Congleton has won the North West in Bloom LargeTown competition for four out of the past five yearsand is currently waiting for confirmation of its place inthe national finals. The strength of the town entrycomes from the community involvement in theproject. 2018 marks the 20th anniversary of Congletonin Bloom and the team hope that many of those whohave played a part since 1998 will wish to get involvedto mark the 20th year. The team is keen to hear fromgroups or neighbourhoods that would be willing tohelp look after a planter or small area (equipment canbe provided), anyone who would like to run a gardencompetition or residents with ideas or time to helpmake Congleton a cleaner and greener town.

You can contact the team via Congleton in Bloom onFacebook or by emailing info@congletontowncouncil.co.uk

BBeaear r NNecessiecessititiesesWith News from Congleton Town Council & Community Groups

Winter 2018

Helping to make Congleton a moredementia-aware and friendly town is one ofthe biggest challenges of 2018. A steeringgroup has been formed to help direct, co-ordinate and encourage better awarenessand more activities to help those withdementia. Congleton has a number ofdementia champions who are willing to leadhour-long awareness sessions for groups andorganisations where six or more people arekeen to attend. The sessions are interesting,thought provoking and have been highlyregarded by all who have attended so far. Ifyou would like to attend a session, or wish toinvite a champion to one of your meetings,contact info@congletontowncouncil.co.ukor tel 01260 270350 ext 3.

Other Dates & Activities• Dementia Friendly Swimming Sessions

with access to mixed changing rooms -Saturdays 4.30pm - 5.30pm on 17th February,3rd March and 21st April.

• CrISP (Carer Information & SupportProgramme) workshops for people caring forsomeone with dementia, Congleton Library1.30pm - 4pm on Mondays 5th, 12th, 19th and26th March

• Bromley Farm Group meet at Bromley FarmCommunity Centre on Thursdays from 10amto 3pm

• Forget-Me-Not Club at New Life Churchstarting from the 26th January, on the 2nd and4th Friday of the month - 10am-12 noon.Spaces are limited so please register throughclare.sheard@gmail.com

• Old Saw Mill will be organising regulardementia-friendly activity sessions, the firstones being held on Wednesday 7th February,then fortnightly.

Towards a Dementia-Friendly Town

F ollowing the success of lastyear's Triathlon, the fun sportingevent will return on Sunday

22nd April - and this year even morepeople can join in!

The Congleton Triathlon is designed as achallenge for groups and individuals who donot usually participate in sport. There are 48places available and there's a chance to joinin pre-event training with other participants.People can enter as an individual or as a teamof up to three people with each tackling anelement of the triathlon: Adults 500m swimat Congleton Leisure Centre (20 lengths),10km cycle ride around the park and 5kmrun in the park. Last year the event raisedaround £7,000 for East Cheshire Hospice andsome of the participants hadn't cycled or

jogged until three months before the event!

A Go-Tri event for 8-15 year olds will be heldimmediately before the adult event. Most ofthe 60 team slots will be allocated throughschools and clubs. There will also be anumber of health and well-being stalls, andsome medieval themed activities as part ofthe 700 years of Congleton Mayoralty.Congleton swimming, cycling and runningclubs will be helping out on the day.

The entry fee is £20 per participating adult tocover costs. Entrants are encouraged to raise£50 in sponsorship (or £100 per team) tosupport the Town Mayor's Charities.

For an application form, simply contactinfo@congletontriathlon.co.uk Spaces areexpected to fill up quickly.

Bear Necessities is produced byCongleton Town Council. The nextnewsletter will be delivered around3rd April. All contributions shouldbe sent by 12th March to JackieMacArthur at Congleton Town Hall,High Street, Congleton, CW12 1BN.Tel 01260 270350 or emailjm@congletontowncouncil.co.uk

Bear Necessities

HRH The Prince of Wales andThe Duchess of Cornwall willbe visiting Congleton onWednesday 24th January.

Their Royal Highnesses will bevisiting The Old Saw Mill, TreoStatue, and Town Hall, high-lighting Congleton’s strongcommunity and charitableprojects and activities as well asmarking 700 years of Mayoraltyin the town.

See www.congleton-tc.gov.uk

Best in the North West Royal Visitfor Congleton

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On Saturday 3rd March,you can discover allabout mind and bodyat a special wellness

event in the Town Hall from 10.30am - 4pm. Entry is freeand there will be a chance to try out eco-friendlyproducts, attend talks and demonstrations and try atherapy taster session aimed at finding out more about

de-stressing and motivating yourself to wellbeing.

The event is being organised by Holistic, Health andWellness Events Ltd and if this first event proves asuccess they hope to hold regular events in Congleton.

For more details about the day or if you wish to have astall at the event contact Kerry Huckerby, Eunice or JenFoster on kejevents15@gmail.com or 07808844380

Congleton Town Council is largely fundedthrough a 'precept', which is a tax added tothe community tax collected by CheshireEast Council. Additional income is raisedthrough hiring the town hall, sponsorshipand specific grants. From April 2018 theTown Council will increase its precept by2.64%, just over 4p a week on an averageband D property. The Town Council is

responsible for running the town'sstreetscape services, the Town Hall, thePaddling Pool, part funds four PCSOs, paysfor the town's CCTV to be monitored,supports the Congleton Partnership,Congleton Community Projects, Citizen'sAdvice Bureau and numerous other projectsand campaigns focusing on enhancing thequality of life in Congleton.

"Motivating Congleton" a book focussing on thelife of Margaret Williamson is now available topurchase. The 280 page book has been compiledby Jean Phillips and covers many aspects ofMargaret's life as told by friends, family andpeople who worked closely with Margaret.Margaret was Mayor of Congleton three times,served on the Town Council for 15 years and wasinvolved with a vast array of community activities.The book is available from The Old Saw Mill, The Tourist Information Centre and CongletonChronicle Office priced £20. You will be amazed by what she achieved.

Margaret's Book

MIND, BODY& WELLNESS

If you are looking for inspiration for yourwedding or party then make sure you popalong to the FREE Wedding and Party Fayre inCongleton Town Hall on Sunday 11thFebruary from 3pm - 6pm. You'll get to meetlots of people with ideas and products tohelp make your wedding or party that extrabit special - as well as having a chance toexplore the magnificent Grand Hall andBridestones Suite within the Town Hall.

Town Hall Wedding & Party Fayre

Council Tax

Congleton groups in need of transport arereminded that there is a 15-seater and an 8-seater minibus that can be used by localgroups and organisations in Congleton. To beeligible the group needs to be linked to theCongleton Partnership. Membership can bethrough association with sub-groups such asCongleton Youth Forum, Congleton SeniorForum, Congleton Creative, CongletonSustainability Group or the Executive.

The bus costs £20 per event or day to hireplus 40p per mile. Groups using the busneed to provide their own driver. To complywith the insurance, drivers must be aged 30or over with no more than 3 points on theirdriving licence.

Congleton Partnership is also looking tobuild a pool of volunteer drivers that canassist groups that wish to hire the mini busbut don't have access to their own driver.For more information about the minibuscontact the Congleton Partnership Officer,Mike Smith, on 01260 270350, ext 7.

Mini Bus Hire

C = Conservative; L = Labour; UKIP = UK Independence Party

Know YourCouncillorCONGLETON is divided into two wards, Eastand West. As a rough guide East Ward coversBuglawton, Bromley Farm and Mossley. WestWard covers the Town Centre, West Heath,Lower Heath and Newcastle Road. Each ward isrepresented by 10 Councillors.All Councillors can be contacted through theTown Council and further details can be seen atwww.congleton-tc.gov.uk Your Councillorselected to serve until May 2019 are:

Larry Barker (C)

Bob Edwards (C),Council Leader

Anna Morrison (C)

Charles Booth (C),Town Mayor

George Hayes (C)

Harvey Richards (C)

David Brown (C),Deputy Leader

Sally Holland (C)

Glen Williams (C)

Peter Broom (C)

Andrea Armitt (C)

Robert Boston (L)

Geoff Baggott (C)

Amanda Martin (C)

Dawn Allen (UKIP)

Paul Bates (C)

Jean Parry (C) Maurice Walker (C) Elizabeth Wardlaw(C)

Suzie Akers Smith(C), Deputy Mayor

East WardCouncillors

West WardCouncillors

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The work on Congleton's Public Realm isexpected to be completed by the end ofFebruary 2018. Improvements have includednew lighting, blocked paving and new streetfurniture as well as creating usable space bythe Royal Bank of Scotland and more seatingat the House to Home end of the pedestrianarea. Once the works are complete the Makers

Market is looking to hold a regular monthlyartisan market in the town centre.Consultation is expected to be held later inJanuary with traders and others to agree onthe best day to hold the markets forCongleton. This will either be on a Saturday ora Sunday and it is anticipated that the marketswill begin in March.

Makers Market to come to Congleton

News In Brief...Local charities and organisations are being invited by Congleton Carnivalto apply for a donation from the monies received from the carnivalprocession bucket collection. Local groups or organisations that areinterested should email info@congletoncarnival.co.uk by Monday 29thJanuary supplying full details of their request and reasons for theapplication. The requests will be considered and assessed on their meritsand the benefits to the local community. The decision will be made bymembers of the carnival committee and successful applicants will benotified by the 2nd February.

The next Congleton Carnival will be held on Saturday 7th July. If you wouldlike to get involved - as a helper, in the procession or with a trade or charitystall you can register your interest at info@congletoncarnival.co.uk andwill be sent the relevant forms and applications.

Congleton is adding a new festival to itsannual events calendar. Based aroundHeritage Open Days 2018, it will be twoweeks of celebration of all things Heritageand Antique, from 8th to 23rd September2018. Many local buildings take part in thenational Heritage Open Days, includingBiddulph Grange, Little Moreton Hall,Congleton Bath House & Physic Garden, StPeter's Church and others. The HeritageOpen Days will fall in the middle of the newCongleton festival fortnight.

The plan is to hold heritage talks by experts intheir fields, history walks around the town,antique fairs and auctions, heritage displaysincluding one in the Town Hall linked to 700years of Mayoralty and much more. A festivalguide will be produced in the summer.Anyone interested in getting involved, puttingon an event or connecting their existing eventto the festival can contact Congleton Heritageand Antiques by phone 01260 278972 or byemailing Congletonhanda@gmail.com

New Congleton Heritage & Antique Festival(CHAF) Planned

Swimmers are being asked to take theplunge for charity and join in the annualRotary Swimathon at Congleton LeisureCentre on 9th and 10th March. The eventaims to raise funds for local charities. Groupstaking part can nominate a local charity toreceive 50% of the funds that they raise. Relayteams aim to complete as many lengths asthey can in 45 minutes.

For more details, contact Robin Platt on 01260273358 or email robin@talkechem.co.ukRotary is always keen to encourage newmembers to enable them to organise moreevents and raise funds for local, national andinternational causes. Congleton Rotary has anactive group which meets at the Plough atEaton on Monday evenings. For furtherinformation google Rotary Club of Congleton.

Rotary Swimathon Congleton's Neighbourhood Plan wentthrough the Regulation 14 consultationfrom 2nd October to 13th November. Anumber of residents, developers andstatutory groups submitted comments andthe various sub groups are now workingthrough those comments and whereappropriate suggesting changes to the draftplan. The new draft plan will then be putthrough a further round of consultation,known as Regulation 15 consultation.Ultimately the plan will be put out to areferendum where Congleton Town electorscan either approve or reject the plan. Ifapproved the Congleton NeighbourhoodPlan would be part of the planningdocuments for Congleton and need to beadhered to within future development.

Neighbourhoood Plan

Carnival Funds up for Grabs!

CONGLETON CREDIT UNIONThe Congleton Credit Union provides asafe place to save money and, once acredit history has been achieved throughregular saving, it enables access toaffordable loans. It is a small welcominggroup that has over 120 members.Representatives of the Credit Union areavailable in Congleton Library on aSaturday between 10am - 11am to set upaccounts, receive payments and explainmore about how the Union works.

MAD 4 CONGLETON Congleton Mayor, Cllr Charles Booth, isgetting behind a Congleton Youth Make aDifference day on Friday 7th April. Youngpeople will have an opportunity to join in awide range of tasks and activities all aimedat improving Congleton.

Contact info@congletontowncouncil.co.ukfor more details.

TOWN COUNCIL GRANTSCongleton Town Council gives out over£65,000 grant funding each year to localgroups and organisations looking to oralready providing services to thecommunity of Congleton. Applications arediscussed at the Council's Finance & PolicyCommittee which is held every 6-8 weeks.To enquire about a grant application pack,email: mh@congletontowncouncil.co.ukor see www.congleton-tc.gov.uk for moreinformation.

FOOD AND DRINK FESTIVAL The 10th June marks the 10th anniversaryof the Congleton Food and Drink Festival.

If you are interested in having a stall at theFestival, or are prepared to help out on theday as a steward, please contact Jo Money,at Congleton Community Projects on07833 742200 or take a look at theirwebsite, www.foodanddrinkfestival.net

CHRISTMAS 2018Following the feedback from the 2017switch on the organising team has agreedto keep to a Saturday for the switch-on andis already looking at how to make Saturday24th November an extra special day forCongleton.

WEDDING LICENCECongleton Town Council has applied toCheshire East Council to have its weddinglicence for the Town Hall extended untilApril 2021. Couples are able to get marriedin the Grand Hall, Bridestones Suite,Balcony or Spencer Suite.

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Bear NecessitiesEvents to Look Forward To in 2018Below are some of the key events that we have been made aware of for 2018. We know that

there are more events being worked on by various organising committees.

For the most up-to-date list of events , please check our website...

BBear NN iecessi ities

www.congleton-tc.gov.uk

JANUARY18th Scam Awareness Session,

Congleton Library, 10.30am18th CTC Council Meeting, Town Hall,

7pm21st Film at Daneside Theatre24th Royal Visit by The Prince of

Wales and The Duchess ofCornwall

25th CTC Planning Committee, TownHall, 7pm

31st NHS Blood Service, Town Hall,1.45-4.15pm; 5.30-7.45pm

FEBRUARY1st CTC Community, Environment &

Services Committee, Town Hall,7pm

6th-10th Congleton Players "The GhostTrain", Daneside Theatre, 7.30pm

8th CTC Planning Committee, TownCouncil, 7pm

11th Town Hall Wedding Fayre, TownHall, 3 - 6pm

13th-15th Eaton Bank Academy present"High School Musical", DanesideTheatre

14th Letters of War Project, Town Hall15th CTC Finance & Policy

Committee, Town Hall, 7pm18th Film at Daneside Theatre22nd NHS Blood Service, Town Hall,

1.45-4.15pm; 5.30-7.45pm24th Meet the Author: Matt

Buckingham, Congleton Library,10am

24th Pinked Floyd Concert, DanesideTheatre, 7.30pm

MARCH1st CTC Council Meeting, Town Hall,

7pm2nd-4th Congleton Unplugged3rd Mind, Body & Wellness Event,

Town Hall, 10.30am4th Museum Walk "Religion in

Congleton", Congleton Museum,2pm

6th-10th Rent, Trinity Operatic Society,Daneside Theatre

8th CTC Planning Committee, TownHall, 7pm- followed by TownHall Committee

9th Congleton Mayors Ball, TownHall, 7pm

9th-10th Rotary Swimathon, CongletonLeisure Centre

15th CTC Community, Environment &Services Committee, Town Hall,7pm

16th NHS Blood Service, Town Hall,1.45-4.15pm; 5.30-7.45pm

20th-24th Les Miserables, Centre StageYouth Theatre, Daneside,

22nd CTC Finance & PolicyCommittee, Town Hall, 7pm

24th Congleton Youth OrchestraConcert, Town Hall

APRIL1st Museum Walk "Lambersloone-

Routeways to the Past",Congleton Museum, 2pm

3rd Easter Treats Day, Town Centre5th CTC Planning Committee, Town

Hall, 7pm7th Make A Difference (MAD) for

Congleton Event7th Congleton Choral Society-

Spring Concert, Congleton TownHall

12th CTC Council Meeting, Town Hall,7pm

20th NHS Blood Service, Town Hall,1.45-4.15pm; 5.30-7.45pm

22nd Congleton's 2nd Triathlon,Congleton Park

26th Annual Town Meeting, TownHall, 7pm

MAY3rd NHS Blood Service, Town Hall,

1.45-4.15pm; 5.30-7.45pm5th Hidden Places Theatre Day &

Performance, 1pm6th Museum Walk "Throstle Nest by

Tommys Brook", CongletonMuseum, 2pm

17th Annual Council Meeting &Mayor Making Ceremony,Town Hall, 7pm

24th NHS Blood Service, Town Hall,1.45-4.15pm; 5.30-7.45pm

26th Congleton Paddling Poolopens for Summer

JUNE3rd Museum Walk "Pub Crawl

Through Time", CongletonMuseum, 2pm

6th NHS Blood Service, Town Hall,1.45-4.15pm; 5.30-7.45pm

10th Congleton Food & DrinkFestival - 10th Anniversary

16th 700 Years of MayoraltyMedieval Banquet, Town Hall

17th Congleton Town Mayor CivicService, Town Hall

17th Congleton Brass on theGrass, Congleton Park

20th NHS Blood Service, Town Hall,1.45-4.15pm; 5.30-7.45pm

24th Audley Silver Band, CongletonPark

JULY1st Museum Walk "Mill Walks and

Industrial Yarns", CongletonMuseum, 2pm

7th CONGLETON CARNIVAL DAY7th Congleton Youth Orchestra

Concert, Town Hall8th Congleton Lions Club- Band

Concert, Congleton Park, 2pm14th Congleton Choral Society-

Summer Concert, Town Hall19th NHS Blood Service, Town Hall,

1.45-4.15pm; 5.30-7.45pmCongleton in the Regionaland National In BloomJudging Competition

29th Rode Hall Brass Band, CongletonPark

AUGUST5th Museum Walk "Congleton and

the Age of Enlightenment",Congleton Museum, 2pm

12th Salt City Jazz Men, CongletonPark

19th Rode Hall Brass Band, CongletonPark

25th-26th Congleton Jazz and BluesFestival

SEPTEMBER1st Congleton & District

Horticultural Show, Town Hall2nd Museum Walk "From Mansion to

Cottage", Congleton Museum,2pm

6th-9th & 13th-16th: National Heritage Days8th-23rd Congleton Heritage &

Antiques Festival9th Last Day of Paddling Pool

Season 9th Lions Duck Race, Congleton Park 9th 8th Annual Congleton Lions

Duck Race, Congleton Park, 2pm

OCTOBER7th Museum Walk "Importance of

Water", Congleton Museum,2pm

NOVEMBER3rd ROTARY BONFIRE,

Congleton Park4th Museum Walk "The Co-operative

in Congleton", CongletonMuseum, 2pm

10th Remembrance Dinner, Town Hall

11th Remembrance Parade & Service

24th Congleton Christmas LightsSwitch-On, Town Centre

DECEMBER1st Congleton Youth Orchestra

Concert, Town Hall22nd Congleton Choral Society

Concert, Town Hall

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