Uttoxeter & Cheadle Voice, Issue 70

FREE
15,000 QUALITY MAGAZINES DISTRIBUTED EACH ISSUE - NOW IN OUR 10th YEAR!
Issue 70
Uttoxeter
& Cheadle
Uttoxeter
& Cheadle

3Let The Uttoxeter & Cheadle Voice take your business to 15,000 local homes. To advertise, call 01538 751629 or 07733 466 970.
A
warm welcome to the
first Voice colour
magazine of 2017, a
year when our magazine will be
celebrating its 10th anniversary
and it is great to back to talk
to you again after the New Year festivities.
Last year, due to public demand, we increased the
distribution and print of The Voice to a massive 15,000
magazines, 2,000 more than usual! It proved to be a great
success and our advertisers certainly gained from this
initiative.
In 2017 we have decided to widen our distribution area
to include a further 10 new villages alongside our usual
delivery destinations. We will be seeking to gain new readers
from lovely local villages such as Sudbury, Abbots Bromley,
Dilhorne, Marchington and many more where we will be
using local businesses such as shops and pubs as outlets.
This new innovation for The Voice colour magazine goes
hand in hand with the increasingly popular online magazine
which can be read off your mobile phones, computers etc.
So let’s make 2017 an historic 10th anniversary for The
Voice, your quality local community magazine.
You all tell us that you love to read and advertise in The
Voice so keep on emailing your news articles, sports stories,
photographs, features and adverts to me at uttoxetervoice@
hotmail.co.uk
I hope you enjoy reading this issue
Nigel Titterton
Editor & Publisher
Dear
Reader,
Publisher and Editor: Nigel Titterton
The Uttoxeter & Cheadle Voice is published by Community Voice Publications Ltd
Telephone 01538 751629 e-mail uttoxetervoice@hotmail.co.uk
The views expressed in this publication are those of our contributors and are not necessarily those of the publishers, nor
indeed their responsibility. All Rights Reserved. Copyright Community Voice Publications Ltd.
Designed and Produced by noel@sergeantdesign.com
The Uttoxeter &
Cheadle Voice is wholly
independent and is
published at 3 Spode
Close, Cheadle, Staffs
ST10 1DT
15,000 copies are
distributed free to
homes and businesses
in Uttoxeter, Cheadle,
Ashbourne, Rocester,
Denstone, Bramshall,
Stramshall, Alton,
Oakamoor, Tean, Lower
Tean, Checkley, Leigh,
Church Leigh, Crakemarsh, Combridge, Kingsley, Mayfield, Draycott, Cresswell, Saverley
Green & Fulford, Doveridge and Abbots Bromley, Sudbury, Kingstone, Marchington,
Ellastone, Ipstones, Froghall, Hollington, Dilhorne, Marston Montgomery, Meir Park areas.
Clients are welcome to view the printing matrix.
ADVERTISEMENT SALES AND EDITORIAL
Tel: 01538 751629 or 07733 466 970 Email: uttoxetervoice@hotmail.co.uk
NEXT ISSUE
THE NEXT VOICE WILL BE OUT ON MARCH 17th 2017
News Deadline: March 9th Advertising Deadline: March 10th
BOOK YOUR ADVERT NOW - Email uttoxetervoice@hotmail.co.uk or Call 01538 751629
You can also contact us via social media:
@uttoxeter_voice search for Uttoxeter Voice search for Uttoxeter Voice
HOW TO GET IN TOUCH
Whatever you want to do
Wherever you want to go
Whatever your budget
All the usual Operators,
plus many more
Beach, Activity, Exploring,
Adventure, Cruising,
Touring, Villas,
City Breaks
‘Simple or Luxury’
Weddings & Honeymoons
Tailor Made Specialists
Let the Journeys Team
arrange your holiday!!
Journeys à la Carte
Lion Buildings Market Place,
Uttoxeter ST14 8HP
Tel: 01889 567755
travel@journeysalacarte.co.uk
www.journeysalacarte.co.uk

4 If you are responding to an advertisement in The Uttoxeter & Cheadle Voice, please let the advertiser know. Thank you for your support.
COALD. J. Martin Solid Fuel Supplies
Burnwell: A premium quality low ash high heat
long-lasting favourite with little smoke - perfect for
multi-fuel stoves and open fires. Lovely stuff, very
cost-effective.
Columbian Doubles: In my experience of
many years in the trade its the very best low ash
free burning bituminous coal. Super high heat for
open fires.
Scottish Trebles: a good all round Bituminous
fuel with moderate ash, free burning for open fires.
Burnrite Smokeless: Extremely low ash
content and will provide a high heat output for open
fires and multi fuel stoves.
Logs & Sticks: Logs £3.50,
Sticks £3.00 per net
Approved Solid Fuels Discounts
Per 25kg 250kg 500kg
Burnwell: £8.70 £85.00 £168.00
Columbian Doubles: £6.90 £68.00 £134.00
Scottish Trebles: £7.80 £77.00 £152.00
Per 20kg 240kg 500kg
Burnrite Smokeless: £7.20 £85.20 £175.00
Miniumum Order 100kg • Payment on delivery only
Phone Dave on 07541 078667
7 Days A Week before 8.30pm
Evening: 01889 569787
Sweet Meadow Farm, Dagdale Lane,
Bramshall, Uttoxeter ST14 5BJ
Highly competitively priced 25kg or 20kg pre-packed bags of approved solid fuel
delivered and stacked or opened and tipped to a place of your choice
By Jane Whitehurst
2
016 saw a number of changes to Uttoxeter
Army Cadet Force, C Company. The
detachment for many years was affiliated to
the 17/21st Royal Lancers, a cavalry regiment
famous for their “Death or Glory” motto.
However changes within the Army in 2015 saw the
17/21st amalgamated with the Queens Royal
Lancers to form the Royal Lancers. The cadets
however will continue to wear the skull and
crossbone cap badge.
In April the detachment commander of five
years Sgt Marie Doxey and her second in
command, Sgt Jamie Smallman moved onto other
roles within the cadets. The detachment
commanders position being taken over by
experienced officer, 2nd Lieutenant Brian Smith.
Other additions this year are the adult
volunteers Ashley Baker, Anton Brown both ex-
cadets and Jane Whitehurst ex military.
This year has also seen a number of cadets
leave, some to pursue careers in the military and
others chosing further education.
We have also seen a number of
new starters who we welcome.
For those who may be
interested in joining the Army
cadets you must be aged between
13 and 18 years and have the
support of your parents.
Once you have joined the
cadets besides getting a uniform
there are a number of skills that
you will be taught. Mastering the
skills enables the cadet to pass star
levels 1 - 4 and also have the
chance to be promoted through the
ranks. With any promotion the
cadet will be expected to show
leadership skills and pass on their
knowledge through structured lessons .
Skills include drill and turnout, this builds
teamwork and a sense of pride in the uniform. We
also teach weapon handling, where the cadets are
closely supervised in safe handling of deactivated
weapons. Live firing is only permitted at Army
ranges again under close supervision. Other
subjects we teach are first aid, map and compass,
expedition planning, fieldcraft all of which are
designed to build confidence and develop the
cadets skills.
The cadet also has the opportunity to attend
training weekends and annual camps. These camps
are held within Army training areas and the cadet
will be issued with all the equipment they need.
These weekends test the knowledge of the cadet in
the skills they have been taught. This is also an
ideal opportunity for taking part in the Duke of
Edinburgh Award Scheme.
You may have seen the Cadets last year in town
selling poppies on behalf of the poppy appeal. The
cadets volunteer their own time to this worthwhile
cause and this year we raised £3100. Thanks to
Uttoxeter Racecourse, the Cadets spent a day at
the races, where we raised a great deal of money
and also had coverage from Sky Sports.
We also took part in the Rememberance Day
parade where LCpl Kent laid the wreath, LCpl
Waddington carried the standard, escorted by
Cadets Baker and Radcliffe. This is the biggest
yearly occasion for the cadets and all are very
proud to be able to march and show their respect
to the fallen.
So do you think you are interested in the
cadets? Why not come down to Oldfields Middle
School on a Monday or Thursday night between
6.30- 7pm and find out if it is for you. For details
about the cadets and local detachments you can
check out the website on the internet
armycadets.com
Uttoxeter Army Cadet Force

are subject to availability while stocks last. Delivery & Installation charges may apply. Prices correct at
time of print but can be subject to change. See in store for full details. Copyright Euronics 2015.
Service only your local independent electrical retailer can provide
Laundryat Euronics
Hylands Ltd
66 High Street, Stone, Near Stafford, ST15 8AU Tel: 01785 812019
71-73 Weston Road, Meir, Stoke-On-Trent, ST3 6AJ Tel: 01782 319402
24 The Strand, Longton, Stoke-On-Trent, ST3 2JH Tel: 01782 342609
www.hylands.tv /HylandsTV/Hylands-Limited
Dicksons are pleased to
announce that their office at 68
High Street, Cheadle, is now open
Office Hours: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, other appointments
available on request (home visits by arrangement)
Specialists In Wills, Probate, Lasting Powers Of
Attorney, Court Of Protection and Tax Planning
Probate, Wills & Trust - Maureen Dodd and Natalie
Fawcett (free will service available in some cases).
Conveyancing (Commercial) - Andrew Grace
Conveyancing (Residential) - Leanne Gwinneth & Samiya
Hashmi
Family Law - Christpher Hopkin, Rebecca Sykes &
Fiona Galbraith
Personal Injury & Clinical Negligence - Andrew Martin &
Jonathan Beresford
dicksonsSOLICITORS
68 High Street, Cheadle
(Car parking available at rear)
Also at 32-36 Cheapside, Hanley
01782 262424
www.dicksonssolicitors.co.uk(incorporating Blaggs)
B
right & Beautiful is an award winning domestic
housekeeping service that is now delivering the highest
standards of cleaning, laundry, ironing and tidying in
Uttoxeter and surrounding areas.
Bright & Beautiful is run by local mum Clare Fleming who
is passionate about supporting women and their families by
giving them back their all-important free time. Clare says:
“Using a cleaning service has become a necessity for many
people, rather than a luxury. When you’re busy at work, the
last thing you want to do is to get home and start cleaning or
to spend all weekend mopping floors. So many of my clients
tell me how fantastic it is to walk into a clean, fresh smelling
home and not to have to face a pile of ironing or dirty dishes!”
Clare and her professionally trained team use high quality,
eco friendly and non-toxic cleaning products that clean
effectively, give a luxury finish and smell beautiful.
With security measures that are second to none, Bright &
Beautiful is also fully insured so you can be confident that
your home is completely protected and cared for.
To get your free time back why not contact Clare for a
free, no obligation quote on 01889 220968 / 07900 785474
or via email clare.fleming@brightandbeautifulhome.com
www.brightandbeautifulhome.com/uttoxeter
“Oh my god I can’t believe it”
Kaiser Chiefs confirmed to
appear at Uttoxeter Racecourse
K
aiser Chiefs have announced they will play
Uttoxeter Racecourse on Saturday 20 May.
The hugely successful English indie rock
band from Leeds are currently one of the most
popular live acts in the UK, and Uttoxeter
Racecourse is expecting another sell out crowd for
the latest edition of its annual Live Music Raceday.
Kaiser Chiefs formed in 2000 as Parva,
releasing one studio album, 22, in 2003, before
renaming themselves later that same year.
Primarily inspired by new wave and punk rock
music of the late 1970s and 1980s, the band have released six original studio albums.
Their album Employment enjoyed critical and commercial success with over three million
copies sold, and won the band three Brit wards - including the award for Best British Group;
and an NME award for Best Album. It was also shortlisted for the Mercury Prize.
Their UK hit singles include “I Predict A Riot”, the 2007 UK number 1 hit “Ruby” from
their platinum album Yours Truly, Angry Mob, plus a further two Top 20 singles in 2007 with
“The Angry Mob” and “Everything Is Average Nowadays”. In 2008, they had a UK number
5 hit with the Post-Punk Revival track “Never Miss A Beat”. Their album Education,
Education, Education & War hit number one in the albums chart in 2014.
Confirmation of their appearance at Uttoxeter shows just how keen the Racecourse is to
build on the success of their previous Live Music Racedays, which have featured UB40, Texas
and The Human League.
Executive Director of Uttoxeter Racecourse, David MacDonald, said,“We’ve been able to
establish our Live Music Raceday as one of the premier live music events in The Midlands,
and you could say that by managing to bring Kaiser Chiefs to Uttoxeter this year we’ve just
turned-up the volume. We anticipate this event being a sell-out. And we’re already looking
forward to it being one of the best days of our 2017 season.”
Tickets are on sale both online at www.uttoxeter-racecourse.co.uk or by telephone from
the Racecouse Office on 01889 562561. Premier Tickets cost £42.50

Church Street, Uttoxeter ST14 8AA
Tel 01889 564216
tyreways@uttoxeter.ndo.co.uk
Uttoxeter’s Premier
Tyre Centre
Right service
Right advice
Right choice
Right price
• Tyres
• Exhausts
• Batteries
• Brakes and
Shock Service
• Agricultural Tyres
• Wheel Alignment
Ki
tchens by Paul Gabri
el
of S t r a m s h a l l
Affordable Kitchens from the
unusual to the straightforward.
Re-vamp your existing kitchen with a choice
of over fifty door designs and a wide choice of
worktops and sinks.
Or simply paint your existing doors
to freshen things up.
Otherwise I can design, supply and fit a
brand new kitchen or supply only.
For free friendly advice call Paul on
01889 562139 or mobile 07990 622125
Visit www.kitchensbypaulgabriel.co.uk
or e-mail paulmgabriel@hotmail.co.uk
Do you need a karaoke or
disco or are you looking to
hire a karaoke system
for an event?
Gingers Karaoke
Your local Karaoke, Karaoke equipment
hire and mobile disco service.
www.karaokebyginger.co.uk
ginger@karaokebyginger.co.uk
07929 664118
Taekwon-do
We train at The Parkwood Community
Leisure Centre In Cheadle on Tuesday Night
6.00pm to 6.30pm 4yrs to 6yrs
6.30pm to 7.30pm Junior/Beginers Grades
7.30pm to 8.30pm Senior/Advanced Grades
Call John on 07854 806581
www.nctkd.co.uk
Field Funeral Services
Ffs
Dedicated to Dignity & PEACE
our family to yours
t: 01538 722665
Independent Family Funeral Directors
Field Funeral Services |37a High Street | Tean
Stoke on Trent | Staffordshire | ST10 4DY
www.facebook.com/fieldfuneralservices
fieldfuneralservice@hotmail.co.uk
TIMBER PRODUCTS
BESPOKE JOINERY &
TIMBER PRODUCTS
A fully equipped manufacturing
facility in Cheadle
Call Dave Blair 01538 756209
Draycott Cross Road, Commonside, Cheadle, ST10 2NR
www.johnsonsag.co.uk
Bishop Rawle Primary School
I
t is a long time now since
Bishop Rawle Primary
School, Cheadle, was placed
into special measures,
following an Ofsted inspection
in May 2015 that deemed the
overall effectiveness as
inadequate.
With a new School Leader,
Kate Clowes, now four terms
into her leadership of the
school, and a strong staff
behind her, it is clear that the
direction has changed. Pupils
and parents are all regularly
surveyed on how they feel
about the standards being
achieved and the results are
very positive. It’s a great
indication of the work being
done, every day, to satisfy the
interim governing body that
Bishop Rawle is no longer
inadequate.
A regular half termly
meeting at a specifically
commissioned Parents’ Forum
has empowered parents,
through Mrs Clowes
stewardship. The parents
regularly attending have a
genuine opportunity to provide
feedback on the direction of
policy within the school and
represent students of all age
groups. It has been a great way
to show parents the changes
that are being made to improve
the outcomes for all children.
The current staff have
worked hard on the
improvement of behaviour
across the school. This is
underpinned by a positive
reward system: Dojos. Children
receive a Dojo for
demonstrating positive
behaviour. Each week the child
with the most Dojos from each
class is invited to afternoon tea
with a senior member of staff
in the School Leader’s office.
The children are treated to a
drink and a selection of biscuits
and cakes, while enjoying the
chance to chat informally to
the teacher.
The school’s Christian
ethos is clear from the motto
introduced by Mrs Clowes:
Going for Gold with God.
There are strong connections
with Father James of St Giles’
church, who takes weekly
worship including a Eucharist.
Children participate in all
manner of events related to the
church and take part in special
services in the church for
Christian celebrations
including, Harvest, Easter and
of course, Christmas.
The school has expanded
its range of extra-curricular
activities and clubs to cater for
a wide range of interests,
existing and as yet
undiscovered. The most recent
addition to this is the Bug
Club, where children can
experience first-hand a wide
range of insects and mini-
beasts, including stick insects
and spiders!! All of this is being
done with the aim of fostering
a culture of inclusion and
cooperation by everyone and
for everyone.
Bishop Rawle Primary
School is a happy, fun and
enjoyable place for students,
staff and parents alike. Exciting
changes have been made and
there are many plans for more
of the same, it’s definitely a
school that is on the up and up.
Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, Alton group
A talk by Kevin Reynolds entitled
Dispelling Myths -
Introduction to Bats
on Thursday 16th March at 7.30 pm at the
Ramblers Retreat, Red Road,Alton ST10 4BU
Admission £2, children free, including refreshments.
For further details contact 01538 757260

Tean Road, Cheadle, Stoke-On-Trent ST10 1LW
Call 01538 753196
Hungry Horse Master Potter
By Glenys Hedges of Cheadle
C
headle and District
Choral Society was
formed over 100 years
ago in 1904, and apart from a
10 year break in the 1930s has
been performing concerts and
shows ever since.
We are a mixed voice choir,
of about 35 members, and we
rehearse on Wednesday nights
between early September and
April to produce 2 concerts a
year. These comprise a concert
of Christmas Music in early
December, at one of the
churches in Cheadle, and a
concert of mixed music,
(including some Songs from
the Shows) in April. The April concert is performed
for 2 nights during the Easter school holidays at
the Painsley Catholic College in Station Road
Cheadle.
This year’s concert, “Music in Springtime”, is
on Thursday, 20th April and Friday, 21st April
2017 at 7.30pm. Ticket prices include a glass of
wine and nibbles which can be enjoyed in an
informal setting seated around tables.
The weekly rehearsals take place at either the
Painsley Catholic College, or the Methodist
Church Hall in Chapel Street Cheadle.
We are always looking for new members, so, if
you can sing in tune, and can read music, and
would be interested in joining us, please contact
the Secretary: Mrs. Glenys Hedges, 2 Carlton
Close, Cheadle, Stoke-on-Trent, ST10 1LB.
(telephone: 01538 753568) for further details.
Cheadle & District Choral Society -
A Brief History
1904 Society formed on 11th. January, to
“Improve The Singing In Various
Non-Conformist Places Of Worship In
Cheadle”
1905 First Annual Concert performed, which
included excerpts from Handel’s
Messiah.
1912 April – Proceeds of a concert given to
the Titanic Disaster Fund.
1914 The Society won the Dove and Churnet
Valley Musical competition held at
Cheadle Town Hall.
1914-18 During the First World War, concerts
raised money for Belgian refugees
housed in Cheadle, and for the Military
Hospital at Sandon.
1922 The Society won the Derby and District
Mixed Choirs Contest held at the
Queens Hall Derby.
1940 After fading away in the 1930’s,
Cheadle Choral society was reformed
by John Fenna and Lucy Shenton, and
performed Handel’s Messiah at the
Parish Church. Church and Chapel
concerts have continued to be
performed at intervals ever since.
1948 As part of a concert, the Society
performed the short Gilbert & Sullivan
operetta – Trial By Jury.
1949 First full blown Gilbert & Sullivan
show – H.M.S. Pinafore – performed at
the Carlos Institute. Stage shows –
mostly Gilbert & Sullivan - continued
to be performed by the Society until
1991.
1961 Arthur Gilbert appointed Producer – a
position he held till the end of the
Society’s stage shows.
1972 The staging of the shows moved from
the Carlos Institute to Painsley College.
1990 John Fenna retires and Ken Lovatt
takes over as Musical Director.
1992-2009 Annual production of Glamorous
Nights concerts raising money for local
charities, including Home Link, First
Responders, and Douglas Macmillan
Nurses at Home.
2010-2017 Ken Lovatt retires as Musical Director,
and the role is taken over by Barry
Berks. The Society continues to
perform concerts in December -
(Christmas is Coming, in which local
school choirs are invited to participate),
and in April - (Music in Springtime).
Cheadle & District Choral Society

Staffordshire, Archdiocese of Birmingham
Painsley Catholic College
Specialist Science College, Additional Specialism Mathematics and Computing
Painsley Catholic College Station Road, Cheadle, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs ST10 1LH
Telephone: 01538 483944 Email: office@painsley.staffs.sch.uk Web: www.painsley.co.uk
The Painsley Catholic Academy A company limited by guarantee registered in England & Wales with company number 08146661.
Registered office address: Station Road, Cheadle, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs ST10 1LH
Painsley is officially one of the
best schools in the country!
T
he recent performance tables confirmed
that Painsley is the top-performing school
in Staffordshire and Stoke. The school is
also amongst the top 25 schools in the whole of
the country for Progress 8! This is the new
measure used by the government to assess school
performance. It reveals how much progress
students make in a particular secondary school
compared to students in other schools. The
average for Staffordshire is -0.01 and for Stoke is -
0.08. Painsley achieved a well-above average
score of +0.65.
Painsley is used to claiming the number one
spot when it comes to exam results, pupil
progress and the quality of teaching. However,
Painsley is far more than just a training ground
for young people’s academic success. The school
is also heavily involved in training up the next
generation of teachers and trialling new
techniques in the classroom.
Working alongside other North Staffordshire
schools as the area’s only Maths hub, Painsley has
been exploring how to transform Maths teaching
by offering Shanghai-style lessons. Principal,
Stephen Bell said they aimed to ‘work tirelessly to
ensure that every child’s ambitions and God-given
talents were recognised’.
Painsley has more than 1,200 students and
has a joint post-16 centre called the Moorlands
Sixth Form College. The recent league table
results also confirm that The Moorlands Sixth
Form College has a value added score of +0.02.
Mr Bell commented ‘We strongly encourage
parents and students to compare the
performance of our Sixth Form to other colleges
as we are one of the few to have a positive figure.
The figures confirm our knowledge that the Sixth
Form is an excellent place to study as it prepares
students very effectively for universities and
employment.’
Further information about both Painsley
Catholic College and The Moorlands Sixth Form
College can be found by contacting the Painsley
directly on: 01538 483944 or visit the website:
www.painsley.co.uk
E
lephant Bike, based in Uttoxeter, needs your help to refurbish and
reassemble 5,000 Royal Mail bicycles. Their charity was given 20,000
Royal Mail bicycles when they were decommissioned in 2015. The
agreement with Royal Mail is that all cycles would be sent to Malawi, to be
sold there and help to raise money for the Children’s Centre that the Krizerac
charity run. However, shipping costs meant that only 8,000 cycles were sent
and Royal Mail agreed that Elephant Bike could be formed to refurbish 5,000
of the Royal Mail cycles for the UK market, the proceeds of which will be
used to ship the remaining 7000 bicycles to Africa.
Your voluntary time with Elephant Bike, will be spent by sorting through
all the bicycle parts, then reassemble each bicycle and getting it sent to its new
owner in the UK. If you are doing Duke of Edinburgh award then you are
allowed to volunteer at the project, or if you have spare time and are a keen
bicycle mechanic then please volunteer too. As much or as little time that you
have, would be gratefully received by a lovely team, working out of a
warehouse near the Racecourse in Uttoxeter. To contact them call 01543
888494 and talk to George or e-mail them at info@krizerac.org
www.facebook.com/ElephantBikes or visit the website
www.elephantbike.co.uk/ or www.krizevac.org/elephant-bike/
Volunteers
urgently needed
D
ecember saw the end of a year long celebration of 100 years of Cub
Scouting. The cub section of the Scout Movement was started as the
Wolf Cubs by Lord BadenPowell in 1916 because of the enthusiasm
of the younger brothers of the Scouts. It now provides a programme, run by
trained volunteers, for boys and girls age 8 to 10.5 covering activities ranging
from campfires and den building through team games and personal challenges
to environmental awareness, crafts, sports and drama.
Stramshall cubs have been going for over 60 years and are proud to still
possess a traditional Wolf Cub flag. On December 16 they joined with fellow
cubs in the Uttoxeter District and across the whole of the UK to renew their
promise at precisely 19.16 at Uttoxeter Methodist Church. This was combined
with a 100 years party complete with food, cake and games.
A year of Cubs 100
with Stramshall Cubs

For a tour of the College, prospectus or
more details please contact us:
Moorlands Sixth Form College
Attlee Road, Cheadle, Staffordshire ST10 1LL
Tel: 01538 483922
E-Mail: office@moorlandscollege.co.uk
www.moorlandscollege.co.uk
Drama students excel
at the Moorlands
Sixth Form College
Drama and performing arts at the College continue to flourish and significantly
outstrip national and local averages in examinations. Drama and performing
arts are among the top achieving subjects at the College year on year, with
students also embracing the opportunities provided by the Masters at
Moorlands enrichment programme. Our students go on to fantastic courses
at University and Drama School.
As well as taking Drama or performing arts as an option at the college, extra-curricular drama
and performing arts activities are open to all students through the Masters at Moorlands
enrichment programme.
If you love the performing arts, look no further than the wealth of study and extra-curricular
opportunities we can offer you right on your doorstep.
Theatre journalism
The drama department arranges many trips to plays and live streaming events
throughout the year. These are usually opened out to English students and
interested students as part of Masters at Moorlands. We also produce upwards
of twenty shows a year in our studio. Our resident theatre reviewers see as many
of these plays as they can and review them for the college website throughout
the year. This is a great CV builder for students interested in journalism or writing
as a career.
The Edinburgh Society
Every other year we devise a performance and undergo fundraising to take it to
the world renowned Edinburgh Fringe Festival. This is a hugely rewarding
experience, a great CV builder and a wonderful way to make friends and
memories for life. A review of the performance in the Primary Times stated, ‘This
definitely deserves a full house, so if you love original, amazing theatre full of
surprises do pop along.’
London Academy of Music and
Dramatic Art (LAMDA)
You can choose to take a LAMDA qualification in acting whilst at the college,
advised by our drama staff. We will help you select pieces, rehearse and fill in
your entry forms. Bronze, Silver and Gold LAMDA qualifications carry valuable
UCAS points!
Trips and experiences
We believe that to create theatre you must see lots of theatre! From our annual
London residential, to our live streaming National theatre events in the studio
and our dozens of annual theatre trips, our students have lots of opportunities
to see world class theatre productions!
Student director programme
Students regularly direct and co-direct productions at the high schools. Student
directors also workshop material in the feeder schools, assist with lower school
teaching of drama, arrange theatre trips, hold auditions and co-ordinate the
Moorlands Christmas festival performance. This is wonderful work experience
for future teachers and directors
Design and music for the shows!
In 2016 our designers achieved places at central, LIPA and Rose Bruford drama
schools.
Acting and performance
Drama and performance are known to increase confidence, teamwork, creativity,
innovation and the ability to speak in public. The Moorlands Sixth Form College
performs under the name of ‘Uncommon Productions’ on various projects
throughout the year. Students receive a professional, inclusive and highly positive
experience, which sets them on track for drama school, university and careers
in the arts.

A
s we taste the first sip of our delicious coffee, do we
consider the journey each individual coffee bean has to
take before it reaches the store, including where it has
been grown, harvested and traded, to the fresh roasting,
grinding and expert preparation? At BEAR, in Uttoxeter High
Street, we are passionate about this process. We believe that
coffee can change lives and our recent supply of single origin, Fair Trade coffee
from Honduras, Santa Rosa supports this belief.
At BEAR we provide speciality coffee not only because of the incredible
results happening around the world but because it is organic, Fair Trade and
rainforest alliance certified. Honduras Santa Rosa coffee has also been rated in
the top 1% of coffees worldwide so not only are we helping communities but
also tasting the results of delicious coffee. We find it amazing how the small
town of Uttoxeter can affect the world and small communities through buying
single origin, speciality coffee such as our Honduras Santa Rosa.
Uttoxeter is currently moving towards becoming a Fair Trade town and we
invite the community to partner with us on this adventure. Honduras Santa
Rosa is another success story and we want to thank people for buying our coffee
and supporting our business. We will be running various campaigns throughout
the year to support our local community and the wider community our industry
operates in. Choosing to spend your money on this coffee can make a huge
impact not only around the world but in your own community. At BEAR we
believe that Coffee Changes Lives and we are excited about the coming months
and years as our Coffee Changes Lives campaign grows.
BEAR have opened their doors on Friday & Saturday nights serving
cocktails, wine, craft beer and a selection of gin with the latest development
launching on the 6th February with their brand new brunch menu.
U T T O X E T E R

Latest Business Extra Plan
for Small Businesses
Call today to get all this for just £38* a month:
• Unlimited calls to UK landlines and UK mobiles
• Unlimited UK texts
• 4 GB data
• Double speed 4G data
• BT Sport App included
• Free faulty replacement
• Use your full allowance to call, text and
browse in EU (15GB fair use)
Brookend House, Crakemarsh, Uttoxeter ST14 5BL
Tel 01889 591209
sales@vitalbusiness.co.uk www.vitalbusiness.co.uk
Orange Approved Partner for over 17 years
*All prices & charges quoted are plus VAT
Sim only
plans
from just
£8.00 pm
Small
business
plans
from just
£12.50 pm
The end of 2016 was an extremely
busy year for Salon 14. The local hair
and beauty salon not only
celebrated their 8th birthday, they
also have employees who went
through extensive training so that
they can offer their loyal customers
the latest and up to date treatments.
Selina, hairdresser at Salon 14,
has recently trained at an award-
winning academy and is now
qualified in Micro Ring hair
extensions. Hair extensions aren’t
just to used to make your hair
longer, they are also a great way to
add volume to fine hair. They use
natural hair specifically matched to
your colour, giving you
longer, fuller and more
glamorous hair every day.
Beauty therapist Claire at
Salon 14 is on a mission to
make people look and feel
younger and underwent
training in the latest treatments
from CACI. CACI treatment systems
truly deliver visible and corrective
results without the need for surgery
or invasive procedures. The
dramatic results have even attracted
the eyes of celebrities, if it’s good
enough for the celebs it’s good
enough for us!
Take advantage of a 10% discount
on Micro Ring hair extensions when
booked during February/March or
book a course of
10 CACI facials and
get the 10th Free!
Call the Salon on
01889 566334 for
more details and
to book your
consultation.
Salon 14 Hair and Beauty, 34 Church Street, Uttoxeter ST14 8AA
Call 01889 566334
Before After

Lank’s Lore
By Steve ‘Lank’Lavin
Golden Memories from one of Uttoxeter’s Favourite Characters
W
ell that’s the Christmas period over and
done with. It was not a very nice time at all
for me I’m afraid this year. With the loss of
my Brother-in-Law and my wife taken very poorly
and in hospital over the Christmas Period and the
demise of one of my favourite pub restaurants, the
Robin Hood at Bramshall suffering a disastrous fire
I was glad when it was all over and thank God my
wife is now on the road to recovery thanks to Derby
Royal City Hospital staff and doctors who I am truly
thankful to and my sister in law is just about
managing to cope with the tragedy of her husband
and the pub is hopefully going to be rebuilt and
operating again in the near future.
The NHS is under fire at the moment but I cannot
fault the care and attention they gave my wife and I
under very stressful times during this period
especially with all the pressures that are bestowed
upon them. To me it is still the best care system in the
world and should be admired not criticised to the
degree that it is at the moment.
Anyway on a lighter note, whilst I was taking a
few days off during the Christmas/New Year period
I visited Derby city centre one afternoon after my
hospital visit and in a charity shop window I espied
an item that instantly brought back to me some
memories an OUIJA BOARD.
For those of you who remember these when they
came out on the commercial market c.1960’s they
caused quite a stir. Originating I believe from
America, they were introduced as a parlour game and
were made out that they could contact the spirit
world (Scary)!!
The idea was that a few of
you would place your hands
on the plastic device and spell
out a message using the
alphabet printed on the board
to contact “the other side”.
The board would respond
with the so called spirit by
answering your question by
forcing your hand on to the
alphabet and spelling out your
query.
You may think that this is
all a load of tosh but this
device was taken very serious
and a lot of people were
convinced it was not a parlour
game at all but a true way of
contacting the “other side”.
I did not know how to
take this after playing it it was
certainly scary and you could
never find out if the pointer
was being manipulated by one
of your group or it was the
spirits themselves contacting
you.
It did however cause quite
a controversy and it was
eventually taken off the
market if I remember
correctly, probably as well
really.
I can remember whilst
playing about with one of
these boards once with some
relatives when an old aunty of
mine who we all reckoned was
physic and was a member of
the spiritualist church in Burslem and had a past
record of witnessing various “happenings” within in
the family i.e. asking you to answer the phone 30
seconds before it rang, predicting a death in the
family, making a clock stop ticking and various other
weird instances (she used to frighten me to death
when I was a kid) came into the room and when she
saw what we were playing with immediately
snatched it off us and threw it on the fire going
absolutely berserk and told
us never to meddle with
something we new nothing
about.
I have always been
susceptible about such
matters although in my
lifetime there are things that
have happened which are
unexplainable to me.
There have been in the
past various people who
have delved into the matter
whether or not there is any
truth in contacting the
dead.
One famous person in
particular was Houdini the
famous escapologist.
Depicted in the 1950’s
film about his life Houdini
played by Tony Curtis, after
the death of his mother
decided to use the assistance
of the mediums and
psychics in America to try
to contact her. Their efforts
were to prove to be of no
avail and he turned his
energies towards debunking
them throughout the
1920’s.
Houdini’s training in
magic allowed him to
expose frauds who had
successfully fooled many
scientists and academics. He
was a member of a
Scientific American
committee that offered a cash prize to any medium
who, could successfully demonstrate supernatural
abilities. None was able to do so, and the prize money
was never collected. Say no more.
I do not know whether or not another world
exists nobody has actually proved it to me one way
or an other so I will leave it at that for now.
Till next time, all the best to you all,
LankA Ouija Board
The famous Escapologist Houdini
Down on the Farm
by Angela Sargent
A
s we throw another log on the open fire-
maybe an ash or an elm or even a hawthorn-
we look forward to February!
A short month, which brings spring ever nearer
and known as “February fill-dyke”, tends to be wet.
Although, how true that is in these times of changing
weather patterns, I’m not so sure.
How nice not to be lambing this year- no cold and
wet lambs to be warmed up in the kitchen, no
checking them in the middle of the night and braving
the gale force, ice cold wind that blows through our
archway, no matter what the weather is elsewhere
and, hopefully, no visits to pick up any required
medicines from the vets.
That’s all to come next month!
The vet is a feature of farming life- we couldn’t do
without them, as, like people, animals get sick at
times, no matter how well they’re looked after.
In these days of farm assurance the farmer is also
expected to have ongoing herd and flock health plans,
to maintain good health status and try and prevent
disease occurring.
A bit like us and our new year resolutions of
trying to lose weight and get fitter and eat healthily,
we try to do the same for our animals and this is also
where the vet comes in- as science is not a fixed
ideology and new ideas /theories/treatments are
introduced over the years.
We go to seminars put on by the vets where new
routines are explained and then we can make changes
back on farm. One such change is the treatment of
lame sheep- previously foot rot was treated by cutting
the foot horn right back- now it is better to leave the
horn, spray and give an antibiotic injection. Any
recurring cases should mean getting rid of the animal.
But, of course, this is a cost to the business, which as
to be factored in.
We have been planting up gaps in some of our
hedges, which haven’t been part of our environmental
schemes over the past years. Some of these have
become weak as a stock proof boundary and also will
now form a link in our wildlife corridors- from wood
to wood and field to field.
Our young sheep dog, Ted, is once again back in
business after being very ill and having to be treated
in hospital. Again, the vet was an intrinsic part of his
recovery.
But, whereas, if it was one of us who’d been ill,
we’d know to take it slowly getting back into work-
not him- take him logging or planting with us and he’s
off rounding up sheep in the nearest field, call him
back and he comes and sits and then as soon as your
eyes are off him, he’s gone again!
Angela Sargent
www.baldfields-farm.co.uk and follow us on twitter
(@bythebarn)and facebook(baldfields farm) too!

ON ANY PURCHASE
WITH THIS AD

C
.A.T.S. (Cheadle Amateur Theatrical Society) is
celebrating the success of its most recent production
‘Allo Allo!’ which was directed by Ian Wood and
performed at the Cheadle Community Theatre in October.
Based on the hit TV comedy series of the 1980’s and 90’s,
written by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft,‘Allo Allo! followed
the exploits of René Artois (Andrew Farringon) a humble cafe
owner in Nouvion, a small town in German occupied France.
Surrounded by German Officers, the Gestapo, Resistance
fighters, amorous waitresses, escaped allied airmen, and a
British spy posing as a French police officer who hasn’t quite
grasped the French language. Rene found it almost impossible
to keep the peace between everyone, while trying to hide the
painting of the Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies by Von
Clomp in a knockwurst sausage in his kitchen, which ended
up with hilarious results.
Being such a well known, iconic series, much of the
audience had very clear expectations of what they were about
to see and they were not left disappointed. With Edith’s (Marj
Stokes) off key singing, flirtatious waitress Yvette (Victoria
Wood) catching every man’s eye and Mimi’s (Miriam
Hermolle) deadpan approach in wanting the Germans dead,
how on earth could René cope with running his cafe!
The mayhem continued with Officer Crabtree’s (Sam
Stephens) hilarious non-command of French, Michelle of the
Resistance (Megan Hermolle) hatching impossible plans to
help British airman hidden in René’s cafe, to escape with the help or hindrance
of Leclerc (Chris Hammersley) and his radio disguised as a cockatoo.
To add to the chaos, throw in a mix of German Officers (Stephen Haines,
Rich Gilbert, Roy Hedges) the exuberant Italian Captain Bertorelli (Jason
Greenwood) “What a mistaka to makea,” the imperious Gestapo (Dan Ede
Smith) and his amorous sidekick Helga (Samantha Hughes-Johnson), the
audience were left in stitches every night. The image of Dan’s legs in an
usherette costume will be legendary in C.A.T.S. memories!
‘Allo ‘Allo! broke box office records for C.A.T.S. productions, about which
director Ian Wood was immensely proud. The audience left with smiles on
their faces and were extremely positive in their feedback. During rehearsals
everyone had so much fun as the script was so funny. Everyone from actors
to everyone behind the scenes and Front of House made ‘Allo ‘Allo a success
and a pleasure to perform.
However, from Nouvion, C.A.T.S. will be travelling to Neverland and
sprinkling a little bit of fairy dust around Cheadle on the way with the next
production ..... a magical treat for all the family.
‘Peter Pan’ adapted and directed by Rebekah J Snow from the original
story by J M Barrie, is the endearing story of the boy who refuses to grow up
and his adventures with the Darling children and the mischievous Tinkerbell
(Megan Probyn) to Neverland.
On a visit to the Darling’s family home to recover his shadow, Peter, (Sara
Walker), takes Wendy (Chloe Stirley), John and Michael on an amazing
adventure to Neverland, where they and the Lost Boys have swashbuckling
battles against pirates and Indians. Meet the evil Captain Hook, (Andrew
Farrington) the comical duo Smee (Daniel Ede Smith) and his mate Whibbles
(Caroline Stokes) and the beautiful princess Tiger Lily (Miriam Hermolle) in
this magical adventure.
‘Follow the second star on the right’ to the Cheadle Community Theatre
for an evening of songs, dancing and laughter, mayhem. ... and lots of audience
participation.
‘Peter Pan’ will be performed at the Cheadle Community Theatre, The
Cheadle Academy, Station Rd, Cheadle from Wednesday 22nd to Saturday
25th February at 7.00pm.
Tickets are now on sale, priced at £8 adults, £6 concessions, from Crafty
Urchins, NuSyte Opticians, Xtra Clean (all on the High Street, Cheadle) and
the Cheadle and Tean Times. Alternatively, tickets can be booked online
(booking fee applies) at www.cheadle-cats.org.uk or from Jenny 01538
751173.
Peter Pan written by J M Barrie. By arrangement with Great Ormond
Street Hospital Children’s Charity and Samuel French Ltd.
This amateur production of ‘Peter Pan’ is presented by special arrangement
with Samuel French Ltd.
From Nouvion to Neverland
By Carolyn Wood

10 Market Place,
Uttoxeter ST14 8HP
Tel: 01889 228652
23 A Greengate Street Stafford ST16 2HS
Tel: 01785 227881
Email: lettings@little-mansions.co.uk
www.little-mansions.co.uk
You’ll love
our service
Call 01889 228652
For your FREE rental
assessment
24 Hours of Pain Is
Worth It for Two
Worthwhile Charities
U
ttoxeter
Leisure
Centre’s
members and staff
took part in a
gruelling 24 hour
Spinathonto raise
money for two
fantastic charities;
Burton Hospital
Foundation Fund and
Breathing Matters.
Centre member,
Claire Lewis,
approached Uttoxeter
Leisure Centre with
the idea for the 24 hour spinathon. Claire has recently beaten breast cancer
and wanted to show her thanks by raising money for Burton Hospital
Foundation. Staff member Alex Cliffe, who also took part in the event,
raised money for Breathing Matters, a charity close to the hearts of her and
her family.
The support received, leading up to and during the event, was incredible.
The atmosphere was fantastic throughout, with a variety of members taking
part on the bike for at least 30 minutes, with one member doing 4 hours! At
10:00pm on Friday evening, Leisure Centre staff took over and kept the
bike going throughout the night until members returned at 8:00am on the
Saturday morning.
With donations on two Just Giving pages, a cake sale, a tombola event
and generous donations made by a number of local businesses and centre
members, the team were able to raise an incredible £1784.02!
Uttoxeter Leisure Centre would like to thank all of those who were
generous enough to donate to these worthwhile causes, and to all of the
“superstars” who took part during the 24 hours!
Wellies - Tractor Project
The Wellies Project offers therapeutic learning activities with animals, plants
and the countryside for people recovering from mental ill health.
Wellies HQ is based at the Chapel on the Hill, Somersal Herbert. Managers
Nick Platt and Julie White have leased the chapel for 2 years to run the project.
They have refurbished the chapel to create a great space for meeting, creating
and cooking.
The group are looking for an old vintage tractor to refurbish as a project
and are reaching out to local people to donate an unwanted machine.
The tractor project is aimed at attracting hard to reach, socially isolated
people in rural areas who don’t usually engage in similar projects or services.
The group usually do a list of craft of craft based, cookery workshops and
think that an engineering/mechanical project will attract and engage new
people – perhaps older men who have the skills and experience.
Julie says “I would love to have this new project underway for the summer
and hope there is someone out there who has a tractor lying around that is
being unloved. Perhaps they could even be involved in the renovations as
well?”
Nick said “It can be hard to engage older men who are isolated, so we
really hope this project will help to bring them to our group. We are a really
friendly bunch and myself and Julie can really see the impact it has on people”.
More information can be found on our website: www.welliesproject.org.uk

Y
our home is your castle. You should keep
it clean and safe by only allowing over your
threshold, a tradesman that you can trust
& has a background to be proud of.
It is common knowledge that the Royal
Marines, proud wearers of the coveted Green
Berets, are a force to be reckoned with which
means the days of dirty carpets and upholstery are
numbered. The Commando ethos, held close to
every Commando’s heart are: courage,
determination, unselfishness, cheerfulness in the
face of adversity. This means that you can call
Zero Dry Time safe in the knowledge that the job
will be done well, cost effectively and with the
minimum of fuss.
‘I am rightly proud of my military background
and I put to work the Commando ethos.’ said Ian
55 years from Barlaston near Stone. ‘ My work is
second to none, and each time I take a job on, I’ll
not leave until it can’t get any cleaner,’ continues
Ian.
‘I am acutely aware of the notion of being in
someone’s home and treat it accordingly. I focus
on the job in hand until it is completed. My results
are constant and exceptional with no drying time,
it is walk dry almost immediately.’ Insists Ian
So let the draw bridge down and call a carpet
cleaner you can trust. Ian, the Commando Carpet
Cleaner from Barlaston for a clean castle.
Attenshun!!
Why you should
insist on a retired
Royal Marines
Commando to clean
your carpets
A former Royal Marines Commando
cleaning carpets, whatever next!
Call Ian on 0800 1804901
or email ian.north@zerodrytime.com
www.facebook.com/ZDTstaffordshire
Before After
Before After
A D V E R T I S E M E N T F E A T U R E

GlitzDancewear
& Fancydress
on Thursday, Friday and Saturday
23rd, 24th & 25th February 2017
at 7:00PM
& Saturday 25th February Matinee at 2:00PM
at Denstone Village Hall
Tickets £7.00 Children (under 16) £5.00
available from Denstone Stores, College Road, Denstone (01889 590397)
or online at www.denstoneplayers.com
Presents
www.denstoneplayers.com
www.facebook.com/denstoneplayers
follow us on twitter: @denstoneplayers
and his
Magical Lamp
!"#$%&'()'*%+%"',-&.'/&0'1%#+2'3/4&56%)7''''''8#"%9+%0'()':#66';"-4&'
Fully trained and registered with
The National Association of Chimney Sweeps
offering certified rotary power sweeps covering Staffordshire and Derbyshire
A professional, friendly and clean service
Please call or email for a free
quote or to make an appointment
Denstone
Players News
It’s (nearly)
Panto Time
Again!
Oh Yes It Is!
F
ollowing last year’s
highly successful
pantomime
‘Cinderella’ Denstone
Players are busy rehearsing
for their next production
‘Aladdin’- to be performed
on Thursday 23rd, Friday
24th and Saturday 25th
February starting at 7:00
pm with a matinee on
Saturday 25th starting at
2:00 pm at Denstone Village
Hall. Gill Brown is again
directing the pantomime
which was written by Peter
Long and Keith Rawnsley.
Adult tickets costing £7
and tickets for children
under 16 at £5, are now
available from Denstone
Stores (tel. 01889 590397),
by telephoning 01538
722667, or online at
www.denstoneplayers.com
Dave Shooter, Chair of
Denstone Players said ‘We
were really pleased with the
audience reaction to last
year’s production of
‘Cinderella’ and felt it
would be a hard act to
follow! But with this year’s
production of ‘Aladdin’ I’m
confident we’ll do it. Again
the wider community is
involved in the making of
scenery, props and costumes
and the cast is a real mix of
both old and young,
experienced and new-
comer players. It promises
to be a treat for the whole
family. Tickets are now on
sale and should be booked
to avoid disappointment!’
New Uttoxeter Timetable • Ballet & Tap pre school 9.30am
Ballet & Tap prep /primary 10.15am • Freestyle Disco/Street 12.15pm
For class details please contact us Tel: 01538 754414
or Email: info@vivienneshelleystudios.co.uk
www.vivienneshelleystudios.co.uk
VIVIENNE SHELLEY
DANCE STUDIOS
Quality Local Dance Tuition For All Ages
in Cheadle, Uttoxeter & Blythe Bridge
Saturday Dance Classes
St Mary’s Church Hall, Balance Street, Uttoxeter
You can also contact us via social
media:
@uttoxeter_voice
search for Uttoxeter Voice
Uttoxeter
Luxury Cottages
Holiday, Weekend &
Overnight Stay.
5H Self Catering.
Sleeps 2 to 4, £99 night.
Walking distance to
Racecourse, Train Station
& Town. Ideal for Race
Meets, Alton Towers,
visitors, business, etc,
07707 844533
You can now read The Voice at
www.uttoxeterandcheadlevoice.co.uk
Everything
you need for Dance
and Fancy Dress
New fantastic costumes
for Children and Adults
arriving now for
World Book Day in March
But hurry to avoid disappointment!
We stock all styles of dancewear,
shoes, bags etc for the experienced
dancer or the complete beginner.
Large selection of Adult &
Childrens Fancydress (to hire or
buy) Wigs & Accessories for that
special party or school production.
28 Bank Street Cheadle
01538 754414
Email: sales@glitz-fancydress.co.uk
Web: www.glitz-fancydress.co.uk

Quinton Plum Hair has now
been open for 6 months
Owner Helen says: ‘It’s
fantastic to be building up a
business in Uttoxeter,
reaching the people of
Uttoxeter and the
surrounding villages has been
great. I can also now
introduce Jane who is my new
stylist and is initially
available Fridays and Saturdays and she is
charging £40 for Cut and Finish.
Super Google and Facebook review: “I had a
wonderful experience at Quinton Plum Hair, relaxed
and pampered by Helen, love my new hairstyle, a
real refreshing change. 5 stars”
Our new opening times are:
Monday, Tuesday 10-7pm,
Wednesday closed, Thursday 10-
7pm, Friday & Saturday 10-2pm
do ask if you require an
appointment
outside stated
hours.
Call 01889 564690
or text anytime 07807 029405
We are happy to support Halfrida
Womens Support services of
Uttoxeter.
32 Bridge Street, Uttoxeter ST14 8AP
(opposite Waitrose)
enquires@quintonplumhair.co.uk
w: www.quintonplumhair.co.uk
Life is more beautiful when you
find the right hairdresser
Have I got news for you
by Uttoxeter’s Gary Hudson, Former BBC Chief News Reporter
Gary Hudson is a member of Uttoxeter Lions
Club and a former BBC Chief News Reporter.
Why it’s not OK to use language without
knowing its rules
“Opinions are like assholes. Everybody has one.”
So says Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry, the tough San
Francisco cop.
It’s a cool way of saying that most people’s
opinions are pretty worthless. But in these days of
social media, everyone seems to want to express their
opinion about events they have no control over and
of which they have little knowledge.
As a journalist, I have always had to be precise in
my use of language. Sloppy writing can confuse the
audience and risks the threat of legal action. Most
people writing online don’t bother about the libel
laws because they don’t understand them.
Here are a few comments about US politics which
appeared on Twitter a few weeks ago.
Where was all the outrage from Democrats and the
opposition party (the media) when our jobs were
fleeing our country?
Massive trade deficits & little help on the very weak
border must change, NOW!
A lot of bad “dudes” out there!
All of these comments are poorly expressed and
not very clear. Together they provide examples of bad
punctuation, syntax and grammar. They’re not
untypical of the kind of stuff that appears on social
media every day.
And what else do they have in common? Well,
they were all written by US President Trump.
A charmless, semi-literate oaf
Now, you’re probably thinking there are more
reasons to worry about Donald J Trump than the fact
that he can’t write very well. And you’d be right.
But if you care about the English language, as I
do, his imprecise and inflammatory tweets are
another reason to be really annoyed by the
incumbent of the White House.
In my time as a BBC reporter I prided myself on
being an objective observer, providing a balanced and
unbiased account of the political scene.
I would not have been allowed to broadcast my
personal opinion of any politician, and I wouldn’t
have wanted to. The same rules don’t apply to the
Voice, and I can confidently assert that Trump is a
charmless, semi-literate oaf.
He is full of half-baked ideas which have upset
more people than they’re ever likely to help, but for
the purposes of this column let’s stick to the
importance of the accurate use of language. Trump’s
use of commas is arbitrary; his use of apostrophes
and quotation marks is inconsistent.
A badly-punctuated wildlife book
Those of you who’ve read Lynn Truss’s excellent
and very funny Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero
Tolerance Approach to Punctuation will appreciate
that correct punctuation is important if you want
people to understand what you’re saying. That’s
‘you’re’ short for ‘you are’ not ‘your’ meaning
‘belonging to you’.
The joke in the title of Truss’s book comes from a
misplaced comma. A panda walks into a café and
orders a sandwich, eats it and then draws a gun, firing
two shots in the air. As he’s on the way out, the waiter
asks why, and tossing a badly-punctuated wildlife
annual over his shoulder, the panda says: ‘I’m a panda.
Look it up.’ The waiter finds the explanation in the
book: “Panda: large black and white bear-like
mammal native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.’
One comma is all it takes to change the meaning
of a sentence. Trump misuses them all the time.
Why it matters
Some of you will have noticed the correct use of
the ‘it’s’ (short for ‘it is’) and the possessive ‘its’
(meaning ‘belonging to it’) in the headline above this
piece. Misusing apostrophes is a sin, punishable
according to Truss by being struck by lightning,
hacked to pieces and buried in an unmarked grave.
Of course, we can all go to extremes for comic
effect, but if you think I’m wrong and that
punctuation doesn’t matter, or that a teenage girl’s
musings on Facebook have as much merit as the
novels of Jane Austen, then consider this.
Imagine President Trump tweets during some
future international crisis: “There’s no chance I’m
going to start a nuclear war with China.” You’d be
relieved, right? But what if he said: “There’s no
chance. I’m going to start a nuclear war with China.”
A full stop could be all the difference between
peace and global nuclear holocaust. So think about
your punctuation in future, please, and pray that the
idiot in the White House does too.

C
lose by the River Blithe at Cresswell, remains a complex of factory
buildings, and offices that were originally the headquarters of BIythe
Colours Limited, and later Johnson Matthey Colours. The company
was one of the world’s leading suppliers of colours to the ceramic industry
locally and worldwide.
Blythe History
The manufacture of colours on the site dates back to the late 1800’s, with
historical records indicating the establishment of BIythe Colour Works in
1870. Since its inception BIythe was always a forward-looking Company.
Situated within easy reach of the British pottery industry in Staffordshire, it
expanded its interests and activities to meet the needs of colour users
everywhere - setting up manufacturing units in Australia, Canada, Holland,
Spain, Italy, Singapore and India.
One of the most important landmarks in BIythe’s history occurred when
the Company joined the Johnson Matthey Group in 1963 - an event that
resulted in the multinational organisation becoming a global market leader.
Unrivalled range of products
BIythe Colours Limited provided products to a wide range of users
including tableware, sanitaryware, plastics, glass, brick, automotive, and
jewellery industries.
For pottery, BIythe Colours manufactured an extensive range of colours
for the decoration of pottery called onglaze enamels. Body, slip and glaze, and
glaze stains for pottery, tiles and sanitary ware were also manufactured on a
large scale.
The involvement of Johnson Matthey also allowed Blythe to become one
of the world’s leading suppliers of liquid golds, platinums and lustres.
Supplying the likes of Royal Doulton, Wedgwood, and Lenox China they
gained an international reputation for quality and innovation.
Blythe Colours Exhibition
After the closure of the Cresswell site in 2014, Cheadle Discovery Group
inherited an archive of over 700 items. This collection was used at the start of
September, to put together a display which launched as part of the 2016
national Heritage Open Day festival. The exhibition at the Cheadle Discovery
Centre, took months of preparation attracted a large number of people, with
ex-employees reliving many happy memories.
Another exhibition is in the early planning stages for this year, which is
hoped will be on a much larger scale and include information and artefacts
from other local businesses, which were part of the Johnson Matthey
company.
Contact
Anyone interested in learning more about the exhibition/archive, can
contact the Cheadle Discovery Group:
Tel (c/o Alan Wigley): 01538 753519
E-mail: contact@discovercheadle.co.uk
Website: www.discovercheadle.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/discovercheadle
Blythe Colours – A History of
Colour Making
By Ivan Wozniak
Above: Aerial View early 1930s
Below: Lab Interior, W.G. Ball and E.H. Leadbeater
• Improve your postural awareness, position and effectiveness
• Develop effective breathing techniques to help remain relaxed and focused
All this and much more!
BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL AND DISCOUNT AVAILABLE FOR BLOCK BOOKINGS
BD listed, UKCC qualified, Equipilates Affiliated Instructor available for rider alignment
sessions both on and off the horse, dressage training, test practise, schooling and clinics.
References available
Contact 07796175128 or email mcfequestrian@outlook.com
www.mcfequestrian.co.uk
Jo Titterton Dressage / MCF equestrian @mcfequestrian
New year, new training goals? Why not
focus on improving your performance
in the saddle. My Ride-in-lign training
approach combines the scales of
training with Equipilates techniques
• Specialising in working
with horse and rider to
achieve your goals
• Alignment sessions on
and off the horse.
Improve your position,
straightness,
effectiveness and core
stability
• Intrinsic biomechanics
screenings with
prescriptive exercises to
improve your range of
movement
• Weekly Pilates classes
• Enjoy training whatever
the weather with studio
based sessions

For all your motoring needs
Chips and scratches...away!
Utilising the latest paint technology and skill repair techniques,
therefore halving the cost conventional Bodyshops would quote, without
compromising quality! All prices subject to a visual inspection and VAT.
Corner of bumper scuffs
From £75
Alloy wheel scuff repairs
From £35
Dent removal without the
need to paint the panel
From £35
Windscreen stone chips
From £25
SAME DAY SMART
REPAIR SERVICE
Derby Road, Uttoxeter Staffs ST14 8EG • T: 01889 563448 • W: www.angusmackinnon.co.uk
or email your images to bodyshop@angusmackinnon.co.uk
MOT Testing in Uttoxeter
No appointment necessary or if you prefer book online
Open 7 days a week: Mon-Fri : 8:00 - 17:00, Saturday : 8:00 - 12:00, Sunday : 8:00 -12:00
T: 01889 563838
Uttoxeter Test Centre, Smithfield Road, Uttoxeter ST14 7JB www.uttoxetertestcentre.co.uk
• FREE Re-test
• Free annual reminder
service
• Independent test
• Town centre location
• Friendly staff
• We want your car to pass!
• Warm, comfortable waiting
area with drinks machine
and TV
• If your vehicle fails, take it
away to a repairer of your
choice
• Class IV MOTs - Cars and
Vans

Just the
perfect day...
W
e met in Tenerife in April 2004 in
the Dubliner bar, danced to With or
Without You by U2. Tom lived in
Tenerife since 1996. I was on holiday. We
lived in the Canaries together until November
2009, where both our girls Shannon (11) and
Olivia (8) where born.
Seems appropriate as a first dance
wedding as the lead singer for the Vow
(played at the wedding) was the lead singer
in the Dubliner band in Tenerife when we
first met.
The weather was amazing and everything
ran like clockwork! During the planning we
were keen to use local companies/businesses
to provide the services for the wedding. St
Giles Church, Cheadle, really helped to set
the stage, the church’s architecture and
delightful ambience complemented by the
four string quartet really set a tone of real
formality with class and decorum, this was
intentional as the rest of the day was to be
relaxed and less formal. formal. The Heath
House, which was the wedding reception, is
set amongst beautiful countryside and in a
grand house which oozed character and
charm. The venue hosts Justin and Sophie are
two of the most perfect wedding coordinators
you could hope to meet they knew the kind
people we are and advised on what they
thought was right for us. The weather paid a
huge part in our perfect reception. An
emphasis was made on enjoying the outside
space old English garden games across the
lawn a saxophonist blowing out some
fabulously relaxing background music, ice
cream being served by Vitalianos and a vibe
of happy relaxed conversation. The wedding
breakfast was afternoon tea and no formal
speeches. The evening was a BBQ and live
band.
Bride and Groom: Sarah Luanne Champ and Tom Joseph
James Whelehan, of Tean
Bride’s Parents: John William Champ and Kay Champ
Groom’s Parents: Marian Whelehan
Bridesmaids: Samantha Burlton (sister), Shannon Whelehan
(daughter), Olivia Whelehan (daughter) and Lily Burlton
(niece)
Best Man: Gerry Tiernan
Ceremony: St Giles Catholic Church, Cheadle
Reception: The Heath House, Tean
Photography: Denise Wheat
7 Cross Street
(off the High Street),
Cheadle ST10 1NP
Tel 01538 755550
info@bcjosephine.co.uk
www.bcjosephine.co.uk
Opening Hours:
Monday 10am - 4.30pm,
Tuesday 10am - 4.30pm,
Wednesday Closed,
Thursday 10am - 4.30pm,
Friday 10am - 4.30pm,
Saturday 9.30am-5pm

THE FIRST CLASS
CARRIAGE COMPANY
Our special cars for your
special occasion
Our original vintage cars make an
exquisite impressiom on any special day.
Visit
www.theﬁrstclasscarriagecompany.com
for more information or call
07746 037087 /
07930 810367

Just the perfectday...
We offer great value, ﬂexible fees and no
additional hidden costs. So why not contact
us for a tailor made quote, we would be
delighted to speak to you.
Tel: 07999 235241
Web: www.slcaccountants.co.uk
Email: info@slcaccountants.co.uk
34 Uttoxeter Road, Tean, Stoke-on-Trent ST10 4LG

Looking for
a venue for
your wedding,
christening,
conference,
or just that
special
occasion?
Look no further than Uttoxeter
Town Hall, it is an enchanting
Grade II Listed Building providing
the perfect setting for Weddings
and Civil Partnerships.
Uttoxeter Town Council,
Town Hall, High Street, Uttoxeter
ST14 7HN
T: 01889 564085
info@uttoxetertowncouncil.org.uk
www.uttoxetertowncouncil.org.uk
We will be more than happy to assist you and
advise you of what we can offer.
Are you getting
married this year?
Would you like to be part of
our Wedding feature?
Contact Nigel
Email: uttoxetervoice@ hotmail.co.uk
Tel: 01538 751629
Just the perfectday...
JCB’S Holly crowned UK’s top
higher apprentice at awards
J
CB Design Engineer Holly Broadhurst is celebrating after being crowned the
UK’s top Higher and Degree Apprentice. The 22-year-old from Leek,
Staffordshire, beat off competition from hundreds of other contenders to
land the accolade at the National Apprenticeships Awards in London.
Holly joined JCB as a Higher Apprentice aged 16 after studying at the JCB
Academy in Rocester, Staffordshire. She went on to take a two year foundation
degree before stuyding for two more years for a BEng degree in Mechanical
Engineering. She graduated last year and now works at JCB Compact Products
in Cheadle, Staffs, where she is part of the team designing JCB’s award winning
mini excavator range.
Holly was among the first intake at the JCB Academy in September 2010 –
a £22 million state school for 14-18 year old students aspiring to become the
engineers of the future. The project was spearheaded by JCB Chairman Lord
Bamford and since it opened almost 1,500 students have been educated there.
Holly said: “I’ve learnt and gained so much more than I ever thought possible
through my apprenticeship at JCB. I look at my friends who went to university
and they are only just getting the workplace experience now. I would advise anyone considering
an apprenticeship to go for it 110% - it may seem nerve wracking to go straight into a job but it
is so worth it in the long run.”
JCB Chairman Lord Bamford – who started his career as an engineering apprentice in 1962 -
today congratulated Holly on her Award. Lord Bamford has been the driving force behind JCB’s
investment in apprentices at JCB and over the past five years around 250 have joined the company
under its ‘Young Talent’ programme – with more than 100 set to be recruited in 2017.
He said: “I’m delighted that Holly has been recognised at a national level. Engineering was in
my blood from a very early age and nothing pleases me more than seeing other engineers being
rewarded at a very young age for their passion and hard work.”
JCB was one of the first engineering employers in the UK to offer Higher apprenticeships in
engineering to provide a pathway to study up to degree level while working. Since their
introduction in 2012 around 60 JCB apprentices have gone on to take foundation degrees. Like
Holly, many have already completed their full degrees and scores of others are expected to graduate
with Bachelor of Engineering degrees in the next two years.
JCB General Manager for Technical & Professional Development Miles Pixley said: “Holly is
a wonderful advocate for the Higher Apprenticeship route, which offers young people the
opportunity of real paid work while they learn on the job, avoiding the need to take out student
loans which have to be paid back in later life.”
Holly was named the Nuclear Decommissioning Site Licence Companies Higher and Degree
Apprentice of the Year during a ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House.

Janet Johnson BSc (Hons) Podiatry SRCh
Chiropodist
Treatments include:
nail cuts, thick nail reduction,
ingrown nail treatments, callus
and corn removal, verrucas, arch
and heal pain, nail surgery
biomechanical assessment
and diabetic assessment.
Based in the Northgate
Doctors Surgery, Carters
Square, every Friday.
Home visits available
£25 per treatment
Mobile: 07951820847
Home: 01889 592855
before 6 pm
janetjohnson1701@
gmail.com
LAKESIDE
CLUB VENUE
Looking for a venue to hold that special occasion then
look no further. JCB Lakeside Club has years of
experience with hosting weddings, anniversaries,
birthday parties, children’s parties, christenings and
other special occasions. We can also cater for buffets
(ask for a menu), dinners suitable for
weddings/functions and other occasions, and when
required we also cater for funerals. Bookings can also be
taken for presentation evenings and other special events.
We have a flexible approach to your needs and will take
every step to accommodate all your requirements.
With three different rooms we can accommodate both
small and larger type events. We also cater for business
meetings with refreshments to suit. Projection
equipment is also available for hire if required.
Why not give us a call, or better still, visit the Lakeside
Club and see what we have to offer.
Associate membership is also available for those who
wish to use the Lakeside facilities. Contact the club for
details.
JCB Lakeside Club,
Hollington Road, Rocester, Staffs ST14 5HY
Tel: 01889 591057
Email: jcblakeside@tiscali.co.uk
Web: www.jcb-lakeside-club.co.uk
Cheadle Arts Week
Saturday March 11th to Sunday March 19th inclusive
The Arts Week is almost upon us
The weeks they just fly away
Wake up, all you painters and crafters
Let’s have another great display
Choirs and dancers, singers and such
All are included you know
“Arts” isn ‘t just painting and drawing
Talents in any field “go”
In Cheadle we have so much talent
In every way we’re the best !
So turn out and support our endeavours
Let’s all work to really impress
The programme is shaping up nicely
But if you’ve anything else you could add
Let us know – always looking for “new lines”
Make the Arts week the best to be had
The Arts Week Committee have been working overtime to produce and bigger
and better week and the programme settled so far goes like this:
Saturday 11th March “Cre-8” Day – for all crafters in the Guild Hall 10.-0.a.m.-
4.0.p.m.
Saturday evening 11th March The ever-popular Jazz Night with Lee’s group and
this year The Wabash Jazzmen are joining them – TWO for the price of ONE
Sunday 12th March The Cheadle Flower Club will be holding their Afternoon
Tea Dance In the Guild Hall – come along and tread the light fantastic !
Wednesday 15th The Cheadle Flower Club have a demonstration by Sue Dix
and an competition “Cakes with flowers” !! Sounds tasty !!
Friday March 17th Friday Night is Reading Night at Cafe 16 – anyone interested
in joining, listening, or better still reading – will be very welcome.
Saturday 18th The Showcase Day when the artists of the Town and surrounding
area can Strut their stuff. A wealth of art – always a popular day
Sunday 19th March sees the U3A Ukelele Group team up with Alton Bellringers
for a great Concert, with refreshments.
Other items and events will be added as they come along – this is just a taster.
Watch out for posters and leaflets – join us and be a part of something great!

Ginny’s Community Corner
by Ginny Gibson of Uttoxeter
S
itting here in my back bedroom, trying to
write this article, my mind is not easily tamed
into sentences. The reason is that there is so
much to say, but only a page to do it in. This month
I was asked to write a piece about our local poet,
so I met Christopher Rothery at Indulgence Café (
now Liaisons, but it will always be Indulgence to
me) and we had a exceptional lunch, always my
experience at Indulgence and talked about his
work, life and inspiration.
Some people you meet you understand
completely, they view the world in black and white,
others have developed the grey in between, and
then very occasionally, you come across some
people who sees the world from a pure white
perspective. Christopher is such a person, he sees
and experiences history and love through pure
white, that colour that is so clear that few of us are
likely to develop the skill of seeing the world as he
does. He sees the world from a different
perspective to me; he sees it from a poet’s point of
view. His descriptions of the world are refined over
years of honing his craft, of finding words to
describe things, like the following line from one of
his poems, “Dwell not too long on acts of hate,
they drum the devil’s rhyme”. All of us know that
resentment is the worst thing you can live with, but
he describes it in such a way with this line that it
makes you really understand the affect it has on
you.
I am a gardener, so every year I wait and watch
for my plants to come out and love watching the
garden unfold, but a verse from one of his poems
describes it so beautifully, “But in a sudden
monsoon shower, I saw a lotus blossom flower, and
like a seed split from the pod, I shivered at the
work of God”. It’s magical how he uses words to
create a picture that you hold in your mind’s eye
forever.
So how do you become a poet, that was a
question we talked about and the answer was a
perfect one. During his national service, he was
able to be stationed in Biggin Hill and Hornchurch,
his Group Captain knew Sir Archibald McIndoe,
who started the Guinea Pig Club in East Grinstead
and his last two years were spent in Singapore and
Borneo. In most of these places history had been
made and it seems their influence was the driving
force to pick up a pen and let the world know how
he saw it.
On the 1st January 1977, while walking along
the River Dove, in Doveridge, he started creating
his poems. By the time he had written 15 poems,
which took about 9 months, he knew he was in
need of a mentor and this is where fate stepped in.
While sitting in his local café in Derby, he
mentioned to the owner his desire for a mentor and
the owner said, “ Oh well, Dr John Woodward,
comes in here, I could point him out to you when
he next comes in”. ( Dr John Woodward was a
man of letters and great wisdom- a poet and
librettist)
This fateful meeting started a friendship that
lasted many years and Dr John Woodward wrote
the forward to Christopher’s first published book,
“Reflections through a Glass Darkly”, which can
still be bought on eBay and amazon.
United Press and Forward Press both publish
his poems and over his career he has been
published in both the UK and the USA.
But back to how to write and how to be
inspired to write poems, on that subject we had the
best part of the conversation, he talked about
visiting places of significance in order to
understand the place and get a sense of how it was,
then from that visit, also to have read widely,
experienced lifes joys and vicissitudes, and to have
listened to people from all walks of life, he is
inspired to write. For instance to write his poem
about Richard III, he visited the place where
Richard died and from that visit, he wrote
Bosworth Field, which starts, “So I have stood
upon the field, where Richard did not flinch or
yield”, again in one line he captures the courage
and strength of Richard II in a way that a whole
paragraph cannot. Another line in that poem, “ A
warrior king, last of his land, fell bravely with his
sword in hand” a simple description of what
happened and yet the work to get to those few lines
takes hours and hours of thoughtful reflection of
his experience of that visit to where Richard died.
Christopher talked about sitting on bench in
the garden of Rydal Mount, where William
Wordsworth used to sit, in order to be inspired to
write a few lines about the great man. Later that
day he gave the words to the great, great, great,
great granddaughter of Wordsworth, who again by
fate, he had met in the shop at Rydal Mount. The
words he wrote were included in his poem, Would
that I could carve a jewel and read, “Wordsworth
through the life he sought, gleaned his own poetic
thought”
On 9th September 2016, Christopher was taken
by a friend to RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire, home
to the Dambusters 617 Squadron. In March 1944
the base moved from Petwood, approximately 25
miles away. On the way home they drove past RAF
Cranwell, this was a lifetime ambition fulfilled and
a privilege for him, something he wrote in the
visitors book before he left.
So in answer to my question, I gleaned from our
conversation, that to be a poet and see life from
that pure white perspective, takes an inner
workings that most of us do not possess and then
dedication and persistence to find the right word
in order to explain the sights we all see and know
about but in poetry form.
I must confess, that when asked to meet with
Christopher I was nervous, I can bluff and blunder
through life and write my articles, but true genius,
which is what he has created in his descriptions of
life in his poems, are awe inspiring. But
Christopher is a generous, kind man, who took the
time to allow me to ask questions in order to
understand.
He has 120 poems in his collection and wants
to leave them to, as he put it, “To the gentle
townsfolk of Uttoxeter and Doveridge”, because
he has no blood relatives and Uttoxeter has been
his home for the last 25 years.
We talked about where they could be viewed
and stored and neither of us could come up with
an answer, so if you have any ideas where the life’s
work of Uttoxeter’s poet can be showed, then do
get in touch with The Voice and we will pass on
your suggestions to Christopher.
Before we left each other, I asked him a couple
of final questions,“is there a poem that you would
like to write, but have not yet had the inspiration
for”, the answer came quickly, he would like to
meet someone who has be awarded the Victoria
Cross, so again, if you know someone, who knows
someone, who would be willing to meet
Christopher then please get in touch.
My final question to him, “was which of his
120 poems was his favourite and he would like to
be remember for”, this question was not as easy
to answer, but after much deliberation, he said for
his love poems, it would have to be, “Reflections”
and for his history poems, it would have to be
“Dreams of America”.
A small selection of Christopher’s poems can be
found in the book, Men of Words 2015, published
by United Press in 2016. And in the next few
months a new collection will be published called
“Ten of the Best”.
Christopher left me with a final thought, he said
that happiness for him is that every second, of
every minute, of every hour, he believes that he has
done what he believed his divine guide had wanted
him to do and for that he is eternally grateful.
What a wonderful way to look at life, not by how
many things you have, but whether your life has
had meaning.
Happy meaningful new year to you all.
It’s easy to have the kitchen you dreamt of - with our high-end kitchens
and low-end price tags!
Ready for a kitchen that inspires? Simply call Tony Rose
on 01889 591189 free design consultation.
www.rosekitchens.com | sales@rosekitchens.com
Custom built designs unique to your
individual needs at www.rosekitchens.com

Take a drive out to one of the area’s most beautiful
‘olde worlde’ country inns and restaurants -
and savour a truly delicious experience!
Enjoy wonderful views overlooking Croxden Abbey
and the surrounding countryside.
Open every day, 12-10pm
Pensioners Specials
Monday to Saturday 12-2pm
Main Meal £4.95, 3 Courses £9.00
Sunday Lunches served all day
Take your pick from Beef,Turkey, Lamb,
Pork or Chicken
Traditional Cask Ales - Marstons Pedigree,
Spitfire, London Pride, Black Sheep
Heated smoking area
Mid-Week Evening Specials
Accommodation in superb Log Cabins with
Hot Tubs available. B&B and Self Catering.
See website for further details.
Enjoy a great meal atThe Raddle -
The Perfect Country Inn & Restaurant
Quarry Bank, Hollington, near Alton Towers
Telephone: 01889 507278
www.logcabin.co.uk

Chocolate Cheesecake Strawberry
Brownies
I
always feel my Christmas continues way into
January and February with so many friends
and close relatives having birthdays. I have
made eight birthday cakes so far this year! I
thought I should give my Chocolate Cheesecake
Strawberry Brownies a mention as they are always
so popular. I usually make these in the Summer.
We live near a wonderful farm shop which also
does Pick your Own fruit and vegetables. So
whenever we pick strawberries I always make a
batch of these brownies. My son requested these
for his birthday last week.
To make 12 large or 24 small brownies, you will
need:-
200 g unsalted butter
200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
250g caster sugar
4 medium free range eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
125g plain flour
1 tbsp good quality cocoa powder
1 punnet Strawberries
For the topping -
285g cream cheese
6 tbsp caster sugar
2 eggs
Firstly preheat your oven to fan 150˚C. Grease
and line a 20cm square baking tin.
Melt the butter and chocolate together over a
low heat and allow to slightly cool.
In a large bowl mix together the sugar, beaten
eggs and vanilla extract until the mixture is pale
and fluffy. Next stir in the cooled butter and
chocolate. Sift in the flour and cocoa and fold into
the batter along with a large handful of chopped
strawberries.
Pour into your prepared tin.
Mix the topping ingredients together until
smooth and pour over the brownie mixture,
swirling through with a knife for a marbling effect.
Scatter over some sliced strawberries and bake for
approx. 45 mins until the cheesecake is set. Leave
to cool in the tin and then transfer onto a board
to cut into pieces. Dust with icing sugar and some
edible glitter for a special occasion.
These make a great desert. They are delicious
served warm with some good quality vanilla ice
cream.
Karen’s Cake Corner
by Karen Hill
Karndean & Amtico
flooring at great prices
New Kitchen & Bedroom Ranges
Up to 40% off
Uttoxeter Tile and Bathroom Ltd
7 The Square, Market Place, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire ST14 8HN
Tel: 01889 560111 Mob: 07929 201128
Email: uttoxetertileandbathroom@hotmail.co.uk
Open: Monday 8-3pm; Tuesday to Friday 8-5pm; Saturday 8-2pm; Sunday appointment only.
Great Offers on tiles and suites • Very competitive prices • Open to trade and public
While stocks last. Terms & conditions apply.
We can offer supply only on bathrooms, kitchens and tiles (the largest choice available in the area)
or we can fully project manage supply and fit on the above, free of charge no obligation site survey with
expert advice on goods to suit your needs and requirements using the space available.
A pre-Cheltenham Festival Racenight at
The Duncombe Arms, Ellastone,
is being held on Tuesday March 7th.
Top national Horse Racing Broadcaster Cornelius Lysaght, local trainer John
Mackie and Oli Pimlott will take guests at this fantastic event through the
championship races over the four days racing whilst enjoying a three course
dinner. £35 per head. Please contact The Duncombe Arms for more details.
Don’t miss it - book now! Call 01335 324275 www.duncombearms.co.uk

A
JCB donation has paved the way for new
equipment to be installed at a remote rural
village’s playground. The £3,000 donation
is funding groundworks and a safe playing surface
at the site in Stramshall, near Uttoxeter, before a
brand new climbing frame is installed.
As well as the donation from JCB, £3,900 has
been provided by East Staffordshire Borough
Council for fencing around the playground and
£8,000 from Tesco’s Bags of Help initiative will
pay for the Dart Climbing Frame, which is being
bought from Creative Play.
Villagers chose the piece of equipment after a
consultation exercise run by Uttoxeter Rural
Parish Council, the organisation co-ordinating the
project.
Work to prepare the ground beganin January
and the play surface and frame will be installed
afterwards.
Philip Smith, Chairman of Uttoxeter Rural
Parish Council, said: “We would like to thank JCB,
the Borough Council and Tesco for their generous
donations. They are very much appreciated. This
project is about improving the only recreational
space in Stramshall by adding an additional item
of play equipment which will benefit the children
living in the village and the wider rural area.
“Play facilities are provided but new equipment
is required to enhance the facility for the
community and meet the needs of younger people.
Additionally, the village is fairly remote and the
nearest play area is in Uttoxeter approximately
three miles away, so it is vital that everyone has
access to fit for purpose recreation facilities.”
A JCB spokesman said: “When we were
approached about this project we were delighted
to help. Many of the company’s employees live in
and around this village and they and their children
will certainly benefit from the installation of these
playground facilities.”
JCB donation helps enhance play
facilities in rural village

QUALITY LOCAL MEAT, BEEF,
LAMB, PORK & POULTRY
All meat home killed with complete farm to fork assurance.
Personal & Friendly Service Guaranteed
YOU CAN TRUST
100% BRITISH MEAT
2 Market Street, Uttoxeter
Tel (01889) 565870
Roycroft Farm, Bramshall
Tel (01889) 563353
Apartments available to rent
in Burton and Uttoxeter areas
Range of property types available, some with enclosed garden.
Will accept applicants in receipt of beneﬁts
From £75 per week
Contact 01283 528655 for more information

Twenty years
not out!
Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority
BRIAN MELLOR
F I N A N C I A L S E R V I C E S L T D
Independent Financial Adviser
Russell House • 20 Stockwell Street • Leek • ST13 6DS
Tel: 01538 371288 www.brianmellorfs.co.uk
We couldn’t have achieved this without you!
TURNING YOUR FINANCIAL DREAMS INTO REALITY
The Brian Mellor team
has spent two decades at
the crease – looking
after our clients’
interests with a
comprehensive range of
financial planning services
and independent advice.
If you would like to
boost your own financial
score, contact us for an
impartial chat.
Swedish
Car Care
Unit G1 City Park Trading Estate,
Dewsbury Rd, Fenton ST4 2HS
Servicing, Maintenance
& Diagnostics
Call Terry Atkinson
01782 594411
07973 347068
www.swedishcarcare.co.uk
email: info@swedish-carparts.co.uk
Est. since 1983
SPECIALISTS
Free collection from Uttoxeter
and surrounding areas
WHEEL ‘N’ TYRESLTD
Performance Tyre Centre
WE FIT TYRES ON YOUR DRIVE
PUBLIC • BUSINESS • FARM CALL-OUTS
Unit A, Brookhouses Industrial
Estate, Cheadle ST10 1SR
01538 755100
BATTERIES • BRAKES
EXHAUSTS • TYRES
Personal Service and Advice
Town Council
Backs
Fairtrade
Town Bid
U
ttoxeter Town
Council threw its
support behind the
bid for Uttoxeter to become
a Fairtrade Town when it
met on 13 December 2016.
Part of the price paid for
Fairtrade goods is used to
help people who live in the
poorer countries of the world
to live a better life. Towns
which make people aware of
Fairtrade and ensure that
Fairtrade goods are on sale
and widely used can become
accredited as a Fairtrade
town by the Fairtrade
Foundation.
The Fairtrade Uttoxeter
Steering Group was set up in
November 2015 to work
towards Uttoxeter being
accredited as a Fairtrade
Town. One of the goals the
steering group must achieve
is for the Town Council to
pass a resolution supporting
Fairtrade, and agree to serve
Fairtrade products when it
can. Uttoxeter Town Council
has embraced this
requirement and passed a
resolution which meets these
requirements (full wording
of Town Council resolution
below).
After the Council
meeting, the Mayor of
Uttoxeter, Councillor Alan
Noyes said: “Uttoxeter Town
Council believes that
producers everywhere should
get a fair deal for what they
produce. We support fair
prices for local farmers and
manufacturers, and as a
caring Council we also want
to help people in the
developing world who are
struggling to get out of
poverty. Backing Fairtrade is
one important way in which
we can do this.”
The Secretary of the
Fairtrade Uttoxeter Steering
Group, Councillor Dave
Trenery, said: “we are
delighted that the Council
has now taken the formal
step of backing Fairtrade. We
believe that the Fairtrade
Steering Group and the
people of Uttoxeter have
achieved everything they
need to achieve to become a
Fairtrade Town, and we will
be making an application to
become a Fairtrade Town.
The Steering Group did a
survey of people’s views on
Fairtrade on 26 November
2016 and spoke to 163
people in Uttoxeter. 99% of
those we spoke to backed the
idea that Uttoxeter should
become a Fairtrade Town,
and I am sure that the people
of Uttoxeter will welcome
our application.”
Stockists of Leading Brands of Food at
Competitive Prices
Birds, Rabbits, Guinea Pigs, Hamsters,
Cold Water Fish & Tropical Fish.
Onion Sets, Seed Potatoes and
Shallots available now.
Call in to see Chip,our adorable
10 year old Parrott
Tel: 01538 753193
8 Cross Street, Cheadle ST10 1NP
CROSS STREET PET STORES
For all your pet requirements

@uttoxeter_voice
Send your articles, photographs, features, sports reports etc into
The Voice for insertion into our next issue.
The Voice is here to publicise what’s happening in our community
Get in touch now via email uttoxetervoice@hotmail.co.uk or by
social media
Uttoxeter
& Cheadle
Uttoxeter
& Cheadle
A
three-year JCB sponsorship deal is set to help
Cheadle Cricket Club improve its facilities and
maintain close links with the community.
As well as paying for much-needed equipment
servicing and running the club’s junior section, the
£3,000 sponsorship starting in 2017 will also help
maintain indoor facilities. JCB has sponsored the club
for the past six years to the tune of £6,000, a deal set
up by former Cheadle Cricket Club Chairman Nigel
Titterton.
Club Financial Secretary Ann Smith said: “We’re
proud to have signs on display at the ground and on
the roadside which show that JCB is our main
sponsor. It’s very important that the local community
sees what a company like JCB is putting back. We are
very grateful for the company’s support and we are
delighted to have secured sponsorship for the next
three years.
“My association with Cheadle Cricket Club began
when my two sons started to play in the junior
section, from about 1999, going through the different
age groups to senior level. It was a case of join in. So
I became one of the scorers for the club. It makes me
proud to see JCB supporting a club that means so
much to me.”
Various groups use the pavilion during the week
including a Baby sensory session and U3A have
classes for painting, tai chi, cake decorating and arts
and crafts, and every two weeks there is a Friday
afternoon tea dance organised by local pensioners.
Howzat! JCB supports local cricket
club with £3,000 donation
T
raditional Haggis, neeps and tatties were on
the menu for all at DE Healthcare, a
provider of care services for adults with
learning disabilities in Uttoxeter and wider
Staffordshire region, as they celebrated Burn’s
Night.
The event, which was held at the family-run
care provider’s specialist Hub facility, based in the
town centre on Church Street, saw over 20 clients
gather together to enjoy a delicious Scottish meal
and some famous pastimes.
During the evening clients were treated to a
hearing of a 200-year-old poem ‘Address to the
Haggis’ by Robert Burns and also experienced
some traditional music played by a very special
guest on the bagpipes.
Burn’s Night is a Scottish tradition celebrated
each year on January 25th. The occasion, which
marks the birth date of famous poet Robert Burns,
celebrates Scottish roots, identity and culture along
with Burn’s poetry.
Tracey Fletcher, managing director at DE
Healthcare, said: “Celebrating landmark dates in
the calendar such as Burn’s Night are a great
opportunity for our clients to learn about other
cultures and traditions. The Hub is a place that
offers people with learning disabilities a gateway
into the community and can be used as a drop-in
service or simply to socialise and meet new people.
It’s important that those with complex disabilities
are given the chance to take part in the activities
that interest them most and our clients often play
a pivotal part in organising and running evenings
such as this. The hub is a facility that we want
people in the community and wider regions to use,
shape and make their own, depending on their
needs.
“Working with people with learning disabilities
is an extremely rewarding career and we’re like
one big family here at DE Healthcare. As a family-
run organisation, this is one of our key values and
if you’re looking for a career change or new
challenge, we’re currently recruiting for several
support workers to join our growing team of fifty
passionate carers across Staffordshire.”
For more information about DE Healthcare’s
Hub facility or if you’re interested in working with
people with learning disabilities, please contact
Danielle on 01889 567 360 or email
danielle@dehealthcare.co.uk. Latest vacancies can
be found here: www.dehealthcare.co.uk/careers/
DE Healthcare celebrates Scottish
traditions at Burn’s Night event
Alan Hunter with support worker Dave Radford

NO FEES - NO OBLIGATION - ANY HOUSE - ANY CONDITION
Up to 90% of Value Paid
Tel: 01889 390 900
enquiries@uttoxeterhousebuyers.co.uk
www.uttoxeterhousebuyers.co.uk
The Old Bakehouse, Dove Walk, Uttoxeter. ST14 8EH
Cash within 7 Days(or in a time scale to suit you)
Repossessions • Divorce • Bereavement • Financial Diﬃculties • Or just want a guaranteed fast sale
Sell Your House Fast
A
few weeks ago we said
a very sad farewell to
one of Utoxeter’s
favourite adopted sons,
Bernard Holley.
Born in humble beginnings
in South Wales in 1935,
Bernard’s childhood was hard
but it helped make him the
man he became, a man who
doted on his family, made
many lifelong friends and
helped to create one of the best
hostelries in Uttoxeter –
Oldfields Sports & Social
Club.
Bernard moved to Uttoxeter when he married
his wonderful wife Beryl. He was employed by JCB
before the couple decided to take over Oldfields
Club and together Bernard and Beryl created
something that is so special.
Many Voice readers will know that I have
frequently mentioned Oldfields Club throughout
the ten years since I launched the magazine. I love
the place and more importantly I love the people
who help make it so warm and inviting and an
atmosphere which is so unique.
It was at Oldfields Club a decade ago that I
announced I was to launch a quality glossy colour
magazine for Uttoxeter, Cheadle and our
surrounding local villages – The Voice! It is fair to
say that a lot of folk didn’t think I had a chance but
not Bernard and Beryl.
My first meeting at the club was with my dear
friend Linda Hammond all those years ago and we
decided to put a feature into the first issue of The
Voice for her singing group. During that evening
Bernard and Beryl helped me formulate
a list of local people who could possibly
help me with the magazine (including
my old buddy Razzer Astbury) and the
rest, as they say, is history.
Since that day I have always had the
utmost respect for Bernard and on so
many occasions we enjoyed quiet chats
alone sitting outside Oldfields Club on
the verandah, especially when I
delivered a box of Voice magazines each
month.
He was a quiet spoken man and I
hung on to his every word because they
meant something and were carefully
chosen before being said. We would talk
about cricket, football, rugby, the club and how it
could go forward into the future.
I fondly remember one Friday lunchtime when I
had taken a box of the magazines into the club and
we went into the sunshine to have a chat. We both
ended up laughing so much that tears were rolling
down our cheeks!!
Only Oldfields regulars will get why we were
laughing so much but here is the reason why...
Bernard and the committee decided to install
electric doors into the clubhouse. I assume they
wanted easier access for wheelchairs and
pushchairs.
However, once these doors were installed, they
didn’t work quite as well as they should have done!
To cut a long story short, you could walk up to the
doors and they would take what seemed like 5
minutes to open! Or you could stand ten yards
away and move your foot and they would open
straight away resulting in much loud humour from
club regulars directed at Bernard.
Alas Bernard defended the doors as much as he
possibly could before he succumbed and had them
taken out and the usual ones installed.
As I say, we reminisced about these doors until
we both laughed uncontrollably. This is the memory
I will keep from a very special friend to me.
I found Bernard to be 100% honest, a very
decent man who always fought his corner if he
needed to. He was proud of his and Beryl’s
achievements at Oldfields Club, proud of how they
had nurtured the club since they took it over,
creating a family environment which was safe and
caring.
But he was so proud of Beryl and their
wonderful family, he was devoted to them all and
this apt little tribute from his family was inserted
into Bernard’s Order of Service at his funeral in St
Mary’s RC Church in Uttoxeter:
A Tribute to Bernard Holley
by Nigel Titterton
My Hero
You held my hand,
When I was small,
You caught me when I fell,
You’re the hero of my childhood,
And my later years as well.
And every time I think of you,
My heart still fills with pride,
Though I’ll always miss you Dad,
I know you’re by my side.
In laughter and in sorrow,
In sunshine and through rain,
I know you’re watching over me,
Until we meet again.
Anon

Povey’s People
By Radio Stoke’s Owd Grandad Piggott
T
here were three of them sitting in the bar of
Tummy Dawkins’s pub – all with long faces
bemoaning their lot.
Owd Grandad Piggott who had
yet another fine to pay off, Club
Paper Jack who had a court
appearance pending and
Gummy Webster who had been
bound over for a breach of the
peace. Owd Grandad Piggott
spat into the fire causing an
angry hiss from the coals and a
yell of anger from Little Nelly
from behind the bar
‘Cart off outside and do that
you dirty old tup!!’ she shouted.
‘It’s a bugger!’, growled
Owd Grandad ignoring her,
‘’Ere’s us, in mower trouble than
soft Mick, an’ what’ve we got to
show for it... Nowt!, that’s
what! Bloody nowt!... an’ ‘ere’s
theyse Great Train robbers goo
an’ pinch ower two million quid
off a train in one fell swoop an’
get clean away... it just inner
rate.
‘Way need a big job!’
commented Club Paper Jack.
‘One as’ll set us up fer th’ rest of
us lives...’
‘Pheu!’, sniffed Gummy
Webster, ‘Fat chance o’ that!’
Two nights after, in a totally
different frame of mind,
Gummy Webster came into the
pub bubbling over with
enthusiasm and headed straight
for his partners in crime.
‘Ar’ve got summatt!’ he
hissed. ‘Summatt what’ll mack
us a fortiwn...’ Owd Grandad
Piggott and Club Paper Jack
were all ears as were me and my
mate Ekka who were standing
nearby. Gummy started
gabbling in whispers, the other
two trying to shush him, but Gummy was on a roll
and throughout the conversation, Ekka and me
discovered that his idea was to raid the chewing
gum machine that stood on the wall outside the
tobacconist at the bottom of Wood Street in
Longton
‘Thee must bay a fortune in that
machane’, muttered Gummy. ‘Arve
sane droves an’ droves o’ kids pilin’
money into it... ah tell thee, its theer fer
the takin’’
‘But it’ll ow bay in pennies’, said
Owd Grandad Piggott.
‘It’s got a hell of a big guts on it’,
said Gummy. ‘Ar bet it goes straight
back inter th’wow.... ast they got any
better ideas?’ The other two apparently
hadn’t, so they huddled together at a
table and began to plan it out.
‘Wale ‘it it on a Sundee nate’, said
Club Paper Jack, ‘Thee wunner bay
nobody abite rind theer later on...
‘No ale that nate’, said Owd
Grandad Piggott.
‘Wale need some sack bags fer put
ow th’ pennies in’, said Gummy
Webster ‘...and thar mate Gullickson’s
van fer load it into Jack...’
‘Wale aft do some money launderin’’
said Jack. So it was arranged for the
following Sunday. They were to meet
up in The Clarendon. Club Paper Jack
would borrow Daft Gullickson’s van
and they would come ‘equipped’.
At half past nine on the Sunday
night, they met up in The Clarendon.
They had agreed that they should
appear insignificant. Owd Grandad
Piggott was wearing a black balaclava,
Club Paper Jack was wearing his black
and white striped jumper and a pair of
dark sunglasses while Gummy Webster
carried a crowbar wrapped in half a
dozen sack bags. They didn’t merely
look suspicious – they looked
downright dangerous – so much in fact
that the landlord of The Clarendon
considered ringing the police there and
then. When they ordered a glass of
lemonade apiece, he became even more
suspicious, but when they drank up and went, he
quickly forgot the incident.
Fifteen minutes later saw Club Paper Jack and
Owd Grandad Piggott preering round the corner
at the chewing gum machine from an alley.
‘Coast’s clear’, he muttered, ‘Let’s go!’ The
crowbar was taken from its swaddling and
rammed between the machine and the wall. While
Gummy Webster gave it some jemmy and Owd
Grandad Piggott chased off a group of curious
kids, there was a sudden violent interruption. The
horrendous deafening wail of a claxon nearly burst
their eardrums and caused them to nearly jump out
of their skins. Almost immediately, a police car,
sirens wailing did a handbrake turn into Wood
Street, screeched to a halt and disgorged four burly
police officers. All three of the villains wet
themselves and galvanised into action. Club Paper
Jack grabbed the crowbar, levered up a manhole
cover and jumped down it, Gummy Webster
emitted a howl of anguish as two of his fingers
became stuck in the money hole and Owd
Grandad Piggott bellowed like a Galloway bull as
an iron fist grabbed his collar.
‘Hey up... Let me go’, he bawled. ‘...I’ve gorrer
disease.....’
Suddenly, another police car skidded round the
corner , then another. A dozen officers jumped out
and in an instant, Wood Street became a maelstrom
of heaving blue clad bodies somewhere among
which three would be villains thrashed and cursed.
‘Yarrrooooop’, carolled Owd Grandad Piggott
as his head connected hard with the pavement.
Club Paper Jack squirmed and blasphemed as the
burly officers winkled him out of the manhole.
Wihin half an hour, the three of them, somewhat
battered and bruised, were in the charge room at
Longton Police Station Owd Grandad Piggott
blinked inimically at the sergeant.
‘They wost bloody fast!’ he growled
dispassionately. ‘Yer were almost theer before we
were...’ The policeman grinned at him.
‘While you mallocks were jemmying open that
chewing gum machine, a gang of real villains were
breaking into the tobacconist’s warehouse and
helping themselves to thirty thousand pounds
worth of cigarettes. We ‘ve had them under
surveillance for a month...Luckily we got them as
well....two birds with one stone eh? How much
did you get?’
‘Sevenpence’, grunted Gummy Webster. The
policeman held out his hand.
‘Give!’
Two nights later, a fight broke out in Tummy
Dawkins’s pub between Gummy Webster and Daft
Gullickson. Apart from the charge of attempted
robbery, Gummy Webster was being prosecuted for
driving a vehicle with no tax or insurance.
‘Big job’, commented Owd Grandad Piggott
dispassionately and spat again in Tummy
Dawkins’s fire. ‘Another bloody fine ter pay off!’
Each month Radio Stoke’s Owd Grandad Piggott (Alan Povey) will write a unique insight into our
local life and its many characters.
His infectious, humorous slant on people provides a different and unusual mix which hopefully will
bring a warm smile to the faces of our readers.
This month: The Great Chewing Gum Robbery
Owd Grandad
Piggott was
wearing a
black
balaclava,
Club Paper
Jack was
wearing his
black and
white striped
jumper and a
pair of dark
sunglasses
while Gummy
Webster
carried a
crowbar
wrapped in
half a dozen
sack bags.
Owd Grandad Piggott
Go to the new website
www.owdgrandadpiggott.co.uk and
download tracks from the original Owd
Grandad Piggott LP record which was
recorded live by Alan Povey in The George
and Dragon pub in Longton in 1977 and sold
over 6,000 copies in North Staffordshire
inside 6 months.

C O N S T R U C T I O N S
Serving the community since 1976
MJ Barrett Constructions,Brookside Business Park,Brookside Road,
Uttoxeter,Staffordshire,ST14 8AT
www.mjbarrettconstructions.co.uk
Tel:01889 564 253 • Fax:01889 564 210
F
M J Barrett Constructions supply and erect all types of
agricultural and industrial buildings,including grain stores,
equestrian centres,storage buildings,milking parlours,and
cattle housing along with a variety of industrial warehousing,
office accommodation,retail outlets and entertainment
complexes all built to the highest standards.
T R E E S & L A N D S C A P E S
ALL ASPECTS
OF TREEWORK
UNDERTAKEN
Fully NPTC Qualified
RFS cert arb
Reductions
Thins
Crown Raising
Inspections
Surveys
All aspects of gardening & landscaping also undertaken:
Lawns Garden Paths Ponds Fencing
Patios Borders Decking Stonework
Aftercare & Maintenance
Pest Diagnosis & Control
Fells
Conifers
Top Soil
Landscaping Services
Logs Available
From the smallest hedge to the largest tree,
tree surgery that doesn’t cost the Earth!
Fully Licensed Sprayer | Fully Insured
EXPERT ADVICE
FROM PASSIONATE
PROFESSIONALS
Call Rob: 01538 361 432
or 07900 995 139
Printed by SO Marketing - 01538 750 538 - www.somarketing.comAll work to BS3998 standard
EXPERT ADVICE
FROM PASSIONATE
PROFESSIONALS
All work to
BS3998 standard
Call Rob on 01538 266993
or 07900 995139
Email:
newlifetreesandlandscapes@gmail.com
EMERGENCY
CALL-OUTS
ALSO
AVAILABLE
Hi there, I’m Amy Bradley and drawing
really is my favourite thing! I work from my
gorgeous studio at St.Mary’s House in
Uttoxeter creating illustrations for all kinds
of projects such as; picture books, branding,
wedding stationery, educational projects
and SO much more…
Every month I will be giving you a sneak
peek into what I’ve been up to! I’m so
excited!!
NEWS from the Studio…
H
ello there everyone and HAPPY
(belated) New Year to you! I hope
you’ve had a great start to the year
and, like me, are getting back into the swing
of things after the festive break.
January has been a busy month with lots
of clients thinking and planning for the year
ahead. It’s really exciting for me because, in
many cases, the projects that have been
spoken about are repeat business which
means I’m going to working on the second
editions of some of my best-selling books
(SSSH…TOP SECRET! But it means I’ve
been signing contracts and that I’m going to
have some wonderful news for you in
September!).
Some of my most loved brands are going
to ‘grow’ and, on top of that, lots of NEW
projects have been flying into my inbox
including artwork for prints, educational
resources, wedding stationery and the
possibilities of working with (NEW) high
profile publishers. YIPEEEE!
The year ahead is looking SUPER
optimistic and I can’t help but think that it’s
really true what they say - ‘Time flies when
your having fun!’ I know this because I’ve
created this little memo to round up my
highlights of 2016.
If all of that was possible in 365 days,
then I can’t wait to see what we get up to in
the next 365 days.
Until next time,
Amy x
Like to know more about Amy? Check out;
www.amybradley.co.uk or get in touch;
mail@amybradley.co.uk – 07870 752480.
Enjoy!
Fun, colourful illustrations
for everyone!!

Let The Voice Be With You
by Les Humphries of Rocester
W
ell readers, I trust you had a nice
Christmas, and would like to take this
opportunity to wish you all a very Happy
New Year, but starting in December.
With the Christmas tree lights in the centre of
Rocester Village not exactly getting rave reviews,
on the other hand St. Michaels Church had a
fantastic response to their Christmas Eve Donkey
Procession through the Village, which produced a
huge turnout by the residents and guests.
The Donkey was lovely, it didn’t bite any kids,
and had a great temperament. Sadly we were let
down by the local farmer who failed to let us have
some live sheep as promised, so we had to make do
with a stuffed one with a broken leg standing beside
the manger which was erected in the Church
grounds.
Congratulations to Susan and Frank, the main
organisers, Gillian who was more or less the
wardrobe mistress, Sue Hutchins our lovely Lay
Reader for holding it all together, her husband Neil
for the excellent lighting, and the ladies of the
Crafty Group for their melodic refrains beside the
stable.
The Donkey was kindly loaned by Sue Mee
from Boylestone, and Dainer Harris, who is a nurse
at Abbey Veterinary Surgery in Rocester, who
allowed us to use her horse box to transport it,
driven by her father, my mate Pete Fearon. Thanks
to everyone else who gave their services on the day,
and a special thank you to the people of Rocester
who gave us your support, without you it would
have all been for nothing.
Those of you who read my scribings in the
previous issue of The Voice will remember I
mentioned former Rocester resident Bill Woodier,
who had produced those nostalgic DVD’s of the old
Carnivals. Well people have shown such great
interest that he had 45 advance orders, with a lot
more people showing interest in getting copies. Bill
has done a great job in transferring old silent cine
film with added music onto DVD. They retail at £5-
00 a copy, with all proceeds going to St. Michael’s
Church, and there are more to come with new
material. Well done Bill, hope the new puppy is
settling in!!
Uttoxeter Rugby Football Club, after a dodgy
start to the season when they were propping up the
table, have hauled themselves up to mid table, so
without a disaster prevailing they should be free of
relegation worries and be able to consolidate their
position in Midlands 3 West (North). My
Grandson Owen made his second appearance for
the 1st Team in the defeat at Burntwood before
Christmas, only to limp from the field with a knee
injury which has put him out of action for several
weeks.
On the 7th of January Uttoxeter then struggled
to a hard earned 40pts to 33 victory over lowly
Clee Hill at Oldfields. With discipline letting the
town down (two players being sin binned) they
almost snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, but
a late rally won them the day, the victory moving
them above Cannock into 5th place in the table.
With the top four teams being so far ahead of the
rest at this stage, realistically this is the highest the
town can get this season, and it will take a lot of
determination to hang on to fifth for the rest of the
season, but they can do I’m sure. Player coach Matt
Nance has an enthusiastic young group of players
now to support the older lads, so things look rosy
for the future providing the club can hold on to
them.
The downpoint of the year for us all at Oldfields
Sports and Social Club was the passing of Bernard
(Taffy) Holley, who along with his lovely wife Beryl,
for so many years graced the bar as stewards, until
ill health forced him to stand down. His grandsons
Evan and Finn, along with Kathy filling the breach
so ably has maybe softened the blow, but none the
less Bernard will be sadly missed at the Club,
particularly by the ‘Bar Fly’ regulars and his old
mates at JCB where he worked for so many years.
He was a great guy and more importantly
MADE IN WALES - Wedi mynd ond nid
anghofiedig
The Churnet Valley Male Voice Choir have been
in recess over Christmas, but are now back into
weekly rehearsals at the Bishop Rawle School in
Cheadle on Tuesday Evenings, starting at 7:30. One
of our stalwarts Keith Waterson and his good lady
Sue have decided to up sticks and move to Lichfield
to be nearer their children. We are all sorry to see
him go, particularly the bass section. Our next
concert is in March, so if there are any basses out
there looking for a choir, or indeed any voice range,
come along on a Tuesday evening and have a listen
one Tuesday Evening. Our next gig is in March.
Meanwhile, three of us from the Choir are
involved in rehearsals for this years Pantomime
offering from the Denstone Players, Aladdin and his
Wonderful Lamp, which will take place in
Denstone Village Hall at 7:00 each evening of the
23rd - 24th and 25th - of February, with a Matinee
at 2:00 pm on the 25th. Tickets are now on sale
from Denstone Stores and priced at £7-00, children
under 16 £5:00. The Panto is once more directed
by the erstwhile Gill Brown, and most of the
regulars will be appearing. My two colleagues from
the choir Stan and Paul who are both talented
musicians, have joined the cast for the first time as
part of the chorus, following their debut in the
recent Variety Show as Sorby and Johnson, where
they were such a success. It’s always so hard to get
fellas to join the chorus, Dave and Paul the other
two guys will be familiar to all our regular
audiences, and we have our usual group of lovely
ladies singing and dancing their hearts out, not
forgetting the youngsters who are always great.
The Denstone Players are extremely fortunate
to have our superb set builder Steve for whom no
challenge is too big, and likewise Smudger on lights
and sound effects both are brilliant. Finally the
front of house crew who are so important to every
production.
If you would like more information on the
Denstone Players you can follow us on twitter
@denstoneplayers or on www.facebook.com/
denstoneplayers and tickets can also be purchased
online at www.denstoneplayers.com
Finally many thanks to the Caldon & Uttoxeter
Canals Trust who do such wonderful work in the
area, for giving Bill Badger and myself 12 months
free membership in return for doing a couple of
Tours of JCB’s’ HQ at Rocester for the group last
year. Both Bill and I thoroughly enjoyed taking
them round, on one occasion tracing the route of
the old canal, which is partly buried beneath the
factory, and on the second occasion taking them on
a standard tour of the premises. We both really
admire the work that the trust does, and appreciate
the importance of organisations like this around the
Country keeping the past alive. You can discover
more on line at www.cuct.org.uk
So that’s it for this edition readers. No politics
anywhere to be seen to keep our Editor happy!
(nice photo and paragraph in Talkback Nigel !!) So
see you all next time or at the Panto at Denstone
(I’m the Emperor by the way)
T T F N Les...
My Monthly Musings
by Cecily Cowans of Cheadle
A
very belated Happy New Year! How did
you spend the last evening of 2016? Quietly
at home or more raucously in company? I
always feel that New Year’s Eve is a melancholy
time, spent thinking back over the past year which,
for me personally, was a very mixed year. I taught
with a colleague who felt that New Year’s Eve
wasn’t an occasion for looking back but for
looking forward to the opportunities that the next
year would bring. I have decided to take a leaf out
of her book and to look ahead, leaving behind a
bitter sweet year in which I gained a dearly loved
grandson and lost a dearly loved father-in-law.
In January I made five New Year resolutions,
Yes, five! I haven’t shared all my resolutions with
anyone so do not intend to reveal them in my
monthly musings. I have mused seriously about the
qualities needed to achieve all five. These are
patience, will power, determination and creativity
as well as a large helping of luck. I have never been
blessed with a great deal of patience even though I
was a teacher for so many years but I was always
patient with my pupils. I am impatient in my daily
life. I want things done and dusted yesterday and
often rush things. Booking airline tickets for the
wrong date springs to mind. Maybe I should add a
sixth resolution to take more time over things. I am
the first to admit that I have no will power. None
of this bodes well to achieve my resolutions! I am
very determined however and the expression ‘dog
with a bone’ can be applied to me. I hope that you
have realised over the past year or so that I am
creative as I do apply a lot of poetic licence to the
musings that you read each month.
Finally… luck. It is said that we make our own
luck but what I need to achieve my fifth and final
resolution is to be in the right place at the right
time. In a year’s time I shall tell you of my successes
(I would not publish my failures!) I may even
update you on my progress. Good luck with any
resolutions that you have made and with
developing the qualities that you need to achieve
them. Enjoy the rest of February and be comforted
by the fact that the hour changes next month!

The good old days
Can you identify the faces and
locations?
See Page 50 for some of the names
to the faces.
URGENTLY REQUIRED
If you have any photos that you think may be
of interest to our readers of this page please
feel free to drop them in to Lavins printers in
High Street, Uttoxeter who will scan them
while you wait and let you have them straight
back or email them in jpg format to them at:
lavinprinters@btconnect.com
Please describe the people or event featured
and approx year when the picture was taken
along with your name and location so that we
can give you the recognition for supplying
them.
Thank you.
3
2
1

5
Photo Credits - 1: Steve Lavin, Uttoxeter. 2: Jack Harrison, Rocester. 3: Bill Brisbourne, Uttoxeter. 4: Steve Lavin, Uttoxeter. 5: Steve Matner, Cheadle.
4

J
CB Lakeside Club hosted Dove Valley’s 32nd
annual swimming presentation evening,
celebrating the 2016 championships. The
events which took place at Denstone College and
Uttoxeter Leisure Centre included the usual 25m,
50m, 100m and 200metre races along with the
800metre race for girls and the 1500metre race for
the boys. This is the highlight of the year for the
clubs members and their families celebrating the
swimmers achievements.
The evening started with the Chairman John
Plant telling everyone “Dove Valley has had a great
year and continues to grow as a club and this is due
to the dedication of all the swimmers, coaches and
parents helping Dove Valley to be successful.” He
added “With Adam Peaty’s medals in Rio giving the
club recognition it had inspired existing swimmers
to train harder and had attracted new members to
the club.”
The awards presentation was crammed with
personal bests, championship records and new club
records, ranging from age 8 years to the open age
group category and saw medals galore awarded to
those in 1st, 2nd and 3rd place as well as shields
for each age group along with special cups and
trophies.
In the junior boys, the 8 year old boys winner
was Lewis Atherton, the 9 year old category winner
was William Bulmer who also took the overall
junior boys Adshead Shield, whilst the 10year old
category winner was Harry Fryer. In the junior girls
the 8 year old category was won by Zoe Barnes, the
9 year old category won by Mae McPherson and
Amy-Lee Jones won the 10year old category and
was also the overall junior girl’s winner of the
Lewis shield.
In the intermediate boys, Ben Twynham won
the 11 year category Davies Shield whilst Tom
Dunn took the 12 year old category and Ben Simon
won the 13year category. Taking the Lavin shield
and was the overall intermediate boys champion
was Tom Dunn, whilst in the girls Lucy Oldham
won the 11 year old category, with Olivia Gregory
taking the 12 year old category and Lucy Rogers
and Rowan Hall the 13 year old category. The
overall intermediate champion was Olivia Gregory.
Harvey Grills was the boy’s 14 year old trophy
winner in the senior category with Jonathon Davis
taking the open Bloor cup along with the Overall
Boys Senior champion title.
Amongst the girls Charlotte Mountford won
the 14 year old Bettaney Scroll and the overall
senior girl’s title whilst Bryony Hall took the girls
open L.C cup.
Jayne Egerton was presented with the
president’s award for the time and dedication she
has given to the club for many years as a coach
poolside and introducing land training, but also for
the hard work she put in Organising the
Anniversary ball which was a huge success and
raised enough money to be able to take all the
swimmers to the Olympic pool for a training
session in 2018.
Heather Hall and Jessica Davies were awarded
the Dove Valley Club Shield for their time and
support given to the club. The Jason Hough trophy
which is awarded to male swimmers who always
train without complaint and with enthusiasm was
awarded to Nico Tsiamis whilst the Rupert Hough
trophy awarded to female swimmers went to Bea
Egerton.
The evening was attended by the Deputy Mayor
Alison Trenery who presented several trophies
during the evening and told us “It was a delight to
attend the Dove Valley presentation evening and
see such a positive celebration of the children’s
achievements and of the commitment of families
and volunteers who have supported them so
willingly throughout the year, I wish them every
success in 2017”
With Adam Peaty’s great successes this year,
John Plant went on to inspire the swimmers “The
sky is your limit if you train hard, and work hard,
he is an excellent example of what you can achieve
if you are dedicated, and train with enthusiasm.”
John finished by wishing all the swimmers a
successful 2017.
2016 Dove Valley
Presentation Evening
Ben Twynham, Harvey Grills, Jonathon Davis & Tom Dunn Girls Age group winners
Bryony Hall Ben Twynham Charlotte Mountford Ben Simon

By Mick Beardmore of Cheadle
C
headle Running Club was founded in
September 1986, following an advert in the
Cheadle and Tean Times. The advert placed
by Garry Wheawall, who was to be the first club
secretary, said that the club would aim to cater
“not just for competitive runners, but fun runners,
those who just run to keep fit and also for those
who wish to take up the sport. Age does not
matter either.” The club has tried to remain true
to these aims and has tried to cater for runners of
all ages and abilities, with an emphasis being
placed on a friendly and welcoming atmosphere.
At the initial meeting there was much
discussion as to when the club should meet and to
what it should be called – South Moorlands
Running Club and Cheadle Harriers were amongst
the suggestions, before Cheadle Running Club was
adopted. Older members will remember that the
club originally met (and changed) on the car park
of the Leisure Centre, before moving inside to the
current meeting place.
Although the club was originally started as a
road running club, the men, and later the ladies,
joined the local cross country leagues, with some
members also branching out into fell running. The
ladies have been particularly successful winning
the local cross country league in 1999, 2001, 2002,
2003, 2006, 2007 and finishing as runners-up in
2000, 2005, 2008 and 2010. History was made in
2014 when after years of trying the men were
promoted to the 1st division.
In 1990 the Club decided it was ready to stage
its own road race -the Cheadle Spring Six, run on
the first weekend in March. In 2000, due to
changes to the road system in Cheadle town centre,
the race was shortened to a 5 miles road race,
which has been staged each year since. The race
has attracted runners from far and wide and has
established a reputation as a very well run event.
In August 1991 an invitation veterans cross
country fixture held at Oakamoor was added and
is now eagerly awaited by local runners each year.
Again the ladies section has dominated this event
winning the team event on 11 occasions and
providing the individual lady winner on no less
than 19 occasions! The men’s team has won the
event just once, but provided the individual winner
on 4 occasions.
In July 1993 the club took over the running of
the Cheadle 4 Road Race, held since 1977 as part
of the Cheadle Festival. Although the Festival is
no longer held the running club continues to stage
the race on the second weekend in July as part of
the North Staffs Road Runners Association series
of races. 2017 see the 40th Anniversary of the
race, which is now one of the oldest races in the
area.
Other ways in which the club has been active
on the local running scene include jointly staging
with Longton Harriers the North Staffordshire
Cross Country League fixture at Parkhall Country
Park from 1998 to 2003, as well as helping out at
the Potteries Marathon by manning the last drinks
station on Northwood Lane at 24 miles from 1997
to 2004.
Over the years the club has played a very active
part in the local community helping to raise
thousands of pounds for local charities. Each year
donations are made from the proceeds of the
Cheadle 4 road race. In addition individual
runners have completed marathons to raise money
for local and national charities. Special charity
runs have been staged including the Caldon Canal
Run in September 1993 that raised £2400 for the
North Staffs Chemotherapy Unit. This was a cause
very dear to the hearts of club members since at
the time treasurer Elsie Fower was undergoing
treatment at the unit. Everyone was thrilled to be
met at the end of the run by Elsie, even though she
had undergone painful treatment over the previous
days. Unfortunately Elsie died before the cheque
could be presented but her memory lives on in the
hearts of the runners.
In October 2009 a memorial bench situated at
the head of Ousal Dale, in Dimmingsdale, was
dedicated in memory of former Cheadle Running
Club members. The area is one that has always
figured in the best loved training runs of members,
with spectacular scenery no matter what the
season.
A particular strength of the club has always
been its friendly atmosphere, with many social
events being held, including weekends away at the
London Marathon, Snowdon Marathon, Great
North Run, as well as outings to runs outside the
area such as the Llandudno 10.
To celebrate its 25th Anniversary the club
staged a 25 hours run around Cheadle in
September 2011 to raise money for the Douglas
Macmillan Hospice. The run was based at
Cheadle Community Fire Station and teams of
runners completed laps of just less than 2 miles
around the town for the duration of the event. The
run raised the fantastic sum of £4286.27.
On February 18th 2017 the club is holding a
30th Anniversary Celebration Evening to which all
current and past members are invited. The evening
will be an 80s themed event to celebrate the
founding of the club. For full details contact Barrie
Clutton on 07523018958.
Cheadle Running Club -
30th Anniversary
Elsie with club members at Froghall at the end of the Caldon Canal charity
run
Club members all ready for the Llandudno 10 and associated fun run in
November 1988
After the dedication of the memorial bench in Dimmingsdale on 25th
October 2009
The end of the run along the Staffordshire Way from Mow Cop to Cheadle
on 27th August 1995 to raise money for the Monday Club for handicapped
children

All-time local soccer
Hall of Fame Team
By Roy ‘Razzer’Astbury
Each month Uttoxeter’s best known character Roy ‘Razzer’
Astbury will compile his very own ‘All-Time Local
Football Team’which in his opinion is the very
best of players past and present.
‘Razzer’will create a team in each issue
of The Uttoxeter & Cheadle Voice which
he believes incorporates all the
ingredients of a football outfit which
could be unbeatable!
He will be delving into his
thoughts to remember all the
terrific players in years gone by
whilst selecting those who are
exceptional in our present
day.
It should be a
fantastic talking point
in our community and
no doubt you all will
have your views
on ‘Razzer’s Hall
of Fame team.
TONY BRIDDEN
Rocester FC
Fine player who could slot
into any position in the team.
HARRY CAPEWELL
Uttoxeter Town FC
A commanding figure on the
pitch and fiercely
competitive. Said to be one
of the finest players in our
area – well he told me that
anyway!
JACK HUTCHINSON
St Mary’s FC
Brilliant player who was just
as good in defence as he was
in attack.
GRAHAM BURTON
Leigh FC
Always gave 100% and
possessed a great tackle.
Top notch team player.
KENNY TAYLOR
Uttoxeter Amateurs FC
Great touch and vision,
wonderful passer of the ball
TERRY CLARKE FC
Abbots Bromley FC
What a fantastic
sportsman Terry was and a
real gentleman too.
Everyone respected Terry
both as a player and a man.
ERIC KNIGHTON
Shell FC
A player in the all-conquering Shell FC
team which dominated local football
for many years. Eric enjoyed his
football and so he should as the Shell
team included many local legends.
GRAHAM GOODALL
Weston FC
Tricky, fast player who
liked to take on
defenders. Always got his
eye on scoring a goal too.
HARRY SMITH
Cheadle Town FC
Great young player who gets better with age.
Goalscorer, superb passer of the ball and speed.
DAN ROOKSBY
Cheadle Cricket Club FC
The bearded wonder has enjoyed a fantastic football
career. Dan could play on the wings or down the
centre and his art of goalscoring was top class.
ROBIN HOOD
Abbots Bromley FC
I am assured this was his proper name folks! I have been told
he was an exceptional goalkeeper and commanded his back
four – which I am told included Little John at left back!!
We have inserted one football club each
player has performed for.
Obviously, many have played for several
clubs in their careers.
Alan’s Football Autobiography
by Alan Beaman, a local sporting legend
C
hina seems to be a serious threat to the
Premier League, with ridiculous wage deals
been offered to players. We will now see if
the foreign players show any loyalty to clubs even
Chelsea. If money is the only consideration, then the
flow of players is just starting and the damage to
The Premier League has yet to been seen.
West Ham have gained momentum without
Payet, whose behaviour doesn’t seem to be very
professional, what happened to the days when you
wanted a move but players would play full on in the
shop window, whilst waiting to get away. He has let
himself down, showed no regard for fellow players
or supporters. Now he has left West ham for
Marsielle......
Mourinho is still struggling to get Man Utd
playing well, they are too ponderous in their
approach, with Pogba being one of the main
culprits. He needs to speed up his first pass instead
of staying on the ball too long. Still believe his centre
backs Jones and Smalling are not good enough and
a forward to play off the shoulder is required at
times.
Liverpool are also showing inconsistency again,
they are short of quality defenders, They had great
tempo early in the season which I liked, but now
need to be at it every game to challenge Chelsea.
Their defeat against Southampton in the cup
showed their dip in form and it continued with
Wolves knocking them out of the FA Cup, the
pressure is on Klopp to improve the squad, with no
real depth to it.
Man City under Guardiola are hot and cold - in
recent interviews he looks a little angry with some
questions fired his way. The game is all about
opinions and different views, which makes it so
fascinating, being interviewed straight after the
game is bound to get a reaction that you could
regret later, that’s why it’s done.
I think the Premier League has been a shock for
him, no teams are fazed by Man City or anyone else,
it’s ultra-competitive, tactically teams adjust very
quickly to different formations and the oppositions
own tactics, the managers are very astute and
technically superb.
I think Man City are lacking defensive quality,
Bravo has been poor and his stats show he has let
in sloppy goals especially around his body, now this
was a massive strength of Joe Hart’s and any ability
Bravo has with his feet over Joe Hart is far
outweighed by his lack of ability to make routine
saves. Stones lacks awareness of danger and the
basic instinct to know when you can play and when
it has to go because the danger is too great. Top
defenders have the natural ability to see the threat
earlier than others, that’s what makes them top
class. Go back to the fantastic Bobby Moore skipper
of England at 22 years old, able to anticipate where
the ball was going before everyone else, saving him
making tackles - reading passes with ease.
Otamendi looks erratic, dives in and is vulnerable
to pace.
At Cheadle Town FC we are all excited to reach
the league cup final against Wolstanton especially
beating Abbey Hulton away 4-2, such a lot of hard
work has gone into building a Staffs Senior League
side. We have now got some excellent young players
in Jack Derbyshire, Dan Harper, Jack Hassell and
several other promising players, availability is our
major problem with players working so when we
are at full strength we are a match for most teams.
Mark Alcock and Peter Bentley have put in years
of hard work and it’s great to see the club moving
foward, some of the clubs like the Abbey, Redgate,
Wolstanton and Ball Haye Green have been around
a long time, so patience is needed to build a strong
club.
The next few years could see us really progress
if the lads can knuckle down together, training has
been excellent and a pleasure to work with them,
the tempo of our training games has been first class.
It’s nice to see the support we are getting at home
and I would urge people to come and watch, I am
sure they will see a committed squad of talented
youngsters, trying to put Cheadle on the map.
Losing Charlie Goldstraw to further his career
in non-league football was a blow but Charlie was
ready and I wanted to assist him to find the right
move. Hanley are a progressive club and I was
confident he could settle there and he has made a
good start. That’s the one problem with bringing on
youngsters, they need the chance if they are good
enough, that’s your job in football, my memories of
all the players that I helped to progress are very
important to me, I never stopped any player
improving himself.

Sport is in my blood...
by Jeff Wood of Cheadle, dedicated to local sport for a lifetime...
T
he New Year 2017 is well underway but with
the festive period behind us we now return to
reality. I often seem to be writing about those
who have left us and this month’s article is sadly no
exception.
Just before Christmas I learned of the untimely
passing of Terry Clarke of Uttoxeter. I have written
about Terry previously in this column. A finer man
one could not wish to meet. As a footballer in his
youth he represented Abbots Bromley and Yoxall.
In fact, despite his long hair at the time, he can
readily be identified on more than one photograph
displayed in the clubhouse at the latter venue. As a
cricketer I got to know him well when he coached
my lads at Cheadle Cricket Club. He really excelled
in this role and won the respect of all the players at
the Club as they were making their way through the
junior teams. He was a source of inspiration and
encouragement to them all, as was indicated by the
numbers who were present at his funeral. I
remember when my lad Tim was captain of one of
the junior teams. They had won every game of the
season under Terry’s expert guidance until it came
to the very last game at Checkley which Terry
missed as he was on holiday in Cyprus. Cheadle
narrowly lost the game and immediately afterwards
Tim rang Terry up in Cyprus to apologise for the
defeat. Needless to say, Terry forgave him,
Terry was also an accomplished left handed
batsman and occasional spin bowler. I did have the
privilege of playing with him a few times at the end
of my career. As a batsman, he had several
hundreds under his belt and, had his health not
failed him, I’m sure he would still be playing, such
was his love for the game.
It is a well worn cliché that he will be greatly
missed, but for no one is it truer than for Terry
Clarke, a man who was held in the highest regard
by all who knew him.
Another but older ex sportsmen who passed
from us prior to Christmas was Cliff Cowans. Cliff
was much older than myself but, although I played
cricket many times with his son Duncan and
grandsons Alex and Robert, I also played one game
with Cliff when he was around seventy five. The
game was at Shugborough and Cliff played in an
emergency. This meant that three generations of the
Cowans family were represented on that day. Cliff,
fielding at slip, took the winning diving catch off
Duncan’s bowling. Needless to say it was Cliff’s final
game on the cricket field. A lovely guy, Cliff was a
sportsman well before my own time and in his later
years went on to play bowls . I see his son Duncan
regularly and I shall save some interesting stories to
relate about him for a future edition.
On a much brighter note, I must congratulate
Cheadle Town on reaching the final of the Staffs
County Senior League Challenge Cup. I watched
the semi-final against runaway League Leaders
Abbey Hulton United. Cheadle were undoubtedly
the superior outfit on the day and a credit to Mark
Alcock and his management team. It gives me great
satisfaction to have two lads playing in the team
and, at the time of going to press, we eagerly await
identity of the opponents in the final.
Cheadle’s home games attract a reasonable
crowd and I often drop on some if my former
footballing colleagues and opponents. One such
person is Billy Keates, whose grandson Alex plays
for Town. Bill is still young enough to come along
on his bike. Many are the times I have done battle
on the field in years gone by with Bill when he was
starring for Cheadle Old Boys.
Finally I should congratulate Alan Smith on his
appointment as Captain of Uttoxeter Golf Club. I
can assure you that Smithy will have a great year
and make a success of whatever he does.
Bake’s Memoirs
by Neil Baker, local sporting legend
I
t seems a long time ago but I hope you enjoyed
your Christmas and New Year. It’s the time in
the football calendar when clubs assess their
season and plan for the rest of the campaign and
make changes to personnel both on and off the
pitch.
Inside the game it’s known as ‘the sacking
season’. My club Crewe Alexandra decided to make
a change and terminated the contract of manager
Steve Davis. After relegation to the second division
last season we made a decent start and at the end of
October we looked to be in a reasonable position to
make a return at the first attempt but a poor run of
results since and after the Xmas fixtures we were
closer to the bottom of the league than the top. The
board of directors decided to act and Steve lost his
job.
He had taken over from Dario Gradi in
November 2011 when the team were struggling in
league two. The previous season under Gudjon
Thordardson the team were relegated. I worked
under Thordarson as his assistant and must admit
that was not my happiest period at the club.
When he was appointed as successor to Steve
Holland it was a surprising move by the club. Crewe
normally appointed from within but decided to go
another route and try a different approach. Gudjon
had previously managed in this country at Stoke
City, Barnsley and Notts County. In fact he guided
the Potters to promotion to the then second division
in 2002 before being sacked only FIVE days later!
Doesn’t that tell you something about the man?
He came into our club and tried to change a model
that had been reasonably successful over a number
of years. In fact, a lot of you will find it hard to
believe that from 1997, Crewe spent eight out of the
next ten seasons in the second tier of English
football. It was then the second division before
becoming the championship in 2004/5. This was
longer than Stoke over this period which is even
harder to believe and accept for you ‘Stokies’.
Initially under Thordardson our results picked
up. He worked the players very hard in training, he
was a very demanding man though some of his
methods were questionable and his treatment of
some players downright disrespectful. His attitude
towards some members of staff was appalling and
he ruled by fear. We looked as though we might just
avoid the drop and three home games against teams
around us gave some optimism to our supporters.
The three games against Carlisle, Hartlepool and
Cheltenham yielded just one point and showed
Gudjon’s tactical flaws and we eventually went
down.
During the close season the Burton Albion job
came up and I applied for the post, Gudjon got wind
of this and took exception and decided to change
my role at the club. He bought in Steve Davis as his
coach and I was made chief scout. The new season
didn’t start well for them and the club decided to
make another change with Dario whose title at the
time was technical director replacing the manager.
Things didn’t improve for Dario and before long he
decided to step down
and Steve was
promoted from coach
to first team manager
Steve asked me to
return to the
management set up
which I gladly accepted.
Together we picked the
team up and after an
unbeaten run of sixteen
games we got into the
play offs. We beat
Southend in the semi-
final before beating
Cheltenham in the final
at Wembley and
gaining promotion to division one. Our first season
in league one saw us comfortably in mid table
finishing with sixty points. Our second season was
a disappointing one finishing just above the
relegation places and the following season equally
so, avoiding the drop on the last game of the season.
We had survived three years in division one, in
my opinion this constitutes a reasonable return for
a club of our size and means. The board obviously
thought we should do better. The football, I admit
had not been great but we had found ways of
maintaining our status. Changes were made by
board and manager and I reverted to my previous
role, though the title had changed to head of
recruitment!
Whether these changes have improved the club I
will leave others to decide, but I will say that Steve
Davis is a thoroughly good guy who I thought
would go on to better things. He had the ‘Midas’
touch in his early years and together we moved the
club upwards, hopefully he will get another chance
to manage in the football league.
All the best. Bake.
LOOKING FOR A VENUE FOR
YOUR SPECIAL OCCASION?
Choose The Fully Refurbished Cheadle Cricket Club Function Room!
• Located in a beautiful setting • Very Competitive Rates • Fully Licensed
PERFECT FOR
• Christenings • Birthday Parties • Funerals • Retirements • Group Meetings
• Anniversaries • Sports Presentation Evenings • Wedding Receptions
• Corporate Functions
BOOK YOUR SPECIAL OCCASION EVENT NOW!
For Enquiries and Bookings Telephone Mrs Tracey Degg on
01538 750356 or 07971 668 608
email tracey.degg66@gmail.com
Choose The Fully Refurbished CHEADLE CRICKET CLUB FUNCTION ROOM

On the Oche
By Dave Jones of Uttoxeter
Life President of the Uttoxeter and District Darts League.
H
appy New Year to you all, I sincerely hope
you all had a good one. Regarding the
darts, everything is rosy for Dutchman
Michael Van Gerwin who won the PDC World
Championships for the second time.
Middlebrough’s Glen Durrant won the BDO
Wold Championships beating the up and coming
Danny Noppert and the latter is another
Dutchman who was very impressive on hi debut. I
hope he keeps playing well in the future.
Lisa Ashton, The Lancashire Rose, became
Champion again with a superb display, she really
is a lovely lady.
Personally I did not enjoy the coverage of the
event on ITV as much as the BBC. Everyone asked
me where’s Bobby George – answer I do not know!
As I write this article in mid January we have
had a great day in the Jones household with yours
truly being given a clean bill of health by the
hospital. It has been a long job but we have got
there in the end....
You all know the NHS is in crisis but it is
wrong of politicians to lay blame on GPs. Here in
Uttoxeter we have some of the finest and I should
know! What is needed in our health service is
subject to root and branch reform – A&E
departments are full of people especially at
weekends who are drunk, toothache, coughs, cut
fingers etc – this also applies to GPs surgeries! I bet
if you charged them a fee they would not be so full.
We all have a responsibility to look after ourselves
and the system.....
But it s not all doom and gloom because of the
fact that our country democratically decided it
does not wish to remain part of the European
Union and today our Prime Minister spelled out
what the UK wanted.
Make no mistake pulling out of the EU will give
us a better prospect for the NHS which of course
is better for everybody – even the
Remain voters!
The EU’s rhetoric is to think well we
will give them a bad deal so they
depreciate our free floating currency. So
what, they are only cutting their noses
off to spite their faces....
Look at this from a business point of
view, it would be stupid to extract
revenge on the UK because we could
adopt world trade organisation (WTO)
rules.
There are a lot of countries waiting
on the sidelines to trade with us, The
UK.
The new Pro Britain, Pro Brexit,
USA Administration will now take a
very dim view of any vengeful antics
against us by such an organisation.
That folks is what it is all about – the EU is
about bullying us but they sell billions more to us
than we sell to them so when we leave it would
make us the largest customer – no wonder they
don’t want us to leave!
To have our own borders and our own laws
back is the best thing that can ever happen for this
great country of ours.
Please take care, for now and always
Dave
The Good Old Days photographs on pages 44-45 have been
identified as:
1 Uttoxeter St. John Ambulance Members, 1972
In Uniform: Mr. Bagguley, Tommy Twigg, Ken Castle, Derek Allen
& Stan Davies
Cadets on the front Row: Dave Allen, Allen Johnson, Richard
Woolley, Dean Miller, James Badam, Richard Alexander
2 Oldfields Boy’s School Pupils, 1950
Back Row: Derek Leigh, Raymond Beardmore, ? Tomkinson,
Albert Flowers, Jack Harrison, Alan Leese, ? Roy Durose, Ken West.
Middle row: Michael Podmore, Jack Harrison? David Lynch,
Malcolm Tortoishell, Aubrey Hood, David Fogarty, David Deakin,
Sidney Emery, Dennis Hodgkinson, Stanley Chatfield, Mr Tom
Goode (class teacher). Seated: Johnson, Roy Griffin,
Basil Stevenson, Philip Arnold, Keith Pountain? Tom Allen, Harold
Leedham, Roy Tickle, Jim Shepherd. Seated front: William Leek,
Fred Greensmith, Wilfred Mellor, Tom Deville.
3 Thomas Alleyne’s Grammar School Teaching Staff, 1958
Front Row: Mr. R. G. A. Sherratt, Mr. J. Sargeant, Mr. F. H. Wilson,
Mr. A. E. Young (Second Master), Mr. H. A. White (Headmaster),
Mr. J. D. Thompson, Mr. C. Hawkins, Mr. J. Peacock & Mr. J. M.
Wilkinson
Second Row: Mr. W. Hall, Mr. A. L. Johnson, Mrs. F. M. Cartwright,
Mr. T. Hartley, Mr. E. G. Beetham, Mr. B. W. Morgan & Mr. H. G.
Searle
Third Row: Mr. K. Thomas, Mr. B. W. Somerset & Mr. G. O. Parry
4 Hope & Anchor, Uttoxeter Ladies Darts side, c. 1970’s
Back Row: Liz Thacker, Pauline Kendall, Jean Bourne, Alice Bloor,
Wink Campion, Iris Bloor, Daisy Campion & May Metzner
Front Row: Bob Mellor (Town Mayor), Joyce Allday & Christine
Lloyd (Lady Mayoress)
5 Thomas Bolton inter-departmental cricket match at Oakamoor
Sports Ground, c. 1974
Members of the office team, top row: Nick Crooks, Graham
Fernyhough
Front row: Steve Keates, Steve Matner, Roy Plant Les Holden and
Kevin Fowell.
The good old days
Uttoxeter Golf Club
Cordially invites you to our
2017 Open Day
On Saturday 25th March 2017
Free 12 Hole Competition from 1.00pm
Free 15 minutes taster lesson from our
PGA Professional Adam McCandless
All welcome - come along and meet our team!
Membership 2017 • Unlimited 7 Day for only £11.52 a week
A true test of golf for golfers of all abilities
Contact the Professional Shop on 01889 564884
ugcprofessional@live.co.uk • www.uttoxetergolfclub.com

Conditions of
Acceptance of
Advertising:
a. All adverts must comply
with the British Code of
Advertising Practice, The
Advertising Standards
Authority and current
legislation.
b. No guarantee can be
given that an advert will
appear on a specified
date or in a specified
position, although every
effort will be made to
meet requests.
c. Whilst every care will be
taken, the publishers
will not be held liable
for any loss occasioned
by failure of an advert to
appear, or any misprint,
error or omission. Nor
due to non publication
or delivery.
d. We cannot accept
responsibility for more
than one incorrect
insertion. Advertisers
should contact us
immediately the first
error occurs.
e. Credit will only be
issued for that part of
the advert that is
incorrect, unless it can
be agreed that all
response was affected.
f. The publishers reserve
the right to refuse,
delete, amend or cancel
any advert without
explanation.
g. Whosoever places the
advert will be deemed
to be authorised to do
so on behalf of an
advertiser and that the
advertiser has obtained
permission to utilise any
of the component parts
of that advert. The
publishers will not be
liable if this is not the
case.
h. The Advertiser agrees to
reimburse the Publisher
for any costs, damages
or other charges
resulting from any legal
action taken against
them as a result of
publishing the
advertisement as
presented to the
Publisher.
See how The Voice
can publicise your
business
Give us a call on 01538 751629
or 07733 466 970
Voice Small Ads
uttoxetervoice@hotmail.co.uk
01538 751629
5cm x 1 column
This space
could be
yours for only
£25
Chimney Sweep
Vacuum and Brush
Tel 01889 564900
A Bostock
Mini, Midi & Large Skips
Mini Digger Hire
24-7 Service
Tel: 01889 566262
Mob: 07971 566 383
www.boultonsskiphire.co.uk
A Local
Family-Run
Business
MOWTIME
Garden Services
Tree work, hedge
cutting, shrub pruning,
lawn mowing,
strimming,
borders sorted,
weed control, etc.
Established 10 years
Tel Phil on
07967 586502
For all your Plumbing
& Heating needs
Contact Pete on
07971 641 168
info@pjhplumbers.co.uk
www.pjhplumbers.co.uk
PLUMBER
WT Hagan
& Sons
32 Years Experience
No call out charge
Locally based
Call 07513 975664
or 01889 589264
ARPLASTERING
& TILING
For all your
plastering &
tiling needs
Contact Adam on
07817 199674
Oddjob Property Maintenance
For all the odd jobs & big jobs -
inside & outside your home
Electrical, Plumbing, Joinery,
Tiling, Fencing, Bathrooms,
Kitchens & Gardens
No job too small or too big
Contact Mitch Shirley on:
01538 750491/07860670407
Tel 07743 649 586
www.tbs-stoke.co.uk
T.B.S.
• All aspects of Brickwork
• Groundwork
• Re-pointing
• Extensions & Alterations
• Landscaping
• Plastering
• City &
Guilds
Qualified
Thompson
Building Services
L & SDecorating
Services
Commercial/Domestic
Internal/External
Restoration
Wallpapering
Sash Windows
Fully insured • Est 1991
Tel: 07582 809 759
or 01538 752 589

Uttoxeter & Cheadle Voice, Issue 70

Uttoxeter & Cheadle Voice, Issue 70

More Related Content

What's hot

Similar to Uttoxeter & Cheadle Voice, Issue 70

More from Noel Sergeant

Recently uploaded

Uttoxeter & Cheadle Voice, Issue 70