Featured News Archives - Times Echo and Life

June 4, 2020

Vermin concerns as fly-tipping piled up

Nappies, food and furniture dumped near flats in a Moorlands village have been cleared after seven weeks. Bags of waste were ditched in Blythe Bridge in April and remained uncollected throughout May - the sunniest month on record. The rubbish attracted vermin, posing a hazard to residents and preventing children from playing nearby.

Tennis courts set to be re-opened

A town council has agreed to re-open its tennis courts – but not until the correct Covid-19 guidance has been put in place and a vandalised net has been repaired. The two tennis courts managed by Cheadle Town Council, which are situated at Tean Road Recreation Grounds in Cheadle, were closed when the nation went into lockdown as part of the country’s battle with coronavirus.

Dorothy named ‘local hero’

A PACKAGE of treats donated by Uttoxeter businesses has been presented to a local hero. A volunteer who ran the equivalent of the London Marathon inside the Renew Church Uttoxeter topped a poll of people nominated as local heroes by followers of The Post Bar and Lounge on Facebook.

Moving farewell to D&G’s Dave

A charismatic entrepreneur who died following a sudden illness was honoured with a cavalcade of buses as he was laid to rest last week. The convoy was in honour of D&G Bus founder, David Backhouse Reeves, who passed away on Monday, May 11. He was just 61.

Shop floor workers saved but salaried staff still up for redundancy

Shop floor jobs at a major employer in Staffordshire, which has factories in the Cheadle and Uttoxeter areas, have been saved. On May 15, JCB announced that almost 1,500 jobs across its UK factories were set to be axed. These included 950 jobs at risk of redundancy, and around 500 Guidant agency employees who were going to be ‘released’ from the digger giant. The announcement came from the company after “demand for its machines fell by half as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.”

Couple set to take on 21 cycle laps of county

Mornflake, Millers of Mighty Oats, are powering Michelle Vorel-Adams and Phil Fortun during their month-long RIDE2020UK challenge to raise money for the hospital by riding 2020km around Staffordshire. The independent family business has milled nearly two million packs of porridge as part of DEFRA’s national Care Parcel Scheme to feed vulnerable people and is backing the effort by donating porridge pots to keep the pair’s energy levels topped up on 21-mile laps of the county each day.

Cheadle will still bloom this year

A town's annual summer floral display is set to carry on thanks to a gardening business in the Moorlands. Volunteers of Cheadle In Bloom normally carry out the work needed to create the town's colourful floral display during the summer months, but this year, due to the current coronavirus situation, they have been unable to. However, a gardening business in the local area has come to the rescue to ensure the town is, once again, decorated in glorious flora.

Energetic charity challenge for bride-to-be

A bride-to-be will be taking on an energetic challenge for charity on what would have been her wedding day. Therese Davall, who lives in Cheadle, was set to marry her fiancée Iain Carr on Saturday (May 23) but due to the current coronavirus situation the couple have postponed their wedding day. Instead, Therese has set herself a ‘Lockdown Three Peak Challenge’ which is set to see her climbing 1,310 flights of stairs in 24 hours on Saturday in memory of Iain’s mum Margaret Carr, who passed away last year from cancer.

First virtual meeting for Uttoxeter Town Council

AN ‘HISTORIC’ moment for Uttoxeter Town Council took place last week, when the organisation held its first ever virtual council meeting. The council held its first full council since March, after coronavirus lock down restrictions meant the April meeting could not go ahead.

Team GB triathlon hope for Julie

A leisure centre administrator who qualified for Team GB has been left in limbo after the event she was due to compete at was cancelled. Julie Hulbert was due to take part in the Middle Distance Triathlon Age Group Team European Championship at Walchsee, Austria in June.

Red light for development as it “encroaches on the countryside”

Planners have refused to rubber-stamp retrospective plans for an access track and parking at a farm in the Moorlands. Officers at Staffordshire Moorlands District Council (SMDC), rejected the application for the planning permission in Cresswell under delegated powers.

Impromptu Act of Remembrance for VE Day

A YOUNG musician and a standard bearer from the Royal British Legion conducted an impromptu Act of Remembrance to mark the 75th anniversary of VE Day. Staffordshire County Council member, David Brookes, praised the pair after he spotted them at Uttoxeter’s War Memorial on Friday.

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