September 2018 Issue 17
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FANCY LEARNING A NEW SKILL? See page 8 & 9
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Welcome to the September Issue of Local Living Well we’ve made it through the Summer Hols. To try and ease you into September we have some fantastic ideas to learn a new skill on pages 8 & 9. There is a lovely story about how Lowton High ‘Learn to crochet’ course has been a great success. There are some great offers on with lots of local businesses and information on where to find them all the way through this issue. There’s a massive 50% off some carpet lines (see page 5 opposite!) Page 3 & 6 give you all the information you need about two, very different, local businesses. Have a read and give them some support. Both are run by local residents. With our regular What’s on guide and Community news page this issue is, once again, packed with lots of information. Until next month have a lovely September.
Tracy Leach, Editor
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LEARN TO SEW AT DOLLYS The School House, 1a Academy Place, Academy Way, WA1 2NR
01925 820780 www.dollyssewingschool.co.uk /Dollysews
Educating Lowton - School’s in for grown-ups with a passion for lifelong learning CROCHET can change your life! We’re not spinning you a yarn here, it’s true. Just ask Sarah Forshaw from Culcheth. What started out as a bit of mild curiosity about a craft she’d always wanted to try has opened up a whole world of possibilities for her. New skills, new friends and a lifetime’s supply of handmade gifts for family and friends all at Sarah’s nimble fingers. In fact, when it comes to crochet, it’s fair to say she’s hooked. Sarah is just one of the scores of adults in Lowton, Leigh and beyond who have put their desire to try something new into practice. And thanks to the Adult Education programme at Lowton Church of England High School they’ve found the right place to give it a go. “I saw an advert for the crochet course at Lowton,” said Sarah. “I came along and enrolled on the course and I haven’t looked back, it’s fantastic.” Now every Wednesday during term time you can find Sarah and her classmates weaving their magic at Lowton. “The class is really informal and I’ve made some great friends,” she said. Class tutor Michelle Silcock added: “Crochet is extremely popular. It can be very calming and quite a therapeutic hobby. “Once people join the class and start their first piece you can see their self-confidence grow.” The Adult Education courses at Lowton CE High are aimed at anyone over 19. Sally Hayes, who is the Adult Education co-ordinator says Lowton is the only place in the area offering such a broad range of courses. There’s all sorts of arts, crafts and creativity - you can learn a new language or pick up the basics of a new talent. “The classes are for anyone who wants to broaden their knowledge and expand their horizons,” said Sally. “It’s a chance to have fun whilst learning something new and it’s a great way to meet people.” Adult Education Courses at Lowton Church of England High School cost just £45 for nine weeks and for many people in receipt of benefits they are free. This year’s programme promises to be bigger and better than ever. The school will be hosting an enrolment evening on Wednesday 12 September between 5pm and 7pm. To keep up to date with all the courses being offered this time visit: www.lowtonhighschool.co.uk. You can call or email Sally Hayes at the school on 01942 767040 - hayess@lowtonhs.wigan.sch.uk Photos: The crochet group - Michelle Silcock (tutor), Michele Cherrett, Sarah Forshaw, Claire Harland, Elizabeth Andrews, Jackie Daley, Manisha Patel and Claire Cassidy. Sarah Forshaw shows off some of her crochet handiwork. Tutor Michelle Silcock shows an example of amigurumi.
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Monday & Thursday Cheeky monkeys playgroup Age 0-4 years. Term time only 9-15 to 11-15 at Golborne sports club Monday Men wanted for Parkside Colliery Male Voice Choir. Meet every Monday at 7:30p at Congregational Church, Hilton Street. Ashton www.parksidecollierymvc.co.uk Tuesday MemorabLEIGH every Tuesday 1-3pm at the Old Grammar School in Railway Road, Leigh (in the same block as Oceans Eleven Chippy). The group is aimed at anyone over 50 who wants to talk about their life in Leigh and/or the history of the town. Each week we discuss a different topic. £4 per session which includes refreshments. If you are interested in joining email contactus@healthyarts.org.uk or phone Martin on 07542 114383 Tuesday 8pm The Three Towns Operatics Society rehearse at Tyldesley Methodist Church, Elliott Street, Tyldesley M29 8JE For more information contact Ursula Lightford on 01942 6670287 www.threetowns.net Last Tuesday of the month 7:30pm. Lowton West Residents group meet at Parkside Club, Rivington Avenue. Have your say about what is happening locally and help improve our area. All welcome. Wednesday The Paperback Writers meet at 10:30-12:30 at The Coffee Stop in Railway Road, Leigh. You don’t need to be experienced just keen to develop and share your work, and a sense of humour! During the workshops, led by local writer Julie McKiernan (www.juleswriter.co.uk), you will receive feedback on your writing and learn how to apply different styles and techniques in practical writing exercises, responding to a wide range of different stimuli. £6 per session. Email juleswriter@hotmail.com for further information. Wednesday Leigh Community Choir meets 7:30-9pm at The Turnpike Gallery above Leigh Library WN7 1EB. It’s £2.50 per session and everyone is welcome! Thursday 8:30 - 12. Coffee and chat at Lowton St Mary’s, Newton Road. Thursday Lowton and Golborne art group meets every Thursday at Leigh and Lowton Sailing Club from 10 till 4 and enjoy not only the freedom to express their artistic talents but also engage socially with other members with similar interests.
Second and fourth Friday of the month
Knit and natter held in St Luke’s church on Slag Lane. 2-4pm. Lots of chatting and cup of tea and a biscuit 50p towards costs.
Third Wednesday of the month
Leigh Arthritis Care Support Group meet every 3rd Wednesday in the month at Kingsleigh Methodist Church Community Building, free car park for those attending the meeting to rear of church in Cook Street off Railway Road. 1.30-4pm Supporting people with arthritis, family and carers with information, support and a warm welcome. Contact John 01942 704704.
Fourth Wednesday of the month
Golborne & District Townswomen s' Guild meet at Northfield Court, Lowton Rd. Golborne from 7pm. - 9pm. We provide speakers, and social activities. Please contact Avril on 01942 726 033 for further details.
First Thursday of the month
At our August meeting we had a talk about the Blood bikes, this is a charity that provides support services to the NHS. The bikers transport pathology samples, blood and even breast milk from the milk bank to hospitals in the North West. The bikers are volunteers who work mainly nights and weekends, the bikers are supported by control staff who as well as passing on jobs, they ensure the bikers whereabouts are known and that they are safe. What incredible work these people do to help patients needing the services of our struggling NHS. Lowton WI meet at Lowton Social Club on Newton Road on the first Thursday of the month at 7.15pm.If you are interested and would like to visit please phone Lin Hayes on 01942 207764 for details.
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COMING TO LEIGH AUGUST 2018
Monty pythons SPAMALOT A new musical with book by Eric Idle. And an entirely new score created by Eric Idle and John Du Prez. Performed by Lowton Operatic And Dramatic Society. 29th Aug. - 1st Sept. At St. Josephs Hall, mather lane, Leigh, WN72PR. Evening performances 19-30 pm. Saturday 1st September matinee 2-30pm Evening. Tickets available also www.ticketsource.co.uk/lowtonoadsTickets £9. Suitable for children 10 +years. Not to be missed. More information from www.ticketsource.co.uk/lowtonoads Or lowton operatic facebook page / lowtonoads Come on everyone have a great time. Fun, laughter and sparkle, something for everyone. TICKETS CAN BE PUCHASED FROM LEIGH RUFC CLUB, BEECH WALK, LEIGH. WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY EVENING 7.30-10PM. WE REHEARSE IN THE BACK ROOM. ALTERNATIVELY RING STEVEN ON 07530373668
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LOWTON St. LUKE’S WAR MEMORIAL Following the completion of the repair and restoration of the War Memorial we will be holding a special re-dedication service on SUNDAY THE 9th SEPTEMBER at 3pm to which everyone is invited to attend. We would love to get in touch with any descendants of those commemorated on the War Memorial to hear any stories they wish to share. We would like to thank the War Memorials Trust, Wigan Council Brighter Borough Fund, Rotary Club of Newton and District Jubilee and Easy Funding for their grants, which has enabled us to carry out the work, and to MONO MASONRY of Oldham who so skilfully and expertly restored the monument. This is a comment from a Lowton resident, ”The refurbishment of the War Memorial is a superb example of 21st century craftsmanship and is a fitting reminder of the 100th anniversary of the end of the great war, with the names of local people who made the ultimate sacrifice. The whole of Lowton can be proud of the efforts made by the people involved in this undertaking. I believe the War Memorial will stand for a further 100 years as a reminder of the fallen. I wish to express my appreciation as a Lowton resident for the magnificent work undertaken on our behalf.
HERITAGE OPEN DAYS Lowton St. Luke’s , in the Deanery of Win wick, was consecrated in 1733 and as part of the’ HERITAGE OPEN DAYS SCHEME’ the church will be open to visitors on SATURDAY 8th SEPTEMBER from 10am to 3pm. There will be displays of photographs, artefacts and documents relating to the history of the church. Light refreshments will be served all day and members of the congregation will be on hand to answer questions and give more detailed information.
For info contact Geoff Maines 01942 671505
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Make your Tokens Count at Asda Golborne St Catherine of Siena RC Primary School School PTA want to purchase much needed equipment for school Handmade With Love for Angel Babies To send little blankets, hats & clothes to parents 1st Golborne (St Thomas) Scout & Guide Group To replace worn out mess tents Local Mum Fran, whose baby was saved by firefighters after he choked, is working to get parents and carers to get involved in a first aid course. Francesca Lowe, from Lowton, was on her way to the supermarket three years ago when her three-week old son Thomas turned blue in his car seat. She drove to the Fire Station at Leigh where the crew gave him first aid and helped him to breathe again. Francesca realised that other parents might be I the same situation and wanted to do something to help. She started to run a series of child first aid courses. She gained support from Wigan Council, Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles and the Royal Life Saving Society. The course is now offered across the borough in Start Well centres. Francesca, 43, a parent champion from Westleigh Start Well centre, said: “It’s a two-hour workshop which teaches parents, carers and grandparents how to perform CPR and what to do if your baby is choking or drowning. After the incident three years ago I wanted to learn first aid myself and I realised it could be hard to get on a course and you wouldn’t search for one unless it happened to you. We also have a crèche on site so you can bring your baby. We just want as many people as possible to come to a course and learn first aid.” Francesca's commitment to the course has been acknowledged by Wigan Council. Cllr Jenny Bullen, cabinet member for children and young people’s services at the council, said: “It’s brilliant to see how passionate Francesca is about making a difference to other families after her experience when her son was a baby. “I’m delighted we’re supporting parents and wider family members in our Start Well centres to acquire these vital skills which can save young lives.” Francesca is also hoping to get a similar first aid course rolled out for children up to the age of 16 which she would call Save a Child. Professor Kate Ardern, director of Public Health at the council, added: “Francesca has been a fantastic champion for the course and we’re happy to be supporting it in our Start Well centres so other parents and carers feel confident about knowing what to do if they ever encounter a similar situation. "It’s been a real partnership effort between Francesca, the council and Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles to deliver this crucial advice.” For more information about the Save a Baby’s Life first aid course get in touch with your nearest Start Well centre or visit rlss.org.uk.
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september in your garden Firstly we must look back at the summer…and what a summer. I am writing this early in August, outside the temperature is 31C and, while we have had enough rain in the last three weeks to water my vegetable plot, the dry period from late May to early July nearly killed two hydrangeas and my blueberries, and did kill a clematis and two azaleas. As I write, other plants are threatened. Assuming (!?) the heatwave is not over, go round your garden and look for casualties. And look for places where – if you have a clay soil especially – the ground cracked. Two things I will remind you of early next year: Have enough water butts, for many plants such as azaleas and blueberries hate the lime often found in tap water (I ran out of butt water)? Are you making and hoarding compost from household waste like lawn-mowings, weeds, fallen leaves, tea bags and coffee grounds and vegetable peelings? Collect a few bags of horse muck and hide them away round the back of the shed. Next spring, if you can put a four inch layer of organic material as a mulch around plants a long drought next summer is less likely to damage them. Back to this month. September is THE month to plant spring bulbs. And if you want hyacinths in flower for Christmas and the New Year, get ‘prepared’ hyacinths, plant them in bowls of well-wetted bulb fibre and put them in a dark, cool place as soon as possible. A tip: do not buy dry snowdrop bulbs but wait to next spring when you can buy them ‘in the green’. It is difficult to get dry bulbs established. It is also a good time to buy and plant beds with wallflowers and sweet williams. September is the main month for harvesting apples and pears. To see if they are ready for picking, each fruit should be gently grasped and lifted – not pulled – and if the junction between fruit stalk and branch breaks that fruit is ripe. But the fruit may be ripe but it is not necessarily ready to eat. For example, ripe conference pears are usually quite hard. Keep them three or four weeks and they will be soft and delicious. Most of our herbaceous perennials and things like clematis will have flowered, the flowers faded and seed heads developed. Perennial borders can look a bit untidy in late autumn and early winter, but leave them. Their seed will provide food for birds and things like blackbirds will happily forage amongst the old stems. I tend to leave the rose hips on the roses after they have bloomed in August; sometimes a fieldfare, a thrush that visits us in winter from Scandinavia, will come and gobble them. If you have a vegetable plot, when a bed becomes empty, say after the maincrop potatoes are harvested or the runner beans are finished, plant a ‘winter manure crop’. I sow field beans on my spare ground and you can buy packets of them. They cover the soil and inhibit weed growth. Next spring you simply dig them in to add humus to the soil and the field bean roots have nitrogen-rich nodules that add to the soil fertility. Malcolm Greenhalgh
September is also a great month for flower and vegetable shows. Newton-le-Willows GA’s show is on 8 Sept at Penkford School, Wharf Road, Newton (open 2pm). The Association’s Sales and Advice Hut on Rob Lane is closed that day but open Saturday and Sunday mornings, 10.30-noon. All welcome.
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ARCHITECT SERVICES
ROOFING
Lowton based architect for your property conversion designs including submission to local authorities for planning and building regulation consideration. Excellent service with quality drawings at competitive prices. Ring Gavin Pinion at Goldcrest Design Services Ltd on 01942 729832 or 07958102874
Time served roofer. (25 yrs exp). All roofing and gutter repairs from a broken tile to a full re roof. Insurance work undertaken, special rates for OAP’s. Call Alan on 01942 576183 or 07930 110031 for free estimate
DECORATING SERVICE
deluxe decorating We offer a high standard of painting and decorating work at competitive rates, we are reliable and fast. Call for a free quote 07592411219. Find us on FB
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UPHOLSTERY DESIGNS
Atlas Upholstery Design Services. Specialist in the re-upholstery of Settees, Easy Chairs, Dining Chairs etc. Headboards recovered and made to order. Spring repairs etc. Do you need new foam cushion? Pubs, Clubs, Caravans recovered etc. 40 years In the trade. Workmanship guaranteed. Free Estimates. Call David on 01942 729978 www.atlasupholstery.co.uk
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