Uttoxeter & Cheadle Voice, Issue 64

Uttoxeter& CheadleUttoxeter

& CheadleFREE

New for 2016 - Distribution now increased to 15,000 quality magazines each issue

Covering UTTOXETER & CHEADLE and now Ashbourne - Plus Alton, Oakamoor, Doveridge, Rocester, Bramshall, Stramshall, Mayfield,Leigh, Church Leigh, Checkley, Lower Tean, Tean, Draycott in the Moors, Cresswell, Saverley Green, Fulford and villages in between

Issue 64

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Publisher and Editor: Nigel Titterton The Uttoxeter & Cheadle Voice is published by Community Voice Publications Ltd

Telephone 01538 751629 e-mail [email protected] views expressed in this publication are those of our contributors and are not necessarily those of the publishers, nor

indeed their responsibility. All Rights Reserved. Copyright Community Voice Publications Ltd.Designed and Produced by [email protected]

I can’t believe we are now surging into‘Flaming June’ – where have the months gone?

We haven’t had a proper Winter with theusual snow and ice have we but spring hassprung and we have enjoyed plenty of warmsunshine lately. Mind you, the weather wasn’ttoo good recently when myself and UttoxeterRugby Club supporters and players made thejourney to Newcastle-under-Lyme to play in

the Owen Cup Final against Rugeley!The rain was persistent I think they call it! But we all defied the

elements to watch the cup final and it was disappointing to see theUttoxeter lads, who had already been crowned league championsdraw the game and lose on a conversion shoot-out. You’ve had amagnificent season lads under the superb coaching of the wily oldfox Graham MacDonald who has made a real difference and thetremendous work of Paul Bain. I urge all the players to stay togetherfor next season....

It was great to meet up with Uttoxeter supporters and friendssuch as Richard Oldham, Pete Douglas, Spike Moult, Lee Finlayson,Jason Cabrera, Kelvin Edwards, Kev Gear, and all the boys. I waswith my Voice columnist Les Humphries and his grandson and weall certainly enjoyed a few ‘sherberts’ during and after the match!!When the coach took us back to Oldfields club in Uttoxeter we alldisembarked and packed into see Evan and Gordon ‘Smelly’Richardson behind the bar.

However, it was plain to see Les had imbibed perhaps a little toomuch wine and myself had indulged in a few glasses of lager. My wifewas due to pick me up in the car from Oldfields so myself and Leshad a chat and came up with a plan which was don’t mention howmuch we had imbibed!

Pretty simple to execute this plan you may think!! So my wifearrived on the car park and myself and Les left the club and walkedtowards my carriage home. Then Les decided to say hello to my wifeMarcia and give her a kiss on the cheek before shouting loudly in hisown inimitable voice ‘Marcia, we’re all drunk (not actual the wordLes used of course!!). So much for a great plan Les, you’ve put yourfoot in it again mate!

Just a quickie, I’ve been informed that there is a serious floodingproblem at Birdland in Uttoxeter and residents have been trying theirutmost to get someone to sort it. Come on you councillors, get downthere and do your stuff!

I hope you enjoy reading this issue of The Voice colour magazineNigel Titterton, Editor & Publisher

The Uttoxeter &Cheadle Voice is whollyindependent and ispublished at 3 SpodeClose, Cheadle, StaffsST10 1DT15,000 copies aredistributed free tohomes and businessesin Uttoxeter, Cheadle,Ashbourne, Rocester,Denstone, Bramshall,Stramshall, Alton,Oakamoor, Tean, LowerTean, Checkley, Leigh,Church Leigh, Crakemarsh, Combridge, Kingsley, Mayfield, Draycott, Cresswell, SaverleyGreen & Fulford and Doveridge areas. Clients are welcome to view the printing matrix.

ADVERTISEMENT SALES AND EDITORIALTel: 01538 751629 or 07733 466 970 Email: [email protected]

NEXT ISSUEThe next Voice will be distributed from July 8th News Deadline: June 27th Advertising Deadline: June 30th

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Uttoxeter Choral Society celebrated the Queen’s 90th birthday with anenthusiastic performance of the Coronation Anthems by Handel. Theconductor, Mitch Holland, had collected an inspired orchestra to

accompany them. The bassoons Sarah Smith and Bethany Lewis gave adelightful lilt to the “Exceeding glad shall he be”.The second half began atmospherically with the introit of Cherubini’s

requiem. The delightful cello arpeggios played by Cara Janes introduced theRequiem aeternam. The Dies Irae was announced with the trombones {Richard Bolten and

Mark Howarth} and excited listeners with the interspersions of the trumpets[Eric Brookes & Sofia Mahon]. Each phrase building up from piano so thatthe Rex tremendae was a fitting forte. Recordare tested the strings with theirbeautiful semiquaver accompaniment to the single chorus line and continuedthe build up so that the interspersions of quiet “salve me” and “voca me”sounded really heart rending.Pie Jesu had interesting support as the oboes (Penny Lord and Natasha

Flowers) played opposing tunes. The Sanctus and Agnus Dei were renderedmore exciting by the accompaniment of the excited string playing of DavidFrancis, leader, Mandy Too, violin, and Elizabeth Medrow , Viola. The requiemfinished peacefully as eternal light shone “lux perpetua luceat eis”.

Uttoxeter Choral Society


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WI Quiz team champions

The Staffordshire Federation of Women’s Institutes held their annual county quiz recentlyat the Stafford show ground. Nearly ninety teams entered among whom were two teamsfrom Denstone WI. The ‘A team’, pictured below, won the championship by a

considerable margin of six points and were presented with the county trophy by SheilaMoulton. This is the second time in the history of the championship that a Denstone teamhas won, so well done to the four very knowledgeable women involved!

Left to right: Sheila Moulton (County Chairman), Janet Matthews, Jenny Richardson, JaneMack and Irena Beaumont)


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Councillor Mark Deaville has kindly allocated £1000 from hisStaffordshire Local Community Fund to Cheadle Allotment Association.The association has used the funding to surface the roadway that runs

down the centre of the allotments that are located on the outskirts of Cheadle.Although the allotments have only been open for 18 months there is already

a very active community there. Members have completely transformed the siteputting in many, many hours of hard work to get the site up and running.They have made the site both an attractive as well as productive area, with

the help of numerous sponsors as well as through the association’s fund raisingactivities at Party in the Park and the Christmas Market. Particular attentionhas been paid to try and conserve and also enhance the environment. Over thewinter native trees were planted around the perimeter of the site and currentlya wild flower area is being developed at the entrance to the site.The association plans to further enhance the site and strengthen the

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Lank’s LoreBy Steve ‘Lank’ LavinGolden Memories from one of Uttoxeter’s Favourite Characters

Well at the time of writing this column thedecent weather has finally arrived at longlast, not before time I can tell you. The

winter time in England seems to drag on and onespecially as you get older in the tooth.With this better weather arriving and the nights

drawing out the wife and I with nothing much tooccupy ourselves with we decided to re-live ouryouth and visit the Bramshall Road RecreationGround which is a leisurely stroll from our house.I know it sounds silly but we have not visited

their in over 30 years although it is in very closeproximity to our home, now that my daughter isoff our hands and we have no grandchildren toentertain and the appeal of a ‘roll in the hay’ so tospeak after 40 years of wedded bliss is now longeran attraction you can probably see why.We were pleasantly surprised at the Rec

nowadays. On entering the large wrought irongates obviously erected for security after the parkhas closed for the day (a sign of these so calledmodern times I expect). The layout is pretty muchthe same with well kept grass and clean paths andthe vista of the area has not changed a lot since weboth visited it last with some nice views across therolling countryside. Gone are the old smelly toiletswhich have been replaced with up to date modernfacilities. I am not sure whether or not a caretakerstill resides in the house at the top. Mr Leese keptit when I was a lad and used to conveyconfectionery to us from the rear probably as a sideline in those days but it was very welcome after asunny afternoons excercise.What has changed though is the playing

apparatus we were used to when we were young.We started to reminisce on the old facilities weused to entertain our selves with especially in theschool holidays and at weekends, we virtually used

to live there in those days along with probably halfof the kids in Uttoxeter and area.We could both see that out old friends the good

old Elf & Safety have made their mark.Gone is the old Maypole with its clanging

chains with a handle to hold on to whilst the olderkids would spin you round round to virtuallythrow you on to the tarmac to sustain numerouscuts and bruises. I can remember the chains tide inknots to shorten them for the taller kids so thattheir school shoes would not receive 3 monthswear of scuffs in one afternoon!The roundabout which was really intended for

the tots, but abused by the bigger kids trying tospin you round to end in a big heap yards away,gone, along with the hobby horse, the old seesawthat used to put splinters of wood in your rearfrom its well weathered timbers, also gone.The old witches hat was another popular ride

has disappeared but I noticed that it has beenreplaced with a smaller more modern one alongwith safety matting to stop you grazing yourself onthe hard surface should you come off, whichinvariably you did on the one in my time whensome clever person would spin it round so fastwith you on it that it used to fetch it off its anchorpoint! The usual swings are still available along with

modern trends which today are very popular withthe kids of today which were not available orthought of when we were young.A skate board course, zip wires, numerous

smaller items amongst just a few modern pieces ofapparatus that have emerged over the years andalso not forgetting the exercise equipment for theolder visitors to the park, not a bad idea at all inthis keep healthy world we live in to save moneyfor the NHS!

One thing I did notice though is that the bigcrown puller and heart of the old Rec which hasdisappeared, which looking back at the old days Iam not at all surprised is the BIG SLIDE.The Elf & Safety executive would have a dicky

fit today if that was availabe to the kids of todayto play on. I honestly do not know why it wasn’tbanned in my day although I suppose it was nomore dangerous then than skateboarding and thelikes are today the exception being that there wasno crash helmets issued in those days!The slide itself was a marvellous piece of play

equipment, solidly built, standing over 15ft highwith chute made out of the finest stainless steelwhich we used to polish up with wax breadwrappers to improve its friction so that when youslid down it you would come of the end of it likeS... of a Stick! The stainless steel used to burn yourbackside in a hot summer when it had beenbasking in the sun.Although the old equipment has disappeared I

am sure that today’s kids still have a whale of atime there in their spare time on the new facilitiesand it also keeps them off the streets causingtrouble.Till next time,LANK

The Old Roundabout The Old Witches Hat The infamous ‘Big Slide’

The Zip Wire Rides The Skateboard & Bmx Bike Courses The Excercise Equipment

With thanks to my friends Tom & Lorna Croton, Uttoxeter for use of the colour photos

...in with the new

Out with the old...


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190 years of AltonMethodist ChurchRecently Alton Methodist Church was packed with people celebrating theChapels 190th Anniversary, with special preacher, Chairman of the DistrictRev Peter Barber.Artifacts were loaned by Englesea Brook Methodist Chapel & Museum.



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Full production is getting underway thismonth of a brand new JCB machine – aproduct innovation which has created

around 85 new jobs. The innovative JCB Hydradig is taking the

construction industry by storm after making itsinternational debut at an equipment trade fair inMunich attended by more than half a millionpeople. Now hundreds of orders for the new 10-tonne

machine have been placed and production hasstarted at the JCB Heavy Products plant inUttoxeter. Around 85 people have been recruitedas result of the launch of the new machine. Theroles include engineers, welders and assembly lineemployees. The JCB Hydradig was developed in complete

secrecy over a three-year period, under thecodename ‘Project 710’. The vision from the outsetof the project was to design and engineer the mostinnovative solution in response to five keychallenges facing customers in today’s constructionsector. The machine had to have the best visibility,stability, manoeuvrability, mobility andserviceability. JCB Chairman Lord Bamford, who initiated the

project, said: “The Hydradig really does haveinnovation running right through the heart of it.In fact Hydradig will transform the industry and Iam certain customers will quickly appreciate itsbenefits.” JCB CEO Graeme Macdonald said: “The

launch of the JCB Hyradig is not only one of themost significant launches in the company’s history,

it is also one of the most successful. The responsehas been unprecedented and we have very highhopes for this revolutionary new product. “The JCB Hydradig is the third product

revolution we have brought to market in the pastsix months. We’ve launched a backhoe loaderwhich is 35% smaller than the standard modelwhich is opening up new sales opportunitiesaround the world. For our farming customers wehave just introduced a brand new dual technologytransmission for JCB’s Loadall telehandlerproducts which makes them 25% more productive

than competitive models. This is avery exciting time to be part of theJCB team.” Working closely with a range of

customers, JCB conducted in-depthanalysis of the potential applicationsfor the JCB Hydradig, includingutilities, highways, municipalities,general construction and landscaping,assessing the suitability of currentmachinery solutions. With job sitesbecoming increasingly congested,whether in an urban environment oron busy road carriageways, it becameclear that a new and better solutioncould be achieved by rethinkingmachine design conventions, a JCBspeciality. Chief Innovation and Growth

Officer Tim Burnhope said:“Visibility from the cab was the maincustomer consideration because of

on-site safety concerns. Stability was next on thelist, as machines are now being called upon to doan increasing amount of heavy lifting, not justexcavating. As job sites become tighter manycustomers are demanding improvedmanoeuvrability, while others need increasedmobility to allow machines to move between sitesmore quickly. “Finally, customers now expect excellent

ground-level serviceability. So our design challengewas to develop a single machine solution thatwould deliver against all five customer challenges.”

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Just theperfect day...

Eighteen months quickly went from theday Craig and I got engaged. We bothhad fantastic Hen & Stag do’s, mine at

Moddershall Oaks with all of my favouriteladies and Craig’s at Edinburgh Beer Festivalwith his best mates.The night before our wedding on 5th

December 2015, Craig & I followed traditionby going our separate ways. I spent the nightpreparing for what was going to be the bestday of my life, it was just me and my mumand a bottle of Champagne. Towards the endof the evening, my Mum surprised me with awedding hamper full of lovely personal gifts. The following morning Mum and I had

our hair styled by Nicola Byatt at homebefore we prepared for the big day. Weplanned to arrive at Weston Hall early in theafternoon to meet with my bridesmaids andphotographer, Cris Lowis. I put my weddingdress on which I purchased from BridalCouture by Josephine in Cheadle, who wereso helpful and friendly. My flowers weredelivered to the room by Sorella Events whoalso provided the décor. My Sister Jo wasMaid of Honour, followed by three adultbridesmaids and five flower girls.

As I have so many gorgeous nieces and aGoddaughter, it was impossible to leave anyof them out. My Nephew Charlie was mypage boy and my youngest Son Freddie, who

took his role very seriously, was our ringbearer. That left a very important role for myeldest Son Jay to walk me down the aisle.

I looked out of the window of our roomand saw Craig and his Best Men arrive instyle in his favourite car, a Nissan GT-R,which was very kindly arranged by his BestMen. This was the moment I realised that mydream of getting married at Weston Hallsince I was Young was becoming a reality. After my fantastic photographer finished

taking pictures, I spent some time alone withmy Dad who helped keep me calm, we werethen joined by Jay who had arrived to escortme down the stairs. I was so proud of Jay ashe looked so handsome and grown up. The one moment I will never forget is

when I walked down the stairs to be met bymy beautiful Flower Girls and Bridesmaidsbecause they all looked so stunning. At thispoint my nerves disappeared! We had hireda wedding singer who sang Bonfire Heart byJames Blunt as I walked down the aisle. Theceremony room was perfect and totally lit bycandlelight as the wedding was late on aDecember afternoon. I kept to the traditionof the bride being a little late and met Craigwho had been patiently waiting for me. Our Wedding Singer sang ‘When You

Were Young’ by The Killers, whilst we weresigning the register and on exit, sang ‘It Must

Bride and Groom: Emma Ratcliffe & Craig Thornhill ofUttoxeter

The Bride was given away by her son: Jay Hughes Ratcliffe

Maid of Honour: Joanne Chatfield

Best Men: Ivan Good and Nick Bailey

Bridesmaids: Amy Allport, Lisa Shaw, Lynsey Hardy, PoppyChatfield

Flower Girls:Miley Lomas, Scarlett Ratcliffe, Phoebe Hardy,Pippa Hardy, Ezme Chatfield

Pageboy: Charlie Ratcliffe

Ring bearer: Freddie Thornhill

Ceremony: Weston Hall

Photography: Cris Lowis


Be Love’ by Madness. Our service was just how wehad chosen it to be and all of our family and closestfriends helped to make it made it very special. Weentered the wedding reception area as Mr & MrsThornhill to be met by all our friends and family.

The room looked magical and everything wasperfect, with the tables beautifully dressed and namedafter our favourite places we had visited in SouthernIreland. The staff at Weston Hall did an amazing jobin ensuring our day went to plan. Our Cake wasmade by Amerton Farm and was absolutely fantasticand enjoyed by all, they also provided a sweet cartwhich went down very well with all the children (anda few adults!). Everyone commented on how lovelythe food was which was served hot and on time, eventhough catering for a large number of people. Following our meal, we had speeches from the

Best Men, Father of The Bride and The Groom - allwent down well. It was soon time for our eveningguests to join us, we enjoyed our first dance to‘Wonderful Tonight’ by Eric Clapton followed by aDisco by Blaze Entertainment. From that moment Ididn’t really leave the dance floor and Freddie myyoungest Son got his request to dance with me toLego House by Ed Sheeran. The night came to a close all too quickly but a few

of our guests and close family strayed to the all nightbar where we continued to celebrate into the earlyhours before retiring to the beautiful rooms at WestonHall. With the help of our family, friends and staff at

Weston Hall our day was definitely one of the bestdays of our lives and we will never forget it.

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Staffordshire, Archdiocese of BirminghamPainsley Catholic College Specialist Science College, Additional Specialism Mathematics and Computing

Painsley Catholic College Station Road, Cheadle, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs ST10 1LHTelephone: 01538 483944 Email: [email protected] Web: www.painsley.co.ukThe Painsley Catholic Academy A company limited by guarantee registered in England & Wales with company number 08146661.Registered office address: Station Road, Cheadle, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs ST10 1LH

Painsley CelebratesStudent Successes

Painsley Catholic College was proud to hold its annualPresentation Evening on Wednesday 27th April. Studentsreceived awards that celebrated academic progress andspecial endeavour, as well as sporting colours and musicawards. The prizes were presented to students by MrLevison Wood—bestselling author, explorer,

photographer and former Painsley student.Special subject awards were presented toYear 11 as well as many other awards.Parents packed the school hall to see theirchildren receive recognition of their effortsand join in the celebrations. Of special notewere the awards to Breony Watson forWork in the Community; Clarke Lear,Citizenship Award and the PTA Award forCharitable Works; Eleanor Gill and AaronNash for Contribution to Life at Painsley;Mary Simcock and Romy Whitehurst,School Spirit Award; and Rebecca Palser,Faith in Action Award. Another special award, the Diana,Princess of Wales Award, was awarded toClarke Lear. The Diana award is anationally recognised award given to youngpeople under a number of categories.Painsley Catholic College nominated ClarkeLear as a champion volunteer.Guests of honour at the ceremony were:Mr N Watson, President of Cheadle Lions; Mr A Gadsby,Cheadle Lions, Councillor Stephen Ellis, Mayor ofCheadle; Mr J Pennington, Chair of the Board of Directorsof Painsley Catholic Academy; and sponsors and directorsof the College. RAF Platinum Partner AwardPainsley Catholic College is delighted toannounce that the college has beenawarded a prestigious Royal Air ForcePlatinum Partner Award.This award is one of only a hundred tobe presented by the RAF to schools andcolleges across the UK which have providedtop quality candidates to the RAF over thelast five years.As a result of this award Painsley willbenefit from all the new initiatives providedby the RAF recruitment team includingcareer presentations, interview skillsworkshops and a table-top team buildingexercise based on a disaster relief situation.Mr Bell commented “We are delighted toreceive this prestigious award from such agreat organisation.”


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By Mike Plant

On Sunday April 24th, the CheadleRemembers the Great War project cameto an end with the unveiling of a

memorial sculpture on Cheadle’s Tape Street carpark. The Great War project was led by theCheadle Discovery Group, who secured a £10,000grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2014.The sculpture was designed by local

blacksmith Jim Plant. The memorial is themedprimarily around the loss of animal life in thewar, but honours all who served in the GreatWar. A plaque on the sculpture’s column featuresan extract of poetry, written by Cheadle’s warpoet Charles Masefield, who died in the war. Live music for the event was provided by the

Cheadle Community Band, who managed tokeep everyone’s spirits up, despite the wetweather. Band member Chris Washingtonperformed a moving rendition of the last post,

which was followed by a two minute silence, toremember the animals and men who died for ourfreedom.The unveiling was followed by a touching

open air pet service, organised by Cheadle’sChurches Together and led by local vet BruceBarker. For more information about the Discovery

Group and the Cheadle Discovery and VisitorCentre please visit their website -www.discovercheadle.co.uk

Cheadle remembers the Great War

Cheadle’s MasterCraftsman JimPlant who madethe Great Warsculpture picturedholding themicrophone withIvor Lucas,Chairman of theCheadle DiscoveryGroup to theright.

The Great War Sculpture - expertly made by Cheadle’s Master Craftsman Jim Plant


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Richard Kempson is the director and coproducer of a new independentfeature film being shot in and around

Tean (including at Heath House), Cheadleand Leek.‘Beneath Still Water’ is based on the

legend of Blake Mere Pool - Joshua (Linnett)accuses Laura of being a witch after sherejects his advances.The village and more, importantly Father

Price, agree with him and Laura is drownedin the pool. Present day - a group of youngadults are out on the moor for a weekend ofclimbing, canoeing and walking etc. Duringtheir stay, they encountered strange eventsand strange stories from the local communityabout a mermaid who lures men to theirdeaths in Blake Mere pool.Strange events happen, people

mysteriously disappear, leaving some of thegroup trying to find out why.This film is a crowd-funded project to

attract attention to the local area via its localmyths and legends, and what better place tostart than Blake MereWritten by Steven K Beattie, Steven’s

speciality is horror and the dramatic and iscurrently in the process of writing a collectionof monologues.One of Steven’s short stories THE VOICE

WITHIN - has been included in theanthology ‘Impossible spaces’ alongsidehorror maestro Ramsey Campbell. The book

is available from Amazon.co.ukDirector Philip Kempson said “Philip has

been in the entertainment industry for over30 years and lives in Stoke on Trent with hiswife and children. Starting out as stage crewfor the Theatre Royal, Hanley in the 80’s hedeveloped a love for stage and screen. Philipthen went on to be a projectionist for WarnerBros and M.G.M within the west end ofLondon.“On board we have Alan Ratcliffe who

appeared in the opening credits of theChained Oak film and has a small tree fromthe Chain Oak in his garden.For more information, please search for

‘Beneath Still Water’ on Facebook.

Local film showsthere’s something inthe water...


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This month we have launched the Bramshall Meadowsdevelopment on behalf of St Modwens homes. I wasexpecting a quick response, but the level of interest

received has been incredible with us jointly selling over 50%of the first release in the first day. I think the reason for thishigh level of interest is down to a few important factors; firstlytheir hasn’t been a similar development like this for a numberof years, buyers love a new house and the competition isn’tthere within the local area; the specification of a St Modwenshouse is very impressive, as is the design. They really do havethe feel of a self build with large windows and open spaces.They look stunning and are far better than your run of themill new house, I look at some developments where thehouses look just the same as the ones being built 20 years ago,you have to hand it to St Modwens they are building homesthat are current, which means they must be listening to whatpeople want; They make it easy to buy, not only will theyreserve if you are in a position to proceed, St Modwens offera package where buyers can reserve and sell their propertythrough a local agent which really takes away a lot of thestress.Further releases are expected soon, with 2 to 5 bedroom

homes on offer. I would expect the interest in this next phaseto follow a similar pattern.If you are looking to move, and would like a new home I

would highly recommend a peek at Bramshall Meadow, thenext phase is due for release very soon. If you are interestedin receiving any further information please contact ABODEon 01889 567777.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T F E A T U R E

Property Voiceby Nathan Anderson-Dixon

Nathan is a local estate agent, with over16 years of experience in the residential sales and lettings market.

Local Agent Abode selling St Modwen homes first day


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Cheadle Methodist Church is keen to invite everyone to join in theircelebrations of the Queen’s 90th birthday. Members are busy makingplans for the weekend of 11th and 12th June 2016. On Saturday, 11th

June there will be an exhibition and displays in the Church and the ChurchHall showing the Queen’s faith and changes over the 90 years of her life.Admission to this is free and refreshments will be available. On Sunday 12th June there will be a special celebration service at 10.45am

to which everyone is welcome. So – book these dates in your diary now!

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Management at Uttoxeter Racecourse havemoved at a gallop to make-up forcircumstances beyond their control

which saw Sara Cox have to pull out of herstarring role at this year’s Ladies Day on Friday 22July.Sara was forced to withdraw following the

BBC’s recent decision to switch her popular Radio2 show to a Friday, which made it impossible forher to appear at Uttoxeter for this year’s LadiesDay.The racecourse, however, has been quick to find

a suitable replacement for one of their landmarkoccasions - and has announced that the star of thisyear’s Ladies Day will be Jo Whiley.Arguably one of the most recognisable voices

in British Broadcasting, Whiley has an exciting andvaried career and is considered one of the nation’sfavourite radio DJs.Jo currently plays a great mix of new music and

classic album tracks from Monday to Thursday onRadio 2 and presents Radio 2’s ‘In Concert’ series,featuring live performances and a round-up of theweek’s music gigs.Jo also presents coverage of the Glastonbury

Festival for BBC TV and for Radio 2. She is at thehelm of the Radio 2 coverage of the tastemakingSouth by Southwest Festival, as well as the iconicBrit Awards and also hosts the Radio 2 Hyde ParkConcert each September. In addition to interviewing some of the biggest

names in music for Radio 2 she also continues topioneer new music.Jo may be the face of Radio 2 but she was for

many years the face of Radio 1. She joined Radio

1 in the spring of 1993 and in September shebecame permanent co-presenter of The EveningSession with Steve Lamacq. Four years later shelanded her own daytime show, and remained partof Radio 1’s weekday line-up until 2009, when shebegan a new weekend programme.Uttoxeter Racecourse now have two premier

DJ nights as The Jo Whiley Ladies Day on Friday22 July now joins fellow DJ Vernon Kay with hisLadies Night which will this year be pumping upthe volume at Uttoxeter Racecourse on Thursday9 June.Already regarded as two of the leading events

on Staffordshire’s annual calendar, Ladies Night

and Ladies Day at UttoxeterRacecourse give groups of“gals and their pals” theperfect excuse to getglammed-up and in mood fora girls’ night out with adifference.But the guest appearances

by radio and TV personalitiesJo Whiley and Vernon Kaywill give both events a hugeboost, and helps position themas two of the area’s premiersocial occasions.David MacDonald,

Executive Director at theracecourse says, “It’s always adisappointment whensomeone has to pull out of anevent for reasons that arebeyond everyone’s control. But

while we will be wishing Sara well with her new-look show, we are also incredibly excited aboutmanaging to sign-up Jo for Ladies Day. She’s a firstchoice DJ with an impeccable track record, andsomeone who will bring all of her experience toUttoxeter to ensure everyone has a great day at theraces. I think we can guarantee that it’s going to beanother terrific occasion.”For ticket information about Ladies Day, log

on to www.uttoxeter-racecourse.co.uk/whats-on/fixture/22-july-2016-ladies-day/.For further details about all races and events

scheduled for 2016 at Uttoxeter Racecourse, visitwww.uttoxeter-racecourse.co.uk.


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Radio 2 DJ Jo Whiley set to take overLadies Day at Uttoxeter Racecourse

Sara Cox at last year’s event


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New Flower Beds in Bramshall Road Park

This spring, threenew flower bedshave been created

and planted in BramshallRoad Park, Uttoxeter’smain recreational park.This project was organisedby the Friends ofBramshall Road Park andEast StaffordshireBorough Council and thework carried out by TheLandscape Group. Thesebeds are located on theraised ground between theCarpark and the BowlingGreen. The plants arenow well established andadd a touch of colour tobrighten up the Carparkused by many of the park’svisitors. These new bedsare complimented by fivenew trees planted theother side of the Carparkto celebrate Uttoxeter’ssuccesses over recent yearsthrough “Uttoxeter inBloom”.The new flower beds

were funded by a grantfrom the Staffordshire Local Community Fund (Staffordshire CountyCouncil) courtesy of the late Geoff Morrison, then Uttoxeter’s SCCCouncillor. In memory of Geoff, Mrs Pauline Morrison commented “Iknow Geoff was very happy to support projects in Bramshall Road Park, afacility much appreciated by Uttoxeter residents. He was particularlyproud when an earlier grant from the same fund facilitated, several yearsago, children from Thomas Alleynes High School planting anarboretum/tree classroom near to the Wildlife Pond”

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Apartments available to rentin Burton and Uttoxeter areas

Trent & Dove Housing are looking for volunteers to assist with variouscommunity projects in Uttoxeter and the surrounding area.

For further information please contact Gail Topliss on 07921 233302Transforming Homes, Lives & Neighbourhoods

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From £75 per weekContact 01283 528655 for more information

Hi there I’m Amy Bradley and drawing really is myfavourite thing! I work from my gorgeous studio atSt.Mary’s House in Uttoxeter creating illustrations for allkinds of projects such as; picture books, branding, weddingstationery, educational projects and SO SO much more…

Every month I will be giving you a sneak peek into whatI’ve been up to! I’m so excited!!

NEWS from the Studio…

This month I’m so SUPER excited to tell you about abrand NEW book. It’s called ‘Lets go to the Dough Disco’

its written by the amazzzzing Shonette BasonWood from Spread The Happiness …and ofcourse its illustrated & designed by moi!

I know what your thinking, ‘What’s DoughDisco?’ Well it’s a fine muscle exercise thatShonette invented when she realized thechildren in her class (Shonettes also an earlyyears teacher) were struggling to writeletters. She read a lot of books aboutbrain development and found that fingersare one of the last things the braincontrols. A group of neurodevelopmental practioners calledINPP do an exercise with olderchildren called tapping. It’s simplytapping the fingers in a certainorder, some quite complex, on thetable in front of them. Shonette

enjoyed it as much as the children and itbegan the growth of Dough Disco. Dough is used

because everyone loves dough and disco because musicstimulates our happiness levels. The book is a simpleinstructional text on how you can ‘Go to the Dough Disco’it’s popular for any age from 0-100, here’s some of thepages taken from the book.

The launch is just ahead of ‘International Dough DiscoDay’ #DoughDiscoDay which will take place on June 9th2016. With over 1000 schools from all over the worldincluding Barcelona, Germany, South Africa, Dubai,Australia and New Zealand with many more signing up toget involved. The good news is that there is still time formore schools to get involved just pop over tospreadthehappiness.co.uk/dough-disco-day/, where you cansign up for all the latest information and receive a freedownload of ideas. Plus you’ll find link’s to buy your veryown pot/s of Disco Dough (Again you’ll find the packingwas designed by me! #eek).

If all this has got you too excited and your itching to goto the Dough Disco then here’s a recipe (I had the most funputting it together) for you to make your very own doughat home.

Until next time

Amy x

If you’d like to know more about Amy check out;www.amybradley.co.uk or get in touch;[email protected] – 07870 752480. Enjoy!’

Fun, colourfulillustrations

for everyone!!



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Take a drive out to one of the area’s most beautiful‘olde worlde’ country inns and restaurants -

and savour a truly delicious experience!Enjoy wonderful views overlooking Croxden Abbey

and the surrounding countryside.

Open every day, 12-10pm

Pensioners Specials Monday to Saturday 12-2pm

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Enjoy a great meal at The Raddle -The Perfect Country Inn & Restaurant

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CON S T R U C T I O N S

Serving the community since 1976

MJ Barrett Constructions, Brookside Business Park, Brookside Road, Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, ST14 8ATwww.mjbarrettconstructions.co.uk Tel: 01889 564 253 • Fax: 01889 564 210

F

M J Barrett Constructions supply and erect all types ofagricultural and industrial buildings, including grain stores,equestrian centres, storage buildings, milking parlours, andcattle housing along with a variety of industrial warehousing,office accommodation, retail outlets and entertainmentcomplexes all built to the highest standards.


Down on the Farmby Angela Sargent

“Nothing is so beautiful as spring-

When weeds in wheels, shoot long and lovely and lush;

Thrush’s eggs look little low heavens, and Thrush

Through the echoing timber does so rinse and wring

The ear, it strikes like lightnings to hear him sing”

Hopkins

And now May is here, the weeds certainly aregrowing- always seeming to grow betterand quicker than the plants you would

rather grew on and shot up!Lush, bright green, young stinging nettles thick

along the bottom of hedges and their rootsbraiding in between bricks in walls, Celandines andButtercups amongst the grass in the meadows.Of course, we want the grass to grow thickly as

it approaches its prime richness and the fields willhave had their fertilizer and been rolled toencourage the plants, as now we are getting intosilaging time(we can’t do either on our old pasture,

as we are in a conservation scheme).Of course, with the work and inputs that go

into silage- making, it means that it isn’t free andhas a cost value and that means that it is in farmersinterests to get the best quality silage we can- asthis is our livestocks winter feed.Silage clamps have to be repaired and prepared

for the new crop- they have to be clean and dryand any existing silage kept away from the new.Grass should be 20-30% dry matter and the

more oxygen kept out, the better the end productand it should be kept away from vermin, wind,birds and UV light, as all this reduces the nutritionand quality of the silage that we feed.Our cattle and sheep are in the fields now and

that means there is lots more dung too! But, ofcourse, dung pats are a tasty treat for the insectsthat live there and Dung flies will gather in swarmsaround the cow pats.Their eggs are laid in the dung and the resulting

larva feed on the cow pat and help to break itdown.Still makes it yucky when you inadvertently

tread in one!Our young sheepdog, Ted, has had lots of

disciplined training recently, as he has been used tofetch in the in-lamb ewes at night and has had tolearn to be quiet and contained, so as not to upsetthem and also to keep his distance if there arelambs with them, as the ewe will attempt to drivehim away if he gets too close.Our cows will be calving and, as we have six

footpaths across our fields, there isn’t anywhereout of the way for them to go.If you are out walking, particularly with dogs,

please keep your distance, but if threatened, letyour dog off the lead (it can run quicker than you),but cattle and sheep aren’t pets and will try toprotect their young.Equally, there has been an increase in sheep

worrying and sheep will panic if chased by a dog,which causes distress or even death.We live in a beautiful countryside, but it is a

working countryside and, with a little co-operation, we can ensure everyone can enjoy it!

Angela Sargent www.baldfields-farm.co.uk and follow us ontwitter (@bythebarn)and facebook(baldfieldsfarm) too!

Have I got news for youby Uttoxeter’s Gary Hudson, Former BBC Chief News Reporter

Gary Hudson is a member of Uttoxeter LionsClub, a former BBC Chief News Reporter and asenior lecturer in Broadcast Journalism atStaffordshire University.

When it’s all about talent but never atalent contest

We need you. The Uttoxeter Beer and CiderFestival at Oldfields Sports and Social Club is uponus. And on Friday June 10th from 7.30pm we havean open mic night in the festival marquee.We need your support because 380 men came

for free prostate cancer tests at the racecourse lastmonth. The results suggest up to twenty lives mayhave been saved, but at £15 a head for the teststhat’s a lot to pay out. Donations on that evening came to more than

£1,600, which is incredibly generous. Thanks tothose who contributed, but it still leaves a bigshortfall, to be met from the proceeds of the beerfestival. Do the math, as they say.So your support at the beer festival would be

great. It’s £7.50 a ticket. And that ticket will getyou into the open mic night too. Or you can pay£2.50 for just the Friday evening. There’s a thirdoption which is the best of all and that is to turnup on the Friday and play or sing - and admissionis free.If you’re new to the phenomenon of the open

mic, where have you been? There are so many thatyou couldn’t avoid them unless you’re a teetotalhermit.But ours is different. We are in a large marquee,

so we are confident in claiming that it is the biggestopen mic night in Staffordshire. If the number ofpeople who came to last year’s had been at any ofthe regular nights in local pubs, the room wouldhave been packed, they would have been spilling

out of the doors and the chances of performingmight have been quite remote.

Book now to avoid disappointment

I’m confident that we can accommodateanybody who comes along to play. If you want tobook a particular timeslot, then just give me a callon 07974 168818, but I promise I’ll fit you inwhenever you turn up. We start at 7.30pm.We have solo performers, duos and trios, male

and female vocalists, instrumentalists, the youngand the old, semi-pros and rank amateurs all linedup, but there’s always room for more.Some will be astonishing and brilliant; others

will be less impressive, and some will makemistakes. One thing is guaranteed: nobody will bejudged. It’s not a talent contest. If I say Uttoxeter’sGot Talent it’s a statement of fact, not an excusefor a local imitation of Simon Cowell or DavidWalliams to criticise people doing their best.Everyone gets the chance to play two or three

songs, deliver a poem or tell a few jokes – andsometimes all of these. We’ll probably finish withsome sort of impromptu jam session, which youcan join in or ignore – it’s up to you.

More and more beer and Moore andMoore Beer

At Saturday’s Beer Festival, we have more thanthirty beers and ciders and some top entertainmentlined up; some of it familiar, some of it new. Iguarantee a good time. Among the favourites at the open mic last year

were Moore and Moore Beer, who sing and playpopular songs with a mix of guitar, saxophone andharmonica. They’re also keen fund-raisers. They host the

charity bandstand busks at the Mercia Marina justdown the A50 and last year donated more than

£500 for the free prostate cancer screening atUttoxeter racecourse, the cause supported by thebeer festival.The Marina busking sessions this year are in aid

of a project for traumatised children and youngpeople from across Staffordshire and Derbyshire.Based in Osmaston, Nature and Nurture uses novelapproaches like animal therapy for kids withproblems ranging from bereavement to sexualabuse. So the causes we support may be deadly

serious, but there’s fun to be had on the way, likethat provided by the Trent Vale Poet. Hisperformance combines references to Bruce Forsyth,snooker’s Steve Davis and “a tribute act to thelegendary Jilted John” - a master of surreal comedy.Watch out!

Moore and Moore Beer, popular performers andcharity fund-raisers.


Let The Voice Be With Youby Les Humphries of Rocester

The Government have already done more Uturns than a driving instructor? If they hadgot around the table with the Junior

Doctors in the first place, rather than makingcontingency plans, they could have avoided thestrikes. They tried to force the Schools to becomeAcademies which they have now backed awayfrom, but have still managed to upset parents overfoisting needless exams on young children, andnow they are even tampering with the good oldBBC! On a lighter, and happier note I attended

Uttoxeter Rugby Football Clubs Annual Dinnerand Awards Ceremony in Uttoxeter Town Hall, forthe usual boisterous night of fun. But unlike the‘old days’ when it used to be a men only event,although we have still retained the Dinner Jackets,ladies are now welcome to come along also, so itgives the wives and girlfriends a chance to dress upin their finery, although I’m sure they must find thespeeches a mite boring!As one of the ‘Old F***s’ present, It was nice

to see so many young faces around. Hopefully theywill stay with the club next season after winningthe League to gain promotion back into Midlands3 West North. Unfortunately Uttoxeter failed to do the

‘double’ by winning the Owen Cup when theywere beaten by Rugeley in the Final. The matchended at 21 points all after extra time, but thetown lost in a sudden death goal kicking dual.

Rugeley didn’t miss, Uttoxeter did! Rob Scraggwho was a former coach and player for the Townwas lured out of retirement during the season tohelp out, and made his farewell appearance in thematch at the age of 47. Back to the Awards Night the Players voted

Adam Springall as their Player of the Year, he alsowon the top try scorers award. The Captains Playerof the Year was Adam Tortoiseshell. Second TeamPlayer of the Year was Ben Gallimore, Best YoungPlayer was Jake Cabrera, and Most ImprovedPlayer Ant Davies. The Clubman of the Year wasshared between two of the Junior Section Coaches,Ian Middleton and Kevin Dunn - may they longcontinue the good work, but they could do withmore help. I have only covered the event briefly,because it will most likely have fuller coverageelsewhere in this edition.In the face of interference by the powers that

be, BBC still continue to turn out some great tele,with plays like the award winning Wolf Hall, thebrilliant Night Manager and Line of Duty. ITVseem to be obsessed at the present time with Ant& Dec who dominate Saturdays and even Sundaysin their schedules. I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out OfHere finished, only to be replaced by Ant & DecsSaturday Night Takeaway then replaced in theSaturday slot by Britains Got Talent with Ant &Dec again. They even presented Her Majesty’s 90thBirthday Celebration, come on ITV let’s have somefresh blood!

A lot of forthcoming events this Summer in ourarea. The Denstone Players will have held theirAGM when this Edition goes to press, followingrecord attendances for their Pantomime Cinderellain February. Their next show will be NoelCoward’s Blithe Spirit which takes place as alwaysin Denstone Village Hall on the Thursday 7th,Friday 8th, and Saturday 9th of July, and will beDirected by Marge Stanley.St. Michael’s Church Rocester meanwhile

continue their Summer Events on June the 12th tocelebrate the Queens 90th Birthday, Following the10:15 Church Service is a ‘Bring a plate to shove’celebration, there will be games, music, and lots offun for all the family. The following Saturday Junethe 18th is the Summer Fete which is always apopular event. Unfortunately this is the same dayas the JCB Mud Run which I am helping tomarshall.Moving on to July - Saturday and Sunday (9th

& 10th) St. Michaels will be celebrating Gods Giftsof Creativity and Talents. There will be ‘Have ago’ sessions, demonstrations and things to look atand purchase all week end plus refreshments,finishing with a Songs of Praise at 4pm on Sunday,and entrance is free. We are looking for local skillswhich people would like to share with others Forfurther information ring Susan on 01889 590617.Hope there is something to fire your imagination,see you next time T T F N Les....

Jack’s nostalgic thoughts...by Jack Hayhurst, of AltonFormer Painsley High School Woodwork Teacher

Alton Meals on Wheels 40 Years Ago

It may be more than 40 years ago when a groupof ladies got together in Alton to provide a hotmeal for anyone in the village that needed a bit

of help. I think the first organiser was MargaretForster. When she left the village Mona Shaw tookover and when she retired Sue Green took it on. Atfirst the meals were cooked in Dorothy Brereton’skitchen where there were two cookers. Later on theladies worked in their own kitchens at home.Among the cooks were Annie Faulkner (whousually did roast chicken) helped by Mrs Bannister;Madge Wrightson; Jean Lea (who did liver &onions and the pud); Maxine Rowlinson (did pudsand was the drop-off centre for the HotLock fromCheadle); Judy Hayhurst (who was proud of herChristmas dinner one year); Margaret Alcock didpuds. From now on, I know that the followingpeople helped but do not know whether theycooked or delivered: Alison Shaw, Mrs Roberts,Mrs Saint, Lilian Ball, Gwen Henson, Mona Taylor,Elizabeth Marshall, and probably other lovelypeople whose omission is down to my poormemory.Meals were once a week and the cooks rotated

every four weeks; there were about 12 customersat first. In the morning the HotLock was deliveredto the cook. The first job was to fire up a tray ofcharcoal which, when it was red hot, went in the

bottom of the HotLock. The Hotlock was a largealuminium box, and by lunchtime it really was hot. Local meat came from Hopkinsons’ and

seasonable vegetables came from Hictons’ nursery.It was all home cooking. A rota of ladies did thedelivery. There were the inevitable stories, like theday the custard jug got muddled with the gravy;Alison Shaw got bitten by Miss Wilson’s dog inHeadlwand Way. Sue Green had a struggle throughthe snow to a cottage across the fields down NabbLane... etc.In spite of the meals being really nice,

regulations and red tape took over and the mealshad to be made in Cheadle by the two cooks atLightwood Home. The meals were OK. Then itwas decreed that chilled meals would be bought-in from Ashton-in- Makerfield and just heated-upin Cheadle, firstly at Lightwood and then at theHigh School kitchen.There was still a rota of volunteers organised

by the WRVS to deliver. The Cheadle round wasusually over 30 people. People that amused usincluded two brothers in Queen Street. You couldtell that they didn’t cook; they kept coal piledround the cooker. You could hardly see across theroom; they liked a big pipe of baccy. One day wewent and Mr Warren said he only needed onedinner, his brother had gone into LightwoodHome.

“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that”, I said.“I’m not” he replied!One gentleman up Ashbourne Road was

obviously agitated when he angrily yanked hisdoor open to us one day....”I told them on Tuesday:no dinner Thursday”.What amused us was that he was stark naked.Mr George Bernard Shaw really liked rice

pudding, but it was never on the menu; one day webroke the rules and took him a tin of Ambrosia.Calling on his neighbour I asked what music hewas playing on tape...” Proper music that is. NewMelody Band ; I played the drums”. Many Cheadle people had danced the night

away to their music in the Guild Hall.Miss Thorley in Queen Street offered us apples

from her orchard, but we hadn’t time to pick any.She had a roaring fire in the old range but still hadcold hands so she had a row of big pebbles that shewarmed in the oven and held in her apron. Agentleman at Town End always loaded us up withsweets when we went. And so forth...These things were all rather nice but sadly the

meals went down from home-cooking toinstitutional grub that would keep you alive butnot cheer you. And then the professionals tookover and the WRVS system was stood-down. Youcan now get a stock of frozen meals andmicrowave them. Sensible really!

Karen’s Cake Cornerby Karen Hill

Chocolate Malteser Cake

It was my daughter’s boyfriend’s 18thbirthday last month and she wanted me tomake him a chocolate cake to incorporate

Maltesers which he loves. I have been makingthis cake for years and is always very popular.The icing has a lovely maltiness, and I alwaystry and fit as many Maltesers as possible onthe top!

For the cake you will need:-150g soft light brown sugar100g caster sugar3 eggs175ml milk15g butter2 tbsp Horlicks175g plain four25g cocoa1 tsp baking powderHalf a tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the Icing:-250g Icing sugar 1 tsp cocoa45g Horlicks125g unsalted butter2 tbsp boiling waterAt least 2 packets of Maltesers fordecoration!

Preheat your oven to 160C. Grease andline two 20cm cake tins with greaseproofpaper.Whisk together the sugar and eggs until

light and frothy. Next heat the milk, butterand Horlicks in a small saucepan until thebutter melts, but not boiling. Add the milkmixture to the sugar and eggs and mixthoroughly. Fold in the sieved flour, cocoa,baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.Divide the cake mixture evenly between thetwo tins and bake in the centre of the ovenfor approximately 25 minutes or until thecake springs back when pressed gently. Letthe cakes cool and then turn out onto wirerack.Put the icing sugar, cocoa and Horlicks

into your food processor and give it a quickblitz to remove any lumps, or alternativelysieve. Add the butter and whilst this ismixing, slowly add the boiling water and mixuntil you have a smooth buttercream.When the cakes are cold, sandwich the

sponges together with half the buttercream,spreading the other half on top. I the put asmany Maltesers as I can on top of thebuttercream without them rolling off!I used to make this cake when I had

children visiting, but I found it was even morepopular with the mums!


Baby Sensoryby Laura Johnson

Music To My Ears

Music is brain food for babies. It plays ahuge role in both the intellectual andphysical development of all of us. Babies

can hear sounds in the womb and will recognisefamiliar sounds after birth too. Hearing thesefamiliar sounds can help baby to settle into thebrand new world they have arrived in, white noisethat comes from your vacuum or washing machinecan be settling for babies too as it sounds verysimilar to the swooshing sounds they heard whenthey were in the womb.The music you introduce to your baby can also

have a big influence on their mood and well-being.Classical music for example can help to soothe andcalm a stressful baby, some studies have lookedinto the influence of classical music on babies andif it can make them smarter, this has yet to beproven however if it helps your baby to relax andin turn sleep more soundly then its definitely worthdownloading some Mozart onto your iPod.Along with soft instrumental music, babies will

also be settled by familiar lullabies especially onessung by a parent or someone close to them. Thesound of a familiar rhythmic voice can be just whata baby needs to hear when settling off to sleep, goahead sing to your baby, it doesn’t matter whatyour voice sounds like your baby will love it.Music can also have a stimulating effect on

babies, music with a faster tempo can help yourbaby to concentrate on the rhythm and studies

have shown this can help with listening skills too.This ‘upbeat’ music can also provide a greatopportunity to dance with your baby, don’t be shyits lots of fun and your baby will love to be heldinto your body and move with you to the music,

the rhythm of your heartbeat willalso provide a wonderfulexperience. During the first year, babies

can learn to make their ownmusic and by giving theminstruments to play can not onlyhelp concentration it can alsoimprove hand-eye co-ordinationand improve their sense ofexpression. When babies learn to grasp

objects, a musical instrument canbe a great toy for a baby toexplore. At three months a babywill be able to hold a shaker or abell, and as they grow and learnto move it for themselves theywill be able to make their ownmusic. As babies grow and hand-eye co-ordination improves awooden spoon and washing upbowl or baking tin can providehours of fun when used as ahomemade drum. In classes every week we

provide lots of different music,from the original Baby Sensory songs we use, tothe traditional nursery rhymes we sing, and to theclassical background music we use to create a babyfriendly atmosphere it all helps to give our babiesa wonderful sensory experience.


Shosh qualified from the Royal VeterinaryCollege in London, and has been working as asmall animal vet at Blue House Veterinary Centrein Biddulph since 2009. She has a rescue catnamed Bagpuss.

Alabama RotI’m sure we’ve all heard of Alabama rot - even if

not by name. It’s the mysterious disease causing dogsin certain parts of the country to become seriously illand even die, and it strikes fear into the hearts of dogowners everywhere. But what exactly is Alabama rot,how do we recognise it and can we prevent it?

What is Alabama rot?It’s a good question. The full, technical name for

this disease is ‘cutaneous and renal glomerularvasculopathy’ (CRGV for short), which basicallytranslates as a disease of blood vessels in the skin andkidneys. Originally identified in greyhounds in the1980s, the name ‘Alabama rot’ stuck because the firstcases were recorded in Alabama in the USA. It’salways been rare, but in 2012 cases started poppingup in the UK and to date there have been around 60confirmed cases on this side of the pond.Frustratingly, the precise cause of Alabama rot

remains elusive - but it’s often suspected to be a toxinproduced by a rare form of E. coli bacteria. Fungalinfections, viruses and other toxins have all also beenconsidered, and as research continues we may wellfind that more theories come to light in the future.

Symptoms of Alabama rotAs mentioned previously, Alabama rot is a disease

of blood vessels - specifically those in the skin andkidneys. Therefore the signs reflect a problem in theseparts of the body.In all cases reported so far, dogs have skin lesions

that appear as open sores and sometimes ooze. Themajority are found on the legs, but the muzzle andtongue are also affected in some dogs. The sores areoften painful, and may cause lameness if they affectthe feet.A few days after the skin sores appear, the dog’s

kidneys fail. The signs of acute kidney failure arequite vague - lethargy, reduced appetite, increasedthirst and/or vomiting - and also occur commonlywith a range of other diseases. Most dogs withAlabama rot also run a fever, which is again a prettynon-specific symptom.It’s not known how long after going for a walk

the signs of illness will develop. It’s thought that most

cases develop within a week, but some may take amonth but others only a few days.

Which dogs are at risk?To date, Alabama rot has been reported all over

the UK. While early cases were confined to the NewForest on the south coast, there have now beenreported cases as far north as Yorkshire. In the NorthWest and Midlands, dogs have been treated forAlabama rot near Macclesfield and after walking inDelamere Forest, Cheshire. One dog sadly died beforelast Christmas having walked at Dimmingsdale, nearAlton, but it’s not certain that the dog contracted thedisease there because they had also walked in otherparts of the country.The condition seems to have a seasonal pattern,

with most cases seen through winter and spring ratherthan over the summer and autumn.In the US, where the disease was originally

reported, virtually all cases involved greyhounds. Inthe UK, however, a variety of breeds have beenaffected including Springer spaniels, collies, JackRussells, Labradors, Staffies and crossbreeds; in short,it doesn’t appear that any one breed is at increasedrisk.

What to do if you suspect your dog hasAlabama rotIt’s important to remember that vets see dozens of

dogs with sore skin every week, and that virtuallynone of these are Alabama rot. Skin infections,wounds, insect bites, yeast infections, allergies andparasites commonly cause skin problems and theseare rarely serious. However, it should be said that ifyou have any concerns about a strange lesion that hasappeared on your dog, it is best to seek veterinaryattention as soon as possible.

Symptoms of acute kidney failure are, as discussedabove, vague and can be equally explained by amyriad of other conditions. Again, if your dogappears unwell - and especially if they are suddenlydrinking more than usual - contact your vet for adviceas soon as possible.There is currently no specific treatment for

Alabama rot. Affected dogs must be managed withsupportive care as for any case of acute kidneydisease, with hospitalisation for intravenous fluidsand correction of electrolyte abnormalities. Treatmentis highly intensive and likely to be costly. Vets areadvised to consult with a specialist in suspected cases.Sadly, current figures suggest that around 9 in 10

dogs with Alabama rot don’t survive despitetreatment.

How to avoid Alabama rotObviously, until we know for certain what causes

Alabama rot, it makes it very difficult to reliablyprevent it.While walking in woods and forests during winter

and spring seems to be a risk factor, it should beremembered that thousands of dogs all over the UKdo this every day and that only around 60 confirmedcases have ever been confirmed in this country: it’svery rare. There are currently no specificrecommendations to avoid walking anywhere inparticular, but the Forestry Commission has advisedowners to be aware of what their dogs are doing onwalks and prevent them from chewing or eatinganything they find.Currently, the best way to tackle Alabama rot is

to check your dog daily for skin sores and see yourvet promptly if you have any concerns.Always seek advice from your vet if you are in any

doubt.

Talking Pets by Shoshannah McCarthy BVetMed (Hons) MRCVS

Pictures of skin lesions in dogs with Alabama Rot - published by Holm et al in the Veterinary Record, 2015.

My Monthly Musingsby Cecily Cowans of Cheadle

So here we are in the ‘…merry, merry month ofMay…’ May is a merry month, a happymonth. There are two long weekends for us

to enjoy and a week off school for our youngsters.We often enjoy better weather and the blossom onthe trees is a delight. Unless you suffer from hayfever. I’ve loved this month since my daughter wasborn on the fifth day of the month, twenty-fiveyears ago. How those years have flown! Did you miss me last month? Did any of you

think that I didn’t muse on the month of Aprilbecause my prophecy of Wales winning the SixNations championship did not come true? MaybeI need to confess that I spent April consuming huge

quantities of humble pie… or maybe leek pie.Although my confidence in Wales’ abilities did notcome to fruition, I firmly believe that everyone isentitled to his or her opinion. I was never a fan ofMargaret Thatcher. This may offend some of youbut I also believe that we are all entitled to expressour political opinions. One of Mrs. Thatcher’sproclamations that resounded with me at the timewas her declaration, on the steps of Number 10,that: ‘We are a Grandmother.’ She was greatlyridiculed at the time as she seemed to bechannelling the ‘We are not amused’ statement ofthe former longest reigning Queen of our shores.On reflection, and particularly due to a recent

event in my life, maybe our first (and only, to date)female Prime Minister was overcome with emotionand, without the prop of a readily prepared script,did not know how to express these new emotions. The delight of welcoming a grandchild, a

grandson, another generation of the family and oneto carry on the family name. I now have somethingin common with Mrs, T. We, too, are aGrandmother, or rather a Nana. The nextgeneration of our family is here. This is my reasonfor not having mused in April, I was far too busycooing over the baby and over the many lovelyclothes, books and toys that are available. I amnow back on track. See you in June!


Ginny’s Community Cornerby Ginny Gibson of Uttoxeter

Have you ever askedyourself, in 2016,what can you buy for

5p? A plastic bag from the

supermarket, maybe a chewysweet or how about becominga member, in a co-operativesociety, which allows you togain the right to sell goods, youhave made, at CountryMarkets all over the UK?That’s right, there is a local

co-operative working inUttoxeter, Leek Moorlands,Stone, Lichfield, Stafford,Tamworth, Derby that is calledthe Country Markets, it islinked to the national co-operative of course, and for5p, you become a shareholder,which gives you a share in theco-operative, that allows youto sell your home madeproduces to the public. That small amount of

money will open a world toyou that will allow you to sell or show case the skillsand talents that you have, while encouraging thepublic to discover the diversity of local produce.In Uttoxeter , the Country Market, which is open

on Wednesday mornings from 8-12 in WilfredHouse, Cater Street, ST14 8EY (nearly opposite theWhite Hart Hotel, and next door to St JohnAmbulance building), has 11 co-operative memberswho sell a range of home-made Jams, Pickles,Chutneys, Cakes, Pastries, Puddings, Savoury Pies,Gluten Free and Vegetarian items (made to order),Stained glass Sun Catchers, Jewellery, Cards,Vegetables (that are in season), Plants and flowersplus a Café too. Oh and if you want a hamper orcake for a special occasion, then these are availableto order. So how does it work? Jean Gallimore explained

it to me. Firstly you become a member for your 5pshare, then you make your produce – Jean makesincredible cakes for her stall and she comes alongevery Wednesday at 7.30am and sets out her cakesand you and I can buy from her and the money fromher sales goes to the Co-operative. At the end of themonth she gets paid for her sales, minus a smallcommission to cover the running costs andinsurance. Other co-operative members, Margaretand Helen also make cakes, so you have a hugerange to choose from, what heaven!The only rules are that whatever you sell on your

stall is home grown, home-made, hand crafted byyou. They do not buy in goods for resale nor do theyprovide stalls to third parties. But you can be assuredthat all the goods are of high quality, as they have aguidelines booklet to follow, which ensures thateverything is produced to exacting standards.

The members that I met on the day I visited were;Jean Gallimore, Wendy Dyche, Adam Dyche, BerniceTriccas and Christal Walker were really proud of thefact they were local people producing local foodsand items to sell locally. What I was impressed bywhen I walked up the corridor to the market inWilfred House was the smell of bacon cooking andfresh coffee. They have a café where you can getbacon and eggs and a coffee or tea at 8am, whileshopping at the stalls. The stalls on the day I visitedhad a huge array of jams, chutneys and lemon curd,my favourite. Then Cakes and Pies next to that,while Tomato plants were nestled in the corner nearto the wonderful home-made cards, and a fantasticjumper was on display, next to a lovely smockeddress for a child. Jean explained that if you want a jumper knitting

then that can be done, if you have a favourite cakeor a special occasion, then an order can be taken andif you love lemon curd, like me, and want to stockup then place the order too or just buy all the potsthat are on the stall that day!!! All the vegetables andplants are seasonal, like it used to be, beforesupermarkets made everything available all the time.Not that I mind supermarkets, but I do miss the dayswhen you looked in the vegetable basket and knewwhich month of the year it was, but then I am oldfashioned and the world has moved on.Enough of me and my by gone day musings. The

facts behind the Country Markets are veryinteresting, they were set up in 1919, when the WIwere invited by the predecessor of Defra to set upco-operative markets to sell surplus products. Thefirst WI produce market opened in Lewes, Sussexusing the principle that to become a producer and

gain the right to sell goods atthe market, you must become ashareholder in the society, beover 16 and pay a shilling (5p).By 1932 the WI markets weregrouped into societies for easeof administration and toformalise market procedures.Then in 1975 the StaffordshireWI Market Society wasformed. By 2004 CountryMarkets was established andthe WI was dropped from thename. Presently, CountryMarkets co-operative have 50participating regions and 300individual markets in the UK. So our market in Uttoxeter

is part of a huge network ofwomen and men making localthings and selling them to localpeople. The Country Marketsco-operative nationally hasbeen part of the “MakingLocal Food Work Project” foryears and it tries to focus oncommunity enterprise as a

solution to local food needs; its aim is to reconnectconsumers to the land by increasing access to fresh,healthy local food.

One benefit of being part of this huge networkis that if you want to send a home-made gift to afriend that lives miles away, then you place the orderin our market and the local market near to yourfriend delivers it. Jean Gallimore explained that if Iwanted my Mum to get a hamper for Christmas orher birthday, then I place the order in Uttoxeter andthe local Country Market nearest to my Mum inKent, will make up the hamper and deliver it. Howabout that for service and great networking too.So really, you have two ways to support this

market, you can go along on a Wednesday between8 – 12pm and buy from the stalls that are availableon the day or place an order and collect it. Or youcan become a shareholder for 5p and sell the thingsthat you have been making and just didn’t knowhow to get noticed by the general public, just contactthe Country Markets.

www.staffordshirecountrymarkets.co.uk/uttoxeter.asputtoxeter@staffordshirecountrymarkets.co.ukTelephone number 01889 563039Facebook - Uttoxeter Country Market

Country Market share holders

• The Casserole Club0300 111 8006www.staffordshire.gov.uk/community/Casserole-Club/Casserole-Club.aspx

• Uttoxeter and Burton Talking News01889 565522www.lichfieldtalkingnews.co.uk/index.html

• Fitness League01332 513 141 – www.thefitnessleague.com

• North Staffordshire Railway Study Groupwww.dmoore.org.uk/nsrsg.php

• Approach01782 214999 -www.approachstaffordshire.co.uk

• National Garden Scheme01889 563930 – [email protected]

• Goldies01889 562269 – www.golden-oldies.org.uk

• Mum Art Makerswww.mumartmakers.com

• Youth Emotional Support Services01889 567756 – www.yes-s-org.uk

• Stramshall Indoor Bowls Club01889 569860

• Cheadle Animal [email protected]

• Staffordshire Wildlife Trust01889 880100 - www.staffs-wildlife.org.uk

Local Community Groups

Ginny’s Local Community Groups alreadyfeatured in The Voice are listed below - whynot email [email protected] ask Ginny to write a feature on yourclub or group?


Povey’s PeopleBy Radio Stoke’s Owd Grandad Piggott

‘Ast erd o’ this hydrogencollider thing?’ Club Paper Jackasked the question one night inTummy Dawkins’s pub.‘Eh??’ queried Owd

Grandad Piggott looking at himblankly.‘Thee’n made this machane.

It’s undergrind someweer in th’French Alps an’ thee cow it anhydrogen collider’ elaboratedClub Paper Jack. ‘Its a greet lungpeyce o’ pipe as joins up an’ theeput an isostope in one end an’one in th’other an’ send ‘em offso’s thee’l collide in th’middlean’ thee’l goo off with such abang as it’ll create a black ‘ole...some reckon as it could destroythe world...’‘What’s that got do with

uzz??’ said Owd GrandadPiggott disdainfully.‘Dussner see?... said Club

Paper Jack enthusiastically. ‘Ifway made one – a little ‘un an’set it off in some drainpipe dine the back alley, itud goo off back o’ Tummy Dawkins’s pub, meck ablack ‘ole an’ suck ow the money ite o’ TummyDawkins’s till...’ cause that’s what black ‘oles do –thee suck stuff into ‘em...’‘If what they’t on abite’s rate, what’re we

waitin’ fer then? Let’s get bloody crackin’..., saidOwd Grandad Piggott, pound signs rolling aroundhis eyeballs like the cylinders of a one armedbandit.It started the next morning. Daft Gullickson

from the next street had a ricketty old van and thethree of them visited Scrappy Watson’s yard inLockett’s Lane and loaded it to the gunnels withold cast iron drainspout. They dropped it off byOwd Grandad Piggott’s back gate and went off insearch of old batteries. They gathered ten fromvarious sources, then found three dolly tubs, an oldcopper boiler, three empty oil drums, some ropethen added it all to the rapidly growing pile whichwas threatening to block the back alley. I caughtOwd Grandad Piggott knocking seven bells out ofthe copper boiler with a large hammer trying toknock the end of a pipe off it.‘Oi you old ratbag’, I yelled ‘What the hell’s

goin’ on?’ Owd Grandad Piggottjumped, spat in the grid and turned tome.‘Bugger off!’, he shouted, ‘This’s got

nowt do with they!’‘Nobody can get down the backs!..

You’re turning this neighbourhood intoa scrapyard...’, I fumed. ‘You’re nothingbut a filthy old weapon. I’m ringing thepolice about this... you’ve nicked itfrom somewhere!’.‘Ar anna!’, he shouted. ‘Ar’ve towd

they - bugger off!! Mind thee ownbusiness’. I saw his missus in HildaAspinall’s shop and she was in floods oftears.‘Whatever’s he doing?’. I asked her.‘What’s he doin?, she sobbed. ‘He’s

drivin’ may daft, that’s what ay’s doin’...ah conner stand much more on it...Lizzzie Lockett’s ‘avin’ a blue fit nextdoor... ‘er an’ Perce conner get throughtheir own back gate!’The mayhem in the backs was

nothing compared to what was tocome. Later that day, Daft Gullickson

and Club Paper Jack turned up with an anglegrinder and proceeded to make a horrendous noiseand create a dense fog of dust as they carved thedrainpipe into sections and started handballing italong the backs. There were bumps, bangs andcrashes as they spaced the oil drums at intervals,and booms and curses as they struggled tomanhandle the copper boiler into Owd GrandadPiggott’s coalhouse. There was a stream ofatrocious language as Gullickson cut his thumband nearly murder done when Lizzie Lockett cameout and went for Owd Grandad Piggott with abrush stale. He howled loudly when the brush staleconnected with his ear.‘Look at me washin’, yelled Lizzie...’ covered in

dust... I’ll have the police on to you - and you twogormless bloody idiots...’ then she turned on me ‘What’re you gorpin’ at??’ and she brandished

the stale.‘Hey, ‘I’m on your side’, I shouted, dodging the

swipe. Lizzie Lockett wasn’t very big but she wasquite dangerous when roused.Eventually, they decided that it was all in place

and their invention was ready to be tested. Theback alley looked like a war zone. Perce Lockett

had managed to subdue Lizzie and had taken herinside. A long length of drainpipe had been cobbledtogether and ran down the length of the back alley,round the corner, past the rear of TummyDawkins’s pub and an ‘x’ chalked on it where theisotopes were planned to meet and create the blackhole. It then did a ‘U-turn and came back to thecopper boiler where Tummy Dawkins’s takingswere to land and another bit of pipe fastened tothe end to complete the circuit.‘That’s it!’ said Club Paper Jack, the brains of

the operation. ‘Wale fire it up on Sat’dee nate at afepast ten when when th’ till ull bay full an’ wale bayrich!!They couldn’t wait for Saturday to come and

arranged to meet in Owd Grandad Piggott’scoalhouse at nine thirty at night.‘Hey’, said Club Paper Jack suddenly. ‘Way’ve

got get some isostopes. Way anna got none an’ itwunner work withite them.‘Weer d’yer get isostopes from?’ queried

Gullickson. The other two looked blank.‘Thee’re in medicine anna thee?’, ventured Club

Paper Jack.‘Ar’ve got some openin’ medicine’, said Owd

Grandad Piggott.‘That’ll do’, said Gullickson who rivalled Club

Paper Jack in the brains department. ‘As long as it’smedicine, it’ll ‘ave isostopes in it.So on the Saturday night, they all met in Owd

Grandad Piggott’s coalhouse and tipped a gooddollop of opening medicine down each end of thepipe and held their breath. Nothing happened.‘It needs a catalizer!’ said Gullickson.‘What’s that?’ said Owd Grandad Piggott‘Summatt as ull mack it goo off’, said

Gullickson... listen, ar’ve got a firework as was leftover f’m last bonfar nate... ar’ll goo an’ gerrit an’wale stuff that dine it!’ So Gullickson went to getthe firework which turned out to be an ‘air bomb’and when half past ten came, they lit it anddropped it into the drainpipe. The air bomb fizzedand spat, then with a ‘dunt’ shot a blazingprojectile along the pipe where it exploded with athunderous report by Gummy Webster’s back gate.Gummy Webster was sitting on the outside khazitwo yards away when it blew out the side of thepipe and nearly gave Gummy a heart attack. Tenminutes later, the three instigators of thehorrendous explosion hid silently in Owd GrandadPiggott’s coalhouse as a dozen people charged upand down the back alley trying to ascertain whathad happened.Needless to say, Tummy Dawkins’s takings

didn’t transfer to the copper boiler and GummyWebster sat moaning quietly on the khazipromising himself that never again would he touchany gorgonzola cheese from Whalley Wembley’s.

Each month Radio Stoke’s Owd Grandad Piggott (Alan Povey) will write a unique insight into ourlocal life and its many characters.

His infectious, humorous slant on people provides a different and unusual mix which hopefully willbring a warm smile to the faces of our readers.

This month: Hadron Collider

DaftGullickson andClub PaperJack turned upwith an anglegrinder andproceeded tomake ahorrendousnoise andcreate a densefog of dust...

Owd Grandad PiggottGo to the new website www.owdgrandadpiggott.co.ukand download tracks from the originalOwd Grandad Piggott LP record whichwas recorded live by Alan Povey inThe George and Dragon pub in Long-ton in 1977 and sold over 6,000 copiesin North Staffordshire inside 6 months.

The good old daysCan you identify the facesand locations?See Page 49 for some of the namesto the faces.

URGENTLY REQUIREDIf you have any photos that youthink may be of interest to ourreaders of this page please feel freeto drop them into Lavins Printers,High Street, Uttoxeter who will scanthem while you wait and let youhave them straight back. They willthen pass them on to us forpublication.

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Photo Credits - 1, 2, 5 & 6: Steve Lavin, Uttoxeter. 3 & 4: Nigel Titterton, Cheadle.



All Styles of Classes available Monday to Saturday at our Cheadle Studios

Enquiries for these classes or for any of our classes to advanced standard at the Cheadle Studios to

01538 754414 or email [email protected]

Pre-School /Beginners Ballet &Tap - 9.30am

Preparatory /Beginners Ballet &Tap - 10.15am

Primary/grade 1 tap -11.15am

Primary/grade 1 ballet - 12.00pm

Freestyle Disco andJazz - 12.45pm

VIVIENNE SHELLEYDANCE STUDIOS

Quality Local Dance Tuition For All Agesin Cheadle, Uttoxeter & Blythe Bridge

Saturday Dance Classes St Mary’s Church Hall, Balance Street, Uttoxeter

Womens Refuge fund raiser

Halfrida House staff and volunteers are putting on a 1940s themed Murder Mysteryevent to raise funds for the project. Halfrida is a local charity and exists to offer a safehaven for women and

families and help them to getback on their feet after being inabusive situations. The familiesoften leave their households withnothing so we need tocontinuously fund raise to helpthem in moving on with theirlives.The event is a 1940s fancy

dress Murder Mystery on 18thJune at Uttoxeter Town Hall at7pm. There will be music fromthe Heath Chorus and Liveactors, three course meal andPrize Auction including a week inTenerife and a weekend inLlandudno. The night will befinished off with entertainmentfrom notorious Yorkshire DJ CJSwing and Lady Aga playingtunes from the 1920s to 1950steaching Basic Lindy steps andstrolls.Ticktets are £35 each and can

be booked by calling01889569668 or [email protected] are also available

online by following a link on ourfacebook page:facebook.com/halfridahouse

To Book, call 01889569668, Email: [email protected]

Raising funds for Halfrida House Women's RefugeThree course meal

Live actorsLive music from "The Heath Chorus"

DJs CJ Swing and Lady Aga, playing tunes from the 1920s-1950s and teaching basic Lindy steps and strolls

Fancy dressBar

Prize Auction including a week in Tenerife and a weekend in Llandudno

Anew War Memorial was unveiled inCheadle recently and Cheadle FlowerClub were asked to donate one of the

wreaths for the event to Remember not only themen but the Animals that took part in World WarOne. The weather wasn’t at it’s best but people

turned out well to support the Organisers,Cheadle Discovery Group and to see theSculpture created by local Blacksmith Jim Plantunveiled on the towns Car Park.

After the poignant Blessing bythe clergy, laying of wreaths tookplace by The British Legion, Red;Jim Plant, Purple and Diane Lucason behalf of the Flower Club, White.Diane had personally designed andhandmade the white wreath torepresent hope for peace in thefuture. Chairman of the Discovery

Group, Ivor Lucas introduced theproceedings including theCommunity Orchestra. Therewas an animal service withlocal Vet, Bruce Barker. AGazebo with the Discovery

Groups ‘Cheadle Remembers the Great War’and refreshments organised by ChurchesTogether at the Methodist Church.Mercia & North Wales Area of NAFAS

held their Emerald Anniversary Service atThe Parish Church of the Blessed VirginMary, Ellesmere, Shropshire, on Friday May13th. Six Cheadle Flower Club members were

honoured to be able to help in the

decoration of this for the Flower Festival,carrying on over the Weekend.Following the service conducted by the Rev.

Philip Edge SSC they went along to theMillennium Hall, Cockshutt for some retailtherapy and a Lyons Corner House AfternoonTea. After the cutting of the cake there wasSurprise entertainment and Sheila was luckyenough to win one of the raffle prizes,fortunately not one of the enormous flowerarrangements, otherwise it wouldn’t have fit inthe car to travel home.

You can now read The Voice at www.uttoxeterandcheadlevoice.co.uk

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Bake’s Memoirsby Neil Baker, local sporting legend

Istart my column on a sad note, the passing ofan old mate of mine, Bernard Oakden. I took acall last week from Brother Clive (Brillo) telling

me the news and my condolences and I’m suremany of our readers go to his wife Heather,daughters Claire and Rachel and son Michael. When I left Cheadle to live in Kingsley Holt I

made friends with both Brillo and Bernard andkept in touch with both over the years. Clive wasmy age so we spent quite a bit of our spare timetogether which meant I would see a bit of Bernard.I had left school at this time and was waiting to

start an apprenticeship at Bolton’s in August, I hadleft school early and had to find a job until thenand spent a few months working at Fine Fare inCheadle High Street.

I was following Stoke and would also watchKingsley Youth Club FC when I could and Bernardplayed for the Village team. Others I rememberplaying at the time were fellow columnist JeffWood. Gk, Mick Withers, Tony Carr, ‘CherryWood’, Peter Johnson, Billy Spooner, Ray Welford,Glyn Brindley, Neil Sheldon and Phil Bowers. I’msure Jeff will fill me in with the others!I know Bernard was also an avid ‘Potter’ but he

and the family spent many happy years followingLeek Town home and away when I managed theclub, we would spend many a hour in the bar afterthe game and he was always very supportive. Hewas also a fine craftsman, a carpenter by tradewhich people tell me he regarded as a hobby ratherthan a job.Whenever we met he always had a smile on his

face, that’s how I will remember Bernard. I lookforward to meeting up at the funeral with some old

friends and I’m sure we will give him the best ofsend offs; it’s just a shame it won’t be underdifferent circumstances.There has always been a connection between

Leek and Cheadle and in particular Leek Town.Going back to that particular period when Imanaged there the club had a good following fromthe area. Eric Woodward, Ken Wood and TerryHolmes were older statesmen who would attendgames at Hamil Park, as it was called then. Thethree of them were good company, Terry was asupporter of local sport and Ken and Eric werealso involved at Cheadle CC, none of them arewith us today to tell the tales of the fun times wespent together.Committee men of Cheadle Utd FC, Beacon,

Jagger and Tony Webster were (and still are)regular visitors to Leek Town. They were also verysupportive (I think!) but very quick to tell me overa pint where I had gone wrong with tactics andteam selection. Mick Climpson was another whodidn’t miss many games at the time. Of courseWayne Johnson both played and managed the cluband father Curly would be there making sure thebar takings were above normal!! Phil Boardmanand his lad still support the club now home andaway.What many people might not be aware of was

one of my first appointments at the club was tobring in an assistant manager. My choice was AlanSmith. As I’m sure I have mentioned many times Iplayed under ‘Smithy’ and knew he would be ofgreat help to me in cutting my teeth in footballmanagement. I had a short spell in Sunday football at the

Bulls Head and the Jester before moving on toSaturday football with Leek CSOB. I neededsomeone with more experience (older I suppose!)who had good local contacts and would motivatethe players. I remember we tried to sign playersfrom the Cheadle/Uttoxeter area who Alan hadunder him at Rocester, players such as Kev Barry,Mick Collins and Nigel Mottram. Finances weretight at the time but I look back now and think, ifonly, as they would have been tremendousadditions.

It was a demanding level of football the NorthWest Counties league and Alan due to othercommitments wasn’t with me long enough toimplement a way of playing which wasdisappointing for us both as I’m positive we wouldhave moved the club on together. The onlyconsolation I can think of now is that I got tobecome Smithy’s boss, not many have that on theirCV!!!I also bought Jeff Wood in as my physio, he was

more than that as his experience and knowledgegained in local football over many years as a player,coach and manager was invaluable.Well the weather’s starting to pick up a little as

we move into the cricket season, I would like towish our local teams success in the coming season.What a summer we have to look forward to -series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. On thefootball we have the Euros to look forward to, Ihope! Plenty for us to talk about during the comingmonths.All the best,Bake

Alan’s Football Autobiography by Alan Beaman, a local sporting legend

Leicester are the Premier League Champions!It was fully deserved and led by the humbleClaudio Ranieri, a true gladiator, Nigel

Pearson also deserves credit, but Ranieri’sexperience has shone through, lowering theexpectations whenever possible, setting a team upto its strengths, rather than forcing all his coachingbeliefs on players. His knowledge of the game is vast to set up

with what the players can cope with is vital, thesimpler the better, players can relate to theirstrengths, and the stronger their mental belief inthe system the better they carry it out.Goals have kept flowing so they always think

they can win from most situations,they providedentertaining quick flowing football, and everyonewho enjoys the game outside their own club hasbeen amazed by their success.On the local football scene the Staffordshire

Senior League seem be run by an old fashionedregime, some of their decisions are questionable atthe least, with several floodlit clubs in the leaguethere are fixture pileups happening every year.We have at Cheadle Town ended up with 8

games in 12 days, now the wet winter and ourpitch has not the helped the situation but fixturescould be increased before Christmas to help thesituation. Theres always been a bias towards someclubs in the Potteries right back to my Rocester

days.At the Town Glyn Patterson has done great this

season, young players such as Dan Harper,Macauley Rowe and have showed great attitudesthrough a tough season, now young Dan is asuperb technical player with excellent control ofthe football, and Macca has pace and power, goalscoring ability - two young players with greatfutures.Working with young footballers is one the

reasons I keep involved with the game, theirenthusiasm motivates me to keep going. Footballhas no barriers in race, age and ability - it’s thepeople’s game, right from the working class menfrom the pits, steelworks, docklands and manymore hardworking trades, local players toprofessionals, the camerarderie on the terraces, inthe workplace, in the dressing rooms, and pubs haspulled together communities for years - it’s morethana game, it’s a social family, it has skill,aggression, passion, desire, unity, and many moresocial needs that are good for everyone. Respectthe beautiful game and it will reward you in manyways.Stoke City have struggled towards the end of

the season, Butland and Shawcross injuries havebeen crucial, but Shakiri, Bojan, Wolchield andMuniesa have all been disappointing and notshown enough for me.

Klopp has impressed me at Liverpool, his viewson the game, and the way he sets the team up, theintensity he gets from the players is excellent,.

I recently visited Heath House at Tean to viewthe refurbishment which has taken place. It wasimpressive and tastefully carried out. When I wasyoung and growing up in Tean I would spendmany hours playing at Heath House and aroundthe woods, the Grazier family worked there and Iwas mates with David, so we would have great funthere. Whilst I was building the monument in the car

park, I had lots of conversations with local peopleabout the project, ranging from it looks lovely towhat a waste of money, people’s views vary somuch it became comical waiting for their response.Personally it all went over my head and I

enjoyed building it. Joe Carpenter a born Rocesterman was telling me some great stories about hisprofessions and semi-professional career infootball, he is a great guy and modest but I hopeto tell you more if he will let me.The Euros are very close now and we all wish

England well, and with our squad looking betterthese days we can be more optimistic about ourchances. Personally my concern is about our backfour, where all strong teams start from, I don’tbelieve we have one top class player in thatdepartment, and that could be our Achilles Heel.

Razzer’s Hall of Fame June Team


All-time local soccerHall of Fame TeamBy Roy ‘Razzer’ Astbury

Each month Uttoxeter’s best known character Roy‘Razzer’ Astbury will compile his very own ‘All-TimeLocal Football Team’ which in his opinion is the verybest of players past and present.

‘Razzer’ will create a team in each issue of TheUttoxeter & Cheadle Voice which he believesincorporates all the ingredients of a football outfitwhich could be unbeatable!

He will be delving into his thoughts toremember all the terrific players in years gone bywhilst selecting those who are exceptional in ourpresent day.

It should be a fantastic talking point in ourcommunity and no doubt you all will have yourviews on ‘Razzer’s Hall of Fame team.

If you have your own Hall of Fame team then get

involved and just give Nigel a call at The Uttoxeter& Cheadle Voice on 01538 751629, 0776 784 6937to tell him or send your team to: The Uttoxeter &Cheadle Voice, 3 Spode Close, Cheadle,Staffordshire, ST10 1DT or [email protected]

CHARLIE DUMALOWAshbourne Town

Excellent keeper who dominated thepenalty area. Terrific shot-stopper and

very agile.

RAY ARNOLDMarchington

Ray could play in anyposition in the team and doa great job. Probably best inthe back line though and a

great competitior.

DANNY WYCHEBamfords FC

Rock solid player who alsopossessed a combativepersonality. Superb local

player

SID BILLINGSTutbury

HawthornsGreat defender wholoved to tackle

forwards hard. He wasa very talented player.

DAVE TAVERNORCheadle CC FC

A wonderful wand of a leftfoot, ‘Tav’ could play in anyposition in a side becausehe was such a giftedplayer. Great guy too

TOMMY CHATFIELDUttoxeter St Mary’sFast and skilful playerwho liked to take on the

opposition.

HARRY FOULKESUttoxeter St Mary’sTerrific midfielder whocould spray passes to allcorners of the pitch.

TAT TANSLEYUttoxeter St Mary’sGreat character who hadan abundance of talent.Excellent vision and agood playworker.

JACK DYCHEElkes FC

A very talented and cleverplayer, Jack could pick apass out with precision.Scored his fair share of

goals too.

LES SAMPSONElkes FC

A brilliant forward, Les had it all.Tough, goal-scoring player whodefinitely knew where the back

of the net was!

DAVE JONESHollington FC

Terrific forward who had pace,flair and true competitiveness.Dave was a real star player.

We have inserted one football club each player has performed for. Obviously, many have played for several clubs in their careers.


Sport is in my blood...by Jeff Wood of Cheadle, dedicated to local sport for a lifetime...

The term “legend” may well be merited by afew local sportsmen but no such accoladehas been more truly deserved than by Les

Lowe, who sadly passed from us just as I was aboutto send my article to the Editor. I have thereforeamended it in honour of Les. I know I havementioned Les previously in this column but I feelit is incumbent upon me to pay an especial and finaltribute to him at this particular time.Les Lowe was one of the most prominent and

able sportsmen the Staffordshire Moorlands everproduced during my era.I have many memories of Les, as I knew him

through three different aspects of life’s pursuits.First, we were members of the same profession atthe same time, with Les teaching at Moorside HighSchool and myself at Longton High School.Secondly we met on the football field and thirdlyon the cricket field.As a tribute to Les I can do no more than relate

just a few of my own anecdotes, which go back foralmost fifty years.It was a miracle that Les was ever able to play

sport at all as he suffered acutely from diabetesthroughout his life. I played football against Les who was a central

defender with Knypersley Victoria and also withLeek Town. Somehow he never seemed to breaksweat. He never needed to as his tactical awarenesswas so acute. He just appeared to stroll round atleisure at the back, cutting off passes and sprayingthe ball around. Nevertheless I remember oneoccasion when he came flying in, perhapsuncharacteristically, studs showing, and almost cutme in half at the knees. It would undoubtedly bea red card these days, but years ago it wassomething we just accepted, got up and got on withit.As for cricket, Les was an outstanding all

rounder who represented Knypersley throughouthis career and played many times for Staffordshire,just as his father Levi had done before him. Les didfor many years hold the record for the fastestcentury in the North Staffs & South Cheshire

League.I had the pleasure of inviting Les to play a few

friendlies with me when he was at his zenith in thegame, a couple of which stand out in my memory.One I have mentioned in a previous article, whichwas an evening game on the strawberry farm atBramshall when I was captain (can you believe that- me captain when Les was playing – it was like thecart pulling the horse !). Les and myself opened thebatting and put 138 on without loss in 20 overs .Les got me most of my 40 odd runs by calling mefor what seemed the most ridiculous of short singlesin order that he could get on strike. Oddly thesingles were not as ridiculous as I imagined at thetime because we actually got in easily, he was sucha good judge of a run. In fact I never batted withanyone who was a better judge of a run. Les wasundefeated with 80 or 90 that evening.Another occasion I remember was a Sunday

game at Endon when I recall a very young ladnamed Kim Barnett was watching. I wonder if Kimwould remember that ? Again I was captain and Iopened with Les on a difficult wicket in wettishconditions. After a few overs I asked Les what hethought was the best way to play on this particularwicket. He told me to put my foot down the track,get to the pitch and hit the ball out of the groundbefore it had chance to do anything. Les did justwhat he had advised and several times he justsmashed the ball high in the air but did not call forruns, presumably not wanting to risk an easy threefor fear of losing the strike but trusting it would gofor six or four. Several times we just stood andwatched it sail through the air, fall a couple of feetfrom the boundary and then plug in the wetconditions. We would then saunter a single withsome reluctance on Les’s part as he would inconsequence get a run but lose the strike (unless ofcourse it was the final ball of the over in which casehe would attempt the three while the ball was stillin the air !). That happened a few times. Needlessto say I was quite incapable of hitting it out of theground. Instead I was out after a few overs on thatday but Les went on to make an unbeaten century.

Trevor Sellers of Cheadle CC once told me thatwhen he bowled against Les, Les would call to himwhen he was in his delivery stride and tell himwhere he was going to hit the ball, such was hisconfidence.Les was of course also an excellent bowler for

Club and County and was an invaluable weapon inthe field. He generated considerable pace andmovement when the conditions suited him.Whether he was a better bowler than batsman willlong remain the subject of conjecture. He was, infact, a true all rounder.I worked for some years in teaching with Les’s

first wife Jenny but I’ve never met his second wife.However, following my retirement from full timeteaching at Longton I did a lengthy stint of supplyteaching at Biddulph High School where I taughthis daughters by his second marriage, Emma andNikki. One can imagine what it was like at parents’evenings when Les was in attendance. When it washis turn to see me we would talk for perhaps halfan hour instead of the allotted ten minutes (ormore correctly Les would give a monologue), notparticularly about his daughters’ educationalprogress but rather about sport (or more correctlyhis own exploits in sport as he was never bashfulabout his prowess). A lengthy queue of parentswaiting to see me would inevitably build up, ofwhich I was acutely conscious but to which Les wasseemingly oblivious.I last was talking to Les during a Staffordshire

match at Knypersley last September. My lad Oliverwas with me and I told him he was about to meeta legend. Les had not long before undergonesurgery to remove some of his toes but he stillmanaged to get to the game. Les and myself talkedabout the old days for some considerable time. I’mpleased now that we did as I never for a momentimagined that would be the last time I would eversee him.Rest in peace, Les Lowe. You have given us great

memories. You were a legend in your own lifetimeand will remain a legend for years to come eventhough you are no longer with us.

Make sure you get your Sports Clubpublicised in The Voice!Just email your articles, reports, team photographs etcto [email protected]

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Churnet Valley win Charity Trophy

The victorious Churnet Valley team

West Midland regional winners with coach Mark Tolley


Left to right back row: Sarah Parton (age 45) finishing time 05:50:24,Sarah Jones (34) 04:53:44, Helen Hastilow (35) 03:53:49, Ian Salt (36)02:38:58, Catherine Mann (49) 04:58:00.

Front row: Grahame Cope (45) 03:40:38, Simon Danks (46) 03:05:25.

Gill Taylor (not in picture) also ran with a time of 04:10:14.

Due to injury Leanne Anderson, who raised over 900 for Mencap, and JohnStone had to pull out.

Grahame Cope raised £2100 for NSPCC. Catherine Mann raised over £700for Myositis UK. Sarah Jones raised over £1000 for Derbyshire,Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance.

Uttoxeter’sMarathonrunners

On the weekend of the 24th Apri, a group of Uttoxeter Road Runnersset off to complete the 2016 Virgin London Marathon. Many of ourmembers running for various charities and have raised several

thousand pounds over the last few months.I had rigorously trained over the last 6 months, going out every Sunday

morning, sometimes before it was light trying to make it easier on the day.The weather was perfect for runners. The starting gun went off at 10am

to the second and with 10 London Marathons already in the bag I thoughtthis would be an easy one.The first half seemed to go really quickly and a near perfect time for me.

The following half, not so. At 21 miles I needed to think of all the moneyraised for charity and my family waiting for me. Between miles 21-25 wasone of the hardest parts I can remember but seeing my children cheering meon at mile 25 made the last 1.2 mile worth the effort. My finishing time was3hrs, 05mins, 25secs.Simon Danks, Uttoxeter Road Runners

The girls rugby team at Thomas Alleyne’s have had a fabulous season winningtwo competitions to reach the national finals. The girls have been committedto training since September under the watchful eye of their Coach Mark

Tolley. The team were crowned Staffordshire County Champions in March wherethey beat John Taylor High School by 3 tries to 1 in the final. This saw the girlsqualify for the West Midland regional competition in Birmingham. The competitionsaw the girls play teams from Worcestershire, Wolverhampton, Shropshire, andBirmingham in their pool. An excellent defensive line as well as slick passing andspeedy wingers saw Alleyne’s reach the final against Lady Hawkins fromHerefordshire, which they won by 4 tries to nil. The national rugby festival was held at Lichfield RFC where the best schools

from 12 regions competed to clinch the title. A very high standard of competitionsaw Thomas Alleyne’s lose their opening pool games but certainly not embarrassed,the girls competed hard and defended their try line excellently. The following threegames saw Thomas Alleyne’s draw, they displayed a never say die attitude scoringtries straight after they had conceded. The girls finished the season as the 9th bestteam in the country. PE teacher Sarah Jones was proud of the team and work ethicand spirit they have shown in every match this season. Head teacher Julie Rudgealso watched their performances at Lichfield and was impressed by the courageand determination which was evident throughout every game.Georgia Apperley, Mylene Bepole, Caitlin Arnold, Katie Edwards, India

Edwards, Gemma Tomlinson, Kim Burgess, Sian Rendell, Gemma Thorley, HannahClarke, Ellie Wilson, Jaz Sutton, Meghan Geofferson and Freya Bussell made upthe squad.

National success forThomas Alleyne’sgirls rugby team

The girls with England and Lichfield player Natasha Hunt


Place an advert in The Uttoxeter & Cheadle VoiceTHE AREA’S LARGEST DISTRIBUTED COLOUR MAGAZINEWe’re No. 1 - 15,000 magazines printed each issueEmail [email protected] or phone 01538 751629 NOW!

On the OcheBy Dave Jones of UttoxeterLife President of the Uttoxeter and District Darts League.

April the 25th and 29th saw the UttoxeterDarts League Final played at the newfunction room at Bradley House Club in

Uttoxeter. This room is geared up for suchoccasions but can I say a big thank you to JCBLakeside Club, Rocester, for accommodating thecommittee and players in our past years – you didus proud.In my last column I mentioned the McNamara

Tournament, well just to bring you up to date thewinner was Andy Graham (Bradley House) withrunner-up Ryan Boot (JCB A), two veryoutstanding players highly regarded not only bymyself but by all in the league – thanks for awonderful final lads!It is very much an under-statement to say that

being the Life President of the League is a proudone, youve only got to watch the standard of dartsthe players produce both old and new, take JohnBrookes, Eddie and Steve’s dad played 18 won 18,scoring 180’s on the way as well - good on you oldlad!Other stats are a total of 129 = 180’s scored in

the league, highest checkouts: Division 1 KirkConnell Jnr 161 (Oldfields), Division 2 RichardClarkson 154 (Dog & Partridge), Division 3 AndyGolding 157 (Doveridge Club).JCB Lakeside A again won the division 1

league, Dog & Partridge Division 2 with Doveridge

Club B winning Division 3. Runners up BradleyHouse Div 1, Red Lion B Div 2, Crown Inn Div 3.I will update you with more stats after the

presentation night in June.The week before all the finals on Wednesday

April the 20th in fact, we The Uttoxeter Leaguelost one of the best characters around – DavidFrederick Baxter (Buster or Reg) as he was knownto you all, personally I called him Dave and havingknown him for 47 years in those days the familydog was called Buster which got very confusing attimes!Dave of course, like the rest of the family, was

Derby County mad, there is a wonderful photo ofhim, the Doveridge and Uttoxeter lads and myselfincluded on the wall of Doveridge Club. This is ofthe 1970’s when Derby won the Charity Shield.What a weekend that was! Hardly a sober mananywhere to be seen! Dave very kindly gave me acopy of that photo for me to keep.He was like that, very caring and a big lad with

a big heart – one of the best and five hundred ofyou turned out to a service ofthanksgiving and celebration of his life.A fitting tribute to a lovely man and aman you really could call a friend. Restin peace Dave, you deserve it. God Blessmate.Till next time, take car, Dave

The Good Old Days photographs onpages 42-43 have been identified as:

1 St Joseph’s RC School, Uttoxeter.Pupils at their sports day in the1970’s

2 E. S. Wilks & Son, directors andstaff 1958

3 This is a blast from the past formany local people who took part inthe successful Uttoxeter TownTwinning project with Raisdorf inGermany! Hosts Bruni and HelmutFittkau pictured in Raisdorf withMarcia Titterton of Cheadle in frontof a Stone commemorating 10 yearsof friendship between Uttoxeter andRaisdorf. The Voice colour magazinewould be proud to help with othergroups to see a return of this TownTwinning project after many decades- is anyone interested? Get in touchif you are...

4 Happy Cheadle Racing ownerscelebrate in the winner’s enclosure atHuntingdon Racecourse many yearsago!Their winning horse, Tilty, was oneof the best around at that time inthis area, winning 9 races includingat the Home of National HuntRacing, Cheltenham. Left to right:Scott Turner of Fenton, ‘Ickle’ PeteSmith, horse transport driver, BillPlant of Cheadle, Nigel Titterton ofCheadle, Trevor Farrow, a brilliantmember of the training staff, TrainerAndy Streeter, Geoff Bratt ofBaddeley Green and Joe Bland ofCheadle. Happy days...

5 Entrants in the 1975 Miss UttoxeterCarnival Queen Competition,pictured with TV host Chris Tarrant

6 Uttoxeter Mothers Club andchildren, 1970’s

The good old days

Dave ‘Reg’ Baxter

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Uttoxeter & Cheadle Voice, Issue 64