4 The Chronicle, Thursday, 22nd July, 2010. www.chronicleseries.co.uk

Drainage problems explained

Dapper Michael retires from Jantex

Parishioners at the informative coffee morning. St Luke’s Church at Mount Pleasant, Mow Cop, held i ts f i rst coffee morning on Saturday, 10th July.

cakes being available there was also a bring and buy and raffle running that raised over £200.

The event was held to raise funds for the maintenance of the churchyard, and explain to the residents of Mount Pleasant and the surrounding areas the

A church spokesman said: “The turnout was fantastic and a total of £700 was raised, which will primarily be used to resolve the drainage issues in the churchyard.

roblems the church is experiencing with funding the maintenance of the churchyard and specifically the drainage issues that have arisen in the churchyard.

Apart from tea, coffee and

“St Luke’s would l ike to say a big thank you to all those who attended and supported the coffee morning and look forward to continued support at future events.”

(Submitted photograph).

Centre, Janet McDonough shakes hands with Mr Robinson watched by, right, wife Sheila Robinson and colleagues. (“Chronicle” photo. 2913/10).

A landmark occasion was celebrated at Jantex Furnishing Company on Friday when retail carpet manager Michael Robinson retired after 23 years’ service with the Congleton firm.

Directors and staff gathered for the event, which also marked 50 years’ service to the furnishing industry by Mr

Robinson, who began his career in 1960, aged 15, working in the carpet department of GB Chadd — a department store in his native town of Lowestoft, Suffolk.

Aged 18, he relocated north to Shropshire and began working at S Aston and Son, becoming carpet manager in 1965, aged 20 and joined Jantex in 1987.

Mr Robinson was presented with an engraved crystal glass award, recognising his years of service, and holiday vouchers by company director Janet McDonough, on behalf of the company and with gifts and cards from colleagues.

She thanked him for his years of loyal service, and the immaculate and professional manner in which he had always presented himself, “his sartorial elegance often being remarked upon by customers” she said.

All present wished him a long and happy retirement.

Mr Robinson will now have more time to enjoy his hobbies of cooking, gardening and travelling.

Congleton Chronicle Established 1893 Founded by Robert Head

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Preacher will be vice-president

Ruth Pickles, from the Chester and Stoke-on-Trent Methodist District (of which she is synod secretary) has been elected the vicepresident designate of the 2011 Conference.

She is a teacher, residential care worker, alcohol counsellor, district training and development officer and lay worker.

Mrs Pickles currently works part-time in a training partnership which provides workshops in personal and skills development for lay and ordinary people. She has served on the Methodist Council and is former memorials secretary to the Conference. As a local preacher — she lives in Congleton — Mrs Pickles said she enjoys leading “participatory worship”.

Born into a Methodist family — her father was a local preacher for 50 years — she attends Biddulph Methodist Church in Station Road, where her husband, David is also a worship leader.

She has three adult children from her first marriage and seven grandchildren.

Next year’s vice-president counts a number of formative influences in her life, including VSO in Uganda, Methsoc at Sheffield University, MAYC London Weekends a participant and leader (she co-led youth fellowship for 20 years) and youth exchange to Kenya.

Congleton Ramblers’ diary

Sunday 8.30am: Biggin and Wolfscote dales, 10 miles, medium, leader Jack Evans, 01270 762045.

1.30pm: Deep Hayes Country Park, Leek, five miles, medium, leader Muriel Chantler, 01260 274947.

Tuesday 7.30pm: Marton, Davenport Arms, SK11 9HF (GR SJ 849682). Leader Margaret Baker, 01477 534238.

Wednesday1.30pm: Bosley, 5½ miles, medium, leader Dolly Clayburn, 01606 46225.

SOUTH CHESHIRE FLORAL SOCIETY

Seasons of the year interpreted

Mr Grey’s bold floral statement, which is admired by Mrs Williams and Mrs Thorley. (“Chronicle” photo. 2834/10).

The seasons and the hours of the day were interpreted at a flower display at Congleton Town Hall last Tuesday.

Barry Grey, a National Association of Flower Arranging Societies demonstrator, began his session for South Cheshire Floral Society’s open event with a reading of his own verses about the beauty of flowers and each floral design was accompanied by stories of his experiences.

Chairman Rita Williams welcomed everyone, including Congleton Town Mayor David Brown, area NAFAS president Lynn Breeze and area chairman Diane Fair.

Mr Grey’s demonstration was entitled “Robed in gowns of glorious hue”. His first design was a paired creation mounted on slender metal stands draped with a glittering brown fabric and topped with masks from the Venice carnival. One was a masked woman and the other a jester. Both wore crowns of ruscus foliage with yellow roses and cream carnations to form colourful headdresses.

Secondly came “Robed in snow”. Two one-metre tall rectangular woven white cane stands supported green hosta foliage with curled top phormium spathes for height and to the side. Aspidistra leaves curled into the whole work. White anthuriums followed the line of the foliage and white roses and carnations filled in. Two similar arrangements were placed on the side of and at the base.

A polished turned wooden stand was surmounted by the “Cloak of green”, a creation of foliage of many shades of green including ivy, rubus, silver and gold privet, stephanandra, ferns hosta with green Bells of Ireland and Anastasia emerald chrysanthemums.

“Caribbean evenings” followed and was a double placement on top and below a metre-tall metal stand. Broad brown spathes gave height and palm leaves cut into spikes filled the base, along with fatsia. Soft diffuse haemanthus flowers of pale orange were complemented by orange buff cymbidium orchids embedded in white edged hosta.

A Victorian child’s high chair was the container for “Pink for a little girl”, an effusion of colours surrounded by a frilly edging of alchemilla mollis, dark green physocarpus and white edged hosta. The flowers were larkspur,

peonies, lilies and roses, all in shades of pink.

“Water” was created in a deep pale green glass bowl with a slender metal stand. Twisted pin painted hazel gave height and skeletal coral with stripped leaves and silvered fatsia were backing for mauve Moonlight carnations with phalaenopsis orchids suspended from the hazel and in the base.

“Herald the morn” was the finale. A central classic pillar was topped with silver eucalyptus fo height and pittosporum trailed down. Hosta and tree peony foliage enhanced the soft apricot lilies, Peach Avalanche roses, cream stocks and peonies. Three smaller complementary arrangements were placed at the base of the pillar and on two trellis pieces of different height.

The society’s president Mary Thorley thanked Mr Grey for his inspiring work.

The society’s next meeting is on Tuesday, 14th September, at Astbury Village Hall at 2pm when the demonstrator will be Shirley Robinson with a demonstration entitled “Raindrops and roses” and the competition title will be Mrs Robinson’s subject. Visitors are welcome. Police on song with plans for Cloud 9 music festival

The Chronicle, Thursday, 22nd July, 2010. www.chronicleseries.co.uk

5

By Lyndsey Telford Cheshire Police will work closely with the organisers of a music festival to make sure it runs as smoothly as ossible. Speaking at a special olice question time in Congleton last Monday night, head of neighbourhood policing Inspector Mark Gammage said issues surrounding road policing and licensing restrictions at the day-long Cloud 9 Festival at Love Lane Farm, Betchton, on Saturday, 7th August, are currently being negotiated etween those involved. Smallwood Parish Council was unhappy that it had not een informed about the granting of a licence for the event.

He also claimed that excessive late night noise is unlikely to be too much of a problem for residents living nearby ecause, as reported recently in the “Chronicle”, organisers lan to stage a silent disco where speakers are turned off and revellers plug into headphones.

He said: “I believe that at midnight, there is going to be a silent disco. This kind of thing has been done before and involves people wearing headphones and tuning into the music that way. Now how you’re supposed to chat anyone up in that kind of scenario is beyond me, but that’s how it is going to work.”

Terry Savage, chairman of the question panel featuring Cheshire East Council, Probation Service and Cheshire Police Authority members, said he had never heard of such a thing, adding: “I must have lead a very sheltered life.”

Smallwood parish councillor Michael Bracegirdle said he was annoyed that organisers failed to give the council details about the granting of a licence allowing the festival to run from 12pm to 3am the next day.

He said: “No one told us a thing about it or who was going to police it. And organisers are expecting as many as 4,000 people to attend so it’s going to be huge. There are old folks in the area who just don’t want this kind of thing going on.”

A festival spokesman told the “Chronicle” last week that organisers regretted failing to keep residents in the area well enough informed about the event,

Fab four step out to aid Cancer Research

From left, Mesdames Eaton, Burrows, Rigby and Craig show off their medals at the finish line.

Four Congleton women did their bit for Cancer Research recently when they completed the 5k Cancer UK Race for Life at Trentham Gardens.

Linda Craig, Janet Rigby, Karen Burrows and Sian Eaton took part in the race on 29th June in memory of their friend Glenda Taylor who died of cancer in December.

So far they have raised around £500.

Mrs Craig and Mrs Rigby were part of a babysitting group in the 1970s and Mrs Burrows and Mrs Eaton were two of the abies they used to look after. Mrs Craig said: “We all comleted the race and I have to say 5k seemed a long way. Janet and I walked the course at a risk pace and completed it in an hour, but Karen and Sian did a mixture of walking, jogging and running and, of course, were quicker than us.

“The atmosphere was fantastic and it was awesome to see hundreds of women dressed in pink taking part. It was also sad reading the dedications on the back signs they were wearing. It just emphasised how important it is that we keep on raising money for Cancer Research.

“Just to think that 40 years ago doctors could never have fought cancer the way they do nowadays — and it’s all thanks to the research that goes on.”

Mrs Craig thanked hers and her friends’ families for cheering them on, as well as Mrs Taylor ’s widower, Doug.

Congletonian Sue Cook was also planning to complete the race, but was forced to pull out at the last minute following a family bereavement.

To sponsor the ladies, visit r a c e f o r l i f e s p o n s o r m e . o r g / 4glenda before Tuesday, 17th August. People can also give donations to Mr Taylor at Simon Jay Fabrics on Mill Street, Congleton.

(Submitted photograph).

but that they will be sure to rectify their mistake.

He added: “We have worked hard to create minimum impact on residents with a number of plans.

“We are working with Cheshire Police and the highways authority with a traffic management plan.

“We have a full health and safety plan and there will be no noise in the early hours at al l as we are going to put on a s i lent disco at midnight where headphones are handed out and the speakers are turned off.”

Parishioners’ picnic

BIDDULPH

Biddulph Methodist Church, Station Road

MONDAYS 7.00pm - THURSDAYS 7.00pm

Tel: Mel 01782 522407

CONGLETON

United Reformed Church, Antrobus Street - TUESDAYS 7.00pm

Tel: Tracy 01270 873157 CONGLETON (Mossley)

United Reformed Church, Antrobus St. (usually held at Mossley Village Hall)

WEDNESDAY, 5th AUG. - 1st SEPT. 9.30am. Due to maintenance work

Tel: Julie 01270 878067 WEST HEATH (Congleton) The Quinta Primary School, Ullswater Road

WEDNESDAYS 5.00pm & 7.00pm

Tel: Joanne 01260 271201

SCHOLAR GREEN

Scholar Green Village Hall, Church Lane - MONDAYS 5.30pm

Tel: Sue 01270 884572

On Sunday, 11th July, St Oswald’s Church in Brereton held a “Cool Church” picnic.

The theme was the feeding of the 5,000 and due to lovely sunny weather, the congregat ion was able to picnic in the churchyard.

More than 30 members of the congregation took enough food for themselves and something to share with everyone else.

A church spokesman said: “There was certainly more than f ive loaves and two f i shes as sausage rolls and chocola te cake was the 2010 equivalent — needless to say everyone had plenty to eat and there was s t i l l plenty of food left over.”

After the food, everyone enjoyed a game of cricket.

Cool Church services are held on the f i rs t and third Sundays of each month at 10.30am.

● The “Chronicle” recently reported on the theft of lead f rom St Oswald’s Church and efforts to restore the building. The report said that insurers would pay some of the £145,000 costs to repair the roof. We would l ike to clarify that the portion of this coming f rom insurers will only be minimal; around £5,000, and most of the money will need to be raised by the church.

(Submitted photograph).

Distraction burglary

Householders have been warned to be on their guard after distraction burglars struck in Middlewich.

On the afternoon of Tuesday, 13th July, three men knocked on the door of an elderly woman’s house on Queen’s Drive.

Claiming to be from the water board, they got inside the house and then rummaged through her bedroom.

Police said nothing was taken.

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