NEVILLE FIELDS

Neville Fields was passionate about Heald Green. It would be easy to list his accomplishments - Councillor and then Mayor of Stockport, Chairman of the Ratepayers' Association, governor of Kingsway and Etchells schools, on a variety of committees and on and on. But none of this really reflects his true worth to this community.

Most of his adult life was devoted to the service of the village. He took early retirement from his profession as a teacher to devote time to work here. His imprint is everywhere you look. He was like a terrier. If he saw a cause that needed to be pursued to the advantage of Heald Green, he would not let go. Officers of Stockport Council would have turgid time if they proposed something he thought detrimental to his patch.

When John Lewis and Sainsbury proposed a scheme to build on land in Bruntwood Park, Neville was outraged. He saw their offer to pay for the construction of the A34 by-pass as a bribe to obtain planning permission. He said so at the public inquiry to the fury of the lawyers acting for the stores and their view received some sympathy from the inspector. Neville refused to back down. It was his belief and no amount of official fury would make him back down.

One famous story about how he would get up and go concerns a time when new fares were being introduced by a bus company. The fares were based on the mileage travelled. From his intimate knowledge of heald Green and Stockport, Neville decide that the milaeages and fares were too large. So he got in his car and drove down the bus route, proving the fares were higher than the mileage warranted. The bus company declared it was too late to change as all the fares tables had been printed. Neville told them the moment the fares were introduced he would be knocking on the door of the Traffic Commissioners. A senior employee had to take all the fares table books home and alter them all by hand over the weekend!

Neville never sought personal acclaim for his efforts and never had an ounce of malice in him but woe betide anyone he thought was doing Heald Green down. Well past the time most of us would want to put up our feet and retire from the scene Neville was distributing Contact and still taking an active interest in local affairs.

Those of us who knew him well will miss him as a friend but all Heald Green will be a poorer place for losing him. We all have cause to be grateful for many many years of devoted work. His funeral took place at Stockport Crematorium on Monday, 9th August at 12.15 pm.

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VILLAGE CENTRE IMPROVEMENTS

The Village Shopping Centre is now looking splendid, with the new improvements.  The surroundings, footways and roads around the two blocks of shops are looking excellent.  The buff Saxon paving on the footways is not only visually attractive but also free of any trip hazards.  How long it remains like this will depend on how many selfish or incompetent motorists run their wheels on it. The other disappointment is the staining of the new paving by people who spill food and drink on it. This is currently under investigation.

We are now looking at the next phase, which moves on, past the Co-op, towards Neal Avenue. We only hope that the massive cuts proposed by the government don’t affect it.  Work has also started on the  corner of Freshfield.  The surface here is a mess. This is largely due to the roots of the Cherry Tree, which have destroyed the tarmac.  The tree has now been removed and resurfacing will be carried out shortly.

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HEALD GREEN FESTIVAL - 2010

This year’s Festival was bigger and better than ever before.  The weather was better than ever. The crowds were bigger than ever. The Parade was better, bigger and longer than ever. The events in the Arena were better than ever. The stalls were more and better than ever.

The action included the usual stalls, games, funfair, inflatables, refreshments, Punch and Judy, donkey rides, ice cream and a new animal event. Entertainment in the arena included, the Urban Gypsies, Outwood Primary School Steel Band, Bolshaw Primary School Cheerleaders, Step Ahead Dancers and the Phoenix dancers. At the same time, local junior football teams took part in a tournament, the winners of which were Outwood School, who were presented with medals and the Festival Trophy by the Mayor of Stockport, Cllr Hazel Lees.

The Grand Draw took place with the first prize a £500 voucher from John Lewis.

The Festival Committee, made up of representatives from Heald Green Ratepayers’ Association, Churches Together, Cheadle Muslim Association, Rotary Club and Heald Green Business Club, would like to thank all those who worked to make it such a huge success.

Once again, it was a great day out and a wonderful demonstration of the Community Spirit of Heald Green. Any money raised during the Festival will be used to stage next year’s Festival and to help towards enhancing facilities in Heald Green. If you are interested in helping the Festival Committee or receiving a grant for your community group or you have an idea to benefit the Heald Green community, please contact Ged McAndry 437 7968.

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EAST AVENUE PARK

Take a look at East Avenue Park now!

Over many years, East Avenue Park had become a sad reflection of its former self and a "Friends of East Avenue Park" group was formed in 2004, following a public meeting organised by the Ratepayers, to co-ordinate ideas and raise funds to restore the Park. As a voluntary group, "The Friends" can access funding which the Council cannot and has been bidding for funding from various sources.

The “Friends” group meets regularly with the Park Development Officer from Stockport Council and over the last few years has developed plans and successfully raised funds to improve the facilities in the park. Pupils from Etchells Primary School also helped to formulate the plans and have helped with litter-picking in the park as well as planting 10,000 spring bulbs over the past 4 years.

Most of the Friends group’s plans have now been realised and work is almost finished to make East Avenue Park a place for fitness and healthy exercise for Heald Green residents of all ages.

The “Friends” group wanted to re-lay the quarter mile perimeter path and make it into a safe exercise track for everyone, whether it be for power-walking, jogging, skateboarding, scootering, cycling with care, pushing a buggy, using a wheelchair, driving a mobility scooter or walking the dog. The new track was funded with a successful bid by the Friends of East Avenue Park for a Biffaward of £43,000 through the Land Refill Tax Scheme, together with some funding from Stockport Council.

Three pieces of outdoor gym equipment, intended to exercise different parts of the body, have been installed. It’s like going to the gym but in the fresh air and it’s FREE! The gym equipment is intended for anyone of adult size without any upper age limit. If it proves popular, there may be opportunity to add further pieces of equipment.

Particularly for young people, the Friends group obtained funding for a multi-use games area (MUGA)on the site of the disused tennis courts. The surface has been re-laid with new edgings. Two goal ends have been installed and games markings painted. The other half of the hard surface area is to have road markings and games marked out for under eight year olds, once the cold weather has finished.

Funding for the MUGA and the surface markings came from:

Brookfield Family Trust Fund, Awards for All (Lottery), Manchester Airport Community Fund, Heald Green Youth Club Trust Fund, Police Property Act Fund, Co-operative Community Fund, Stockport Youth Opportuntiy Fund, IMPACT, Heald green Festival Committee, Greenspace Development Grant and SMBC. The Friends group wish to thank those organisations for the funding.

The Friends of East Avenue previously also received funding for benches and litter bins from Heald Green Ratepayers’ Association, Heald Green Festival Committee and IMPACT and again the group wish to thank those donors.

Stockport Youth Service obtained funding for football coaching for over 12’s on Friday nights during the Summer of 2008 and this was very popular and successful. Basketball coaching is being arranged from Easter 2009 and possibly football coaching later in the year. The group have other plans in the pipeline for the children’s play area but it you have any ideas about the future of the park, please contact Margaret Burns, Friends Group Chairman, 437 7197.

The hedge at the front of the park has been replaced by a fence and new gates. This improves visibility and security in the park. The Police are prioritising East Avenue Park for security observations, especially at the week-ends.

If you are concerned about incidents in or around the Park, please call “Park Watch”,  474 5555, and a Council Security Officer will come to investigate or you can report incidents to the Police on 872 5050

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CAFÉ UNITY

By now, most people will be aware of our community Internet Cafe on Finney Lane. Cafe Unity is its name and it is the result of much hard work by the Heald Green Churches Together. They should be congratulated on providing such a worthwhile facility for everyone in Heald Green. At present the cafe is open from 9.30 am till 4.00 pm, Monday to Friday, until 8pm on Thursday and until 3pm on Saturday, staffed by volunteers under the supervision of the manager, Sarah Pritchard.

On Wednesday evenings the Cafe and upstairs room are open from 7pm-9pm to provide a meeting place and activities for our young people from Year 7 upwards. More volunteers are welcome to apply and all volunteers undergo police checks. If you would like to help, phone Margaret Burns 437 7197 for more information.

During the day Cafe Unity  provides a superb facility for everyone, where you can drop in for a tea or coffee  whilst shopping and have a chat, before going home.  There is a play area for toddlers and two high chairs are provided.  Importantly, there is a toilet available, with baby changing facilities.  Why not arrange to meet your friends at the Cafe to catch up on the latest news?  You are welcome to take your own sandwiches to eat and you can buy scones, toasted tea-cakes, biscuits and home-made cakes. Where possible all the products used are “Fair Trade”.  Internet connections are provided at three computers downstairs, one with wheelchair access.  More computers are available upstairs and computer courses are being planned. The upstairs room can be accessed by chair lift and has a loop system. The room can be used by local groups as a meeting room and is available for hire as a training venue. If you are interested in volunteering to work in this friendly environment for a few hours a week or interested in hiring the upper room, ring the manager at the cafe, 437 6345

The words along the front of the Cafe are “Relax, Enjoy, Unwind, Connect” and that is exactly what you can do at Cafe Unity. There is a comprehensive web site at: www.cafeunity.com

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ROSE VALE PARK

Rose Vale Park is undergoing significant development and improvement, thanks to the work of the Friends of Rose Vale Park group, formed by the Ratepayers’ Association. This voluntary group is able to access funds for the park which are not available to the Council. Groups like this have been formed throughout Stockport.

By their own fundraising, money from the local councillors accumulated over three years and some council funding, the Friends group has organised a new playground, complete with a safe surface and fencing. They have painted the entrance railings and gates and planted roses to enhance the entrance on Rose Vale,  making it more attractive and welcoming. Large sections of the paths in the park have now been relaid.  They have now installed a “playbridge” over the stream to lead onto a play area for older children.  If you would like to find out more, ring Ron Caseley on 437 3162.  New members of the Friends group are always welcome.

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CHEADLE ROYAL NURSES’ HOME

The saga of the former Cheadle Royal Nurses’ Home, off St Ann’s Rd North, continues. This listed building was sold off some years ago and the owner was granted planning permission to build on another matching wing and convert the building into 20 flats.  However, he failed to do so and just left the building to fall into dereliction.  The result has been vandalism, nefarious activities by youths, the slow degradation of the building and its degeneration into an eyesore and nuisance to neighbours. Throughout this period the Ratepayers Councillors have regularly pressed all relevant Council Officers to make sure no means of improving the situation were missed.  This pressure resulted in the Council putting in train the process of compulsory purchase.  However, for a legal reason, this was unable to be served, to everyone’s great disappointment.

It also led, in 2008, to the Council serving a legal notice on the owner to tidy the site. However, the day before the magistrates’ hearing the owner sold the site.  As the legal notice is personal on the owner, it became invalid upon the sale.

As far as the new owner is concerned, officers of the Planning Department, together with the Police and Fire Service, have already been in discussions with the owner’s agent.  He has been instructed to make the site secure.  The new owner states that he wishes to proceed with the existing planning permission, with some amendments.  The discussions are continuing and, as ever, the Ratepayers Councillors are maintaining the pressure to rid us of this dangerous eyesore and nuisance and replace it with something pleasant.  The owner has now submitted a planning application for modification to the existing planning permission and also submitted a Building Regulations application.  This demonstrates a wish to proceed with the development sooner rather than later.

We have also made the Police aware of a number of incidents in the area and they are carrying out a special operation throughout the area from Cheadle Royal Business Park to Finney Lane, including St Ann’s Road North.

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NIGHT-TIME USE OF RUNWAY 2

The current use of Runway 2 at night was due to end on Friday, 13 August.  However, the airport have informed us that there will be an overrun in the time due to poor weather conditions, so  Runway 2 will continue to be used at night until 27 August.  The nights are Sunday to Thursday and the times are 10.30 pm till 6.30 am.

The airport has  also given advanced notice of major works on Runway 1, which will entail the use of Runway 2 at night.  The works will last over 18 months but will not take place every night. The planning of the works is not complete, so no accurate dates are yet available.  Cllr Burns, the Ratepayers’ representative on the Airport Consultative Committee, has demanded that the airport consults with the Consultative Committee during the planning stage, rather than merely tell them when everything has been decided. It is hoped that this will help to reduce disturbance to the minimum necessary. This website will update you as further information becomes available.

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POTHOLE REPAIRS

Due to the extreme winter weather, many new potholes have appeared.  If you spot a pothole in Heald Green, then report it to Councillor Sylvia Humphreys, 436 4696 or cllr.sylvia.humphreys@stockport.gov.uk.  Don’t assume that someone else will report it, they may be relying on you! You can also report direct to the Council on 0845 833 4444 or stockportdirect@stockport.gov.uk.  If you report it direct to the Council, always ask for the reference number and make a note of it.

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KEEP HEALD GREEN CLEAN

There is a Council number for you to report any problems of dirt in Heald Green. This includes litter, graffiti, grot spots, illegal rubbish dumping, fly tipping, abandoned cars etc.

It also covers anti-social behaviour, vandalism, noise nuisance, verbal abuse and under-age drinking.

The number to ring is 217 6111.  Alternatively, email stockportdirect@stockport.gov.uk. Put it in your favourites, now.

Use of this service should help to improve the state of Heald Green. It’s up to each of us to do our bit to keep Heald Green clean by using it.

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RATEPAYERS LITTER PICK

On Saturday morning 10 October, the Ratepayers held another of their twice a year litter picks in Heald Green. The volunteers met at Cafe Unity and went to various sites around Heald Green picking up litter. Sites cleaned up included Long Lane, Wilmslow Rd and Finney Lane.  Thirty bags of rubbish were collected.  The pickers then returned to Cafe Unity for a well-earned coffee and cake.  Perhaps, if we all picked up one item of litter every time we went out, then Heald Green would be practically litter free.

The next litter pick is to take place on Saturday, 27 March. Again, we will start from Cafe Unity at 10.00 am and return there for coffee and a cake.  Why not join us and do your bit?

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BOLSHAW & OUTWOOD PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Most of you will now be aware that the Council has been considering possible changes to Bolshaw and Outwood Primary School, involving the closure of Outwood and the expansion of Bolshaw School.  Architects have been working up plans for a revamp of the existing building at Bolshaw and a new building linked to it.

However, the following letter has now been sent to all parents at both schools:

Dear parent / carer

Heald Green Project to extend Bolshaw Primary School and close Outwood Primary School

You will be aware that the Council has been working on a scheme to renovate and extend Bolshaw Primary School with a view to eventually close Outwood Primary

This has proven to be a difficult scheme to take forward for a number of reasons. One is the position of Bolshaw Primary School which is entirely within Green Belt which has made the planning process overlong and complicated. Further there would be no guarantee of success from the planning application. In addition the Schools Organisation department now know that the funding it was expecting is unlikely to be as high as hoped for making the scheme even more difficult.

Finally the main reason for undertaking this work in the first place was low numbers at Outwood Primary School and we have seen those numbers rise under the strong leadership the school enjoys. It has therefore been decided that we will cease work on this project, and that the increasingly successful Outwood Primary School will continue.

During our research for this project we did discover that the roof at Bolshaw Primary is in poor condition and we are proposing to tackle this issue immediately. In the autumn when we know what our funding will be in 2011 we hope to discuss with Outwood Primary if there is further investment in the Heald Green community that we can make.

I know that for some parents and indeed the staff at the two schools this period of planning has been unavoidably unsettling and we hope that by withdrawing from this project we can remove the uncertainty of recent months. For further clarification on any of these points please contact Schools Organisation in the Town Hall complex.

May I take this opportunity to wish all staff and pupils of both primary schools continued success.

Best Wishes

Stephen Bell, Programme Director for Schools Organisation, BSF & PCP

Children and Young Peoples Directorate

Stockport MBC

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A555 MAELR ROUTE FUNDING

At a meeting on 11 May it was agreed that the North-West’s road construction programme would include £125M for the construction of this road, which is effectively the Finney Lane Bypass.  This money together with the government’s commitment of £165M will be sufficient to construct the road from the A6, at Hazel Grove, to the M56 near the airport.  Whilst problems, particularly financial, may still arise, this is undoubtedly excellent news, the best we have had for over 12 years.  Unfortunately, the lead time is rather long.  It is anticipated that construction will start mid 2012 and the road will be open for use in 2015.  What we are now trying to ensure is that the section from Hazel Grove to the Bramhall roundabout does not open until the section from the Belfry to the M56 is open. Otherwise additional traffic will be channelled onto the A555 and onwards to the Belfry and then struggle down Finney Lane, making the current situation even worse.

Unfortunately, the latest cuts by the new coalition government look likely to scupper the funding and the project, once more, hangs in the balance.

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YELLOW LINES AT STATION

Yellow, No Parking, lines have been put down on the station approach.  We must state that the station approach is not a public highway and is under the control of the railway and nothing to do with the Council.  Enquiries are being made to see if parking can be improved at the station.

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FLOWER SHOW

The Annual Heald Green Flower Show took place on Saturday, on 21 August, at St Catherine’s Church Hall.  This year’s show had more exhibits than we’ve had for many years.  Whilst the winning exhibite were remarkably good, the real strength was the number of exhibits of vegetables, flowers, photographs and handicrafts.  Click here for more information about the Horticultural Society.

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