S I T TI BI

COMITUM

SANCTA COMORS

Registered at the Post Office as a Newspaper Est. 1893

INCORPORATED WITH THE CONGLETON AND MACCLESFIELD MERCURY

THURSDAY, 4th MARCH, 2010.

Price 55p

INSIDE: OUR COMPREHENSIVE PROPERTY GUIDE FEATURING LOCAL ESTATE AGENTS

Parking ees 'working'

Page 30

Surgery not store Readers' Views Pages 22-26

Page 27

What’s on... What’s gone...

Pages 20-21

Wardens will prowl

Page 6

We must fight to save future of Fellowship House: mayor

Cheyanne’s individual effort for a winning team

By Chris Young The closure of a community centre in Congleton would be like a “step back in time” according to the Town Mayor.

The future of Fellowship House on Park Road will be discussed at a public meeting today (Thursday) organised by Cheshire East Council.

Fellowship House has been roviding adult social care since the 1970s and is home to numerous elderly and disabled people’s groups.

The meeting comes amid rumours Cheshire East wants to close the building.

Mayor of Congleton Coun Ernie Clarke said he feared this will be the case and believed the council would face “a huge wave” of public opposition.

Coun Roland Domleo, ward councillor for Congleton, is one of the councillors who have been invited to the meeting.

He said: “Fellowship House’s future has been in question for quite some time, and Cheshire County Council moved a number of the groups from there several years ago.”

He added it was services rather than buildings that were most important adding: “It comes back to the problem of the building becoming more important than the services provided in some people’s eyes.”

A Fellowship House volunteer, who didn’t want their name published, has written to the “Chronicle” claiming that its closure could soon be announced. The letter said: “It is a purpose-built community centre uniquely designed with the less abled and senior citizens in mind. It provides facilities for a variety of disabilities and encourages friendship and companionship. Such accommodation could not be matched elsewhere.”

• —Turn to back page.

Parking fees pressure group for residents is planned by protestors

Bring on 2012! Three cheers for Cheyanne Vandam whose winning design for a Team Congleton logo will become a familiar sight on T-shirts, stationery and posters in the run up to the 2012 Olympics. For the full story and more pictures, turn to the back page. (“Chronicle” photo. 901a/10).

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Residents who are suffering as a result of car parking charges will have a chance to lock horns with Cheshire East as part of a new committee specifically for them.

Protest group No2parking charges has called on the Congleton community to sign up to the campaign so it can put more pressure on the council over the controversial parking fees regime, even though they were introduced three weeks ago.

A meeting will be held on Wednesday at 7pm at the New Life Church on West Road where residents will be able to sign up and learn more about the committee.

No2parkingcharges member Sarah Ellershaw said: “We believe Cheshire East Council has significantly damaged Congleton and particularly the town centre environment with the introduction of parking charges last month.

“One aspect of the charges is that it has created major problems for town centre residents. The purpose of the meeting is to create a No2parkingcharges residents parking sub-committee to gather and represents the views of aggrieved residents and to engage with the council in finding a resolution to them.”

The action group is also urging people affected by the implementation of the parking charges to protest individually against Cheshire East.

The campaign group has posted fliers through town centre letterboxes calling on residents in particular to write to council leader Wesley Fitzgerald and chief executive Erika Wenzel, explaining how the charges are causing “major disruption”.

An official statement from the group claimed: “This is destroying our businesses and the economic sustainability. We believe that the more people who advise the council of their objections, the more they will have to listen.”

Anyone interested in doing so should address their letters to Cheshire East Council, Westfields, Middlewich Road, Sandbach, CW11 1HZ. Letters should be marked with the words “formal complaint” at the top.

The council leaders can be emailed at either wesley.fitzgerald or erika.wenzel, both having the address @cheshireeast.gov.uk

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