TILSTON & SHOCKLACH REPORTER Happy Easter
Articles and items for the next issue can be handed in to the Village Shop or emailed to [email protected] at any time but before 18th April 2021. To contact the Reporter phone Bill Joyce on 01829 250288
April 2021 Number 532 35p
Tilston Parish Council Report – March 2021
The Village Stores The Council heard from Joanna who is now running the Village Stores with Lyndsey. The Council congratulated the Village Stores, staff and volunteers for supporting the village and residents in these difficult times. The Stores now boasts a greater diversity of stock, home delivery and veg boxes and has been offering hot meals to those on their own. You will also soon be able to order bedding plants direct from Amsterdam. Interactive speed signs - Are they working? Yes is the answer although the one at the bottom of Inveresk Road is still partially covered by a tree. Highways have been informed. Brook Maintenance The Brook through Tilston is classed as a river and therefore the responsibility of the Environment Agency (EA) and is classed as flood zone 3. The Parish Council is holding a meeting later this month with representa- tives of the EA and CW&C to discuss the on-going flooding issues and how these can be managed. Trees for Climate Project Mersey Forest have confirmed that they will make a site visit regarding the planting of the lower half of Hill Field with trees as part of their Trees for Climate project. The council also agreed to allow grazing of the field as a trail to see if this is something which can be done each year to help maintain the field. Draft Car Park Plans Draft plans of the proposed car park behind the Hall have been circulated to councillors and residents neighbouring the War Memorial Hall for consideration and can be found in the associated documents for the March meeting on the Council’s webpage. A number of amendments are to be made in respect or the boundaries and the Council is awaiting comments from the War Memorial Hall Committee before seeking the necessary permissions. Easter Egg Hunt A village easter egg hunt will be held from Friday 2nd to Friday 9th April. Eggs will be hid- den around the village each with a letter on them, when you have collected all 11 letters you can discover the secret easter password and can collect a free easter Egg from the Village Stores. The Easter Egg Hunt is open to children 0 to 11 who have a family member living in Tilston. Eggs will be provided while stocks last, applications forms available from the Village Stores or by emailing [email protected]. CW&C Waste Consultation Tilston Parish Council has objected to any proposals to charge for the collection of green waste and any plans to close Tattenhall Recycling Centre and raised concerns of increased fly tipping if such charges were imposed. Street Light Planters We are now seeking volunteers to plant and maintain out street light planters for this summer. If you or a group you are involved with would like to fill a street planter please contact any of the councillors or the Clerk. Any issues we can help you with relating to the village please contact any of the Councillors or the Clerk, you can also report a range of faults directly to CW&C just search for ‘Cheshire West Report it’. For more information contact the Clerk to Tilston Parish Council Ann Wright, 62 Well Street, Malpas, Cheshire, SY14 8QH.(: 01948 861 035 E mail: [email protected]
2 TILSTON WAR MEMORIAL HALL Located in the heart of the village and available for hire, with a large hall, two smaller meeting rooms, fully equipped kitchen, licensed bar, state of the art lighting and stage, the Village Hall is ideal for community, family, corporate & public functions. For bookings and further information please contact: 01829 250471 or
Email: [email protected] www.tilstonvillagehall.co.uk
3 News from St. Mary’s, Tilston and St. Edith’s, Shocklach – April 2021
As I write this article, there is a much greater sense of optimism than at any other time since the pandemic started. Soon the majority of the adult population will have been vaccinated, and things will start returning to normal, although the new normal may not resemble the normal of one year ago!
The Church, like many other organisations, has had to adapt considerably over the last year. As we (hopefully) come to the end of the pandemic, this gives us an opportunity to rethink how we do church, not simply Sunday services but all the other activities the church is involved in throughout the week. Fellowship, in particular, is something we need to consider very seriously – how to engage with those who have been sadly denied fellowship for many months.
Next month we will include a short questionnaire in The Reporter, regarding Church engagement with the local community. If there are any questions you feel need to be asked in the questionnaire, please ring the Rectory on 01829 250989 or send us an email to [email protected]. We would value your views.
In April we will continue with church services alternating between St. Edith’s and St. Mary’s, with a Zoom service each week. Please see the service sheet elsewhere in The Reporter. We do, however, anticipate the service pattern will change sometime in the coming months, once people feel more confident about social gatherings.
In this season of Easter, we end with an appropriate festive message:
John 3: 16 ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’
God bless,
Tim and Norma Robinson
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We aim high in our hearts and minds as we blossom in God’s garden. Luke 1:37 For nothing is impossible with God Shocklach Oviatt CE Primary School It was wonderful to welcome everyone back on Monday 8th March and Shocklach has come alive once again with learning, laughter and love. Witnessing special reunions and the forging of new friendships has highlighted that joy is contagious as is love, compassion and generosity. British Science Week The children loved celebrating British Science Week with lots of creative and practical activities. With its theme, ‘Innovating for the future’, we learnt about the importance of bees and had lots of fun making seed bombs! The children also learnt about renewable energy sources, how to make electric circuits and the different types of plastics.
School Dog, Ronnie Ronnie has been particularly excited to see all the children again in school. He is looking super smart in his new Shocklach branded harness and is always on hand for when a cuddle is needed.
Wind Chimes for the Forest Taking advantage of the blustery conditions, Foxes Class set about making new wind chimes for our forest area. They particularly enjoyed developing their skills with saws!
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Virtual Mystery Readers To support our love of reading in school, we have surprise mystery readers zooming in to share a chap- ter of a favourite book with the children. Last week, the children were absolutely convinced it was the David Walliams but it was later revealed to be an ex-Shocklach pupil who is now at Bishop Heber! We have parents, grandparents and friends of the school lined up, along with some author talks, for next term. Mother’s Day Service It was lovely to be a part of St Mary’s and St Edith’s virtual Mother’s Day service. The children wrote some beautiful prayers to celebrate and thank their mums, not least for being such incredible teachers and multi taskers when schools were closed! Reverend Tim and Norma also shared the children’s stunning artwork that made special Mother’s Day gifts.
National Day of Reflection At the time of writing, staff are busy planning for the children to come together on Tuesday 23rd March, the first anniversary of the first UK lockdown and reflect on the past year and share hopes for the fu- ture. Behind the statistics and whatever the cause, every death has been devastating for the people left behind. We will be giving children opportunities to reflect, connect and support.
Please do get in touch if you would like to visit our school; you will be made very welcome. Stay safe and well.
Mrs Kath Shephard Executive Headteacher
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Bringing out the Best in Everyone.
‘Encourage one another and build each other up.’ Thessalonians 5:11
Date: 17th March 2021 “A superhuman effort by the staff in particular, teaching in person, offering great work online and always keeping in touch with those at home. The school never lost a sense of community which is an achievement to be proud of.” A lovely message received celebrating a great team effort.
We are delighted to have all our children back in school learning, playing and working alongside their friends and filling our school with love and laughter again. The children have all returned and quickly settled back into school life.
We thanked our parents with a special card and popped a teabag in the post to have a cup of tea on us. We wanted to say a big thank you for all their support and hard work over the past few weeks.
World Book Day
World Book Day was a little different this year, but no less special. We created a virtual library and each member of staff recorded themselves reading a story to share. The children enjoyed listening to a range of stories and snuggling up in their pyjamas.
Sports We value PE and are pleased to welcome back Premier Sports and Chester Cricket to deliver our PE sessions this term. PE is a subject the children have really missed and it helps children to reconnect with their friends, develop their social skills and learn a range of skills.
Headteacher: Mrs Kelsey Mort Tel: 01829 250204 Address: Church Road, Tilston, Malpas, Cheshire, SY14 7HB Email: [email protected]
Website: www.tilston.cheshire.sch.uk
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Best wishes
Kelsey Mort Headteacher
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It is lovely to be back in our setting again after lockdown. The children have all come back with a spring in their step and smiles on their faces, happy to see their friends again. We have been spending time getting to know one another again in our indoor and outdoor environ- ment. Nursery have been enjoying their finger gym and dough disco sessions everyday which help develop the muscles in their hands ready to write. They have been popping bubble wrap, threading straws on string to make necklaces and using tweezers to pick up pom poms. Some children even man- aged to fill the egg box in under 1 minute! It has been love- ly to hear the sound of music and laughter as they squeeze, roll and stretch their dough too.
Apart from exercising their fingers, the nursery children have been working hard in maths to develop an under- standing of number using five frames and exploring circles and triangles through the artist Kandinsky. Over the next few weeks we are going to be learning about Spring and the importance of Easter with, of course, a chocolate egg or two!!
If you have a child reaching the age of three and are looking for nursery provision for september, please contact the school as soon as possible to book your place.Tel: 01829 250204
12 13 14 TILSTON LANDSCAPE To join or receive our infor- mation, contact: AND WILDLIFE GROUP Juliet (01829 250412) or Tom When you know what is in your parish, and (01829 250249) where it is, there is less likelihood that it will April 2021 be mislaid Thanks to Juliet for the words and pictures OUR ENVIRONMENT NEEDS MANAGEMENT The landscape we enjoy isn’t there by accident GOOD NEWS FOR WILDLIFE Cheshire West and Chester is amongst the seven out of ten councils aiming to manage verges to encourage wildflowers, increase diversity and provide much need- ed habitats for pollinating insects. A recent question- naire gathered local opinions on whether to cut verges less and later, allowing seeds time to fall and germi- nate. We’ve lost 97% of our flower-rich fields in the
DITCHING AND CLEARING
Those who’ve been rambling on our fields and green lanes during
lockdown, know very well how muddy and waterlogged the foot- paths are, accessible only in wellies. Some serious ditching has been undertaken by farmers and (accompanied by a small, cheerful robin) by Juliet. The TLWG intends to check the condition of local routes, clearing and clipping where necessary, so that as soon as we can safely gather outside, we can organise more village walks.
FROM THE HIDE The hide is concealed in a wood, not too far from a path but well-hidden and camouflaged. The feeders do their job well, bringing hungry birds from the woodlands and open bog. First to arrive are great tits, squabbling and bossy. They favour nuts. Soon after, a group of long tailed tits dart around and hang on the fat ball feeder. A single whistle from behind the hide sig- nals a greater spotted woodpecker. It lands briefly but is away in a flash, sensing my presence. Next, the ground feeders move in: robins, a male blackbird and chaffinches. A fork-tailed brambling joins them, pecking in the sodden leaf litter. In the woodlands, a cock pheasant cackles and jays screech their early warning against intruders. I emerge, do some running repairs to the thatch and gather up binoculars and camera. I creep quietly away at full alert. High above flies a majestic red kite.
Please do what you can to help look after our landscape and wildlife
15 This Month 49 and 29 years ago
A little trip down memory lane through the back issues of the Tilston and Shocklach Reporter
The Women’s Institute reported on a
Talk by the well known writer EJ Ratcliffe, Author of “Fly High Run Free,” described as a heart warming account of a dedicated woman's fight to save animals.
A comment on the front page of the Reporter noted the contents of the last two issues had ben small, “please contribute as many articles as possible “.
What a busy period in 1992. Were you one of the “TILSTON ENTERTAINERS” scheduled at the coffee evenings on 22nd and 23rd May? St Mary’s Church were preparing to welcome candidates for confirmation over Easter and St Edith’s Easter preparations began on good Friday. The Tilston War Memorial Hall AGM reported on fund raising. The car boot sale at the Pram Race wasn't particularly well supported, but the St Valentines Supper Dance “showed a healthy profit of £181.48p”
16 17 To advertise in the Tilston and Shocklach Reporter contact : Bill Joyce at:
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