Tuesday, 11 June 2013

FAB FESTIVAL WEEKEND at MIDDLEWICH NARROWBOATS (ARCHIVED)

ARCHIVED
by Cliff Astles
The proprietors of the successful Middlewich holiday company MIDDLEWICH NARROWBOATS have certainly taken the FAB Festival this weekend to their hearts.
The Canal Terrace boatyard and the canal side (off Lewin Street, opposite the British Legion) have both been extensively enhanced, using a VERY BIG ARMY PARACHUTE, should there be rain (it covers most of the boatyard), in keeping with the local tradition of making the FAB Festival a great success for residents and visitors alike.
In addition to being the OFFICIAL SPONSOR to this year's Festival Guide the firm will be offering many attractions for ALL of the family, with the NEW FAB STAGE for entertainers.

FAB EVENT SCHEDULE for the WHOLE WEEKEND at MIDDLEWICH NARROWBOATS

FRIDAY at 2.pm - The BAR is open for beer and light refreshments including afternoon teas.
FAB Festival STAGE from 8.00: THE  CAJUN SPECIALS
Followed by OPEN MIKE SESSIONS for anyone.....closing when the lights go off !

SATURDAY at 8am - The BAR is open for refreshments, teas etc and there will be an  OPEN MIKE session until.....
2 pm: On stage are THE PASTRY SHOES followed once again by an OPEN MIKE session.
8.pm (approx) THE GOAT ROPER RODEO BAND followed by another OPEN MIKE session until:
10.00(approx) THE BOAT BAND followed by OPEN MIKE under the big tent, again until the lights go out!

SUNDAY Canal Side Breakfasts until 12 noon when the Bar opens with refreshments etc
2.00pm :SUNDAY BLUES with THE 
SALTY DOG BLUES BAND featuring  SARA TYE and special guest TRISH WATT.
The weekend ends with the final OPEN MIKE SESSION, with songs and tunes from anyone who cares to perform.

THE CAJUN SPECIALS (website)       
THE BOAT BAND (HARBOURTOWN RECORDS)   
MIDDLEWICH NARROWBOATS (MIDDLEWICH  DIRECTORY ENTRY)


RAILWAY BANNER MAKES ITS DEBUT


The Middlewich Rail Link Campaign's banner, funded by the Mid-Cheshire Rail Users' Association, makes its much-delayed debut this weeked at the Middlewich FAB Festival.
Our sister site, Middlewich Station, has the details:

RE-OPEN MIDDLEWICH STATION BANNER (MRLC WEBSITE LINK)

Sunday, 9 June 2013

MIDDLEWICH FAB FESTIVAL 2013: FESTIVAL GUIDE (ARCHIVED)

ARCHIVED



The 2013 Middlewich FAB Festival Guide is now available from outlets all over the town. This year's guide is sponsored by Middlewich Narrowboats. We'll be bringing you photos from past festivals (courtesy of Cliff Astles) and previews of this year's event over the next week, leading up to the start of the festival this Friday 14th June.


Saturday, 8 June 2013

MIDDLEWICH 'GOOD NEIGHBOUR' SCHEME LAUNCH, JUNE 2013


by Dave Roberts
On Saturday 8th June in Ventnor Close yet another  initiative came into being in this most community-minded of all small towns, as a pilot  for the Middlewich Good Neighbours scheme was launched.
Councillors and officials came together with church leaders and representatives of local organisations to bring the idea to life, initially in the Bembridge Court/St Ann's Road area of the town.
The aim, according to Middlewich Town Council, is to create a 'time bank' with members of the scheme sharing their time and skills to mutually benefit one another. This will not only help people with their day to day lives, but also create an opportunity for skills and knowledge to be shared among the community and help those less able to help themselves to achieve their aims. It's  another example of a local scheme designed to draw the people of Middlewich closer together.
The partnership behind this initiative includes representatives from Middlewich Vision, St Michael's, St Luke's and the Plus Dane Group.
The June sun shone down  on the proceedings as the scheme was launched and photographer Cliff Astles was there to record the scene for posterity.
Pictured in Cliff's photo are, among others, Mayor of Middlewich Cllr Bernice Walmsley and her husband Bill, Congleton MP Fiona Bruce, Thia Hughes of St Michael's, Ceri Edwards from St Luke's and Suzanne Johns who chairs the Middlewich Vision Community Action Group. 
On the left is Alison Roylance-White, Middlewich Vision's Action Plan Manager 
Here's a link to Cliff's photo album with more photos of the launch: GOOD NEIGHBOURS LAUNCH


Facebook feedback:

Geraldine Williams...and there's so much going on in Middlewich. As an out-of-towner now I really appreciate how valuable a commodity 'The Diary' is in keeping people informed. Every town should have one....!

Dave Roberts Aw shucks...one does one's best.. I think it's wonderful how things have turned around in recent years and it's now the Keep Middlewich Miserable brigade which is out of step with everyone else.


QUIZ NIGHTS AT THE NARROWBOAT








THE BOAR'S HEAD QUIZ


NEXT QUIZ: T.B.A.


Sunday, 2 June 2013

CORONATION CELEBRATIONS AT THE GREEN 1953

Photo courtesy of ANDREA DUFFY
First published on the 15th December 2011 and republished on 2nd June 2013, the 60th anniversary of the Coronation
A souvenir from the heady days of the early 1950s, and in particular the day the Queen came to the throne. The people of The Green, Cledford, young and old, all want to be in the photo. Do you recognise any of them? Are you one of them? We'd  be delighted to hear from you. Let's see if we can name as many people as possible for posterity. Of course, many of the people pictured here will actually be from Chadwick Road. Also getting into the picture on the right is a house which should by now, if everything had gone according to plan. be just a memory. But the pre-fabs of Middlewich live on, looking better than ever. They were supposed to be temporary structures, mass-produced to help overcome the country's chronic housing shortage, but were in fact so well built that many of them still survive all over the country.
And those houses in the background can be nowhere else than in Warmingham Lane, near its junction with Cross Lane.
If you'd like to share this photo with friends and relations (and, we hope, help us in putting names to faces) you can download it by right-clicking anywhere on the photo. This will, in most web-browsers, bring up an option to 'save image as...' or something similar.  You can then save the picture and print it. If you do share it, please tell everyone you found it on 'The Middlewich Diary'. Thank you.

SEE ALSO: ST ANN'S AVENUE CORONATION CELEBRATIONS 1953


Facebook feedback:

(JUNE 2013)
Robert Sheckleston The lady at the front with glasses is Mrs Hagen. I used to live across the road from her in Chadwick Road, and I also knew her husband who worked at RHM and her brother who worked there as well.



(DECEMBER 2011)
    • Rose Hamlett My nanna is on the photo, Margaret Siddall, she's just above the ER symbol.

    • Dave Roberts Thanks Rose.


    • Rose Hamlett It was nice to see it. I have got a photocopy of it that someone did for me.




    • Dave Roberts I can see the family resemblance. Does anyone know any of the others? I know one of them is Tom Duffy, Andrea's Dad.

    • Andrea Astles My family still live on The Green, not sure they were there in '53. Will check though.

    • Kerry-leigh Pitcher The lady in the white blouse with the wrist watch is my Nanna, Winnie Brown, who lived at number 7 Chadwick Road, and the lady with her arm on my Nan's shoulder is Mrs Haggan who lived next door !