THE MIDDLEWICH DIARY FESTIVAL QUIZ 2018 (ARCHIVED)

The competition will consist of five rounds:

1: The Canals of Middlewich.
The Trent & Mersey, the Shropshire Union and the diminutive Wardle Canal. From Rumps Lock to Croxton Aqueduct and from Stanthorne Lock to Brooks Lane Bridge....

what do you know about our town's fascinating network of canals?

2: MUSIC ROUND - The FAB Festival, past & present.

Five questions on this year's artists, and five questions on artists from  festivals past.

3: CALL MY BLUFF.

The ever-popular Call My Bluff in which Mr Roberts gives you three alternative meanings for ten obscure English words. Which is the correct one in each case?

4: DEAD OR ALIVE?

Another old favourite. Ten famous people. Are they still with us, or have they shuffled off this mortal coil?

5: PICTURE ROUND.

Ten pictures of people in the public eye at the moment. Who are  they?

Rules:

1. Teams can consist of as many (or as few) people as you like, but we recommend the traditional quantity of four. £1 entry fee per person.

2: The quizmaster's decision is final, no matter how drunk he gets.

3: No cheating. Or getting found out, at any rate.

4: Bribes enthusiastically accepted.

Question master: Dave Roberts

Quiz Co-ordinator: Peter Cox.

CAN YOU HELP?

We're looking for quiz and raffle prizes for this event. If you'd like to donate a bottle of wine, box of chocolates or any other suitable prize, please contact either the Middlewich Diary on (01606) 833404 or Peter Cox on (01606) 835371 or 07794 1415651. Or visit any of our Facebook Groups:

THE MIDDLEWICH DIARY

MIDDLEWICH DIARY NOTICE BOARD
MIDDLEWICH DIARY PHOTO GROUP
MIDDLEWICH DIARY COMMUNITY GROUP

-----------------------------------------------------

Quiz officially sanctioned by

and

MIDDLEWICH APPEAL

The Middlewich Diary Festival Quiz

is independently produced and organised

by

First published 7th April 2018

Re-published 12th April 2018, 27th April 2018, 1st May 2018, 21st May 2018, 5th June 2018. Updated and archived 15th June 2018.

UPDATE: 15th June 2018

A hugely enjoyable evening with no less than SEVEN teams (actually five teams and two individuals) taking part. With the large amount of Thursday evening events going on around the town we had feared the worst, but the quiz turned out to be well worth doing. 

Among those present were Cllr Bill Walmsley, the Mayor of Middlewich (who, perhaps a trifle disconcertingly, found himself as one of the answers in the picture round)  and his wife, Cllr Bernice Walmsley.

Many thanks to those who took part, and also to those who donated prizes:

Peter Cox - box of biscuits, bottle of wine,

The Middlewich Diary - box of chocolates, bottle of wine, copy of 'Middlewich 1900-1950' by Allan Earl

Cllr Bernice Walmsley - box of chocolates.

The Boar's Head - bottle of wine.

And thanks to Pauline Harmer who made a donation to bring the funds raised for the Middlewich Appeal up to £70.

Here for the record, are the final scores (Totals are out of a maximum 50 points)

1st: 'Mr and Mrs Macbeth and the three witches' 31 points

2nd: Andy Craig 30 points

3rd: 'Dead' 29 points

4th: 'War Veterans' 26 points

5th: 'No Hopers' 24 points

6th: 'Just me' 23 points

7th: 'Room 101' 18 points

The next Middlewich Diary Quiz will be held at the Boar's Head at Christmas. Date to be confirmed.

INSIDE LOCK 72 OF THE TRENT & MERSEY CANAL, MIDDLEWICH

by Catherine Green

by SpookyMrsGreen

Last weekend we took a trip down a long flight of metal steps, and descended into the bowels of a lock on our local canal. It was Lock 72 of the Trent and Mersey canal, to be precise, where it passes through Middlewich. The Canal and River Trust have closed off a section of canal and drained the water out, so that they can replace the worn, wooden lock gates. We were invited to step inside the lock chamber, where we learned a bit about the 200-year history of the canal system, and could view the chamber from the ground up. It was awesome, to say the least.

Add caption

You can see a slide-show of Catherine's photos of the lock open day

by visiting her blog 

SPOOKY MRS GREEN

I didn’t get to hear what our guide was saying, because I was distracted with our children, who had great fun splashing in a puddle along the length of the canal basin. But I did appreciate the beauty of the rough stone walls, and how it looked from below. There is a certain atmosphere around the canal that is both spooky and exciting. I felt a deep connection with the spirits of those who had passed through this lock during the past two centuries, and it was a warm feeling despite the cold weather.

A view from the depths of the lock, showing the pedestrian bridge above.
 Photo: Catherine Green

Although I am not native to Middlewich, and have only lived here for almost ten years, I feel a sense of home in this town. It was partly the canal and the river that confirmed my place when our estate agent suggested properties to view back when my husband (then fiancé) and I decided to move from Manchester. I want to raise our children with an understanding of the town’s heritage, because it is now their heritage, and when an opportunity arises to explore a place that is normally inaccessible, we jump at the chance. Lock 72 was a wonderful exploration, and one that will remain a fond memory for our daughters as they grow up.

The eerie, empty canal  
Photo: Catherine Green

© Catherine Green 2016

First published on SPOOKY MRS GREEN 3rd December 2016

CATHERINE GREEN describes herself as 'ghostbuster, author, mother and wife'.


She is the author of many short stories and novels including

THE REDCLIFFE NOVELS