The torch bearers have specifically been chosen to partake in such a momentous occasion due to their inspirational background stories; Trevor Burchkick MBE and Peter Wood MBE have been chosen to carry the torch as a result of their enormous contribution to community service. There has also been a write up in the ‘Stockport Express’ about local Stockport girl, Claudia Thomas, aged 14 who has contributed thousands to charity throughout her life and, now rewarded for such generosity, she is thrilled to be carrying the torch and represent the Stockport leg of the journey.

So make sure you’re there to greet the torch. It will truly be a once in a life time occasion and your chance to be a part of the 2012 Olympic games!

Collecting since the first day of Lent – 22nd February – pupils have donated a grand total of 14,831 pennies / £148.31p to the Catholic charity’s Lenten ‘St Joseph’s Penny’ appeal which provides care and support for children and parents with family difficulties or where children are vulnerable and at risk. This year, money raised will go towards the Young Parents’ Service, which has been deeply affected by council funding cuts.

To raise money, Stella Maris pupils collected loose change in St Joseph’s Penny boxes, but also hosted their own break-time class stalls selling slices of toast and cakes. When all the pennies were collected each class took part in a ‘Penny Race’ lining up all their coins in the school hall – the winning class with the longest line was Year5/6 reaching a total of 66 metres.

Spreading a bit of that spring good will can go a long way. It’s fantastic that the Heatons are bucking the national trend relating to empty shops. So yes we can pat ourselves on the back for supporting our retailers and keeping the local economy buoyant, but the Heatons are about so much more. We’re lucky to live and/or work here and should sustain and feed the atmosphere the Heatons have – I love being part of a community where people chat to the shop keepers and talk to the person at the next table in the café.

So as we all shake off the winter woollens it’s about being neighbourly in the widest sense. Don’t get me wrong: I don’t always let other cars out in front of me and I’m not rushing round giving fruit baskets out to my neighbours! But I do say hello to the postman, I don’t park in disabled spaces (not even with two fraught children in tow when I’m just ‘popping in for a minute’) and if I had a dog I wouldn’t let it do what some people (you know who you are) let theirs do on our pavements. We can all be better citizens, even if it is just a friendly hello, shopping locally or parking considerately. We’re clearly a pretty nice bunch anyway, but with spring in the air and that sunshine feeling of good will to our fellow Heatonians, now’s a good a time as any to show appreciation for where we’re lucky enough to live.

Melissa. Editor, Moor Magazine.

Landlord Simon Wetton

One of our favourite Heatons pubs has been given listed building status. Heaton Norris’ Nursery Inn has been awarded Grade II status for its ‘special architectural status’. The pub was built in 1939 replacing a Victorian pub that had been next to a planting nursery (hence the name). According to English Heritage it’s one of only six 1930’s pubs to retain its original features.  Not only architecturally important, the pub has also played an important role in Stockport’s history as the very first headquarters for Stockport County FC.

Though the panelled seats, stained glass and silk bar decorations are indeed fabulous and part of what English Heritage describe as The Nursery’s ‘remarkable period interior’, we at MOOR love it for its great real ale and the guaranteed warm welcome you’ll get, whether you’re a regular or a first timer, popping in to have a look at those silk panels.

Young talent, Heather (left) and Sian

As you read this, local girl Heather Dunwoodie from Heaton Norris will be taking a much deserved rest following her stint in the musical ‘Oliver’ at the Palace Theatre, Manchester. Heather, aged 10, and another Stockport girl, Sian Pendlebury, aged 11, from Offerton, both auditioned for a part in the production back in October 2011. They were talented enough to find themselves singing and dancing on the stage alongside Neil Morrisey (famously Tony in ‘Men Behaving Badly’) as Fagin.

Heather and Sian go to a local drama group and a choir, both run by Moira Hancock and Andy Kellet from SMK Productions. The girls are keen to develop their skills further, as appearing in Oliver has given them not only a fantastic experience, but a desire to do more theatre work too.

Heaton Moor Conservative Club, all dressed up for the Coronation

In 2008 The Heaton Moor Conservative Club became ‘The Moor Club’. Bowing to pressure to move with the times, it shed its political affiliations and male-only membership to merge with the nearby Reform (Liberal) Club and welcome women through its doors for very first time. For many years however the club had been a Conservative stronghold in the community.

Built in 1881, The Conservative Club arrived not long after the houses surrounding it. Properties in the then ‘up-and-coming’ residential area of Heaton Moor were built mostly in the 1870s and 1880s, and were home to the new middle classes, courtesy of booming local industries. Current club member Peter Beswick describes the club as having provided a “Gentlemen’s Club” for local men of Conservative leaning; “a pleasant watering hole away from the stresses of work and family.”

Club facilities included a snooker hall, two bars, a board room and dining suite. It was so well used that in 1883 members saw fit to extend the club to include a reading room on the ground floor and a Masonic Hall on the second floor (still used by Freemason groups today).

Construction was funded by a group of twelve local Tories, who set up a limited company “The Heaton Moor and District Conservative Club Co Ltd’ which was then sold off in shares and held, in the main part, in trust for the club’s members. Although local listings do not confirm the building’s architect, the structure has key features of prominent local architect Alfred Darbyshire, who designed the neighbouring Heaton Chapel Reform Club along with the Manchester Gaiety theatre and other iconic local buildings.

The club’s members would no doubt have felt the force of the debate surrounding tradition versus change in 19th century Britain. This centred on the results of free trade and booming industry; namely a general breakdown of traditional social structures. The emergence of a free-trade market in Britain in 1846 had allowed commercial success to drive social status – as opposed to breeding and inheritance. The century’s taste for change and commerce divided Conservatives, with some leaders supporting previously unpalatable reforms in order to gain voters.

It would seem that Heaton Moor Conservative Club members were capable of resolving political differences however.

Harold MacMillan's visit to Heaton Moor Conservative Club

During the First World War, when the neighbouring Reform Club was transformed into a hospital, the Conservative Club welcomed their Liberal counterparts into their meeting place. The club maintained strong Conservative links well into the twentieth century though, receiving Conservative Prime Minister Harold Macmillan to the club in 1958.

Nowadays the club is keen to highlight that it’s no longer politically motivated. Speaking in the Stockport Express at the time of its image overhaul, Secretary John Wood stated “We have changed the name to the Moor Club to emphasise that it is no longer a political club. We want to end the old-fashioned culture. There may still be a place for men-only clubs, it’s just not here.”

(With thanks to Peter Beswick, Moor Club member for his narrative of the club’s history)

Dr Chris Steele, Coeliac expert

Dr Chris Steele, well known for his appearances on ITV’s This Morning, will be visiting the Heatons during Coeliac Awareness Week. In his role as ambassador for the Coeliac Society, he’s keen to talk about the disease and give people advice on its management.

He’ll be popping into Blue Corn, Moor Top, on Thursday 17th May between 2-4pm. Barbara Kirkham, Chair of the Cheshire Coeliac Group, which has organised the event, told MOOR, “We’re delighted that Dr Steele is coming to Blue Corn during Coeliac Awareness Week. He’s passionate about the Coeliac Society and is keen to offer support and advice to as many people as possible. We hope the event will be well attended.”

Even if you can’t make it to see Dr Chris, it’s worth calling into Blue Corn during Coeliac Awareness Week (14th-19th May). Barbara will be there for advice and there’ll be free samples and visits from key suppliers such as Warburton’s and Glutafin.
For more information contact Barbara on barbkirkham@aol.co.uk or call into Blue Corn.

Winning Mum Tina, enjoying 'The Works' courtesy of Kico Hair & Beauty

In the February/March issue of MOOR we asked you to tell us why your mum deserved a fabulous prize of pamper day and make-over at Kico Hair & Beauty in Heaton Mersey followed by an amazing family photoshoot at Venture Photography. We received some great entries:  funny, heart-warming and full of love, proving that not only do we have some wonderful mums in the Heatons, but that they really are appreciated by their nearest and dearest.

However, the prize could only go to one amazing mum and as soon as the judges read through 13 year old Sophia’s entry, we knew we had found our winner. Sophia wrote in to tell us about her mum Tina, who in spite of some major health issues requiring long & gruelling treatment, always remains cheerful. She’s a single parent to Sophia who says that Tina is the best mum in the world and that no mum could do better. They don’t have loads of money but Tina works hard to give them a great life.

Sophia told us about the house fire in which they’d lost everything. “I know it wasn’t the big things that made her unhappy but the small things – like all my baby pictures and things from when I was small that she had kept. She told me that all that mattered was that we were alive and well, but I know that losing the small things mattered to her. She has no pictures of us at all….”

Mum Tina enjoying her make-over

Kico Hair & Beauty treated Tina to a proper pamper session and make-over. Our fully relaxed and revitalised mum then collected Sophia for a fantastic photoshoot at Venture.

The finsihed article: a happy Tina and Sophia, photpgraphed by Jordan at Venture Photography

(They’ll be going back in a couple of weeks to view the images and choose the £800 prize of final framed pictures.)

Kico can be contacted on 0161 443 1169 / hi@kicohairandbeauty.co.uk / kicohairandbeauty.co.uk

Venture can be contacted on 0161 431 4040 / stockport@venturephotography.co.uk / venturephotography.co.uk

Find out what it is you really want to do
There’s no shame in taking a year  out to find out what it is that you  really want to do with your talents,  skills and interests. Sometimes,  time away from the pressures of  studying is all you’ll need to gain a little perspective – and possibly save yourself from spending  considerable time and money on starting the wrong degree course. My sister, Jessica Coombs, has decided to take a year out in order to gain work  xperience as a healthcare assistant before she decides whether a nursing degree would be for her. “I feel like gaining experience is the best decision I could have made”, said Jessica. “There’s plenty of time to
plan and decide your future and no need to rush”. Work experience is also invaluable in the current employment climate, so anything you can put on your CV that demonstrates your enthusiasm and ambition is crucial – whether it be for future employment or UCAS  applications.

Youssef Spiro in India

Explore your other options University is certainly not the only valuable tool young people have at their disposal to help them get started on a successful career. In fact, more and more young people are looking at alternative routes that take them to their desired destination. Vocational courses and apprenticeships are far more suited to particular career paths, and they often come with a lower financial burden, too. www.apprenticeships.org.uk is an extremely comprehensive website, providing job searches and apprenticeship opportunities for those of who feel the academic route may not be the way to go. With a little bit of planning, a gap year could prove to be one of the best decisions you make.

John Hylton and his talented live band will perform songs from the great album and film “the Jazz Singer”, which starred Sir Laurence Olivier and Neil Diamond… along with a selection of his greatest hits.

We are giving Moor readers the exclusive chance to win tickets to see this spectacular show. To enter, simply fill in your details below and the winner will be picked at random. See Moormag terms.

Competition closes 22nd April 2012