June
Bumpy ride 28/06/05
A stretch of dual carriageway in East Staffordshire
has been labelled as the worst road in Britain. A poll of motorists has revealed
the A50 at Uttoxeter is the bumpiest in the country, described by them as a "highway
to hell" which is full of potholes. Some complained about the odd bump - others
said they were always hitting their head on the roof of their car. It's
not the first time people have moaned about the A50 - people in the village of
Doveridge say it's it need of resurfacing because it creates so much noise. The
A50, linking the M1 to the M6, was built in the late 1990s.
Trentham
has awoke 24/6/05
The company which is developing the Trentham Gardens
site says it's stuck for a new name. Trentham Leisure is unsure about using the
venue's original title because it looks back rather than forwards.
When work
to re-develop the Gardens began the £100m project was called "Trentham Awakes".
But now the Garden centre, shops and restaurants are open, and with work on the
grounds and Monkey Park progressing, the managers want to find a new name for
the site.
Song for Elvis
Songwriter Geoff Morrow has had a dream come true.
He wrote a number of songs for Elvis Presley but the King died before he could
complete all of them.
 |
See
- Elvis Song
A
video report from BBC Midlands Today TV's
Laura McMullan
(You need Real
Player to watch) | Now
one of the unrecorded songs has been taken up and recorded by Staffordshire's
leading Elvis impersonator Gordon Hendricks.
Staffs disappears
Staffordshire
Building Society is to disappear from the High Street, killing off more than 100
years of history following its recent amalgamation. Bought by bigger rival the
Portman Building Society in a merger deal two years ago, The Staffordshire is
to disappear as an independent name. 23/6/05
Harry fights for life
Four weeks ago, three year old Harry Durose from Cheadle was found to have a brain-stem
tumour.If
the condition is left untreated the toddler could die within eight weeks. Fundraising
is under way to raise enough cash to pay for surgery in Australia. 23/6/05
Conservatives
retain seat Veteran Tory Sir Patrick Cormack was today back in power in South
Staffordshire, completing the final piece of the General Election jigsaw. The
postponed contest took place seven weeks after the rest of the country went to
the polls because of the death of Liberal Democrat candidate Jo Harrison. 23/6/05
See our Elections
pages Wedcam
Thanks to webcam technology, some register offices are now enabling relatives
from right across the world to witness a couple's wedding ceremony.
|
See
- Wedcam
A
video report from BBC Midlands Today TV
(You need Real Player
to watch) | The
first in the region has been installed, in Stoke on Trent. See website
21/6/05 Black
& Asian officers needed Staffordshire police says it wants more women
and people from ethnic minorities to apply for jobs with the force. Last year
the number of ethnic minority staff working for Staffordshire police increased
by only three. At the same time the number of female staff went up by 29. But
the force says it's succeeded in recruiting more special constables - 76 were
appointed out of over 400 applications. 20/6/05 No
loans for kids plea A Stoke-on-Trent MP is trying to ban loan companies from
advertising on children's TV. he MP for Stoke-on-Trent South, Rob Flello, says
he's worried about the impact such commercials have on youngsters, and he says
they're a cynical way of lenders getting to the parents. 20/6/05
Ban
the Frog The infamous Crazy Frog ring tone is making a big splash at Alton
Towers - for all the wrong reasons. The people who run the Staffordshire theme
park have decided to ban the chart topping tone for this week, after a survey
of customers found over three quarters of them hated it. Anyone caught playing
the tune will be soaked by a team of people with water pistols. 20/6/05 Monkeying
about in Stoke A unique wildlife park's about to open at Trentham Gardens
in Stoke on Trent, promising the chance for visitors to see monkeys roaming free.
It will be the only attraction of its kind in the country. 18/6/05
Birthday
honours from in and around Staffordshire 11/6/05
Among the high-flyers honoured by the Queen are
John William Heminsley - Development, Landscape and Conservation manager at Cannock
Chase District Council. For services to Local Government, he receives an OBE.
He's joined by the head of Mitchell High School in Stoke-on-Trent,
Debbie Sanderson, who also gets an OBE.
Philip Craven, the
President of the International Paralympic Committee who's from Crewe is to be
knighted and Dr David Collins, the principal of South Cheshire College gets a
CBE. Cheshire's Chief Fire Officer, Steve McGurk becomes a CBE.
Ms
Linda Ann Barnett gets an MBE for services to the Victim Support Scheme, in Leek,
Staffordshire. For
services to the Police,
Mrs Janet Riley also has an MBE as Divisional Officer for Staffordshire Special
Constabulary.
Less well known
recipients of honours include the head cook at Oxley first school in Biddulph,
Beth Biddulph, who gets an OBE. Frank Bailey from Stoke-on-Trent becomes an MBE
for his services to the Black Watch Association and Peter Axson has an MBE for
his services to swimming in Congleton.
Councillor says yes to wind
farms Plans to build a wind farm in South Staffordshire could help tackle
problems in the area according to a local councillor. Developers want to put six
400 foot turbines on the site of the former Bleak House colliery near Cannock
Chase , claiming they'd generate enough electricity to feed ten to twelve thousand
homes - even though residents have expressed concern about the impact the wind
farm could have on the local environment. But Bob Merry, the acting Chairman of
Heath Hayes Parish Council, says a small wind farm could provide the solution
to the area's regular power cuts. 10/6/05
Actor
does well A young Burton actor will feature in a TV serial later this year
that'll be seen by millions of people across the world. 21-year-old Mani Liaqat
has won a part in Cold
Fire, which is about Asians living in Britain, and which'll be broadcast on the
international satellite channel Bollywood Blockbusters. He hopes it'll be the
start of something big - and thanks his family in Burton for their support. 9/6/05
New
cameras Speed cameras which calculate your average driving speed over several
miles are being used on the M6 in south Cheshire. They'll be used through the
roadworks between junctions 16 and 17 and drivers are being warned if they're
over the limit they will be fined.
They're different from the more familiar
GATSO cameras, which only track speed over short fixed distances - but Paul Hupton
from the Highways Agency insists the new cameras are purely there for safety reasons.
9/6/05
See our Speed
Camera pages
Potts Pub of the Year The Bull's Head in St John's
Square, Burslem, has been voted Community Pub of the Year by members of the Potteries
Pub Preservation Group. The pub was chosen from a short-list of 41 hostelries
with the Foxley in Milton finishing 2nd and the Beehive in Penkhull in 3rd place.
Mervyn Edwards, Spokesman for PPPG, said: "Apart from the quality of the beers,
the Bull's Head is a great pub for conversation, as it is never noisy or rowdy.
The coal fire in the lounge is a real attraction during the winter months and
the Real Ales change regularly. Many of the brewery's ales recall the Titanic
disaster of 1912 - White Star, Captain Smith and Wreckage to name three!" 7/6/05 Undistinguished
Burton? Claims that Burton is a "clone town" lacking distinctive
shops are rubbish, according to town officials. A survey by the New Economics
Foundation compared the high streets of one hundred and three towns in Britain
to see if they had the same chain stores. Burton was rated as one of the ten with
the least local identity. 7/6/05
See our Burton
pages
Keele orgasm report Scientists at North Staffordshire's
Keele University contributed to a report on the female orgasm. 7/06/05.
See
full story
Ground-shaking An earth tremor hit North Staffordshire during the night.
It was felt in Newcastle, Birches Head, Basford and Sneyd Green about 2.30am.
Geologists say they're convinced the tremor was caused by old mining works. 7/6/05
Beswick
brand saved John Sinclair, a Yorkshire business man, has purchased the Beswick
brand, including production moulds and archive material, from Royal Doulton. Beswick
is famous for ceramic sculptures of animals - especially horses. John Sinclair
explained: “I have an immense respect and love for the Beswick brand and so I
have bought it to save it from extinction. I am committed to manufacturing a small,
hand-painted range in Stoke on Trent, which will appeal to collectors. Commercially,
I recognise the pressures existing within UK manufacture today and, therefore,
a second range will be made overseas.”
Beswick was founded in 1894 by James
Wright Beswick in Longton, Stoke on Trent. From the mid 1930s figures, animals
and other novelty character wares became a major part of production, and the first
naturalistically modelled and named horse, Bois Russell, was introduced in 1938.
After three generations of family ownership there were no natural successors and
in 1969 the business was sold to Royal Doulton. 06/06/05
Gnomeless!
Staff at Alton Towers are trying to find homes for 200 gnomes left behind by visitors.
|
| Bosses
at the Staffordshire attraction offered free entry to anyone who arrived accompanied
by a gnome throughout May, but the gnomes who gained their owners free entry do
not seem to have captured their owners' affections permanently!
BBC
stalwart dies One of the founding members of staff at BBC Radio Stoke has
died. Arthur Wood worked at the station when it went on air in 1968. He'd previously
been working as a school teacher and went on to become Radio Stoke's education
producer. He produced programmes teaching listeners how to read, and produced
a major series about canals called 'On the Cut'. Arthur was also a talented jazz
musician. 01/06/05
Do you remember Arthur? Make
your tribute
May
Rob for Hyde Park Sir Bob Geldof has unveiled the plans for a series of
free concerts on July the second to put pressure on leaders of the World's richest
countries to tackle global poverty. There'll be five Live 8 gigs - in London,
Philadelphia, Berlin, Paris and Rome.
Among the acts playing at Hyde Park
in London will be Coldplay, Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, REM, Madonna, U2 and
Stoke on Trent's own Robbie Williams 31/05/05
Staffords' Iraq death The Ministry of Defence have confirmed
the death of Lance Corporal Alan Brackenbury, who was serving with A Squadron,
part of the 1 STAFFORDS battlegroup, has been killed in Iraq. He was from Yorkshire.
Alan's father said his son: "loved being in the army - it was all he had ever
wanted to do. "He was immensely proud to be a soldier and we were immensely proud
that he was a soldier. It is some comfort to us, as we grieve for Alan, that he
died doing what he loved so much." 30/05/05
See BBC
Report Grass
power Britain's first major electricity plant to be fuelled by grass is to
be built in Staffordshire. The development agency Advantage West Midlands has
approved a grant of over £900,000 towards the construction of the power
station in Eccleshall. 30/5/05 Legal
to listen - for free Library users in Staffordshire are the first in the country
to be able to access more than 80,000 pieces of music online for free. They'll
be able to listen to the classical and jazz tracks at libraries or at home after
getting a password at the county council's Shire Hall Library's music department.
See full
story
Nathan
exits Strictly Dance Fever star Nathan Potter was close - but not close enough.
The Tamworth lad and his partner Kirsty Cullen just failed to make it to the final.
Nathan grew up in Staffordshire, going to Polesworth Comprehensive and proved
so popular on the show that even when he injured his foot and could not dance
for a week, or even when judges gave the pair the lowest scores, viewers voted
for them and kept them in the competition. Nathan now lives in Eastbourne, though
his family remain in Tamworth. 28/05/05
See Nathan
& Kirsty's page
Rob gets waxy Believe it or not, anyone
can now kiss Robbie Williams - for just a few pounds. The trouble is that youll
not be kissing the real Robbie but a waxwork version of him... See full
story. 27/05/05
No
trouble here Police in Uttoxeter say a new film to be shot there this summer
could give a false impression of the town. The Uttoxeter-born film-maker Shane
Meadows will tell a story of skinheads and racism in the 1980s, based largely
on his own experiences as a teenager there, in the film "Oi! This is England".
Inspector Andy Mason, who's is in charge of policing in Uttoxeter, says he doesn't
believe the town has ever had a problem. 20/5/05
See our Shane
Meadows pages Junior
Mastermind An 11 year old boy from Stafford faced questions from John Humphries,
when he competed in tonight's episode of Mastermind. Matthew
Potter's specialist subject was the history of the English Longbow. The pupil
at Parkside Primary says sitting in the big black Mastermind chair was a nerve-wracking
experience but he just had to give it a go. 19/05/05
BBC Award The BBC in the Midlands has won a prestigious award for
its weekly half hour documentary programme Inside Out. The annual Ruby Awards
saw BBC reporters Jacob Hickey, Ashley Blake and Andrew Tomlinson collect the
prize for "Best Current Affairs Programme". Inside Out won the award
for their documentary Seige Village, the story of Yoxall in Staffordshire where
animal rights activists turned a peaceful protest into a hate campaign. 17/5/05
Daughter
talks The daughter of Ada Hopkinson, a 94 year old woman from the Staffordshire
Moorlands who was injured in an attack at her home in Leek last month, has been
talking about her mother's ordeal. Mrs
Hopkinson's been in hospital since the night of March the 17th. 16/05/05
Worth a Million A line up of celebrities helped raise more than #1
million for charity at a glittering ball hosted by North Staffordshire billionaire
business tycoon John Caudwell. The Emerald Charity Ball 2005, organised in aid
of The Caudwell Charitable Trust, was held at the mobile phone mogul's historic
home, Broughton Hall, near Eccleshall on Saturday. Guests were able to mingle
with model Leilani, Mylene Klass of Hearsay fame and talk show host Esther Rantzen.
Big Brother star Jade Goody was also strutting her stuff at the event along with
Tony Christie.
Glamour model Jordan, real name Katie Price, patron of the
charity, was unable to attend the ball because she was feeling unwell but sent
a message via video link. The event attracted more than 1,600 people and an auction
raised #335,000 with prizes including a diamond necklace worth £50,000 which was
sold for £24,000 and the chance to take part in a national record attempt which
was snapped up for #9,000. All of the money raised will help sick and abused children
across Staffordshire, the Midlands and the North West by providing medical equipment
and specialist therapies. 16/05/05
See photos
of the 2003 Ball
50
years non-stop One of the most familiar faces to shoppers in Burton is retiring
after 50 years' unbroken service. Peter Miller joined the menswear store Montague
Burton Limited on 9th May 1955, and has worked there - and at its successor, Burtons
- ever since. 9/5/05
No change In the local authority elections,
Labour's majority on Staffordshire County Council shrunk as seats were claimed
by the Conservatives, but it retained control. Meanwhile, the Conservatives retained
control of Cheshire County Council, but by a majority of just one - two fewer
than in 2001. In the general election, all seats in Staffordshire were held. However,
voters in South Staffordshire will choose their MP on June the 23rd. Polling day
for the area was delayed following the death of the Liberal Democrat candidate
Jo Harrison. People will also be asked to vote on that day for the county council
elections for the Kinver area. 06/05/05
See the
results in full
Gastro pub A prize-winning
East Staffordshire chef is hoping his 32 gold medals will help put his quiet village
pub on the national map. Matthew Shropshall is chef - and landlord - at the Royal
Oak in Kings Bromley, and has just finished seventh in a scholarship run by famous
chefs Michel and Albert Roux. Matthew says one reason for his success is his insistence
on using local produce. 6/5/05
See our Eating
Out pages
Million dollar man On a trip to Las Vegas,
Stoke on Trent businessman Paul Maxfield entered an open Poker championship -
and, to his surprise, progressed right through to the final. Three times he had
cancelled his flight home as he kept winning in the World Poker Tour Championship,
eventually picking up a $1,700,000 - or £900,000. 04/05/05
See the
story in full
April
Christie comes to V Sixties crooner Tony Christie is to perform alongside
the likes of Franz Ferdinand, Oasis, Scissor Sisters and The Prodigy at this year's
V Festival at Weston Park, Staffordshire. The singer has recently found a new
generation of fans and cult status following the re-release of his classic (Is
This The Way To) Amarillo? with comedian Peter Kay. 30/04/05
See
our V
Festival Pages
Unity House date One of Stoke on Trent's most
well known empty buildings will now be demolished by October. Delayed work to
take down the building will start in the next few weeks, now that a specialist
contractor has been appointed. By June, floors 18 to seven will come down and
in August the rest of the stories will be demolished. The city council says almost
all of the materials such as bricks and steel will be recycled. 29/04/05
See the
story in full
Pounds lighter One woman from Staffordshire
has just lost eighteen stone. Linda Whalley from Newcastle Under Lyme found herself
weighing nearly 31 stones after she was made redundant and then went through a
series of family tragedies. But after joining a slimming club, her dress size
shrunk from a size 40 to 14 - and she's won a national slimming award. She'll
get £3,000 and a day at the Ritz in London. 28/04/05
Health
service given 'star' rating A six week health clinic for members of Burton's
Caribbean Association (BCA) has been given the thumbs up. East Staffordshire Primary
Care Trust's 'STAR' project gave people advice and guidance on topics such as
fitness, diet/nutrition, stress and stopping smoking. The project moves to the
Princess Street Resource Centre on 13th May.
Webmasters international
success? Students from Staffordshire University are sharing the platform with
the Tate Gallery, the BBC, and Jamie Oliver in an international competition to
recognise the world's best web sites. The Webby Awards, the leading international
honour for web sites, this week nominated Hyperstaffs for the best web
site in the student category. The Hyperstaffs web site is produced by students
on the Interactive Multimedia degree course and is designed to help children with
the National Curriculum either in school or at home. The winners of the ninth
annual Webby Awards will be announced on May 3.
Rose-tinted views
A businessman in the South Staffordshire village of Kinver is defying planning
laws by painting his kitchen showroom a shade of shocking pink. Rob Cooper says
it's his protest, to get the local council to act against vandalism. Yobs fired
at his window during a spate of attacks last week.
Mr Cooper said: "The only
time they ever do anything is if they don't like the colour you have painted your
shop." He wore a pink and white-striped suit to reinforce his point. 26/04/05
Gardeners beware! Low rainfall in recent months means that millions
of pounds worth of UK garden plant life - especially in Staffordshire! - could
be at risk this summer. PlantforLife - a campaign from the Horticultural Trades
Association - says the most at-risk gardens are in Staffordshire and parts of
the West Midlands and Bedfordshire because they typically have high clay content.
In dry conditions this will eventually become a rock hard surface that rain simply
runs off. 25/04/05
See our Gardening
Page
Hunting - the debate goes on One of the big election
issues, out in the Staffordshire Moorlands the argument still goes on about hunting.
Elaine
Barker a huntswoman from Waterhouses, says hunting is not just for toffs - it
is not a class thing. But animal rights campaigner Cynthia Lubacz from Leek, says
politicians need to think about animals' rights as well as people's rights. 21/04/05
Weblinks North
Staffordshire Hunt, Staffordshire
Moorland Hunt Staffords
off to Middle East Families and friends bid their farewells to around six
hundred troops from the Staffordshire Regiment who are heading for Iraq this week.
The soldiers, from the 1st battalion will help maintain law and order in the area
around Basra. They'll be in Iraq for about six months. 19/04/05
Ray does it in a suit Congratulations to Ray Edensor, the paramedic from
Staffordshire who completed the London marathon today - wearing an emergency services
decontamination suit! Ray set off for the event from the Potteries ten days ago.
After running all the way to London - breathing through a ventilator - he finally
completed the marathon today in a time of five hours and fifteen minutes. He's
raising money for Dreams Come True, a charity for terminally ill children. 17/04/05
See more about Ray
Edensor Tsunami
effort goes on Staffordshire has been twinned with a town in Sri Lanka, to
help the rebuilding work after the Boxing Day tsunami. Councils will be sending
money to an area known as Amparay, described as one of the most devastated areas
in Sri Lanka. 17/04/05
See our Tsunami
Pages
Juvenile crime linked to drop in Sunday attendance?
The Bishop of Lichfield has blamed a spate of burglaries at a Staffordshire
church on the fall in Sunday school attendance. A total of £8,000 worth of damage
has been done at the Church of St James The Great in Norton Canes, near Cannock,
which has been broken into eight times since last summer. Some of the attacks
have coincided with school holidays leading to speculation that school children
may be responsible.
The Bishop of Lichfield, the Rt Revd Jonathan Gledhill,
feels there's a lack of moral guidance given to children and says that the rise
in juvenile crime correlates to the decline in parents bringing their children
to church or Sunday School. 14/04/05 Sing
for Olivia A musician touched by the plight of a six year old girl who's had
to have her hands and feet amputated has recorded a single to raise money to contribute
towards prosthetic limbs.Olivia Clarke from Cannock had to have the amputations
after contracting meningitis, in January. Steve Westwood, who recorded the single
called "Olivia" says he wanted to do something to help her and the family.
13/04/05
Speeding royal The Staffordshire theme park, Alton Towers, is celebrating
the marriage of Prince Charles to Camilla Parker Bowles on April 9th by renaming
its new roller coaster "Rita - Queen of Speed" to "Camilla - Queen of Speed"!
The theme park has filmed two versions of its TV ad for the ride - featuring
Rita and Camilla respectively. The latter will be shown on national TV on the
wedding day for this one-day-only name change. 06/04/05
See our
Wedding Coverage
Collectable for the "wrong" reason People are queuing up
for Royal Wedding china with the wrong date on! Stoke-on-Trent pottery firm Aynsley
China is having to change designs after it made stock with Friday's date on. But
it's already had hundreds of people asking whether the original design is still
available because they're hoping it'll become collectable. 05/04/05
Twitchers flock to Stafford Birdwatchers from all over the UK rushed
to Staffordshire in their hundreds after a rare North American bird was spotted
at Shugborough, near Stafford. The Belted Kingfisher, not seen in Britain for
20 years, was seen near the entrance of the Shugborough estate at midday on Friday
(Apr1). The handsome male was sighted on the estate's flood plain by an enthusiast,
who quickly notified birdwatching networks around the country. Response to the
sighting was slow as many keen birders assumed it was an April Fool's prank, but
by evening around 500 enthusiasts had descended on the estate, armed with telescopes,
tripods, pagers and photographic equipment.
One theory is that the bird came
here last autumn in the westerly gales and stayed for the winter. The last sighting
of a Belted Kingfisher was in 1984 in Weston Coyney, near Stoke-on-Trent. 02/04/05
Stoked smells An American teenager has brought out a new perfume...
Stoked. However, despite thought that it is an April Fool to name a scent
after North Staffordshire's industrial town, it turns out that Bethany Hamilton,
15, is introducing the new scents - Stoked and Wired - to attract surfers. In
New York, Bethany said "stoked" is surfer-speak for "excited, pleased,
happy or thrilled". Stoked is for girls; and Wired is for boys. 01/04/05
Best
of the year The Porthill Players have been awarded "Best Show in 2004"
for their production of Hello Dolly (at the Regent Theatre last April) by the
national governing body of Amateur Societies (NODA), Midlands Region. Andrew Talbot
(Producer) and Gina Yearsley (Choreographer) were at Sutton Coldfield Town Hall
to accept the award. Radio Stoke's Tim Wedgwood was also in the show (and you
can find out more about that experience by clicking
here).
Stoke office building for USA? The BBc reported today
that a Stoke on Trent skyscraper "Unity House" is being demolished and
transferred brick by brick to the USA - for rebuilding. Some callers to BBC Radio
Stoke expressed the opinion that it might be an April Fool. The clue is in the
story, said the BBC! 01/04/05
See full
story
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