news Kidsgrove THE FREE LOCAL JOURNAL FEBRUARY/MARCH 2017 No. 143 Local councillors secure Full steam ahead for Kidsgrove £45K footpath upgrade Rail Station improvements A footpath in Butt Lane is to be upgraded following a cam- The Department of Transport has confirmed that long- paign led by local councillors. awaited plans for improvements to Kidsgrove Train Sta- The footpath, public footpath 216, tion are set to go ahead on schedule. is accessed from West Avenue and Local residents have been runs behind the houses of Church campaigning for years Street, finally exiting onto Congle- to secure improvements, ton Road adjacent to St. Saviours which include a new foot- Primary School. The £45,000 im- bridge and lifts, new sta- provement works will be funded by a Public Right of Way contribution tion building and transport from Taylor Wimpey. Taylor Wim- interchange in order to im- pey’s contribution was secured prove transport networks Footpath 216, which begins on West in the town. Avenue and leads all the way up to through a section 106 agreement Congleton Road, is to be upgraded with Newcastle Borough Council. Construction could now begin as early as April Kidsgrove railway station is set for improvements, The works will be completed by contractors appointed by Staffordshire which will include a new pedestrian bridge and a lift County Council and not housing developer Taylor Wimpey, and began on and be completed by 2018. 16th January. The path will be temporarily closed for the duration of the Ruth Smeeth MP, who has been working with the campaign and who met works. Residents are politely asked to use other routes until the works are with the Transport Minister recently to lobby him on the issue, has wel- completed. comed the news. She said: ‘It’s absolutely brilliant news that these works finally have the all clear. Kidsgrove station is a vital transport hub for the community Councillor Kyle Robinson said: “I welcome the news that this footpath will and these improvements will be a big boost.’ finally be brought up to a decent standard. Back in 2013, Sylvia and I raised the alarm about the state the public footpath had been left in following the develop- ‘I had a productive meeting with the Transport Minister where we discussed the ment of Bluebell Croft. The footpath in question has been used for many years potential benefits of these renovations. I’m delighted that he has recognized the by local residents as a safer route to school and for recreational purposes. I am value that this investment will bring.’ pleased we have been listened to on this matter and finally this 106 agreement ‘This is the culmination of many years of hard work from so many local residents, will deliver for local people. ” who have been advocating for these works for a long, long time.’ Est 18 years La Bellas JOSEPH SW COTTON OPTOMETRIST Beauty Salon Spectacles & Contact Lenses 49 Liverpool Road, Kidsgrove & SONS 01782 771343 FAMILY FUNERAL DIRECTORS SINCE 1882 92 Liverpool Road, Kidsgrove Sight is "Four Generations, One Family" beyond price. Reflexology Kidsgrove’s only Good now available Independent Funeral Director vision isn’t. Designer Frames Microblading Contact Lenses semi-permanent Tel: (01782) 775333 Diabetic Retinal Photography eyebrows 3 King Street, Kidsgrove Friendly Family Business Manicures, pedicures, acrylic nail www.josephedwards.co.uk extensions, shellac, Minx, spray tans, eye treatments, facials, make up & lots more 01782 782385 Find us on at La Bella’s Beauty Salon Member email: [email protected] WOOLISCROFTS SOLICITORS incorporating EDWARD HOLLINSHEAD ‘Kings of the Legal Jungle’ - for all you legal requirements TUNSTALL - Hollinsheads Chambers, Butterfield Place (Adjacent to NEXT) ALSAGER - 44 Crewe Road Offices also at HANLEY & WOLSTANTON TELEPHONE 0800 083 97 87 www.woolliscrofts.co.uk GO KIDSGROVE GO KIDSGROVE GO MEMORIES GO EASTER The work takes place on 3rd and 4th February, starting around 10am by GO KIDSGROVE meetings Do you have any great images of the local area? the tunnel entrance. If you fancy volunteering, or even if you simply These are held on the second Tuesday of the month, starting at 6.30pm, Keep the kids amused during the Easter holi- want to lend moral support, why not pop along for an hour – you would Go Kidsgrove is planning on usually at Butters John Bee on the corner of Market Street – see our Face- days and support local businesses – it’s a win be very welcome! producing a series of notelets, book page or check out the website for details. The next few dates are win situation. GO Kidsgrove will be running postcards and a calendar to pro- 14th Feb, 14th Mar and 11th April (but do check the website or call before an Easter Egg Hunt round shops in Butt Lane GO KARSGROVE mote the area. We’re on the hunt setting out). Anyone with an interest in the economic well-being of Kids- and Kidsgrove town centre from 8th to 22nd Can we start thinking about summer yet? We are plan- for seasonal images of places of grove and Butt Lane is welcome to attend, especially local businesses. interest in and around Kidsgrove, April. ning on running GO Karsgrove again on Sun- so get your cameras out and start day 30th July. Watch this space for more de- All you have to do is pick up a leaflet from Kidsgrove library or par- GO NEWSLETTER capturing those beautiful sunsets, tails. If you or anyone you know has a classic ticipating shops and collect stickers from the shops (no purchase neces- If you would like to receive our Phil Jones Bath Pool lake Autumn 2016 frosty mornings, sunny walks, car you’d like to exhibit, get in touch (see con- sary). When you have collected enough stickers, take your leaflet to the monthly electronic newsletter, con- spring flowers and yes, even a snow scene or two. tact details below). library and exchange it for a choccy treat and a certificate. You can also taining information about upcoming Images must be of good quality and ideally not feature any people. enter the prize draw for another chance to win. GO CHRISTMAS events, business news and more, e- mail [email protected] GO Kidsgrove is also teaming up with local churches to offer family A huge thank you to ev- Obviously we won’t be able to use all the photos in the finished goods, and we will add you to the mailing friendly activities during Easter week from 10th to 14th April, with a dif- eryone who supported the but all submissions will be featured on www.gokidsgrove.co.uk and we list. Don’t worry, your e-mail ad- ferent church leading each day. Look out for more details of both these Christmas lights and switch are hoping to run an exhibition at the end of April of all the images we dress will not be used for any other events in the next edition of Kidsgrove News. on event. We truly couldn’t receive. If you have the photos electronically, please e-mail images to purpose and you can unsubscribe at have done it without you! [email protected]. If you have actual photos, these can be any time – but we obviously hope GO HARECASTLE Too many people contrib- dropped off at Smithson’s in Liverpool Road. Please make sure they are in you will enjoy another opportunity uted to list everyone but we an envelope clearly marked with your name, address and a phone number. Go Kidsgrove Canal Volunteers are to keep up-to-date with what’s going on in Kidsgrove. And of course, would like to offer our heartfelt thanks to you all. Photos will be returned after scanning, provided we have those details. delighted to announce that they fi- there’s still the website www.gokidsgrove.co.uk for details of all the nally have permission from Canal & Whether e-mailing or dropping off photos, please make sure we have your We are already planning for next year and if you keep an eye on the events mentioned here. River Trust (C&RT) to paint the rail- name, contact details and what the picture is of. VERY IMPORTANT - King Street bed over the next couple of months you may notice a bit of ings at the entrance to the Brindley If you are a local organisation, why not add your events to our list? Do Please can you also confirm that you own the copyright to the image (i.e. a change. We are very grateful to Smithson’s of Kidsgrove for sponsor- tunnel. C&RT is kindly providing the you have any photos to add to our Gallery section, or suggestions for that you took the picture and are happy for us to use it). ing a growing Christmas tree for the King Street bed. Planting growing scaffolding to ensure that volunteers walks to add to the Activities page – just complete the ‘Contact us’ page trees is a tricky business – they can’t be too tall when they are planted can work safely and the heritage officer has given permission to scrape and we will be in touch. Closing date will not be till the end of April so plenty of time to get that or the root ball is too big so don’t be disappointed by its size… it will off the old paint around the portal. perfect shot! grow over time! If you want more information about anything mentioned in this article, please e-mail [email protected] or call 07946 339110. tel: 01782 771113 www.kenneth-jones.co.uk you’re not on your own It’s never too early, but often too late..