There’s enough misery in the world, so why not help to raise funds for Goostrey PTA by getting a ticket to their comedy night on 26th March. It features stars from CBBC, nationwide comedy tours and BBC’s Mock the Week and if that wasn’t enough there’s a licensed cash bar! Get tickets here www.bit.ly/goostreylol but bear in mind that they are selling out and it’s first-come-first-served!
As we enjoy a spell of frosty but sunny weather, it’s perfect for a walk across the fields but for motorists it’s a nightmare – not just because you have to get out of bed 10 minutes earlier to defrost the windscreen. The other real danger is patches of ice on the roads making the village less safe. It’s a real concern then that two lanes in and around Goostrey have been axed from the council’s gritting map.
Blackden Lane in Goostrey (from Station Rd to Bridge Lane) and Twemlow Lane, Cranage have both been considered safe enough after an assessment by the local council that they will no longer require gritting, regardless of the temperatures. As reported in the Knutsford Guardian the policy was unanimously approved by the cabinet responsible for taking the decision but some councillors had concerns.
“I understand that as a council we are having one hand tied behind our backs by funding cuts from Government. But none of us – whether we are red, blue, yellow or no party at all – came into local politics to put the safety of children in our community at risk.” Cllr Rob Vernon, Labour.
The real issue seems to be a massive shortfall in funding from the Department for Transport. The DfT currently provide a grant of £12m for the highways, with £2m of that based on hitting certain targets. However, a review by the council’s strategic highways team revealed that they would need £17m just to maintain the network at its current state. It would seem that these cuts may just be the thin end of the wedge.
The full list of roads to be cut include:
What do you think of the cuts? Would Blackden and Twemlow lanes be safe in icy conditions?
Waitrose Knutsford has nominated Goostrey’s Boothbed Lane playing fields and sports facilities as one of the store’s three chosen local charities to support during February.
But how much money the facilities receive will depend on shoppers choosing the Goostrey cause by voting with their green tokens on completing their store visit.
So Goostrey Village Hall and Playing Fields Federation, the charitable trust that runs the facilities, is calling on local people to visit Waitrose Knutsford over the next few weeks and vote for Goostrey playing fields by popping their green token into the relevant box on the fund-raising pillar near the store exit.
Goostrey VHPFF Chairman Jay Ashall said: “At the tills, it’s important to ask for a green token if you’re not given one once you’ve made your purchases. Then support Goostrey playing fields if you can, when making your choice of which charity to vote for.
“The VHPFF has plans to invest a great deal of money in the facilities over the next few years, subject to receiving any grant-funding we can secure, so if local people can support something like this, simply by visiting the store and dropping their green token into the collecting box, it’ll help our fund-raising efforts.”
All houses in the village should have received a letter from the Parish Council asking if residents would like the Council to make an offer for the railway sidings which are up for sale. Residents have until the 27th to respond. You can also click here to fill in this survey online to get your response back.
A Letter from Goostrey Parish Council to All Residents
Goostrey Former Railway Sidings
Dear Resident,
You may have noticed that the land which contained the former railway sidings is up for sale. It is a total of 6.4 acres. Goostrey Parish Council is considering whether or not to make an offer to purchase the land.
The main benefit is that we could preserve the land as an open space (as it is now) and it would be owned by the Parish Council on behalf of the residents. Over a period of time we hope to be able to open it up for other uses by the community.
Unfortunately, because the land is being sold by a Receiver, the sale needs to take place in a very short space of time. Consequently, we do not have time to fully examine the state of the land and we do not know the extent of remediation needed to allow other uses. For this reason, the land would not initially be open for general access.
If the Parish Council is to make an offer, we would need to take out a Public Works Loan, which the Government makes available to bodies like ourselves. The loan would have a low and fixed rate of interest. To cover the repayments, we would need to raise the Precept (ie that component of the Council Tax that you pay to the Parish Council) for a 25-year period. To allow scope for negotiation, we need flexibility on the size of the increase. We are proposing that for a Band ‘D’ house the maximum would be 54p/month (the maximum levels for the range of Band ‘A’ to Band ‘H’ would be 36p to £1.07/month).
Any offer that we make could of course be outbid by another prospective purchaser.
We would like to get your view on whether or not you are in favour of the Parish Council making an offer and raising the Precept.
Please could you complete the slip (on the copy of the letter you receive) and return it to the Village Hall letterbox (or The Trading Post) or complete the online survey at Goostrey.info (see the link at beginning of this post) by 10pm on Monday 27th January. The overall response will be reported to the Parish Council meeting on 28th January where the way forward will be decided. Thank You.
Sharon Jones Clerk to Goostrey Parish Council
Goostrey Former Railway Sidings.
The land for sale is within the red line boundary. It is situated to the West of Station Road. The southern entrance is directly opposite the station car park.
The matter was raised at a recent Goostrey Parish Council Meeting as the design for the improvements to the bridge were done in 2018 and the works were scheduled to be completed in March 2019 but as you will be aware no progress has yet been made to date.Goostrey Parish Council have asked Cheshire East Council (CEC) for an update meeting to discuss their plans for the Station Bridge and timescales for work to be carried out. A meeting is due to take place later in January however a date and agenda for the meeting has not yet been confirmed by CEC. The Vice Chair of Friends of Goostrey Station Dave Roberts will be present at the forthcoming meeting and will make representation regarding the current hazards that the bridge poses for rail passengers when walking to and from the Crewe Platform.In order to try and escalate this matter FOGS have asked Fiona Bruce MP to write independently to CEC supporting that the works be progressed. Attached to this email is Fiona Bruce MP confirmation to Dave Roberts that she has sent said letter asking for an update. We will email again following the meeting and advising FOGS members of the outcome.
Goostrey Pre-School sent a shocking email yesterday confirming that they have been the victim of a very significant theft.
Here is the text of the statement:
Dear Parents,
It is with great sadness that the Trustees have to announce that Goostrey Pre-School has fallen victim to the theft of a significant amount of money.
All appropriate bodies have been notified and Goostrey Pre-School are continuing to work with the police.
We are advised that the Police have now completed their initial investigation and have made an arrest.None of the current Trustees or past or present staff are implicated and Pre-School will continue to operate as normal.
As it is an ongoing police investigation, we cannot give any more details at this time. However all current parents as well as those from the previous 2 years are receiving this email.
We assure you that there is no risk to the children, and never has been, and we are taking all appropriate steps to recover as much of the money as we can.
The day-to-day running of Goostrey Pre-School should not be adversely affected. However, it is more important than ever that we continue to raise funds for Pre-School, particularly in the short-term, and we remain grateful for any and all donations or fundraising efforts.
We hope you will continue to support Goostrey Pre-School through this difficult time and we are thankful for the support we have received thus far.
Goostrey Pre-School Trustees
It seems inconceivable that someone could target such a brilliant charity that has supported the children of our village since 1967, but to do so at Christmas is an outrage. Reaction on social media has understandably reflected the shock, distress and the palpable anger that residents feel for someone who could target the pre school.
It’s encouraging that a suspect has been arrested, and we can only hope that the wheels of justice grind both fine and swiftly in this instance.
Love Goostrey will be doing everything possible to help fundraise for the pre school in the coming months. We know that our readers and our village has always come together in an incredible way when tough obstacles are placed in our path.
We hope you join us in sparing a thought for the amazing work that the teachers and committee do to keep this precious resource in our village. We also hope you’ll spare a thought for the children who get so much from the pre-school throughout the year.
More news will follow as we get it.
More good news as at their meeting on Tuesday evening, Goostrey Parish Council voted to provide £10,000 towards the construction of a new pavilion, subject to conditions.
This will match the funding to be provided by the Village Hall and Playing Fields Foundation (VHPFF) and means the fund raising is now officially up and running.
Thanks to James Ashall for sending on this 3D rendering. Now all that remains is to try and work out who those folk are in the picture – they look like Twemlow folk to me.
As regular readers of Love Goostrey will know we are big supporters of Bidlea Dairy. For full disclosure I should point out we’re not paid to say nice things by Bidlea (or anyone for that matter), although Adam did once ask if I wanted a beer when he was at the bar of The Crown, but I don’t think counts.
There’s a couple of reasons why we think Bidlea is best. Firstly, the milk is out and out lovely. I spoke to Adam about why this was and he reckons it’s to do with how fresh the milk is as time from parlour to bottle is a fraction of the time that you’d get with a supermarket bottle. You also get more bang for your buck as the fat content is slightly higher than supermarket milk.
Another reason we’re fans is that they’re always keen to incorporate suggestions. Given that many local residents are keen to reduce plastic usage, Bidlea have now developed their own milk bar where customers can buy and fill a rather beautiful one litre bottle, which they take home, use, wash and bring back. What could be simpler?
It costs £2 for a reusable bottle, although you can bring your own jugs or containers if you want. The milk is available in semi-skimmed or whole milk and costs £1 per litre. You can even get daring and add a shot of flavour if you want!
Bidlea Dairy can be found on Twemlow Lane and then follow the signs.
SEASON’S GREETINGS FROM 1st Goostrey Scouts
Dates for the Diary
24th November – Woodland Trust Big Climate Fightback at the Scout Hut
Our young people consistently tell us that protecting our environment is one of the most important things they care about. On Sunday 24th November Cub Leader, Paul Kemsley, is inviting all young people from babes-in-arms through to young adults to drop in at the Scout Hut and Youth Centre with their families between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm to help plant our wildlife hedge as part of the Woodland Trust’s Big Climate Fightback. Please bring a spade, energy and enthusiasm – and hope for dry weather!
Countdown to Christmas
The Scouts run a range of events for the community each year, which help to raise funds and/or support the work of the Parish Council. The countdown to Christmas is a very busy period.
The Christmas Light Switch on Event will be held at its usual location on the Bogbean on Sunday 1 December from 5 pm onwards, when Santa will, we hope, be able to call in to meet children, while seasonal fayre will be on offer including mulled wine, mince pies, BBQ food and hot drinks and cakes. Join in singing Christmas carols to music performed by the Rode Hall Silver Band – which is kindly funded by a donation from the Parish Council.
Watch out for Santa’s Sleigh in the first week of December. Santa is planning to visit Goostrey West during the evening of Wednesday 4 December, and Goostrey East on Thursday 5 December, ably assisted by some of 1st Goostrey’s Scout Leaders and parents. Bring the children out to meet him.
The route on December 4th Goostrey West will be : Main Road both sides from Long Shoot,Hermitage Lane, New Platt Lane, Boothbed Lane,Forest Avenue, Mulberry Avenue and others.
On December 5th – Goostrey East : Main Road (north side), Mill Lane, Woodlands, Buckbean Way, Brooklands Drive (and side roads), Station Road, Main Road (south side to Long Shoot)
Holmes Chapel’s Santa Sleigh is now fitted with a GPS tracker, so anyone can send a text message G123456# to 07933 617016 and they will receive a text providing a link to a google map, showing the exact location of the sleigh. This should greatly assist in checking that Santa is on his way, and to get ready for his arrival.
Donations to Holmes Chapel’s Santa Sleigh can also be made through https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/hcsantasleigh
The Scout Christmas Post will again be run in December by Goostrey Scouts in conjunction with Holmes Chapel Scouts. For the modest price of 30 pence per card, let the Scouts deliver some of your local Christmas cards. Red post boxes will be located at the Scout Hut and Youth Centre, as well as at Goostrey News and the Trading Post from 1 December, with a final collection on Tuesday 17 December. Please include the postcode for each recipient’s address, then package your cards and payment into one bag and place in the red collection boxes. Cheques should be made payable to “1st Goostrey Scouts” please.
Helpers welcome
We would appreciate help from Scouts’ parents, grandparents or other residents in running all these events. If you could spare some time to help, please contact: Neil Memmott, Group Scout Leader, e: neil.memmott@gmail.com m: 07970 400880 t: 01477 544406
Goostrey Scouts support the Toy Appeal for Christmas 2019
1st Goostrey Scouts have invited all our Scouts, Cubs and Beavers to help underprivileged children by showing support for the Toy Appeal 2019. All our Scout members have been asked to try to bring a new, unwrapped toy suitable for any age group from 0 – 17 to the drop off point in the hallway at the Scout Hut & Youth Centre before Saturday 7 December. Last year the Toy Appeal provided a sack of toys to 3800 children who would not otherwise have received any presents on Christmas Day.
This year, the Toy Appeal, a charity run by Chris and Dee Drake from Twemlow Green, is keen to increase the number of children helped to 5000. Group Scout Leader, Neil Memmott, said: “We are keen for our scouts to understand that there are children who are not as fortunate as themselves in our region, and it would be wonderful if we could assist the Toy Appeal in achieving its aim of helping as many as 5000 underprivileged children in the North West to wake up on Christmas Day to a sack full of toys.” The Crown Inn and Goostrey Primary School are also providing collection points for donations of new unwrapped toys.
Anyone wishing to make a financial donation, please see: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/TheToyAppeal-2019
This month there was another surprise for Friends of Goostrey Station! Their work has been celebrated in parliament! Vice Chair of FoGS Mike Jarvis received a letter of congratulation from our MP Fiona Bruce which reads:
I am writing to let you and all your fellow volunteers with Friends of Goostrey Station know that I have tabled an Early Day Motion (EDM) commending work in Parliament. EDMs are a way for MPs to raise awareness and commend local organisations and volunteers publicly in Parliament for the work they do. This is one of the first times in around 9 years as an MP that I have use an EDM in this way. I am, and continue to be, impressed by the dedicated work you do. Your organisation is an invaluable asset to Goostrey.
Goostrey Station and staff when it opened in 1891 with a building on both platforms
Members of FoGS celebrating a fourth success in the Cheshire Best Kept Station competition
The restored Victorian, modular, wooden station building at Goostrey
This Early Day Motion was tabled on Thursday 30th October 2019:
That this house commends the effective restoration work of Friends of Goostrey Station (FoGS) in transforming Goostrey Station including engaging the support of the Railway Heritage Trust and the securing of significant funds to facilitate the restoration of the historic station building, one of the last remaining Victorian, wooden, modular buildings complete with canopy in the country; congratulates the attainment by FoGS of a number of awards including from the National Association of Community Rail Partnerships and four Cheshire Best Kept Station awards; and commends the involvement of enthusiastic and dedicated local volunteers, Goostrey Parish Council, Goostrey Primary School, Cubs, Beavers, Brownies, Guides and young people working towards their Duke of Edinburgh Awards.
Chair of FoGS Craig Sidebotham commented ‘It’s a huge surprise to receive this recognition. Thanks to everyone for their support.’ But Mike Jarvis added that ‘if we are to build on our success, we need more people to come forward and help. Many of the current team are approaching, or over, 80 years of age.’ To ensure that passengers continue to enjoy using Goostrey station, our working parties continue on the second Sunday of each month starting at 10am. New volunteers are always welcome. For more information, please contact Mike Jarvis on 01477 533981 or look at the FOGS website.
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