Goostrey Pre-School sent a shocking email yesterday confirming that they have been the victim of a very significant theft.

Here is the text of the statement:

Dear Parents,

It is with great sadness that the Trustees have to announce that Goostrey Pre-School has fallen victim to the theft of a significant amount of money.

All appropriate bodies have been notified and Goostrey Pre-School are continuing to work with the police.
We are advised that the Police have now completed their initial investigation and have made an arrest.

None of the current Trustees or past or present staff are implicated and Pre-School will continue to operate as normal.

As it is an ongoing police investigation, we cannot give any more details at this time. However all current parents as well as those from the previous 2 years are receiving this email.

We assure you that there is no risk to the children, and never has been, and we are taking all appropriate steps to recover as much of the money as we can.

The day-to-day running of Goostrey Pre-School should not be adversely affected. However, it is more important than ever that we continue to raise funds for Pre-School, particularly in the short-term, and we remain grateful for any and all donations or fundraising efforts.

We hope you will continue to support Goostrey Pre-School through this difficult time and we are thankful for the support we have received thus far.

Goostrey Pre-School Trustees

It seems inconceivable that someone could target such a brilliant charity that has supported the children of our village since 1967, but to do so at Christmas is an outrage. Reaction on social media has understandably reflected the shock, distress and the palpable anger that residents feel for someone who could target the pre school.

It’s encouraging that a suspect has been arrested, and we can only hope that the wheels of justice grind both fine and swiftly in this instance.

Love Goostrey will be doing everything possible to help fundraise for the pre school in the coming months. We know that our readers and our village has always come together in an incredible way when tough obstacles are placed in our path.

We hope you join us in sparing a thought for the amazing work that the teachers and committee do to keep this precious resource in our village. We also hope you’ll spare a thought for the children who get so much from the pre-school throughout the year.

More news will follow as we get it.

SEASON’S GREETINGS FROM 1^st Goostrey Scouts

Dates for the Diary

24th November – Woodland Trust Big Climate Fightback at the Scout Hut

Our young people consistently tell us that protecting our environment is one of the most important things they care about. On Sunday 24th November Cub Leader, Paul Kemsley, is inviting all young people from babes-in-arms through to young adults to drop in at the Scout Hut and Youth Centre with their families between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm to help plant our wildlife hedge as part of the Woodland Trust’s Big Climate Fightback. Please bring a spade, energy and enthusiasm – and hope for dry weather!

Countdown to Christmas

The Scouts run a range of events for the community each year, which help to raise funds and/or support the work of the Parish Council. The countdown to Christmas is a very busy period.

The Christmas Light Switch on Event will be held at its usual location on the Bogbean on Sunday 1 December from 5 pm onwards, when Santa will, we hope, be able to call in to meet children, while seasonal fayre will be on offer including mulled wine, mince pies, BBQ food and hot drinks and cakes. Join in singing Christmas carols to music performed by the Rode Hall Silver Band – which is kindly funded by a donation from the Parish Council.

Watch out for Santa’s Sleigh in the first week of December. Santa is planning to visit Goostrey West during the evening of Wednesday 4 December, and Goostrey East on Thursday 5 December, ably assisted by some of 1^st Goostrey’s Scout Leaders and parents. Bring the children out to meet him.

The route on December 4^th Goostrey West will be : Main Road both sides from Long Shoot,Hermitage Lane, New Platt Lane, Boothbed Lane,Forest Avenue, Mulberry Avenue and others.

On December 5^th – Goostrey East : Main Road (north side), Mill Lane, Woodlands, Buckbean Way, Brooklands Drive (and side roads), Station Road, Main Road (south side to Long Shoot)

Holmes Chapel’s Santa Sleigh is now fitted with a GPS tracker, so anyone can send a text message G123456# to 07933 617016 and they will receive a text providing a link to a google map, showing the exact location of the sleigh. This should greatly assist in checking that Santa is on his way, and to get ready for his arrival.

Donations to Holmes Chapel’s Santa Sleigh can also be made through https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/hcsantasleigh

The Scout Christmas Post will again be run in December by Goostrey Scouts in conjunction with Holmes Chapel Scouts.  For the modest price of 30 pence per card, let the Scouts deliver some of your local Christmas cards.  Red post boxes will be located at the Scout Hut and Youth Centre, as well as at Goostrey News and the Trading Post from 1 December, with a final collection on Tuesday 17 December.   Please include the postcode for each recipient’s address, then package your cards and payment into one bag and place in the red collection boxes. Cheques should be made payable to “1^st Goostrey Scouts” please.

Helpers welcome

We would appreciate help from Scouts’ parents, grandparents or other residents in running all these events. If you could spare some time to help, please contact: Neil Memmott, Group Scout Leader, e: neil.memmott@gmail.com    m: 07970 400880   t: 01477 544406

Goostrey Scouts support the Toy Appeal  for Christmas 2019

1^st Goostrey Scouts have invited all our Scouts, Cubs and Beavers to help underprivileged children by showing support for the Toy Appeal 2019.  All our Scout members have been asked to try to bring a new, unwrapped toy suitable for any age group from 0 – 17 to the drop off point in the hallway at the Scout Hut & Youth Centre before  Saturday 7 December. Last year the Toy Appeal provided a sack of toys to 3800 children who would not otherwise have received any presents on Christmas Day.

This year, the Toy Appeal, a charity run by Chris and Dee Drake from Twemlow Green, is keen to increase the number of children helped to 5000.   Group Scout Leader, Neil Memmott, said: “We are keen for our scouts to understand that there are children who are not as fortunate as themselves in our region, and it would be wonderful if we could assist the Toy Appeal in achieving its aim of helping as many as 5000 underprivileged children in the North West to wake up on Christmas Day to a sack full of toys.”  The Crown Inn and Goostrey Primary School are also providing collection points for donations of new unwrapped toys.

Anyone wishing to make a financial donation, please see: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/TheToyAppeal-2019

At Love Goostrey we’re firm believers in all the things that Buddy the Elf taught us: spaghetti and syrup is a fine recipe, alcohol in coffee makes Cossack dancing possible and, of course…

So, when we received word from Angela Gilmore concerning Christmas caroling to raise money for the amazing homeless charity, Lifeshare, we knew we had to help. Over to you Angela.

“From long years of experience, people who join us always say that it is the real start of Christmas for them, that it is the most worthwhile thing they do at that season – or just that they thoroughly enjoy the experience of bringing joyful music to their neighbours.”

“However, most of our ‘regulars’ are getting rather long in the tooth for standing under street lamps singing and numbers have been dropping for several years. It’s not that we need masses of people as we have several good voices in our midst, but if the numbers fall too low, there are too few to carry the tins round the doors, and the fewer the tins, the slower the progress, and the less money raised for those who need it.”

You can see the problem.

So – are you up for adding your voice, or your tin-jangling abilities to help this year? If so, all the details are below. If you could comment on this post or on the Facebook post to say if you’re in then Angela can get an idea of numbers.

Think of how proud Buddy would be.

WHEN:

• Tuesday, December 17th, starting at 7 p.m. at the Sandy Lane bungalows
• Friday, December 20th, starting at 7 p.m. on the Bogbean and ending in the Crown.

All proceeds go to Lifeshare, a charity which provides shelter, food, fellowship, washing facilities, advice etc over the christmas and New Year period in central Manchester. They took over some years ago to continue the work done by Crisis.

Wear something warm and remember you don’t need a good voice – just a love of singing; or you could even help greatly by carrying the collecting tin. The spirit is still the same! Bring a friend!

A huge thank-you from the Goosfest organisers to everyone who supported this year’s festival. Not only did the 2019 programme include a record number of events, but the two-week festival also achieved nearly twice as many ticket sales as last year, with many events selling out.

Believe it or not, the Goosfest Committee has already started booking events for Goosfest 2020, such as:

• A return visit by international saxophonist Snake Davis, following last year’s hugely popular evening of soulful melodic sounds

• A concert by close-harmony vocal group ‘The Girls From Oz’, who regularly appear at prestigious jazz and cabaret clubs around the U.K.

• For the children, a pumpkin carving workshop in good time for Hallowe’en.

As you can see, although the dust hasn’t settled on this year’s Goosfest, plans are well underway for Goosfest 2020, which will run from Friday October 2nd to Sunday October 18th next year. So, if you have any ideas for events or workshops, please get in touch by emailing info@goosfest.com. The organisers would love to hear your suggestions – or any feedback on any aspect of this year’s Goosfest.

And if anyone is interested in joining a small but happy band of committee members, please get in touch, again by emailing info@goosfest.co. Or if you’d like to help on the bar rota, or in any other way, let the Goosfest Committee know – the more the merrier.

Finally, visit www.goosfest.com and check out this year’s photo gallery from the October festival. There are some stunning photographs of this year’s events – a wonderful reminder of the wide range of acts, workshops, lectures and other activities that happened over the three weeks.

See you next year at Goosfest 2020!

FOGS members are delighted to announce that their entry won the ACoRP Photo and Video competition.  The result was announced at the National Awards Ceremony of the Association of Community Rail Partnerships (ACoRP) in Telford on Thursday 3rd October. Monica and Peter Robson, accompanied by Mike and Ayleen Jarvis, were there to receive the engraved trophy, a certificate and a cheque. Many thanks to all who voted for our entry.

Winners of the photo competition at the ACoRP award ceremony in Telford

In the ‘It’s Your Station’ category, the 32 nominated stations were split by the judges into Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum sections.  Goostrey Station was placed in the Gold group and received a certificate. Whilst we did not win, this was a significant achievement and puts us in the top 10 of entries nationally. We punch well above our weight!

Now in its 15th year, the Community Rail Awards celebrate the important and often unsung work carried out by community rail partnerships and community groups.  Details of the winners and runners up in all competition categories can be found at https://communityrail.org.uk/cra19-winners/

Locally, FOGS has a Gold award from Wild about Goostrey. The scheme is supported by Goostrey parish council and encourages residents to make habitat improvements which will increase biodiversity and wildlife connectivity.

Enjoying a break during a volunteer working party at Goostrey Station

However, Vice Chair of FOGS Mike Jarvis commented that ‘if we are to build on our success, we need more people to come forward and help. Many of the current team are approaching, or over 80 years of age.’

Chair of FOGS Craig Sidebotham added ‘New members must learn about our rail contacts because there is a complex structure to deal with. If no-one comes forward, then in a few years Goostrey station could return to being a blot on the landscape.  That would be a great pity especially as we are nearing the point where the newly renovated former ticket office will be re-opened. At that stage, we will need to liaise with the franchise holders Northern to persuade them that the building should be available for community and learning projects for young and old.’

To ensure that passengers continue to enjoy using Goostrey station, our working parties continue on the second Sunday of each month (except in November when we meet on the third Sunday) starting at 10am. New volunteers are always welcome.  For more information, please contact Mike Jarvis on 01477 533981 or look at the FOGS website.