Hale Independent Issue 164

MAY 2024 2 No part of this publicationmay be used or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure that the articles and advertisements that are carried are authentic, however the publisher accepts no responsibility for claims made. © Investors in Publishing Ltd 2024. This newspaper is publishedmonthly by Investors in Publishing, Publishing House, 3 Bridgebank Industrial Estate,Taylor Street, Horwich, Bolton BL6 7PD. 01204 478812 EDITOR Ged Henderson ged@hendersonnewsandmedia.com CONTACT JayneMeadowcroft 01204 478812 07703 045189 jayne@independentnewspapers.co.uk ADVERTISING Robin Atkins 07767 840274 robin@cheshireindependent.co.uk CONTACT US TO ADVERTISE IN THE INDEPENDENT , CONTACT JAYNE ON 01204 478812 THE countdown is on to this summer’s three-day Brit Fest which is set to bring crowds f locking to Altrincham. The new festival, a celebration of all things British, will take place between July 7 and 5. And organisers have unveiled a line up of iconic British artists, including Bonnie Tyler, Scouting for Girls, Kim Wilde, Heather Small, Paul Young and Fleur East. As well as live music, festivalgoers can expect an array of family friendly activities and experiences – includ- ing a fun fair, work- shops, a family cinema, well-being classes, an artisan market – and they will have access to food and drinks from local suppliers. As part of The Brit Fest, there will be a dedicated area within the Village Green, spe- cifically tailored for independent businesses to showcase themselves over the three-day event. Anthony Prophet from The Brit Fest said: “By participating, businesses can take advantage of A £10,000 batch of imported American sweets containing ingredients banned in the UK have been detained by Trafford Council. The council’s environmental health team impounded the sweets after they were discovered at the headquarters of amajor importer based in the borough. The importer surrendered the sweets, which have now been destroyed so they cannot re-enter the food chain. The various American branded sweets contained banned additives Mineral Oil, Red 3 and bleached flour and were set to be sold through several sweet shops in the borough, online and nationally. Some of the sweets were also miss- ing statement warnings in relation to causing hyperactivity in children. A spokesperson for Trafford Council said: “We received a warning about these sweets being supplied from a premises in the borough and acted quickly and decisively to ensure they were detained and ultimately destroyed.” The environmental health team also carried out a day of action in early April to target smaller retailers. The spokesperson added:“Foodbusi- ness operators are asked to be cautious when stocking imported food to ensure that the labelling and composition of the food complies with UK legislation.” If you have any concerns about simi- lar products, contact the environmental health team at Environmental.health@ Trafford .gov.uk. A new scheme designed to improve the look of ground-floor retail prop- erties in Altrincham and Sale town centres has been unveiled. The Trafford Town Centre Shop Improvement Grant Scheme is now open for applications. A total of £150,000 is avail- able fromGreater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), which manages the city-re- gion’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund allocation. The funds will be available to support the improvement of ground floor retail properties in Traf- ford’s four town centres. A Trafford Council spokes- person said: “The capital scheme is open to new and existing businesses which are looking to make signifi- cant improvements to their premises which results in a positive impact on the town centre. “The scheme can provide a one-off grant of up to £10,000 to support of up to 50 per cent of the refurbishment costs of town centre retail premises in Altrincham, Sale, Stretford, and Urmston. “The grant can be used toward the cost of building and renovation works, as well as investments that will reduce the carbon footprint of the property or improve the customer experience for peo- ple with accessibility issues. “The fund will support the start-up of new businesses and the sustainability of existing businesses, which in turn will create new jobs and improve the economic growth and wellbeing of Trafford.” Liz Patel, the council’s executive member for econ- omy and regeneration, added: “We are extremely proud of our town centres here in Traf- ford and we are committed to making them look even better than they already are. “The Trafford Town Centre Shop Improvement Grant Scheme is a superb opportu- nity for businesses to improve their shop fronts for the good of themselves and the town centre.” Potential applicants are being urged to submit appli- cations quickly as the appli- cation window closes on September 30 or when all funding is awarded, which- ever is sooner. For further information contact busi- ness@trafford.gov.uk DETAILS have been announced for this year’s Altrincham FC Community Beer Festival at the football club’s J. Davidson Stadium. The festival will be held over the Bank Holiday weekend of May 25 and organisers are promising a packed programme over three days. They will make full use of the stadium, with the community sports hall, vice-presidents’ lounge and fan zone all primed for action. A largemarqueewill be inplace in the corner of the ground between theVenditanGolf Road End terraces and the Community Sports Hall, with a wide-ranging list of beers available. Livemusic is once again a big feature of the festival, which starts on SaturdayMay 25. The list of artists performing live over the course of the weekend includes The Flying Squad, AndrewAlty Sings, Parlaiz, Rosemary Quaye, The Bliss, Kate Thea &TheMob andMichael andTheWeltones. Sunday will also see a comedy evening from 7pm featuring stand-up comics Dawn Bailey, Kevin Finn, AnthonyWilliams and Jenny Hart as well as aDJ. Monday, from 12-6pm, will be ‘community day’, showcasingallthebesttheAltrinchamFCCommunity Sports has to offer. And there will be something to keep children entertained on all three afternoons, with activities and games taking place and a bouncy castle and face painting among the other attractions. Day tickets cost just £5 (plus booking fee) for adults and are available online via Eventbrite, while two under-18s will be admitted free of charge with each paying adult (between noon-7pm daily, subject to availability). Aportion of all ticket sales will go towards support- ing Altrincham FC Community Sports’ projects in the local area. COUNCIL chiefs in Trafford have agreed plans to expand a school in Altrincham. They have approved the first step in a process that could see North Cestrian school expand into the former Loreto Preparatory School, which closed last summer. The local authority will now bid to buy the land on Dunham Road in Altrincham. And if it is successful in secur- ing the site, this could see North Cestrian School increase its num- ber of places by up to 60 per year group and 300 in total. The move comes at a time when secondary school places in the south of the borough have been under pressure, with some chil- dren unable to secure a place at a school in their local area. Karina Carter, Trafford’s executive member for children and young people, said: “We are delighted to have reached this first milestone in our aim to acquire the former Loreto Prep School site for North Ces- trian School. “Our secondary schools in Traf- ford are some of the best in the country, and this means places are in high demand. The extra capacity that North Cestrian’s expansion would bring would be a real bonus for families in the Altrincham area. We explored the potential to enlarge North Ces- trian in 2022, but concluded that the site was too small to enable meaningful expansion. “The opportunity to add the former Loreto Prep site to North Cestrian’s estate would make all the difference, giving the school the space to add new classrooms and resolve larger space chal- lenges such as for dining and sports facilities. “The next step will be to for- mally submit a bid for the land, which will happen in the com- ing weeks.” Town centres improvement scheme launched BANNED SWEETS ARE DESTROYED A celebration of all things British the festival’s extensive reach and exposure to attract new customers, network with other like- minded entrepreneurs, and be a part of a fab- ulous event that cele- brates local talent and creativity. “We are committed to supporting and pro- moting the growth of local businesses, and are excited to provide a platform for you to shine. “As we gear up for this year’s festival, we will be working with Altrin- cham BID, to encourage festival-goers to extend their visit to the area by spending time in the town either before or after the festival”. Mandy White, Altrin- cham BID director, said: “With a substan- tial increase in tourists expected from across the UK and Europe, this presents an excellent opportunity for busi- nesses to leave a lasting impression on visitors to the festival. “In the coming weeks we will be sharing with businesses how they can get involved and help us to encourage visitors to stay longer and enjoy the town. “Altrincham BID will be sharing updates with the businesses as we work together to make The Brit Fest 2024 a truly memorable event for Altrincham and all involved.” Green light for school expansion plan Festival’s fun on tap