Uttoxeter & Cheadle Voice

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Issue 80
Uttoxeter
& Cheadle
Uttoxeter
& Cheadle

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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
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Spode Close, Cheadle, Staffs ST10 1DT
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Cheadle, Ashbourne, Rocester, Denstone, Bramshall, Stramshall, Alton,
Oakamoor, Tean, Lower Tean, Checkley, Leigh, Church Leigh, Crakemarsh,
Combridge, Kingsley, Mayfield, Draycott, Cresswell, Saverley Green & Fulford,
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W
e are bounding through 2018 at great
speed – I can’t believe we are already in
mid-March! Where does time go? One
minute we are battling through the snow and then
before you know it Easter arrives and Spring is in
the air...
I love family fun at Easter Weekend – we organise a Easter Egg Hunt in the
garden for our five grandchildren and it’s a blast! My wife creates a lovely buffet
for everyone and it’s a joyous occasion – until it’s time for the first cry of the
afternoon during the very playful activities...
However, everything soon gets back to normal and off they go again – such
energy they all have and a wonderful zest for life.
We all watched the Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood with great
interest and emotion recently – could a former Voice columnist win an Oscar??
I never thought I would ever write that line!!! Well, incredibly, it happened!
Lovely Rachel Shenton and her fiancé Chris Overton scooped Oscars for Best
Live Action Short Film...
I met Rachel, a former Painsley Catholic College student, through a friend
a few years ago and we discussed how we could raise awareness of deafness
which was her passion after her late father became deaf as a consequence of
chemotherapy.
We agreed to try to organise a fundraising event and I said I would ask my
good friend and Executive Director at Uttoxeter Racecourse David MacDonald
if we could stage the event there which he kindly confirmed.
The fundraising afternoon went brilliantly and I was so impressed with
Rachel’s passion and ability to convey her emotions on deafness to the general
public.
I asked Rachel to write a column in The Voice which she did in 2014 and
2015, and it was part of her continued thrust at promoting awareness of
Deaflinks Staffordshire, which she is a Patron.
I have written a feature on Rachel’s Oscar success inside this issue of The
Voice – hope you enjoy reading it.
This actually reminded me of the impact of all of our Voice columnists who
all contribute for your enjoyment. Remember when huge singing star Jackie
Trent wrote her column in The Voice?
Her memories were glorious and we all saw that she was still, deep down, a
Stoke girl...
I hope you enjoy reading this issue of The Voice colour magazine
Nigel Titterton, Editor and Publisher
Dear Reader,

A
n innovative
Uttoxeter
museum has
hit the jackpot with a £30,000 JCB donation
that unlocks vital lottery funding.
Support from Rocester-based JCB, has
proved key to Redfern’s Cottage achieving
£50,000 partnership funding for a project to
transform the much-loved heritage centre.
Thanks to the match funding target being
reached, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF)
has now awarded the project a National
Lottery grant of £988,400.
The cash injection will see the 400-year-
old Carter Street Museum of Uttoxeter Life
renovated and developed to a whole new
level.
Developments include a new café,
community life zone and interactive
galleries on domestic life, the Civil War,
markets, and the making of the modern
town, along with a new sensory garden.
JCB Chairman Lord Bamford said:
“Uttoxeter is synonymous with the history
and ongoing success of JCB; it’s where the
business was founded and is the home town
for many of our employees and their
families.
“Preserving the town’s history and
ensuring future generations appreciate its vibrant and
distinctive past are important and we are delighted to
pledge JCB’s ongoing support to the Museum.”
Redfern’s Cottage Chairman, David Parkes said:
“Redfern’s Cottage is all about sharing what is great,
interesting, quirky, strange and distinctive about
Uttoxeter.
“To secure the National Lottery funding from HLF
we needed to raise well over £50,000, which is no mean
feat for an organisation that relies on volunteers.
“We are indebted to all our donors but to JCB in
particular for this generous
donation which has enabled us
to reach the target and ensure
the community of Uttoxeter will
benefit from a whole host of
exciting activities and events.”
Vanessa Harbar, Head of
HLF West Midlands, said:
“Thanks to money raised by
National Lottery players,
Uttoxeter Heritage Trust can
take a vital step towards
restoring Redfern’s Cottage. As
well as securing the future of
this historic building, the
project is creating some
fantastic opportunities for
communities and volunteers
and we look forward to seeing
that continue.”
The work of Redfern’s
Cottage volunteers spans many
areas of the community. It
includes work with school and
college students, art projects to
help local people affected by
mental health issues, and an
archeological dig that has
uncovered artefacts from the
town’s Medieval history.
To find out more visit www.redfernscottage.org.
JCB donation brings jackpot joy for
Uttoxeter museum
Pictured outside Redfern’s Cottage are foreground JCB Chief Operating Officer Mark
Turner (left) with Redfern’s Cottage Treasurer and Trustee Jonathan Prutton and
(background left to right) Project Manager Darowen Jones, Trustee Janet Dean, Secretary
and Trustee Pam McNamee and Chair and Trustee Nick Wigg.
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Uttoxeter
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By Dave Shooter
F
our capacity audiences were treated to Denstone Players’
50th production – ‘The Wizard of Oz’ at Denstone Village
Hall between 22nd and 24th February.
Gill Brown’s innovative direction of this classic story was told
in pantomime form. It featured brilliant performances by Kiera-
Leigh Gilman as Dorothy supported by 9 other principle actors.
The chorus was made up of 13 senior Munchkins and Emeralders
and 14 young Munchkins, Emeralders, Poppies and Scary
Skeletons.
Under the musical direction of Terry Davies the cast sang 12
songs, many with well choreographed dance routines.
Gill Brown was thrilled to see her vision for the show become
a reality. ‘Everyone worked so hard to make this panto the success
it deserved to be’ she said.
Echoing these sentiments, Chairman Dave Shooter said
‘Denstone Players Amateur Dramatic Society has been performing
now for 30 years, and The Wizard of Oz is arguably one of our best
productions. The society is everything a good community group
should be, as it involves a diverse range of individuals and
organisations within the locality. It is particularly heartening to see
such a good number of talented youngsters becoming involved.
The group’s future is looking very bright.’
Everyone is welcome to a screening of the video made of the
performance at Denstone Village Hall from 4pm on Sunday 18th
March. This will be followed by an informal meeting to decide the
contents of a Variety Show to be performed on 29th and 30th June.
Suggestions and offers of acts will be appreciated. Rehearsal dates
will also be agreed at this meeting.
Looking further ahead - A Comedy Play will be performed on
Thursday 8th, Friday 9th and Saturday 10th November. Terry
Davies has agreed to direct this play, which has yet to be chosen
from a short-list of three. Auditions for this will be in early July
and rehearsal dates will then be agreed.
The Players next Annual General Meeting will be held on
Sunday 20th May starting at 6pm.
A‘Wizard’of a show!

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The Lovely Little Town of Uttoxeter
Bear or Bare Hill
By Jim Foley
T
he area and shops on both sides of Uttoxeter War Memorial was once
known as Bear Hill. It is shown on Lightfoot’s 1658 map of Uttoxeter and
he called in Bare Hill. Where the memorial stands bottom right there was
a block of several shops with living accommodation above which backed onto
Bridge Street and again they are shown on the 1658 map. On either side of the block
of houses was a narrow lane leading into Bridge Street. In later years after the houses
were demolished the area was called Market Square. The original Alleyne’s
Grammar School was on the site where the buildings with the large roofs are.
Bridge Street showing the houses in the area known
as Bear Hill jutting out into the road top left. Many
years later the houses and shops were knocked
down and the war memorial built there.
A view of Bear Hill Uttoxeter showing the Red Lion Hotel, part of St Mary’s Parish Church and Mr W Wood’s shop
where the War Memorial now stands. It was somewhere near here that Samuel Johnson’s father is said to have had his
bookstall and that Johnson spent an hour in the rain on the market day doing penance for his refusal to take his father’s
place when he was too ill to attend his stall.
Bridge Street with the war memorial and Market Square to the right.
Photo David Whitmore.
The above view of Market Square looking west taken some time circa 1950s-60s
shows the extent of Market Square and the area once known as Bear Hill. The
building on the right with the two women in front was the Red Lion Inn or Hotel.
The Market Place is further west. The lane on the left was known as Back Lane and
renamed Queen Street much later.

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olden Oldies UK is thriving in Uttoxeter! Their new session leader, Anna
Everett, runs two Goldies groups each month in the Methodist Church
room. Anyone interested is invited to come along to these sing and smile
sessions, which are held on the second Monday at 2-3.30pm and the last Tuesday
11-12.30 of each month.
The sessions finish with tea and chat. If you would like to become involved or
know someone who would contact Anna by phone on 01889 566796 or through the
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S
pecial tribute has been paid
to JCB employees with a
staggering combined
service of almost 3,600 years.
A total of 136 long serving members of staff were
honoured at a VIP lunch and awards ceremony at JCB’s
World Headquarters in Rocester.
At the lunch employees who were celebrating 20,
40 and 45 year service milestones were each given a gift
in recognition of their loyalty and commitment to JCB’s
success.
The longest serving members of staff honoured
were Richard Jones of Stoke-on-Trent, who works on
JCB’s Wootton Estate and clocked up 45 years, while
employees celebrating forty years’ service were: John
Jackson (of Upper Tean, Cheadle), Paul Alcock and
Christopher Naylor (of Stoke-on-Trent), Gordon
Attwell (of Rugeley), Kevin Blurton and Chris Steele
(of Uttoxeter), and Stephen Goldstraw (of Derby).
Speaking at the lunch, Chief Operating Officer,
Mark Turner, said: “Today’s event is honouring nearly
3,600 years of combined service to JCB. The company’s
success has been achieved, not because of the
management, but because of each and every person at
the sharp end of the business.
“You are part of a huge global family and our
success happens because of our people. I would like to
thank you on behalf of the company for everything you
have done in making JCB what it is today.”
Long service award recipient John Jackson (59)
who is a Quality Inspector in JCB’s Backhoe Loader
Business Unit at Rocester, is continuing a family
tradition with the company.
John said: “I was born just up the road in
Stubwood, so I’m a local lad and working here is in the
family really. My dad did 35 years and my brother did
37 years, both in the machine shop. I did nine years in
the machine shop too, before I moved into Quality.
“When I started the company was much smaller
and I’ve seen it grow massively, but that is a great thing
for the local area and I’ve been proud to be a part of it.”
VIP employees celebrate
3,600 years’service
JCB Chief Operating Officer, Mark Turner with long service award recipients John Jackson and Paul Alcock
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U
ttoxeter is celebrating, because it has been
declared a Fairtrade Town for another two
years, a year after first being accredited by the
Fairtrade Foundation in February 2017. The Town’s
success was announced at a Fairtrade Coffee morning
organised by Town Mayor Alison Trenery at Uttoxeter
Town Hall on Friday 9 March.
Alison said: “I am delighted that the town has been
successful in its application for re-approval. It is a
tribute to the tremendous work undertaken by the
Steering Group and its supporters in the twelve months
since the town first became a Fairtrade Town. They
have been backed by the people of Uttoxeter, the Town
Council, Uttoxeter Churches, small businesses and
schools, and by large businesses like Tesco, Waitrose,
Asda and Lidl. The support has paid off and Uttoxeter
will now be a Fairtrade Town until 2020. It is brilliant
that I have been able to announce this success at my
Fairtrade Coffee Morning, which has been organised
to mark Fairtrade Fortnight.”
Janet Dean, Chair of the Fairtrade Uttoxeter
Steering Group commented: “The Mayor’s Fairtrade
Coffee morning is the flagship event of our Fairtrade
Fortnight, so it is great to be able to announce our
success here. We are celebrating now by drinking
Fairtrade coffee and tea and nibbling Fairtrade cakes
and biscuits - but I may have a glass of Fairtrade wine
later!
“It is wonderful that townsfolk attending the coffee
morning have been able to join in our celebrations. We
have had a successful Fairtrade Fortnight (26 February
to 11 Match) despite the awful weather and have staged
information events at Waitrose and Tesco and put up
displays at the Town Hall, Library, and St Mary’s
Church. The weekly Lenten Lunches have been
offering Fairtrade refreshments, and even tots at the
day nurseries in town have got involved, having been
given Fairtrade bananas, balloons and stickers to help
them celebrate Fairtrade fortnight.”
Dave Trenery, Secretary to the steering group
commented “We are delighted that Uttoxeter will
remain a Fairtrade Town until 2020, but we will
continue to work to bring the Fairtrade message to as
many people as we can. This year we will take part in
or support events like the Rotary 5-a-side football
tournament on 1 July, the Lark in the Park in August,
and take part in Christmas events, like the successful
Tesco Christmas Fair last year. We will continue to
survey people to inform them about Fairtrade and
check out their support. Over 97% of people we talk to
support the principles of Fairtrade, and this
demonstrates how caring and generous Uttoxeter
people are. We will have to reapply for Fairtrade Town
approval in 2020, and we will be working to make sure
that our application for re-approval then will be even
stronger than the one that has just been successful.”
Adam Gardner, Communities Campaigns Manager
at the Fairtrade Foundation, said: “We’re very pleased
that Uttoxeter has renewed their Fairtrade status and
laid out clear exciting goals to take Fairtrade further.
“Thanks to the ongoing support of the public and
campaigners, an increasing number of farmers in
developing countries are now selling their products on
Fairtrade terms, bringing them a stable income, and
the chance to trade their way out of poverty.”
Uttoxeter is re-approved as a Fairtrade Town!
Dave Trenery Secretary Fairtrade steering group at
Lenten Lunch
Uttoxeter Mayor Alison Trenery outside Town Hall
displaying Fairtrade banner
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F
urther to their highly successful trip to South Africa last year and several well-
received local concerts, Moorland Voices once again prove that they are
becoming an “International” choir to rival the best.
On April 19th 2018, they leave for Holland where they will join their Dutch
friends “de Faneweeven of Heerenvane” (the mad wives of Heerenvane) for a joint
concert. This has proved a really lively connection in the past when the Dutch choir
sang here and both choirs enjoy their collaboration. Moorland Voices singers are
currently struggling with some Dutch pronunciation in a song they are learning for
the concert!
As part of Leek Arts Festival, another exciting event is planned for May 19th, at
7.30 in Trinity Church, Derby Street, Leek.
John Norcliffe, one of Moorland Voices 3 Musical Directors, says: “How
privileged we are to be joined by the international soprano, local lady Denise Leigh,
her virtuoso husband, Stefan Andrusyschyn and a very well-known local tenor
Phillip Cartwright, on this evening of varied and wonderful music. It will be a local
concert by local musicians who will demonstrate just what remarkable talent we have
on our doorsteps, here in Staffordshire”.
As it coincides with the Royal Wedding Day, the theme of the concert is LOVE
in its many forms.
Tickets will be £10 and available from Picture Box, in Leek: Wendy Walton tel:-
01538 383911: Moorland Voices Facebook www.facebook.com/MoorlandVoices,
email MoorlandVoices1@gmail.com or any choir member.
Also, all local singers are cordially invited to a Moorland Voices Workshop, of
Benjamin Britten’s “Ceremony of Carols” on Saturday, October 27th 2018 at Trinity
Church Leek led by the acclaimed Nigel Taylor. A day’s rehearsal will culminate in
an early evening performance, which will be open to the public. Details to follow,
keep an eye on Moorland Voices Facebook page. Everyone is welcome.
Local choir continues to delight
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By Carolyn Wood
A
s the saying goes... never work with animals and
children! Thankfully, C.AT.S. (Cheadle
Amateur Theatrical Society) ignored this advice
and put on an amazing Pantomime ‘Goldilocks and the
Three Bears,’ which entertained and delighted the
audiences from near and far at the Cheadle Community
Theatre last month.
Written by Victoria R. Wood and directed by Jake
Allsop, the pantomime had all the ingredients to make
it “Just Right” with colour, comedy, a water fight and
plenty of audience participation. Goldilocks, (Victoria
R. Wood) her mum, Dame Pixie Locks and brother,
Curly the Clown (Andrew Farrington and Ben Cleaver)
had little time to find a fabulous new act to save
Goodies Circus from the evil Dr Von Volt (Rebekah
Snow) and the Cirque de Eeval.
After getting lost in the woods and finding a quaint
little cottage lived in by three porridge loving bears,
Goldilocks was able to save her beloved circus with the
help of her new furry friends (Jason Greenwood,
Samantha Hughes-Johnson and Megan Probyn) and
friends in the Outcast Camp.
Victoria has always been fascinated by the circus,
and wanted to bring this element into the storyline and
to bring her dream of writing a pantomime, design the
sets and costumes and bring it to the stage. Barnum the
Monkey (Kezzie Carter and Bailey the Sea Lion (Alice
Foggerty) were included as characters as a tribute to the
pioneers of circus ‘Barnum and Bailey.’ Another of her
favourites, puppetry, was also used with Jumbo the
elephant, Francis, the yo-yoing tiger, a lion and giraffe,
bringing an extra element to the theatre experience.
With a cast of more than thirty people aged from 10
to in their 70s, and many working behind the scenes,
‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ was a mammoth task
to bring to the stage. There were magic illusions which
amazed the audience of all ages over the four nights.
Hundreds of people of all ages left the theatre with
smiles on their faces, queuing up to meet the cast and
for photo opportunities. Everyone was invited to bring
a Teddy Bear along to join in the fun and teddies were
given their very own tickets as a keepsake. Teddy Bears
and cuddly toys including elephants, Minions, lions and
meerkats joined in the fun. The oldest bear was 59 years
old! Audience member Clive Copeland from Meir Park
has been coming to see C.A.T.S. pantomimes for the last
ten years with his family. He said after Saturday night’s
performance, “I’ve not laughed so much in years.” Other
comments from people when they left the theatre were
“Awesome,” “Fantastic” and “The best one yet!”
Director, Jake Allsop said after the performances,
“the show has exceeded my expectations and the
audiences, especially the children went home very
happy. The cast soaked up their enthusiasm and
excitement. I’m so proud of everyone, both on and off
stage.”
Chairperson of C.A.T.S. Pauline Keates was thrilled
that so many people came to see ‘Goldilocks and the
Three Bears.’ “I’m so proud to be able to boast the
incredible amount of talent out Society is fortunate to
have, Jake and his assistant Sam have cleverly used this
talent to make this year’s pantomime so colourful,
vibrant and fun. Our very talented Victoria, not only
wrote ‘Goldilocks’ but also took the lead role. She has
worked so very hard, I hope that C.A.T.S. has come
some way to fulfilling her dream. Our audiences have
been brilliant and I would like to thank them for their
support.”
C.A.T.S has little time for a break, as the Society is
entering two plays the One Act Play Festival later this
month. Last year C.A.T.S. made it to the semi-finals of
the competition with ‘Prison of the Mind’ written and
directed by Charlie Brown.
This year’s entries are ‘When a Man Knows’ written
by Alan Richardson and directed by Marge Stanley and
‘The Seven Sins of Sarah’ adapted and directed by
Charlie Brown from an original play by Alan R. Price.
Both performances are at the Mitchell arts Centre in
Hanley on 14th and 17th March respectively.
Programmes for the night start at 7.00pm. Tickets are
available from the venue.
In August C.A.T.S. will be performing the popular
Shakespearean comedy ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Further details of dates and venue will be on C.A.T.S
website www.cheadle-cats.org.uk and in the local press.
For further details or if you would like to join C.A.T.S.
either on stage or behind the scenes, send a message via
the website or contact C.A.T.S. secretary, Stephen on
01538 752138
Cheadle Mayor and Cast
You can’t stop the beat!

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Silence is Golden
Left: Rachel and her co-star Maisie Sly in a scene from The Silent Child
Above: Racecourse boss David MacDonald, Rachel and her now fiancé
Chris Overton, who directed the film, along with The Voice’s
publisher Nigel Titterton at Uttoxeter Racecourse pictured
during Rachel’s Deaflinks Staffordshire fundraising
afternoon.
Below: Raceday Presenter Tim Peters interviews Rachel and
Nigel at Uttoxeter Racecourse.
One of Rachel’s columns in
The Voice colour magazine
Acting is My Life
by Local TV Star Rachel Shenton
S
o as a teenager my biggest passions were dance
and drama. I went to Sara Christie Dance
Studios in Stone where I trained in ballet and hip
hop and studied drama at Amanda Andrews Drama
Studio in Caverswall.
I actually owe a lot of my career to Amanda as
she opened an agency (which is still successfully
running) and she got me my first television job when
I was 18 in Holby City (BBC) as well as numerous
jobs to follow that. She also taught me the do's and
dont's of the industry.
Any young people in the area wanting to get into
this business I fully recommend Amanda Andrews-
and today she is still a great friend of mine.
After a couple of years I was very proud to say I
was an actress and it's how I earn my living - but I
still had to do part time jobs along the way.
Until in 2010 I went for a role of a girl called
'Mitzeee' in Hollyoaks. The brief said she was an
'outgoing glamour model' so I thought I was totally
wrong for the role but prepared something a little
different for the audition.
I went in, did what I'd prepped and that day I
got a call saying they liked me and they were in talks
about their final decision - and luckily it went my
way.
I'd never actually watched Hollyoaks, I was never
home at the time it was on and when I got the job I
purposely didn't watch it. I didn't want to add any
pressure or make myself even more nervous. My first
few days were just brilliant, everyone was amazing
and made me feel very welcome.
F
ormer Painsley Catholic College student Rachel Shenton has been inundated with emotional
congratulations from our local community after she scooped a coveted Oscar for writing and
starring in ‘The Silent Child.’
The 20-minute production, which was awarded an Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film, tells the
story of profoundly deaf Libby, beautifully played by 6 year old Maisie Sly, who was born into a hearing
family.
Libby’s world is changed in an incredible way after she learned to communicate through sign
language with the support of a social worker, played by Rachel.
Rachel, of Caverswall, is a former Columnist in The Uttoxeter & Cheadle Voice, and Editor Nigel
Titterton was over the moon on her momentous award. Nigel said: “Rachel has given her all over the
past 10 years to try to highlight deafness. Winning an Oscar on this very subject has made the film
mainstream to provide the biggest stage in the world to carry on her work.
“She is fluent in British and American sign language and a committed advocate for raising deaf
awareness. Rachel is Ambassador of the National Deaf Children Society and Patron for Deaflinks
Staffordshire which she championed when she was a columnist in The Voice magazine in 2014 and
2015.
“What drove her on in her quest to push the awareness of deafness came when Rachel’s wonderful
late father became deaf as a consequence of chemotherapy. With a terrific passion she continued to
find every media outlet for her cause and I was very pleased to take her and her fiancé Chris Overton
to Uttoxeter Racecourse for a fundraising day for Deaflinks which she took full advantage of.
“Myself and Rachel were interviewed by Racecourse Presenter Tim Peters and it was clear how
passionate she was in raising money for her charity as she spoke with great emotion to the racecourse
crowd. I saw racegoers go up to her later in the afternoon to talk about deafness and she absolutely
loved that.
“And look what has happened now – after writing and starring in her own film about a deaf child
she has won a coveted Oscar! Rachel even signed her acceptance speech to keep a promise to the film’s
young star.”
Nigel added: “This is a truly fantastic achievement - her dad would have been so proud of her...”

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 714944 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
P
ainsley’s annual school production was a feast
for the eyes and ears this year, with a cast from
years 7 to 13 taking on the all-time classic
Alice in Wonderland with some really exciting and
innovative new techniques. The production was
designed to celebrate Painsley’s outstanding
commitment to the creative arts and was a real feast
for the senses. The original songs were written by
year 12 student Thomas Bolam and head of drama
Kate Phillips. The stunning costumes were
incredibly bright and eye-catching, a collaboration
of our talented textiles department and our resident
parent-designer Mrs Jo Sacker. The set, designed
jointly by art and sixth form enrichment students
was evocative of Alice’s rich imagination and
thoroughly conveyed the magical atmosphere of
Wonderland.
Finally, one of the most stunning aspects of the
production was the puppetry. The technology club
enrichment students provided the eight person
‘Jabberwocky,’ who’s head could be removed to
thrilling effect. Who could forget the incredible
Cheshire cat, designed and made by Jo Sacker, who
was played by six actresses and could break apart
and re-form and even fade away to reveal only a grin,
just like the classic character from the novel.
Audiences young and old were delighted by the
talented dancers, singers, musicians and technology
students who added a professional atmosphere and
ethereal tone to the production, which was
influenced by The National Theatre’s ‘Peter Pan’ and
New Vic’s ‘The Snow Queen.’ Through engaging with
modern techniques and world-class style models,
the entire company was able to learn a lot about
theatre, as well as giving the ‘full house’ audiences
an experience they will never forget.
Truly in Wonderland

M
argaret Shermer, retired Headteacher and a
mere youngster of 62 years, has decided that
she would like to complete a tandem skydive!
This is no mean feat, but it’s for a cause close to her
heart. Margaret lives in Denstone and was the
Headteacher at Norbury Primary School for 10 years
and prior to that she was Head of the Prep School at
Abbotsholme School. Since retiring three years ago she
worked for two years as a Community First Responder
and also trained as a marriage registrar. For the last
year she has also been working as a volunteer at The
Donna Louise in Stoke on Trent, where she has been
inspired every day by the wonderful people she has
met.
The Donna Louise provides respite and end-of-life
care for children and young adults with life-limiting
conditions, as well as support for the whole family.
However, they need to raise £3.5 million every year to
continue to provide this vital service. The whole ethos
of the Donna Louise is one of great strength, courage
and, above all, heart-bursting happiness, and each day
she spends there fills Margaret with awe. “They are all
inspirational people who make such a difference, and
now I really want to make a difference too!” And so,
she is asking for YOUR support in the form of
sponsorship and donations, because YOU, too, can
make a difference, YOU are one in a million! PLEASE
HELP! To donate, follow the link below and add to her
just giving page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/
margaret-shermer
For more information go to
www.thedonnalouise.org
Thank you so much
Superhero Skydive 2018
For The Donna Louise - where every moment counts
Daring
Margaret
Shermer

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Historic pubs
in the Cheadle area
By Mike Plant
F
or centuries pubs have been the centre of
communities, a place where people of all
social classes come together under one
roof. The history of pubs is a long and often
complicated one, with countless laws shaping
and developing them since the Romans first
brought tabernaes (wine shops), to Britain in 43
AD! The story of Cheadle pubs, begins much
later …..
The term pub is an interchangeable one, but
historically there would have been Inns, Ale-
houses and Taverns - with each having a
different role. The Inn would provide
hospitality to travellers, while Taverns would
sell exclusively wine - Ale-houses are the closest
to what we would consider a pub, serving ale
(beer brewed without hops) which was drunk
on the premises.
The Universal British Directory of 1791
gives the names of nine principle pubs in
Cheadle: The Bull’s Head, Swan, Talbot, Red
Lion, Unicorn, Black Horse, Cross Keys, Royal
Oak and Wheatsheaf. There were also several
individual maltsters listed, who may well have
been running smaller ale-houses.
Licensing had first been introduced in the
15th century, by the 1800s all licenced premises
came under the control of local magistrates.
Which meant there was a strict set of guidelines
to follow, in order to obtain and keep a license.
All of the Cheadle pubs mentioned above,
would have had a license under this
arrangement.
In 1830 a beer
act was passed by
the Government,
this law meant
that almost
anyone could buy
an off-license and
sell beer
commercially. As
these new beer-
houses were not
under the control
of the magistrates,
there was less
restriction on the
premises that the
beer could be sold
from – so many
beer-houses were simply people’s front rooms.
While some beer-houses traded under
licensee’s name, many more of them adopted
pub-like names. Cheadle examples of these are:
The Flying Foxes, Waterloo, New Inn, Pig and
Whistle, Wellington and Fighting Cocks. As the
license only lasted a year, some of these were
only open a very short time, or changed names
if a new licensee took over.
As the local courts weren’t responsible for
issuing licensees and keeping records – the
exact number of beer-houses is difficult to say.
If they weren’t mentioned in newspapers, or
police reports many are only known about now
through word of mouth. The George on
Froghall Road and Spout at Brookhouses are
two such premises.
Beer-houses were extremely unpopular with
local authorities, the police and holders of full
licenses. While there was a certain amount of
trouble caused by their creation (increased
reports of drunkenness etc), they and their
licensees; were to a degree vilified. That said, it
was the licensee of the Jug and Glass that
organised the last instances of bull baiting in
Cheadle!
Despite the arrival of these new
“interlopers”, the old established pubs enjoyed a
healthy trade. As well as places to eat and drink,
the Royal Oak Hotel and Wheatsheaf were still
the meeting places of many groups and
organisations. In fact the Royal Oak could
easily lay claim to the title of Cheadle’s first
town hall - with nearly all important town
meetings taking place there. At one time it also
acted as the town’s court room, however
perhaps due to numerous cases involving
drunkenness, it was removed to more suitable
premises by the Blagg family.
Top: Roman Taberna
Left and Above: The Universal British Directory 1791 - Cheadle

Top: Angel and Old Royal Oak
Left: Cross Keys and Royal Oak
Above: View of High Street - Five Pubs

Lank’s Lore
By Steve ‘Lank’ Lavin
Golden Memories from one of Uttoxeter’s Favourite Characters
I
thought this month I would turn my attention to
our railway system, what a shambles it has become
or his becoming.
Endless strikes, shut downs due to so called rail
improvements, greedy railway workers and bad
management have all contributed to once a system to
be envied all over the world to now become a laughing
stock.
How is it that if you travel on trains in most
European countries they are on time, spotlessly clean,
spacious and the fares are reasonable when in this
country with the exception of a few services they are
anyhow on time, overcrowded and the fares can be a
total rip off.
Uttoxeter is lucky in one respect that it still has a
railway station unlike other towns similar in size in the
area Cheadle, Leek, Ashbourne for example have not,
and locals here can use this service to virtually get
anywhere in the country (when they run to plan) far
quicker than using there cars on the nowadays
congested motorways but are still laden with the
burden of overcrowded carriages and excessive prices,
etc.
I personally think that if the powers that be, that
run the railways got their act in order, a lot more people
would return to rail travel rather than use their motor
cars thus making our roads a lot safer and doing the
environment which is a very talked about point at the
moment a tremendous amount of good.
I do not expect the train services to get back to the
days prior to Dr. Beechans cuts in the 1960’s he was
correct in some respects where the rail system was a
nationalised set up and more people started to afford
to buy their own car and use it as a means of transport
thus leaving the train service to make serious losses
through lack of use (the old maxim ‘Use Them or Lose
Them’ comes into play now) at the expense of the tax
payer, but a lot of the closures in my eyes were a little
bit drastic and have solved nothing at all only drive
people on to the roads whether they like it or not.
50 years later I think the powers that be have finally
realised that if they were to spend a bit more money
improving the rail service it would benefit their profits
and the general public alike and have started to re-open
some branch lines that were unnecessarily cut by
Beeching, but it is not the introducing of new lines it is
looking after the lines that they have got now and
improving that service that really matters. Don’t tell me
that they have not the finance to do this, they have
managed to find it for their new project HS2.
HS2! Oh dear, oh dear, who thought this one up?
Everyone I have spoke to about this crazy project is
in total agreement with me that it is a total waste of
time and the money spent on it would be better
improving our existing system for the benefit of Joe
Public and the taxpayer in general who has to foot the
bill at the end of day.
Apart from the cost of it which has now grown from
an original estimate in 2010 of £32 Billion it is
estimated to be £56 Billion! what is it going to be in the
next 7 years when it comes to fruition £80 Billion! The
mind boggles. They reckon that it will cost £303 million
per mile to build, they talk as if these figures are
peanuts compared to the benefits of having it, where
do they get that from?
Oh they say it will reduce journey times, what, who
is actually bothered about saving 30 minutes on a trip
from London to Glasgow (approx 450 miles), London
to Derby 20 minutes (approx 140 Miles) I am sure I am
not, along with a host of other people.
What they haven’t told you clearly is the effect on
the environment.
100’s of acres of green belt land disappearing,
1,000’s of existing buildings including 12th Century
churches demolished, sites of special scientific interest
along with ancient woodlands wiped off the face of the
earth forever. That is without these trains travelling at
over 200 miles per hour
through country parks that
attract 1,000’s of visitors a
year the list goes on.
To me if a knock came
on my door and a person
told me that they were going
to compulsory purchase my
property and land, pay me a
pittance for the pleasure for
such an hair brained scheme
and there was nothing I
could do about it I would
not be entirely amused I can
tell you, would you?
Is it really worth it to
save a few minutes travelling
time for a bunch of elite
customers who will be
mainly the business elite
where time to this minority
is the essence due to their
massive salaries.
They keep on about
burning fossil fuels, plastic
waste products doing untold
damage to the environment,
fuel emissions causing
greenhouse gases which are
causing climate change, fire
and floods and wasting
power but then have this
wild idea about building this
monstrosity which is a total
blot on the landscape and
will use up more electricity
than a single power station
can produce per year.
This certainly is not in
our favour to us Brits as
most of the electricIty
companies are foreign
owned and the profits will
drift overseas to improve
their infrastructure
eventually not ours.
I think we have enough
environmental damage at
the moment with the new roads being built
everywhere to cope with the ever increase
in traffic and to add to it by carving up large
areas of of our green and pleasant land for
such a crazy scheme as HS2 is total
madness.
Wouldn’t the money be better spent as I
have said earlier on improving our existing
rail service by giving more incentives to
travel by this means, more competitive
fares, better timetables putting on extra
carriages at busy times rather than the
passenger having to stand throughout their
journeys coupled with better facilities at the
majority of smaller stations including at
least basic toilet and washroom places.
I do admit though things are starting to
look up with the independent rail
companies like Richard Bransons Virgin
High Speed Train service in operation
offering a reliable service & Trainline with
its availability of very competitive rail cards.
It’s a pity that the other operators don’t take
a leaf out of their book and follow suit.
I am sure they could if they tried hard
enough
Till next time, all the best on your rail
travels.
Lank
The new proposed HS2 train
A typical sight nowadays, overcrowded station and carriages

C O N S T R U C T I O N S
Serving the community since 1976
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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.
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,
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Traditional Cask Ales - Marstons Pedigree,
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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 -
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Telephone: 01889 507278
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W
e held our 90’s night on Saturday 24th February and it was a massive success.
Despite the cold weather we had a fantastic turnout who all had a fantastic night.
A massive thank you to everyone who came to show their support.
Our next big event is the Soapbox Race, which will be held on Sunday 20th May. This
was a huge success last year and exceeded all expectations. This year is going to be even better.
We still have a few spaces left if you want to enter a team.
We are only 4 months away now from the big event, we are holding a Tug of War
competition and are looking for teams to take part in this traditional competition.
We also require teams for It’s a Knockout and Human Table Football. Please, if you wish
to take part in any of these or want any more information, do get in touch with us.
As part of the carnival tradition, we will be having a parade. Are you a school, nursery,
club, group or business who would be interested in having a float contact us.
Sponsorship Packages are available, please see out website for full details.
Finally, our website is now live www.cheadlecarnival.co.uk where you can find contact
details and more information about upcoming events, showing your support and getting
involved. You can also contact us via email cheadlecarnival@hotmail.com, or find us on
Facebook and Instagram, Cheadlecarnival.
Once again thank you for your continued support.
Your Cheadle Carnival Team
Cheadle Carnival 2018 Diary
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Give us a call on
01538 751629 or
07733 466 970
or Email:
uttoxetervoice@
hotmail.co.uk

Tropical Mousse Cake
I
ts that time of the year, once again, when I have to
be a bit more careful with what I am eating, after
the excess of Christmas and the January family
birthdays! So this time I have made a low fat Tropical
Mousse Cake. Not quite the same as my indulgent
chocolate cakes, but delicious all the same, and actually
very light and refreshing to eat.
You will need -
Juice of 1 lime
100 ml water
8 sheets of leaf gelatine
2 x 500g tubs of Mullerlight Greek Style Coconut with
a hint of Vanilla Yoghurt
3 large ripe Mangoes, (2 chopped and 1 thinly sliced)
2 passion fruit
For the sponge base -
4 large free range eggs separated
6 level tbsp sweetener
80g plain flour
Zest of 1 lime
2 level tbsp Coconut oil, melted
4 tbsp water
To decorate -
1 Kiwi fruit
Pineapple thinly sliced
Strawberries
Firstly preheat your oven to 160˚C Fan. Line the
base of a 23cm diameter springform tin
with baking paper. Beat together the egg
yolks with half of the sweetener until pale
and creamy, then mix in the sieved flour,
lime zest, melted coconut oil and 4 tbsp
water.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites
until they form soft peaks and then add the
remaining sweetener. Beat until smooth
and glossy. Add one third of the egg white
mix to the flour mixture and stir until well
combined. Gently fold in the remaining egg
white mix. Spread into the tin and bake for
10-12 minutes until springy. Leave to cool
in your tin.
Lift out your sponge, then spray the
sides of the cake tin with low calorie
cooking spray. Press a large sheet of cling
film into the tin to smoothly line the base
and sides. Return the sponge to the cake
tin.
Soak the gelatine in cold water for
approximately 5 minutes until soft.
Meanwhile heat the lime juice with 100ml
water, not letting it boil. Remove from the heat,
squeeze the excess water from the gelatine leafs and add
to the pan, stirring until dissolved.
Blend together the chopped mango and yoghurt
until smooth, then add the passion fruit. Add the
gelatine mixture and mix until all combined. Pour your
mixture onto the sponge and chill for approximately 4
hours, until set.
Lift the cake from the tin and discard the cling film.
To decorate I have used thinly sliced mango, curling to
make roses, along with sliced kiwi fruit, pineapple,
passion fruit, and strawberries. You can use any fruit
you desire.
This Mousse Cake serves a generous twelve. It
really does feel like a treat and is low fat. It tastes really
fresh and fruity, and is delicious served with greek
yoghurt.
Karen’s Cake Corner
by Karen Hill

D
enstone village hall was the setting for a very
lively February WI meeting with over sixty
members and friends welcomed to the evening
with a glass of sparkling wine. This was a special
meeting where members were encouraged to bring
along a friend, to share with them and show them what
goes on at a WI meeting. Denstone WI President, Mary
Spencer, warmly welcomed everyone and conducted
the business meeting, outlining future activities and
news from both Staffordshire Federation and National
Federation WI.
Wendy Forrester then introduced the speakers for
the evening, Gillian Grainger and her husband Jim
along with the special guest, Freda. Gillian and Jim are
Puppy Walkers for Guide Dogs for the blind and
partially sighted. They gave an engaging and
informative account of their work as Puppy Walkers.
They have had five puppies over the last seven years.
They meet the puppies at about seven weeks old and
work with them until they are about thirteen months.
During that time they train them and involve them in
all aspects of family life, in shopping trips, on buses on
trains and in restaurants and cafes. They demonstrated
great enthusiasm and dedication for this work and were
inspiring in their accounts and stories of their puppies.
The star of the evening was Freda, their current puppy,
who was perfectly behaved throughout the evening.
Caroline Lindsay gave the vote of thanks, and spoke
on behalf of all, in expressing her admiration for the
work that Puppy Walkers do and in particular, the
tremendous commitment shown by Gillian and Jim.
After the talk, members enjoyed tea, coffee and
biscuits whilst chatting to friends. There was also the
opportunity to talk to Gillian and Jim, with lots of
attention given to Freda, from the many dog lovers
among the audience.
Before the close of the evening, Mary had one more
delightful duty to perform. On behalf of Denstone WI,
Mary presented a floral bouquet to WI member,
Wendy Forrester, on the occasion of her 50th Wedding
Anniversary.
The next meeting of Denstone WI is on Monday
March 19th and Ed Barker will be the speaker. His
topic is Jean-Jaques Rousseau and the competition is
“Anything French”.
Denstone WI present beautiful bouquet to Wendy

Forty three years of service
but still much to do
By Steve Shields
U
ttoxeter Lions held their 43rd annual Charter
Dinner at the Town Hall on Saturday. Despite
the difficult weather conditions late
cancellations from people travelling longer distances
were not too many and nearly eighty guests enjoyed a
very pleasant evening.
One absentee due to flu was Muriel Parker who for
the first time was not able to accompany her husband
Dennis Parker BEM, the one remaining Charter
Member of the club who has been to every one of the
events since its formation in 1975.
The current President Terry Adams reflected on
another successful year for the club and outlined recent
and forthcoming events that are planned. He said “Last
week we held our first Diabetes Screening at the
Makers Market and hope to make this an annual event,
and in March we are collecting in town and at Tesco
for Marie Curie continuing Lions long established
partnership with the charity.”
Terry closed with a tribute to one of the club’s
hardest working and well known members and suitably
surprised Vin Bradley was presented with the highest
award for club members the Melvin Jones Fellowship.
With the current District Governor unable to travel
from Wales I had to deputise and had the pleasure of
presenting the plaque and lapel pin to my friend and
colleague for many years with Uttoxeter Junior Football
Club before we joined Lions together in 2004.
Town Mayor Alison Trenery acknowledged the
contribution Lions make
to the community and
took the opportunity to
tell the crowd of the
improvements shortly to
start in the Town Hall to
restore the bar and
cloakroom.
DJ Matt Goodwin
then took over and kept
the dance floor filled until
the end and out into the
snow again.
Unfortunately at the
time of going to press the
report on the numbers
attending the Diabetes
Screening is not through
but everyone was very
pleased with the
attendance as apart from
a ten minute sandwich break the team were busy from
10 am until 4 pm. The club are grateful to the Makers
Market for finding the space for the van and
supporting another worthwhile initiative for the people
of Uttoxeter.
The next event for Lions is the annual Prostate
Screening, again with the support of Uttoxeter
Racecourse who provide the Hoops Bar with all the
facilities its name implies.
Blood donors know how
important it is to replace
the liquid in the body but
the ratio of a pint of ale
for a thimble full of blood
goes down very well. The
date is Tuesday 17th April
starting at 6.00pm
through to last
registrations at 8.30pm.
Each year around 10
to 15% of those tested are
recommended to take
some degree of follow up
and perhaps 5% need
prompt attention. We
have received many notifications of men who have had
treatment after attending our sessions who having had
no symptoms may have been too late, including our
own John Fitchett who is now very keen to shout as
loud as possible to any doubters.
This year a team from the North Staffs Prostate
Cancer Support Group will be in attendance to talk
about their service so anyone who has suffered from
the problem is very welcome to come along to see
them.
Back row: Immediate Past District Governor Steve Shields, Councillor Dave Trenery, ES Mayor Simon Gaskin, Lion President Terry Adams
Front row: Town Mayor Alison Trenery, ES Mayoress Jane Gaskin, Lynne Adams, Jean Shields

Let The Voice Be With You
by Les Humphries of Rocester
W
ell readers, as Spring approaches at time of
writing we are still in the grip of an
extremely cold spell, and as some of us had
to change in a tent during our Panto The Wizard of Oz
it was very chilly around the nether regions, but more
of that later!
You know I am totally bemused by American
President Donald Trump, and his ideas in the running
of America. With all the terrible mass shootings in
schools and colleges now seemingly a regular feature,
any rational person with his power would want to exert
greater control over firearms to prevent more killing in
what is a gun culture society.
But Mr. Trump’s reaction is to arm teachers and
bring even more weapons into the equation which
seems a ghastly knee jerk reaction even for him.
But Mr. Trump aside, the one thing I do admire
about those Americans is their way of sentencing
criminals. A life sentence in America is exactly what it
says, a life sentence, the punishment fits the crime, such
as locking away rapists and child molesters for around
70 years, not letting them back on the streets by
reducing some paltry sentence to 8 years or so as we
seem to do over here. We even award criminals damages
whilst they are still serving sentences - human rights
now benefiting the wrong doers in some cases over the
law-abiding members of society.
With the Six Nations Rugby Tournament now in full
swing and looking as if Ireland will be the Champions
we have had quite a bit of controversy along the way,
one being the TMO getting the decision wrong in
Wales’s Twickenham match with England when Gareth
Anscombe clearly touched down for a try as everyone
in the Stadium and at home could see, but the Video
Ref. said he couldn’t and it’s his decision that counts!!
Would it have won Wales the match? We’ll never know,
but seven points would have made the difference.
Another debacle was in Paris when a French player
clearly had a knee injury, the medics came on and were
clearly tending his leg, but the French officials took him
off for a head assessment so that they could bring back
on their specialist goal kicker. I am all in favour of
taking all the precautions possible when it comes to
head injuries. If there is an obvious visible head wound
fine, they can go off and get bandaged up
and then return within 10 minutes (unlike a
certain Ronaldo who plays with the round
ball, who felt a little blood on his face during
a match, and took a selfie of his own head
with the referee’s mobile, and then left the
field almost in tears never to return aah
bless!). It is admittedly harder to assess the
extent of a head injury following a collision
when there is no blood, but let’s be fair about
it.
Sticking with the rugby-Uttoxeter (who
don’t have TMO’s) are still blowing hot and
cold with their away performances only
rarely matching those at home unless they
are playing teams beneath them in the League. I
watched a wonderful exhibition of flowing rugby at
Oldfields as the Town side defeated visiting Harborne
by 25 points to 5, which was not as one-sided as the
scoreline would suggest but gaining a four try winning
bonus point. Their defence on the day was awesome
and I was really proud when my grandson Owen was
awarded Man of the Match by President Paul Bain who
could have named anyone in the team, so good were
they on the day.
After a week’s break they travelled to Shrewsbury
with a whole clutch of withdrawals from the squad, and
although the lads who came in stepped up to the plate,
even leading at one stage, they finally succumbed to a
31 points to 15 defeat. No disgrace in that but at full
strength I’m certain they can take the scalp of the high
flyers. I must give a mention to the seconds as they have
built up a good little squad boosted by some of the old
timers like Dave Atherton and Gareth Davies. Although
losing to league leaders Lichfield thirds on the same day,
they still lie second in their League - well done to you
lads.
Finally back to the Denstone Players in their 30th
Anniversary Year and the Pantomime The Wizard of
Oz which played to four sell out houses (I bought the
very last ticket for my Granddaughter) and all the
audiences seemed to think it was our best yet. Director
Gill Brown put in so many hours of dedicated rehearsals
to pull it all together doing all the choreography single
handed. The chorus alone consisted of thirteen adults
and fourteen fantastic youngsters.
I know that our chairman Dave Shooter is putting a
separate piece in ‘The Voice’ (incidentally he played the
Wizard, and I played a Munchkin along with my Great
Grandson Harley making his debut with the Denstone
Players) so I don’t wish to steal his thunder but it was
no mean feat to finally get it on stage, the costumes
alone were wonder to behold.
I would personally like to thank all my fellow
thespians for dragging me through it, and Hugo our
new addition for telling Paul and myself what we were
doing next throughout each performance! Both Dave’s,
Ed and Stuart for their humour and company back
stage, and Kieran for the use of his tent and heater as it
was ruddy cold (he was ok himself in the Lion outfit).
Thanks to the ladies for their patience and smiling faces,
and the kids who were always marvellous. But most of
all I would like to thank our marvellous audiences who
packed into Denstone Village Hall at every performance
without your support it would all be for nothing.
I would finally like to thank Nigel and ‘The Voice’
for all his help and support in giving us space in this
excellent magazine to ply our wares in the run up to
putting our show on. We now look forward to our
Variety Show in June, when Denstone Village Hall will
once again be hosting all kinds of acts for TWO Nights
ONLY 29th and 30th, look forward to seeing you then.
TTFN Les...
Down on the Farm
by Angela Sargent
“Dear March- come in- how glad I am,
I hoped for you before.
Put down your hat, you must have walked,
How out of breath you are.”
Emily Dickinson
S
o here we are – March ‘many weathers’ already and
we see daylight hours become longer than night
time at the spring equinox.
March also sees the start of our lambing season- we
used to lamb earlier, but it is hard work with the weather
against you and it is easier if the ewes can graze outside
during the day. They need less bedding and ,as we still
have the day jobs to carry out, we can keep a close eye
on them.
Pip has not learnt not to chase sheep yet, so it is
important she does not accompany us when we go
round them to check- she will have to be tied up or shut
inside- Ted knows not too and will obey the instruction
to lay down.
We’ve had a few calves but our main calving period
is later.
One of the things we’ve not been short of this winter,
is water. The fields have been like wet sponges when
even our feet have left footprints in the grass.
The ridge and furrow has done its job of channel
long water away and down into the ditches.
Too much or too little water at different times of the
year affect us quite dramatically- too much and the
ground becomes waterlogged and seed can rot, or later
the harvested corn needs drying. Too little and the plants
don’t grow.
There is a “water framework directive” which applies
to England and this comprises regulation to protect our
water- drainage, rivers, groundwater etc and applies to
everyone- builders, industry as well as farmers.
One of the issues it addresses is nitrates in water-
which leach out of farmland in wet weather and
consequently, in certain areas where the levels are higher
there are ‘nitrate vulnerable zones’.
This means there are strict limits as to how much,
when and where and at what concentration farmers are
allowed to fertilise their arable and grass land and we
keep records for this, which can be inspected .
Of course, there are also natural sources and run off
from housing, sewage and industry are also responsible
for some.
Dairy cattle will be producing more milk as turnout
means they have access to the spring grass and this tends
to mean a seasonal drop in milk price, as there is more
about.
Before our cattle can go out, we are doing our annual
tb test – our cows aren’t handled as often as dairy cows,
it is easier and safer for us to test now, as they wont be
very keen to come back in just after tasting fresh Spring
grass.
Grass will be fertilised to ensure lots of growth for
when we start to make silage and, on some farms, it will
be rolled.
Crops will also have some , if the ground isn’t too
wet, to feed the growing plant, so that, come harvest
time, it yields well for us.
Our newly layed hedge will be coming into leaf, as
do all the others and it will be interesting to see what
other plants flourish now that the light has been let in-
such as ground ivy, violets and celandines.

By Matthew Brough
T
he Cheadle Round Table visited The Cheadle Academy recently for a cheque presentation. We
were given a warm welcome by Miss Sarah Booth and the pupils at the Academy, followed by
a tour!
Well done and a big thank you to the Cheadle Academy pupils for volunteering to brave the
elements, collecting donations from the general public around Cheadle, Tean, Forsbrook and Alton
during the Santa Sleigh Tour throughout December 2017. This was organised by the Cheadle Round
Table who presented a £350 cheque to pupils for their hard work, especially as the conditions at times
were treacherous with ice.
Cheadle Round Table’s Santa’s Sleigh Tour raised a fantastic £3,000 last December, a remarkable
achievement by all involved.
The Cheadle Round Table are looking to recruit new members! It’s an amazing opportunity for
young men (18-45) to get involved in group activities and charity work. We meet on the 2nd and 4th
Thursday of every month. Please get in touch either via our Facebook page ‘Cheadle Round Table’ or
contact: cheadleroundtable@ gmail.com to find out more about us.
Cheadle Academy cheque from
Cheadle Round Table
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For free friendly advice call Paul on
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Give us a call on 01538 751629 or 07733 466 970
or Email: uttoxetervoice@ hotmail.co.uk
Advert prices start at only £25 and can hit over 15,000 homes

Ginny’s Community Corner
by Ginny Gibson of Uttoxeter
W
here in Uttoxeter can you find 11 volunteers,
a wooden arch, two comfortable benches,
three compost bins, flower beds that are
edged with paving in the design of the rays of the sun,
a 20ft mural, 6 huge pots, 4 extra flower beds,
numerous bird boxes, bird feeders, the sound of a
burbling brook and standard gauge tracks? Answer:
Uttoxeter Railway Station.
However, this was not always the answer. Only 6
years ago the project to revitalise the station at
Uttoxeter began. It started with just a couple of
volunteers who heard about NSCRP and ACORP and
realised that both organisations were dedicated to
improving station facilities and engaging the
community in the upkeep of their own patch of railway.
Research found that The Association of
Community Rail Partnerships (ACoRP) was “dedicated
to supporting community-based groups and
partnerships that connect their community with their
railway to deliver social benefit” (www.acorp.uk.com/)
and that North Staffordshire Community Railway
Partnership (NSCRP) was concerned about” the
sustainability of the Crewe-Stoke-Derby service and so
formed a partnership that successfully brought together
Cheshire East Council, Derbyshire and Staffordshire
County Councils, Stoke-on-Trent City Council and
East Midlands Trains to secure investment to develop
community involvement projects that improved station
facilities for passengers and encouraged use of the
service from local stations.”
The Uttoxeter volunteers quickly applied for the
“Uttoxeter Station Adopter “status, which is a scheme
that was created and run by ACoRP. The new group of
Uttoxeter Station Adopters, created a design that was
submitted to Network Rail that would transform the
rough piece of ground at the edge of the station. The
design, created by Mick, one of the volunteers, was
accepted and has developed into the area that is the
enclosed garden that you see today. Work was carried
out to install the hard landscaping, which included the
rays of the sun, paving around the flower beds, fences,
which included the attractive wooden arch and over
the years, things have been added, like the benches, the
improved compost bins and water-pump, and bird
feeders and boxes.
Once the initial landscaping was finished the area
was opened by Anna Walker, Chair of the Office of Rail
Regulation (ORR) in June 2014
Last year, 2017, the volunteers were thrilled to be
awarded Gold Level in ACoRP Community Rail
Awards. A tribute to the hours of work and dedication
this group has for the scheme.
The volunteers meet approximately every other
week on Thursdays between 9.30am – 11am to tend to
the garden and talk about the possible improvements
for each area and the designs they want to create in
each bed for the coming year. After the hard work, they
go for a well-deserved coffee in the Waitrose café or in
Waitrose’s excellent free Community Room.
www.waitrose.com/bf_home/bf/599.html
The group now get their plants from the Go Garden
Centre, which is an East Staffordshire Borough Council
initiative, (www.eaststaffsbc.gov.uk/parks-and-open-
spaces/greenhouse-centre) whereby community
groups who are responsible for gardens are donated
plug plants, which are looked after until they are ready
to plant out. The Go Garden Centres are located both
in Burton upon Trent and in Uttoxeter (at the Leisure
Centre) and each year the volunteers ensure that the
plug plants are grown on/watered and encouraged, so
that the Uttoxeter Station flower displays in the
summer are attractive and welcomed by passengers.
The Uttoxeter Town Council (www.uttoxetertown
council.org.uk/) is also involved by making an annual
donation so that any extra plants that are needed can
be bought from the Strawberry Garden Centre,
Bramshall. (www.strawberry gardencentre.co.uk/ )
The volunteers strive to ensure that Bee Friendly
plants are used, in order to ensure that our native bees
are encouraged into the area, because as we all know,
bees are vital to sustainability.
One of the schools was invited to come along last
year to plant up the large containers near Platform One
and the children from Picknalls School also spent an
hour or so planting sunflower seedlings in the main
Heritage Garden which gave both the volunteers and
the children an excellent insight into how a community
can come together and cooperate in owning its own
railway station.
As I left the group, they were talking about the plans
for the coming year, which included a wonderful design
for a pergola, the possibility of some seating, planting
up the beds under the tall cypress trees and trying to
find a way of getting some much-needed toilets at the
station.
It seems to me that vision of North Staffordshire
Community Railway Partnership (NSCRP) to “develop
community involvement projects that improved station
facilities” is being achieved at Uttoxeter Station thanks
to the 11 men and women who often meet there on
Thursdays.
I am sure that I speak for everyone in Uttoxeter
when I say THANK YOU to Maureen, Barbara, Janet,
Anna, Rose, Pete, Mick, Marika, Jacob, Sally and Walter
for creating an outstanding transformation and for
their continued hard work. If you want to join them,
please contact: Mike Willmot, Chair, North Staffs
Community Rail Partnership (NSCRP)
mwillmot@talktalk.net or Maureen Turner, Uttoxeter
Station Adopter, 07817 805819
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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 Long-
ton in 1977 and sold over 6,000 copies
in North Staffordshire inside 6 months.
Povey’s People
by Radio Stoke’s Owd Grandad Piggott
Owd Grandad Piggott was
blessed with a finely honed alcohol
detector so when a couple of crates
of blue spots, half a dozen cans of
Watney’s sevenfold and a quantity
of Cherry B’s and Babychams
turned up at our front door in the
arms of a couple of my mates, Owd
Grandad Piggott was soon in the
offing.
‘What’s the occasion?’ he
enquired gruffly.
‘Mind it!’ I responded shortly.
‘If you must know, It’s my birthday
and I’m having a party on Saturday
night… and you aren’t invited…’
‘Pheu’, he grunted. ‘Ar dunner
want come thee filthy birthday
party anyroad! Ar s’pose it’ll bay
ow rock an’ roll music an’ daft
screamin’ bloody wenches will it?’
‘With a bit of luck… no place
for a cantankerous old tup like you’, I snapped.
‘Any meyther an’ ar’ll call the p’lice!’ he ground out.
Such was my relationship with my next door neighbour.
As Saturday approached, the presence of the booze
in our pantry was gnawing at Owd Grandad Piggott like
an annoying itch that he couldn’t reach to scratch and
it gave me an evil pleasure when I heard him smashing
up lumps of coal in frustration in the coal hole.
However, I made the mistake of underestimating
Owd
Grandad Piggott which was a stupid thing
to do. Early afternoon on the Saturday,
Nostrils Moffitt and Daft Gullickson turned
up with a huge amplifier and the three of us
stood in the street discussing how were
going to get it from the back of Gullickson’s
van into our living room. We didn’t notice
a shadowy figure slink out of Owd Grandad
Piggott’s front door and into our house. It
took almost an hour to manhandle the
amplifier into the house and as we sited it
next to my gramophone, I allowed myself
an evil chuckle.
‘This’ll shift the wax out of his ears’, I
muttered gleefully.
That evening, the partygoers started
turning up at around eight oclock and by
nine, the job was going in full swing and we
decided to break the ale out. Lipboster
Gratton, who was trying to get Fat Carol
from Goms Mill into the bedroom, gave an
annoyed exclamation.
‘The pantry door’s stuck!’ he said.
‘Eh?’, I gasped. ‘What do you mean stuck?’
‘It won’t bloody open!’ said Gratton peevishly,
anxious to continue his progressions with Fat Carol. I
went to the door and pushed. It wouldn’t budge.
‘What the hell…? What’s stopping it?’ A grunt came
from behind the door.
‘Bugger off!’ yelled a familiar voice, followed by a
loud belch and then a horrible realisation hit me. Owd
grandad Piggott had crept into the house while we were
mauling around with the amplifier and barricaded
himself in the pantry. For the last few hours, the booze
in there had been at his mercy and it sounded as though
he was making considerable inroads into it.
‘You bloody old bandit!.’ I yelled, beside myself with
fury. ‘Come out of there or I’ll smash the door in and
your face along with it!!’ His response was another
fruity belch, then Fat Carol, keen to further associations
with Gratton took charge. She shoulder charged the
pantry door, almost taking it off its hinges and knocking
Owd Grandad Piggott off the stool he had found. He
gave an agonised yell as he landed in the corner of the
pantry, but Fat Carol hadn’t finished with him yet. She
grabbed his shirt front and hauled him out into the
kitchen, dragged him to his feet, wrapped a meaty fist
round his trouser behind, lifted him up and body
slammed him onto the tiled floor, then manoevered
him into position then planted her seventeen stone
weight into the small of his back and administed a full
boston crab.
Owd Grandad Piggott emitted a bellow of pain that
would have been heard three streets away. But Fat Carol
still hadn’t finished. She went into the pantry, grabbed
the half bottle of blue spot that he had been guzzling
and upended it over his face creating a maelstrom of
bubbles, froth, arms, legs and atrocious language.
‘Wehey!’ shouted Nostrils Moffitt doing a war dance
around the kitchen while Owd Grandad Piggott
blasphemed and frothed noisily on the floor.
Fat Carol had her way with Lipboster Gratton, the
amplifier went up to its full volume, the rest of the booze
was consumed by invited guests and it turned out to be
the best party I have ever had. Owd Grandad Piggott
spent the next fortnight under the doctor which was a
lot less painful than under Fat Carol from Goms Mill.
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: My birthday party
“For the last
few hours, the
booze in there
had been at
his mercy and
it sounded as
though he
was making
considerable
inroads into
it.”
D
ydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus! As I write it is Saint
David’s Day. March 1st. First day of Spring…
and it is snowing and (literally) freezing. We
have had a proper Winter and I only hope that we will
be rewarded with a proper Summer.
If you have no interest at all in Rugby Union and
the Six Nations Championship, please ignore my
musings for this month as they are about to develop
into rantings. If you are a fan of the sport, I have four
words for you…IT WAS A TRY! How the Wales v
England game would have been different if the human
and technical referees had recognised this. The good
sport that I am, I recognise that Gareth Anscombe
possibly did not place the ball with due pressure and
accept the decision. Although is still hurts.
There has also been some great football to watch
recently, featuring my favourite team. The Underdog.
Rochdale v Spurs. Yeovil v Manchester United. The FA
Cup often presents us with David and Goliath scenarios
and, although we always know what the inevitable
outcome will be, at least the players in the lower leagues
have fire in their bellies as well as being given the
opportunity for extra revenue.
It grieves me that Wales is considered the underdog
when facing Ireland or England. I think back to my
teenage years during the 1970s when Wales were the
team to beat. I had posters of Barry John alongside
posters of Steve McQueen on my bedroom wall and
Max Boyce was in the Charts. Oh well… our day will
come. The dragon will rise again.
Enjoy the first month of Spring!
My Monthly Musings
by Cecily Cowans of Cheadle

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.
1
2
3
The good old days

Photo credits - 1, 4 & 5: Margaret Mcgarry (Nee Plant), Tean. 2: Jamie Stubbs, Uttoxeter. 3: Steve Whitehead, Isle Of Man. 6: Marcia Titterton, Cheadle.
4
5
6

By Ady Woodhall
T
he presentation night was held at the Uttoxeter
Golf Club recently. A cheque for £300 will be
sent to Catherine House which was raised by
our Santa run on 16th December & monies raised from
the raffle on the night.
Our new club captain’s Fiona Bowyer & Nick Noyes
received the Roland Gibbard Trophy with the request
we retain this trophy this year. No pressure then!!
Individual awards went to :
Ladies
Road Champion: Chloe Hawkins
Off Road Champion: Carol Astbury
Most Improved Athlete: Lisa Dodds
Men
Road Champion: Grahame Cope
Veteran Road Champion: John Stone
Off Road Champion: Brian Mackey
Most Improved Athlete: Nick Noyes
Karly Lewis received the Lisa Lancaster Trophy,
which is for beginner runners graduating from Lisa’s
beginners course which starts every January.
The highlight of the night was the presentation of
the David Roberts trophy to a very surprised Kay
Swingewood for continued contribution to the club
Well done to everyone and thank you to everyone
involved, a special thank you to John Stone and Jen
Goodwin for their hard work and dedication they have
shown the club for the last few years as club captains.
Uttoxeter Road Runners
presentation night 2018
New Captains Fiona Bowyer/Nicholas Noyes with the
Roland Gibbard Trophy
Danny Carter (Chairman) presenting to Chloe
Hawkins
Danny presenting to Carol Astbury Danny presenting to Lisa Dodds
Danny presenting to Brian MackeyDanny presenting to John Stone
Danny presenting to Kay SwingewoodLisa Lancaster presenting to Karly Lewis
Danny presenting to Nicholas Noyes

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