, weturn to more spiritual endeavours as wecelebrate our annual Open Air Serviceonce again to be held outside thebungalows on Alderley Road at 2.30pm.This year the service will be led by RevSue Swires for the first time so we hopethe weather is going to be kind. As somemay remember it rained heavilythroughout the service last year thoughwe did survive! This year we will again beserving refreshments after the service

thanks to the generosity of MichaelNixon providing the power to heat theboiler; this regardless of the vagaries ofour British weather! We are of course,hoping for a fine day but one neverknows so bring along a‘brolly/sunshade?’ just in case they areneeded! Please come along if you can asan open air service has a special feel toit all of its own even if it does rain and it’san opportunity to be reminded that weare all part of the great outdoors and themiracle of creation.Just a note here that there will be nomorning service at the chapel on thatday as it is replaced by the special OpenAir service mentioned above.

As yet the chapel continues on without anumber of key administrative postsbeing filled though we are seeking asolution to this in a positive way andhope the matter is resolved soon. In themeantime we carry on with our SundayServices each week as normal at9.30am; a time to step back from ourbusy lives and consider things morespiritual as we worship God and bringour prayers to the forefront of our minds.At present we are aware of a number ofpeople in our village suffering from onemalady or another and will be thinking ofthem and praying for them during ourprayers of intercession each week.Helping to support one another in timesof difficulty should be one of our keythemes and in a church context isperhaps at its most powerful as weshare together. Every one of us is valuedby God and important to us all.

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We explore such themes in other ways;not least through our Fellowshipmeetings. Our next get together will beheld on Thursday 31st May at 1.30pma little later in the month than usual aswe bend to accommodate summerholidays etc. The meetings are open toanyone who would like to join us forthese interesting discussions with areminder that in this series of reflectionsand bible study we are looking at thepsalms and how they still relate to ourlives even today.

Ian Wright (Secretary)Tel:01625 583704

Community - News

We are seriously in need of new playersso if you fancy having a go then pleaseget in touch, come along and have a go.We will try to arrange some dates at thebeginning of the season for potentialnew members to get together.

My number is 01625 820231 or email:[email protected]. We hope tohave our annual Presentation night atthe social club in the near future andmembers will be informed as soon as adate is fixed. Wishing you all a goodseason in 2018.

Bowling ClubBy Phillis Kennerley

We have lots of reasons to be cheerfuland the joy of the spring daffodils areone of them that have been spectacularthis year. At our Wednesday we haveenjoyed our Christmas meal together,Celebrated Happy Birthdays withoutexception brings each one of us a littlecloser together. We all enjoyed ourspringtime outing at the WilmslowGarden Centre which included adelicious lunch.

Wednesday ClubBy Joan Williams

We still enjoy our quizzes, bingo, rafflesand a game of darts. Which brings usright up to date with the wonderful newsthat our Pauline won the silver cup forher brilliant win over the year. I hope youare pleased to see Pauline’s enjoymentin her photograph.We are a fun loving, good bunch ofadventurers if would like to join us andare thinking about it, please callMargaret or Pauline.

Contact: Pauline GlancyTel:01625262940/Mob:07731483022or Margaret PottsTel: 01625 582154

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16 By Ian Wright

As spring progresses it isn’t just the springbulbs to look forward to but the blossoming ofspring in all its fullness. In fact the early part ofthe year is full of promise it’s hard to knowwhere to start with the appreciation of it all.One thing I like to see is the unfurling of thefern fronds (also known as crosiers as theyresemble the staff carried by bishops), as theyemerge. In my ‘natural’ garden there are manyexamples as they come in so many shapesand sizes, some evergreen, some dying backfor the winter, looking for all intents andpurposes as though they are dead, only tosprout forth again in the spring. Most are longlived and often spread of their own accord,some such as the Hart’s Tongue Fern (Phyllitisscolopendrium), a little too enthusiastically!Ferns in general have been a favourite of minefor some time, and not just in the garden butwherever I find them, particular the smallerspecies which grow amongst the rocks ofmountain or by the sea.

Many years ago when my enthusiasm for fernswas at its height I joined the BritishPteridological Society; ferns being classifiedas Pteridophytes (basically translated asWinged Plants). I remember that shortly after Ijoined, members were asked to vote on aproposal to change the name to the BritishFern Society. I voted against. It had taken mea fortnight to master pronouncingPteridological! (The ‘P’ is silent and starts as‘t’; at least in the way I pronounce it it does!). Ineed not have worried. The proposal wasdefeated on a technicality as the termPteridophytes also covers the Horsetails andthe Club-mosses, (As we all know!), and theywould have felt left out!

Seeing the fern fronds emerge as the weatherwarms is a treat for any fern lover and from anartistic point of view they can be beautiful.Bracken (Pteridium aquilinum), is possibly ourmost recognised fern; not that you would want itin the garden, though the tips of its fronds aresaid to be edible. I have to confess I haven’tsampled this supposed delicacy as part of anysalad mix. I suspect it is specialist gourmet farelike some toadstools, so have never risked it!Cowardly I know, but I am still alive!!

The Victoria age was the hey-day of fernappreciation; a time when fern mania sawmany well to do garden lovers vie for who hadthe best collection or who could spot the mostobscure forms and varieties. Many of thesegreat collections were lost during the time ofthe Great Wars as gardens were neglected orturned towards food production. Socialchanges too, added to the decline and thereare far less varieties to choose from nowadayswithout going to specialist nurseries or growingyour own which is interesting but requiringconsiderable patience! Despite this rathernegative view, even the most common speciesand forms are well worth growing. Many growwell in shade, particularly damp shade, and afew like the Shield ferns (Polystichum) and TheCommon Polypody (Polypodium) will standquite a lot of drought (if we ever get one!).There are also ferns for every part of thegarden, whether this is in the borders amongstshrubs or by a pool or in the rock garden or drystone wall. Something for everyone!

The Untidy Gardener

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Village HallBy Steve Hatton

We held the 2018 AGM on Monday ,16th April 2018 . The Chairmanreported that 2017 had been asuccessful year for the Hall. A summerworking party had made a great job ofsprucing up the buildin and the grounds, taking on a number of repairs andredecoration tasks . By the end of thesummer, the Hall was looking betterthan it had for several years. TheFinances remained in good shape , withan increase in the bank balance , mainlydue to an increase in revenue fromhiring out the Hall . New activitiesincluding the Parent/Toddler group hadbeen successful with more than 30children registered in that group. TheChairman thanked the Trustees for theirtime and efforts during the year , withspecial thanks to the Treasurer,Bookings Secretary and the TrusteeSecretary for their hard work .

Appologies for last months editorialblunder the article was not updated dueto the editor of the Mercury being adingle! Sorry Steve. This months youhave relevant information.

Steve Hatton Tel: 01625 590879

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We saw the return of Billy Mitchell after hisfirst sell out visit to the Hall. Billy delivereda great night of entertainment and was onstage for close to 21/2 hours in total. HisGeordie humour and songs from a widerange of musical genres made for athoroughly enjoyable night of live music.

Next up is what you can only describe as“Folk music royalty “ , and two for the priceof one ! On October the 13th we haveMartin Carthy and John Kirkpatricktogether for what promises to be a veryspecial night

For more than 50 years, BBC Radio 2Lifetime Award winner , Martin Carthy hasbeen one of folk music’s greatestinnovators. His skill, stage presence andcharm have won him many admirers andinfluenced a generation of artistsincluding Bob Dylan and Paul Simon.

John Kirkpatrick is one of the most prolificfigure on the English Folk scene both soloand with a host of other musicians . he hasestablished a reputation as aninstrumental virtuoso with melodeon,concertina and button accordion. He hasbeen a member of the Albion Band andSteeleye Span among others

Details, further information and on linebooking can be found on our recentlyrevamped websitewww.musicatmottram.com. You can findYouTube clips , reviews and an on lineticket booking site

https://www.musicatmottram.com/

The official opening of the Mottram St.Andrew Telephone Box Book Exchangetook place on a rainy Monday 2nd Aprilattended by Parish Council Chairman BillPilkington and other Councillors. Theribbon was cut by local bestsellingAuthor Kathryn Hughes who recentlytopped the charts with her first Novel TheLetter. Kathryn has since had two furtherbooks published and is developing anInternational following. The success ofthe Telephone Box project has beennowhere near as instant as Kathryn's asthe idea of acquiring the Box from BT topreserve it for future generations wasfirst conceived eight years ago. The boxwas briefly used as a library in its originalposition on Alderley Road but thelocation was not safe to encourageparking and a decision to move it wasmade. Planning permission was grantedand the dilapidated box was moved to itscurrent position on the Village Hall carpark. The Box has now been completelyrestored and shelved to accommodatebooks and makes an ideal small library.Residents are encouraged to exchange

Village News - Telephone Book ExchangeBy Bill Pilkington

their books without membership fees,fines for late return or even having tokeep quiet while they do it. Thetraditional red phone box will bepreserved for generations in a safeposition and will be maintained whileproviding a useful facility for theCommunity. The box can still be utilisedfor telephone calls, that is provided theuser is carrying their own mobiletelephone as all the original equipmenthas been removed.

Chairman Bill Pilkington said he isdelighted that the project has beensuccessfully completed and has been sowell received by the Village. The loss of aBritish Icon in the Village has beenavoided and will be here for people tosee as well as use.

Kathryn kindly donated two copies of herbooks for inclusion in the Book Exchangeand volunteered to help organise theventure in future with the help of herhusband Rob Hughes who is also ViceChairman of the Parish Council

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Kathryn Hughes cuts the tape while Bill Pilkington and other Councillors look on

Head Teacher’s ReportBy Miss Jean Willerton

The children and staff of Mottram StAndrew Primary Academy continue to bebusy with lots going on in school. Staffare committed to providing the very bestfor our children who have such a positiveattitude to leaning and take advantageof everything on offer.

Sport has a high profile here and wehave a wide range of different sportingactivities within our enrichmentprogramme. These include football,yoga, quick cricket, rounder's, netball, taichi, gymnastics, martial arts, athleticsand fun P.E. Last term, during SportRelief week, the children all ran a ‘dailymile’ on the school grounds and joined inwith HIIT sessions from Joe Wicks, the‘Body Coach’. Our Year 3 and 5 classeshad a fantastic football coaching sessionwith Michael Carrick. Children havecompeted against other schools infootball, cross country and athletics.

During the first week of term, our Year 4and 5 children went on their residentialvisit to the White Hall Centre in Buxton.For the Year 4 children, it was their firstschool residential visit and for somechildren the first time they have beenaway without their parents. Residentialvisits are an important part of ourcurriculum and help to build team work,independence and confidence. Thefocus was on outdoor activities whichincluded abseiling, canoeing, streamscrambling, a night hike and the zip wire.

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Mottram St. Andrew Primary AcademyThe children had to work outside of theircomfort zone and showed a willingnessto get involved with all of the activities.The staff were proud of their resilienceand excellent behaviour.

We have been very pleased with thesuccess of our Nursery, which openedlast September, and is now an integralpart of our school. It offers an excellentprovision during that important yearbefore children start in a Receptionclass. We take children from theSeptember after they are three and offerflexible hours. The core sessions are8.45-11.45am and 12.15-3.15pm andfree childcare hours can be used forthese. We also offer wrap around carefrom 7.45am-6pm. If you know anyonewho might be interested in a Nurseryplace then please ask them to [email protected]

We were all very proud of our Year 6children who have just completed theYear 6 SATs tests. The childrencompleted tests in maths, reading,spelling, punctuation and grammar. Theteaching staff and children have allworked very hard over the last fewmonths and we are sure that the resultswill reflect this. They have just leftschool for their residential trip to theConway Centre which will be an amazingweek for them.

Our Summer Fair is on Friday 6th July,here at school. It is a major fundraiserfor us and we would love to see as manypeople as possible here.

Primary Academy

WHITE HALL RESIDENTIAL TRIP 2018

Follow us on Twitter @Mottram_Academy or visit our website www.mottramacademy.org.uk

1st MSA Brownies

The Brownies have completed theirimpact badge....looking at how we areimpacting our world and the changeswe can make. We all made shortbreadwith the help of Mrs. Stelele for part ofthis badge and cooks badge.

We are going to Tatton Park to dosailing and canoeing on the lake in Juneand have a water slide and picnicplanned.

We will start home safety and brownieskills badges this term.

We meet on Tuesdays in the village Hall6-7.30

Katy Hatton ( Brown Owl).

Contact: 01625 590879

1st MSA Guides

Our numbers have increased to 18. Wehave just have a cake decoratingcompetition with the theme of flowersand completed the impact badges byraising money to buy blankets for thechildren of Syria.

In June we are sailing and canoeing onTatton Park lake and having a campsleepover.

In July we are going to an internationalscout and Guide camp with over 4,000

GuidesBy Katy Hatton

BrowniesBy Katy Hatton

24

people from around the world. BearGrylls is attending for one day, flying inwith his helicopter, so the girls areexcited.

We meet on Fridays 6-7.30 in the villagehall

Katy Hatton (Owl)

Contact: 01625590879

In Loving Memory of two great membersof our community. Condolences to allmembers of the family. They will besadly missed. Fair well and may youboth shine brightly in the starry sky.

Alma Fletcher:1st July 1939 - 24th May 2018

Norman Wright: 1916 - 25th May 2018

In Loving Memory

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Community - News

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PilatesHeidi puts us through a very interestingand varied session every Wednesday13.30-1.30 in the village hall.

Do come along and try a free session.

Contact: Katy Hatton

Tel: 01625 590879

BABYSITTINGIf you need a local Babysitter

I'm available to help out.Please give me a call

Gemma Holland

07837 950904/07920 118599

MSA walkers

Our walking group continues to meetand enjoy our local adventures. If youfeel like joining us come alone and enjoythe country air. The next walks are;

Wednesday 27th June

Thursday 12 th July

Please let me know if you intend goingon any of these walks so that I can senddetails of where we are going.

Contact:Katy Hatton Tel: 01625590879

Email: [email protected]

Toddler group

We are flourishing with 34 children onour register. Thankfully they don’t allcome every week! The atmosphere iscalm and relaxed.

We meeting on Mondays 10.30 - 12noon.

Contact: Katy Hatton

Tel: 01625 590879

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Community - News

(shared by Jill Hillary)Beth Gardom lived in Mottram for over 50 years with her husband Regand both immersed themselves into village life. I shared extractsfrom 1986 & 1987 in the previous editionS of our Mercury and now wemove on a year to 1988 to see what was happening in the village andsociety in general.

January

Welcome to 1988. I wonder again if Reg will retire this year.

– Bad gales on Sunday evening and the electricity was going offand on. Men called on Monday morning and said they would trimback the branches that are touching the wires.

– Dreadful gales were forecast for Tuesday (to have started bynoon) and they were not joking. There was a specially fierce gust at5.00 pm.

March

– What an excitement on Tuesday afternoon – the Hunt wentthrough! Horses along the lane at the back, hounds across the fieldand (six of eight of them) through our garden. Meg nearly went mad– what a good job she was not outside, I dread to think what mighthave happened. There must have been about 50 followers – twenty orso in pink and a lot of others. Tally Ho! What memories it broughtback to me, of the pack at Bridge End and of the Meets at Oulton.

– cutting from newspaper. “Spring seems to have sprung in NewYork but the pessimists are saying: remember the blizzard of 88. That’s1888. It struck on March 10 after similarly balmy weather, bringing21 inches of snow, drifts of over 20 feet and 85 mph winds. Itscentenary is being marked by books, an exhibition and lots ofsnowdrift pictures in the papers but so far, the forecasters say, there isno sign of a commemorative re-enactment.”

– Budget day – tax reduced.

There was a coal tit here today.

The pond is full of frogs and they are really noisy during the night.The fish don’t seem to mind, and are happily clustered around theirheater.

– Cutting from newspaper – “A Farewell party was given this weekfor retiring district physiotherapist Reg Gardom. The party was heldat Mottram Village Hall on Friday. Mr Gardom was presented with acheque and treated to a floor show produced by therapists from WestPark Hospital. Mr Gardom, who has worked in Macclesfield for thelast 34 years now intends to spend much of his time working asSecretary of Mottram St Andrew Village Hall. The near futurepromises to be busy with a fund raising campaign for a new villagehall and the celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the hall in 1989.

Mr Gardom will be continuing his roles as school manager and localparish councilor”

– A very busy and tiring week for Reg. Many speeches were madeat various lunches and dinners and he was presented with a compactdisc player and a cheque for £220 from the physio party – we intend toget things for the garden. Perhaps gates or fencing.

– Reg retires!!!

April

– Got fence from Astbury garden centre. Reg worked extremelyhard putting it up behind Little Cottage.

– Cut these out for Reg to read. Just hope they have the righteffect.

“CANCER – The moon, your planetary ruler, is passing rapidly throughyour sixth house of work indicating that routine chores are piling upand need to be tackled without delay.”

“The trouble with doing nothing is that you can’t take any time off.”

And one I don’t want to show Reg “If you want things done, call abusy man – the man of leisure has no time.”

May

- Very hot day – well over 96°. Reg filled the hanging baskets.

– Got very cold watching the bowling.

June

– Russell Harty died today after a long fight against hepatitis. Ishall miss him from Countdown.

– Reg bought new Woods. I am paying, I think, for his birthday.

– The day of the explosion. Newspaper article reads “Firedestroyed a shed at Priest Lane, Mottram St Andrew on Sunday after agas cylinder caught alight”.

– Insurance assessor came.

– Skip came for us to load rubbish. Reg and Garnett worked VERYHARD all the hot afternoon.

– new shed erected. Skip taken away. Neighbour Penny at Ascottoday – in a very smart hat.

– Village Fete – great and made £600+. Woodford Airshowcancelled.

July

Newspaper article “This month was the wettest July in 50 years and the22nd wettest since 1727 when records began. A depressing 128millimetres of rain were recorded against an average of just 73mm.”

August

– Flood in kitchen! Central heating pump has packed up.

– Ruby wedding. I think everyone enjoyed the party.

– After they had helped Reg to tidy the Hall Ros, Jack, Benny andElsie came to a “barbecue” type lunch here. We really must get abarbecue.

– Barbecue and Grand Draw at the Village Hall. Baked 30potatoes and made a large salad. Evening was a great success.Group was excellent but noisy. Made c. £850.

t – We bought a barbecue – that should fix the weather! Reg moveda large frog gently along with his foot, and it turned and “growled”and spat at him. He was quite alarmed.

September

– Flower Show day. Entries much as last year. Reg 3rd for marrows.A good show except that money was stolen from the door.

Forty nine years ago today I was in the school yard, waiting forevacuees to arrive – because “no such undertaking had beenreceived”. It was a hot, sunny day.

– Hoe Down at Hall. The blue tits are hammering on the windowall the time.

Newspaper article “CANCER – The quicker you make a start onimportant domestic improvements the sooner you’ll be free to get onwith activities that are, in the final analysis, more attractive. Youmay have to give in to relatives’ wishes” – Feel Reg should take note ofhis star sign today.

– We have been really gripped by the Olympic Games this time butwe do watch first thing each morning. I was most pleased by ourHockey Gold, I think, because it was a team effort. So pleased thatLinford Christie was cleared of drug taking. So sorry Daley Thompsonwas injured and missed the medals. So fed up with the commentatorsburbling on – especially Brendan Foster.

October

– The Olympic Closing Ceremony was fantastic, of course, but(because of the difficulty of photography I think) didn’t come over aswell as the Opening.

– WI 40th anniversary. Was invited to go as a previous VicePresident.

– Reg at Hall – men were building bonfire.

- Bonfire meeting (Reg). A lot of Halloween bangs.

November

– Reg at Hall most of day. Michael here to sort fireworks.

– Reg at Hall all morning.

– Reg at Hall 0930-4.00.

– Reg at Hall am. I’m getting fed up.

– Hall Bonfire 7.00. All went well at bonfire and a good time washad by everyone.

– We think the heron has been. Two fish have gone.

– Only one fish left now. We are sad.

– To garden centre about dead fish.

– Reg busy with articles for the new village newspaper – “TheMottram St Andrew Mercury”

– To Kennerleys 7.30. Phyllis 50!. Good party for Phyllis. Lovelyfood.

– Heard an explosion this morning. It was at the airport. Oneman killed.

December

– Jumbo Jet crash at Lockerbie. It was tragic for the people on theplane, but I feel more for the people on the ground. Poor Lockerbie.

– Xmas Day. I bought monopoly for Reg – I wonder if we will useit. Reg cooked the turkey dinner – it was lovely. He has been verygood this year. Bless him.

Highlights

Reg’s retirement – he likes it!

6th August – our Ruby Wedding Day.

Low Spot – 12th June – EXPLOSION!

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Our county walk in June is 5/6 milesaround this area.

With summer on the horizon we arelooking forward to the healthy living andwellbeing week in June. Mentalwellbeing is at the forefront of all ourminds, as discussions at our Maymeeting were centred on this year’sresolution.

Keith Birkett from Roberts Bakery wasour speaker for the evening. He told usabout the family history and how thebakery has expanded over the years andhow they have had to diversify to keep upwith the changes in trends and tastes.They also produce products for some ofthe big supermarkets under their ownlabels. A very interesting talk butunfortunately no free samples!

At our June meeting we look forward tohearing about the work of “RonaldMcDonald House” a charity that providesfree “home away from home”accommodation for families withchildren in hospital.

Our Film Group meets monthly at MSAMethodist Church – please see thevillage notice board for upcoming datesand times.

For more information about your local WIcontact Margaret Graham 01625617054 or Anne Wilson 01625 250473.

At our April meeting we met Edna Madelyfrom the “Quilting Box” in Macclesfieldwho is dedicated to teaching people theart of quilting and brought along a hugeselection of her work, which was greatlyadmired by our members.

Each year at the April meeting, theDenman Bursary is drawn, which allowsa member to attend a 2/3 day cookery,craft or lifestyle course at its college inOxfordshire and I am pleased toannounce that in its 70th year I am therecipient and look forward to making mycourse choice from the vast array onoffer.

The following Monday there was a coachtrip to Boundary Mill at Colne whichenabled members to participate in some“retail therapy”!

In May we spent an informativeafternoon at the Blackden TrustMedicine House, Holmes Chapel, thehome of author Alan Garner, his firstchildren’s fantasy novel being “TheWeirdstone of Brisingamen” set on “TheEdge”.

Women’s Institute By Anne Wilson

Community - News

35

Community - Adverts

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CommunityMottram St. Andrew

Annual Parish CouncilMeeting

on Mondayin the Village Hall

commencing at 7 pm.

Community - News

Mottram St Andrew

Village Hall

Our next Meetingto be held onMonday 18 at

7.00pm.

Mercury MagazineWe Need Your Input

We are currently looking forvillagers who would like to write an

editorial piece to be featured infuture issues of our much loved

Mercury magazine.

We are well aware that we need toinclude advertising in each issue tofund the production costs but alsoneed to balance advertising space

and articles of interest to us all.If anyone is interested in joiningthe Mercury team and writing apiece for us then please contactClaire Hatch Tel:01625 827042

Brain TrainingSudoku

9 3 6

2 4 3

7 8 2

2 9 8

4 7

2 9 5

6 4 1

5 4 2

9 1 5

MercuryMottram St. AndrewTeam Mercury

Wilmslow Road Janet Higson(From The Bull’s Head to Withenlee Road)Wilmslow Road - Shelly Brown(From MSA Sign To The Bull’s Head including Mottram Old Hall)

Caste Hill Shelly Brown

Greendale Lane Carol Sherin

Wilmslow Old Road Bill Pilkington

Moss Lane Bill Pilkington

Rushton Fold Bill Pilkington

Alderley Road Ruth Holland

The Crescent Maureen Steele

Smithy Lane Val Slater

Oak Road Mick Shaw/Claire Hatch/

Don & Dyllis Hatch

Priest Lane - Bill Pilkington / Val Slater

Withenlee Road - Claire Hatch

Shaws Lane - Claire Hatch

Hunters Pool Lane - Janet Higson

Wilmslow Road - Phyllis Kennerley

Lees Lane - Michelle Blakeborough

Mill Lane - Michelle Blakeborough

Woodford Lane - Lesley Rowbotham

Our Fantastic Delivery Team

Our Wonderful Editorial TeamNAME

Robert HughesRon TaylorIan WrightSteve HattonMick ShawKaty HattonChris BowenGwynneth LittletonJoan WilliamsClaire HatchSyd BlakeboroughJulie Potts

FEATURE

Parish Council Chairman ReportParish Council Clerk ReportMethodist ChapelVillage Hall ReportSocial ClubBrownies & GuidesHead teacher's Report - Primary AcademyMottram St. Andrew Women's InstituteWednesday ClubEditorAdvertisingDistribution coordinator

CONTACT

01625 82791701625 58503901625 58370401625 59087901625 58494301625 59087901625 38300001625 52825601625 59071101625 82704201625 53255701625 584615

Contact the Editor Claire Hatch

01625 827042 or [email protected] deadline Issue 180 Aug/Sept Fri 20th Jul 2018