SANTA'S SLEIGH ROUTES 2017 (ARCHIVED)

And thank you  to Middlewich Round Table for inviting Santa to tour Middlewich once again this year. To find out more about the Round Table and the excellent work they do, not only at Christmas but all the year round, take a look at their website:

WEBSITE

Once again this year the Round Table collected food on behalf of

WEBSITE

Marc Holmes writes...

On behalf of The Salvation Army in Winsford I would like to say a HUGE THANK YOU to the community of Middlewich and also to Santa and his snowmen of Middlewich Round Table for your generosity, support and donations over the last couple of weeks. 

It has been my privilege to have come and collected your donations of food/gifts/toiletries and the amount collected is mind blowing! My car has been full 3 times (and almost overflowing tonight!)!

This Christmas we have noticed the need for support even more than other years. We have already supported more than 200 families with food parcels, (which include festive goodies and a gift for every member of the family) with more going out over the next few days. 

In addition to the food parcels we will also be opening up our hall on Christmas Day to those who would otherwise be on their own, where they can enjoy a Christmas dinner, fun and fellowship.

Thank you just doesn't seem enough!

Without your help we wouldn't be able to help so many people. It really does make a difference to their lives.

God bless you all and we wish you all a very Happy, Healthy Christmas and New Year.

Photo used with permission

To finish our Santa Sleigh run in 2017 we donated a very special trike for a very special young man ! Santa's sleigh and the snowmen delivered William his dream transport allowing him to have a little of his own mobility. This could not be achieved without all our Round Table, our family, friends and those in the community who support the work we do. Happy New Year all !! - Middlewich Round Table, 2nd January 2018

Santa's sleigh routes for 2017 were...

First Published 4th December 2017
Re-published 11th December 2017
12th December 2017
13th December 2017
14th December 2017
15th December 2017
17th December 2017
18th December 2017
19th December 2017

CHRISTMAS POEM 2017

by Rachel Hughes

'I'll have one. Then just another...

'Oh, go on then! It's Christmas time, brother!'

A couple of shots, a few more pints.

'I'm not paying for a taxi...I'll be all right!'

'I'll be home soon, love!' - She's asking again.

'I ain't walking, it's started to rain...'

Laughing and joking, the time passes by,

Enjoying the company stood by your side.

'I really  must go now; my tea's in the dog!

And it's been a few hours since I finished my job.'

As wobbly legs take this Human across the road,

It tells itself it's in 'driveable mode'.

Key's in the starter, the mirror's in view.

'I'm on my way home love! I love you, I do!'

Driving along with thoughts of its bed,

The drunk-driving human hits a tree up ahead.

A knock on the door wakes the family inside.

Tears start to fall from the loved ones' eyes;

'How has this happened? I can't believe...

'Why would our loved one decide to leave?'

An individual's act; a choice that was made,

Another human life that could have been saved...

Think of the others you'd leave behind,

At any time of year, not just Christmas time.

©Rachel Hughes, November 2015

(reproduced with permission)

Editor's note: We thought this excellent poem by Rachel Hughes deserved as wide an audience as possible, partly because of the time of year, and partly because of the powerful writing and the message it gets across. A message which can't be repeated too often. It first appeared on the Middlewich Community Group on Facebook - DR

MIDDLEWICH YOUTH THEATRE PRESENTS CINDERELLA, DECEMBER 16th 2017

MIDDLEWICH YOUTH THEATRE ON FACEBOOK

UPDATE:

AFTERNOON PERFORMANCE NOW
SOLD OUT!

Please call  07868 663529 to enquire about 
evening availability

BRITISH LEGION MASQUERADE BALL, 4th NOVEMBER 2017

THE THIRD MIDDLEWICH MEXON STREET MARKET - SEPTEMBER 2017 (ARCHIVED)

THE THIRD

A NEW TRADING OPPORTUNITY!
(Eventbrite link)

Middlewich Vision writes...

Our third Mexon Street Market takes place on the 16th September and in addition to our fabulous regular stalls, we are joined by more new traders.

The team have also been lining up a host of free entertainment and activities for a day out that can be enjoyed by all the family. 

Come and join us for Line Dancing on the Bullring at 10am followed by a 30 minute Tai Chi session.

From 10am until 3pm we are delighted to be joined by the team from Community Recycle Cycles. Get bike fit! Bring your bike along anytime and get a free 10 minute safety check from a qualified team member.

In addition, dare to take the 'Bike Challenge' - a fun activity for all ages and you can take away a free cycle map which have been produced by the South East Cheshire Cycle Action Group (SECCAG). 

SUPPORTING THE MIDDLEWICH MEXON MARKET....

DRINKS & BITES AT NO 35 ON FACEBOOK

WILLOW BELL ON FACEBOOK

A.J. DEVANEY BUTCHERS ON FACEBOOK

IF YOU'RE A SUPPORTER OF THE  MEXON MARKET, SEND US YOUR DETAILS AND WE'LL ADD YOU TO THE EVER-EXPANDING LIST OF THOSE HELPING GET THIS BRILLIANT  LOCAL INITIATIVE OFF THE GROUND!

middlewichdiary@aol.com

Our special masthead for September's Market

First published 30th August 2017

Re-published 11th September 2017

and 16th September 2017

FAMILY FRIENDLY ACTIVITY DAY AT MARKET FIELD 12th AUGUST 2017 (ARCHIVED)

In memory of a much-loved and well-respected lady.

BRAKE - THE ROAD SAFETY CHARITY (WEBSITE)

Published 7th August 2017
Re-published 12th August 2017

MUSIC IN MIDDLEWICH: 80s NIGHT AT MIDDLEWICH RBL CLUB APRIL 2017

Please note that although tickets are free, you do need to have one! Call in at the club or call Jackie on the number on the poster!

WHAT'S ON GUIDE 2017

Every year the Middlewich Town Council produces its guide to the many and varied events happening in the town throughout the year.

The 2017 guide is out now and is being distributed door to door. 

Copies are also available from the Town Hall and from shops and other venues around the town.

Find out more about EVERYTHING happening in Middlewich this year. Pick up YOUR copy NOW!

NOW & THEN: SEDDON'S BROOKS LANE WORKS 1969 and 2017

by Dave Roberts

We were very taken with the Middlewich Heritage Trust's new logo, illustrating as it does the 'Wych & Water' aspects of Middlewich's history, by showing a stylised representation of Seddon's Salt Works in Brooks Lane with an equally stylised canal boat  floating sedately by. In actual fact the boat appears to be floating sedately along Brooks Lane itself, but we'll have to put that down to artistic license. What's very striking about the logo is the colours used, which reflect those used by Seddon's Works right up until their closure in 1967.The large brine holding tanks which were a feature of all three works in Pepper Street, Wych House Lane and Brooks Lane were painted in red lead and signwritten with the words SEDDON'S SALT WORKS (or simply, when space was limited SEDDON'S) in white with black shading.

This encouraged us to  take another  look at our own photo of the Brooks Lane Works, taken on Kodachrome film in 1969 using the then popular Kodak Instamatic camera. The works themselves had closed two years earlier in 1967 but remained remarkably intact, demolition only beginning in earnest in the early 1970s. You can read a detailed description of this photo here. Take particular note of the feedback this photo generated.

Brooks Lane, 7th March 2017

...and this in turn, encouraged us to return to Brooks Lane to see what the scene looks like in 2017. It's still possible to tell that this was once an open pan salt works, as several sections of the original retaining wall along Brooks Lane remain, although the lane itself has been widened (this happened in the early 1970s as part of a deal with ERF Ltd who opened their Service Centre further up the road in 1971 and needed better access for deliveries and trucks travelling to and from the ERF repair shop on the site). Most of the site has now become home to Tarmac Readycrete and presents a rather dismal face to the world these days. The old salt works, while no oil painting, did have a sort of gloomy utilitarian grandeur to it, which the hotch-potch collection of concrete making apparatus and modern industrial buildings lacks. There are ambitious plans to transform the whole area surrounding Brooks Lane into a housing estate and marina development which will change things beyond recognition, if it ever comes to pass. It's worth remembering that the Sandbach-Middlewich-Northwich railway line is just a few yards away on the other side of these industrial buildings and the site suggested - 'suggested' being the operative word - for our new railway station is just out of shot to the left. If the new development does happen as planned, and the new station is indeed situated here, local residents will be ideally situated for travel to Manchester and Crewe. But isn't that a lot of 'ifs'?
Note: Murgatroyd's brine pumps, which are currently undergoing restoration are just at the top of the hill, behind the gym and tankwash buildings.

8th APRIL 2020

MIDDLEWICH FAB FESTIVAL 2017

Middlewich FAB Festival/Middlewich Town Council

SEE THE
FAB FESTIVAL
PROMOTIONAL
VIDEO
 HERE

DIRECT WEBSITE LINK

OUR MASTHEAD FOR FEBRUARY 2017

Our February 2017 Masthead (also used in October 2016)

Our masthead photo for February 2017 (also used in October 2016) features a foggy day in Middlewich captured by Bill Armsden. Bill says that, as far as he remembers, the photo was taken in the winter of 2015.
It's something of a mystery photo as, at first glance, it appears to be a rural scene, perhaps taken on the outskirts of the town on the Shropshire Union heading towards Minshull Vernon? Or maybe on the T&M somewhere near Whatcroft?*
In fact we're looking at a scene which is very urban indeed. This is King's Lock in Booth Lane. Out of shot to the left is the pub which takes its name from the lock - one clue to its nearby presence is those picnic tables which, during the summer, are thronged with people enjoying a drink in the open air. 
Out of shot to the right, on the other side of Booth Lane, is that justly famous Middlewich institution,Etta Mault's chipshop.
And lurking in the mist behind the bush, left of centre, are the utilitarian industrial buildings which were once part of the ERF Service Centre, built on part of the old ICI Alkali Works. 
Perhaps the only real clue as to the true location of Bill's photo is the HGV tractor unit on the right trundling through the fog on its way to Sandbach or the M6 motorway.
They say that every picture tells a story. But the story is not always what you might think it is...

* This would, of course, be impossible. There are no locks on the Trent & Mersey between Middlewich and Preston Brook.

SOUNDS OF THE SIXTIES DISCO AT THE BRITISH LEGION

PLEASE CONTACT THE BRITISH LEGION CLUB TO OBTAIN YOUR FREE TICKETS!

01606 833286

MUSIC IN MIDDLEWICH: MIDDLEWICH FAB FESTIVAL 2017

The Middlewich FAB Festival is back this June, and here are the dates for your diary...

Find our more at the Festival's new Facebook Page:
FAB FESTIVAL ON FACEBOOK

FAB FESTIVAL WEBSITE

MUSIC IN MIDDLEWICH: MIDDLEWICH MARATHON MUSIC EVENT 25th FEBRUARY

Featuring

THE GREY SKIES
THE VIRGILS
JAKE WOODWARD

and Many More

To Be Announced

Tickets £5 from

The British Legion

The Town Hall

MAYOR'S CHARITY QUIZ AND HOT POT SUPPER

THE MIDDLEWICH CHARITY SHIELD - NEW YEAR'S DAY 2017 (ARCHIVED)

ARCHIVED

The Middlewich Charity Shield

Always the very first Middlewich Event of every year, the Annual Middlewich New Years Day Treasure Hunt is competed for every year by hung-over Middlewichians, and the prize, since 1992 at least,  has been  the much-coveted Middlewich Charity Shield.

Traditionally the team which wins the shield each year sets the questions for the following year but in 2017 things are a little different.

Melody Smith has volunteered - for one year only - to set the questions for the 2017 Treasure Hunt and would like to know a little more about the event, and in particular, its history.

The earliest date on the shield, which is  dedicated to the memory of Christina Wakefield, is 1992 when, as can be seen from the list of winners below, 'R&P Jackson' were the victors.

But did this epic New Year trawl around the town actually start before 1992? 

Both we at the Middlewich Diary and Melody Smith would love to hear more of the history of this cherished Middlewich Institution.

If you can help, please email us at:

middlewichdiary@aol.com

or visit our new, dedicated, Facebook Group at

MIDDLEWICH CHARITY SHIELD FACEBOOK GROUP

(administered by MELODY SMITH)

The list of past winners makes interesting reading. 

The term 'usual suspects' springs to mind, with names like 'Poniznik + Bruce, 'S Bailey & T Hough' , 'Bic's Team', 'The Shaws', 'Stitched Up' and many others making up a virtual 'Who's Who' of the Great and Good in Middlewich.

If you were a member of one of these illustrious teams and have memories - happy or otherwise - of taking part in the Treasure Hunt, please don't hesitate to get in touch.


The chosen charities for 2017 are St Luke's Cheshire Hospice and St Michael & All Angels Church repair fund.

The Boar's Head Hotel in Kinderton Street - starting point for the Treasure Hunt every year

MIDDLEWICH CHARITY SHIELD WINNERS SINCE 1992

1992 R&P Jackson

1993 M&C Lowe, R&P Jackson

1994 Poniznik + Bruce

1995 Worthington family

1996 Wood 'n' Teas

1997 Worthington family

1998 S Bailey & T Hough

1999 Plonkers 2

2000 Year 2K

2001 Plonkers 2

2002 The Shaws

2003 Whott

2004 The Shaws

2005 The Young Ones

2006 Whott

2007 Hough & Bailey

2008 Middlewich Masons

2009 Stitched Up

2010 Otherwise Engaged

2011 Bics Team

2012 Dirty Monkeys

2013 Dave DE & Dozy Kids

2014 Chips

2015 DE & Dave

2016 (no name supplied)
2017 Chubby's Christmas Chickens

Dave Roberts

Editor

UPDATE (31st December 2016):

Prize list for the hunt and raffle:

Boars Head- Meal for 4
Narrowboat Inn – Meal for 4
The White Bear Middlewich – Meal for 4
The Big Lock Pub Middlewich - £10 Voucher (also doing soup at the end of the hunt at 3.30pm)
Andy Boyle Photography – £30 family portrait voucher
Willow Bell – 4 beautiful mugs
Tims Gents Hairshop – hair cut by Jenny
Tracey's gel-ous nails and beauty – voucher
Razor Sharp – voucher for gent’s hair cut.
Charlotte Rose Florist - voucher
Cups and Cakes – Lunch voucher
Temptations – Jar of sweets
Morrisons, Middlewich – Delicious hamper with prosecco

HISTORY OF THE EVENT

by Melody Smith

The New Year's Day Treasure Hunt, with its prize, the Middlewich Charity Shield, was started in 1992 by Terry and Christina Wakefield, who used to run a disco and catering company  and were actively raising funds for local causes and charities in Middlewich.

Tragically, in 1993, a year which proved to be very difficult for Terry and his family, Christine had a fatal fall in her home.

As a mark of respect, and a reflection of her work in the community, Terry dedicated the recently established shield to Christina's memory.

He continued to run the treasure hunt until 1998 when he left Middlewich and moved to the Wirral to enjoy a new life with his current wife.

I recently spoke to terry by telephone, and he was very pleased to hear that the tradition has stayed strong in Middlewich and that the annual event has continued to be an institution within the community.

He still has links here and visits occasionally.

His daughter has requested that, when the shield is full and needs replacing, she would like to keep it.

UPDATE (1st January 2017:

Here are the results and scores for the 2017 contest:

Chubby's Christmas Chickens 43
Red devils 41
Bayar Lederhosen  40
Jones and Riddell  40
Whot 40
Bet you…. 39
Chips 38
Jacob's Barmy army 38
Rab C and pals 38
Regan's rangers 38
3D-UK (Dee and Dave) 37.5
Fab Sam 37
Northern Soul 37
Hotspurs 36
Humphries clan 36
Descendants 35.5
Scraffey's Gang 33
The Cobblers 32
Hardy 32
Rolley's ramblers 32
Christina's Crusaders 31
Rocking dollies on tour 29
Chopp's champions 27
Morgan 27
Bunged up but breathing 25
Knights of old 23
Redheads 22
Brendan and Jack 18
losers 18

Middlewich Charity Shield 2018

First published 12th November 2016
Updated & re-published 30th November 2016, 5th December 2016
31st December 2016 and 1st  January 2017