Gaskells Were Historically Neither Army Nor Naval Personnel So Were Not Themselves Directly Involved in Waterloo Or the French Campaign

No.31The Summer 2015 aven RThe quarterly magazine for the whole of Rainow

G Village News G Social Events G Parish Council News G Clubs & Societies G School & Church

Your Update on Council Activities

Composition of the Parish Council after May 2015 Speed Indicator Device Cllr Ken Butler The Parish Council stayed predominately the same Website Editors Cllrs Ken Butler, Adrian after the election. Mrs Pat Mellish decided to stand McGuinness and Jim Crowther down and Mr Adrian McGuinness was co-opted as a replacement. We would like to thank Pat for her considerable help over the years with her significant Dog Ownership input to the Council including carrying out the Raven Here are two photos taken invoicing, painting notice boards and working with the within a few feet of each broadband group. other of dog waste bags on Cow Lane. There were over Annual General Meeting 60 bags in total so many Our AGM was held on Tuesday 19th May this year more than one photo had for the election of Chairman, Vice Chairman and to be taken! As it was a Working Groups and Representatives. Councillors health hazard Cheshire John Cantrell and Alan Brett were elected as East Council very kindly Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively for the came out and removed the third year in a row. bags, a distasteful job as you can imagine. The following Working Groups were agreed by the Please don't allow your dog to foul footpaths and meeting: fields and dispose of your bags of excrement in any bin or in your own bin, rather than throwing them into GROUP CONTACTS fields or pushing them into dry stone walls. Planning Groups All Council Members Please clear up after your dog and put the bag in the Transport Group All Council Members bins provided and make Rainow a more pleasant place to live. Projects Group All Council Members The Best Kept Village Competition AMG Highways Sub-Group Cllr Ken Butler Best Kept Village Cllrs John Cantrell, Sue The Judges will be coming round anytime now at Competition (BKVC) – Frith, Carole Harvey short notice! Please could you keep the front of your including telephone kiosk and Adrian McGuinness house, along the kerb, litter and weed free and let us Broadband Group Cllr Geoff Cooper, Cllr know if there are any problem areas. The gardens are Nathan Gabbott and all looking fantastic at the moment. Graham Mellish, Raph We would like to thank all the unsung heros of the WI Murray, John Allen and for their hard work in Trinity Gardens and those Richard Stocker residents who have contributed around the village. Cheshire Association Cllr Ken Butler A special thank you to Ian Townley for replacing the (ChALC) Area Meeting stone slab in the seating area on Smithy Lane and for Representative mowing the grass banks. Defibrillator Cllrs Richard Balment You may have noticed that there has been some work and Sue Frith undertaken in the memorial garden. We qualified for a Footpath Group Cllrs Alan Taylor grant to clean the War I Memorial along with the (Chairman), Alan Brett, repair and renovation of the rear seat and to have the Ken Butler and John flagstones re-levelled. Cantrell and Adrian McGuinness Civic Service Jubilee Playground Cllrs Mary Marsh, Inspection Group Katherine Beswick and The Parish Council invites you to their Civic Service to Alan Taylor be held at Holy Trinity Church, Rainow on Sunday 27th Maps And Walks Booklets Cllr Richard Balment September with the service commencing at 10.00 am. (distribution) You are also welcome to join the Parish Councillors Parish Plan Working Group Cllrs Alan Brett (Chairman), afterwards in a procession to the school hall and to join Geoff Cooper, Richard them for light refreshments. Balment and Ian At this year’s Civic Service, we would also like to Brammer recognise the special contributions of a resident to the Raven Editing Group Cllr Ken Butler, Ian community so if you have any nominations please Brammer, Raph Murray, contact the Clerk or one of the Councillors. Bob Langstaff, Louise Leigh and Sheila The Village Bus Brammer The Parish Council continues to support this Raven - Advertising and Cllrs Ken Butler, Carole community service and congratulates the Rainow Invoicing Harvey, Pat Mellish and arish Council News Village Bus team on their success in obtaining the the Clerk grant for a brand new bus (see article in this issue).

2 P Cover photo by Ian Brammer

Rainow 2015/16 Precept Every year the Parish Council gets its funds from Cheshire East Council who get their funds from your Council tax and Welcome to Government grants. We are pleased to say that the precept has stayed the same this year and we have asked for £10,000 which reflects the budgeted expenditure for the coming year. Below is a statement of the un-audited financial accounts for 1st April 2014 - 31st March 2015. “RESTATED” Year Year Ending Ending March 2014 March 2015 1.Balance Brought forward £10,766 £10,325 The 2.Annual Precept £10,000 £10,000 Raven 3.Total Other Income £ 4,157 £ 5,807 4.Staff Costs £ 3,825 £ 3,846 5.Loan interest/capital - - Your Parish Councillors repayments John Cantrell (Chairman) 422107 6.Total Other Payments £10,772 £13,090 [email protected] 7.Balances carried forward £10,325 £ 9,196 Alan Brett (Vice Chairman) 576108 8.Total Cash £10,325 £ 9,196 [email protected] 9.Total Assets £10,134 £13,254 Richard Balment 573625 10.Total Borrowings - - [email protected] Katherine Beswick 573809 Explanation of the financial statement: [email protected] The Year Ending March 2014 accounts have been re-stated Ken Butler 433168 as agreed with the External Auditor. This was due to the [email protected] value of £100, in war bond investments, having to be included within the figures and within the asset register. Geoff Cooper 574878 Income - Increased mainly due to the following items: [email protected] Sue Frith 573802 Increase in income from Raven Newsletter £715.50 [email protected] Increase in VAT refund from year 2013/14 £158.98 Nathan Gabbott 576755 Increase in Walks booklets sold £315.70 [email protected] Other income – contribution towards £500.00 Defibrillators and cabinets by the PCC Carole Harvey 573576 [email protected] Expenses – Increased mainly due to the following items: Mary Marsh 573508 Increase in spend on Jubilee Playground - £,390.00 [email protected] painting of play equipment, repairs to hand rail, repairs to playground including removal of steps Adrian McGuinness 573408 [email protected] Increase in project expenses due to purchase £2,323.16 of defibrillator and cabinets. Alan Taylor 575544 [email protected] Increase in costs associated with producing the £ 131.13 Raven newsletter. Sarah Giller (Clerk) 850532 Increase in repairs and maintenance - painting £180.83 [email protected] of finger post at Mount Pleasant and replacing Cheshire East Councillor: wood around bin outside Trinity Gardens. Hilda Gaddum 01260 252456 Community bus donation, Cheshire Community £1,358.52 Action OCSI Report, Printing of Rural Community Profile for Rainow and contribution towards the World War One Commemorative exhibition. Future Meetings and Dates for your diary Increase in VAT partly due to the purchase of 3 £223.59 21st July 2015 18th August 2015 cabinets for defibrillators, purchase of defibrillator & rural housing survey and cleaning of war memorial 15th September 2015 20th October 2015 17th November 2015 15th December 2015 All Meetings are advertised on the notice boards and the website. Editorial Team for this issue: Civic Service - Sunday 27th September 2015 Ian Brammer Sheila Brammer Tree Lighting and Carol Service - (usually held on the first Jim Kennelly Bob Langstaff Sunday in December). Louise Leigh Raph Murray If you have any issues that need raising then you can either contact the Clerk, any member of the Parish Council or just turn up at one Design by Mel Wilcox (01625 576182) of our meetings.

“Items included in the Raven do not represent the views of the Parish Council”. 3

Cinemac Bus Group o support the new village bus Rose Tyldsley and I thought we would organise trips down to Cinemac on lder person’s charity, the Royal Voluntary Service, is setting up a new T Telephone Befriending Service in the East Cheshire area in collaboration a Monday (cheap night, only £3.50!) to see films. This is proving very popular Owith partners Peaks and Plains Housing Trust and Cheshire East Council. and in fact we had to do two runs each The service will be free and aims to support older people in the area who way to see the Second Exotic Marigold may be socially isolated. Hotel! It only works out at £2 a head so a very reasonable price for a night out. Jo Roberts, Service Manager for East Cheshire comments “we know that there are people in the local area who are lonely and isolated for many different We are planning to go further afield, reasons. Our telephone befriending service will give those people a chance to perhaps to Buxton Opera House or chat with one of our trained volunteers. We hope to be able to match up Gawsworth in the Summer, so if there is volunteers with older people, so that each person speaks to the same volunteer something you would like to see, just let each week, giving them an opportunity to develop a friendly relationship over the us know and we will organise the Bus phone. The service can also provide some reassurance for family that there is for you and good company! someone in contact with their elderly relative on a regular basis and can check If you would like to add your name to the that they are well.” list please either email me, Sue Grimes ([email protected]) or phone If you are interested in this service and would like a Telephone Befriender to (01625 572751) and we can make this a contact you, please get in touch on 01565 651500 or 07736 825343 or regular event. email: [email protected]

Get Inspired by Barbara f you have been watching BBC Sport recently and have maybe thought that you recognised the Irunner demonstrating their hurdles technique as part of the BBC's Get Inspired campaign then your suspicions are correct. Long standing Rainow runner Barbara Murray was filmed as part of the BBC's campaign to get more people involved in sport. Fellow Rainow runner Jon Falkner was involved in the film production by Mediafour. Barbara and Jon are both Rainow 5 Fell Race Report by Rachael Lawrance members of Macclesfield Harriers where Barbara helps out with his race was held on the evening of Wednesday 6th May. Despite the forecast coaching hurdles and Jon leads one Tfor rain there was a great turn-out of 182 runners who were rewarded with cool of the running groups. So if you've but dry conditions. The race started next to the Robin Hood pub in Rainow and been inspired by Barbara and would followed Smithy Lane and Oakenbank Lane to Ingersley Vale before tackling the like to know how to get started in steep climb to White Nancy – freshly painted to commemorate the Battle of running or meet up with some like Waterloo. After completing a loop of the Kerridge skyline and Kerridgeside the minded fellow runners why not give runners then retraced their outward route to the finish. There was some great Barbara a call or join Macclesfield racing from the Under 23’s – with 3 in the top 4 finishers. Jack Ross finished first Harriers. (01625 573729) in 33 min 7 sec (Staffs Moorlands) and first lady home was Kerry Marchant (Staffs Moorlands) in 40 min 56 sec. Of the 9 Rainow runners participating, first home was 16 year old Allen Bunyan in 20th place in a time of 38 min 26 sec. The first Rainow lady was Barbara Murray who organised the first ever Rainow 5 race in aid of Rainow Playgroup in 1989. All the runners enjoyed delicious cakes baked and served by Rainow Guides. Thanks to all the volunteer cake bakers, marshals & helpers on the day, Rainow Guides, Rainow school (car parking) & Red Willow Brewery (prize donations). All the proceeds from the race (£800) were donated to Rainow Pre-school which is currently based in the Institute building. This is the building we used as the Race HQ but the Pre-school are now fundraising to build new premises. Dave Lawrance, Rob Hasler & I survived organising our first fell race and it was fantastic to have so many runners & a great post-race atmosphere. See you all next year!

Village Bus Team Wins Through! New Bus for Rainow Soon uccess! Rainow has been awarded a new Village Bus. Despite some close competition, the Bus Team’s application for a Department for Transport grant for a Sbrand new minibus, as reported in the last issue of the Raven (No 30), has been successful. We now have to wait to find out exactly what we will have but this is good news as it removes the biggest obstacle looming in the path of our future service – the problem of how to provide for a replacement bus when our current vehicle becomes Contact Liam Leicester on: too old for a safe service or too expensive to maintain. With a high mileage and several years of hard use – despite being a coach-built Mercedes! – it would not have been long 07762 825537 or 01625 575604 [email protected] before the problem had to be faced. The new bus will be of a more standard type and should be easier and cheaper to service as well as hopefully using significantly less fuel. Once the new bus is in service it should be several years before any replacement need arises and that gives us a lot time to work out how to build up a fund for the purpose. Meantime, the new service to Bollington is working out well and is gaining new passengers, whilst use by groups from the village and from nearby has been growing apace. Rainow School have hired the bus whilst the Mothers Union has had an outing, the Darts Team has travelled to away venues and there is an active group making regular trips to Cinemac in Macclesfield. It has also been used by Bollington Air Cadets and a birthday party outing to Waterworld. Over a hundred people have signed up as members and there’s room for more. To book, just look up the website www.rainowvillagebus.com and choose from the dates and times listed. Booking ensures that you are not disappointed; it’s rare that the bus is full but it has happened and it also helps the driver if he knows to expect passengers and where they are getting on/off. A quick explanation of the booking form: all the fields marked with an * must be filled in and you need to use a figure 7 for the “anti-spam” question (thirteen – 6). The “other information” space on the form can be used if you want to be picked up along the route rather than at one of the listed stops. Bear in mind we provide a service from Rainow to Bollington and return and we can’t take people just from Macclesfield to Bollington or vice versa as there is an existing public service for this. If you don’t want to book, just turn up at the stops listed – we won’t leave you stranded!

his year’s Festival has been brought forward and will take place from 26th September to Zach Wilcox T4th October. Details will be available before Gardening & Maintenance the end of June: for enquiries please contact G Hedge Cutting,Trimming, the Bridgend Centre on 01625 576311 or see the Shaping and Reduction website. G Dry Stone Walling On the leaflet, the organisers have an Events Calendar so if you have organised an event during G Tr ee Felling/Pruning the Festival period and would like to advertise it, G Gutter Clearing please send details to: [email protected] & Replacement G Flag Laying, Patios Carole Harvey Telemarketing and Pointing G Fencing G Jet Washing New Business Development G Turfing and Lawn Care G Mole Catching Appointment Setting

Telephone Marketing 01625 472276 Mob : 07758 249587 22 Millers Meadow, Rainow, Macclesfield 01625 573576 [email protected] 10 Hawkins Lane, Rainow 5

Lynton Out of School – Summer Term by Mark Bertinshaw, Headteacher Chocolate Mousse he second part of the summer term is always one of the best times of the school year. Particular highlights this term have been the success of the girls' Tfootball team (see separate report), a visit to Conwy and a close finish in the inter-schools maths challenge competition. We are now looking forward to our end of year play, our sports day as well as eagerly anticipating a residential visit to Lakeside YMCA outdoor pursuit centre in the Lake District. I know that the Friends ecipe of the Month of Rainow School are looking forward to seeing many old and new friends at the R school barbecue. Ingredients 6 oz. dark chocolate 1 3 /2 oz sugar 4 large eggs 1 1 1 /2 tbsp rum or /2 tsp rum essence 1 1 /2 tbsp strong coffee Method Eilean Kilcoyne 1. Melt chocolate in bowl over water 2. Make coffee and add to rum 3. Separate eggs 4. Beat egg yolks and sugar 5. Whisk egg whites until stiff 6. Remove melted chocolate from heat and add beaten egg yolks and sugar, Conwy visit rum and coffee, and whisk together The Year 3 and 4 pupils recently enjoyed a short residential visit to Conwy Youth 7. Fold in egg whites Hostel in Wales as part of their topic on Water and Coasts. The children’s 8. Fill 6 ramekins and chill for at least excellent behaviour and positive attitude to all the activities meant that they were 6 hours a pleasure to take on the trip. They took part in a range of Art Attack team challenges on the beach, enjoyed the ride on the tramway to the top of the Great * Note: Needs double cream on top to reduce sweetness Orme and were very appreciative of the sea lion show at the Sea Life centre. However, the highlight for many was a tour around the ramparts and battlements of Conwy Castle.

100 for Maths Challenge Every year we take part in a number of competitions and events with other One Hundred schools locally as part of the Tytherington School cluster. Recently we took part in by Cindy Brockington a maths challenge competition. The standards were very high and we came second of the nine schools which took part, narrowly losing to the eventual o mark the WI Centenary, Rainow winners. I was delighted to note that one of our pupils, Thomas R, won the WI set themselves the challenge individual maths challenge event on the day. Tof collecting 100 items for the Silklife Foodbank in Macclesfield. KRIV Support Our members rose admirably to the Finally I would like to add my appreciation for the team of volunteers who came challenge, and through their generosity into the school grounds to chop down the bushes, shrubs and trees which were we were able to donate 155 items! growing rapidly on the banks to the rear of the school. It was a massive job for the Two representatives of the foodbank team. I am sure that when the trees were planted 30 years ago as whips, it was charity came as guests to our May not envisaged that they would start to develop into potential forest giants so meeting and after giving us information quickly. Thanks to the volunteers from KRIV, the school is much lighter and we and statistics about their work they can again see the Ridge from our ‘Ridge View’ library. gratefully received our donation. Contributing to our local community at this time of WI celebration gave our members a feeling of pride and a job well done!

We didn’t mean to come... by Bill Turnbull, Presenter B B C Breakfast

e didn’t mean to come to Rainow, really; it was just “ you’re there!” And how right he was. Up the hill, it can feel happenstance. We were going to look round the as if we’re on top of the world, especially when the wind is WTrough of Bowland, but all the hotels were booked for hurtling through the yard, which it seems to do more often weddings. Then we remembered this place where than not. But we don’t mind, for this is one of the most Brian Redhead had lived, and thought ‘let’s try there’. We’d extraordinary places in which I’ve lived – and I’ve lived in a both worked with Brian on the Today programme back in the few. We look down on the Cheshire plain, and Manchester Eighties, and reckoned that if he had liked it, it must be OK. airport, and the footballers’ mansions. We can see clear We still remember how he gave us two enduring pieces of across to St Helens and the Welsh mountains (when it’s a advice in those days – that in an interview you should be able good day), and can see the weather coming towards us from to ask any question in less than eight seconds (twenty-four the west (when it’s not). words); and that you should give your children strong English Ah yes, the weather. Well, we do get a lot of it, don’t we? And names. The latter, we followed when our three were born. sometimes, where we are it can feel like we’re getting all four The former, I’m still working on. seasons in one morning. Too windy for the bees up here, It wasn’t always our plan to live up in the hills. At one point I they’ve had to stay down in leafy Bucks. But whatever nature toyed with the idea of renting a small flat in the city and doing is throwing at us, the scenery always looks superb. Even a weekly commute to the south. Until one day, as we waited when there are several feet of snow blocking the lane up to for a table in a Manchester restaurant, a lady suggested that the house. we could overcome a shortage of chairs at the bar by sitting We’ve learnt so much since coming here. We’ve discovered on my lap. In the face of such warmth and friendliness, Mrs T more about sheep than we thought was poss ble. I never knew decided it might be best for us both to move North… that there were so many small breweries in the area, and that But getting to live here wasn’t easy. Using Sue Stevenson’s their product was so varied and delicious. And we’ve got to wonderful B&B at Harrop Fold as a base, we searched high know a fascinating part of the country, with some of the best and low over Cheshire for somewhere to live (the Trough had walks you could hope to find. had its chance); all the way over to Chester, and various As I say to people when I’m spelling out our address: Rainow? places in between. But we always headed back to Rainow. It’s like a Rainbow, just without the ‘b’. Driving back along the Chelford road after another day’s fruitless and dispiriting househunting, we would see the hills rise behind Macclesfield, and somehow knew that in the end we would settle there. But where? Eventually, word reached us of a farmhouse that the owner was ‘doing up’. One thing led, slowly and deliberately, to another, and at last we moved in – almost a year after we started looking.You couldn’t have a better place to get away from the pressure cooker atmosphere of a TV studio. When the car climbs up Blaze Hill, it feels like we’re in a plane taking off, leaving the stress of work and the city behind. When they made the surprise announcement that Breakfast was moving to Salford Quays, the BBC’s Political Editor Nick Robinson had told me that the Peak District was the place to live. “You walk out the door and”, he said spreading his arms,

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1st Rainow Scouts

ince our last report the Scouts have few of the Scouts took part in a weekend and dedication. Next term the Scouts will been very busy.They have been camp at Tatton Scout camp. The weekend be taking part in archery, canoeing and caving at Alderley Edge caves, was full of rafting, climbing, bell boating have a summer camp planned. Swhere they got very wet and and abseiling. They were all exhausted We currently have 21 Scouts on roll and muddy.They completed a cycling when they got back. One of our leaders, 4 leaders. expedition to Barnswood, camped Phil has recently moved and will shortly overnight, fed themselves and cycled back be leaving Scouts after more than 3 years If you would like to join Scouts, we next day.The weather was kind and a despite having no children there himself. welcome girls or boys aged between good time was had by all. During May, a We would all like to thank him for his help 10 yrs 6 months to 14 yrs 6 months.

Know where there’s a Bug Hotel? Beavers report

ince the last issue of the Raven, the For our cooking evening, again we split into Beavers have been busy (as usual) our four lodges and each one made a pot of completing lots of different activities. delicious chilli. Each Beaver helped with the SIn the first session after the Spring chopping and mixing and all were able to half term holiday, they brought back taken a portion home. Unfortunately there lots of photos that they had taken while they wasn’t any left for the adults or helpers had been on their break. They spent the (must do something about this next time)! evening arranging their photos into booklets The Beavers also spent one session and albums and decorating them as part of learning about fair-trade and other global their photography badge (a recent addition issues. They divided a bar of chocolate to to the badge scheme) and produced some show who gets what proportion of the great results. We also had a very money from the sale of goods. Some entertaining musical evening with some children were very disappointed by the brilliant solo and group performances; what amount of chocolate they got! Having also a talented group we have. We had planned discussed the role of WaterAid, the children an Easter treasure hunt outside for the end also attempted to clean some water using of term activity, but due to bad weather (no water filters that they had made themselves. surprises there) we had to change plans Some groups were quite successful. and move the hunt to inside and have the eggs and sweets as the prizes, which was Most recently, we have been having fun definitely a winner. with science. From mini rockets and volcanoes to paper chromatography, all Onto a new term and we started with each Beavers had a go. We also went outside to lodge making a bug hotel. They were all set off some cola fountains, which they all given the same materials, but it was great to got very excited about; I just hope we didn’t see how different each hotel was.The distract too many drivers as they drove by following week we were outside for our the Institute that night. woodland evening. The Beavers took part in some pond dipping; made some mini rafts, Still to come this term, we have two outside which we let go down the stream; learnt activities planned, so fingers crossed for the some knots; and placed their bug hotels in weather. We also have a scarecrow to make the woods. Also this term, we had another (looking forward to this one) and some fun evening outside taking part in obstacle outfits to prepare for the parade. And then courses, playing cricket and following trails it’s the end of another term; where has the and not a drop of rain did we see. time gone?

Rainow Guides

ur activities for the last part of the Spring term and the girls themselves, and both types then decorated with the the first half of this, looking back, seem to be very fondant shapes they had made. Again a quick demonstration Ofood- and sweet food at that- related. We had a manic they all set to work. We were amazed with the quality of the evening making sweets for Mother’s Day – four finished cupcakes – the lady said she could sell them in the different types of home-made sweets, including truffles and shop, and I am sure she was not just being polite. They were daisy fondants, in a home made bag. We managed it in the beautiful, and very Spring appropriate. time, I don’t know how, but we were exhausted! Again on a cake theme (we don’t just do baking – honest!) An evening’s walk from Bollington, over Kerridge Ridge and the week before the Rainow 5 Run, we spent the meeting back to Rainow in the dark was noisy but fun – although we making scones, which were then frozen for the following gathered that the dozing bullocks or heifers (I didn’t check) week, when, as usual, Guides were in charge of do not like having selfies done with them. However, the refreshments. With a new, local, team organising the run, and main lesson for the night was: if walking on the ridge, a reputation for excellent refreshments to maintain, we were especially at night, make sure your mobile phone is on our mettle! We seemed to be busier than ever, there were securely zipped into a pocket – and don’t roll down a hill over 180 runners, the Guides worked incredibly well as a with it loose in a pocket. A lesson hard learned. team, both serving cakes and drinks and also helping the organisers by running the results back – reputation Our Spring term ended with a trip to the Cherry Blossom maintained! Bakery in Macclesfield. As we arrived, a long table was laid out with all sorts of icing moulds; flowers, butterflies, stars We now just have our fingers crossed that the weather and even some Disney. The girls were all given some improves. We managed to have an evening playing Rounders, fondant icing in pastel colours, given a quick demonstration but our main upcoming event is the Fabfest in June, when 9 and they were away! They were then given half a dozen of the Guides are off, with Helen and another Guider, to camp cupcakes each, three of which had to have buttercream overnight near Knutsford, for an afternoon of challenges and piped on to them and then a circle of marked fondant icing an evening and night of music. Sadly I can’t go, but I’m sure on top (like a cushion), the other three were to be piped by I’ll hear all about it.

Is it Really Summer? Rainow Cubs report by Akela Sue Grimes

t is hard to believe that I am writing this Nearly every Cub went down the rock at the beginning of June and that this is face thanks to the patience of Tim and Ireally the Summer Term! The weather John, an Instructor from Moorland has been a challenge most weeks but Adventure and deservedly they were very we have managed to get outside every pleased with themselves. Those at week bar one when we went bowling Rudyard Lake enjoyed games and rather than try and light fires in a gale, challenges in their canoes and at the end but the meetings could have been a little of the first session all jumped in – but it more enjoyable if it had been warm. was just too cold the second week! On our first meeting we hiked down Unfortunately no one could make District the Gritstone Trail from Teggs Nose to or Senior Camp but we are going to an Rainow School after learning what we Activity Centre near Sheffield in the Peak should take on a hike; this was probably District for a weekend in June. Some of the only nice evening in the whole of the activities planned for the rest of the the first half term. There is a Staged term include caving, go-karting, an Activity Hiking Badge and this counted athlete taster evening and shooting. towards it. The team of six Cubs who represented The Cubs remembered the knots they us at the District Handicraft Competition had learnt the previous term and finished came away with a large shield for their Pioneering badge by making Missile winning the model making section. Firers from broomsticks and going to the Robin Hood car park to fire 200 water We are losing our two Young Leaders, bombs at each other. The Leaders kept Ellie White and Joe Murphy to University out of the way!! We then split into two at the end of this term, they have been groups; one half went orienteering at brilliant and a great help and will be Teggs Nose and the other half went badly missed. Again, we will be short of canoeing at Rudyard Lake and then Leaders and so anyone who would like swapped round the following week. to join us would be very welcome.

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horse of the team of eight which dragged up the stone. The monument was painted white from the start (although camouflaged during the two world wars) and it would appear that gradually ‘Northern Nancy’ became ‘White Nancy’ and first the hill and then the monument acquired the name. Certainly to myself as a child in Kerridge in the 1950s and to many other long term local residents, the phrase ‘going up White Nancy’ means climbing the hill, not scaling the monument. Anne Theodora, last Gaskell resident of Ingersley Hall, herself made the distinction (and the purpose) clear when she wrote in 1921: ‘My great grandfather caused the Sugar Loaf on White Nancy to be built in remembrance of the Battle of Waterloo’. The Gaskells were historically neither army nor naval personnel so were not themselves directly involved in Waterloo or the French campaign. However, Anne Theodora’s great uncle James Slack, a civilian living in Paris, was detained as a prisoner of war at Valenciennes and died there in 1811. This perhaps affected the Gaskells’ attitude to the French wars and influenced events twelve years after the famous battle, when Anne Theodora’s The Gaskells, father John Upton Gaskell, being then a student at Oxford University, embarked on a three month continental tour. His the Sugar Loaf, letters give details of the trip, which took in amongst other places Calais, Brussels, Milan, Basle, Geneva and finally Paris, where and the Celebrated he tried unsuccessfully to find out more about his Uncle James. It was from Brussels that he visited the nearby plains of what he Waterloo by Bridget J Franklin called ‘the celebrated Waterloo’. It is perhaps ironic that later in life he possessed objects that represented both sides of the French political divide: in an auction at Alton Towers he any residents of Rainow can probably just make out purchased several paintings that had previously belonged to from their windows that the structure we call White Napoleon’s mother, Maria Letizia Buonaparte; and on another Nancy has some dark shadows around its base. occasion he bought a marble bust of Marie Antoinette that had M been buried in the Tuileries Gardens. Walkers who have made their way up the hill will know that these shadows are silhouetted figures representing The extensive collections at Ingersley Hall, the Hall itself, and all combatants in the Battle of Waterloo, the bicentenary of which the rest of the estate were sold after Anne Theodora died, and occurs this June. In this country the battle was seen as a the much altered Hall is now called Savio House. What remains military triumph for the Duke of Wellington, whilst victory over unchanged is the sugar loaf shaped monument we call White Napoleon was particularly significant to the aristocracy and Nancy, and the extensive views over the surrounding country- landed gentry, who had feared invasion and the endangerment side.The Gaskells too must frequently have come here and of their prosperity and way of life. It was not surprising therefore proudly surveyed the extent of their holdings. Their gaze would that there was much celebration and a desire to record the take in not only what lay immediately below in terms of their event in a variety of ways, including the erection of monuments. farms, woodlands, mills and cottages, but also their land in It was in this spirit that our local landmark was created, built by Adlington, and beyond that the distant city of Manchester where the landowning family of the Gaskells of Ingersley Hall. they had commercial property. Hidden from view but surely in the The Gaskells had owned land in the Rainow area from the mind’s eye, were the familial hills of Lyme and the two estates in 1730s, and John Gaskell built Ingersley Hall, or House as it Derbyshire. The Gaskells are long departed, but no doubt they was then known, in 1775. It was the same John Gaskell who would be gratified that their legacy lives on in the enjoyment of built, probably in 1817, what was in effect a summer house the largely unspoilt landscape they shaped, and in the and a memorial. It also acts as a boundary marker, being on celebration of that iconic monument they built 200 years ago. the boundary line not only of Gaskell land but also of Rainow Next time . . . Where did the Gaskells come from, how did and Bollington, although, as the image shows, only a small they come by their wealth, and what happened to them? section of lower wall lies in Bollington (which rather challenges Bollington’s proprietorial attitude). Initially it had a large studded door, stone seating and a stone table, and must have made a good destination for a picnic after an uphill walk from the house. It was not however initially called White Nancy, and it is fairly well documented that that end of the ridge was itself Penny Lane then called Northern Nancy, Nancy being a corruption of Holiday ordnance, and reflecting the fact that there had long been an Cottages ordnance beacon on the site; one of a chain of warning beacons across the country maintained by the Board of N Two charming 18th-century stone cottages, Pets Ordnance as part of the nation’s defence. Despite this, there recently refurbished to a high standard. and children are a number of well-rehearsed myths about the name Nancy N Long and shorts breaks available all year round. welcome being derived from John Gaskell’s sister, or from the lead For more information call: 01625 410735 www.pennylaneholidaycottages.co.uk 11

When a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully :Dr Johnson The Conclusion of the Story of John Orme by Raph Murray & Jim Kennelly

Castle, however, the Foreman relented when Mr Legh th May 1784: Rainow man John Orme has exclaimed:“by God so would you, if you were under been tried and convicted of treason; specifically, sentence of death!” 14counterfeiting Coin of the Realm. The sentence of death by hanging has been stayed for 10 days. 19th May 1784: John Orme’s supporters had garnered John’s execution is rescheduled for 1pm Monday 24th May. sufficient support for their petition to hope for at least a commutation of the the death sentence from Lord Sydney, the Home Secretary. That night Justice Richard Pepper At a distance of 230 years our sympathies are with John Arden, judge at Orme’s trial, voiced a powerful contrary Orme. The sentence was unbelievably harsh and view, that the original verdict was appropriate. Of the three furthermore the evidence against him was circumstantial. men convicted of coining at that session, Justice Arden John Orme testified that the coiners’ implements found at considered the evidence against William Lowe less strong, his house were the possessions of his recently absconded so granted him a respite from execution; Arden, however, lodger. Orme was found with counterfeit shillings on his considered that the evidence against both John Oaks and person, but no evidence was presented that he had ever John Orme was compelling. John Oaks was already dead, spent these (this would be the crime of “uttering”). The hanged on the 15th May. As an astute and distinguished principle of reasonable doubt should apply, particularly public servant (he would later serve as Attorney General for the severest punishment in law, even back in 1784. and a Privy Councillor), Arden gave his superior some This is not a wholly anachronistic view; there were a wriggle room writing: “as Oakes had by no means so good plethora of trivial offences punishable by death in Britain; a character as Orme and in case only one example ought to emerging opinion was that this punishment was cruel and be made was the properer (sic) object of severity”. rHoweve ineffective. There was an increasing reluctance either to it was still uncertain how Lord Sydney might decide. apply or carry out the death penalty; juries might wilfully Saturday 22th May 1784: Throughout the evening William undervalue the cost of stolen goods or even acquit the Cowdroy anxiously waited at the Post Office for the accused rather than invoke a death sentence. Severe anticipated news from London. At eleven O’clock there was punishments can be counterproductive, today we still say still no reprieve and John Orme was warned that the “we might as well be hung for sheep as for a lamb” – a execution would go ahead as scheduled. robber stealing a shilling risked the hangman, but murdering his victim might enable escape and one can only be hanged Sunday 23rd May 1784: What was John Orme’s state of once. There was agitation for reform, chiefly led by the mind? Aware this was set to be the last full day of his life, Quaker movement, to ameliorate a vicious and capricious he exhibited a remarkable calm and serenity. Maybe he was system. Being on right side of future history, of the people secure in his innocence or that he was a victim of injustice, who mattered; respectable gentlemen of the Grand Jury in so he did not fear for his soul at the Final Judgement. He Chester and landed gentry of the Macclesfield area. Support might have been in shock and denial of the fate that awaited however, was far from unanimous; some men of property him tomorrow. At 10 O’clock that evening the surprise arrival were reluctant to be seen to condone a crime against of a King's Special Messenger brought him a reprieve - the property. William Brooksbank, the Macclesfield Justice of perseverance of his brother had ultimately succeeded. Such the Peace who investigated the charge against Orme wrote: was John’s resignation to his fate that, unbelievably, when “…every reputable person refused to sign a petition in his the news arrived of his deliverance from death, he silently favour… the crime (is) too lightly viewed by the common received it with an apparent disappointment. people in general…” Other gentlemen were more benevolent; Mr Rolls Legh sought to persuade the Foreman Monday 24th May 1784: Disassembly of the unrequired of the Grand Jury. Initially he had declined to sign the gallows begins; while John's family and friends rejoice, petition because Orme had attempted to break out of the John Orme is returned to custody.

Condemned Convicts might be impressed Hulks were used to accommodate Convicts put ashore in into the British Army the expanding prison population Botany Bay

2nd June 1784: William Brooksbank JP writes to Lord finding it unsuitable they moved a few miles up the coast to Sydney of his deep misgivings concerning Orme’s case. what proved to be one of the finest natural harbours in the He argues against any Royal Pardon, saying he knows Orme world. Their landing place is renamed Sydney Cove in to be a criminal and if he is not to be executed, he must honour of our friend Lord Sydney. This date is considered the never be allowed to return home, as this would encourage foundation of a new nation and commemorated as Australia others to commit the same crime on the assumption that Day. All this time, John Orme is languishing as a prisoner persuading gullible and naïve persons to sign a petition back in Cheshire. would protect them from justice. John Orme’s misfortunes 5th May 1789: John Orme had made himself busy and occurred at a time of acute strain on the penalsystem. useful, successfully teaching his fellow prisoners to read and Options other than prison were limited; wholesale write. Impressed by his good works, Richard Pepper Arden executions were becoming repellent, particularly for and the Lord Chief Justice of Chester Edward Bearcroft non-violent property crime. The 18th Century, bookended recommended a free pardon for Orme. The Governor of by the late 17th and early 19th centuries (1689-1815) saw Chester Gaol, Mr Faithful Thomas, said “John Orme did as a succession of Anglo-French conflicts sometimes now much moral good in reading religious tracts to the prisoners described as the second Hundred Year’s war. Convicts might as any ordinary (person) could have done”. be released from prison for wartime Army service, but the years 1784-1792 were an interwar period, so this was not an So after a trial and harsh sentence, John Orme twice option. The major cause of prison congestion was the recent escaped the gallows and somehow avoided the first convict loss of the American colonies as the destination for transportation to Australia. He endured 5 years’ transportation of convicts. Prison capacity was increased, imprisonment, was released by his own efforts to reunite with most notoriously by the widespread use of prison hulks his family and friends in Rainow. He supported his large (immortalised by Dickens in Great Expectations), but family by honest industry and lived for another 16 years until nonetheless the prison system was still overflowing. his death in 1805. A small irony is that gallows-dodging John Orme outlived his Nemeses, Richard Pepper Arden (died 18th August 1786: William Pitt’s government, urgently 1804) and Lord Sydney (died 1800). needing a new penal colony, ordered the colonisation of Botany Bay in New South Wales, the territory mapped and Time has moved since John Orme’s day. The shape of claimed for Britain by Captain Cook in 1770. Both Lord today’s Rainow is broadly similar, straddling the road Sydney and Richard Pepper Arden (now Attorney General) between Higher Hurdsfield and Kettleshulme but now with a were contributors to the policy. Given their shared history, population of about 2500. The mines and mills are gone. it is no surprise that one of the convicts Richard Pepper What could have been John’s final resting place instead of Arden recommended for transportation for life was John Rainow, the penal settlement of Sydney Cove, Port Jackson, Orme. This would have satisfied William Brooksbank JP north of Botany Bay is now a glittering city of 4 million of Macclesfield; John Orme would never have returned people; Sydney, NSW, Australia. Ideas of what constitutes to Rainow. serious crime and appropriate punishment have progressed beyond swinging for a tin shilling. 13th May 1787: The expedition, later called the First Fleet, sails from Portsmouth on route to Botany Bay. For reasons The rediscovery of John Orme’s history provides us with an not recorded, John Orme did not sail with them as expected. inspirational story of one man’s indomitable spirit in the face 26th January 1788: The fleet had landed at Botany Bay, but of overwhelming odds – best of all, he was a Rainow boy.

MoonWalk 2015 Raising Money for Breast Cancer

oonWalk 2015 (16th/17th May this year) attracted 15,000 Mwalkers, eight of those were Millie Robinson, Jackie Robinson, Sue Frith, Natalie Frith, Gabbi Frith, Jill Hone, Victoria Hone and Carolyn Blackett. The MoonWalk was a 26.2 mile walk through the streets of London starting at Midnight wearing a bra!! The theme this year was 'Saturday night at the movies' so the team decided to wear film reels and popcorn! The ladies decided to walk the walk for their very close friend Jude Holland who had breast cancer and sadly passed away in June 2014. The team name was decided as 'TEAM HEY JUDE' and the training began early this year. So far the team have raised over £4,500 and money is still coming in. If you would like to support the ladies please visit https://moonwalklondon2015.everyday hero .com/uk/hey-jude. Sue Frith said it was a very exhilarating and uplifting experience even though we had no sleep for forty hours!!!! “Lovelies at the London MoonWalk in May – can you spot the Rainow ladies?”

? ? Robin Hood ? ? ??? ? Quiz Team: ? ? ? ? ? ?World Champions ? ? ? ?? ?? ??(at? least the Macclesfield B League) And the Voice of the? Armadillo? is Heard? in our Land by Jim Kennelly

explosives available to our team and we knew where he lived. It became clear that we would be promoted, but the league title would be decided by the season’s run-in. There was a hiccough caused by defaulted games; one team with just 4 players was reduced to 3 early in the season. They did win some games – an empty chair (all questions conferred) sometimes puts in a stronger performance than an impetuous maverick gifting passovers. However when reduced further, they forfeited games. To accommodate this, the league looked at various computations; we were terrified that some convoluted Duckworth-Lewis formula might cost us the title. We did, however, have the highest win and points total; the league rankings were unchanged whether or not the defaulting team’s data were included. So the Robin Hood was crowned B League champions. In he Robin Hood quiz team shifted gear this season. A addition, snug and secure within a winning team, one of us pre-season trophy win of the Plate whetted our appetite accumulated sufficient scores to emerge as individual B for glory. We enjoyed winning before, but now we really league winner – could it get any better? T Well no, there was the curse of the nine-banded Armadillo. wanted to win. We expanded the squad, perming 4 out of 7 to field a strong line-up every match, finessing any Occasionally questions of impenetrable obscurity emerge and absences due to day jobs, pestilence or sundry acts of God. most teams, including the Robin Hood, must confess to Unwittingly we mimicked the strategy of most leading teams lapses. “What is the only creature, apart from man, that can who used up to 9 players (more on this later). catch leprosy?” was posed 20 years ago. University The sure way to victory is to be better than your rivals, but microbiology specialists might dimly recall the Armadillo’s we were not. One of the delights of the competition is the susceptibility to Mycobacterium leprae, but “Armadillo” was almost random nature of the outcomes. We might play the unacceptable. It is the nine-banded Armadillo species only; current league leaders and win; then be on the rough end of unsurprisingly, no team in the entire league answered a drubbing by candidates for certain relegation. correctly. To address such dismal nerdery, the League instituted a Nine-banded Armadillo nomination for the worst Most quiz questions should be answerable by at least one quiz question that season. Shame and ridicule introduced a player in either team (more on this later). Individuals sense of proportion to future question setting. The effect answering their own questions directly gain 3 points, if diminished in recent years, so the committee decided to conferred, 1 point. A wrong answer passes the question over award an actual prize to the nine-banded Armadillo nominees to the opponents to try for a bonus point. The frustration (and as voted by the AGM. To our surprise, a Robin Hood to be frank, the comedy value) arises when players on the question: “Cucumber Time is the dull season in which trade? spot lose confidence in their answer, confer, are proved right, answer: TAILORING” was voted worst question of the year then lament and ululate for the points lost from their individual and recipient of the inaugural Nine-banded Armadillo prize! score. Similarly an overconfident player ignoring the rest of The Armadillo, however, will not be mocked. The committee the team (flapping and gurning to signal that they knew the provided a fetching portrait of this handsome beast that now answer) guesses wildly and wrongly. The consequent graces the wall of the Robin Hood and would do the same internecine recriminations are delicious entertainment. for any other hostelry. I firmly predict, by the law of The deciding margin is normally the total of passovers. unintended consequences, that teams will slip a couple of Winning teams have the better feel for which questions to stinkers into their questions to secure the next Nine-banded risk individually or on which to confer. Tim Grimes and Matt Armadillo prize. Rogers brought a professional edge with the application of So congratulations higher mathematics – they insisted on keeping a running and good luck to score, so we knew if we were winning, so should play skipper Phil Moss, steadily, or if we should take chances to turn things around. Lorraine Hilton, Tony The Robin Hood’s new shiny lean mean quizzing machine Wilkinson, Andrew gathered momentum; a certain spice was added by our Clark, Tim Grimes, principal rivals including a well-known Rainow villager in their Matt Rogers and Jim engine room. This Rainovian would make witty, Kennelly; next season bantering comments on prospects; we were unconcerned, – the A league where mainly because there was expertise in demolition by high there be Dragons!

News from the Lamp and Candle Hello again But if they come from behind You’ll be pleased to see that I think it’s safe to resume my duties you’re in mortal danger. as the eyes and ears of Rainow as I have heard nothing more There was a chap up there from Mrs Gaddum. Mind you I didn’t feel so confident when a shoving envelopes through canvassing leaflet was left on the bar by one of our friends from whatever doors he could fight the village. My poor old heart skipped a beat when I read that his way to. It turned out he Mrs. Gaddum is no less a person than Deputy Mayor of was trying to deliver Christian Aid envelopes. Cheshire East! This confirmed my worst suspicions that the He’d already had two envelopes whipped out of his hand plus Chancellor of the Exchequer really did send in the big guns. half a tuna sandwich he was eating along the way. It comes to Anyway they’ll all be far too busy now they’ve won the election, something when a person can’t walk his own village in safety. sorting out the Common Market and that Scottish woman – Perhaps the Parish Council should put a speed limit of say, five Margaret Thatcher with a sporran instead of a handbag. miles per hour on cycles travelling through Rainow. Just a I have to say though that this licence business has taught me a thought. Anyway, I advised the plucky but unwise lesson. If Mrs Gaddum reads this article she can rest assured envelope-pusher to get down to a safer place quickly or he’d be that I have had a conversion, just like St. Paul on the road to needing First Aid as well as Christian Aid! He took my advice Domestos. I actually went to buy a drinks licence at the main and hot-footed it to the Robin Hood. Mind you you can’t get so Post Office in Macclesfield, but they’ve shut it down! They’ve much as a pint of Orange Aid in there the way things are. As I crammed it into the back of W H Smith’s shop in Mill Street, write it’s closed yet again. There’s talk of someone taking it over where I was told I was in the wrong place for a licence anyway. but I’ll believe it when I see it. (Ed. but see Page 20!) Mortified that a fine town like Macclesfield could lose its main On a more cheerful note, I’ve been giving some serious thought to Post Office I decide to console myself by buying a Daily Mail, a the idea that my son-in-law Geoffrey had for turning the Lamp copy of “Pre-loved Tractor Parts Monthly” and a Mars bar. Who into a bit of a money-spinner (all income declared of course). was there at the checkout to take my hard-earned cash off me? This, you will remember, was the plan to have ‘Mystery Nobody! I called an assistant and told him that serving Holidays’ at the Lamp & Candle, the clever bit being that nobody customers was more important than stacking magazines, would ever let on where they’d been because they wouldn’t know, putting smutty birthday cards on racks, and chatting to his and the even cleverer bit is that they wouldn’t want to know friends. He told me I’d have to scan what I’d bought into a screen otherwise why have a mystery holiday in the first place! Geoffrey and then sort my own payment out through a machine. I was says that this would guarantee the privacy of this part of appalled! Having been generous enough to shop there the least I Rainow and capture a new market in holidays at one and the expected was that someone would take my money from me with same time. a smile and a good morning. I asked the assistant if he wanted I have some reservations though. I’m sure they’d be fine for the me to do some stocktaking or a bit of cleaning while I was at it first day or so playing skittles, bar billiards and dominoes for but my ironic response went right over his head and he just said halfpennies or even trying the more up-market games we have “It’s the way things are going”. So I showed him the way I was here such as Monopoly and Trivial Pursuits. After a couple of going and left. days of this though, they’d probably be pining for their mobile It seems that this is a new way of shopping. You buy something, go phones and i-pads and wanting to know if Macclesfield Town to the checkout, stare at a machine and press a few useless buttons beat Chipping Sodbury in the final of the Tin of Paint Trophy, or while an annoying voice tells you fifty times that you’re doing it all who was eliminated in Strictly Come Dancing. I am asking wrong. Then you give up and leave the shop empty-handed. I fail to myself if the banter of the Snug or the polite conversation of the see how that helps the economy! I decided there and then that I Best Room would replace the daily Facebook fix, or if our guests would put this dreadful situation to readers of the Raven and would settle for a plate of cut-and-come-again cake after seeing suggest a “BRING BACK THE CORNER SHOP” campaign. Mary Berry’s efforts. Kevin told me that some people can get Perhaps the Rainow Parish Council could lobby for this. nasty and put rude comments on the internet and threaten to The other day I was wandering around Gin Clough on the reveal the whereabouts of the Lamp unless we gave them free lookout for news items for the Raven. I certainly wasn’t beer. Then Ginger Dave reminded me that if we were going to run disappointed! Now the road at that end of the village is bad a legitimate holiday business we would need licences for this and enough, what with the traffic thundering down from Bollington licences for that and quite frankly I’m up to here with bloody and Charles Head and not so much as a slab of pavement licences if you’ll pardon my French. I may have to give this matter between Washpool and the old Gin Clough Smithy but I was some more thought and perhaps some of my regular readers put at serious risk from – BIKE RIDERS! might come up with one or two ideas to help me in my venture. It seems there was some kind of bike race through the village – Must remember to ask the editor how I can contact the writer of there were hundreds of them! At least with cars and lorries you the article on forging – if he’s wondering where the other moulds can hear them coming and prepare to jump in the ditch but these went there are some old pieces of wood in the barn he might be machines are silent and deadly! You can SEE them alright – from interested in. the clothing they wear it’s like being mugged by a rainbow. All for now, Landlord. 15

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he Tour of Flanders in Rainow! If, like me, you think of Flanders as being a generally flat, Dutch speaking, northern part of Belgium, you will be intrigued as Tto why Rainow and the Eastern edge of Cheshire should be considered as a suitable location for a UK version of the Tour of Flanders cycle race. The reason is that this race, along with the Paris-Roubaix cycle race, is renowned in the cycle racing world as one of the two Classic one day cycle races that feature cobbled roads and short steep climbs. Therefore, when the organiser of a UK equivalent of the Tour of Flanders Sportive cycle event discovered that the cobbled section of the Corkscrew road in Rainow had a maximum gradient of 45% (the steepest cycle climb in the UK) he quickly decided that this section of road, particularly when combined with other local cobbled roads, should provide the basis for a UK 'Tour of Flanders Sportive. This then is the reason why, if you were out and about on the roads of Rainow on Sunday 7th June, you may well have seen some cyclists testing themselves on this challenging 100 km long event including nearly 2000 m of ascent. The route started in Lyme Park and included cobbled roads in Alderley Edge, Bollington and Kettleshulme, however the toughest section was undoubtedly the Corkscrew. And, as if this wasn't enough, the route also criss-crossed Rainow to include two ascents of Pym Chair, plus Kiskhill Lane near Big Low, Pike Low and Ankers Knowl. Although this was a Sportive participation event on open roads rather than a conventional road cycle race it nevertheless attracted some top class cyclists from around the country as well as a few intrepid local cyclists. One of the local Rainow cyclists testing themselves on this event included Jules Cox whose local knowledge helped him complete the course in a time of 4 hours 48 min and qualify for a celebratory glass of Belgian Leffe beer and a souvenir Kerridge cobble. Even more impressive was Jules' successful ascent of the cobbled section of the Corkscrew. As a result he joined the select group of cyclists whose name was entered in a draw to receive a prize of their weight in Leffe beer. YOUR LOCAL SERVICE 16 Raven Book Reviews More choices from some of Rainow’s book club members S. J.Watson Second Life

“There’s a point when an online dalliance might become dangerous but who can really say when it is?”. This is the question at the heart of this latest novel by the writer of “Before I go to Sleep”. As swollen with tension and intrigue as the previous book, “Second Life” examines in disturbing detail the dark side of internet relationships. The protagonist, Julia, is a woman mired in confusion and dishonesty, whose life takes a disquieting and hazardous detour following the murder of her younger sister in Paris. A recovering alcoholic, Julia begins the story as a respectable married woman with a 13 year old son, however from a very early stage in the narrative, a powerful sense of unease grips the reader as her haunted past begins to tentatively infiltrate and threaten the very fabric of her genteel persona. Riddled with guilt following her sister’s murder, Julia embarks upon a quest to find the perpetrator – a quest which leads to her logging onto dating websites and beginning a secret and consuming relationship with a man she meets online. Becoming entangled in a sordid and sexually charged world, Julia’s world begins to vertiginously crumble and spiral wildly and frantically out of control. Julia is a compelling heroine, flawed, consumed by grief and terrified of her own failings, however resourceful and willing to take risks. ‘Second Life’ contains an unsettling premise, holding a mirror to the darkness which lies beneath otherwise respectable and controlled exteriors. It is about responsibility and abandonment, second chances and double lives and the games people play. Culminating in a shuddering climax, this is an absorbing and exhilarating psychological thriller which will leave the reader with a disturbing sense of disquiet.

Emma Healey Elizabeth is Missing

In this impressive debut novel, Emma Healey tenderly and captivatingly inhabits the world of the elderly Maud, who is pushing 90 years of age and appears to be suffering from a form of severe dementia. Maud spends a great deal of time trapped in her own house, which she is dissuaded from leaving for her own safety, although she often forgets this and embarks upon journeys to the corner shop or to her friend Elizabeth’s house. It is the whereabouts of Elizabeth which consumes much of Maud’s vague, unreliable and repetitive narrative and it is this mystery which comprises one of the pivotal and exasperatingly elusive themes of the book. However, this particular enigma is interspersed with another mystery – the disappearance of Maud’s newly married sister during the postwar years. The narrative flits between past and present and the collection of various clues reveal the origins of her obsession with unsolved cases. Maud’s quest to ascertain the truth of her friend’s disappearance and ultimately, her sister’s too, is significantly hampered by the fact that she cannot recall incidents from a few seconds ago, let alone whether she saw Elizabeth a week, a month or a year ago. Her tortuous attempts to form the fragments of her ever diminishing and ravaged memory into something coherent and authentic can be difficult and disconcerting to read at times, conveying as it does the palpable terror that appears to deepen with the descent into confusion and senility. This is a difficult and ‘unpopular’ subject matter which Healey deals with in a sympathetic and compassionate manner. Maud’s state of mind allows her to describe mundane details in an intricate and intense way, imbuing the narrative with an emotional depth as if seen through a magnifying glass. This is an extraordinary tale of ordinary and believable tragedy, moving but not bleak and above all, a convincing insight into how it might feel to experience dementia.

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Remembered with a Smile!

By Brian Kilcoyne

t’s a fine late Spring Sunday foreseeable future – hey ho. – for all its participants, even Hauptman afternoon and there are ramblers Heidi Klomper, whose alter ego wrote in the out on the hills of Rainow with As I now (vividly) recall we, the last issue of the Raven about his reluctance I audience, were treated to a finely to take part (manfully overcome) in the laminated maps and Nordic poles making the place untidy – the lucky balanced mixture of pathos, slapstick, production. We should compare notes. devils. I am in my office slaving over a a song at every opportunity, and Having said that, this was far from a hot laptop. I have been asked to write tragedy, spiced with some finely depressing evening’s entertainment. How a review of the Quay Players wrought innuendo. The latter could it be when a technical glitch with the production, “Keep Smiling Through”. prompting a mother of two young boys sound system meant that the interval had You may remember that I penned the of my acquaintance to express her to be extended and the bar kept open for an gratuitously sycophantic review of gratitude that there was no matinee extra twenty minutes? All in all this was a last year’s play so I was bound to be performance this time. The action took fine interpretation of an inspired script by a asked again. I plan not to fall into that place during WW2, partly on the home load of amateurs, and I for one can’t wait particular trap twice! front, a thinly disguised Rainow, and partly somewhere in the desert during for the next one. So, what can I say about the play that the North African Campaign. The will ensure I don’t get lumbered again home front gave plenty of opportunities next year? Unfortunately I have for in jokes including speculation that prevaricated so long, pushing the smoke rising in the direction of thought to back of my mind whenever I Macclesfield might be the George and had a free moment, that I have now Dragon having received a direct hit in forgotten all about it (it’s now mid-May a bombing raid. Whilst the desert and the play was in early March) scenes were ripe for set piece comic except for the rosy glow that often turns, my favourite being the shame- accompanies one home after a good less appropriation of the best (possibly night out, which I can only put down to only) act of Wilson Kepple and Betty – the thoughtfully provided bar. However, those of you who are too young to reading through the script kindly understand this reference will have to provided by a member of the cast, it is ask your (extreme) elders. all coming back to me – it wasn’t the alcohol after all. I’m afraid to say that To get a feel for the atmosphere, if you the production lived up to the high missed it, think of “Dad’s Army” standard set by the Quay Players first melded with “It Ain’t Half Hot Mum”, outing in Rainow, and unless I offset by a seasoning of scenes with fabricate an outrageous tissue of lies, a feeling of “All Quiet on the Western which I must say is sorely tempting, Front”. Beneath the comedy runs an I could be saddled with the post of undercurrent of seriousness; not official Raven theatre reviewer for the jingoism but a reminder that war is hell

Exciting New Start for Flix in the Stix TheRobin Hood by Sue Ralston t was in the spring of 2012 that an elderly neighbour was bemoaning Iher inability to go to the cinema any more, due mainly to distance, the nearest multiscreen cinema being in Didsbury and even Macclesfield's Cinemac being too far for a nonagenarian! This sowed the seed of Flix in the Stix, a film club in Pott Shrigley village hall, borrowing the school's fairly basic equipment and screening once a month. A mail drop throughout Pott Shrigley to assess interest brought forth the offer of help from Aspect Home Cinema who would lend Robert and Suzanne Price and family, formerly of the second hand, and far more sophisticated equipment and help Highwayman, have just taken over our village pub and Robert with the physical screening. says all the members of the family are very excited at the prospect of revitalising what they see as the community hub of After two successful seasons screening on the first the village. Wednesday of each month from September to May, and Suzanne, working with Robert’s mother, will be opening a average audiences of 45, we felt it would be good to purchase café on the Robin Hood’s premises in addition to the pub and our own equipment and no longer have to rely on the good after extensive, essential work on the kitchen the pub will be will of Aspect. In October 2014 we decided to apply for a Big offering a full country pub menu. Robert and Suzanne have Lottery Grant and were subsequently awarded a grant which built a large outdoor sun deck where you can unwind or enjoy enabled us to buy and install all the equipment necessary to al fresco dining. screen Blu Ray films with excellent sound and picture quality So come and support your local pub! including a loop system. This now not only benefits our local community but also provides an excellent facility for the use of T e l : 01625 574060 the school for the children during school hours. Part of our success was the community involvement and social side of the club. We are fortunate in having access to Lets Rock Rainow! the licensed bar so we have an interval in the film enabling people to chat about the film or any other matter that takes The Evening Fête Bonanza is back! their fancy. The film choice is also done by the members who are all invited to vote. By popular demand this season ended The Marquee, Sugar Lane in June rather than May Saturday 11th July 2015 as in previous years. 7:30pm till late All Welcome Live Music Food and Drink Plus back by popular demand the Rodeo Bull.

Tickets available now Ticket Price: £8 and £9 on the night (under 14yrs free)

For tickets call: Sue 01625 434178 or Stacey 07540875804

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Move Fast for Funds from Bollington Beer Festival! here have been some significant changes in recent months, with Steven Hurst moving on with a career change into ast year the Bollington Beer Festival Committee set T Marketing and Judith Mattinson taking over as Manager. aside a proportion of our surplus funds to provide a Lpool of money into which local groups could bid to fund Last year the pool roof was replaced. Following this the layout small projects. Following the success of this venture we and refurbishment of the three swim changing rooms took place have decided to repeat the exercise again this year. As with modern fixtures and fittings. We were delighted to be previously we will be looking to provide up to £1,000 for awarded a WREN grant towards this work. Over the last month, small, discrete standalone projects which seek to help the lighting in the pool hall has also been upgraded with energy identifiable groups in the community. These should be short efficient bulbs and we have repainted and refreshed our Soft and have a fixed timescale of less than one year, but this Centre for the 5’s and under with a more up-to-date look! would not exclude funding the start-up of a project. This year has at last seen the start to the long-awaited gym For example, last year we provided funds to Allsorts extension by our gym partners Lifestyle Fitness/Competition Nursery for the provision of a safe undercover play area Line UK Ltd. This will double the existing area, incorporating an for children which was part of a larger programme of additional studio for exercise classes and a lift. We appreciate refurbishment. We would not fund a contribution towards our members’ patience and co-operation during these changes, a large project such as a major re building programme or but are confident the final results will be worthwhile! However, anything connected with political parties. We would the work does not stop there. Among the next projects already welcome applications from those groups that applied last being considered are the refurbishment of the pool plant room year but were not funded. with new filters and boilers and the Health Spa with new sauna, If you wish to apply for funds you should describe in 300 steam room and spa pool. words, which is about the length of this article, the aim of As a not for profit charity, fundraising has always been an the project, why you require the funds and which local important part of Bollington Health & Leisure and we rely upon group(s) will benefit from the monies. You should provide the generosity of our users to help us realise these projects. an impact statement which describes the benefits to be The ongoing book sale continues to raise a significant gained and an indication of how the grant will be spent and contribution and the next major fundraiser is the Bollington 10K by when. If possible a cost breakdown of expenditure on 30th August 2015, details of which can be found on our should be included. We will also need to know if you have Facebook page or on our website together with news of any applied for funding to other bodies in the previous 3 years other exciting and the outcome of those applications. After a selection developments. review we may require successful applicants to provide further information before we make our final decision, which should be no later than August.

Applications are now open and will close on 10th July 2015. An electronic application form is available from www.bollingtonbeerfestival.co.uk, the Happy Valley Website and Bollington Town council website. Full instructions are found on www.bollingtonleisure.co.uk the websites.

Moira McGonads Investigates…The Calling Card” Phil Moss reports

ainow Quay Players reappear this November at the With Scottish tenacity and investigative know-how, Novelist RRainow Institute with a “Whodunnit" penned by Carl and Amateur Detective Moira McGonads races to solve the Bewley. Well, no one else dares write stuff like this. puzzle where others have failed. Unfortunately, Moira knows little of real detective work and her novels are It's the roaring 20's and everybody has something to hide: actually semi-erotic light pornography. With misplaced a Russian Diplomat dead in his hotel room; no sign of a malapropisms and love of innuendo, can this Caledonian break in, nothing stolen, no known motive, cause of whirlwind best the efforts of the Yard's finest? With a cast of death...unknown. Upper Class Twits, Sleazy Jazz Singers, Red Herrings and How come Inspector Marus of the Yard calls it London's Russian Spies, the game's afoot as (dan-dan-dan-dahh- greatest unsolved murder? The only clue was a calling hh,): “Moira McGonads Investigates... The Calling Card" card on the pillow – three words; "Regards, The Wolf". Times, dates and ticketing information to follow.

What’s On in Rainow and Bollington July 2015 4 - 12 See website Bollington Well-dressing Festival Five sites in Bollington – for details see www.bollingtonwelldressing.co.uk 4 Open Garden and afternoon tea Spuley Cottage, – proceeds to the Children’s Society, Spuley Lane, Rainow in the garden of Jenny & Tim Kendal £3.50 inc. refreshments 4 - 18 Daily RAINOW SCARECROW FORTNIGHT Throughout Rainow – “Children’s Stories, Movies & Rhymes” – Refreshments at Church Centre 12 – 8 pm except Feteˆ day 7 12.00 for 12.30 pm NSPCC Strawberry Sparkle Lunch Lower House Farm, Tickets £12.50 Contact 01625 572377 Rainow 11 2.00 pm Opening RAINOW CHURCH FETEˆ Hough Hole Farm, Ceremony Theme “Children’s Stories, Movies & Rhymes”. Sugar Lane, Rainow Procession starts from Hawkins Lane 1.20 pm. Contacts: Steve Rathbone 01625 572013 John Cantrell 01625 422107 11 7.30 pm till late Rainow Feteˆ Bonanza Feteˆ Marquee, DJ, Food & Drink, Live Music from “The Rascals”. Sugar Lane, Rainow Tickets £8 (£9 on the night) under 14s free. Tickets from Sue 01625 410735 or Stacey 07540 875804 13 7.30 pm Rainow WI Rainow Institute “Flour, Water, Salt”

Baking Sour Dough with Paul Robinshaw s On 14 7.30 pm Mothers Union Service Rainow Church followed by Scarecrow Teas 24 & 25 24 6.00-11.00 pm Bollington Beer Festival Bollington Arts Centre 25 12.00-5.00 pm – beer, food and live music. Tickets £6. and 6.00-11.00 pm See website 29 7.30 pm Mothers Union Rainow Church Diocesan Quiet Evening

AUGUST 2015 10 tba Rainow WI August Event 11 7.30 pm Mothers Union Deanery Festival St Thomas Church, Henbury 18 7.30 pm Mothers Union Coffee Evening Rainow Church Centre

SEPTEMBER 2015 14 7.30 pm Rainow WI Rainow Institute The Pennine Fringe - Gillian Pierce 15 7.30 pm Mothers Union Rainow Church Centre – Age UK - A talk about their service plus exercise advice 19 8.00 pm Bollington Chamber Concerts Bollington Arts Centre – The Piatti Quartet. Contact 01625 576402 26 to 4 Daily Bollington Walking Festival Throughout Bollington October – contact The Bridgend Centre 01625 576311 and Rainow or see website 27 10.00 am Rainow Civic Service Rainow Church Everyone warmly invited 28 7.30 pm Mothers Union Diocesan Coffee Evening St Peter’s Church, Prestbury

We have made this list as comprehensive as space permits and it is necessarily a selection of the events we know about. If you have anything planned that you would like us to list in the next issue, please call 01625 426059.

23 What’

Girls Football Success by Mark Bertinshaw

he girls’ football team recently achieved an excellent victory in the finals of the TMacclesfield Reliance sevens tournament. The girls qualified for the finals via an exciting display in the mini league at Ash Grove. This was Rainow’s second consecutive qualification for the Reliance finals and after a hard fought challenge the girls ultimately won against a very strong Prestbury School team. The girls’ skill, resilience and energy were amazing and Hetty H won the player of the tournament award for an outstanding display. The girls are clearly developing into an enthusiastic, resilient and skilful group and the following is a summary of each individual's contribution to the team performance.

The Team

Rosie N (Goalkeeper): Always calm and cool under pressure, Rosie is continuing to develop and sharpen her goalkeeping skills. Excellent distribution of the ball gives us the opportunity to turn defence quickly into attack. Hetty H (Defence): A tenacious and determined tackler, Hetty is the rock of Rainow’s defence. She reads the game brilliantly and is brave both on the ground and in the air. Given the opportunity, she has shown that she can make devastating runs towards opposition territory. Lily F (Wing): Although younger than the rest of the squad, Lily has proved to be an all action midfielder. She is strong in the tackle, reads the game very well and always gives 100% effort. Watch out for her powerful runs along the left wing. Edie B (Wing): Edie can play in a number of positions, from goalkeeper through to attacker. She is a real all-rounder who can use her acceleration and pace to cover defence if required or make runs on the opponent’s goal. Ellie P (Midfield): With rapidly developing skills, Ellie is proving to be a talented midfielder. She reads the game well in advance and is always looking to play the ball to feet from either wing. Ellie is one of our nominated penalty takers and can strike the ball with power and accuracy. Jessica H (Striker): Jess reads the game well and links up the midfield and attack. Playing on the shoulder of the last defender, she is always looking to make darting runs behind opposition defence. On her day her skills are a delight to watch and with the right service, she will score goals. Anna M (Midfield): Although new to the team this year, Anna has quickly established herself as a determined and enthusiastic footballer. She always plays with a smile on her face and is a real team player. Thalia V (Attack): Our super-sub. When legs are tiring and energy levels are dropping, we are always delighted to see the pace and energy that Thalia brings into our team. Opposition defences, however, are less enthusiastic to see her bearing down on them towards the end of the game!