The Wilmslow Civic Trust

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The ten thousand year-old Lindow Moss bog faces a bright future - that was the clear message of Wilmslow Civic Trust's first meeting of 2024. Giving the good news were John Handley, Emeritus Professor of planning and environment management, Gary Parker, interim chair of the newly-formed Friends of Lindow Moss, and Helen Battilana, the trust's link with the Lindow Moss Partnership, who addressed the meeting.

Prof. Handley, giving a history of the bog, which was formed after the last great ice-age, but hit the headlines in 1984 with the discovery of the sacrificed body of an lron Age man, said the future for the nationally significant Lindow Moss was "surprisingly good." The main measure to rescue the bog - an important carbon "store" - was to raise the water-table to its previous level, which will take about two more years to achieve. Peat had been dug locally from the Moss for 800 years, but commercial large-scale extraction after 1997 had done the most damage to its eco-system"

Gary Parker said more than 100 people had attended this month's formation meeting of the Friends of Lindow Moss whose main aims were to increase the bio-diversity of the wetland, help to reduce climate-change, add to local history and to improve access to help towards the personal well-being of local people, who included walkers, cyclists, horse-riders and anglers. The new group had heard views ranging from calls for getting better access to the Moss and the return of the "Wilmslow Pete" bog-body from London's British Museum, as well as the full restoration of the bogland. He added: "l am very optimistic for the repair of Lindow Moss and for its future."

Helen Battilana, reporting a programme of events this year called Discover Lindow 2024, said activities will include walks on the Moss - with a "Dawn Walk" on August 1 to mark the discovery 40 year ago of Lindow Man accompanied by the evocative playing of a little-known karnyx, an ancient horn instrument - art exhibitions, and a course on Lindow Moss, its people and its landscape at the Wilmslow Guild for Lifelong Learning in the autumn.

For more information on Lindow Moss please see:

https://www.discoverlindow.org

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On 1 November Cllrs Lata Anderson & Michael Gorman, who are members of both Cheshire East Council & Wilmslow Town Council, outlined recent and future developments in both Councils. 

Skips have been provided to try to prevent fly tipping in Colshaw 

A new community award scheme is being introduced and the Town Council is keen to support the 120 or so community and sports societies in Wilmslow (including Wilmslow Civic Trust!) 

It is hoped to reinstate the Romany garden near the Library and bring Romany’s vardo back to Wilmslow. 

It is proposed to change road signs to encourage more traffic to access the M56 and A555 without driving through the centre of Wilmslow and to rationalise speed limits. 

An attempt is being made to encourage the managers of the Cheshire pension fund to increase its investment in Cheshire businesses. 

Did you know that Cheshire East Highways is currently privatised 

77% of Cheshire East’s budget of £353M for the current year is funded from council tax 

Of the £194M in business rates which Cheshire East collects Cheshire East only keeps £55M with the rest going to central Government 

Expenditure on children with special educational needs has increased by 62% in the past year 

Cheshire East receives the 7th largest number of planning applications in the country?  

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Two top awards for architecture that add pzazz to the town were made this week by Wilmslow Civic Trust.
The two, situated a mile apart, are widely different in character, but both were considered by the WCT judges to enhance the town's environment.
On Altrincham Road, no. 98 is a contemporary new-build replacement for a traditional detached house. It was described as "something special."
But its cedar-clad shape brought much opposition from local people when it was revealed for consideration by the Cheshire East planning committee.
Its controversial ultra-modern looks were defended by the judges, who described it as "one of the best pieces if contemporary residential architecture to be found in the town."
Chris Fasciato, one of the judges, said: "A lot of houses being built in Wilmslow are more or less copies of the architecture of previous centuries. But this is of this age."
He added: "There is very little of this in Wilmslow. A lot of people are cautious because they are very conscious of property values, and they don't want to take a risk.
"This is something special."
The house was given a silver award by the WCT.
Its architect, Michael Young, admitted that there had been "loads of objections."
But he said: "The 'likes' and 'dislikes' were about 50-50. The planning committee debated it, and it was given encouragement. It shows the way our democratic system works."
And owner, Neil Broomfield, who specified a contemporary design for his new house, said: "My wife Sarah and our three children all love it."
The second award went to a new-build add-on to property at the end of the town's Moor Lane, described by the civic trust as "a project which makes maximum use of an
infill plot, providing a surprisingly large amount of accommodation in a small corner site."
Its owner, Ian Shaw, said: "It's like a tardis inside."
Added on to a retail shop which he already owned, the new building provides space for two apartments and up to seven different companies' offices.
Before it was built, to plans crafted by architect John Yajima, it was a piece of waste land used for car-parking.
It was nominated for the award by Helen Battilana, a member of the Wilmslow Civic Trust, who said: "I was cycling past when I noticed the new building, and I immediately thought 'what they are doing here is something ingenious'."
It was given a bronze award, for smaller one-off projects.

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NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY IS NEEDED

A strong new national energy policy for Britain is needed', a meeting of Wilmslow Civic Trust was told.

ln a wide-ranging discussion, a panel of experts from the housing efficiency, nuclear power and geology fields and from Cheshire East Council, voiced the view that new guidelines from government are required. Alan Woods, a specialist from Rolls Royce on small nuclear reactors, said: "We should have a proper energy policy. lt should include an energy mix - wind and solar power among them as well as nuclear. lt is completely unrealistic to think that we can give up fossil fuels instantly.  We are an ingenious species and we should have faith in our ingenuity to solve the problems"', he added.

The priority is to reduce the amount of energy used by, for example,better home insulation but this is not easy to achieve. Many older homes would be difficult and expensive to improve.

 Vested interests of big businesses in Britain's oil and gas industries are a bar to improving energy efficiency in homes nationwide, the meeting was told. Marrion Lloyd-Jones, of the Centre for Alternative Technology, said that some of the nation's biggest firms have close ties with the oil and gas companies. "They don't want us to use less of their products which they make money from," she added.

Mick Warren, Chair of Cheshire East Council's Environment and Communities committee, explained that planning authorities are not allowed to require energy saving measures as a condition of granting planning permission. He added: "We can give guidance on energy efficiency for new homes. We would like 100 per cent renewable energy. But we are stymied by government policy which sets out what we can and cannot do."

Peter Webb, a consultant geoscientist, thinks that geothermal energy, which is already being used to heat houses and businesses in Southampton, has great potential. He urged his audience to talk to their MP about these issues or write to the Prime Minister.

Stuart Kinsey, chairman of Wilmslow Civic Trust, said: "lt was a lively debate - I wish that politicians could have

heard many of the comments."

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On 14 September, 14 members of the Trust enjoyed a fascinating guided tour of the Tabley House, near Knutsford and its Collection of paintings, including one of the lake by JMW Turner who stayed in the house, and some exquisite pieces of furniture.

Tabley House is Palladian, the only 18th-century Palladian country house in Cheshire. It was built between 1761 and 1769.  To the west of the house is St Peter's Church, which was moved from a position adjacent to Tabley Old Hall to its present site in 1927. The house is now owned by the University of Manchester.

 

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On 6 September Lisa Russett of Groundwork, an organisation engaged by Wilmslow Town Council to promote the town, explained about the Business Improvement District which was launched in November.

Businesses in the town centre with a rateable value over £15,000 have agreed to pay a levy which over the first 5 years will generate £1M to boost business in Wilmslow. This was used to pay for the ice rink in Bank Square in the run up to Christmas (which will be repeated this year), a dinosaur trail for children and other events. It is too early to quantify the benefits but early signs are very encouraging.

 

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On 14 June 9 members of the Trust visited Birkenhead Park and were shown round by the manager.

The Park has been nominated as a possible UNESCO world heritage site & we could immediately see why. Designed by Joseph Paxton & laid out by his assistant Edward Kemp it was opened in 1847 and is the world's first publicly funded park. It inspired Central Park in New York and many other parks around the world.

The aim was to provide recreation for the working people of Birkenhead. Wide though some of the roads are, there are many places where the rich had to get out of their carriages to walk with everyone else!

If you haven't been a visit is strongly recommended – as is the ice cream in the visitor centre!

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A 75 year-old vision of what Wilmslow might have been was unveiled to members of the Wilmslow Civic Trust this month.

Trust member Ray Acton recalled the Mawson Plan of 1947, which drew up plans to turn the "higgledy-piggle" old village centre into a post-war modern town.

The plan was commissioned by the former Wilmslow Urban District . But Trust chairman Stuart Kinsey said some of the plan's proposals must have left councillors "aghast."

The plan's author, architect and town planner Edward Mawson, who died in 1950, thought the Wilmslow of the time had "a pleasant countryside atmosphere."

But the old centre, in the Church Street area leading to the ancient parish church of St. Bartholomew, had grown
"like Topsey" and was "a rough street, dirty and smelly, from smoke and the gasworks," said Mr Acton, an experienced local historian.

Mr. Mawson's scheme looked far into the future and envisaged new housing in circular mini-estates as the population doubled, a new railway station, a big bus station, and 60 foot-wide main roads. "There would have been a lot of demolition," said Mr. Acton.

Mawson's radical solution for Wilmslow predicted big population growth for the outlying areas of Lacy Green, Handforth, Dean Row, The Hough and Pownall Park. Some of that has happened - but not all.
The plan has been almost completely forgotten over the years."It was top-down planning," summed up Mr Kinsey. "Now we have a democratic process which the Wilmslow Plan has evolved, giving us different ideas."

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On Wednesday 1 March Brian Donohue, Terry Davenport & Professor John Handley, members of the Wilmslow Neighbourhood Plan Implementation Group, gave us an update on implementation of the Wilmslow Neighbourhood Plan which was adopted after a referendum of Wilmslow residents in 2019.

Following covid the proposal to build a hotel on the site of Tesco Express & the adjoining properties on Alderley Road has been dropped, as has the proposal to build a multi-storey car park at Broadway Meadow.

Businesses in Wilmslow have voted to create a business improvement district under which they will pay additional rates which over the next 5 years will generate £1M to improve the town centre.

A new playground has been created at Little Lindow.

There is a proposal to make Green Lane one way & move the buses somewhere else.

McCarthy Stone has applied for planning permission to build an apartment block on the site of the police station. This conflicts with the proposal in the neighbourhood plan to build affordable housing there.

Now that peat extraction at Lindow Moss, which could otherwise have continued until 2042, has ceased in return for planning permission to build 14 houses on the site of the former peat buildings, restoration of the Moss has commenced. This is already beginning to make a huge improvement to the environment.

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On 1 February Ian Baillie, Chairman of Friends of the Carrs, gave an extremely interesting illustrated talk about Friends of the Carrs.

Since covid the Carrs in Wilmslow has become very popular.

The Carrs was given to the people of Wilmslow by Henry Boddington (of the brewing family) of Pownall Hall. It is now owned by Cheshire East & since 2005 has been looked after as a country park by ANSA assisted by a small group of volunteers called Friends of the Carrs, assisted by a Bollin Valley ranger.

The path from the Parish Hall car park to the Twinnies car park was upgraded with money from the EU via Natural England.

Over the years about 950 trees have been planted, including recently two oak trees in memory of the Queen & Duke of Edinburgh.

Children from Lacey Green School have planted wildflowers & children have designed posters to try to discourage litter. Transition Wilmslow has provided apple trees.

Friends of the Carrs have also received help from Wilmslow Town Council, Tesco & Waitrose.

Wilmslow Town Council paid for the toilet block & refreshment kiosk in the Parish Hall car park near the children's playground.

Wilmslow Rotary & Cheshire East paid for the gym next to the tennis courts.

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Craig Browne, Deputy Leader of Cheshire East Council gave us a most illuminating bird's eye view of Cheshire East Council.

Did you know that

The population of Cheshire East increased by 8% between 2011 & 2021 and is forecast to increase by a further 10% by 2031?

Cheshire East Council has a budget of £330M, so if inflation is now 10% it will need a further £33M, plus a further £60M which it received from the Government this year but won't receive next year, just to stand still?

Two thirds of the budget goes on health & adult social care & children & families benefitting together only about 5% of the population?

Council officers in Cheshire East are low paid by comparison with other councils and with the private sector so it is difficult to attract, for example, planning officers of a calibre to process the large number of often complex planning applications which the Council – including as it does the so-called "golden triangle" – receives?

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Wilmslow Civic Trust members were delighted to give Jackie Weaver full authority to take charge of their meeting on Wednesday evening (7th). Those present learnt a great deal about the real Jackie Weaver and her serious work with Local Town & Parish Councils … and the fun Jackie has enjoyed since becoming a celebrity.

Jackie talked about the qualities of an ideal councillor and encouraged more people to put their names forward for election to their local council*.

She runs the Cheshire Association of Local Councils. She didn't consider this an even remotely high-profile position & was more surprised than anyone else to be catapulted on to the national, and even international, stage a few years ago as a result of a video of a meeting of the (then dysfunctional) Handforth Town Council which she had chaired 12 months previously went viral on the internet. 

* In this connection you may care to note that there will be elections to Cheshire East & all parish councils in Cheshire on 4 May for which nominations have to be in by 4 April. There will be briefing sessions for potential candidates on Monday 20 February & Monday 6 March, at 5.30 for Cheshire East & 7pm for town & parish councils.

 

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Ray Acton gave us a typically well-researched talk on 5 October about Smithies' paintings and metalwork, produced at his studio on Manchester Road, examples of which can be seen at, among other places, Fulshaw Hall and St Bartholomew's Church in Wilmslow.

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Did you know that Transition Wilmslow have created an eco-forest on land near the allotments off Land Lane? Althea Wilkinson of Transition Wilmslow gave us a most illuminating talk about it – and their ongoing work to transform a neglected piece of land into an area friendly to plants, wildlife and the environment generally.

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WILMSLOW CIVIC TRUST INVESTIGATES ONE OF LORD LEVERHULME'S PHILANTHROPIC VENTURES

In a post-pandemic return to their tradition of making visits to places of interest, members of Wilmslow Civic Trust travelled to Port Sunlight. The village was founded in 1888 by William Lever, as somewhere to build a new soap works and homes for his employees.

There are over 900 houses, 12 public buildings almost all listed Grade I or II set in 130 acres of parkland. What makes Port Sunlight unique is the way in which Lever's social goals and romantic ideals have been so successfully integrated into the village layout.

The many galleries in Lady Lever Art Gallery in the village house the best of Lever's collection of paintings, sculpture furniture and ceramics.

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18 members of Wilmslow Civic Trust enjoyed a visit to Peover Hall on Thursday 26 May.

The Tudor house was owned by the Mainwaring family until 1919. During the Second World War it became the HQ of the US General Patton & it is now the home of the Brooks family and very much lived in. There are toys, including a rocking horse, in the Long Gallery, a goal & footballs in the garden & the "gilded" panelling in one of the living rooms is in fact chocolate wrappers!

The stables, which date from 1654, have a fine plaster ceiling & are if anything even more impressive than the house.

The extensive garden includes banks of rhododendrons & azaleas which were looking their best at the time of our visit.

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On 5 January Susan Lee of the Centre for Climate Change gave an interesting talk about use of domestic appliances in an energy efficient way.

On 2 February we had an interesting talk by Everybody Leisure, the body which manages Wilmslow Leisure Centre on behalf of Cheshire East. They gave us some vouchers for a free swim; if you would like some please let Stuart or me know.

On 2 March, to launch the Turing consultation, Dr Jonathan Swinton gave an interesting talk about Alan Turing to an audience of over 100 at Wilmslow High School.

After the formal AGM on 6 April, Stuart Kinsey & Chris McClory gave a fascinating illustrated talk about Romany, Rev Branwell Evans, who lived in Wilmslow from 1939 until his death in 1943 & donated his vardo, now regrettably moved to Bradford, to the town. They even played an extract from a recording of one of his broadcasts.

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 The last Trust talk  -  via Zoom  - was given by Dominic Crisp from Everybody Leisure. He gave a very informed overview of the many activities available at the Cheshire East Leisure Centres and described the set up, which in 2014 became a charitable trust, running  16 leisure centres,  9 pools and 6 cafes. All profits are ploughed back into the facilities, though currently the centres are running on a loan from Cheshire. The turnover is around £1.6m and a staff of 860 is employed. Not surprisingly, the pandemic caused considerable problems, but a number of online exercise groups were organised, available to members, which were well utilized and enjoyed. Gradually, a wider range of health and wellbeing programmes are being inaugurated, including  pre and post operative cancer care rehabilitation, falls prevention, Nordic walking, walking football, as well as the usual group keep fit classes of varying intensity. 

In 2019, as lockdown came into force, 16 leisure centres were closed, memberships  frozen, 8,000 children's swimming lessons put on hold and  98% of the workforce put on furlough, the remainder being employed on necessary maintenance. At this point the National Lottery stepped in with a very helpful grant.  The furloughed staff were formed into a covid response team, and a food bank was created, working with local authorities and supermarkets to distribute £5,000 worth of food,  as well as making more than 200  phone calls to vulnerable people.  The challenge now as confidence returns, is to get the centres running as nearly as possible to something approaching 'normal'. Not only for the public but also for staff. Fortunately, a gradual increase in use of facilities has been seen in the last couple of months.

Across the whole of Cheshire East there is a huge investment  programme  underway at all sites, with Wilmslow in line for complete redevelopment as part of the 5 towns business plan. Eventually the aim is that facilities should self - fund, but for now the loan is essential. 

Keith Osborne gave a warm vote of thanks to Dominic, saying that he was hugely impressed by the scope of activities available, but suggesting that some form of advertising could be helpful because, despite living very close to the Leisure Centre, he was entirely unaware of the impressive range of facilities on  offer. Dominic was very open to following up on this suggestion.  

Next meeting 2nd March Dr Jonathan Swinton 'Alan Turing's Wilmslow' at Wilmslow High School  at 7.30pm  (jointly with Wilmslow Historical Society)

 

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Members of Wilmslow Civic Trust enjoyed an interesting talk, on Zoom, given by Greville Kelly, Director of Business for The Groundwork Trust. Groundwork is a federation of charities which promote practical community action across the country to assist in the transition to an inclusive net zero economy. This means creating 'Green ' jobs that build wealth locally, changing behaviour to reduce waste, helping businesses to be more responsible and empowering communities to improve their quality of life via volunteering and local involvement.

Greville has had a constructive few months working with local businesses and other stakeholders, discussing ways in which the town centre might be reinvigorated . A new town centre management group has been set up, which will meet for the first time in October - almost 500 businesses from those with national status to small independents, and including representatives of local residents, have signed up to participate.

Confidence within the business community has been very mixed, but 55% were reasonably confident about the future, despite there being 21 vacant properties in the town. Many felt that the 'marketing ' of Wilmslow as a town is very important, and could be improved - eg. pavements were rated as poor whereas the floral arrangements were highly praised and much valued.

There were concerns expressed about crime and security, particularly in the evenings and even more so on Friday and Saturday nights. Links are being developed with 'Pub Watch ' to try and address these problems. £50,000 has been given by Wilmslow Town Council to support events in the town during the next 6 months - these include the Tour of Britain (cycling ) in September, and new lights for the Christmas display. Other projects might cover food, fashion, sustainability and technology, but much remains uncertain despite reduced Covid restrictions. S

ome of the problems which emerged during the discussion session were the very high rents , and the effect of online shopping; it was pointed out that Amazon pays a very small amount of tax compared with the high street and there is some pressure nationally for the introduction of a sales tax, but of course this is beyond the scope of local government. As usual, warm thanks were expressed to Greville by chairman Stuart Kinsey, for giving participants an insight into the hoped-for improvements to the town.

 

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Following the W.C.T. zoom A.G.M., thirty members of the Trust heard from Tony Collier B.E.M., chairman of the Altrincham Development Forum, how the town had been lifted from its lowest point ten years ago, when it made national headlines as a ghost town, to its gradual renewal as a busy and vibrant town today. Under the guidance of the Forum - a joint Public Private Partership, the regeneration project has focussed on the strength of Altrincham as an historic market town, and has revived the old market area to great effect with local produce, excellent cafes and arts and crafts shops at its core. It is hoped that other community assets such as the old Town Hall will also be protected, improved, and brought into use.

From the outset, there has been a great deal of public consultation, and initially good participation, but as so often happens, active interest has waned considerably over the years, and the Forum is now led by a small working group of around a dozen. The positive effects of the successful redevelopment of the market area have been felt right across the town, not only in that immediate area, with some previously closed chains returning and a reduction in the vacancy rate from 20% to around 8% in 2019. The recent loss of both Debenhams and Rackhams is however a looming problem and it is envisaged the solution will be found by restricting retail to ground floor level and reserving upper floors for residential use.

The Forum is encouraging an overall reduction in retail space, alongside trying to increase town centre leisure facilities plus residential use and an improvement in pedestrian and cycling provision. The cornerstone of these improvements is to ensure an attractive environment throughout the town, so that both business and the public want to come into the area and use its facilities. Altrincham recently won an award for being Britain's Best High Street and the best place to live in the North West. Chairman Stuart Kinsey thanked Tony for presenting an interesting talk and leaving us with ideas which could be helpful for our own high street, and gave him a donation for Prostate Cancer U.K. as a 'thank you . '

 

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On March 3rd, Wilmslow Civic Trust members participated in a zoom talk given by Group Head of Community Engagement Robert Pattison, along with Andrew Murray, Manchester Airport Planning Manager.

Because of the huge reduction in passenger numbers and flights during the pandemic, time is now being spent giving consideration to future needs, improved efficiency, development of aircraft with lower emissions and progressing the latest satellite systems.

The airport is presently down to between 5 - 10% of its usual level of business - now only eighteen flights per day. Some staff have therefore been made redundant, with most of the remainder on furlough and staff across the board taking a 10% pay cut. All operating costs have been reviewed, with some building developments being cancelled or deferred - unless needed for safety reasons. Terminal 1 is currently the only one operating, and as traffic is unlikely to increase markedly for at least a year. The new T2, due to open in May will remain as the only operational building; T1 will then be upgraded.

A 'Green Agenda' is being promoted - noisier aircraft paying higher charges, and the airport has committed to waiving landing fees for the first airline to have electric planes! A large area between the airport and Wythenshawe, known as Airport City, is rapidly expanding. Amazon and DHL. are already installed. The HUT Group have purchased three logistics centres as well as planning to build their own H.Q. Also included are plans for some manufacturing facilities and at least three hotels.

Prior to the pandemic, around 29m passengers used Manchester annually. The airport authority eventually aims to increase this number to 45m, but no date has been set for this because of present uncertainty.

Maybe with future travel in mind, there were plenty of questions from members, ranging from wanting to know the reason behind the pick-up and drop-off charges (to reduce severe congestion), why local planning applications sometimes have to be submitted to the airport, (in case of problems with tree-height, bird-strike, wind turbines) and the rationale behind the airport train timetable which some felt was inconvenient - (out of their hands, organized by Northern Rail) Anxiety was expressed that expansion might necessitate another runway, but it seems there is plenty of capacity with current facilities.

Thanks were given to the speakers by acting chairman Christopher Dodson, not only for their interesting and informative talk, but also for giving hope to those in the audience who were anxious to resume travel in the not too distant future.

 

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The February meeting drew 34 Zoom screens for chairman Stuart Kinsey to organise and control, all of which he managed without the slightest hitch, of course.! The speaker was Dr David Gosling, Footpaths Inspections Co-ordinator for the Peak and Northern Footpaths  Association.   He took the audience back to the founding of the group, in 1894,a time when there was growing enthusiasm for leaving the smoke and grime of towns and cities, not only for the fine local parks already proliferating, but also for the fresh  air and open vistas of the countryside.  This was encouraged after the 2nd World War by the passing of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act of 1949, which saw the establishment of the definitive map, on which all paths and rights of way are designated and numbered.

The Charity has around1300 members, 150 of whom are active volunteers in various capacities; sign posts, bridges, stiles and board walks all come under considerable pressure from use, and therefore need maintenance and sometimes replacement, frequently jobs undertaken by the association.   Local authorities are responsible for surfaces, as well as blocked and inaccessible paths, and Peak and Northern will liaise with farmers and landowners when necessary  to try and resolve disputes -  they are also able to take legal action  when paths are deliberately blocked or are otherwise inaccessible  -around 20% of paths have a problem of one kind or another.

David showed a number of images of blocked, diverted and impassable paths which needed intervention  in varying degrees, and also outlined  the various ways in which rights of way have been established over the centuries.   Perhaps it should also be borne in mind that when the P.&N.F. Assoc. was founded, the population of G.B.  at the 1901 census was around 32 m.  less than half our current number,  combined with the fact that leisure time was a novel notion  -  Sundays and possibly Saturday afternoons  were newly established  free time. Also, most working people had little spare cash left over at the end of the week  to spend on regular outings or leisure pursuits.   A doubling in the size of the population, as well as an increase in free time and spare cash,  has resulted in much greater pressure being put on the countryside, as well as the farmers who tend it.

Stuart gave the speaker a warm vote of thanks as well as the promise of a donation to help the association continue its valuable work. The next meeting will be  held, again via Zoom, on 3rd March, when Robert Pattison Head of Community Engagement, Manchester Airport will talk about  The Future Airspace Project .

 

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W.C.T members recently enjoyed, via zoom, a very successful and interesting presentation, on the Handforth Garden Development, given by Scott Royal from Cheshire East Council and Mark Thompson the Project Manager. The 114 h. site will eventually consist of 1500 houses plus 175 care units, as well as shops, leisure facilities and a school. The project has been awarded National Garden Village status by central government - ( one of 14 countrywide, ) which will attract funding of £21.7 m. which will go towards primary infrastructure ahead of housebuilding. High tech, design and sustainability will be integral, with district heating, electric car charging points , car share, Park and Ride all included.

It is the intention to build both housing and community infrastructure to a high standard, with good insulation and good design part of the remit. Dairy House Farm, which is Grade 2 listed, will be restored, although future use is not yet decided, but as community cohesion and participation will be encouraged, this building could play a part in that. Both Manchester and Salford universities are involved with some of the planning and ecological infrastructure, the intention being to have a net gain in biodiversity rather than a loss, as might be expected when using a greenfield site. All the ponds in the area will be enhanced, tree planting, installation of owl boxes and a mini 'green belt' between the development and the A34. are all part of the design.

The hope is that plans will be passed this autumn, so that the development can move forward in stages, with a variety of house types in place by 2023, whilst the mixed use high street, which is intended to hold individual rather than nationally known outlets, will take around 10 years to be fully developed. The timescale for this exciting and interesting project is for the whole site to reach completion by 2030. Thanks were expressed to the speakers for this excellent inside view of this future proofed development, by Chairman Stuart Kinsey.

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Wilmslow Neighbourhood Plan was again the subject of the February meeting of the Trust - the large audience confirmed that members are very keen to keep abreast of developments and implementation of the plan and following the talk members were ready with questions for our speakers. As previously, the dedicated team - Brian Donohoe, Terry Davenport and Martin Watkins brought members up to date with progress so far.

The intention now is to form working groups to establish priorities, so that proposals and developments are properly coordinated; currently the working group is awaiting the appointment of a representative from Cheshire East, as it is important to keep C.E. involved with all developments - they are the ultimate authority and progress cannot be made without their approval. The original core group has a great deal of specialist expertise, but representation from business, town groups and residents who have particular skills and interests would be very welcome. The National Trust and the River Authority are both participating in the N.P. on local environmental initiatives.

A number of sites for possible future development have been identified, amongst these are the Police Station, - a large but underused site, which could have some housing;, the Tesco site, ( which attracted adverse comments from 99% of respondents to the original N.P. survey ) and which is the focus of a proposal for a boutique hotel. A recent display in the library, put on by the architect and the developer of this scheme, received many favourable comments. The other site in question was the Broadway Meadow car park: filled to capacity on a daily basis, there are regular and understandable calls for a multi storey to be built, but one of the practicalities which would need to be addressed is what to do with the cars currently using it, during the process of rebuilding. The results of last years parking survey is now taking shape, and yellow lines are imminent around Alderley Road and Knutsford Road - needed for traffic flow and safety, but again shifting rather than resolving the problem. It is also hoped that cycle paths and footpaths will soon see some improvements, as well as environmental initiatives in the Bollin Valley and tree planting in the area, which is being supported by Transition Wilmslow.

The audience discussion covered many topics including the possibility of building affordable housing, enforcement of building standards, and a suggestion that residents could rent out their driveways to ease the parking shortage. The meeting closed with thanks from the Chairman Stuart Kinsey to the speakers not only for the informative talk, but for giving their time so generously to the Trust . The next meeting of the Trust will be the A.G.M. and will be held on March 18th, at the library. The talk will be given by Tony Collier B.E.M.who will talk about the recovery of Altrincham, and what Wilmslow might learn from it.

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The Jim Evison Sports field on Altrincham Road was the topic of the meeting last week. Scott Storey, of Sport Wilmslow, presented a clear and comprehensive overview of the present unsatisfactory arrangements and the plans and ambitions for the future. Three years ago, a group of interested parties - players and parents, set up a Community Interest Group in order to explore the possibility of improving the facilities on this 16 acre site. At present there are 6 grass football pitches and 4 rugby pitches,all liable to flooding, as well as the changing rooms, now so antiquated that they are mainly used for storage. The architect designed plan has been developed in consultation with both sports clubs and Cheshire East Council in the hope that all interested parties will be happy with the outcome.

The development needs to be commercially viable whilst at the same time not undermining other available facilities in the area. Within the pavilion there could be a cafe, bar function rooms and fitness studio - at this stage these are simply suggestions; outside there would be 3 astro turf pitches, retention of a number of grass pitches, areas for running, rounders, and netball - and there will be parking for 200 cars . The estimated cost will be around £7 million with annual running costs of about £25,000. Talks are progressing with sponsorship, Lottery money, Football Association and Rugby Football Union as well as Cheshire East Council all expressing support. 

Some members of the audience were concerned about the impact of this development on local residents, but Scott gave assurances that the building would be high quality, in keeping with the Waters building and the Colony, as well as being environmentally sustainable and would have generously planted tree cover. Scott was supported in his talk by councillor Mark Goldsmith, who emphasised the importance of the development for an area which is at present designated the worst pitch in the borough. Both speakers were warmly thanked by chairman Stuart Kinsey. The next meeting of the Trust will be on February 19th, in Wilmslow library at 7.30 for 7.45 when there will be a discussion with council members/ officials on Working with the Neighbourhood Plan. All welcome

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The October meeting of the Wilmslow Civic Trust was an informative talk, with some lively discussion, on the work and achievements of Wilmslow Town Council.

Christopher Dodson, a former councillor, followed by Lata Anderson, recently elected, and Martin Watkins, present chairman, participated in the presentation and discussion. The Town Council was founded in 2010, following lobbying by a number of parties - including W.C.T. -when three parish councils , Styal, Wilmslow and Handforth were formed; all members work in a voluntary capacity.

Over the years the Council has been the instigator and supporter of a variety of worthwhile projects and activities in the town, including helping to finance the Citizens Advice Bureau, St. Bartholemew's food bank, Cinema in the Carrs, organizing the Remembrance Sunday parade, allotments administration, Christmas lights and the much appreciated public loos and refreshment kiosk adjacent to the Parish Hall.

A local handyman is employed by the T.C. who ensures that public spaces and C.C.T.V Are well maintained.

The T.C. has also worked behind the scenes to resurrect the Rex cinema, and has encouraged the development of the recently adopted and very important Neighbourhood Plan.

Parking in the town, an increasingly difficult issue, is the responsibility of Cheshire East and they are, at last, carrying out a feasibility study into the provision of a multi - storey car park.

The relationship between W.T.C. and Cheshire East is frequently difficult, particularly on planning matters, where the role of the T.C. is only advisory, and often ignored when there is disagreement. Efforts are being made to increase local responsibilities, and the T.C. is working to develop a communication strategy in order to widen and encourage dialogue with residents.

The council holds the view that local representatives are more able to reflect the needs and views of Wilmslow residents, rather than decisions being taken in Crewe by people unconnected to the area.

Stuart Kinsey gave the vote of thanks to the speakers for their contributions and for giving the audience both an enjoyable evening as well as insight into the working of local government.

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A  group of  W.C.T. members went last week on an interesting trip round the Amazon warehouse   at  Manchester Airport.  The company, was founded in 1994 by Jeff Bezos, who had the unshakeable conviction that the internet would become the future of shopping, and operating from his garage,  now employs 566,00 people  -  1,200 of those in  the local outlet.  Whilst the operation is streamlined and highly automated, human beings are still essential to large parts of the business, including  stacking, making up orders and packing for delivery.  If you have visualised humanoids whizzing around selecting ordered items for dispatch, then clear your mind. The robotic element can  perhaps be described as a  rectangular stack of shelves, accessible on all sides, and perched on a robotic base which  moves around the   vast floor area within a cage, open only  at  work points.  All incoming items are coded and logged and placed randomly on the shelving; when items are subsequently ordered, the process is reversed, with the set of shelves containing the required item and nearest to the picker being summoned to that workers station.

 Via a conveyor belt the order then goes forward to the packing area and  on to the labelling desk. For privacy reasons  neither pickers nor packers know the destination of the order  -  after all he could be your neighbour!  The business is a 24 hour operation, only closing for Christmas day and New Years day,  staff work ten hour shifts, four day weeks.  Surprisingly, the most popular time for placing orders is two a.m.   perhaps there is more shift working in other  ares of employment, as well as  night -  jars than we might imagine! 

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A group of Wilmslow Civic Trust members had a thoroughly enjoyable trip into Manchester last week, to visit two historic libraries. The first visit was to the recently refurbished Central Reference Library, built in 1934, and which now, after a lengthy closure, allows much improved access to its many important and valuable holdings. The Central Ref. as it is frequently and fondly called, and its team of patient librarians, has provided the bedrock for learning and local historical research for many generations of students and academics in the Manchester area and beyond.

The Portico Library, by contrast, was founded in 1806 as a reading room and lending library - this was at a time when there was great enthusiasm for self improvement and an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Originally, the reading room was on the ground floor,( with over forty daily papers available to members,) while the lending library was on the upper floor, but until the Married Women's Property Act, was only open to men; now, due to financial constraints, the ground floor is occupied by a pub. The many illustrious members have included Dalton, Roget, Peel, Mrs Gaskell, Emmeline Pankhurst - and Eric Cantona!

Our guides at both locations were interesting and informative, and this, coupled with lunch, tea and coffee a-plenty - not forgetting the sunny weather for the walk across the town, made it an excellent outing.

New members are always welcome to join the Trust: more info

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Members and friends of Wilmslow Civic Trust were brought up to date on the continuing development of the Neighbourhood Plan by three leading members of the twenty volunteers who have been working tirelessly on the scheme for the last three years; Brian Donohoe, Terry Davenport and John Handley outlined the current position. The final plan has now been approved by Wilmslow Town Council and has gone forward to Cheshire East Council and the independent Planning Inspector for final approval. It is hoped that a referendum to be held this summer will ratify the proposals.

The Neighbourhood Plan contains policies for future development, and has gathered information and opinions from many residents via public meetings and surveys. Inevitably, residents differ in their likes and dislikes, for instance - opinion is divided on the merits or otherwise of Grove Street, but all seem to be united in their dislike of the nearby Tesco block. A great deal of work has gone into environmental matters, with a strongly voiced recognition that the town is set within an exceptionally fine landscape which is valuable in its biodiversity and historical richness, and this is seen as being important by all residents. The town centre suffers ( 'though not as badly as many others) from the impact of traffic congestion, parking problems and empty shops, therefore a management policy for the town centre is felt to be a priority. This encompasses the area around the junction of Water Lane and Alderley Road and includes the much valued tree lined road going south. The library, it is hoped, could become a strong community focus point and meeting place.

The inevitable pressure to develop, means that an integrated Local Plan with an overall vision needs to be in place, so that the many interest groups will be able to form effective partnerships with neighbouring councils, government agencies, and the National Trust amongst many others, and thus project a positive image of the town to promote investment.

Following final approval, a fresh group of volunteers will be convened to put forward plans to generate funding from a variety of sources - Community Development; Cheshire East Regeneration Team,and Local Enterprise Partnerships are just a few of these possibilities. The Trust urges all residents to participate in the referendum when it is held, for without it there will be fewer constraints on the future development of Wilmslow. A lively question and answer session plus refreshments made a most interesting and informative evening.

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A large crowd filled the library meeting room last Wednesday for the Wilmslow Civic Trust's A.G.M. and more keenly, dare it be said, to hear Tony Mundin describe his many years of experience in rejuvenating closed and sometimes semi - derelict cinemas. Before Tony's talk, Chairman Stuart Kinsey led members through the formalities of the A.G.M. and with Treasurer Kieth Osborne's report and minutes approved, thanked both the committee and members for their support during the year. There is a new system in place, whereby four committee members trawl planning applications and contact W.T.C. with any concerns; if any member has particular concerns about an application, then do let a committee member know. As there were no nominations, the committee was re-elected en bloc.

Following a break for refreshments, Tony described how his first foray into cinema revival, in his home town of Belper in 2006, led to three further acquisitions - Heaton Moor, Melton Mowbray, and now in Wilmslow. In fact, Tony had been interested in the Rex some years ago, but Multiyork occupied such a large portion of the building, that even a plan to extend the premises,failed to provide sufficient space for the facilities needed. After Multiyork's demise however, contact with the landlord was swift, and with support from the Town Council and a group of enthusiasts, negotiations began. Fortunately at that time, there was an E.U. grant available to refurbish upper floor retail space in market towns in England and this, along with the membership scheme, provided vital financial support. The number of seats was massively reduced and comfort increased by a similar margin, but because of this, the subsidy provided from the sale of a wide variety of refreshments, the ongoing membership scheme, and the aim of selling virtually every seat in the house is needed to supports the viability of the project.

Tony gave the audience some insight into the workings of film distribution and programming; the Mundin Family judged the Wilmslow audience to be a patient crowd, who generally don't feel compelled to view new releases on day one, thus, new titles are booked for future showing which is substantially cheaper, and also allows for much greater flexibility in selections and timings - multiplexes must adhere to the timetable set out by distributors. As many will know, the Rex re - opened on 21st December 2018, before the refurbishment was complete, but catching the Christmas trade was an important factor. Tony was happy to say that the final phase is nearing completion, and the much needed lift will be operating in the next few weeks.

A vote of thanks was given by Chris McClory, a member of the Rex Support Group. The next meeting of the Trust will be on 17th April, in the library, when we shall have an update on the Neighbourhood Plan; please come and see what is envisaged for the future of Wilmslow.

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Lisa Lowe of ANSA gave a lively and interactive talk to Wilmslow Civic Trust about recycling in Cheshire East – a field in which Cheshire East, whatever its other shortcomings, is one of the leading local authorities.

She went through some of the items where there is confusion about which is the correct bin – flexible plastics, for example, go in the silver bin but rigid plastics go in the black bin and crisp wrappers, because of the way the inner lining is bonded to the outer, at present have to go in the black bin.

Later this year we will be supplied with special bags into which we can place food waste, including meat and fish, and then put it in the green bin with the garden waste. This will increase the amount of food waste which is recycled.

Lisa brought some examples of products made from recycled materials, including a set of coasters made from newspapers, pencils made from bank notes and pencil sharpeners in the form of miniature rubbish bins.

The contents of our silver and black bins are taken to Cheshire East’s transit facility in Middlewich for initial sorting and are then taken to a sophisticated recycling facility at Shotton on Deeside.

Did you know, incidentally, the significance of the name ANSA? Ansa in Latin (and in anatomy) means a loop – hence recycling.

The next meeting will be the AGM on 20 March which will be followed by a talk by Mr Mundin whose family have recently refurbished and reopened the Rex Cinema in Wilmslow to widespread acclaim.

 

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A large audience of Trust members and friends enjoyed an interesting talk from the Head of Wilmslow High school, Dr James Pulle. He lost no time in engaging his audience via a bingo style questionnaire, which drew out the breadth of connections which the audience was likely to have with either the school as it is at present, or any of its precursors. There was even a former headmistress among the audience, and of course, there were a number whose grandchildren now attend the school. In 1991, the Secondary Modern,sited on the Hough,and the Grammar school were amalgamated on the present site. The two schools had around 1400 pupils - now grown to 1996. The school is organised on a House system, which creates unity and a strong feeling belonging. There is also a well organised and supportive pastoral framework in place.

Dr. Pulle emphasised the overriding ethos of the school, which is to aim for excellence in all fields, not only good academic results, but also the many extra -curricular activities. There is a varied selection of fields from which pupils can choose, and a few of these are - sports, public speaking, drama productions and the Duke of Edinburgh Awards up to Gold Standard. Interpersonal skills and a sense of responsibility to the wider community are also emphasised at the school, and as students receive a good deal of support from the local business community, in the shape of participation in Careers Fairs, mock interviews, and trips to local enterprises, they also learn to reciprocate that involvement via activities such as running in aid of Guide Dogs for the Blind, Hampers of Hope, and producing poppies from plastic waste to commemorate the fallen of W.W.1. This comes about because of having strong leadership and effective systems in place. There were questions from the audience and refreshments served. At the end of the meeting, Dr Pulle was warmly thanked by former teacher Ray Acton, and received a book token for the school librarian.

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On Thursday 2 August Ray Acton led members of Wilmslow Civic Trust on another fascinating walk – this time starting in Fulshaw Avenue and then continuing along Chapel Lane & Nursery Lane and back via South Lawn and past Fulshaw Bowling Club.

In 1840 there were very few houses between Fulshaw Hall, then owned by Mr Jenkins, and Lindow Moss. Mr Jenkins built the impressive row of semi-detached houses on the east side of Fulshaw Avenue but in 1911, as in 2018, there was a shortage of affordable homes in Wilmslow. Some things never seem to change.

Young’s shoe repair shop in Chapel Lane, which is about to close and be replaced by two apartments, was opened in 1908 by Mr Young who had walked all the way from Dorset to Wilmslow, and is probably the oldest shop in Wilmslow.

The plant nursery after which Nursery Lane is named was on the corner of Chapel Lane & Bourne St where a new house has recently been built.

George Fox, who later became Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire, gave St Anne’s Church in 1876 in memory of his wife Anne (nee Cobbett). St Anne’s School opposite was built in the 1890s.

The church and several houses in Nursery Lane show off the skills of the bricklayers of the day; 9 Nursery Lane, for example, is in the Byzantine style. During the First World War 17 Belgian refugees lived at Chestnut Villa 24 Nursery Lane.

The beautiful Ivy Lea Cottage and its neighbour at the south end of Nursery Lane were built in 1848/50 and the bowling green was opened in 1864.

 

 

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The A.G.M. of the Trust was held last week at the Library; members voted to pass the Treasurers report and to re-elect the present committee. Members  of the Trust were invited to stand for committee  or to nominate others, but there were no takers so the  committee  was re-elected unopposed.  The  post of minutes secretary remains unfilled, so if anyone feels they can help with this, do please contact the chairman, Stuart Kinsey you are assured of a warm reception!  As last year,  Stuart mentioned the hard work put in  by the committee,but particularly the two committee members who are involved in the preparation of the Neighbourhood Plan. This has required a  serious commitment in time and effort, but should be completed soon,  and will  then go out to public consultation. Stuart also mentioned some of the work done by committee members in commenting on, modifying, or opposing a number of planning applications during the year. The aim as always, is to keep Wilmslow as the pleasant living and working environment it is known  to be.

Following a break for a chat  and a glass of wine,  Marianne Ridley a second year geography student at Manchester University, gave a  resume of the work she has done on the millennium photos taken by Trust members at that time. Unfortunately, due to the illness of the chairman  then in post, momentum for the enterprise was lost, so that the large collection of pictures languished uncolated and disordered until recently.  This is now being rectified by Marianne.  Eventually it is hoped that the photos will be put on the Trust website, as well as into the Library and  into the Chester archive. Audience participation in Marianne's  presentation, enabled long - standing residents in the audience   to elaborate on earlier uses for particular buildings   - Hurd's cake shop on Chapel Lane was once a plant store, set up at  when Fulshaw Park was being developed, to provide some of the many fine trees and shrubs in the area we still enjoy today. The nursery which grew these plants was sited on the opposite corner at the junction with Bourne  Street.

The Rex Building is one which  most of those present could recall in its glory days as a cinema and theatre, and of course, the hope that a cinema could possibly be  reinstated was mentioned. Romany's caravan, guaranteed to arouse nostalgia in long standing residents,was removed from its site in 2012, having been in the garden  near the Library for seventy years; it is now in the Museum of the Bradford Industrial Society  -  the link to that institution is unclear.  Tesco has been a convenience store for many years; formerly Dillons, and of course  at that time in private hands. Prestons on Water Lane was the old Electricity Board, and the old George and Dragon pub, near the Church, is now offices. built in 1770. The Chapelwood retirement  development  has recenly been built on the site of a large house, Remenham, used for many years as council offices. In its heyday the extensive gardens stretched across what is now the main road.  There were more photos and more reminiscences, and the evening drew to a close  with a warm vote of thanks from Stuart to Marianne for taking members on an enjoyable trip down memory lane.

The next meeting will be  on 18th April  in the Library, at 7.30, when  the Headteacher of Wilmslow High School, Dr  James Pulle will talk about present and future challenges.

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There was a record attendance of around sixty members and friends at last weeks meeting, to hear Anastasia Parry, one of the governors of Styal Prison  give the audience a rare insight into the workings of  this institution. Having been built as an orphanage in the 1890's, and closed in 1956, its fine buildings reopened in 1962 as a women's prison accommodating up to 486 offenders. Because women form only a small proportion of the offending population, Styal covers a wide geographical area and  accepts all categories of offenders; it is therefore a closed facility.

The staffing structure has of course, changed with the times  -  there are now fewer disciplinary staff, and greater emphasis  is placed on care and rehabilitation, and as part of this, literacy and numeracy skills, frequently very poor, are high on the target list for improvement.   (60%  of the prison population lack these skills.)  The Duchess of Cornwall, on her recent visit to Styal, was particularly interested in the work done in this area as she is a patron of the Literacy Movement. Other courses which are available include drug and alcohol interventions, vocational skills such as catering  -  and put to practical use in The Clink restaurant,  as well as hair and beauty courses, art and design and horticulture. Most of these courses are contracted out, reflecting present day politics in our wider society.  There is also a recycling skills workshop for dismantling T.V.s  which is run and paid for by an outside contractor. So popular is this, that a number of women have gone to work in this industry on release.

The mother and baby unit is also provided by an outside agency; here pregnant and nursing mothers can keep their children with them  until they are eighteen months old. Society as a whole with all its problems, is of course reflected in the prison population; inadequacies in the care system, mental health issues, drug taking and marital breakdown can all be triggers for offending behaviour, which if sufficiently serious, can eventually lead to prison. Only 20% of offenders are sentenced for serious crimes which necessitate long sentences, the remaining 80% are  short term, which means that it is more difficult to  offer stability and treatment for their numerous problems, and to encourage them to face up to their wrongdoing and the effect this has on those closest to them.                                                                                    

A warm vote of thanks was given to Anastasia by Chairman Stuart Kinsey.  

The next meeting, on Wednesday 21st March will be the A.G.M. of the Trust, and this will be followed by a presentation of the Trust's Millennium Project  -  a series of photographs showing the changes which have taken place over the last eighteen years. All are welcome.

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Last week, 17th January, members of Wilmslow Civic Trust enjoyed an informative talk from Robert Parker, Head of Communications at the headquarters of the Information Commission, based here in Wilmslow. If, like this writer, your understanding of the role of this organization is somewhat sketchy, then this talk would have provided much needed clarification! The Commissioner ( who has a five year term), is a Royal Appointment, is independent of government, and is answerable to Parliament; he or she, is supported in this work by a Board of Management. The office was established by the Data Protection Act in 1984; Wilmslow was the chosen location for the head office for the very practical reason that the first Commissioner, Eric Howe, lived in the area! Over the years, responsibilities increased, and Freedom of Information as well as data protection became part of the remit. The name was then changed to the Information Commissioners Office.

The Commission was set up to ensure data privacy for individuals, and to promote opening up of public bodies - Freedom of Information. These responsibilities are enforced via a series of regulations which cover the three Kingdoms, as well as some international duties, where large businesses are trans national. The I.C.O. encourages good practice, deals with complaints i.e. breaches of data protection, or refusal to allow F.o.I.s and gives advice to organizations and businesses, and it takes action if there is non - compliance with the rules. The Ministry of Justice is responsible for information rights, and finances the work of the Commission.

Public trust in the ability of organizations to store personal information safely, stands at only 20%, and only 8% of us understand how personal information is passed on to other organizations. Fines can be imposed when major breaches occur, as with the recent case of Carphone Warehouse which was fined £4000,000 for putting customer's data at risk. Fines and bad publicity act as a deterrent and hopefully make the public feel that the regulator can and will act when necessary. Personal data must be lawfully processed, not kept longer than strictly necessary, be securely kept, have a clear need to be gathered in the first place, and should not be sent abroad, unless to a country where the same standards apply. Recent legislation will strengthen protection - any data loss must now be reported; at present it is only public bodies which must do this.

A high level of technical expertise is required for this work - many investigators are ex police - and and as the workload increases, so does the workforce. There are around 250.000 calls every year and just under 500,000 phone calls to the I.C.O. . Problems may be reported by, for example,whistle blowers, and by journalists, but these often come only after a breach of the rules. Most organizations recognise the importance of data protection and consult and seek support from the Commission rather than risk fines and bad publicity. Following earlier refreshments, a vote of thanks was given and the next meeting announced. This will be a talk given by the Governor of Styal Prison on Wednesday 21st February - usual venue in the library at 7.30 for 7.45 All are welcome, whether members or not.

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At the first of the winter meetings of the Wilmslow Civic Trust, members and friends enjoyed an entertaining and informative talk  from Chief Inspector Rob Dickinson, who is based in Macclesfield, and Sergeant John O'Driscoll, based at the Wilmslow police station, on  policing in our area.  Although many aspects of policing have changed over the years, the basic need for people to feel safe, and to know that if help is requested, police will respond, has never changed.   

Tracing the role of the police from the first 'peelers',  who were dubbed  citizens in uniform,to the present day, when police are generally seen in patrol cars, C.I. Dickinson outlined some of the challenges police have to contend with, amongst which are austerity and the resulting cuts, (which are taking place despite an  increasing population), public scrutiny, and a decline in moral authority.  Despite these factors, we still have policing by consent, and fortunately, they generally go unarmed.

It was no surprise to hear that Wilmslow and the surrounding districts are very safe  areas in which to live. As everywhere, there is the usual sprinkling of burglaries and anti - social behaviour, as well as a great deal of speeding and bad parking, but considerably less than in adjacent  boroughs.  How to cope with  the latter problem is for C.E.C to solve, as the number of residents and their cars increases, without the delivery of car parking provision. Contrary to public perception, police crack down on  vehicle related contraventions  in order to maintain public safety, and not to swell the coffers - changing attitudes to speed is needed to save lives which is the purpose of catching  those breaking the limits.

These days, community engagement is seen as a priority to deter potential law breaking and general disorder, so that liaison with schools and clubs forms a large part of police work. C.I. Dickinson was keen to find out from the audience what the priorities of the general public are - whether it might be scams and online bullying, cycling on pavements, vehicle related crime, or drug taking. Police always welcome information from the public, which helps to build a picture of local trouble spots, even if these seem to be relatively minor, because knowledge can help in reducing future problems.

Dealing with drug use in pubs and clubs is a complex issue involving the potential to close down the premises involved, which may then result in a boarded up property and loss of jobs, an outcome welcomed by nobody.  Residents will be pleased to know that contrary to rumour, there are no plans to close the local station, which is manned by Sergeant O'Driscoll and his team of five PC.s and four PCSO.s.

Having enjoyed refreshments before the meeting and answered questions from the audience a warm vote of thanks was given by W.C.T. chairman Stuart Kinsey along with a donation to the Police Benevolent Fund. The next meeting will be on January 17th and will be a talk from the Information Commissioner, who is based in Wilmslow.

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A group of Wilmslow Trust members visited an amazing 15th century relic, standing in the heart of urban Salford. Ordsall Hall, despite the best efforts of wartime bombs and  encroaching developments in the area, sits amongst offices and high rise modern  homes oblivious of modernity.  Once the seat of the Radclyffe family, who lived in the house for more than 300 years, it has variously been the home of the Victorian artist Frederic Shields, a school for clergy, a working men's club, and during WW2, a radio station. 

In 1959, after the death of the owner, the last Lord Egerton, it was purchased by Salford Council and in 1972, opened to the public. It is likely there was a house on this spot by 1251, which by 1380 had increased in size to a property with a Hall, five chambers, a kitchen and a chapel. The estate included three farms, two shippons, a granary, a dovecote and a windmill, as well as eighty six acres of land. Quite a test of the imagination to visualise this today!

In 1499 the Dutch theologian Erasmus stayed at the Hall, but was most definitely not impressed. He wrote "the floors are made of clay and are covered with layers of rushes, constantly replenished, so that the bottom layer remains for twenty years harbouring spittle, vomit, the urine of dogs and men, the dregs of beer, the remains of fish and other nameless filth".

Fortunately for visitors of today, it is much improved since that time. In 1700 the "clear waters" of the River Irwell, flowing nearby, were filled with trout, grayling and salmon, but 200 years later, in 1900,the Industrial Revolution had made irreversible changes to the area, and the surroundings were described as 'a wilderness of mean and dirty streets.' Looking back to 1666, the Hearth Tax Survey revealed Ordsall to be the largest house in Salford, with nineteen hearths to its credit; it seems it's never been cheap to stay warm!

The Hall remained occupied, although greatly dilapidated, until 1871. By 1896 it was a case of demolish or refurbish, which fortunately, Lord Egerton, by that time the owner, decided to do, employing the Manchester architect Alfred Darbyshire to carry out the work at a cost of £6,000. With the passage of time, restoration once again became an issue. Fundraising was started and by 2008 £1m had been raised. The Heritage Lottery Fund then gave £4m, which enabled a thoroughgoing restoration and refurbishment to take place, which has allowed this fascinating building to be seen, used and appreciated by present day visitors.

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A baker’s dozen of Wilmslow Civic Trust members  recently enjoyed a nostalgic walk round Fulshaw Park, guided by local historian, Ray Acton. We were taken back two centuries, to a time of fields and smallholdings, when the properties on the corners of what is now Fulshaw Park and Fulshaw Park South were both farmhouses with stockyards and animal pens.  

The triangle of nineteenth and twentieth century villas, a few of which we can see today, was developed mostly in the second half of the nineteenth century, with the coming of the railway, and the move of the rising middle classes away from the increasingly  unpleasant and less hospitable areas of Manchester. The landowner, Mr. Jenkins of Harefield Hall, set strict conditions for the buildings on his land, both in terms of the materials used, and the layout within their ample gardens, along with the banning of any trade or manufacturing in the Park.  There was a sweetener offered to prospective residents in the shape of free first class train travel to and from Manchester for a period of twenty one years!

FulshawPark gates in all their splendour (Stockton Rd end)...about 1910

Gradually, after a century or so, many of these houses became too large for modern needs, as well as being very expensive to run; some have been demolished and replaced by flats and smaller family houses. Half a dozen homes are now sited on the footprint and grounds of what was once a single grand villa.  Gardeners’ cottages, lodges and outhouses, albeit with modifications, have become desirable houses in their own right. There are however, still  the remnants of the many fine gardens which were nurtured here, with their specimen trees, of which around one hundred and sixty have T.P.O.s on them, and fortunately, some of the original houses still stand to give us a flavour of Wilmslow in an earlier century. 

Looking at the Observation on Fulshaw Park

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On a grey but dry day, sixteen members and guests mastered the Runcorn Expressway and parts of Astmoor Industrial Estate to find Tudor Road, home to Norton Priory.

The first priory was located much nearer the centre of Runcorn ‘old’ town but in 1134 the dozen or so Augustinian canons relocated to the present site.

After a coffee we met the Curator / Archaeologist who took us on a fascinating tour first to the extensive undercroft and remaining superstructure which is now enclosed by the modern museum, just as the Georgian and Victorian houses, home to the Brooke family had done.

We saw the finest Norman archway in Cheshire and the twice life size statue of St Christopher c14. Then to the two large museum halls, the upper dedicated to the evolving plan form of the Priory and later houses, shown by way of models. The lower museum showed the lifestyle of the canons and their diseases together with finds from the excavations which were started by Runcorn New Town in 1970. These include the most elaborate c13 cloister arcade and extensive tiling.

We made our own way to the external remains – chancel, choir, nave etc and the many stone coffins.

After a good lunch in the main café many visited the extensive gardens of quince trees, walnuts, kiwi, giant magnolia still flowering before a final cup of tea in the garden café.

A very enjoyable day!

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On Thursday 8 June  members of Wilmslow Civic Trust enjoyed a fascinating tour of the garden at Quarry Bank Mill with Sarah, the head gardener.

We were welcomed by Eleanor Underhill, the General Manager of the Quarry Bank Estate, who put the garden in the context of the current improvements at Quarry Bank which are costing £9.5 million. These include the restoration of the glasshouse in the upper garden, installing a passenger lift in the Mill, a new visitor centre, and opening the shop and one of the cottages in the village to the public.

We were shown the impressive new work shed and potting up area and then taken into the wonderful restored glasshouse. The hand made glass, although much more expensive than ordinary glass, eliminates reflection and the attractive panes are designed to facilitate run off of water.

It is interesting that although the Gregs were keen to be at the forefront of modern technology the heating system in the glasshouse is in fact based on the Roman hypocaust!

We saw the restored dipping pond. Not, as some people apparently think, for skinny dipping but for dipping your watering can.

Quarry Bank received a substantial gift specifically for plants for the garden. Part of this has been used for a spectacular bed of peonies and iris.

Sarah showed us Ferny Brow, a steep bank on which she and her colleagues have planted luzula below the rhododendrons to help to keep down the weeds and also stabilise the bank. She also showed us a bed in the lower garden which has recently been planted to represent the coat of arms of the Greg family.

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At the April meeting of the Wilmslow Civic Trust, members enjoyed an informative talk from three members of the Neighbourhood Plan Group; Brian Donohue,, chairman, was supported by Terry Davenport who leads the Town Centre Group, and Martin Hoyle who leads the Residential and Design Group. The plan, which will cover all aspects of future development within the Wilmslow boundary , includes leisure facilities, transport, infrastructure and the natural environment. When the plan is completed and finally through the referendum stage, it will guide land usage for the next fifteen to twenty years. However, the Neighbourhood Plan sits below the Local Plan and cannot contradict or alter it.

Despite many households not receiving the first questionnaire, there was a good response from those who did get one, and it became clear that the natural environment featured significantly in people's enjoyment of the area - many residents emphasised the importance of open spaces, the countryside around, the many fine trees and hedges in the streetscapes as well as the much valued Carrs, whilst being significantly annoyed by the quantity of litter which is left in these lovely areas. The considerable loss of green belt which the Local Plan will bring about, as well as traffic, parking, (particularly long stay), lack of public transport, and empty shops, were all of varying degrees of concern. Terry Davenport, who is leading the Town Centre Group, mentioned some of the problems and ideas which are under discussion, such as more use being made of space above shops for living accommodation, the possibility of two - storey car parking at the station and on Broadway Meadow, but inevitably funding would be an issue for these projects. Many residents expressed a wish for the re-opening of the Rex cinema - unfortunately an unlikely possibility. Grove Street and the Tesco block were both heavily criticised, whilst most people appreciated that the town had a good variety of shops and restaurants and was easily walkable. Martin Hoyle voiced the concerns of many respondents who were worried at the loss of character in the area because of development, and many commented adversely on the quality of some planning decisions. The need for a variety housing was recognised.

If all the proposals in the Local Plan come to fruition there will eventually be eleven thousand new houses within four miles of Wilmslow, and therefore policies need to be in place to stop developers doing whatever they wish, and ameliorating the impact of any development. It is hoped that the draft plan will be ready by the end of August; it will then go forward for a further series of consultations and after amendments, it will go to an independent inspector. The final stage will be a referendum on the plan in about eighteen months time. Brian Donahue emphasised the importance of wide participation in the drawing up of the plan as well as the eventual referendum, because future development will have to take account of its findings and because of its long term implications. The meeting ended with an appreciative vote of thanks to the speakers from Kieth Beckett. It is clear that all involved in the formation of the Neighbourhood Plan are giving a great amount of time and expertise to its formulation. The W.C.T. summer programme will consist of a series of visits and a guided walk around historic Fulshaw Park - details here.

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Last Wednesday, 15th March, the Trust held its A.G.M followed by a talk on the history and future developments at Tatton Hall. Chairman Stuart Kinsey welcomed and thanked members and friends for their support during the year, outlined the work of committee members who have, variously been sorting and archiving the accumulated paperwork of over fifty years work, since the Trust was founded, making submissions to Cheshire East Council over contentious planning applications, as well as participating in the development of the Neighbourhood Plan.

Stuart gave a warm vote of thanks and a gift to the retiring treasurer of the Trust, Roger Bugler, for his thirty years of unstinting service.

Presentation to Roger Bugler for over 30 years service as Treasurer of the Trust

As there were no nominations, the executive committee was elected en- bloc. If there are any readers who are interested in our work and could offer some secretarial help, they would be very welcome indeed.

The group then enjoyed an excellent talk given by Brendan Flanagan, General Manager at Tatton Park. He gave an account of the growth and development of the park from a private estate to the popular public attraction we all enjoy today. The estate stretches to two thousand acres, of which around half is open to the public, the rest being farmed. The house and gardens as we see them today date from the 18thc. and were designed by the Wyatts and Humphrey Repton. Following generations of Egertons altered and developed the house and grounds, though parts, such as the Japanese Garden, eventually became overgrown. This area was restored in 2001, with the help of a Professor from Osaka University.

In 1958, Maurice Egerton, the last of the line, died, and the estate was left to the National Trust, in lieu of death duties. After this a joint 100 year lease was drawn up with Cheshire County Council - as it was - now C.E.C. who finance and manage the estate. The estate costs £4m p.a. to run, with £1 m of that coming as a subsidy from C.E.C. . All the money coming from the 850,000 visitors each year goes into running the estate, none goes the C.E.C. One third of this income comes from car entry, (entry is free to those who walk in) and this forms the bedrock of its funds.

There are 21 listed building and structures to be conserved, as well as nationally important art and artefact collections to be looked after. In 2014 Tatton received a Gold Award for a large visitor attraction and is in the top twenty attractions in the north - west. As part of income generation over 100 high profile events are held each year, but these have to be balanced with the need to conserve and maintain the landscape. There is an ongoing £8m investment programme amongst which developments have been the opening of the Gardeners Cottage as a restaurant, the upgrading of the Stables Restaurant, and improvements to the Knutsford entrance and the Jubilee Gazebo.

The farm is now focusing on food production and healthy eating, and the main stable yard will eventually become an attraction in its own right, with demonstrations and workshops, artisan crafts, presentations, talks and exhibition spaces. Long term Brendan emphasised that ensuring financial sustainability and reducing reliance on the council was an important aim, alongside, of course, conservation of the estate as a whole. Members enjoyed a fascinating insight into the running of this Cheshire gem, and warm thanks were given to Brendan by Chairman Stuart Kinsey.

Brendan Flanagan, General Manager at Tatton Park with Chairman, Stuart Kinsey

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At last week’s meeting, members and friends enjoyed a fascinating journey back in time, to 1772 and the founding of the Lindow Workhouse Trust.

Richard Briggs, and Jacqueline Bilsborough, ( chairman and former clerk), gave a fascinating insight into how the Trust was formed, and how it carries on its work of supporting local people in need, up the present day.

The Lindow Workhouse Trust was set up and funded by a number of benevolent local worthies, with the aim of relieving poverty in the area, exacerbated in part by accelerating industrialization and the reduction in domestic production. Work such as silk button making and handloom weaving, hitherto performed at home, and often involving a whole family, gradually became factory based, and with that change came a good deal of dislocation and hardship.

The Trust members, amongst whom were, Humphrey Trafford, the Earl of Stamford, and Samuel Finney, between them donated forty -three Cheshire acres, (about twice the size of a standard acre). The land was let out to farmers, the rents providing income to fund the Workhouse and those in greatest need of support.

The workhouse was built on Altrincham Road on the site of the present day Gorsey Bank school. The cost was £1,031.

After 1836, when the Knutsford workhouse was built, the inmates were moved there, and in 1840, the Lindow workhouse was converted to dwellings and tenanted.

It was finally sold to Cheshire County Council in 1938 and demolished. However, the income from rents continued to be used to help those whose employment was either erratic or low paid. Gradually, the land was sold off, the last plot in 1994 for £60,000.

Now the money is held in the Charities Investment Fund, yielding an income of around £12,000 p.a. Grants are given for a range of needs, from heating for the elderly, to school uniforms for youngsters. Where possible, the Trustees try to ensure that local suppliers are used, so that the virtuous circle is maintained within the local community. Jacqueline and Richard brought along an interesting collection of old photographs and minutes books which, after the break for refreshments, prompted lots of questions from the audience. A vote of thanks was given by Ray Acton.

The 1773 workhouse in the 1930's when it housed several families who paid rent to the Lindow Trustees. The large stone commemorates the gift of the Common to the people of Wilmslow Parish by Alderman Royle, a Manchester Councillor and merchant who lived on Manchester Road and who bought the land from Lord Stamford and the de Traffords. It commemorates Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, 1897.

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The speaker at last weeks Trust meeting was local historian Ray Acton, who gave a fascinating account of daily life in Wilmslow in 1916. He described how it was hoped that The Big Push would bring the war to an end; that was a vain expectation, and with the launch of the Zeppelin, came the extra and terrifying dimension of aerial bombardment. Locally, aside from the loss of life which was keenly felt every where, the major problems centred around the sharp reduction in the male labour force. As a consequence, women were recruited into jobs formerly held by men, and those traditionally done by women such as housekeeping were left vacant. As there were around thousand female servants looking after the many large houses , their move onto farms and into factories and shops , accelerated the development of the numerous household appliances we have today.

Shop work, hitherto a male preserve, gradually opened up to women, giving them more money and independence - a status they were not prepared to relinquish in 1918. Farming, an integral part of the fabric of Wilmslow, had over a hundred registered dairy farmers, with forty milking sheds and supported by one hundred and eighty labourers. Despite the use of P.O.W.s and the lowering of the school leaving age for boys going into farming, the shortage of male hands made the government fearful that food production could fall, with consequent price rises. Cheshire Education Committee therefore set up training schemes for women to learn farming skills, ploughing and dairy work, as well as shop management and book - keeping.

When Zeppelins hit Bolton, fear and panic spread, but the false alarms were so frequent that eventually the sirens were switched off ! Care was taken however to keep night time lighting to a minimum, with the pressure of town gas reduced for street lighting and strict blackout regulations enforced by Special Constables. Despite all the difficulties and sadness of wartime, determination to beat the enemy never wavered, and the Government produced a series of morale boosting films, one of which, 'Britain Prepared', drew scathing comment from an American critic, who claimed that 'this film has all the inspiration of a hardware catalogue'. Positive Government planning also raised morale, with social housing and new council offices on the agenda at the wars end.

By 1916 there had been many irreversible changes, nationally and locally, attitudes towards women , and their changing roles, as well as to government and society as a whole. Refreshments and a lively question and answer session followed.

The next meeting of the Wilmslow Civic Trust will be on Wednesday 15th February at 7.45 in Wilmslow Library, when Richard Briggs and Jacqueline Bilsborough will talk about the continuing work of The Lindow Workhouse Trust. Members free - non members welcome - £2 on the door. Any enquiries 01625 526547

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The first meeting of the winter season took off on October 19th, with Anna Russell, Head of Communications at Manchester Airport, giving the audience an informative update on future developments.

Since the first flights at Ringway, as it was, in 1930, through increasing traffic over the next thirty years, the airport has seen many alterations and upgrades. From around 1.5m passengers in 1997, to the 22m mark by 2007, Manchester Airport has seen steady growth and improvements. This latest development will see an investment of £1b, funded and owned by Manchester City Council, other Local Authorities, and I.F.M. an Australian pension fund.

The current refurbishment comprises a transformed Terminal 2, which will be expanded by 140%; this will eventually have a direct link to a revamped Terminal 3 and is expected to increase passenger numbers from the current 25m to around 50m. 
There will be improved transfer facilities enabling direct access between aircraft and terminal, links between buildings, improved and automated baggage check in and reclaim, plus more stands and piers for aircraft. This will be alongside over fifty food and drinks outlets and a reconfiguration of the Duty Free area, so that the endless trek can be curtailed if passengers don't wish to shop!

The infrastructure around the airport will also be improved, with links to Airport City and HS2 and HS3 playing an important role in the increase in passenger numbers. The whole programme will be phased over ten years with, it is hoped, minimal disruption to passengers, airlines and the local community.

All the building will be within the current boundary, and in due course, the public will be able to respond to the proposals.

The number of jobs is projected to double from 20,000 now, to 40,000 within 30 years, and for 70 airlines to be using the facility, reaching 210 destinations. 

Impressive plans which should cement Manchester's claim to be at the centre of the Northern Powerhouse.

Refreshments and a question and answer session rounded off a very interesting evening. 

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The Lion Salt works at Marston near Northwich is the last remaining open pan salt works. It closed as a works in 1986 and is now preserved as a ‘museum’ as a Grade 2 listed building.

Founded in 1894 by the Thompson family in the coal yard of the Red Lion Hotel, the same family ran it until its closure. It started with a brine shaft, tank, engine-house and one pan and one stove house. Soon the Red Lion Hotel was demolished to make way for two further pan and stove houses and two cottages were converted into the Red Lion Inn. Further pan and stove houses were added in 1954 and 1965 with over 90% of the salt being exported, largely to West Africa.

The process was simple – pump water down the borehole and back up as brine. Let the salt settle out in the pans with the application of heat via flues (similar to Pilkington hotties) from the coal and later oil fired stove house. Then skim the salt off into wooden boxes to be tipped out as blocks or crushed to a powder.

The works lost out in the BBC Restoration programme in 2004 but the Restoration Trust applied for Heritage Lottery Funding and in 2008 received £5m towards the £7m cost. The buildings and contents became scheduled as an Ancient Monument!

In 2009 Cheshire West & Chester Council acquired the site and Lottery Funding was increased to £10m. The site reopened in June 2015 and this year was named by the National Lottery as the best UK Heritage Project.

Around a dozen members and friends met for coffee in the pleasant on site café. We then had a guided tour around the extensive site ending with an environmental exhibition in the display area before having a good lunch in the Salt Barge Pub opposite. A very rewarding trip and many thanks to Keith Osborne for organizing it.

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Seventeen members, starting at the Parish Hall carpark, stood on the sites once occupied by a maypole, air raid shelters, a river ox-bow, the original road from Manchester, village garden plots later built on to become Wilmslow's second working-class housing development,the River Bollin before it was moved from near the church's west tower,a once-prestigious bowling green and a disused quarry ----- all within a few hundred yards of the carpark.

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22 members of the Trust enjoyed a fascinating tour of the new AVRO Museum at Woodford

The walls were decorated with murals of the various planes produced by the company. A picture of the Lancaster includes Vivien Leigh!

There are displays of planes - from the earliest, produced by Mr A V Roe in the disused stables of a friend in 1905 - right through to the Nimrod reconnaissance aircraft which was scrapped (literally) by the Coalition Government in 2011. 

We were told about the intrepid women who, during WW2, delivered new and repaired planes to operational sites. On one occasion, when she arrived, the lady was asked ‘Where is the pilot?’ She replied ‘I am’, but they didn’t believe her and climbed up the ladder looking for him!

We were shown how to locate an enemy submarine, had air-to air refuelling explained, and allowed into the cockpit of a Vulcan.

Many thanks to AVRO and to its enthusiastic and knowledgeable guides.

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Private guided tour of Gawsworth Hall. 2pm. £6 pp(max 24), followed by optional tea on self-pay basis.

On a sunny afternoon, twenty members of the Trust enjoyed a fascinating tour around Gawsworth Hall. Originally built in the 15th century, the house has of course evolved over the years, to fulfil the needs of its various owners - remarkably only five families since 1480. 

We learned from Timothy Richards, Gawsworth's current owner, not only something of its long history and its role in Elizabethan politics, but that first and foremost, it has always been a family home, albeit a very fine one, rather than a stately home, which would have been built to emphasise the power and wealth of their owners.

The house is full of personal memorabilia and is evidently loved and cherished by its present incumbents.Having said that, the Fittons, residents during the reign of Elizabeth 1st and parents of Mary, maid of honour to the Queen, made vast improvements to the estate in the hope and expectation of a Royal visit. Unfortunately, the Fitton fortunes were reversed, when Mary was sent home from court pregnant and in disgrace; the upshot being no Royal visit, but a legacy for subsequent generations of a very fine garden, lakes and parkland.

The enjoyable afternoon was rounded off by a visit to the tearoom, with the scent of new-mown grass in the air, as preparations were being made for this seasons series of theatrical and musical productions which take place in the gardens.

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The meeting room in Wilmslow Library was filled to capacity on 20 April , when Adrian Fisher, Head of Planning Strategy, gave a talk to members and friends of Wilmslow Civic Trust on progress so far of the Development Plan put forward by Cheshire East. Adrian Fisher succeeded in steering a neutral and uncontroversial course through the history of Town Planning and the Green Belt, going back to Biblical times and forward to 19c and 20c ideas of planning, which was to enhance Public Health and prevent urban sprawl.

It should be recognised that the designation of Green Belt does not necessarily signify landscape quality, rather, it defines open space around urban development. Hitherto, in this area, there has been no need to encroach on Green Belt land but now, perceived housing needs coupled with government policy demand the lifting of restrictions in certain areas.

The target for house building is some 200, 000 units p.a. currently the reality is around 150,000 units. All Green Belt is graded according to a traffic light system, with green denoting a site of major importance, those offering a significant contribution designated amber, with those considered less significant being red. Reviewing the Green Belt is a rare occurrence, but this is the time for such a review because of overriding housing needs. 

The plan, as originally submitted, was rejected, it seems, because there was insufficient housing planned for the projected economic growth. The land under review is designated either for immediate development, or is 'safeguarded' for future development. Following the previous pause, there are now newly included areas of land at Little Stanneylands, with 200 houses, Heathfield Farm with 150 houses, plus 9 ha of safeguarded land at Upcast Lane - only to be used if essential because of acknowledged traffic problems. Alongside the Development plan, there is an infrastructure plan being mapped out, which assesses future needs for schools and health care.

There was, not surprisingly, a lively Q&A session at the end of the talk, with concerns being expressed over effects on house prices, air quality, pressure on schools and other infrastructure. Questions remain on how effective the period of consultation has been, and what influence individual views are likely to have on the Plan.

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Following the formal part of the A.G.M. refreshments, and adoption of the new title , the Wilmslow Civic Trust enjoyed a lively and informative talk given by the chairman of Wilmslow Business Group.

Catherine Mackenzie outlined the aims and ambitions of the group for the future of the town.Any business or community group can join the association, the only proviso is a keen interest in the area - plus a subscription. 

The objectives are to make the town the best it can be, to bring vibrancy and interest into the town, to develop business, and to provide support to members wanting to promote and enhance their enterprise. The group have been instrumental in organising various events, such as the Motor Show, the Art Trail, Food and Drink Week, and encouraging the Artisan Market. 

Future events being planned are a Wellbeing Week and Community Awards.The latter are given for those individuals who offer 'service with a smile', and the last one was given to an outstanding assistant at the Sainsbury's store.

The Group work not only with the business community, but also with Wilmslow High School, where they help with mock interviews, and careers advice, as well as with the Town Council, Cheshire East, local churches, Incredible Edible, and other voluntary organizations . 

The Wilmslow Neighbourhood Plan is an important opportunity for businesses to put forward their views on the future development of the town and to make concrete suggestions that they feel would benefit the area, such as improved parking facilities. The evening was rounded off by the speaker fielding a variety of wide ranging questions. 

As many Wilmslow residents will know, The Civic Trust also have an awards system, which are given for well designed buildings, or alterations to existing buildings which enhance the locality. Nominations , which can be for housing or commercial premises, would be most welcome.

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Members of Wilmslow Trust were given an interesting and informative talk by Jerry Hawker, Chief Executive of Cheshire East Clinical Commissioning Group. He outlined the very complex structure of the NHS and the section of it occupied by Clinical Commissioning Groups which replaced Primary Care Trusts following the 2013 reorganisation.

The figures cited were immense. The NHS is the fifth largest employer in the world, employing 1.6 million people, with a commensurate annual budget of £111 billion.

Despite this, and contrary to popular belief, management costs are a relatively modest 2.6% of the total, and in 2014, the Commonwealth Fund rated the NHS the best and most efficient care system worldwide.

Of the £240 million spent by Cheshire East CCG, the largest slice, around 50%, goes on hospital care, the remainder on the day to day running costs with which most of us are familiar - mental health, ambulances, learning difficulties and community care, for example. 

In recent years, the private sector has also been part of the framework, and in East Cheshire is responsible for those with learning difficulties.

Planning is in hand to expand GP services with pre-operative assessments and some diagnostic tests being carried out at local surgeries. These plans, however, will depend on being able to recruit a sufficient number of doctors. It is also intended to rebuild integrated Community Teams, bringing nurses and therapists back into the community.

The question of choices was also mentioned, as well as the allocation of scarce resources. For example, should paracetamol or gluten-free food be available on prescription?

There were plenty of questions from the audience, and there was a lively discussion with many questions asked and answered, but no doubt very many more awaiting perhaps a future session.

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At their January meeting, members of the Wilmslow Trust enjoyed an interesting talk on the town centre redevelopment in Macclesfield, given by Keith Smith, Chairman of Macclesfield Civic Society.

Keith, himself a planning officer until his retirement, was well placed to point out the strengths and drawbacks of the various parts of the town centre, from its 18th century terraced houses and cobbled streets, to some of the less pleasing 1970s additions. The refurbishment of some Georgian houses, until recently used as offices, near the Town Hall and within walking distance of the Treacle Market, and now leased as affordable homes, have proved very popular indeed. On a different scale, some larger fine redundant buildings have also been converted to living space.

Following the collapse of the large characterless town centre project last year, Cheshire East and Macclesfield Town Council, together with economic, social and environmental groups, have come together on a regular basis to discuss future planning. There is encouragement for independent enterprise, for example, the award winning butchers, Carters, where the meat goes all the way from farming to pie making under the same family ownership. Keith emphasised how fortunate we are to have the tradition, in this country, of strong non-governmental movements, such as Civic Societies as trips to some parts of the world show that civic pride and involvement is clearly lacking.

Refreshments and questions rounded off an interesting and enjoyable evening.

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Thanks to Cheshire East Ranger, Paul, for a fascinating guided walk round Lindow Common. We learnt just a tiny fragment of the way the Common is managed to support so many plants birds bugs and beasties, many of them rare.

With Cheshire East Ranger, Paul

Sundew, a carniverous plant

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About fifteen members and friends were treated to an excellent tour of Robinson's Brewery in Stockport. We were shown both the old brewery, with its copper vats, and the recently installed state of the art, energy efficient, brew house.

Our guide, Graham, took us through the processes from the water, barley coming in, being crushed, heated etc, in huge vats, followed by the addition of malt, hops and yeast.

After fermentation, the beer looked and tasted delicious, and it would have been churlish of us not to sample a few of the many different beers, including Dizzy Blonde, Twisted Sister and Trooper!

For more details about Robinson's Brewery, and a more accurate account of the brewing process, please see www.robinsonsbrewery.com