Best Fish and Chip shop in Crewe & Nantwich - Round 1 results

Here are the results from Round 1 in this year's Best Fish & Chip shop in Crewe & Nantwich. Heat 1 saw last year's winner Benny's Fish and Chips go through to the semi finals, but they faced competition from Shavington Fish Bar who were leading in the heat until the last week of voting. Coronation St Chippy also progress from Heat 1.

Last year's third place, Walthall St Chippy qualified for the semi finals only by 1 vote with Vernon's Fish Bar the unlucky shop missing out. Jacko's chippy and Neptune's qualified as the top 2 from Heat 2.

Mick the chips won heat 3 ahead of two of last year's finalists The Fish Bar & Cod n all. A huge influx of votes came in on the final week of voting for |Mick the chips and they could be a contender for this year's competition.

Heat 4 saw our only contender from Nantwich progress to the semi finals, Coral Reef (Pillory St). Also qualifying is Alton St Chippy and Haslington Fish & Chips.

Store closures in Crewe town centre

The number of empty stores in Crewe town centre appears to be growing. The latest store to close is the branded bargains store, which was situated on a row of, mostly, already empty stores. These stores include the pound centre, the short-lived pound centre extra, the seasonal calendar club, Carbon and now the Branded Bargains store.

In December 2008, just 2.2%* of the 183 stores in Crewe town centre were empty - I would estimate the figure, now, to be close to 20%. This figure would be even higher without the recent influx of additional bookmakers, a new amusements and second-hand loan/buy-back stores. This shows a worrying trend for our town centre..

*source Crewe Chronicle

Tenchy's Fish and Chip Shop to replace Davison's in Crewe

A new fish and chip shop is opening tomorrow to replace Davison's, The new shop will be called Tenchy's Fish and Chip shop and to celebrate their first weekend in business, they are offering half price food, so you can watch the Grand National whilst tucking into your favourite dish.

Local Listings will be taking advantage of this offer and will report back findings here. If you have any comments regarding this new shop, feel free to comment below.

Cheshire East Council receives £1.25 million boost to repair potholes.

Potholes. We all complain about them, but you may be surprised to learn how much money our council spends on repairing them. For example, last week 1553 were fixed taking the YTD total up to 33,505. This comes at a time when the council has received an additional £1.25 million to tackle the issue, after the wettest winter since record began.

Report potholes here or phone 0300 123 5020.

Cheshire East Council applies for funding ti widen approach to M6 Junction 16

Cheshire East Council has submitted a bid to the Department for Transport for a share of the Local Pinch Point Fund for the below project.


A500 Barthomley Link – widening on the approach to M6 Junction 16

£2.8m widening of the A500(W) approach to the M6 J16 to two lanes for around 500m, with an extra third lane for the last 60m and widening of the B5078 arm to provide additional capacity. This would deliver a £200m GVA (gross value added) boost to the Crewe area.

The Highways Agency in Birmingham has submitted a complimentary bid to increase the capacity of the roundabout and slip roads off the motorway, including traffic signals.

Strategic Case – The A500 approaching the M6 J16 suffers frequent congestion all day and particularly during peak periods. Queues can extend from J16 through the A500/A5020/A531 junction. This widening scheme alone would reduce these queues and, along with the Highways Agency’s proposals, would benefit all vehicular movements at J16.

The scheme would improve access to a number of sites in the Council’s existing and emerging Development Strategy. In particular, this includes the strategic development sites at Basford West and Basford East which will deliver around 1,300 new homes and 6,000 new jobs.

Plans for thousands of new homes, accessed from the A500 corridor and more widely around Crewe, plus enhanced retail and commercial investment through the All Change for Crewe programme, will all benefit from better journeys to and from the M6 and the wider strategic road network.

Crewe Live kicks off this Saturday at Lyceum Square

A music event in Crewe on Saturday kicks off a summer of live entertainment in the town – lasting until the end of August.

Cheshire East Council has sponsored the street entertainment programme as part of the wider Crewe Live festival that is taking place over the Jubilee weekend (June 1-4).

A stage will be set up in Lyceum Square and between 11am and 2pm on Saturday there will be a variety of music acts, including some local groups, entertaining the crowds.

Saturday’s free concert will be followed up by a programme of events over the summer that sees performances every weekend on the Lyceum Square from 11 to 2pm each Saturday.

It is expected that more than 1,000 music fans will visit the town’s pubs and club’s this weekend to see a variety of music acts as part of Crewe Live.

The festival will be headlined by the group Ash, who will be performing at The Box.

Councillor Jamie Macrae, Cabinet member in charge of prosperity and economic regeneration, said: “I hope that people will visit Crewe this weekend and enjoy the free concert that is being held in Lyceum Square.

“Through our All Change for Crewe programme we have high hopes for the regeneration of the town. Cultural events like this help attract both local residents and visitors to the town centre.”

Crewe Alex vs Cheltenham Town - League 2 playoff final - May 27th, 3pm

Next Sunday sees the Railwaymen playoff against Cheltenham Town for promotion to League 1, at Wembley, after beating Southend by an aggregate score of 3-2 in the playoff semi final.

Tickets for your seat at Wembley range from £30 - £62, (concessions = £15 - £31) with official transport to and from the game costing £25. Currently, tickets are only on sale to season ticket holders and Crewe Alex members, but tey go on sale to the general public from 9am on Sunday.

Peppa Pig set to appear at the new Tesco Store, Crewe

Yesterday, saw the official opening of the new Tesco store on Vernon Way. The new 64,000 square foot Tesco Extra store, which has replaced a smaller superstore, benefits from extended opening hours, a new phone shop, Tesco Direct desk and family café.

It also has an extended food and counter range including an olive bar, fresh meat and fish counter as well as larger clothing, home and electrical departments.

Opening celebrations will continue this Saturday between 11am and 4pm as the store will welcome another special guest, Peppa Pig. Peppa will be the guest of honour at a free family fun day where shoppers will be treated to complementary face painting and a barbeque.

Crewe Library Re-Opens

Cheshire East Council is reminding residents that Crewe library fully re-opens today, Monday, January 16. The library had been partially closed since November 2011 to allow for essential improvements to be made.

A reduced service has been offered during this time, with residents still able to borrow and return books.

The improvements include a larger children’s play area, new shelving and carpets and the installation of energy-efficient lighting.

The official opening of Crewe library will take place on Saturday, February 4.

Forthcoming planning application for proposed gypsy and traveller site in Crewe

Tomorrow, will see a planning application put forward to the development of a permanent gypsy and travaller site in Crewe. The proposed site is on Parkers Road. If approved, the site would house 10 pitches and an amenity block with washrooms, kitchen, dayroom and laundry.

No doubt this topic will divide opinion, but residents are urged to voice their concerns by contacting the planning office on the below.

Development Management
PO Box 606
Municipal Buildings
Crewe
Cheshire
CW1 9HP

Or via: planning@cheshireeast.gov.uk

The Council can also confirm that it has received a petition from residents campaigning against the proposed site. The matter will be debated at the next meeting of full Council on February 23.

Please share your opinions on this topic, by leaving a comment to this post.

Crewe Train Station Redevelopement

Earlier this week, Cheshire East Council’s Strategic Planning Board gave the green light to a multi-million pound project that will start the overhaul of Crewe Station and the redevelopment of the adjoining Royal Mail site. An official press release read;-

Councillors voted in favour of the application that kick-starts the first phase of an ambitious wider landmark scheme that will transform this part of Crewe. It includes:

A new surface-level car park of about 240 spaces
Improved facilities for taxis
A new area for people to pick up and drop off their family and friends
New ticket machines and passenger information displays
Reopening the pedestrian subway linking the new facility straight into platforms one to five and six to eleven
A new commercial development site to provide a business opportunity for activities, which will be ancillary to the station.

The scheme was given a boost after the Council and its partner Network Rail were successful in their bid for £6.177m from the Government’s £100m rail stations improvement fund. The announcement was made at the end of November.

Cheshire East Council and Network Rail own the land. In a bold move, the Council bought the landmark former Royal Mail site in Crewe for £2.75m. The 4.5-acre Weston Road site became vacant when Royal Mail relocated its sorting offices.

The site is seen as a prime spot for a landmark development as part of ambitious plans to redevelop Crewe Rail Station. The Council will continue to work with rail industry partners to deliver further investment to create an iconic 21st century gateway to the town.

The project is central to the Council-backed ambitious plans to regenerate and revitalise the town centre and surrounding area. This vision is called ‘All Change for Crewe’.

Councillor Jamie Macrae, Cabinet member with responsibility for prosperity, said: “This decision is excellent news and a vote of confidence in our plans to transform this historic station.

“A revitalised rail hub is critical to boosting the town’s visitor economy and its attractiveness to business.

“The scheme is a real milestone in our 20-year All Change for Crewe project. We hope it will act as a springboard to attracting further investment from Government and the rail industry to achieve Cheshire East’s ultimate ambition for the redevelopment of the station.”

Network Rail’s route managing director Jo Kaye said: “The station is used by three million people a year and it has long been recognised that there is a need for additional car parking, because more and more people are choosing to travel by train.

“The extra spaces created and the new retail outlets will bring even more people to the station for commuting, business and leisure travel – all of which will help grow the economy of Crewe. When the work is completed, passengers will have the facilities they have come to expect from a major station on one of the busiest rail routes in the country.”

Contribute to your all new Crewe Blog

I'm sure you've heard that Crewe's #1 blog (crewe.tv) may be winding down, but don't despair - because I'm going to start updating Local Listings a whole lot more in 2011. However, to improve LL, I'm going to need your help!

If you have any stories about Crewe & it's people, please send them to local_listings_enquiries@yahoo.co.uk - past or present, it doesn't matter! We also need your pictures, local events and anything else you would like to share with the local community.

We are slowly getting more organic, search engine traffic from the likes of Google. We are at position 1 for phrases like 'shops in crewe town centre' - ahead of even The Market Centre!

M6 accident: Junction 17 (Sandbach)

Many roads in Crewe and Sandbach were gridlocked yesterday, as an accident occurred on the M6 at junction 17 (Sandbach). A lorry driver arrested following the death of two pedestrians on the M6 in Cheshire has been released on bail.

The driver, 60, from Selby in North Yorkshire, was held on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. He has been bailed until 17 November.

The men were killed on the northbound carriageway just after junction 17, Sandbach, on Thursday 1115 BST. Police said one was aged 69, and from St Helens. The other, aged 39, was from Ashton in Makerfield, Wigan. It is not yet known why the men were on foot on the motorway.

The northbound carriageway of the motorway was closed between junction 16, Crewe, and junction 18, Middlewich and Holmes Chapel, until 2145 BST. Police also closed the southbound carriageway for several hours after the accident.

Café Oro - New Cafe in the Market Centre, Crewe

If you've been into The Market Centre recently, you'll no doubt have seen Café Oro. It will be open from Monday (23rd August), situated next to Wilkinson's and opposite JJB. It will be a good addition to The Market Centre and will probably offer a menu similar to The Muffin Break - which disappeared from The Market Centre a while back. More news to follow

Crewe Carnival - More updates

Darius Campbell says he is looking forward to this year’s Crewe Carnival (Saturday, August 28). The Popstar to Operastar winner is the headline act at this year’s much anticipated event. Speaking to Cheshire East Council earlier this week, Darius said: “I’m really looking forward to coming to Crewe for this year’s Carnival. I’m sure it’s going to be a great event and can’t wait to see everyone there.”

Cheshire East Council’s outdoor events team are now hard at work, putting the final touches to what is set to be a memorable day. The Carnival will be officially opened by Crewe Mayor, Councillor Jacquie Weatherill. Cheshire’s Silk 106.9 Breakfast Show presenter, Andy Bailey, will host this year’s show together with Paul Senior from CAT Radio. Tickets are now available – they are free but anyone who wants to attend the evening concert will need to get a ticket from the Lyceum Theatre, Nantwich Customer Services office or The Box in Crewe. Five tickets are available per person.

More items from the carnival programme include;-
A performance by ‘Over the Rainbow’ finalist, Dani Rayner
Performances by local band Vavoom, The Retrospective and Tom Seals (pianist and singer) and band (all courtesy of Volume PR)
Stunt displays
The Kangaroos (gymnastic display scheme)
Performances from X Academy and Footloose dance groups
Matrix cheerleading squad
Mini car display
A display of Cheshire birds of prey and Wyche Dog Training Club
Display by Crewe and Nantwich Horticultural Society
A children’s fairground and refreshment stands
A huge firework display, courtesy of Crewe Carnival partner’s Nemesis.

The Cat - Programme Guide for the week (Radio station)

If you don't know what The Cat is, where have you been? The Cat is your very own local radio station, serving the people of Crewe and Nantwich. Below is the programme guide for the week ahead. Enjoy!

Listen now on 87.7FM
Alternatively, you can listen online
http://thisisthecat.com/

Monday
07:00-10:00 The Purrfect Breakfast with Chris Radford
10:00-13:00 Dayve Dean
13:00-16:00 Afternoon Delight with Tess Williams
16:00-18:00 Drivetime: Health and Wellbeing with Parveen Smith
Sponsored by CTC Physiotherapy
Do you believe in angels? Do you have a story to tell?
18:00-19:00 Sounds of the 60's with Paul Simpson
19:00-21:00 70's Memories with Albert Dean
21:00-23:00 "The Cat Rocks" with Oliver Hancock

Tuesday
07:00-10:00 The Purrfect Breakfast with Chris Radford
10:00-13:00 Dayve Dean
13:00-16:00 Afternoon Delight with Parveen Smith
16:00-19:00 Drivetime: The Soul Seeker with Kev Lovell
Sponsored by CTC Physiotherapy
19:00-21:00 Socks, Dougs N Rock N Roll
Sponsored by HeadKase
21:00-23:00 Gunslingin' Rodeo Hours with Richard Lunn & Elliot Farrar
23:00-23:30 The Cat Sessions: Dayve Dean

Wednesday
07:00-10:00 The Purrfect Breakfast with Chris Radford
10:00-13:00 Dayve Dean
13:00-16:00 Afternoon Delight with Sean Dyer
16:00-19:00 Drive Time with Tim Fletcher
Sponsored by CTC Physiotherapy
19:00-20:00 Recollections & Revelations with Kev "Legs" Walker
20:00-22:00 Purrfect 80's with Chris Lloyd
22:00-00:00 Pillow Talk with Kev Lovell

Thursday
07:00-10:00 The Purrfect Breakfast with Chris Radford
10:00-13:00 Dayve Dean
13:00-16:00 Afternoon Delight with Andy Gregory
16:00-19:00 Drivetime with Lois Price
Sponsored by CTC Physiotherapy
19:00-21:00 Keith's Klassic Krackers with Keith Hancock
Sitting in for Keith tonightr is Danny C
21:00-00:00 The Alternative with Paul Senior
Guest presenter for ths week is Kev "Legs" Walker


Friday
07:00 - 10:00 The Purrfect Breakfast With Chris Radford
10:00 - 13:00 Dayve Dean
13:00 - 16:00 Afternoon Delight with Steve Jay
16:00 - 19:00 Drivetime with Neil Davis
Sponsored by CTC Physiotherapy
19:00-21:00 danceRELOADED with Danny C
21:00-23:00 The Green Room with Sean Dyer
23:00-23:30 The Cat Sessions: The Resistance

Saturday
8:00-9:00 Down Under The Duvet with Chris Cadman
Sponsored by Harrisons Cafe Bar
09:00-11:00 Saturday Toast with Paul and Julie
11:00-14:00 Steve Jay
14:00-16:00 Saturday Sport with Tim Fletcher
Sponsored by SCYL
16:00-18:00 Kazzam's Request Show
18:00-20:00 Two Hours with Tess
Sponsored by Volume PR
20:00-22:00 "The Cat Local Chart Show" with Andrew Gregory
22:00-23:00 Neko Desu with Peter Shillito
Series 3: Return of the Desu

Sunday
8:00-9:00 Down Under The Duvet with Chris Cadman
Sponsored by Harrisons Cafe Bar
9:00-11:00 Easy Sunday with Eddie Wardle
11:00-14:00 Neil & Louise with Sunday Roast
THe show today is being presented by Dayve Dean and Tess Williams. The Cat Raffle is drawn at 1 pm on this show so tune in to see if you've won!!
14:00-17:00 Music Box with Eddie Bebbington
17:00-18:00 Local Sports Round Up with Dave Brooks & Phil Stubbs
Sponsored by SCYL
18:00-20:00 You Say We Play with Tim Fletcher
20:00-21:00 Fresh Beatz with Sidd & Lorna
21:00-23:00 The Twichy Teens

Crewe Carnival - Latest News

Local Listings has finally aquired a few details about this year's carnival on Saturday 28th August.

Due to the ongoing renovation work at Queen's Park, it will be held on the King George V playing fields again this year. In the evening, the free concert will be headlined by former Pop Idol contestast and judge on Popstar to Operastar, Darius. You can pick up the free tickets for the concert now, from Lyceum Theatre.

Here is the provisional menu of events
A performance by singer and actor, Darius Campbell
Performances by local band Vavoom, The Retrospective and Tom Seals (pianist and singer) and band (all courtesy of Volume PR)
Stunt displays by Jez Avery
The Kangaroos (gymnastic display scheme)
Performances from X Academy and Footloose dance groups
Matrix cheerleading squad
Mini car display
A display of Cheshire birds of prey and Wyche Dog Training Club
A performance from this year’s Star Quest winner
Cheshire East Council’s 'Love Food Hate Waste' stand.
A children’s fairground and refreshment stands
Display by Crewe and Nantwich Horticultural Society
Brazilian football skill lessons, Korfball and archery
A huge firework display, courtesy of Crewe Carnival partner’s Nemesis.

Business Hubs in the Cheshire area

The next Business Hub will be held in Crewe this month. The event, on Wednesday, August 11, will give local businesses the chance to come face to face with Cheshire East Council and find out how to tender for public service contracts. Officers from the Authority’s procurement team will be on hand to answer a full range of questions relating to publicly-funded business support.

It will be held at Scope House, in Crewe, from 10am. It is a free drop-in event available to small to medium-sized businesses. Representatives from Business Link, Blue Orchid, HM Revenue & Customs, Jobcentre Plus, ACAS, The Reaseheath Enterprise Delivery Hub, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service and East Cheshire Chamber will also be on hand on offer advice.

For more information, to book a place at one or more of the workshops or to book an appointment with the Procurement Team (to find out about how to tender for public service contracts) – please email about the Business Hub events.

A further seven Business Hubs are to be held across Cheshire East up until March 2011.

Cheshire East Councillor Diana Thompson, Cabinet support member with responsibility for prosperity said: “The Business Hubs have proved to be popular events so far, providing advice for many businesses across Cheshire East. I would urge any local businesses in Crewe to come along to the event and see what this Authority can offer. Learning how to tender for a public service contract could prove to be a vital stepping stone for your company.
Cheshire East Council is committed to doing all it can to guide local businesses through the current economic climate: These events mark the continuation of these efforts and are a good way to learn how to boost your business.”

Janet Ellison-Jones, from Cheshire East Council’s procurement team, added: “Members of the procurement team are very much looking forward to meeting local business owners. We will be on hand to answer any questions relating to how companies can do business with Cheshire East.”
The dates and venues for the next Business Hub events are as follows:

2010
September 15 – Riverside, Congleton
October 6 – Town Hall, Macclesfield
November 17 – Scope House, Crewe
December 15 – Riverside, Congleton

2011
January 12 – Town Hall, Macclesfield
February 16 – Scope House, Crewe
March 16 – Riverside, Congleton

Celebrity Masterchef hits the town of Nantwich

Nantwich had a sprinkle of star dust as Celebrity Masterchef was filmed at Mill Island.
The episode to be shown next week features a selection of celebrities whose identities are being kept a closely guarded secret. Judges Gregg Wallace and John Torode, and the entire film crew were welcomed to the town during Holly Holy day and the re-enactment of the Battle of Nantwich.

The Battle took place during the English Civil war in the reign of King Charles I in 1643.
The battle was between the Parliamentarians and the Royalists and saw the Royalists defeated in 1644. In celebration, the Parliamentarians, led by Sir Thomas Fairfax, wore sprigs of Holly in their hats, which gave the event its title.

Andrew Knowles, Cabinet member for health and wellbeing said: “Since our Love Food Hate Waste campaign, I have become increasingly interested in creating new dishes, so I look forward to the programme and getting some ideas.

Andrew Martin, Cheshire East Councillor for the Nantwich Ward said: “I’m pleased the BBC has chosen to feature Nantwich and one of our most famous historical enactments. I’ll certainly be watching.”

The episode will be on our screens on Wednesday, August 11, on BBC 1 at 8pm.
This celebration of good food is perfect for whetting our appetite in time for Nantwich Food and Drink festival, which will take place from 24 - 26 September.

Queens Park, Crewe - Programme of events 2010

Here is a programme of events for Queens Park in 2010 - If you get chance, pop down and be entertained. The Carnival, as ever, will be held on the last weekend of August - on the King George V Playing Fields

20 Jun
The Matrix Dancers with Phoenix Disco

27 Jun
The George Formby Society

July 04
Punch and Judy Shows with Ian Davies

July 11
Adrian returns with Joys of your own bird box

July 18
North Staffs Accordian Band

July 25
STAR QUEST - Talent competition and charity day

August 01
The Valentines Band

August 08
Willow Weaving Demonstrations with ECO-ARTS

August 15
The French Quarter Band

August 22
The Bob Fields Grand - BMX event at Tipkinder Park

August 28
Carnival (King George V Playing Fields)

December 05
Lantern Procession