Stone Music Festival comes of age!

What a great weekend! Jan and I were in town for most of Saturday and Sunday enjoying a most amazing weekend of live music.

I have a very personal interest in Stone's Music Festival. Although I am far too busy to even contemplate offering to help (the Music Festival always takes place when I'm up to the neck in Food and Drink Festival preparation) I take great pride in watching the Music Festival go from strength to strength. Let me explain. As many of you know, Jan and I have family down in Dartmouth in South Devon and we've been going down to their Music Festival for years. Whenever I saw what Dartmouth were doing I kept thinking that Stone would be an ideal venue to do something similar. So when Steve Brookes and his wife Kate (briefly) became town councillors several years ago, I suggested a small party of us should visit Dartmouth's Festival in the hope that they'd be inspired to organise something in Stone. Well, a very good weekend was had by all! And out of that visit, Steve and Kate decided to form a committee and start a Music Festival up here in Stone.

Sensibly, they learnt to walk before they tried to run. So from small beginnings, the Festival has grown year on year to achieve a size and status that will now ensure that the Stone Music Festival will become another great community event in the Stone calendar. It truly came of age this weekend.

This year's innovation of a two stage arrangement worked a treat. Whilst one group of performers were on one stage, another was setting up and doing sound checks on the other. Great continuity. And Jan and I have learnt a lesson - next year we will buy tickets in advance  for ticketed events ! Both Friday night and Saturday night's concerts were total sell outs!

And what a bonus - the weather was kind! So we've sat outside the Lounge watching some great acts including  Supersets, Murphy's Marbles and who was the guitarist who was getting the most amazing sounds from his instrument as he sat down with it on his knees? Fantastic! I loved the Slade tribute band 'Slyde' but Jan's favourite was 'Re-Take That' on Sunday night. What a crowd!

Well done Steve, Kate and everyone else involved. The Stone Music Festival is well and truly on the map!

An accident waiting to happen

Waist high this side -
no indication on other side -
no audible warning = accident?

Much has been said and written about the 'improvements' to the traffic system in Christchurch Way including the alterations at the junction with High Street. But as far a I know, no one has mentioned the new lights at the pedestrian crossing.

Pedestrians wanting to cross the road used to press the button and were then able to see the 'Red Man' lit up on the poles across the road. Then, when the lights changed and it was safe to cross, the Green Man was visible and a bleeping sound could be heard. But that's changed now.

The new system doesn't have any lights visible from across the road. The only visible indication is the red/green light at waist height on one pole. If that light is hidden behind another pedestrian, there's no other way of knowing which lights are on. And when it is safe to cross, there's no audible warning at all. How do visually impaired pedestrians cope?

I fear that this new system could confuse people. Or am I missing something?

A rare day of sunshine!

I couldn't believe my eyes when I woke up on Saturday! Sunshine streaming through the bedroom curtains! Yes, it was Farmers' Market day!

For a long time we always used to boast that it never rained on a Farmers Market Saturday but that proud claim bit the dust quite a while ago. And last week's forecast suggested that we'd all need wellies and sou'westers to keep dry. But no! We had superb weather all day and everyone had a great time.

We've now got signs on all roads into town and emblazoned with the 'This Saturday' stickers. And the new Farmers' Market website is now up and working. Just a few more ways in which Stone Food and Drink Festival promote the Farmers' Market.

And it's good to see how local groups and organisations are now using the Farmers' Market to promote themselves. Stone in Bloom have been very prominent over the last few months as have the Stone Music and Arts Festival. But next month their events will be over so it will be  time for Stone Food and Drink Festival to get out there to promote the October event!

Westbridge Park is still at risk

Westbridge Park is a very special place. Originally the site of the town rubbish tip and owned by Stone Urban District Council, it was handed over to Stafford Borough Council when local government reorganisation took place in the 1970's because the then Town Council didn't think they could afford to maintain it. It's been used ever since as a place of recreation, sport and leisure. A green open space linking the meadows to the north and south to form a unique linear green lung embracing the river and canal and separating  the town and Walton.

But being the only large level area of land in a central location it has been the constant target of rumours of redevelopment for years. And no more so than in recent times. We've all heard the rumours! Waitrose, Tesco, Sainsburys - according to a 'man in the pub' they've all got plans to build on it!

Sadly, I guess there  may be some truth in the rumours. It is obvious that Stafford Borough Council are strapped for cash and Westbridge Park must be worth a small fortune.

But surely, I've heard people say, they wouldn't be allowed to build on Westbridge Park, would they? Well ponder on this. Last year Stafford Borough Council published their draft 'Plan for Stafford Borough' If adopted this document will form the basis of future development plans in the borough. There's a whole section about Stone. And in a section called 'Core Policy 7' it states that the Borough Council will seek to strengthen the town centre's role as a Market Town by "encouraging the development and expansion of the town centre to provide a vibrant place where people can meet, shop, eat and spend leisure time in a safe and pleasant environment including provision of mixed use development at Westbridge Park". It can't be plainer than that, can it?

This draft document apparently went out to consultation in September and October last year but I have yet to meet any one who knew about it. Looking at the Council's website, it would appear that only one comment was made about this particular proposal - and that from an 'insider' who could be said to have an interest in the matter. I suppose the next thing that will happen is that the 'mixed use development' idea will appear in a glossy document which will state that there were no objections received after a full consultation!

So why have I gone into so much detail? Well, Cllr. Mike Heenan, leader of the Borough Council was quoted in last week's Newsletter as saying that "there were no plans to sell off the park" and that if the situation changed "no decision would be taken without a full consultation of the people of Stone". Well, at first sight, that may be reassuring. But if the Council are trying to adopt a policy of permitting  'mixed use development' on Westbridge Park, the people of Stone need to be aware of it.

It's high time the people of Stone were made aware of the Borough Council's proposals. And the idea of any type of development - mixed use or otherwise - needs to be scotched. Westbridge Park is very special to the people of Stone and should be retained in it's present state for future generations. I thought I'd retired from town politics but unless someone else takes up the cudgels, I feel another campaign coming on!

Festival wash out

Oh what a great shame. After so much work and effort by some very dedicated volunteers, Stone Festival was truly affected by the weather this year.

QEII struuting their stuff !

Jan and I went down to Westbridge Park on the Friday evening to watch the Queen tribute band, QEII. We went in wellies, waterproof jackets and with umbrellas - and we needed to! This was the first time the Festival Committee had organised an event on the Friday night and the  Party in the Park was a great idea. QEII were just superb. We saw them of course a couple of years ago when they stole the show at the Music Festival so we knew they'd be good. They were! A crowd of a few hundred braved the elements and was sufficient, I am told, for the event to break even. But what a night it would have been if it had been a warm dry summer's evening. Oh well, perhaps next year!

And sadly it got no better the following day. We were down on Westbridge Park early to set up the Food and Drink Festival display trailer and it was obvious that it had rained all night. The field was water logged and the various organisations and charities  setting up their stalls were all looking rather damp.

Antony Lucas holds
 the Olympic Torch

The Festival Parade made the best of a bad job but due to the condition of the field, the lorries carrying the floats could not get onto the park. What a shame after so much time and effort had been spent by so many. The Imps motor cycle display team had to cut their display short and, all in all, the weather spoilt the whole day.

But I'm sure that John Sayer and his team won't let any despondency set in! I'm in no doubt that they are already starting to organise next year's event - well done John et al!

An age old problem

A visit to St Michael's Hall a couple of weeks ago confirmed two things - we've got a fantastic group of very talented people in Stone and secondly, the provision and financing of community buildings in the town is becoming a very real issue.

Firstly, the talent. Jan and I spent an hilarious couple of hours at Maplins Holiday Camp splitting our sides with laughter and yelling "Hi di hi" at the appropriate moments! Yes, it was the Revellers' summer production of the same name - and it was amazing! Obviously based on the television series of a few years ago, the cast pulled off some superb performances. John Wright's grumpy old character telling everyone to "Sod off" will last long in the memory! Included in the admission price was a supper of fish, chips and mushy peas at the interval - now that's a proper night out! Well done, Revellers!

But as we left we were handed a piece of paper appealing for funds to maintain and renovate the hall. Work is required on the roof, the electrics and the plumbing and the target was £45,000. Which has made me think yet again about how community space in the town is financed. St. Michael's Hall is appealing for funds. St John's Church Hall closed a year or so ago when the ceiling became unsafe. The Town Council are considering giving the Frank Jordan Centre back to the Borough Council because it is, in the words of one councillor, a "white elephant". The Scouts Gang Shows have to be held in The Gatehouse at Stafford because there is no hall suitable in Stone but they cannot afford to rehearse there. Walton Community Centre has pulled itself out of the doldrums of a few years ago and Christchurch Annexe is operating very successfully. But these two venues on their own will never be able to cope with the demand.

So the old conumdrum still exists - how can we provide and finance a community building in Stone suitable for the many and varied requirements that exist and where could it be put? Answers on a postcard, please?

Thick black smoke

On leaving the Pheasant last night, a huge pall of black smoke was rising from somewhere down town. The last time I saw a similar sight was a few years ago when the fire took place on the boatyard. Fearing something serious, Janet drove us down into town when it became obvious that the problem was not in the town itself but over towards the Stone Business Park.

All under control!

Turning left at Walton island, our first thoughts were that the new Aldi store was going up in flames but as we approached it was obvious that the fire was behind Aldi probably on the allotments. We retraced our steps and went down Tilling Drive and found three fire appliances near the old disused Bibby's Social Club. It turned out that the fire was in a storage shed at the rear of the club and the Fire Service had the blaze well under control.

I don't know the extent of the damage or loss but, thank goodness, it was not as serious as we first thought. Of course, the question that I'm sure will now be investigated is how did the fire start? Or, more accurately, who started it? Fires like this are rarely caused by self-combustion!

What a Great Shame

I am only too well aware that, no matter how much planning goes into organising an event, there is one thing you cannot control and that is the weather! And last weekend proved the point across the country for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. So many events were either washed off or severely affected by the rain.

Janet and I popped into town last weekend to support the street party but, sadly, very few others had done the same! And you can't blame them because it was chucking it down. Members of the public were outnumbered by some very cold and wet stewards - such a shame. But at least the Town Mayor, Cllr. Mike Shaw, managed to find some shelter and put on a brave face!

And then the following night we went down to Crown Meadow to watch the beacon being lit and to see the fireworks. Thankfully it was a dry night but very few people had turned out - probably three to four hundred at most. I have to say this climax to the weekend had been very poorly advertised. Even the single banner on Morrison's railings advertised the event as taking place in Westbridge Park! Which was a great pity because it was another great firework display - fired, of course, by Stone's very own team of fireworks supremos, Charles Purton et al! Good one, Charlie.

Q - In which county is Stoke-on-Trent?

I'm puzzled! A brand new sign has gone up on the A34 southbound near the 'Monkey Island' just before Tittensor welcoming drivers to Staffordshire!

When I last walked the Staffordshire Way many years ago we started near the county's northerly boundary at Mow Cop. Now it seems the county has shrunk! What's going on?

I guess the answer is a political one - not geographic. Is it that Stoke-on-Trent is a unitary authority  and therefore not, politically or administratively, part of Staffordshire County Council? And has someone in the Highways Department at the County Council got some money left over in their budget which is burning a hole in their pocket?

Well, it's all very confusing! Stoke-on-Trent has always had a massive identity problem - chucking it out of the county ain't going to help! Seriously it's a marketing disaster. The county should be proud of Stoke-on-Trent's contribution  to selling the Staffordshire and the city needs to firmly identified with its location.

Now it's the turn of the chewing gum!

We were all delighted that the town was cleared of graffiti a couple of weeks ago - thanks to the efforts of Kieron McKnight who galvanised the young folk of the town and volunteers into action!

Today it was chewing gum that was under attack in the High Street. Stafford Borough Council operatives were out with a wonderful piece of kit. Similar to a pressure washer lance, it appeared to dissolve the trodden in chewing gum with ease. And following up behind it was a scrubbing machine that left the paving the cleanest it's ever been!

This year it is absolutely essential that our town is looking at it's best when we have two visits from the judges from the RHS In Bloom panel. This year Stone is being judged in both the Heart of England competition and, for the first time ever, the national Britain in Bloom competition. Best of luck to Stone in Bloom!

So our zero tolerance to graffiti and the removal of chewing gum today will all help to present our town in the best possible light.

Good news from the High Street!

Contrary to the views expressed by some of the 'doom and glomm' brigade who should know better, our High Street is very much alive and well. And a visit to town today confirms it.

First of all, the brilliant news is that we have a butchers shop in town again! I was a great supporter of Mark when he ran Russells the Butchers shop in Adies Alley and was bitterly disappointed when, for personal reasons, he had to close down. Sadly his successor was only open a few weeks and I was fearful that his departure marked the end an era of independent butchers in the town centre. But no! Stefan, Paul and Ben, who already operate a mail order business supplying high quality meats and local produce from their farm in Herefordshire, have taken over the shop and are now open for business. When I called in this morning the display cabinets were full of a great range of meats. So spread the word and let's give them our support.

And the other piece of good news is that the Stone branch of Clinton cards has survived the administrator's cull. The company went into liquidation a week ago and it was announced that over three hundred and fifty branches would be closed immediately with a loss of 2800 jobs. Thankfully, the Stone branch was not on the closure list and it remains open for business pending attempts by the liquidator to sell the company as a going concern. Let's hope this story has a happy ending.

So the old adage "use it or lose it" has acquired some real significance this week. If you are in town to buy some meat or a birthday card, why not consider supporting these two shops.

I don't normally do 'Crack of Dawn"!

Would I be willing to be interviewed on BBC Radio Stoke to talk about the increase in passenger numbers at Stone Station?  "Yes, of course" I replied, always being eager to promote our wonderful rail service!

But then the bombshell - they wanted to do a live interview from the Station at 7.30 this morning!  You see, since I retired several years ago, I normally only ever see one 7.30 in a day and that is usually after tea when I'm in my local! So I had to have an early night last night and set the alarm for the crack of dawn.

Well, actually it wasn't too painful. Did you know it's light at that hour of the day? And, surprisingly, there are lots of people up and about! The interview went out live on the Pete Morgan Breakfast Show and from the early feedback I've received it seems I didn't make a complete fool of myself!

My only concern is that I might start flag a little later in the day. Best, perhaps, that I have a bit of a rest now to avoid falling asleep over my pint tonight!

What was the point?

Against my better judgement, I agreed last night to go with a couple of pals to the Annual Meeting of Stone Town Council held in the Station. In the event, I wasted twenty minutes of valuable drinking time!

Apparently it is a legal requirement that such a meeting be held to enable the Council to report to the public and to afford members of the public an opportunity to question their elected representatives. Well that sounds all very commendable but in practice it's a farce!

So what happened? Well, Cllr. June Price, the Town Mayor recited from a list of events that had taken place in the town over the last twelve months - none of which, bar one, had been organised by the Town Council. Stone's County Councillor, Phillip Jones, gave a report which only briefly referred to Stone but managed to weave in words such as "austerity", "growth" and "coalition"!

Then the floor was handed over to the public. Antony Lucas, as Chairman of Stone in Bloom, took thirty seconds to thank the Council for it's support and I took a further thirty seconds to point out that, according to research carried by Taste of Staffordshire,  the Stone Food and Drink Festival generated almost £400,000 additional revenue for the town. And that was it! The Mayor then used her gavel to close the meeting and the only 'real' member of the public sitting next to me was totally bewildered!

He thought he was coming to see 'democracy in action' and that he might have heard something about the Christchurch Way controversy, the negative comments about our thriving High Street or the recent graffiti problems. But not so! As we bade him farewell, he was wondering how he was going to explain his swift return home to his wife - he'd warned her he might be out late!

When I retired from local politics last year, I vowed I would never attend another Council meeting. I am now wishing I'd stuck to my resolution!

Well done, Kieron!

It looks as if the graffiti saga is reaching a very satisfactory conclusion!

First of all, Staffordshire Police have confirmed that two 15 year olds have been arrested in relation to the spraying of graffiti. Let's hope that these arrests will bring this nonsense to an end. The course of justice will now take its course. I just worry that public opinion is demanding a more severe outcome than I fear may occur. (Someone was even suggesting a ducking stool over the canal or stocks on Westbridge Park!)

Kieron McKnight, organiser, finishes the job!

And secondly, there was another fantastic turn out for the community clean up which took place yesterday. Organised by Kieron McKnight, the Youth and Community worker at Christchurch, dozens turned up to help. The use of a brand new power washer had been organised by a very generous local person whose identity I don't know, the customers in the Pheasant pub donated £70 towards the cost of materials and Chritstchurch volunteers cooked bacon and sausages for lunch. By lunchtime all the graffiti had been removed. The community spirit amongst the volunteers was wonderful and, judging by the number of motorists who greeted us by beeping their horns, the efforts were appreciated by everyone who went passed!

Well done Kieron!

A messy business!

Last week's AGM of the Trustees of the Common Plott (yes- strictly speaking, it is spelt with a double 'T'!) went very much according to the usual format.

The Chairman's and Treasurer's reports recounted another very successful year. The finances are now robust - a very different story to a few years ago when Foot and Mouth disease played havoc with the grazing income.

Two related issues did, however, cause some debate - dog fouling and trespassing on the hay meadow. The problem of dogs fouling the fields has always been an issue but is even more of a problem now due to the increased numbers of people using the Plott. Irresponsible dog owners who fail to 'pick up' are a menace. The Chairman was able to report that a prosecution was being considered after a Dog Warden made a recent visit to the Plott. It was agreed that further steps need to be taken to deal with this problem and it will be discussed at the next meeting of the Trustees.

The other issue that was raised was the fact that walkers are not keeping to the footpath across the wild flower meadow. We have some rare plants growing in the meadow and people and dogs roaming all over the meadow cause considerable damage. It was agreed again that action needs to be taken and that the next Trustees meeting will consider what can be done to resolve the problem.

In the meantime, if you use the Plott, please remember to keep to the paths and if you walk your dog on the Plott, please 'pick up' afterwards.

Graffiti removal update.

I've just had a call from Kieron McKnight, the Youth and Community worker from Christchurch, with good news. On Monday, I put him onto a company which specialises in graffiti removal products including one which is not hazardous and can be used by untrained operatives. Five litres was ordered and Kieron phoned to say that it arrived this morning. He's tried it out and it works a treat!

And he's also heard from Network Rail who, no doubt, have seen this week's 'Newsletter'! The front page story told how, originally, Kieron was told by a Network Rail employee that any attempt to remove the graffiti would be regarded as an act of criminal damage and render the volunteer liable to arrest! Network Rail now have no objection to us removing the graffiti!!!!

So another community anti graffiti session will take place on Sunday morning at 11.00 meeting on Christchurch Car Park. And Kieron has arranged for lunch to be provided to volunteers at 1.00 pm.

Incidentally, the cleaning fluid and tools cost money so any donations to the church to cover the cost would be very much appreciated. There will  be collections in a few town centre pubs tonight.

A gallant effort! But more work will be needed.

The graffiti issue moves on a pace! Immediately after I posted my last comments on Monday, Twitter was alive with tweeps as to whether we should publish pictures of the graffiti or not. A good debate and I hope I haven't upset Jamie at A Little Bit of Stone too much. I think he thought that I was having a go at him - I definitely was not! His site is superb and I would not say or do anything to diminish his efforts.

The volunteers in Newcastle Street

Indeed, thanks to A Little Bit of Stone's coverage of the issue, a community action team was organised by Christ Church youth and community worker Kieron  McKnight this morning to try and remove the graffiti. Requests for help from Stafford Borough Council and Network Rail (who are responsible for the bridge) apparently met with some rather unhelpful responses. So local residents turned up at 10 o'clock and set to work. Unfortunately, household bleach, oven cleaner and white spirits were only partially successful and more work will have to be done to completely remove it all.

But the great news is that enquiries have discovered a company that supplies a special solvent which can be safely used by volunteers. And the search is now on to find a mobile pressure washer. An anonymous donor has made a payment to cover the cost of the solvent! I understand that there will also be collections in some local pubs over the next few days to raise funds to ensure that these fantastic volunteers have the right tools to complete the job.

I understand that there may be another 'volunteers session' this weekend. (I'll post more details when I know them) In the meantime if you know someone with a portable jet washer please let the organisers know via A Little Bit of Stone. And if someone asks for a donation in your local pub, please put your hand in your pocket. And if you're doing nothing when the next cleanup is organised come along and give a hand.

Well done to all for today! Together we can solve this problem

Anger and outrage

I have never experienced such an outburst of collective anger and outrage before. I went for a quiet drink but was greeted by a whole pub talking about one thing only. The topic was, of course, the daubing of more graffiti around the Stonefield area the night before. Normally placid people are very angry indeed.

Let's be clear, the culprits derive their satisfaction from having their 'tags' seen by as many people as possible. So publishing photographs of their work is playing straight into their hands. That is why I shall not be publishing any photographs here, on Facebook or on Twitter.  Local councillors should resist the opportunity of local newspaper photo shoots. And declaring, as one councillor did last week, that "we will find out who you are" has probably taunted the culprits to even more activity. This could develop into a game of 'cat and mouse'.

If our local councillors have any power or influence at all, let them use it to make sure that Stafford Borough Council immediately send out their 'graffitti busters' team to eradicate the mess without delay. These eyesores should be removed tomorrow.

And the rest of us must do everything we can to make sure that the police can trace, apprehend and prosecute the offenders immediately. Someone knows something. Someone may have seen something. This is probably not the work of a single person - almost certainly the culprits will have had look-outs close by. The 'tags' mean something to certain people. Someone bought the spray paint. Someone in a house somewhere in the town knows something that could put a stop to this. The sooner the culprits are arrested the better - for their sake. The level of people's feelings last night worried me.

A Change of Heart

Some time ago, I harangued Stone Town Council for penny pinching when they were dealing with an application for a grant to Stone in Bloom. So I was pleased to hear that there had been a change of mind on the part of a majority of Town Councillors at a recent meeting and that the application for a £2000 grant from the Stone in Bloom committee has now been approved.

Common sense has prevailed, thank goodness! Stone in Bloom are up against some stiff competition this year because they have been entered in the national competition. What an accolade for the town. And they need every penny they can raise. So if you're in town on a Farmers Market day, make sure you buy one of their mugs,  get yourself a badge or sign up as a Friend of Stone in Bloom. A good result in the national competition will really put Stone on the map!

Did anyone do it?

I'm curious. Last Saturday a rather large crane appeared on the car park at Langtrys to offer bungee jumps to the brave (or stupid!) young folk of the town. It was setting up when we walked into town and I noticed that they were also offering trips up in the cage as well as the jumps themselves.

I rather fancied going up to get a bird's eye view of the town. But sadly, by the time we'd seen President, had lunch at La Dolce Vita and walked home with the shopping, they were packing the whole thing up. They could have only been open for business for a couple of hours at the most!

Then last night I was talking in the pub to a friend of ours whose house overlooks Langtrys. He had kept his eye on the crane for the whole time it was there and never saw a single customer!

So did anyone have a go? Perhaps our young folk are neither brave nor stupid!