INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Calm comes to Great Oak. Tribute to former parish doctor WI ladies celebrate 100th Birthday Citizen award for Halmer End resident. Audley community news 2015 ISSUE: 49 September 2015 Your local Newsletter to service the needs of the people from the parish of Audley. One Of Toms Tasty Topics Bates Wood from Tom Dunn [email protected] Web: www.audleycommunitynews.co.uk EDITOR: E Moulton 2 ADVERTS AUDLEY COMMUNITY NEWS Potteries Building Supplies Your local Calor Gas supplier Portable heaters Patio heaters BBQs FREE LOCAL Caravans DELIVERY Forklift trucks CALL Logs for sale 01782 Winter rocksalt 562222 www.pbsupplies.co.uk [email protected] Turner Crescent, off Loomer Road Chesterton, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs, ST5 7JZ (OFF LOOMER ROAD) The Swan Inn Chapel Street Bignall End - Linda & Paul are your hosts love Slimming World Join a warm and friendly group near you today… TUESDAY Audley BINGO! Tue & Sunday Afternoon 1-3pm Audley Community Centre Monday Night is Cheese Night Nantwich Road Tues ‘HAPPY HOURS’ £2.20 per pint 9.30am to 11.15am 5pm-8pm. Draught & Cask Beers 5.00pm to 6.30pm Eat for ‘£2’every Wed 5pm to 8pm 7. 00pm to 8.15pm CAMRA Pub of The Month 2011 & 2015 Tel: Clare 07808 192011 Pub of The Year Merit 2011 Oakhams Academy of Excellence save Visit the website to read Zoes story… up to £5 slimmingworld.com – ask in group 01782 720622 0844 897 8000 for more details [email protected] FEATURES 3 Welcome to issue 49 of your have no public toilets in our village. Audley Community News. This has made life so difficult Editor: E. Moulton Since our last issue our village for some residents whose health Tel: 01782 721565 people have once again shown just problems prevent them being to how charitable they are, with so far away from this kind of facility, Address: many fund-raisers holding events also the visitors to our village who just to help others. We no doubt so enjoy walking, especially over 23 Wood Street live in a unique village. the Millennium Green and through Bignall End Sadly our headline makers from the fields. The strange thing is that our last issue did not win Britain’s there is still a sign on the main road Stoke on Trent Got Talent, but at least they advertising Public Toilets. Staffs ST7 8QL made it to the finals. Well done One item to be proud of is our Assistant Editor: Sue Wykes to Boyband and our own Corey village Health Centre who recently Culverton. had a visit from the inspectors. Reporter: Margaret Pointon We still have a cloud hanging In their report after the visit they Reporter: Mike Joynson over the Audley Library service, gave a comment of Outstanding Proof Readers: Linda Coleing like with most villages throughout for the service that the practice the district we wait in anticipation provides for its patients. Margaret Pointon that it continues to serve our We need to congratulate doctors Design: Chris Tunnicliffe village needs. and staff for all their hard work and Published in the village of We heard from a number of dedication. readers complaining about our As the Editor of the magazine Audley. local bus service. It was thought I often get contacted by readers that a number of the services had from many parts of the country and Remember you can been stopped due to cuts, making sometimes overseas and despite the life very difficult for those who so problems that our village has been subscribe to this magazine, rely on the local transport to get to going through with vandals, rubbish contact the Editor. and from work and also to visit the being dumped etc, the comments towns. Good news about the bus from our readers are always positive service can be found on page 10 as to what a lovely village we live in. Magazine printed by: thanks to our Parish Council. Fingers crossed these mindless Wood Mitchell Printers Ltd There have been other cuts by acts stop, remember this is where Festival Park ST1 5TH. our Borough Council as we now you live. E. Moulton Editor. Audley Parish Chairman fears closure of children’s play areas due to vandals. The chairman of Audley Rural Parish Council, Councillor Bert Proctor, has spoken of his fears that children’s play areas in the parish could be in danger of closing due to vandalism, criminal damage and theft. Councillor Proctor said that last year repair and replacement costs due to such actions were £8,400. He went on to say that this was of course in addition to the on-going maintenance, general repair, monthly safety inspections and grass cutting costs of £12,620. Councillor Proctor said that the actions of a mindless few were threatening the much needed facilities provided for the children of the Parish in the eight play areas in our villages. Councillor Proctor went on to say that the Parish council was anxious to upgrade the facilities in all The pictures attached show Councillor Proctor at play areas but were being prevented from doing so the children’s play area in Bignall End Road, Bignall as the funding was being used to repair and replace End, inspecting a replacement swing at a cost of over equipment caused by the vandalism problems. £4000, after the original replacement had been stolen. Councillor Proctor wishes to appeal to the people If you have any information about damage to the involved to realise the consequences of their actions play areas please contact the police or Audley Parish and to refrain from causing such problems. Council. 4 FEATURES AUDLEY COMMUNITY NEWS which include, car boot sales, Christmas markets Fire Hero a Modest Man and curry nights. One of the most recent being his evenings at the Alessi restaurant in the village to raise funds for the Fire Service. As part of his duties as a fire officer, Kelvin was also responsible for bringing many of the Fire Awareness Events into our villages, which were held at the local community centres. These events provided our local residents with free electric blanket testing facilities and replacement blankets where needed, smoke alarms and security door locks. Kelvin was for many years involved with the running of Audley Football Club where his fund- raising skills also went to good use with the introduction of their Annual Beer Festival which is When we talk about heroes we find that they come still held in February each year. in all kinds of categories. Here in our parish we have Funds raised at this event helped to provide the one who, throughout his 40 years service as a fire Football Club with equipment and part of the money officer, working for the Staffordshire Fire Service, has raised is donated to local groups in need. dedicated a large section of his free time in helping to Kelvin has also served on the local Patient Panel raise the much needed funding for good caurses. Group, helping to improve the needs of the patients at Kelvin Chell, a resident of Wood Street, Bignall End, the Audley Health Centre. father of two, husband to Lorna who is a care worker We at the Audley Community News applaud the at the Poplars Care Home in Alsagers Bank, was work done by Kelvin and wish to congratulate him. presented with two prestigious awards at the County Show in Stafford in June 2015. The two awards were The Fire Service Fundraiser Champion and runner Thank you from Paul Farrelly up in The Fire Service Champion Award nominated I was re-elected at the May General Election as by the community. The awards were presented by your member of Parliament with an increased vote the Staffordshire Fire Service Chief Fire Officer Peter of 16,520. Dartford. Kelvin has been responsible for helping to It was my 4th successive victory at the polls and I raise many thousands of pounds for charities such would like to express my heartfelt thanks and gratitude as Douglas Macmillian, Donna Louise Trust, Fire to everyone who voted for me. Fighters Benevolent Fund and Fresh Air, together with If you wish to contact Paul: many other local deserving groups. 01782 715033 or 020 7219 8391 There have not been many avenues that Kelvin has 78-81 Dunkirk Newcastle-Under-Lyme-Staffs not been prepared to go down to provide funding ST5 2SW. 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OPEN SUNDAY 10.30 - 2 [email protected] FEATURES 5 Success for Great Oak Green belt site dropped from Staffordshire Mineral plans A 200-acre area of open countryside at Bignall End has listened to me and local people, and made them fully been dropped from Staffordshire’s minerals plan to the aware of the importance of this site to the community.” joy of villagers and Newcastle’s MP Paul Farrelly who The draft Minerals Plan covers the period from fought a concerted campaign to safeguard it from coal 2015 to 2030 and residents have until the end of July to mining.