Cheshire Wildlife Trust are running a short survey asking people what they want their council to do for nature and the climate.
They are asking people across Cheshire what issues should be a priority, be it leaving the grass to grow for bees, planting trees, challenging damaging developments or supporting communities to take their own action. If you’d like to know what people in Cheshire care about most, then please share the survey. The more people that take part, the more we will know about what matters to local people.
‘Slow Mow May’ will balance grass cutting operations in the borough
Cheshire West and Chester Council has announced it will support this year’s No Mow May campaign
After listening to feedback, following supporting the campaign last year, the Council will ensure there is a balanced approach, as not everyone agreed with leaving the grass uncut.
National charity, Plantlife, launched the #NoMowMay campaign which encourages everyone to leave their mowers in their sheds for the month of May to allow pollen rich flowers for nature’s emerging insects.
Grass cutting operations will slow down during the month of May and teams will leave selected areas of grass to grow on some high-speed routes to help biodiversity.
This means that wildflowers such as dandelions will continue to flower and provide important sources of nectar for insects. The campaign coincides with World Bee Day on Saturday 20 May which promotes the importance of pollinators like bees.
As part of its Wildflower and Grasslands Strategy, which began last year, the Council is committed to planting wildflowers, with additional meadows being created across west Cheshire during 2023. Once this year’s phase of planting is complete, there will be 101 new mini meadows across the borough, the equivalent of four full size football pitches.
Over the next three years more native wildflower meadows will be created which will then be the equivalent of 24 football pitches.
The project is in partnership with Chester Zoo, who funded machinery to help prepare the soil via their Nature Recovery Corridor project.
Park Friends groups are also getting involved. The Friends of Westminster Park in Chester have asked for large areas of the park to be left for nature. These areas will be monitored and maintained by the groups, in partnership with the Council.
Residents may wish to take part in No Mow May in their own gardens to boost biodiversity in the borough. Whether it’s a small patch or a whole lawn, it can have an impact on plants, insects and animal life. May is a particular important month as the first nectar rich flowers begin to emerge.
Road safety is a priority for the Council, so as always grass cutting will continue in areas such as road junctions and bends to avoid any potential road hazards. The grass on areas like football pitches, play areas and paths will also still be cut to ensure these areas can still be enjoyed.
Regular grass cutting schedules will resume across the borough in June.
More information on the Council’s wildflower strategy can be found on the Council website:
Replacement bus services confirmed in mid Cheshire
New and replacement bus services have been confirmed following the decision by Arriva North West to close their depot in Winsford and cancel all bus services in the area from 22April.
Service 31 will now be operated by D&G Bus on an hourly basis between Northwich and Crewe providing a link to Winsford, Glebe Green and Leighton Hospital.
Service 37 will also be operated by D&G (hourly) between Northwich and Crewe serving Bradbury Road, Winsford, Middlewich and Sandbach. Evening journeys between Winsford and Sandbach will be retained.
D&G Bus will also operate service1 from Weaverham to Rudheath via Northwich town centre. Journeys to Weaverham will operate every hour throughout the day, journeys to Rudheath will be supplemented by extensions to service 82, providing a combined half hourly service at certain times of the day. Service 1 will operate at suitable times for children travelling to and from Weaverham High School.
Stagecoach will operate service 84 between Crewe and Chester via Nantwich, Tarporley and Tarvin. Revised evening and Sunday services will be provided.
The X31, known as “Nightlife Express”, operates a Friday and Saturday evening service between Winsford and Northwich (last bus from Northwich 11.40pm) designed to support Barons Quay and the night-time economy.
A new service number N4 will operate hourly between Barnton, Winnington and Northwich. This service will extend to Leftwich and Kingsmead at certain times of the day and will also include journeys to Sir John Deane’s College for students.
A circular town service W7 in Winsford will operate between 9.30am and 2pm Monday to Friday starting at Winsford Library then on to Dene Drive, Mount Pleasant, Over and Grange residential areas.
Cheshire West and Chester Council will financially support X31, N4, the circular town service W7 and the 84 evening and Sunday services.
A maximum single adult fare of £2 continues to be available on all services until 30 June 2023.
Timetable information can be obtained from the bus operator and council websites listed below:
Charities, Organisations and businesses across the borough can apply to the Cheshire West and Chester Council UK Shared Prosperity Fund, for project funding from Monday 3 April.
The Council is allocating £1.805m to support heritage, cultural and community projects as well as those that support business start-up and growth over the next two years.
This is an opportunity for local organisations to show how they can offer solutions to meet needs across the borough. The funding will encourage innovative and sustainable projects that will have a positive lasting impact across the whole of west Cheshire.
There is funding available for both activities and capital works that can address local challenges, fill gaps in provision and help residents, communities and local businesses to thrive.
This will be the first opportunity for organisations who feel they can help deliver in the local area, but the Council will also hold some funding back until Autumn 2023 to enable partners who need a little more time to prepare proposals or better understand the cost of capital work.
The funding is part of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities UK Shared Prosperity Fund. This aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances though investing in three themes: Communities and Place; Supporting local business; and People and Skills. The Cheshire West and Chester Investment Plan sets out the focus and outcomes for each of these themes and was approved by Government in December 2022. To apply to the Shared Prosperity Fund visit: https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/business/shared-prosperity-fund/communities-and-place
Giant observation wheel will provide breath-taking views of Chester this Easter
Chester’s Grosvenor Park will be home to an observation wheel this April, giving visitors breath-taking views from 35 metres above the ground.
The wheel will be offering rides for visitors to the park between 1 to 28 April.
Users will experience 360° views of the surrounding area, which means on a clear day a view of up to ten to twelve miles is possible. The wheel will have 24 gondolas each holding up to six people.
Some gondolas are also available to accommodate a wheelchair or mobility scooter user and two people.
The price for a standard ticket is £7, a child under 1.4m is £5 and a family of four £20. Riders can expect a minimum of two rotations to take in the views.
There is a dedicated website with info, opening times and where discount tickets can be purchased online:
This attraction will add to the Lodge Café, miniature railway, and Victorian carousel already available in the park this spring.
While the wheel is in the park an archaeological dig will also be taking place alongside it, so people on the wheel will have a bird’s eye view of the dig in action.
Cheshire West and Chester Council maintains a variety of great outdoor spaces available to hire for public events. The Council works with several event organisers each year, to increase the visitor experience in its parks, helping to boost the local economy, create a strong sense of community, support local innovation and imagination, and to create an environment for culture to thrive.
Cheshire Rural Touring Arts, a partnership between Cheshire West and Chester Council and Cheshire East Council, will be sharing a slice of their artistic programme for the spring season, at various venues across Cheshire.
Councillor Louise Gittins, Leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council said: “Reserve your seats now for some great shows. This spring season includes music from the 1920s and 30’s a story about fierce Lancashire Women and some tall tales especially for children. “The Rural Touring Theatre will be appearing at venues across our area including Great Budworth, Tarvin, Kelsall, Weaverham, Neston, Backford, Ellesmere Port and Farndon. Have a look at the website for more details about the many different shows and venues.”
Multi-talented Mitch Benn, a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4’s The Now Show for more than a decade and described by The Times as “the country’s leading musical satirist”. ‘About Time’ combines music and comedy and is his first touring show in years.
‘Routes to Classics’, ‘Splendidly Spiffing Musical Fun & Frolics from the 1920’s and 30’s’, ‘A Night of Swing Jive Music with the 309s’
There are three music shows, starting with the welcome return of classically trained fingerstyle guitarist, Gus Glyn; his show ‘Routes to Classics’ traces the music we love today from its roots in traditional folk and blues, through to contemporary classics and all-time favourites.
Followed by The Casablanca Steps: ‘Splendidly Spiffing Musical Fun & Frolics from the 1920’s and 30’s’; these four exceptionally talented musicians and entertainers will bring a Great Gatsby band experience.
Rounding up this musical menu is ‘A Night of Swing Jive Music with the 309s’a fantastic high energy swing jive band featuring twin vocals, swinging rhythms and soaring fiddle – guaranteed to get your toes tapping and your eyes smiling.
‘Miss Nobodies’, ‘Gertrude Lawrence: A lovely Way to Spend an Evening’
Ruth Cockburn brings her two-hander ‘Miss Nobodies’a funny, poignant, heart-warming show about fierce Lancashire women and the mark they’ve left on this country’s history, including Ethel Carnie Holdsworth, a writer who is cited as the UK’s first working class female novelist.
The latest collaboration between gifted actor and singer, Lucy Stevens and pianist Elizabeth Marcus brings ‘Gertrude Lawrence: A lovely Way to Spend an Evening’; telling the story of the woman Noel Coward wrote Private Lives for, who became the leading lady of the West End and on Broadway; this play is funny, revealing, and full of music.
‘Moonsmile’ and ‘The Extraordinary Time -Travelling Adventures of Baron Munchausen’
There are new shows for children and families; Goofus Theatre present ‘Moonsmile’(ages 4+)the story of a lonely museum Caretaker, who loses something dear to him and finds himself on the moon where the Moonlings, with a ritual of trust and friendship, help him restore what was lost; blending music, movement, puppetry, play, and mask this nonverbal performance immerses audiences in storytelling, where imaginations thrive.
‘The Extraordinary Time -Travelling Adventures of Baron Munchausen’(ages 6+) is Jackanory meets Whose Line Is It Anyway, creating amazing tales elegantly told. Three top comedians are challenged to invent ridiculous tall tales using their wits, some silly hats and the (not always kind) suggestions of an audience of children to ensure it all ends happily ever after. Featuring pirates, princesses, unicorns, dragons, swordfights, and spacemen. All the stories are completely and irrefutably true, winner: Best Children’s Show at Leicester Comedy Festival and Greater Manchester Fringe.
Last year, Cheshire West and Chester Council piloted the first Let’s Talk site in Ellesmere Port Market, which is proving beneficial to the local community.
Let’s Talk sites offer people across the borough an opportunity to have a face to face conversation about their health and wellbeing and are also a place where people can go for practical advice and guidance.
This is a partnership initiative delivered together with a range of service providers such as Citizens Advice and ForHousing, community organisations such as Cheshire West Communities Together and Pathfinder, as well as the Council’s Adult Social Care team.
There are now four Let’s Talk sites across the borough located in Ellesmere Port, Blacon, Lache and more recently Winsford. Each one has a unique offer as they have been designed to meet the needs of local residents. People’s health and wellbeing can be affected by lots of different issues including housing and financial challenges, that’s why it’s important for our residents to have access to the help they need through a friendly conversation.
Let’s Talk locations and opening times:
– Ellesmere Port Market – every Thursday from 10am to 12noon
– Matthew Henry Evangelical Church, Blacon – 3rd and 4th Friday of every month from 10am to 12noon
– Lache Community Centre – 1st, 2nd and 5th Friday of every month from 11am to 1pm
– Winsford Library – last Thursday of every month from 12.30pm to 2pm
For more information about available support at each location, visit:
The video link below provides more details of what we offer at Let’s Talk. Please can we ask that you share this information and video link with your communities via social media and other available channels.
We are currently exploring the opportunity to open Let’s Talks in Northwich and rural areas. We will be back in touch with more information on these later in the year.
The Arriva depot closure has brought great uncertainty for residents so Cheshire West and Chester Council have set up a Frequently Asked Questions which will be updated as the Council knows more about the future from providers:
