#ProudTameside ISSUE 83 I SPRING 2020 DISTRIBUTED FREE TO OVER 100,000 HOMES AND BUSINESSES IN TAMESIDE Vision Tameside Free Food Vouchers for What’s On IN THIS ISSUE: P4/5 families on low income P19 P22 Take a walk in one of our parks FOLLOW US ON AND SPRING 2020 I THE TAMESIDE CITIZEN I PAGE 2 TAMESIDE COMMUNITY RESPONSE SERVICE Need help? Just press! You press the button. 1 Response 4 2 Our operator arranged answers your appropriate call and speaks to your needs. CRS to you through the unit. 3 Emergency home responder sent to your home. Emergency Response 24 hours a day 365 days a year Supporting you to live independently 0161 342 5100 tameside.gov.uk/CRS SPRING 2020 I THE TAMESIDE CITIZEN I PAGE 3 Welcome to the spring edition of the Tameside Citizen Spring is a season of new beginnings and optimism and there’s certainly a huge amount of positive change that’s taking place in Tameside. This issue is packed with details of developments that are now coming to fruition and will benefit all of us. Tameside Wellness Centre – Denton is now open with residents able to use a host of leisure, wellbeing and community facilities; Contents Ashton Interchange will open soon and Vision Tameside is continuing to bring improvements to Ashton Town Centre. But it’s not all about the new Vision Tameside........................4&5 – there’s also much work to protect Tameside’s heritage, from restoring Ashton Town Hall to repairing Mossley’s Hartshead Pike. Cycling & Walking.....................6&7 With warmer weather on the way there are also lots of events and activities Budget Conversation....................8 to inspire people to get outdoors and enjoy Tameside’s picturesque scenery and wonderful town centres. From the traditional Tour of Tameside to Employment & Skills.....................9 bringing the high-profile OVO Energy Tour Series Race to the borough for the first time to lots of information on cycling and walking routes, it’s all Tameside Loves Recycling..........10 detailed in the following pages. Tameside Loves Fostering..........11 And we also celebrate the Tamesiders who inspire us and who we’re so proud of, whether that’s honouring legends such as Ron Hill and our New Supporting the P4 Community...........................12&13 Year’s honours recipients or those showing how they’ve changed their lives for the better, such as former smokers and volunteers helping others. Proud Tameside news..........14&15 I hope you enjoy finding out more in this edition and are able to join us in making the most of the wonderful opportunities available this spring. Litter Hubs news.........................16 Best wishes Events & Culture..........................17 News in brief.........................18&19 Market Events..............................21 What’s On ..............................22&23 Cllr Brenda Warrington Tameside Council Executive Leader P14 FRONT COVER: Children enjoying one of our outdoor activities SPRING 2020 I THE TAMESIDE CITIZEN I PAGE 4 VISIONTAMESIDE START HERE, GO ANYWHERE U R E & E C T N V Ashton Interchange U R I R T O S N A M R E F N N T I set to open this SPRING ASHTON’S new £32.7 million transport interchange is set to open this spring. Improved facilities at the interchange will include a covered concourse and waiting area; electronic bus, Metrolink and rail information; high- quality toilets, baby changing facilities; shops and a TravelShop; CCTV and secure cycle parking. The new design will accommodate more bus services and the compact concourse will reduce walking time for passengers. The interchange is being developed by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) in partnership with Tameside Council and is funded with support from central government’s Local Growth Deal programme. tfgm.com Eecutive Member Cllr Warren Bray said: “The transport hub will provide a modern and accessible gateway to the town. Built on the site of the existing bus station on Wellington Road, it Transport Interchange set to open in spring will allow passengers to easily change between different modes of transport, including bus, Metrolink, rail, walking and cycling.” Warrington Street transformed into welcoming environment THE latest stage in transforming Ashton Town Centre has been completed with an attractive new walkway and seating area created. The work has seen Warrington Street revamped into a welcoming environment complete with new paving and raised planted areas featuring trees, seating, and cycle stands. Work to complete Phase 2 of the Ashton Town Centre Public Realm Scheme will follow. This includes renewing paving along Wellington Road and the remaining Market Square area, as well as planting trees and installing seating and other features to create a striking town centre that attracts visitors. The total area of paving for Phase 2 is 8,500 square metres. It’s all part of Vision Tameside, which is developing state-of-the-art facilities and making Ashton Town Centre a more accessible and pleasant place to visit and shop. visiontameside.com Tameside Warrington Street ne Tameside Wellness Centre SPRING 2020 I THE TAMESIDE CITIZEN I PAGE 5 opens it’s doors THE FLAGSHIP Tameside Wellness Centre – Denton opened its doors ahead of schedule on March 2. It includes an eight-lane, 25metre, competition swimming pool with room Tameside Wellness Centres keys presented to for 150 spectators and a learner pool; a spa area including sauna, steam and Tameside Council Executive Leader Councillor treatment facilities; a fitness suite; and a ten-pin bowling alley. Brenda Warrington However, it is also much more than a leisure centre, boasting a host of wellness features that will benefit the whole community. These include meeting rooms, free wi-fi, a children’s soft play area, multi- use studio spaces and a social interaction zone. The roof space will be transformed into a sensory garden and could also be used for a pop-up cinema, small theatre or open air exercise space. A handover ceremony took place on January 31 when Willmott Dixon, who Ten-pin bowling alley constructed the £15million facility, presenting the keys to Tameside Council and Active Tameside, who will manage the centre. It was then fitted out within weeks. The innovative project, which combines leisure, community and wellness facilities, has been built on brownfield land next to the new Denton link road, Lance Corporal Andrew Breeze Way, in the heart of Denton. Developers Network Space have delivered the scheme with the architecturally striking centre designed by Pozzoni Architecture to be accessible by all, with disabled access to the swimming pool and dementia friendly design used throughout the development. The flagship project is part of Tameside Council’s £20million investment into leisure resources to provide some of the best facilities in Greater S & Manchester that offer varied and fun ways for the whole family to be active. I L L E N T S K E R P K R R I Tameside Council Executive Leader Councillor Brenda Warrington said: “We O S E want to support people in keeping as active and healthy as possible and the W Eight lane, 25metre pool centre has something for everyone, from a range of top-class leisure facilities to help stay fit to community spaces and events that will bring everyone together to innovative designs that will make it accessible and creative.” Sport England has backed the scheme by providing a £1.5 million grant. activetameside.com Work underway on restoring Ashton Town Hall WORK has started on repairing Ashton restoration and in case a contingency is Town Hall in preparation for plans to required, to prevent delays. bring the Grade II listed building back Executive Member for Finance and into use. Economic Growth, Cllr Oliver Ryan, said: Tameside Council’s cabinet agreed “Once the building’s secured a survey to spend £270,000 of the £10million will be carried out to establish what’s budget set aside for the restoration and needed to restore Ashton Town Hall to its redevelopment. former glory and when fully renovated the building will become more marketable for The emergency repairs are safeguarding use, breathing life back into this important the future of this significant heritage civic structure.” asset and preventing further deterioration. They include work to Work has taken place on how the the parapet and roof and to keep the building can be remodelled internally building watertight. Scaffolding already to support 21st Century use, the needs in place at the rear of the building has of the community, the regeneration of been designed as a working platform for Ashton Town Centre and the building’s any refurbishment works to speed up financial viability. Any future plans will the process. consider the council’s commitment to recreate the Museum of the Manchester Ashton Town Hall The repairs are set to cost £120,000 with Regiment inside. extra money allocated for a survey to visiontameside.com establish the extent of work required for SPRING 2020 I THE TAMESIDE CITIZEN I PAGE 6 Tameside CYCLING & WALKING Green light for walking and cycling network improvements The schemes aim to make walking and cycling an easier and safer option, giving people the chance to change the way they travel. Walking and cycling is not only better for health but also reduces congestion and improves air quality. A public consultation on the proposals has now ended and will be used to help develop the plans. It included a family event in Ashton Market Square that showcased the many opportunities for walking and cycling in the borough, as well as giving residents the chance to view and discuss the proposals. Tameside Council Executive Leader Councillor Brenda Warrington said: “We not only want to provide the infrastructure TAMESIDE is set to benefit from a transformational series of but also help people gain the skills to cycle confidently and safely.