December 2019 SUTTON WEAVER PARISH COUNCIL

Edition 71

Update A533 Expressway Bridge Replacement/M56

Highways is about to publish proposals for a Side Roads Order. If confirmed by the Secretary of State for Transport it would give Highways England the authority to make alterations to the existing highway network to enable a new bridge to be built. Copies of the Side Road Order may be inspected free of charge from 7 November 2019 until 19 December 2019 at Halton Lea Library Monday and Wednesday 12 Noon – 5pm Tuesday and Friday 10am – 5pm Thursday 10am – 7pm Saturday 10am – 3pm and Sunday 12 – 3pm Should you wish to make any objection or representation please write to the Secretary of State for Transport at the National Transport Casework Team, Tyneside House, Skinnerburn Road, Newcastle Business Park Newcastle Upon Tyne NE4 7AR or email [email protected] by 19 December 2019

The Parish Council understand that this The more controversial scheme, Junction bridge has to be replaced, ensuring it is 11a on the M56 is still under review with future proof for years to come. So that the Department for Transport and Sutton there is least disruption, a new bridge will Weaver Parish Council will continue to be built initially alongside the present one campaign against this proposal. and once this is fully operational the old Highways England have confirmed that one will be demolished. There will be the initial timescales for this consultations throughout 2020 and it is scheme have already not expected that work will commence been put back. for at least another 13 months.

Light up your house for Christmas! Prizes for the best three. First/Second/Third - £25/£15/£10. Judging will take place week commencing 16 December.

Edited by Irene Derbyshire Printed by Digital Impressions

Messing About on the River – A Gin Cruise on the Daniel Adamson

Through tickets offered to Sutton Weaver Parish Council, my wife and I were lucky enough to get the chance to experience a cruise on the ‘Daniel Adamson’ recently. Affectionately known by all as ‘The Danny’, this beautifully restored steam vessel dating from 1903 offers a series of cruise experiences along the and other local waterways,and the whole story can be found at -www.thedanny.co.uk This was a great chance to see the ship and take a gentle trip through the countryside, all viewed from the calm of the river. But what was special about this cruise was the addition of gin, always a plus! As the guests settled into the upper deck seats, preparations were made to get us underway, and we set off past the recently restored Sutton Weaver Swing Bridge, which had opened to let us through.

After a few minutes to settle in and an introduction from the volunteer crew, the gin proceedings commenced! First of all, Hasan Sadrhashemi from the Liverpool Gin Co. gave us all a fascinating historical talk about the background to gin and how the way it was made has changed over the years. He also explained some of its less than savoury history, mostly in the 18th and 19th centuries, and how this has given us some of the well know phrases we might recognise today, such as ‘Mother’s Ruin’ amongst others. It was surprising how quiet the ship was when under way, despite the large steam engines working away below deck, and this added to the calmness and serenity of the river scene, which was only occasionally broken by a hoot of the whistle to announce our presence along the river banks.

Our captain for the day was Stuart Wood, himself a Mersey River Pilot of many years experience, aided by helmsman Tony. Stuart gave guests the opportunity to see the wheelhouse, and we could marvel at the steam-powered power-steering system behind the main wheel, which is an original feature to the ship, left in place during the restoration. This was just next to the (very modern by contrast) navigational computer required for all such vessels. His enthusiasm for the ship and indeed the whole story of the Danny and how it was rescued was positively infectious..

We would like to say a huge ‘thank you’ to all the Danny crew, and also to Hasan and Brad for the added Liverpool Gin experience. A great day out, to be thoroughly recommended, and everyone we spoke to on the trip enjoyed themselves immensely.

David and Vanessa Crombie

(This is an edited version of David and Vanessa’s trip on the Danny. If you would like to read the full version, please go to the parish council website - suttonweaver.com)

Church – 4th November 2019

Looking back, it’s been a busy year for St Peters and it’s been good to see the Church Hall being used on more occasions for Birthday parties, meetings, lunches and of course several Election Days! The rental from these events has enabled us to carry out some essential maintenance at the Hall. The flag stones outside the entrance door have been lifted and re-set to provide a safe and level surface, a wasp’s nest has been removed, a leak on the roof has been mended and currently the rotten facia boards are being replaced with plastic. We plan to treat the wooden cladding with preservative in the spring. As our only community building in the village, it’s been great to have some additional funds this year to spend on it.

Heritage Day brought visitors to the church to view our display on “The role of women in WW2”. Family treasures and photographs helped to celebrate the Land Army, the challenge of rationing and how families embraced the necessity of “Make Do & Mend”. Our Reader gave an interesting talk to bring the displays to life and refreshments were served throughout the day.

Our Harvest Festival and Lunch in October raised some much needed funds for the Church and all gifts of food were given to the foodbank in to support our local community. The congregation donated over 50 Kg of food, which translates into 150 emergency meals for local families. We have now set up an ongoing collection point for the foodbank and hope to provide a similar donation at Christmas.

Our thanks to Aston School who held their Harvest Service at the Church and donated their collection to the upkeep of our building.

Finally some dates for your diary - Sunday 15th December 11.15 a.m. - Carol Service at St Peters Church, Aston/Tuesday 24th December 11.30 p.m. Midnight Mass at Lower Whitley Please note the service is being held at St Lukes, Lower Whitley • Christmas Day 11.15 a.m. Holy Communion at St Peters Church, Aston

If you require further information about any of these events, please contact Jacky Hancock on 0780 147 1508 or Karen Sandiford on 01928 715661. May we take this opportunity to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful New Year – our church is always ready to give a warm welcome to new friends.

Unfortunately, since writing this article, the Church Hall at Maple Avenue was broken into on the evening of 11 November. Nothing of value was taken although there was some significant vandalism. We would urge everyone to make sure their own garden sheds and garages are securely locked.

Police Report

Following on from the Police visit in June another question asked to the Police was: What else can be done to assist speeding in the area?

“We have spoken to our traffic management department and also Highways. We can continue to deploy both our speed vans and hand held speed enforcement devices at the A56 Sutton Weaver without any changes. There was talk of having a hardstanding area built for the speed van but this would cost in excess of £2000 and the concern would be that when the speed van was not there it would be used as a parking space by the public. Signage can be fitted at a cost of £100 each. If it were fitted for both north and south bound traffic the cost would be £200. These signs combined with speed enforcement could be beneficial. The only issue is that both Highways and Police are not in a position to finance these signs. As such if these signs are something the Parish Council would like to pursue then there would be the need to source funding.”

Crime reported from the PCSO: 31/08/2019 Theft of Motor Motor vehicle stolen from an address in Vehicle SUTTON WEAVER 04/09/2019 Shoplifting Shoplifting at a golf club in SUTTON WEAVER 07/09/2019 ASB/PERSONAL Male making threats to damage property in NUISANCE SUTTON WEAVER Keeping In Touch Contact details: Police Community Support Officer 23123 Caitlin Slatford Areas Covered – Kingsley, Norley, Elton, Manley, Ashton-Heyes, Mouldsworth, Great Barrow, Dunham-On-The-hill, Sutton Weaver. Telephone: 101 | Email: [email protected]

Your Councillors

Brian Starkey (Chair) 01928 719511

Simon Richards (Vice-Chair) 01928 701020

Will Watson 01928 715727

Hannah Bullock 01928 897205

David Crombie 01928 714152

Tony Long 01928 714445

Clerk

Irene Derbyshire 07802537630 or [email protected]

Ward Councillors

Lynn Gibbon, Norman Wright, John Marshall

MP – Mike Amesbury 01928 620061