Inside Bramhall Issue 72

inside December 2018 - january 2019

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Issue 72

bramhall

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inside b r a m h a l l December is fast approaching as I write this; I find it rather unnerving how quickly Christmas comes around every year, and whilst a part of me is a bit ‘bah humbug’ when the shops get their Christmas displays up in October, I do love how the lights everywhere brighten up the short days and long, dark evenings!

Talking of which, I’ve taken up a new hobby which finds me pounding the pavements of Poynton on a couple of those dark evenings every week! When I saw that a friendly group of local runners were offering a C25K programme in September, I decided to give it a go. For those who don’t know C25K is a way of building up from doing little or no running, to comfortably running 5K, in about 8 weeks.

Not only can I easily run 5K now, I enjoy it and I’ve also met a lovely group of very supportive people.

Next stop parkrun, fun, free, weekly timed 5K runs held all over the country! www.parkrun.org.uk Have a great Christmas everyone and please keep supporting your local businesses.

See you in 2019

What’s INSIDE this month 4 simply books book club choice 7 Diary of a Geeky Knitter 8 eating out at The Bridge, Prestbury 11 the star of wonder 15 In Touch 20 Recipe 23 Lucy’s Travel 27 The Stress Solution 28 Puzzles 31 Winter Bling 32 The Walk 34 INSIDE People 37 Middleport Pottery

41 The Holly Bears the Crown 15 45 Just 4 Kids 46 Children’s Activities 48 Charles Hawtrey at The Forum 51 INSIDE Guide 58 Puzzle Solutions 61 Useful Numbers 62 Classified Index

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Editor: Claire Hawker

Tel: 01625 879611

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Inside Magazines, 352a Park Lane, Poynton, Cheshire SK12 1RL. email: info@insidemagazines.co.uk www.insidemagazines.co.uk Light Up Bramhall by Nadine Mansfield.

Copy deadline for the next issue: Friday 11 january

Inside Bramhall is produced by Inside Magazines Ltd. We cannot be held responsible for views expressed by contributors or any advert content, including errors or omissions, or endorse companies, products or services that appear in this magazine. We endeavour to ensure that all local information given in this magazine is accurate, but we cannot always guarantee this. © Copyright Inside Magazines Ltd 2018. Material from this magazine may not be reproduced without prior written permission from Inside Magazines Ltd.

Design and artwork by Spring Creative | www.spring-creative.co.uk | 01925 714203

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simply books book club choice I don’t know when I last enjoyed a book as much as A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. In June 1922 Count Alexander Rostov is taken from the Kremlin across Red Square and through the elegant revolving doors of the Hotel Metropol. Having been judged an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, the Count has been sentenced to indefinite house arrest within the confines of the hotel. Moreover, evicted from his usual suite the Count must now live in an attic room while outside the grandeur, Russia suffers decades of tumultuous upheaval.

This is such an elegantly written novel. Witty, intelligent and a pleasure to read. Far from being constrained by his circumstances the Count rises above the petty degradations imposed by his captors and creates a life rich with incident and enhanced by the charm and delight of friendship. Tracking the Count’s life over a span of 30 years there’s also the fascinating backcloth of postrevolutionary Russian history.

I was daunted initially by the length of the book (nearly 500 pages) but there’s something about the style of the writing and the story you are being told which is quite captivating – a delight from beginning to end!

This time of year always brings a crop of ‘stocking fillers’ – books that will hopefully entertain and raise a laugh or two. With this in mind you might like to have a peek at some of the following: Must I Repeat Myself…? is a further collection of unpublished letters to The Daily Telegraph; The GCHQ Puzzle Book II invites you to pit your wits against puzzles set by some of the toughest codebreakers around; and just in case you feel you haven’t heard enough about BREXIT (!) there’s a new Ladybird Book for Grown-Ups on The Story of BREXIT. Finally, this is going to be something of a ‘Mary Poppins’ Christmas with a new film out at the cinema.

And by magical coincidence Children’s Laureate Lauren Child has created an exquisite reimagining of PL Travers’ much classic – illustrated in Lauren’s very own inimitable style. A ‘practically perfect’ gift this Christmas!

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Simply Books 228 Moss Lane, Bramhall, Cheshire SK7 1BD 0161 439 1436 www.simplybooks.info Open Tuesday to Saturday 9am to 5.30pm Andrew Cant

Diary of a geeky knitter Our Geeky Knitter has been super-busy recently, so this month’s Diary is about Jenny, instead of by her!

You may have heard her mention, just once or twice, the fact that she was getting married soon! Well, here are some photos to prove the great day arrived and, as we go to press, Jenny and her husband Ben will be on honeymoon. Where, you might ask? Where else other than Disneyworld, with a jam-packed two weeks racing around all the theme parks!

When Jenny said she was making her own wedding dress (bearing in mind this is someone who didn’t do sewing until she joined an evening class at Aquinas College some 3 or 4 years ago) I imagined she would be making something simple. How wrong I was! The dress was beautiful, expertly fitted, with a keyhole back detail, masses of floaty fabric in the skirt, and hand-stitched flowers all around the bottom. Is there no end to this young lady’s talents?

Similarly, at the reception there were little touches all around that she had supplied.

There was a subtle nod to their love of all things comic and gaming, with Pokémon table names, Marvel comic strip runners, made by Jenny of course, and hundreds of paper cranes (the feathered variety!), made by her brother, to add a splash of colour.

The ceremony was at St Thomas’ in High Lane. What a charming little church it is, looking particularly lovely in the Autumn sunshine.

It was a truly magical day from beginning to end and I felt honoured to be part of it. I’m sure you’ll join me in wishing Jenny and Ben every happiness for their married life.

Until next time, when hopefully the Geeky Knitter herself will be back!

jennythegeekyknitter@gmail.com www.thegeekyknitter.co.uk www.etsy.com/uk/shop/geeksgamesandknits

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Eating Out The Bridge, Prestbury As we walked through the hotel reception to the newly refurbished restaurant, it became very clear that The Bridge in Prestbury had not been shy in using a broad spectrum of colours to create a light and airy atmosphere for our midweek lunch. We were seated in front of the window which leads to the garden next to the river, and here, the various shades of green from the plants and vases provided a most pleasant backdrop for the meal which ensued.

The lunchtime menu has plenty to offer, from ‘titbits’ like chipolatas and hummus to brunch to sandwiches to salads to starters and mains, and there was a separate menu for desserts too.

There were only seven main courses on the menu, but we both still felt spoil for choice. I opted for the burger and fries and my partner chose the market fish of the day, which on that day involved sea bass, shrimps, with capers, new potatoes and samphire. My partner felt there might have been a caper or two too many, but that may say more about her own taste buds than it does about the overall dish.

The burger was substantial, not just in size, but also in taste. It sat upon a white bun base and was topped by a splendidly succulent flat top mushroom, Monterrey Jack cheese, some juicy bacon and an onion covering beneath the bun top. The fries were not piping hot, but the mayonnaise-based accompaniment went well with chips and burger alike.

We shared a taste from each plate, but I think I may have been short-changed on the sea bass – it had pretty much been demolished before I managed a

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look-in! That said, my burger didn’t last much longer either – very tasty and necessitating a pause in proceedings prior to dessert selection.

When this came, there was hesitation around the sticky toffee pudding and waffle, but instead we went for a pecan tart to share, along with a selection of cheeses. It’s fair to say that both these options met with much approval, especially the pecan tart, which was accompanied by a gorgeous ice cream and a blend of nuts and sauces.

The selection of three cheeses brought their own delicious flavours to proceedings. The accompaniments of grapes, celery, apple and onion chutney, quince jelly and a nut crunch, meant our slate was wiped at least fairly clean in a very short space of time!

Coffee came next, with popcorn on the side. This proved helpful as something to leave, if nothing else, to prove that we were discerning customers and we hadn’t just cleaned our plates for the sake of it!

With the bright blue skies encouraging an afternoon stroll, we thanked Josh for his kind attention and reflected on a more than enjoyable lunchtime at The Bridge. We look forward to our next visit, which may well be a Sunday roast – Josh says it’s worth a go, especially if you like gravy!

To book, call 01625 829326 www.thebridgecheshire.com Following the successful refurbishment of The Vicarage in Holmes Chapel, and The Courthouse in Knutsford, Flat Cap Hotels has recently restored this historic property to its former glory and reinstated it back into the community. A host of original features were uncovered during the refurbishment, including stone and parquet flooring and wooden beams throughout.

the STAR OF WONDER Gail Ashton speaks to Poynton-based Jenny Cooke, author of The Cross Behind Bars/Light Through Prison Bars and Storm and Other Stories, about her new children’s novel The Star of Wonder.

December 22nd, two years ago. For the first time in 40 years, Jenny Cooke has nothing to do this Christmas. She glances at the time. Three pm and the grandfather clock in the hall starts to chime, once, twice, three, four…ten times. She thinks, ‘weird!’ And carries on doing nothing.

At four, it chimes ten again. By the next afternoon, though it’s nearly Christmas, Jenny and her husband are driving to the clock mender’s in Alderley Edge. Jenny says, ‘I looked up before we went into his house and I could see The Edge rearing up, sort of lavender colour, and it looked flat, like a Chinese painting.’ The day was beautiful and ‘hanging in the atmosphere was a golden mist’ which made The Edge seem ‘like a magical land.’

Inside the house, and out of the blue, the clock mender asks, ‘would you like to see a ballerina?’ and opens an old-style music box complete with ballerina doll and Strauss waltz music. They drive home in silence. Jenny thinks, ‘I’ve just got to write this.’ She thinks about her grandchildren Martha and Stanley, about an adventure on The Edge, a week of Christmas and a child who loses a tinsel star. At the midnight service in church, the congregation sings ‘Star of wonder, star of night, ‘and I just suddenly thought, that’s the title.’ In the New Year, she spends weeks in Barnsley waiting for her daughter to give birth, often writing throughout the night. The chapters pour out.

Another story inspires Jenny’s first venture into children’s literature too and that is the story of her granddaughter who has a rare genetic condition called William’s Syndrome. I ask if it’s hard to write about real people.

She tells me that she’d waited a long time to be able to write about Martha, but once she and her brother had been given different names, they became ‘new people, and the characters sort of took off in their own ways.’

Being a former teacher of Children with Special Needs and having her own family were both important cues to help Jenny recall, two generations on, what it’s like to be that age. So, too, she could never have written such a book when she was younger; you need, she says, to make your characters like ‘real children’ and to have ‘love for your characters and for your story.’ Of course, not every character makes it through to the final cut.

Jenny says, ‘it’s like any relationship with a child; you can either foster it or it can die off.’ Jenny herself had ‘quite a difficult family background,’ and in later books she wants to explore the strains of family life even more. Jenny adds that she’s acutely aware of the impact of disability, something she’s witnessed both professionally and at first hand with her granddaughter, of how ‘through no fault of the child’ it ‘brings a huge packet of stress’ into family life, including for siblings. But support from family ‘was completely invaluable’ in writing this book.

Integral to the structure of The Star of Wonder are numerous time-slips and ‘magical’ elements, most of Continued over

by Gail Ashton

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them only apparent to the children. Jenny talks about time ‘as like a pleated skirt’, and of how the idea of ‘time being not time’ has been for her a ‘sense of a mystery that was going to be revealed,’ something she lets ‘float as a backdrop through my mind’ when she’s writing. She insists too that, though the novel is set at Christmas time and coloured by her faith, ‘the story has its own integrity.’

She says, ‘there’s got to be a lightness… I don’t want to persuade anybody.’

The Star of Wonder By Jenny Cooke Out on the mysterious Edge in Alderley, Sidney hopes to meet a wizard. He finds instead a silver coin that will change everything. Sidney, his sister Mandy and their friends, fall through the bounds of time, while an ancient miner from another world watches, and waits.

It took Jenny a long time in life to decide that what she was searching for in life was to write. Her grandfather was a journalist ‘and had quite a story to tell.’ She remarks that if she’d have thought more she might have realized ‘I was a bit of a chip off his old block.’ Writing is, for Jenny, her life-blood: ‘it feels right to me, I feel like a round peg in a round hole.’ Even during what she calls her desert years, that long gap between her earlier publications and this one, ‘I found I was still writing my journal and other bits’, and just couldn’t give up putting her thoughts down on paper.

I ask Jenny about which children’s books she most admires. She tells me that Tolkien and C.S. Lewis’s Narnia Chronicles are favourites, though she didn’t come to them until she was an adult. As a child, she would read Enid Blyton in one sitting while Rosemary Sutcliffe’s Eagle of the Ninth, which she heard on the radio, was her best book. Jenny even wrote to her to tell her she was a writer and received a hugely encouraging letter complete with a hand-drawing of a little mouse by way of reply. Her alltime favourite, though, also heard on the radio, is Tom’s Midnight Garden, complete with a grandfather clock just like The Star of Wonder.

Jenny insists she never planned a trilogy but ‘other ideas just came up my back’, and so ‘I must follow this thread while it’s there.’ The next two books will be darker, with Sidney and his family taken out of their comfortable existence, and the possible introduction of a couple of new characters, as well as excursions along the River Mersey, plus, of course, the developing story of the late Iron Age copper miner who is central to this first book.

I can’t wait to read them. In the meantime, here’s a synopsis of The Star of Wonder. Published by Tiny Tree Children’s Books, www.tinytreebooks.com it’s available to buy now from all good book shops including Simply Books Bramhall.

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Jenny’s Top Tips ■■ ‘Keep going (Jenny had a 15-year gap between books) and follow the thread while it’s there.’

■■ Keep a journal to record your ideas ■■ Join a writers’ group or workshop ■■ Edit your work. But not too soon.

■■ Seek the truth of the matter, be true to yourself, and learn to write it.

■■ Don’t give up the day job!

in touch your local community noticeboard december 2018 - january 2019

SANTA’S VILLAGE CHRISTMAS TOUR Santa’s Elves have been very busy lately. Not only have they been preparing the float to take Santa on his annual tour, but they have also been planning the routes around the villages.

Santa will begin his tour on Saturday 1 December, on Bramhall and Woodford Rotary Club’s Float, and will then be out and about for 16 nights in Bramhall, Woodford and Cheadle Hulme, meeting the children and finding out just what they would like for Christmas.

Once again, he will be visiting the Woodford Garden Village to see the boys and girls there.

The Christmas Float is a well-known fund raiser which has been in existence for over 40 years, raising thousands of pounds for many deserving causes in that time. This year 16 local organisations and charities will be visiting most of the streets in the area with Santa and undertaking a door to door collection. When you hear or see the float please encourage your young ones to go and see Santa, also please give generously. This year the Float is once again organised by Bramhall and Woodford Rotary Club and is being pulled by a van kindly loaned by Express Solicitors and supported by The Deanwater Hotel in Woodford.

Leaflets will be delivered to your door during November which will let you know which night he will be coming to your street to hear your Christmas wish list and bring you some early Christmas goodies.

After their continued success, SANTA STOPS will once again be a feature on certain weekend routes. Don’t forget to track him with the SantaTracker at www.bwrotary.org with daily information on the Facebook page (Bramhall and Woodford Rotary) and I Love Bramhall.

CAROLS & BRASS BY CANDLELIGHT St George’s Singers will be in action again on Saturday 8 December at 7pm with the traditional family concert, Carols and Brass by Candlelight at St George’s Church, Stockport (not Poynton!) The fabulous young musicians of Chetham’s Brass Ensemble and the delightful Bradshaw Hall Primary School Choir will be the Choir again. Included on the programme is the version of The Twelve Days of Christmas by Bob Chilcott which St George’s Singers performed last year at the Bridgewater Hall with John Rutter and which requires the classical choir to transform into a rock gospel choir, a barbershop quartet and a hard funk group! Mulled wine and mince pies (or juice and cakes) are included in the ticket price, and this year a coach is available from Poynton Civic Hall car park/Hazel Grove station.

Tickets are £13, £11 concessions, £4 students/children. Phone 01663 764012 or email tickets@st-georges-singers.org.uk or book and pay online at www.st-georges-singers.org.uk Continued over

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in touch - your local community noticeboard

I Love Bramhall 5th birthday I Love Bramhall is delighted to have marked five years of serving the community of Bramhall with a celebratory party, attended by dozens of Bramhall-based businesses, community figures and guest of honour Dr Erinma Bell MBE - Moss Side community peace activist and a Greater Manchester Deputy Lieutenant.

In November, newly-opened village restaurant Tre Ciccio hosted a fifth birthday celebration for I Love Bramhall, held in honour of the village’s businesses and key supporters. Rustic and welcoming, Tre Ciccio served up an array of tasty canapes with famed Italian hospitality. The event was attended by Bramhall councillors Mike Hurleston, Linda Holt and John McGahan, as well as representatives from many local businesses, community groups, schools and churches.

I Love Bramhall founder Wendy Green commented: “When I Love Bramhall first started out five years ago, I could only hope that it would become the success that it is today. The website has had more than a quarter of a million visits, which just goes to show what a fantastic resource it is - both for Bramhall’s residents and visitors.

“I Love Bramhall is so much Chelsea Shoesmith Photography more than a local business directory - it’s a community.

We work with hundreds of businesses, community groups, charities and more, raising the profile of Bramhall and everything our village has to offer. It was an absolute pleasure to hold this special celebration at newly opened Italian restaurant Tre Ciccio, which welcomed us so warmly.”

Wendy went on to make a special announcement: “I am delighted to announce the forthcoming launch of I Love Moss Side, which will be headed up in partnership with Moss Side community peace activist Dr Erinma Bell MBE. Together, we plan to create a resource that unites the community in the way that I Love Bramhall has.”

THANK YOU FROM CHRISTIAN AID Thank you to all the volunteers who collected and everyone who donated to Christian Aid via the house to house collections in May this year in Bramhall and Woodford – a total of £8,782 was raised locally and around £8 million nationally! This money helps support charities around the world helping people regardless of race, religion, gender etc,

Paul Lawrence (Bramhall and Woodford Christian Aid Committee) Continued over

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PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY

A ten week practical course based on Eastern and Western Philosophies shows how we can find answers to life’s pressing questions for a deeper understanding of ourselves, our world, the purpose of life, and gives a fresh way of dealing with the challenges we face every day.

THERE IS A SINGLE PAYMENT OF £10 TO COVER ADMINISTRATION COSTS BUT NO CHARGE FOR THE INTRODUCTORY COURSE ITSELF

WHAT IF....... ......YOU COULD LIVE THE VERY BEST LIFE POSSIBLE? ......MAKE THE WORLD A BRIGHTER PLACE? ......MAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE?

Mahatma Gandhi said...

“BE THE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE IN THE WORLD”

ENROL www.practicalphilosophy.co.uk ENQUIRE 0800 803 0799 EMAIL practicalphilosophy101@gmail.com

STARTS TUESDAY 15th January 2019 7.15pm-9.30pm STARTS THURSDAY 17th January 2019 10am-12.15pm Belmont House Heaton Norris STOCKPORT SK4 1TG

in touch - your local community noticeboard

Brookdale Club News At the Club’s recent AGM, retiring President Barry Bryan, presented a cheque for £8519 to his nominated charity, Independent Options which is based in Hazel Grove. Since 1977, Independent Options have been working to empower people with disabilities, enabling them to take control of their lives and enjoy life to the full. They provide a range of personalised support services for both children and adults with a range of disabilities including: learning disabilities, autism, physical disabilities, acquired brain injuries and mental health needs. The charity’s services enable people with disabilities to get the life they want and helps ease pressure on families.

Each year the Club President nominates a charity for their year of office. Many activities took place in the Club, across two weeks in June, including an afternoon concert with the Brookdale Choir, Andante, Photography Competition, Whist Drive, Strawberry Cream Tea afternoon, Entertainment Evening featuring a Michael Bublé tribute act, Tea Dance and a Charity Fair.

Julia Maunder accepted the cheque, on behalf of the charity, thanking the President and Club members for raising this magnificent amount. The money will go towards replacing the toilet facilities in the Children and Family Centre, including for the first time, the installation of hot water in the toilets.

IAN MCKELLEN ON STAGE at romiley forum … with Tolkien, Shakespeare, others and you!

As supporters of NKTA at Romiley Forum, we were delighted to receive news that one of Britain’s most famous thespians, the great Sir Ian McKellan, will be performing a one-man show at the theatre next year! In his 80th year he has chosen 80 venues, including less well known theatres, to perform at as a charity event. He sent us this message: The show starts with Gandalf and will probably end with an invitation to act with me on stage. In-between there will be anecdotes and acting. I open at my local arts centre in January and end up by August in Orkney.

Live theatre has always been thrilling to me, as an actor and in the audience. Growing up in Lancashire, I was grateful to those companies who toured beyond London and I’ve always enjoyed repaying that debt by touring up and down the country myself, with the RSC, the National Theatre, Prospect Theatre, the Actors’ Company, as well as with commercial productions. My tour of the country is mostly to theatres I have visited in the past but being at The Forum is different. It’s my first appearance in Romiley and I wanted to be here because my parents lived here as children. They married in Hatherlow Church where I was christened by my grandfather who was its minister. In those days there was no theatre in Romiley, though, fortunately, nearby was Manchester where as a boy I saw many touring productions.

This new solo show is in gratitude to the actors of my youth who brought drama and entertainment to the regions. All profits will go towards the costs of new auditorium seating. See you there, I hope!

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Smør Bullar Festive Scandinavian cookies which make lovely festive handmade gifts in pretty boxes. No-one seems to know their exact origins, but these small spheres of butter, flour, powdered sugar and nuts, dusted with more powdered sugar for good measure, are a Christmas delight.

Method

Preparation time: 20 minutes

3. Form dough into small balls (about 1 inch / 2.5cm diameter). If the dough seems too crumbly don’t be tempted to add water or the resulting cookies will be hard, just let the heat from your hands gradually bring it all together.

Cooking time: 8-10 minutes Makes: 20-24 cookies

Ingredients ■ 225g butter ■ 60g icing sugar ■ 300g plain flour, sifted ■ ¼ tsp salt ■ 1 tsp vanilla essence ■ 100g pecan nuts or walnuts, finely chopped ■ Extra icing sugar for dusting

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1. Preheat oven to 200 / Gas mark 6 2. Cream the butter and sugar together thoroughly.

Add flour, salt, vanilla and pecans, and mix well.

Cover dough and chill for half an hour.

4. Place 2 inches / 5cm apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until set but NOT brown (8-10 minutes). Allow to cool for 3 minutes before removing from baking sheet, then roll in icing sugar. When completely cool, roll in the icing sugar again.

Lucy’s Travel Tips Where has this year gone? I hope as you look back on 2018 you have some fantastic memories of the wonderful places you’ve visited and the adventures you’ve had.

And now, on to planning next year’s trips! Where are the places to see in 2019?

SRI LANKA - According to Lonely Planet (a travel gospel in my opinion), Sri Lanka is the number one place to visit in 2019. I’ve been myself and it’s a magical island. Beautiful scenery, fantastic food and there’s such a variety of things to see and do. There’s a wonderful variety of wildlife, so be sure to book a safari, gorgeous beaches, colonial (in days gone by) tea plantations and lots of rich Buddhist culture.

FLORIDA - Always a popular family destination, Miami is on the ‘hot’ list for 2019. The past few years have seen Miami flourish in terms of its art scene and it’s becoming a great ‘foodie’ destination. Plus, you can enjoy the buzz of South Beach and the cool art-deco architecture. There’s always Orlando too which has over 25 amazing theme parks, including Disney. There are loads of brilliant Disney packages available so be sure to speak to your local travel consultant to find the right holiday for you.

THAILAND - The southern islands in particular seem to be popping up on the travel hit lists for 2019. Offering a wonderful opportunity to relax, there are still lots of paradise beaches to discover. Krabi for example is picture perfect and offers lots of leisure activities. For the moment, it’s under the radar and isn’t too crowded so definitely a destination to consider. To see more of Thailand, I’d suggest booking an organised tour. It’s a great way to cover a lot of ground in a short space of time and they’re always good value for money.

Travel, for me (and many people) is a joy and also, a gift.

There are so many amazing places to see so I hope you pick somewhere wonderful for 2019. If you’d like any advice, please get in touch.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone.

Lucy Allen - Personal Travel Consultant 07512 784700 www.notjusttravel.com/waiting-world

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Supporting Mountain Rescue Teams

Marple District Rambling Club

50 years of MEMORABLE WALKS

Nearing the end of our 50th Anniversary Year, Marple District Rambling Club would like to thank everyone who purchased a copy of our Memorable Walks Booklet. Through an overwhelming public response, we have been able to donate an extra £1000 to the Mountain Rescue teams of the Peak District, doubling our usual annual contribution.

Thanks go to you the public, to INSIDE Magazines for their impressive professional product, to our many sponsors and particularly to Simply Books of Bramhall, the Bookshop and Trek and Travel in Marple who sold out our full stock with repeated orders. We hope you are enjoying the memorable walks as much as we have.

Help Mountain Rescue Help You Michael to Bradbury & Barry Wilson Produced in association with INSIDE Magazines You never know when you might need them so note this information now.

Donating £2000 to four Peak District Mountain Rescue Teams of Kinder, Edale, Glossop and Buxton is worth every penny. These special volunteers protect us all when we go out to enjoy our magnificent Peak District.

You never know when you may need to contact them, and all the volunteers do a magnificent job when they are called out.

Register your mobile phone: Text “Register” and send to 112. A reply will ask you to respond by texting “Yes”. It is so simple to do and having your mobile phone recognised immediately can speed up the action.

Should you ever need their support, note the following procedures.

Through us, you have made a significant contribution this year, but should you ever wish to donate more in the future, you can find all details by visiting the Peak District Mountain Rescue Organisation website, where all the teams are listed, and click ‘donations.’

Emergency contacts: Away from a traffic road, dial 112 and ask for the Police, and then ask for the Mountain Rescue. Near to a traffic road, dial 112 ask for the Ambulance Service.

Don’t forget!

Copy deadline for the next issue is Friday 11 January Tel: 01625 879611 email: info@insidemagazines.co.uk

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Secure your space now!

THE STRESS SOLUTION Dr Rangan Chatterjee, who grew up and still lives in Wilmslow, is one of the most influential doctors in the UK in changing the way that we look at illness. He’s known for taking a 360-degree approach to health, as highlighted in his ground-breaking BBC TV show, Doctor in the House, and in his first book The 4 Pillar Plan. He is the resident doctor on BBC One’s Breakfast, a regular commentator on BBC Radio and hosts his own chart-topping podcast, Feel Better Live More.

On 29 December he’ll be launching his new book, The Stress Solution, with a book signing at Waterstones in Wilmslow. What a great way to start 2019, by learning how to slow down, chill out and become stress free!

life. Introducing a new way of thinking about health, The Stress Solution will help you to live a happier, more fulfilling and stress-free life.

PURPOSE People who have a strong sense of purpose enjoy significantly better health compared to those who don’t, including less likelihood of developing heart disease, strokes and depression. Discover how to design your morning routine effectively and how to live with love, intention, vision, and engagement.

RELATIONSHIPS Major sources of 21st century stress are a lack of human touch, the insidious erosion of intimacy and the deprioritisation of friendship. Learn how to nurture your friendships and combat loneliness.

BODY We feel stress in the body, experiencing it as physical sensations. But the body can also be a cause of stress. Learn to combat this by eating the alphabet and creating more diversity in your diet; also, how to prioritise your sleep and adjust your circadian rhythm.

It’s thought that between 70 and 90% of GP consultations are related to stress. Dr Chatterjee knows this better than anyone. As a practising GP he’s seen first-hand how stress affects his patients and has found simple but effective methods to help them. Now he’s on a mission to show that combatting stress is easier than you think. For Dr Chatterjee, the key to solving the problem of stress is about addressing the underlying causes of our anxieties in four main areas: Body, Mind, Relationships, and Purpose.

Pairing the science of what happens in our brains and our bodies when we become stressed, with personal accounts and patient cases, Dr Chatterjee offers simple and achievable interventions to help you re-set your life, offering simple tools for how to cope with modern-

MIND Just as your body needs fuel, your mind needs stillness.

Everybody needs relaxation as much as they need vitamins, fat and fibre. This section examines the benefits of avoiding technology overload, spending time surrounded by nature and using breathing methods or meditation to reduce stress.

The Stress Solution: The 4 Steps to Reset Your Body, Mind, Relationships and Purpose by Dr Rangan Chatterjee is published by Penguin Life at £16.99. He will be signing copies at Waterstones, Wilmslow on Saturday 29 December at 2pm. Also available at Simply Books Bramhall.

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quick crossword Across 1 Bough (6) 5 Desert plant (6) 8 Cute, charming (8) 9 ‘Windows to the soul’ (4) 10 Largest continent (4) 11 Glass vessel used in science (4,4) 12 Clergyman (6) 13 Make certain (6) 15 Spectator (8) 18 Test, assessment (4) 19 Charismatic celebrity (4) 20 Songwriter (8) 21 Most strange (6) 22 Tune, song (6)

down 2 Shared out, apportioned again (13) 3 Recount, chronicle (7) 4 Natural environment of an animal (7) 5 Strategy-based board game (5) 6 Swindle, con (5) 7 Without shame (13) 13 Tympanic membrane (body part) (7) 14 Cut out design, motif (7) 16 Mysterious, spooky (5) 17 Manservant, butler (5)

sudoku How to play Sudoku Fill in the grid so that each row, column and 3x3 box, contains the numbers 1 through to 9 with no repetition.

You don’t need to be a genius. These puzzles use logic alone.

Watch out! Sudoku is highly addictive.

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Solutions on page 58

Winter Garden Bling When the flowers have faded, the autumn leaves have blown away and stems turned brown, the garden can look a dreary place; on hold and waiting for spring to awaken it. But there is plenty of sparkle and colour to be had as winter takes hold. Walking round my garden last winter I found so much to take my eye and delight me.

The first eye-catcher is a big splash of colour from the stems or berries of a tree or shrub. The flowering dogwoods (Cornus alba) are blazing with colour from their bare stems. My favourites include the orange “Midwinter Fire”, the deep red “Sibirica” and even the black “Kesselringii” which looks stunning with the wan winter sun shining through.

The snakebark maples are spreading their intricately patterned branches against the winter sky with red twigs and olive-green and cream trunks. “George Forrest” has the best coloured twigs and “Serpentine” the best trunk pattern. The trunk of Himalayan birch (Betula jackmontii) is white like bleached bones against the shadows. Another favourite is the trunk of the Tibetan Cherry (Prunus serrula) whose dark red bark looks polished to mirror finish and is filled with swirling patterns of colour.

Shrubs and trees are still covered with berries. My favourite of all is holly with all its Christmas associations and memories. The Redwings will soon fly in from Scandinavia and strip the trees of this winter feast. The firethorns (pyracantha) are living up to their name: the yellow-berried ones haven’t been stripped yet and the stems of Cotoneaster horizontalis are firmly vertical, splayed out against a fence and studded with small red berries.

Evergreen shrubs and plants add some colour through the winter, particularly the showy heucheras like “Caramel”, “Blackberry Jam” or “Geisha Fan”. On this frosty morning the leaves are coated and edged with ice and look like candied fruits.

Frost, ice and dew make the garden sparkle. Frozen droplets hang, suspended from the wheaten seed

by Martin Blow > www.specialperennials.com

heads of giant oats (Stipa gigantea) and glisten on the heads of feather grasses (Miscanthus and Calamagrostis), shining brightly in the low sun.

Evergreen spurges (Euphorbia) become sprinkled with diamond-dust of dew and ice and this will cause them to bow their heads as it melts, recovering their pose when the weather warms up. The crinkly leaves of the sun roses (Cistus) are edged with frost and even the watering can and rabbit-wire fences are transformed into sculptural shapes by the frost.

The dead-stems of herbaceous plants are dusted with frost and seemingly shining in the light. My favourites are Turkish sage (Phlomis russeliana) with pepper pot seed heads; sea holly (Eryngium) draped with silver strings of frosted spider web; and the dead-heads of coneflowers (Rudbeckia) like silver-edged spears pointing to the sky.

Winter may seem long and cold, but there’s always some bling to brighten the short days.

Janet and I run Special Perennials, our website is full of colour photos and growing tips. We sell by mail order and at Plant Hunters’ Fairs throughout the season. Please see www.planthuntersfairs.co.uk Locally we will be at the Plant Hunters’ Fairs at Bramall Hall, Stockport on Sunday 7 April 2019 and at Adlington Hall, Macclesfield on Sunday 12 May 2019. We are happy to bring orders to plant fairs for you to collect.

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Bakestonedale Moor from Lyme Park via Sponds Hill Walk description: A circular walk which follows the Gritstone Trail climbing up through Lyme Park to Bow Stones then across the ridge of Sponds Hill, looping round Andrew’s Knob and down, before the steep climb up and over Bakestonedale Moor. The final section involves a steady descent across fields to tracks leading to the West Parkgate where the walk re-enters Lyme Park and then follows established tracks/ roads back to the car park. For most of the walk, conditions underfoot are firm but there are some muddy sections across Sponds Hill and care is needed on some of the steep slopes.

Distance: 7 miles Starting point: Main car park in Lyme Park (SJ963824), accessible via the main entrance on the A6 west of Disley. Car park charges apply except for NT members (free).

Maps: OS Explorer 268 Wilmslow, Macclesfield & Congleton, or sections of OS Explorer OL1 Dark Peak and OS Explorer OL24 White Peak.

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by Claude Prime, Marple District Rambling Club

Lyme Hall was formerly the home of the Legh family but is now a National Trust property. Much of the parkland is open access land criss-crossed by many paths. The Hall has featured in TV dramas such as “Pride and Prejudice” and, more recently, “The Village”. It has also hosted “The Antiques Road Show” and “The Big Painting Challenge”.

To pick up the Gritstone Trail, proceed to the back of the car park following the road away from the buildings and, where the road turns right; carry straight on through the gate where a finger post indicates the Trail (SJ962824).

Follow this rocky track up the hill and enter Knightslow Wood via the gate. Continue on the track and exit the wood via another gate. The Trail continues curving to the left and upwards, eventually leading to a stile at the park boundary, with the familiar white building of Bowstones Farm on the left. Proceed onwards to the next stile onto a track where the Trail turns right heading south across the ridge.

Before starting across the ridge you may wish to visit the Bow Stones by backtracking a few yards along the surfaced road and looking for a stile on the left into a small enclosure. The track across the ridge is mainly firm but vehicle tyres have created some deep muddy patches. There are spectacular views to both sides of the ridge and part way along a distant Trig point can be

spotted on the right hand side. Further along, there is a Viewpoint by the left side of the track identifiable by a square 2 ft high stone wall supporting a flat top where directions to local landmarks are shown. At some points on the latter half of the ridge track, the Trail is banked on each side offering partial wind shelter for a coffee stop. The Trail descends onto Bakestonedale Road where you need to turn right and walk about 400 yds along the road to reach buildings and Brinks Farm on the left, immediately after which there is a gate/stile and finger post for the Gritstone Trail (SJ966793).

Follow this track with the fence on the left and as the track descends look for a waymarker post in the field to the left and veer off left across the grass in a straight line past the marker and on towards a stile in the wall ahead. Cross the stile and continue in a straight line past further markers towards the hillock ahead. Do not climb the hill - instead contour round to its left keeping the low wall to your left. Look out for a further waymarker post after which the path leads down to a stile and a surfaced track. Go through the gate ahead following the track to the right (at this point you are leaving the Gritstone Trail) and as the track descends across an open field bear left off the track and head towards the corner of the field where there is a gap between the walls allowing you to turn right into the next field (SJ955793). Cross this next field keeping the wall on your left and you are eventually forced to bear right and down a short steep hill to a stile back onto Bakestonedale Road.

The Walk

the Cheshire plain and one can see the planes landing/ taking off at Manchester Airport.

The path descends further to meet Moorside Lane (going left to right) where you need to turn right and walk along past Keeper’s Cottage on the right then shortly afterwards take the stile/pathway signposted to the left.

Follow the clear path diagonally across the field passing through a reed bed on the way where there may well be some wet patches. There is drier ground thereafter and the path descends through some hawthorn shrubbery down to a stream, which is easily crossed, then rises on the other side before descending alongside the walled boundary of Lyme Park. Pass through a gate and then onwards (left of the hollow) through another gate and down a surfaced track to a Methodist Church on your right. Turn right in front of the church then immediately bear right on a narrower track which takes you down to the West Parkgate. Enter the Park via the gate and follow the established track through the wooded area to a gate which leads onto the Park road system. Follow the road forwards and this leads you back to the main car park.

For further information, contact our Chairman, Sue Gilmore on 07775 620398, or our Membership Secretary, Claude Prime on 0161 483 8596. Alternatively, you could visit our website www.marpleramblers.org to learn more about our Club’s programme of walks, socials and walking holidays.

Turn left and after about 100 yds there is a recessed area on the right leading to a gate. Bear left beyond the gate then immediately take the narrow path on the right leading up the steep hill towards Bakestonedale Moor.

Coal was mined for many years under the moor and the last of the shafts were capped by the NCB as recently as the second half of the last century. The path up the hill passes closely to one of the capped shafts as evidenced by the concrete obelisk structure on the right. The path meets and follows a fence/wall combination to the top where there is a small monument to the miners. This has three sides with black and white decoration, the fourth side being transparent revealing a model of a pit shaft/ cage on the inside. The path continues along the fence, through a gate and descends down a grassy bank and, weather permitting, halfway down the hill is a good spot for a lunch stop since there is a wonderful view across

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inside people richard bates

Richard Bates was born on an RAF base in Horsham St Faith, near Norwich, in 1951. After his father was demobbed, the family moved to Great Yarmouth where he attended the Technical High School. He did not enjoy school, with its emphasis on vocational subjects, until he entered the sixth form to study English and Drama.

Richard’s earliest job, at the age of ten, was as a weekend “barrow boy” ferrying luggage for holidaymakers from the railway station to their hotels.

Once, he earned the then princely sum of ten shillings, half of which he was required to donate to the family income!

After school, Richard attended Birmingham University to read English and then gained an MA at Leicester.

Later he gained an M Ed in Education Management at Sheffield University.

Richard taught in London and subsequently Hampshire and Bristol. He was seconded to the National Curriculum Council to head a project for developing children’s writing. In 1988, he was appointed as English and Humanities adviser in Stockport. During his 24 years in the Borough he was promoted to Senior, then Chief Adviser, Assistant Director and finally became the Director of Education. It was, he recalls “A brilliant and enjoyable time. I’m pleased now to be a school governor and put something back into the system.”

Richard was the local authority governor at Stockport Academy, a governor of Reddish Vale High school and at the Stockport free school and is currently Chair of Governors at St Thomas’ Church of England school, Heaton Chapel which is about to become one of the

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largest primary schools in the area, with almost 700 pupils.

Richard says, “I enjoy working as a governor which entails being the voice of the community in the school’s management system, supporting and challenging the headteacher and staff in their work.”

He enthusiastically describes how, with the encouragement of the governors, the school has developed strong links with France.

Richard has three children and four grandchildren with a fifth due in January. He is a keen gardener and allotment holder and throughout spring and summer is self-sufficient in organic vegetables. He is also a cinema buff and has “a list of a thousand and one films to see before I die.”

Richard plays walking football and supports the canaries, Norwich City football club. As a member of their “yellow army” he attends most of their away matches and enjoys exploring the towns they visit.

His holidays are also mainly in the UK. He is an avid traveller, especially in the North of England and loves to visit Northumberland and Scotland. He also enjoys frequent day trips to London to visit art exhibitions there. Richards loves Thai and Indian food, his favourite dish being chicken biryani. Although he has a wide interest in music, his favourite artist is Bob Dylan and he is the proud owner of several Dylan lithographs.

Richard’s ambition is to improve his guitar playing and to learn to play his recently acquired keyboard.

If he hadn’t been a senior local authority officer, Richard would have chosen to work outdoors, perhaps as a forester. His regret is that, although he enjoyed his career, it was very time consuming and the demands of the job in many ways intruded into his personal life, taking time from his family.

Last word from Richard Life is to be lived, not endured. Think about what you want to do with your time and ask, “what can I do to make myself and others happy?”

If you are interested in being a governor contact the headteacher at your local school or governor.services@stockport.gov.uk 0161 474 3914.

by Ed Blundell

A DAY OUT AT MIDDLEPORT POTTERY Around the UK there are many heritage sites vying for our attention, appealing to us in a host of different ways. Middleport Pottery, located in Burslem, Staffordshire is just one such site. It is a great source of local pride, it’s accessible to INSIDE readers within the hour and is well worth a visit.

Middleport Pottery is home to the Burgess and Leigh factory, renowned worldwide for its iconic Burleigh ceramic products. You are probably familiar with their beautiful signature blue and white design. You might even have had a glimpse already of this Grade II listed

site as it was the filming location for the recent The Great Pottery Throw Down. But Middleport has many and more important claims to fame, perhaps the most important being that it is now the only totally intact working Victorian pottery in the United Kingdom.

Middleport Pottery was built in 1888 by Burgess & Leigh Ltd (founders William Leigh and Frederick Rathbone Burgess) and was sited because of the ready availability of the three Cs - clay, coal and canal – the canal being the route for extra clay from Cornwall (when white china became popular) and also the direct link to the ports of Liverpool and Hull for international distribution of the finished products. One hundred years

by Garth Aspinall

before Ford claimed invention of the production line, Burleigh employed a similar technique involving up to 25 different hands. Its scale and linear organisation contrasted with the constricted sites and haphazard layout of other traditional potteries. Middleport Pottery has been described as a “model pottery” of the Staffordshire pottery industry, at the time of its construction.

However, by the end of the 20th century the factory went into receivership. It was rescued by the Dorlings, but by 2011 it was again at serious risk of closure due to the very poor state of repair of the buildings. It was in that year that The Prince’s Regeneration Trust stepped in to buy the building and begin a 9 millionpound project to regenerate and revitalise it, creating and saving much-valued jobs in the process. The site continues to produce the Burleigh pottery today, using its traditional method of underglaze transfer printing and the unused buildings have been developed to provide attractive accommodation for workshops, enterprise space, craft and community areas, a cafe, a gallery and a heritage visitor centre. Apparently, Prince Charles visits quite often to see the progress made by his Trust.

When you visit Middleport Pottery you can choose to follow the Heritage Trail or to do the Factory Tour.

HERITAGE TRAIL You will visit the Heritage Offices, the Steam Engine, the Grade II listed Bottle Kiln & the Ceramic Design Archive! You will see Burleigh ware produced over the years in the beautiful showroom, explore the original Victorian offices, and learn about the people and events which have shaped the Pottery. You will step back in time as you explore the mould store, housing Europe’s Continued over

37

largest collection of ceramic moulds. And you will take an inside look at the Pottery’s huge bottle kiln, one of the few remaining in Stoke and an iconic reminder of the city’s great industrial heritage. And you will also learn a little about Middleport Pottery’s history.

FACTORY TOUR This was our preferred option when we visited Middleport during September and we were lucky enough to witness their poppy installation at the foot of the Bottle Kiln. But this was just an added bonus.

The tour provides an opportunity to really savour the working environment and to gain an insight into the unique skills, techniques and machinery developed over 150 years ago. We were absolutely enthralled by the team of women engaged in the underglazing process.

be tempted to make a cheeky purchase, as a souvenir of your visit. At some point you should visit their excellent café where you can enjoy some quality fayre.

In the main room you can drink tea from real china cups! We sat in the upper room of the cafe, complete with original beams and floorboards that had been carefully restored, right down to the authentic nails, the only downside being that we had to climb a few stairs and were only allowed paper cups!

Essential Information Heritage trail Open daily – 10am to 4pm. £5.50/£4. Under 5’s free.

Factory tours Mon to Thurs - 11am and 1.45pm.

Duration approx. 1 hour. Fridays 10.30am only.

No tours on weekends.

You can reach Middleport Pottery just off the A500. Middleport Pottery has a car park and there is street parking on both sides of Port Street.

Events Programme 27 October to 5 November - Clay Fun! Messy half term fun for all 11am to 3pm Sat 10 November - Handmade Jug Workshop Sat 1 December - Christmas Lights Switch On Whichever option you choose, you will be impressed by what you see and by the enthusiasm of the volunteer guides who are so visibly proud of their unique industrial heritage.

You are also likely to spend some time in the various studios where independent businesses, as well as Burleigh, display their ceramic wares. You might even

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Sunday 16 December - Family Christmas Market 18 to 23 December - The Real Father Christmas.

For more information and to find out whether prebooking is required, visit: www.middleportpottery.org Middleport Pottery, Port St, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, ST6 3PE. Tel: 01782 499766

WHY PLAY BRIDGE? Bridge is a game for all ages and is a great way to meet new people. It can be played at many different levels ranging from social “kitchen” bridge to international competitions. At whatever level you play, you are guaranteed to make a new network of friends. It is exciting , fun and frustrating and if you can play bridge you will never be bored.

Bridge is good for the mind as it helps to develop, amongst many other things, long and short term memory. It’s excellent value for money and there are many clubs in the area where the table money is inexpensive.

It is also possible to play online at various sites with no cost at all.

THE HOLLY BEARS THE CROWN So say the words of the well-known carol, ‘The Holly and the Ivy’ - but its regal status in the Christmas hymn hints at an ancient pagan heritage!

‘Ilex aquifolium’ is its lofty Latin name - and at Christmas-time, holly is celebrated for the fact that its glossy, spiky green leaves and bright red berries bring welcome splashes of colour to the drab and deep midwinter. The holly is, indeed, a most wonderful tree, especially when you realise that only female trees bear berries, that the tree itself is pollinated by insects, and that seeds are spread by birds through whose gut they must pass before germination. In ancient times, holly was grown in upland areas for cattle and deer to eat in winter, so you’ll find many upland woods, especially in the north west, with a strong presence of holly undergrowth that commemorates its former purpose. And where you find large amounts of holly growing in hedgerows, you can be pretty certain that mossy and damp lands are nearby - though historically, holly has always been a favourite hedging plant because of its durability and sharp purpose in keeping animals in their rightful place!

Pagan roots - ancient origins As well as having its practical purposes in farming and the shaping of our landscape, holly has also played a

major role in myth and legend. The ‘Holly Boy’ and the ‘Ivy Girl’ were once characters from pagan times who re-appeared as part of Christian Shrove Tuesday festivals, and the bringing of holly into houses at Christmas is similarly linked to pagan midwinter mythology, thanks to its vibrant colours and the fact that it is so clearly full of life at a time of year when so many plants are dormant or dead. In pagan religion, the holly was associated with celebrating the rebirth of the sun at the midwinter Solstice on 21 December, on which date the celestial orb begins its annual journey back to spring and summer from the very heart of winter darkness. Brought into the house as decorative branches at midwinter, the wood was also burned (thanks to its excellent firewood properties) and so became the ‘Yule Log’. With the coming of Christianity and its habit of adapting pagan festivals into its calendar, holly was thus effortlessly re-born into Christian symbolism, when pagan midwinter was adopted as the period in which to celebrate Christ’s birth.

The Holly King - a crown-bearing tree As for the crown that the holly bears in the Christmas carol ‘The Holly and the Ivy’, it may well be a reference to the ‘Holly King’, a shadowy figure of ancient folklore, Continued over

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explored in depth by Robert Graves in his book The White Goddess. Graves suggests that the Holly King represents one half of the year, while the other half of the year is personified by the Oak King, his deadly adversary.

The two battle endlessly as the seasons turn, and at Midsummer the Oak King is at the height of his strength, whilst at midwinter, the Oak King is the victor. There are several paired hero-figures which could be variants of this myth, including Gawain and the Green Knight, the robin and the wren, and even Jesus and John the Baptist.

Another heroic pairing brings us, in a pleasingly circuitous way, all the way back to our part of Cheshire, since another heroic pair who echo the Holly King and the Oak King are Lleu Llaw Gyffes and Gronw Pebr. The tale of these two characters can be found in the Welsh book of folk tales, The Mabinogion, and they play a crucial role in the story told by the book The Owl Service, which was written by Alan Garner.

As a final salute to the significance of holly, it gives rise to various place names that include the words ‘Holm’ and ‘Hollin’ - both of which can be found in various places locally, such as Hollins Green in Cheshire and Hollins Cross in Derbyshire. So, when you gather your festive holly branches this year, remember that this is a truly royal tree which deserves the utmost honour and deep respect - not least for the needle-like sharpness of its leaves!

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by John Wallace

45

Answers: decorations, presents, tinsel, snow, elves, reindeer Extra letter answer: sleigh

just 4 kids

Children’s Activities Things to do with pre-school kids

Monday

thursday

Story Time 11-11.30am Bramhall Library. Telephone 0161 217 6009

Little Lambs Baby & Toddler Group 10-11.30am Term time only, Bramhall Baptist Church, Woodford Road.

Toys, refreshments and song time. Suggested donation of £1.50 per family. Just turn up or for more information email bramhallbaptistchurch@gmail.com

Tuesday Active Angels 10-11.30am - Term time only Free play and songs including puppets and musical instruments and parachute fun also. Healthy snacks and refreshments for children and hot and cold beverages for adults. St Michael & All Angels Parish Church, Bramhall. Contact Karina: 07969633654 or Karina_lemmon@live.co.uk Tiny Thinkers 1.30pm - Term time only Tiny Thinkers provides stimulating and fun activities to help your child learn the basic skills required for starting school. St Michael’s church, Bramhall, SK7 2PG. 2½ -4years, adaptable activities. £6.50 per class (trial session free). Contact Karina Lemmon: Karina_lemmon@live.co.uk Tel: 07969633654 Find us on Facebook - facebook.com/Tinythink/ Story Time 2-2.30pm Cheadle Hulme Library. Telephone 0161 217 6009.

Wednesday BMC Baby Chat 10.00-11.15am Term-time only. Bramhall Methodist Church, Bramhall Lane South.

Come and join us every Wednesday morning for a chat, tea/coffee and biscuits and the opportunity to meet other mums, grandparents and carers with young babies in the Bramhall area. There’s a small charge of £1 per adult. For further details please call 0161 439 1204.

Tiny Thinkers 10.00am - Term time only Term time only. Tiny Thinkers provides stimulating and fun activities to help your child learn the basic skills required for starting school.

Let Loose, Hazel Grove, SK7 5DP. 2½-4years, adaptable activities. £6.50 per class (trial session free). Contact Karina Lemmon: Karina_lemmon@live.co.uk Tel: 07969633654. Find us on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Tinythink/

If you run a local activity for young children and email would like to be included on this page please c.blackie@insidemagazines.co.uk

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Tiny Thinkers 1.30pm - Term time only Let Loose, Hazel Grove, SK7 5DP. 2½ -4years, adaptable activities. £6.50 per class (trial session free). Contact Karina Lemmon: Karina_lemmon@live.co.uk Tel: 07969633654

friday Baby Massage & Yoga – morning Bramhall Library Children’s Centre. Combined class run by The Baby Massage Company & Honeychild Baby Yoga. Email babylovesmassage@live.co.uk or call Kate on 07866 468245 for class times and to book (necessary).

Toddler Group 10-11.30am Cheadle Hulme United Reformed Church, Swann Lane. £1 per child including refreshments. Contact Alison Stevens 01625 877180.

Little Fishes Toddler Group for under 5’s - 10-11.30am Term-time only, Bramhall Methodist Church, Bramhall Lane South.

For more information contact the church office on 0161 439 1204 or email office@bramhallmethodists.org.uk NCT (National Childbirth Trust) 10-11.30am St Michael & All Angels Parish Church, Bramhall. Contact Tracy Howe on 0161 477 3252

saturday Who Let the Dads Out? 10-11.30am Every 3rd Saturday of the month, Bramhall Methodist Church.

A play session for dads, grandads and male carers and their pre-school aged children. Messy play, games, a room full of toys, followed by bacon butties, tea and coffee for dads, and drinks and biscuits for the children. For further details and dates please contact Richard@bramhallmethodists.org.uk

Sunday Messy Church. Second Sunday of every month 4-6pm Bramhall Methodist Church, Bramhall Lane South.

See Inside Guide or call 0161 439 1204.

Compiled by Clare Blackie > email: c.blackie@insidemagazines.co.uk

Charles Hawtrey at Romiley Forum Oh, hello! As the festive season approaches, now seems as good a time as any to look back to when one of our greatest screen comedians, ‘Carry On’ star Charles Hawtrey, appeared in Christmas panto in Romiley, back in 1972. But it is not a particularly joyful nor triumphant winter’s tale.

Charles Hawtrey was one of the mainstays of the ‘Carry On’ film series. He starred in 23 altogether, with only Kenneth Williams (25) and Joan Sims (24) appearing in more. He copped a role in the first of the series, ‘Carry On Sergeant’ in 1958, and was told to pack his bags after ‘Carry On Abroad’ in 1972. Thanks to his increasingly bizarre behaviour on set and general unreliability, Hawtrey had by this time grown out of favour with the series’ producers.

1972 also saw the official opening of the Forum theatre in Romiley, a task carried out by no less a dignitary than HRH Princess Margaret. To attract audiences to the newly built theatre, the Forum’s management decided to engage a household name to appear in their first Christmas pantomime and the name of the much-loved but now former ‘Carry On’ star Charles Hawtrey fitted the bill.

Dick Whittington was to be the Forum’s inaugural panto and it opened on Boxing Day for a six-week run.

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by Stuart Bolton

By this time, however, Hawtrey cut a fairly bitter and tragic figure. He had spent most of his life living with his mother, Alice Hartree (Hawtrey’s real surname), and after her death in 1965, Hawtrey started to lead a kind of Norman Bates-like existence – though presumably without the shower-stalking and serial killing – as he was often seen or heard talking to his dearly departed mum. This was the case while performing in Romiley, where members of the production team who shared his accommodation used to hear him arguing with his dead mother in the next room.

By now also a heavy drinker, Hawtrey’s appearances in Romiley became so dishevelled and incoherent that audiences would lose patience and begin talking amongst themselves; thereby distracting his co-stars, who included the Patricia Comish Pantomime Babes (anyone remember them?)

Hawtrey’s final appearance on stage in Dick Whittington was not, as it happens, the last time that he visited the Forum. His theatrical manager Aubrey Phillips told this strange tale to Hawtrey’s (second) biographer Wes Butters: “I was doing Alice in Wonderland at the Romiley Forum in Stockport one year and Charles wasn’t in it. We were just unloading the set and costumes when a taxi pulled up and Charles,

completely drunk, clutching a bottle of champagne, got out and said, ‘I thought I’d come and see you on the off-chance, dear boy!’ He came inside, and we had a drink. After about an hour I said, ‘Should we get your taxi driver in? He’s been waiting outside all this time.’

So, the driver comes in too and, after a while, I said to him, ‘Where are you a driver from?’ thinking he’d say somewhere local to Stockport. He said, ‘Deal (in Kent).

Charles flagged me down on the street and asked me to bring him, so I went and told the wife that I’d be away for a few hours.’ They stayed a bit longer, then set off back to Deal, stopping for Charles to buy some carrots because, he reckoned, they were cheaper up north.”

Hawtrey’s boozing was by now, it almost goes without saying, getting the better of him. In October 1988, a completely sozzled Hawtrey staggered towards the Royal Hotel on the seafront at Deal and collapsed in the doorway. As he fell, he shattered his femur and was rushed to Buckland Hospital in Dover. The doctors found that Hawtrey was suffering from peripheral vascular disease, a condition of the arteries brought on by a lifetime of heavy smoking. He was told that to save his life his legs would have to be amputated. “No, I want to die with my boots on!” he declared, refusing the operation. It was also claimed that on his deathbed he chucked a vase at a member of staff who had asked for his autograph. Fair play to him, I say.

For the final word on Hawtrey’s unique appeal, here’s what The Smiths’ frontman Morrissey had to say about Hawtrey in 1989: “Hawtrey is the very last comic genius. He was sixty per cent of the ‘Carry On’s appeal.

By never giving press interviews and, by all accounts being unfriendly and friendless, Hawtrey’s mystique surpasses Garbo. I personally loved him.” It’s worth adding that Hawtrey was the cover star on The Smith’s 2001 retrospective compilation album ‘The Very Best of The Smiths’.

Before signing off, it seems only right to plug this year’s Christmas pantomime at the Forum, where NK Theatre Arts will be staging a production of ‘Aladdin’. Oh no, they’re not.

Oh yes, they are! Might pop along there myself.

Merry Christmas everyone!

inside guide

december 2018 - january 2019

selected events in your area

Saturday 1 December

Thursday 6 December

Christmas Fair with a variety of stalls and games, including gifts, cakes, plants and many more. Grand Christmas Draw, Tombola and Coffee Lounge. All welcome, free entry and plenty of parking.

Brookdale Club and Theatre, Bridge Lane, Bramhall SK7 3AB 10am

Would you like to meet new friends? Thursday Group is a social group for unattached people of mature years, with several activities run by the members every week. These include walking, dancing, badminton, theatre and restaurant visits.

For more info see www.thursdaygroup.co.uk or ring Bill on 07505 076838, or just come along to new members night on the first Thursday in each month where you will be met by group members.

The Bulls Head Pub, 30 Wilmslow Road, Handforth, SK9 3EW 8.30pm

Saturday 1 December Wilmslow Symphony Orchestra Christmas Concert Beginning with the popular Die Fledermaus overture by Johann Strauss, followed by Tchaikovsky’s 1812 overture, as well as his Marche Slave and Polonaise and Waltz from Eugene Onegin.

Add to this, Sleigh Ride by Leroy Anderson and a selection of popular carols to make for a very festive occasion! Tickets £12, concessions £10 and under 18 £2 from ticket secretary 01925 756144, Bang and Olufsen, Wilmslow and Therapy, Wilmslow, www.wilmsloworchestra.co.uk or at the door Evans Hall, Wilmslow Leisure Centre 7.45pm

Sunday 2 December Light Up Bramhall Christmas market, lantern parade, local acts and entertainment.

Light up event at 2pm. Bramhall Village from 11am

Thursday 6 December Wilmslow Guild Natural History Society Members Social Evening – including Judith’s ‘fiendish’ Natural History Quiz (prizes!), members’ presentations and seasonal food. Visitors very welcome £4.

Further information from Chairman, David Warner 01625 874387.

Wilmslow Guild, 1 Bourne Street, Wilmslow, SK9 5HD 7.30pm

Monday 3 December

Thursday 6 December

Mart Roger Manchester Jazz. Entry £7. Enquiries 01663 763532 High Lane Conservative Club, Buxton Road, High Lane SK6 8DR 8pm

Book Launch Party with popular Cheadle-based crime writer Kate Ellis for her new novel The Boy Who Lived with the Dead - the second in Kate’s Albert Lincoln series of North West based historical thrillers, the sequel to A High Mortality of Doves.

This is a FREE event - please get in touch if you would like to join us and we’ll add you to the Guest List.

Tel: 0161 439 1436 or email enquiries@simplybooks.info Simply Books, Bramhall 7.30pm

Wednesday 5 December Coffee and Conversation at Simply Books.

Join Andrew for half-an-hour of lively conversation about books in the news. Hear what’s happening in the shop and pick up suggestions for a few good reads. Price: £2.50 (towards your coffee and homemade cake!) (Coffee and Conversation usually takes place on the FIRST Wednesday of each month but because of our New Year’s break our next meeting will be on 9 January) Simply Books, Bramhall 11am

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Friday 7 December Café y Conversacion A conversation group for anyone interested in improving their Spanish! Join us for informal Spanish conversation over coffee and cake with local Spanish teacher Liz Wilson. £5 (includes refreshments) (Cafe y Conversacion meets at 11am on the first Friday of each month) Simply Books Cafe, Bramhall 11am

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Friday 7 December

Sunday 9 December

Mary Poppins starring Lauren Child Join us in the stunning setting of Stockport Plaza’s Art Deco Café for a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious Tea Party with the Children’s Laureate.

Lauren will be talking about her love of PL Travers’ original story and showing us how, in her new book, she has brought the magic of Mary Poppins into the hearts and imagination of readers and fans new and old in her own inimitable style.

Tickets £25 (includes Mary Poppins Tea and a signed copy of Lauren’s exquisite Mary Poppins) £15 for accompanying adults (includes Mary Poppins Afternoon Tea) To book call 0161 439 1436 or book online at www.simplybooks.info Stockport Plaza Café 5.30pm to 6.45pm

Barnby Choir Christmas Concert conducted by Lloyd Buck Puccini Messa Di Gloria plus Christmas Carols - Old and New (including audience carols) Tickets £12, £10 (Concessions), £5 (Students) available on the door Please visit www.thebarnbychoir.co.uk for further information.

Wilmslow United Reformed Church, Chapel Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 1PR 7.30pm

Saturday 8 December Book Signing with Children’s Laureate Lauren Child.

Lauren will be signing her exquisitely reimagined edition of Mary Poppins. For more information or to reserve a copy of Lauren’s book (would make a delightful Christmas present!) call Simply Books on 0161 439 1436 Simply Books, Bramhall 10.30 to 11.30am

Saturday 8 December Bramhall High School PTA Christmas Fair Stallholder Fee £15 - to book contact Vicki 0161 456 4431 Bramhall High School 12 noon to 2.30pm

Saturday 8 December Carols and Brass by Candlelight St George’s Singers with the fabulous young musicians of Chetham’s Brass Ensemble and Bradshaw Hall Primary School Choir. Mulled wine and mince pies (or juice and cakes) are included in the ticket price, and this year a coach is available from Poynton Civic Hall car park/Hazel Grove station.

Tickets are £13, £11 concessions, £4 students/children. Phone 01663 764012 or email tickets@st-georges-singers.org.uk or book and pay online at www.st-georges-singers.org.uk St George’s Church, Stockport, 7pm

Saturday 8 December Ladybrook Singers 90th Anniversary Christmas Concert Join us in a celebratory Christmas concert to mark 90 years of making music with guests St Peter’s Church choirs. Charity concert in aid of Music in Hospitals & Care. Music by Benjamin Britten, Rutter with traditional carols. Musical Director: Alison Bletcher, Accompanist: Celia Maylor Tickets: £10 (£3 child) or pay on the door. Refreshments available.

Enquiries: 0161 485 6642 www.ladybrooksingers.co.uk Norbury Parish Church, London Rd, Hazel Grove SK7 4RF 7.30pm

Tuesday 11 December East Cheshire National Trust Lecture Lecture: ‘Tales of the Artful Dodgers’ with David Seddon Brookdale Club, Bridge Lane, Bramhall, Stockport, SK7 3AB 2pm

Wednesday 12 to Saturday 15 December Wilmslow Guild Players present Dick Whittington by Norman Robbins A traditional Christmas panto based on English folklore.

The ‘rags to riches’ story about a poor boy, his cat and who he meets on his adventures. Can you spot the good fairies and the terrible rat? Last year’s panto jokes and music will be ‘trumped-up’ to reflect life in Wilmslow. Audience involvement includes cheering the goodies and booing the baddies.

Adults should be accompanied by at least one child.

Tickets: adults £8, children £5 Book online: www.wgp.org.uk or tickets@wgp.org.uk Wilmslow Guild, 1 Bourne Street, Wilmslow 7.15pm (also 2pm on Saturday)

Thursday 13 December The Family History Society of Cheshire, Bramhall Group An enlightening family tale from a couple of our members followed by our Christmas Party.

Admission charge £2. All visitors are most welcome.

United Reformed Church Hall, Bramhall SK7 2PE 7.30pm

Thursday 13 December LINK Ladies Fellowship Christmas Carol Service.

The candlelit service will begin at 7.30pm, gentlemen welcome too, and there will be much improved refreshments!

No entrance fee but a retiring collection will be made for International Justice Mission. All will be most welcome to come and begin Christmas in a relaxed atmosphere.

Bramhall Methodist Church, (Bramhall Village Centre) 7.30pm Continued over

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Sunday 16 December

Saturday 22 December

Stockport Symphony Orchestra, conductor Robert Guy Music for children, parents and grandparents with a familyfriendly 3pm start. Tom Redmond, famous for his lively and exciting style of presentation, joins the SSO to present and narrate some famous music. including his own narration to accompany Britten’s exhilarating Young Person’s Guide.

With Harry Potter, wolves, bears and massive cannons.

What could possibly go wrong? For more information visit www.stockportsymphony.co.uk Tickets available at box office, online or possibly on the door, but the Christmas concert is popular so better to buy in advance!

Stockport Town Hall 3pm

Werneth Concert Band presents “The Snowman” by Raymond Briggs.

This is another opportunity to watch the well known and loved short film with live accompaniment by the band, following sold out success in 2017. The band will also be playing some other well-known light pieces for children, parents and grandparents to enjoy.

Tickets £6 available online at www.wernethconcertband.org.uk.

The Forum Theatre, Romiley 2.30pm

Sunday 16 December Alderley Edge Symphony Orchestra Christmas Concert In aid of The Christie Charitable Fund. Tickets on the door, online www.aeso.org.uk or call 01625 581321. £10 adult, Child £1.

Alderley Edge Methodist Church SK9 7DU 3.30pm

Sunday 16 December The Lindow Singers and Sale Choral Society present Handel’s Messiah, conductor Russell Medley.

Tickets £12 Concessions £10 Students £6 from choir members or call 01625 611124 St Bartholomew’s Church, Wilmslow 3pm

Tuesday 18 December Caffe e Conversazione at Simply Books. Join us for informal Italian conversation over coffee and cake with local Italian teacher Giulia Shepherd. £5 (includes refreshments) (Caffe e Conversazione usually takes place on the last Tuesday of each month) Simply Books, Bramhall 11am

Friday 21 December Stockport Historical Society. Christmas Coffee Evening.

In a change from our programme our speaker is to be Dr Diana Leitch. Visitors very welcome Admission £3.

Further information from Tony Nightingale 0161 440 0570.

Stockport Sunday School, Nangreave Road, SK2 6DQ (Next to Aquinas College) 7.45pm

Friday 21 December & Saturday 22 December ‘Classics at Christmas’ with Epiphany Join Epiphany for their annual Christmas concerts. Programme to include baroque masterpieces and romantic favourites plus Christmas classics and surprises! Tickets £16, £12 (conc) Advance booking advisable from 01625 858802 (or available on the door) St George’s Church Poynton, 7.30pm on 21 Dec and 4pm on 22 Dec

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Saturday 22 December An evening performance of Werneth Concert Bands annual Christmas Concert.

This concert will feature festive favourites, carols and a selection of light music for all to enjoy.

Tickets £10/£8 from Interiors by Gainsborough, Romiley (0161 4940914) or via www.wernethconcertband.org.uk The Forum Theatre, Romiley 7.30pm

Friday 28 December Simply Cinema presents…The Children Act (12) Fiona Maye (Emma Thompson) is an eminent high court judge presiding over ethically complex cases. As the demands of her job take her marriage to breaking point, Fiona is asked to rule on the case of Adam, a brilliant young boy who is refusing a life-saving blood transfusion on religious ground.

A compelling, complex and powerful drama adapted from the novel of the same name by Ian McEwan. £8 To book: call 0161 439 1436 email events@simplybooks.info or book online at www.simplybooks.info Centrepoint, Bramhall Methodist Church, 7pm

Tuesday 1 to Saturday 5 January Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Cheshire Youth Pantomime Society (CHYPS) pantomime.

Tickets: £8 to £15 Book online: www.chypspanto.com Or tickets@chypspanto.com or 07910 187583 Woodford Community Centre, Chester Road, Woodford, SK7 1PS 7pm (also 2pm on Wednesday and Saturday)

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Call 01625 879611 or email info@insidemagazines.co.uk for further details.

Thursday 3 January

Thursday 10 January

Would you like to meet new friends? Thursday Group is a social group for unattached people of mature years, with several activities run by the members every week. These include walking, dancing, badminton, theatre and restaurant visits.

For more info see www.thursdaygroup.co.uk or ring Bill on 07505 076838, or just come along to new members night on the first Thursday in each month where you will be met by group members.

The Bulls Head Pub, 30 Wilmslow Road, Handforth, SK9 3EW 8.30pm

LINK Ladies’ Fellowship Begin the New Year on a very healthy note when we go “Walking with Richard” - Richard being our Pastor.

This is the first time Richard had spoken to us on a much more relaxed topic and we are really looking forward to seeing what he gets up to in his spare time. All ladies will be made most welcome so why not start the New Year with a new outing/ venue.

Only £2 for the afternoon which includes tea and biscuits.

Bramhall Methodist Church, (Bramhall Village Centre) 2.30pm

Monday 7 January Mart Rodger Manchester Jazz £7 entry, enquiries 01663-763532 High Lane Conservative Club, Buxton Road, High Lane, SK6 8DR 8pm

Wednesday 9 January The Arts Society North East Cheshire. Historic Graffiti - the Hidden Story of the Hopes, Fears and Desires of a Nation by James Wright, archaeologist, lecturer and author. The study of historic graffiti enables us to hear the lost voices of ordinary individuals through their images of daisywheels, ships sailing across the walls, knights drawing their swords, demons stalking the stonework and every animal imaginable. Potential new members are welcome. To attend as a visitor please contact Maggie Schofield on 0161 427 9451 or info@theartssocietynortheastcheshire.org.uk Brookdale Club, Bramhall 10.30am with coffee from 9.45am

Wednesday 9 January Craft and Chatter A fortnightly get together for crafters of all kinds, card making, quilting, collage, embroidery, sewing and any other interests you might have. Bring your own project and enjoy good crafting company with a cuppa and cake, and the opportunity to learn from each other. Contact Chrissie 0161 439 8262 for further details. £2 donation requested. We will also meet on 23 January.

Dean Row Chapel Hall, Adlington Road, SK9 2BX 2pm

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Friday 11 January Tel: 01625 879611

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Wednesday 16 January Lunchtime Concert Polaris Duo Gillian Blair/saxophone Elinor Nicholson/harp Admission is by programme £5, available at the door. Light lunches are served from 12 noon and the concert starts at 1pm, lasting approximately 45 minutes.

Information available on www.alderleyedgemethodistchurch.com or email aemcchurchoffice@gmail.com Alderley Edge Methodist Church, 1pm

Thursday 17 January Wilmslow Guild Natural History Society Wild Britain by Brian White Visitors very welcome £4 Further information from Chairman, David Warner 01625 874387 Wilmslow Guild, 1 Bourne Street, Wilmslow, SK9 5HD 7.30pm

Thursday 17 January Bramhall U3A. Talk by Rev Derek Davidson – Dorothy L Sayers and the Fall of Singapore in 1942.

Email enquiries@bramhallu3a.org.uk or Telephone 0161 440 0447 United Reformed Church, Robins Lane, Bramhall, 2pm (Doors open 1.30pm)

Friday 18 January Stockport Historical Society. Recent archaeological investigations in the Stockport area by Norman Redhead.

Visitors very welcome, admission £3. Further information from Tony Nightingale 0161 440 0570 Stockport Sunday School, Nangreave Road, SK2 6DQ (Next to Aquinas College) 7.45pm

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Saturday 19 January

Thursday 24 January

The Hallé comes to Bramhall An afternoon concert to banish the winter blues! The charismatic young newly-appointed Principal 2nd violinist Helena Buckie and friends will play Tchaikovsky’s gloriously melodic Souvenir de Florence. The concert will begin with Haydn’s Sunrise quartet. In between there will be some virtuoso fiddling from Norway and the Shetland Islands.

Tickets available from early January, from the Church Office (0161 439 1204), Thrift Shop, Simply Books (228 Moss Lane) and at the door. Tickets £11 and £9 concessions (under 18s free) includes refreshments.

Bramhall Methodist Church 2pm

LINK Ladies’ Fellowship. We’ll be going back in time when Derek Slater talks to us about The Victorian Theatre. This should be quite dramatic! We look forward to welcoming all ladies who have never ventured to cross our doorstep before - we can assure you of a warm reception, pleasant, friendly company and a cup of tea and biscuit and all for only £2.

Bramhall Methodist Church, (Bramhall Village Centre) 2.30pm

Thursday 24 January Bramhall Christian Viewpoint Supper Evening. ‘Victim to Victor’ with speaker Ems Hancock. Ems is a wife, mother, speaker and the author of a number of books, Good Grief, In-Security, The Habit Breaker and her new book The Rest of your Life which is about finding relaxation in a non-stop world. Ems writes honestly and with humour and her faith in God shines through. She will be sharing her testimony and a little of her history and life experiences. As always men are very welcome to join us. To book a place (£12 including Supper) phone Sheila Salden 0161 440 9794 The Deanwater Hotel, Woodford 7pm for 7.30pm

Saturday 26 January Stockport Symphony Orchestra Ever wanted to know what all the fuss about The Ring was about but couldn’t face the flight to Bayreuth and 15 hours on hard seats? This is for you! Conductor Matthew Wood brings you all the essential bits from Wagner’s Ring in a little over an hour so there is still time for a magic flute or two!

For more information visit www.stockportsymphony.co.uk, tickets available at box office, online or on the door.

Free car parking available 4pm to midnight Stockport Town Hall, 7.30pm

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useful numbers Churches Baptist Church Christ Church, Woodford Bramhall Christian Fellowship Evangelical Church Methodist Church Roman Catholic Church of St Vincent de Paul St Michael & All Angels United Reformed Church

Police (non-emergency) 0161 317 2702 0161 439 2286 0161 440 9132 0161 439 3103 0161 439 1204 0161 440 0889 0161 439 3989 0161 439 4807

0161 426 5850 0161 426 9700 07548 098 258 0161 439 3322

Helplines Alcoholics Anonymous Al-Anon CALL Listening Line Childline Citizens Advice Bureau Crimestoppers Directory Enquiries National Dementia Helpline RSPCA Samaritans The Wellspring, Stockport

0800 917 7650 02074 030888 0800 132 2737 0800 1111 03444 111 444 0800 555111 118 500 0300 222 1122 0300 1234999 116 123 0161 477 6344

Hospitals Stepping Hill Hospital NHS Non-Emergency

0161 483 1010 111

0843 903 3213 0161 439 4100 0161 439 4006 0161 483 2332

Bramhall High School Ladybrook Primary School Moss Hey Primary School Nevill Road Infants Nevill Road Juniors Infants Juniors Pownall Green Primary School Queensgate Primary School

0161 439 8045 0161 439 8444 0161 439 5114 0161 439 4817 0161 439 4598 0161 439 4817 0161 439 4598 0161 439 1105 0161 439 3330

Travel Traveline Bus & Train Information National Rail Enquiries Manchester Airport

0871 200 2233 0345 748 4950 0808 169 7030

Utilities Electricity – Power Loss Gas – Emergency Water Floods Water Leaks Environment Agency Floodline

105 0800 111 999 0345 672 3723 0800 330 033 0345 988 1188

0161 217 6009 0161 474 4530

Friday 11 January

Local Government Stockport MBC Mary Robinson MP

Bramhall Sorting Office Maple Road Post Office Parkside Post Office Hazel Grove Post Office

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Libraries Bramhall Library Stockport Central Library

Post Offices

0161 439 8128

Leisure Centre Bramhall

0161 856 9973 0161 856 9770 101

Schools

Doctors Bramhall Health Centre Bramhall Park Medical Centre Bramhall Park Cancellation Line The Village Surgery

Bramhall & Woodford Police Cheadle Heath Police Station (non-emergency)

0161 480 4949 0161 672 6855

Call 01625 879611 or email info@insidemagazines.co.uk to secure your space.

61

classified index ADULT EDUCATION Practical Philosophy

ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES 18

BEAUTY Absolutely Gorgeous Nails

40

Whitehall Builders

52

36

Alice Chilton

43

Hillbrook Grange

22

CARPET & UPHOLSTERY CLEANING 47

CHIROPODY 43

23

CLUBS & ENTERTAINMENT Bramhall Village Club Bridge Club

39 39

Carrington Doors

RESTAURANTS

13

56

6

SECURITY SERVICES City Lock & Safe Ltd

14

LockRite

35

10 14

HEARING SERVICES

Slater & Gordon 29

ICAN Handyman Services

49

KITCHENS 9

The Granite & Marble Shop

21

Transform Your Kitchen

17

KITCHEN RESPRAYING

Spring Decorating

58

Matt Finish

Inside Front Cover

STAIRCASE RENOVATIONS The Stair Shop

HOME IMPROVEMENT & PROPERTY MAINTENANCE

47

LOCKSMITH SERVICES City Lock & Safe Ltd

14

LockRite

35

LOFT LADDERS More Than Loft Ladders

62

18

Mounteney Solicitors

35

44

50

Metro Plumb

McAlister Family Law

Philip Unsworth

Greenbank Preparatory School

BPF Plumbing & Heating

Creative Gardens & Driveways

Back Cover

23

EDUCATION & TUITION

35

SOLICITORS / LEGAL SERVICES

Gary O’Reilly

30

PJ McEvoy

GARDEN DESIGN & LANDSCAPING

49

DRAINAGE

42

Copper Lounge

GARAGE DOORS

Bauhaus

Pure Clean Drainage Solutions

5

FURNITURE

Pro Glass 4 Splashbacks

DECORATORS

Pest in Peace

PLUMBING & HEATING 25

FUNERAL SERVICES

Cheshire Hearing Centres

CLEANING SERVICES Alice Chilton Cleaning Services

Brilliant Fires

All In Stone

CARE HOMES & SERVICES

30

PLASTERERS Inside Back Cover

Adlington Memorial Park

BUILDING SOCIETIES

Suzanne Gaskell

35

FIRES

JS Services

Safeclean

Mosley Jarman

Pure Clean Drainage Solutions

PEST CONTROL

SCZ Electrical Services

ESTATE AGENTS 4

BUILDING SERVICES

Vernon Building Society

PATIOS 52

ELECTRICIANS 23

BOOK SHOPS Simply Books

Taylor Electrical

50

26

TAKEAWAYS Posh Nosh

60

TAXIS Lynx

59

TREE SERVICES Swift Tree & Arboricultural Services 42

TRAVEL Lucy Allen

23

WINDOW & CONSERVATORY REPAIRS The Window Repair Centre

57