Platinum Jubilee fund set up for Moorlands celebrations

As the nation prepares to begin a year of celebrations to mark the Queen’s historic 70-year reign, the District Council has launched a grant fund for those planning local events.

The Queen is the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee and plans already announced include: The creation of an extended Bank Holiday weekend from Thursday 2 June to Sunday 5 June for public events to take place; the Big Jubilee Lunch and street parties; £22m of National Lottery Funding to support activities.

At a local level, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council has announced it has created a £20,000 fund for communities to organise their own events and celebrations. Councillor Sybil Ralphs, Leader of the Council, said: “It is a truly historic milestone of selfless public service and I know people will want to take part in both national and local events as we come together across the UK to honour this achievement. I’m sure this extra financial help will be welcome by those planning community events.”

The fund will be open to applications from Town and Parish Councils with £1,000 being available to Town Council’s and the remaining budget split equally between the Parish Councils. Parishes may wish to consider submitting joint bids or making funds available to community events supported by the Town and Parish councils. There’s more information, including an application form, at www.staffsmoorlands.gov.uk/PlatinumJubilee

Free short term parking set for Biddulph

Plans to modernise parking facilities across the Moorlands have been approved by the District Council.


For the first time at Wharf Road people will be able to park for free for an hour at any time

Key changes to be introduced include:

· The introduction of short free parking periods at some car parks to support quick trips into town

· Increasing the options for payment, including contactless digital payments such as Pay By Phone, in addition to coin only methods

· Reviewing the permits currently available to offer more flexibility for customers and creating a tourist pass

· Developing an electric vehicle strategy to look at suitable locations and types of chargers provided in the Moorlands alongside joint working with the County Council on a wider strategy to encourage greater use of electric vehicles

As part of the review, industry experts Parking Matters were appointed to carry out public consultation last year. Over 770 online responses were received from members of the public alongside views from interest groups, including councillors and tourism and business organisations.

[Read more…]

Dementia Action Week 2022 

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Dementia-Friendly-logo-1024x373.jpeg

Dementia Action Week will be held from 16th to 22nd May, the week is a national event led by Alzheimer’s Society. 

During this week, we encourage everyone to think about ways in which they can support people affected by dementia and their carers.

Alsager became a Dementia Friendly Community in 2017 and each year we invite businesses in the town to display our blue and yellow bunting, so look out for it this May and think about some small thing that you might do to support someone with dementia.

Maybe you would like to become a dementia friend and join over 3,500 dementia friends in our area? Details below.

This year the theme is Diagnosis and it is really important to seek advice if you have any concerns about your memory. There is a lot of support available for anyone who receives a diagnosis of dementia and help to access that support.

[Read more…]

Cheshire East funding for Jubilee street parties

Cheshire East Council has announced plans for the extended Platinum Jubilee bank holiday celebrations to mark Her Majesty The Queen’s 70-year reign.

Her Majesty The Queen is the first British monarch in history to celebrate a platinum jubilee, having acceded to the throne on 6 February 1952 after the death of her father King George VI, when just 25 years old.

To help with the celebrations across the borough, Cheshire East Council is providing a community fund to allow residents to apply for up to £120 for street parties or similar community events.

More information and how to apply for the Queen’s Jubilee community fund can be found on the council’s website at: www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/queensjubilee along with guidance on managing events safely.

Councillor Mick Warren, Cheshire East Council’s committee chair for communities, said: “This Platinum Jubilee is an amazing milestone and one which marks 70 years of unparalleled public service by Her Majesty The Queen.

“Whether you are attending a local street party, planting a tree for the Jubilee as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy or involved with the Platinum Jubilee Beacons, it really is a once in a lifetime celebration and opportunity for all of our residents and communities to come together to mark this historic occasion.”

[Read more…]

CCTV for Alsager Station

Alsager Station is to be included in East Midlands Railway (EMR) plans to install CCTV at four stations across its Regional network at a cost of more than £120,000.

The stations at Alsager will benefit from the new cameras which will be installed by Spring and help improve the station environment. 

EMR has worked closely with station adoption teams and local community groups to identify areas at each station that require camera coverage – helping to address any anti-social behaviour, vandalism and graffiti, as well as providing reassurance to customers.

The project is part of EMR’s Stations Social and Commercial Development Plan which allows station adoption teams and local community groups to highlight, promote and suggest improvements to stations. The train operator at Willington Station, CrossCountry, has also contributed £15,000 towards the improvements.

[Read more…]

Kidsgrove Sports Centre Community Group celebrates after receiving £9720 in National Lottery funding

Kidsgrove Sports Centre Community Group based in Kidsgrove, Newcastle-under-Lyme is celebrating today after being awarded £9720 in funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.

Kidsgrove Sports Centre Community Group will use their funding to install free Wifi throughout the building, as well as a community based Café within the centre reception where our community will be able to socialise and relax in a safe and secure environment. As part of the application, there will be the ability to make use of onsite digital tablets aimed at improving digital literacy and reducing digital exclusion, something that affects many people within our community.

[Read more…]

NEW ALDI STORE OPENS IN BIDDULPH

Aldi opened a brand new store in Biddulph on Thursday 25th November.

Aldi’s new store opened in November

The new store on Tunstall Road replaces the store on Mountbatten Way in Congleton and will be run by Store Manager Rob Ferrari Wade, along with a team of 30 colleagues from the local community.

As part of Aldi’s investment in local communities across the UK, the Biddulph store will offer more customers access to Aldi’s high quality, low-price products.

[Read more…]

New footbridge installed at Kidsgrove Station

Kidsgrove Station users will have noticed the newly installed, white passenger bridge and lift shafts.  

After so many delays we are delighted to hear that these will be open to the public by the end of the year.  The station will become a lot easier to use for those with disabilities, young children, heavy luggage and bicycles.

The £5 million project also includes a new station building, transport interchange in order to improve transport networks, and expansion of the station car park.

[Read more…]

Road works to disrupt as Aldi nears completion

Residents and motorists will have to endure nine weeks of roadworks on Tunstall Road as part of the preparations for the upcoming opening of  the new Aldi supermarket.

The roadworks began on 20th September and will involve the construction of a new fourth exit for the roundabout which also connects to St John’s Road.  The new exit will provide access onto the Aldi supermarket site.

The works in full are as follows:

– Construction of a new development site access including the realignment of 

  the footway along with provision of a new pedestrian refuge to provide a 

  crossing point within the fourth arm

– Alterations to existing footways including removal of a redundant 

   vehicular access point

– Resurfacing of the roundabout carriageway at the junction of A527 

   Tunstall Road / D1284 St John’s Road

– Modification to Tunstall road / Newpool road / Park Lane signalised junction

Footway and lane closures will take place while the work is being undertaken, and traffic management measures such as temporary traffic lights will be in place. Towards the end of the works overnight closures may also take place while the new exit is being resurfaced.

[Read more…]

Dougie Mac banks on Biddulph for its 20th charity shop

Local hospice Dougie Mac has opened a brand new charity shop in Biddulph town centre. 

The former NatWest Bank on the High Street opened its doors to shoppers for the first time on Thursday 16th September offering good quality clothing, shoes, accessories and bric-a-brac, at very affordable prices.

[Read more…]