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Art Fair Cheshire gets under way tomorrow (Thur Sept 26) showcasing the region’s finest artistic talent.

The event, in aid of East Cheshire Hospice, runs until Thursday Oct 3 at Macclesfield Town Hall.

Artists donate a percentage of sales to the charity. Admission is free and a pop-up café serves refreshments.

The exhibition features original art and sculptures, paintings, prints, jewellery, photography, ceramics and willow weaving.

The event includes work created by the next generation of budding artists, strengthening community links.

Mixed media artist Rebecca Clitheroe who is giving a talk at Art Fair Cheshire.

Youngsters part of the Hospice’s child bereavement services have submitted work made within their sessions, including framed artworks and 3D.

Meanwhile, pupils from Fallibroome Academy and Macclesfield College have submitted works based on a brief of ‘memory.’

Hospice community and events fundraiser Claire Gorton said: “Art Fair Cheshire is a great team effort, involving volunteers, art lovers and sponsors.

“This year’s event is going to be fantastic and I’d encourage people to visit and support the Hospice.”

The talks schedule is:

Sat Sept 28 11.30 am: Mixed media artist Rebecca Clitheroe explores Hidden Histories of buildings/landmarks.

2 pm: Steph Janson turns wool tops, yarns and fabrics into landscapes.

Steph Janson who appears at Art Fair Cheshire.

Sun Sept 29: 11.30 am: Painter Peter Davis talks about themes in his urban landscapes and portraits.

2 pm: Patty Callaghan demonstrates the world of papier mache art.

The exhibition is curated by Jess Flewitt, Anne Riordan and Sue Roberts. This is mainly in the large Assembly gallery upstairs in the town hall.

The biennial event, which celebrates its 25^th anniversary this year, has raised around £450,000 for the Hospice.

Grandmother Anna Rains came up with the idea of staging the first exhibition. In 1998, she chaired a fundraising appeal to mark the Hospice’s 10^th anniversary.

The art exhibition was an important fundraiser for the creation of the Sunflower Centre which has developed into one of the most modern health care centres in the region.

Appropriately, Anna and her original trail-blazing fundraisers attended the reopening of the refurbished centre, now known as the Sunflower Living Well Centre, in April.

The Art Fair sponsored by AstraZeneca, opens from 10.30 am until 4 pm daily. For more details visit www.theartfair.org.uk

The world of virtual reality has arrived at East Cheshire Hospice as new technology further aids staff and patients.

The Hospice has been loaned three VR headsets by Macclesfield and District General Hospital.

The fully immersive 360-degree vision will further enhance training and therapy.

Conor Stubbs, Head of IT, said: “The headsets have a range of apps which can be used for simulated clinical-based training. This might include medicine management and how to physically move and handle patients.

“This enables our Practice Education Facilitator to deliver training to clinical staff in new ways.

“The headsets allow hands-on physical interaction with objects in a room so a more hands on experience of learning and an engaging way of delivering training.

IT staff demonstrate the VR headsets

“The headsets are linked to an iPad so people can see what is happening on the headsets, making it easier to share with others during group training and also for nurses supporting service users with VR.

“We’ve always had plans for VR in our digital strategy but the generous loan from the Hospital means we’ve been able to fast forward our adoption.

“We’re also hoping to roll out VR to patients and service users. For example, they could be used for child therapy services allowing young people to use the headsets for relaxation, interactive games and mindfulness content.

“Those who use our dementia and outpatient services can enjoy relaxing scenes, whether in a garden, by the beach or re-visiting their favourite places.

“It’s an exciting project with lots of possibilities and patients and staff will always be at the heart of our plans.”

The Hospice introduced smart technology earlier this year when the Sunflower Living Well Centre reopened after extensive refurbishment.

* A Folk Night in aid of East Cheshire Hospice is a sell-out.

Acts will play audience favourites at Prestbury Village Club on Friday, September 27 (8 pm).

Organiser Mike Fairhurst is bass player with Now and Then. Singer guitarist Chris Hearn and folk duo Mike and John will also perform.

Mike Fairhurst said: “It’s a fun evening and our group will hand out song sheets, encouraging guests to have a good sing song.

“This is the fourth year it has been in aid of the Hospice.”

Regulars at Alfred’s Bar and Dine are becoming film and television quiz buffs.

Monthly quizzes at the town centre venue have raised more than £1,500 so far for East Cheshire Hospice.

Cult American television sitcom Friends was the theme for the latest quiz as customers tested their knowledge on six young adults living in Manhattan.

Disney films, Harry Potter and Gavin and Stacey have been other themes at the fun nights.

Alfred’s deputy manager Craig Trodden.

The quiz master is Liv Poole, who owns the Quizzly Bears, and there are prizes for the winners.

The next quiz is on Tuesday, August 6, with music, film and television from the 2000s decade as the theme.

To reserve a place call 01625 420010 or message on social media. Entry is £2 per person or £10 for a table of up to six.

General manager Louise Anderson said: “A lot of our customers have a connection with the Hospice through family or friends, so we’re delighted to help out in this way.

“The Hospice is a great local charity which is why we’re doing what we can to support it. The quizzes have been really popular and we’d like to thank everyone for their support.”

Follow Alfreds, located at Park Green, on their socials to keep up to date with future quizzes.

Golfer Liz Stott is the latest member of her family to undertake a tough sporting challenge.

Husband Chris has sailed across the Atlantic, while sons Andrew and James have also pushed themselves to the limit with their own tests of endurance.

Chris with sons James (left) and Andrew on their Atlantic adventure.

Not to be outdone, Liz played 72 holes of golf on the longest day to raise funds for East Cheshire Hospice.

Liz teed off at 6 am on Friday June 21 and sank her final putt 13 hours later.

Friend Celia Stanley, who works in the lottery team at the Hospice, played the last of four rounds with Liz who walked the course.

Other members of The Tytherington Club who either caddied or played alongside Liz were Jill Hone, Jane Ambler, Beth Attwell, Sue Hunter, Fiona Weems, Kath Lees, Anne Dutoy and Marg Jordan.

The transatlantic crew with Chris Stott (second from left) and Bryan Hammond (far right).

Liz donated £5 to the charity for every lost golf ball meaning an additional £30. The Tytherington club team gave £200, one of many donations.

Sporting activity runs in her family. On the longest day three years ago, son Andrew cycled from his home in Southampton to Macclesfield, while younger brother James completed his first ironman in Barcelona last year.

Meanwhile, Chris is almost home after sailing with their two sons from Bermuda, where Andrew lives, to the Azores.

Liz on the 18^th green at The Tytherington Club.

Chris is bringing home the boat on which he and five others, including Bryan Hammond, from Macclesfield, sailed from Gran Canaria to St Lucia – the shortest transatlantic westward crossing – last November.

Liz, from Prestbury, said: “I come from a family who aren’t afraid to take on a challenge, though mine wasn’t quite as adventurous as theirs.

“I suppose I wanted to do my own challenge and raise some money while doing it. The Hospice is very special in our community.  I won’t be the only one who’s had friends and family who’ve been cared for there, so it was an easy decision to raise the money for the Hospice.”

Liz Stott with her supporters. 

“I want to thank The Tytherington Club for their support, including the loan of buggies, my friends for keeping me going and everyone who donated.

“It was a memorable day, even though it was exhausting.”

Liz with Fiona Weems (left) and Beth Attwell.

Ian Shoreman, Tytherington’s club director, said: “We’re all extremely proud of what Liz has done. Playing 72 holes on a difficult course is a long walk, requiring lots of effort for a great cause.”

* To donate visit www.justgiving.com/page/liz-stott-72holes

East Cheshire Hospice has received further approval for its work with the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (plus) community.

The Hospice has retained its Navajo Charter status, an equality mark supported by LGTBQ+ community networks across Cheshire and Merseyside.

The Hospice partners with two other charities – St Luke’s in Winsford and Hospice of The Good Shepherd in Backford – to ensure end-of-life care is fully inclusive.

They appointed Ellen Coleman as lead focusing on equality, diversity and inclusiveness for staff and volunteers.

East Cheshire has now been re-issued with its Charter mark following a detailed review which showed it successfully met the needs of patients, staff and volunteers.

The Hospice trained five champions to increase staff awareness of barriers to health care.

Sarah Dale BEM, Clinical Director of Quality and Innovation at the Hospice, said: “We were given an action plan two years ago and had to show that we’re an organisation which is invested in making change and ensuring our services are more accessible.

Sarah Dale BEM, Clinical Director of Quality and Innovation at East Cheshire Hospice.

“We needed to show we had a clear equality and diversity strategy which links in with the Hospice aims and objectives.

“Ellen has been pivotal helping us achieve our goals.

“This new endorsement signifies good practice, commitment and a knowledge of the specific needs, issues and barriers facing the LGBTQ+ community.

“One such challenge is use of the right language in an appropriate way.

“Our progress has been recognised and equality, diversity and inclusivity remain at the top of our agenda.”

A summer concert dedicated to the memory of music lover David West will have special significance.

The lunchtime performance will be held at St Michael’s Church in Macclesfield where David and wife Linda often attended recitals.

The event – themed ‘Notes of Joy and Memories’ – is on Friday, June 28, at 1.15 pm with free admission.

David, from Bollington, died from cancer in November, aged 76.

Linda said: “David was looked after with tremendous love and care by the Hospice’s Hospice @Home team in his last days.

“He would have liked to have shown his thanks to them in a practical way.

Music lover David West whose memory will be honoured at St Michael’s Church.

“We enjoyed attending the recitals at St Mike’s and appreciated the lovely music and tremendous talent of the various performers.”

One of those groups was a musical family whose amazing talents David greatly admired.

Pianist Martyn Parkes, wife Hrafnhildur Björnsdótttir who is a soprano, and son Oliver, who plays saxophone, are returning to a familiar venue.

The family live in Macclesfield and Martyn, a teacher at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester, has performed at the church several times.

His Icelandic wife ‘Habba’ was a member of the English National Opera singing all over the world with leading opera companies. Oliver (17) was a pupil at Tytherington School before gaining a place at Chetham’s in 2021.

Visitors will be invited to make a donation following the performance. Linda said: “I thought it was a nice idea to hold a concert in David’s memory with donations going exclusively to East Cheshire Hospice.

“We look forward to a special performance from this amazingly gifted family group. It’s so kind of Martyn, Habba and Oliver to help raise funds for the Hospice and there’ll be a mix of songs with something for everyone.

“David contributed to civic life in Bollington by working on the Neighbourhood plan and was a long-time supporter of Bollington Arts Centre, the Bridgend Centre and Bollington Chamber Group.”

The couple met Martyn at a recital about 10 years ago. Since then, Martyn has helped Linda’s godson Matthew Allen, himself a talented flautist, by providing encouragement and accompaniment.

Donations are normally shared between St Michael’s and the Hospice but the church has agreed that all donations for this event will go to the Hospice.

The Starlight Walk was a mix of rain drops and tear drops for around 400 walkers at Capesthorne Hall.

The inevitable drizzle failed to dampen spirits among East Cheshire Hospice supporters, many of them emotional as they remembered lost loved ones.

The dusk walk, sponsored by Adamley Textiles, saw participants cover a 2.5km loop through woodland carpeted with bluebells.

The Starlight Walk at Capesthorne Hall.

A group of 20 staff from Mulberry ward, a specialist inpatient unit on Victoria Road, wore pink wigs in memory of nurse Wendy Simms who died of cancer last September, aged 60, shortly after retiring.

Colleague Colette O’Sullivan said: “We’re here to pay homage to Wendy who liked to dress up and do daft things like the rest of us. Wendy was cared for by the Hospice @Home team.”

A pink theme for staff from Mulberry ward.   

Magician Paul David entertained walkers with various tricks. Paul volunteered his services as a thank you for the way the Hospice cared for his late father David Morrison.

Paul David performs a magic trick for Sienna Richardson and mum Katie. 

Grandfather Barry Oldfield was joined by sons Barry, Paul and Andrew as he honoured the memory of wife June who died of cancer three years ago, aged 58.

Barry managed to complete two circuits of the Capesthorne grounds despite ill-health.

Son Barry said: “Dad has been training for months for this walk and was determined to be here.” Nephew Aaron and wife Hollie also took part, remembering Barry’s sister Sheila who died in 2011.

Barry with sons Andrew (left), Barry Jnr and Paul, with Aaron and Hollie in the background.  

Katie Richardson and daughter Sienna took part for the first time. Katie, who works in the learning support department at Beech Hall School, was honouring the memory of her late father David.

Community and Events Fundraiser Claire Gorton was unable to join walkers due to a bad knee injury.

Claire, the Event Lead, said: “I’ve walked the course many times when planning the event, but unfortunately can’t get round tonight.

Hospice mascot Sunny the Dog with long-time supporters Linda Craig and Janet Tute.

“We can’t control the weather, but the turnout is fantastic. We’d like to thank everyone involved, including walkers, sponsors, volunteers and suppliers.

“It’s about raising funds to care for our patients and their carers and families.”

Lighting, lanterns, fire pits and points of reflection were among features at the memory walk.

Ruby and Georgia Leah.

Christmas may be a distant memory but fundraisers at East Cheshire Hospice are already gearing up for the next festive season.

The Hospice hopes thousands of youngsters will take part in Reindeer Rush, emulating the success of last year’s Santa Dash.

That raised a whopping £59,209, one of the biggest amounts in the event’s history.

Mark Whitwood (third from left) from Active Sport with Hospice staff.

Some 39 schools and other organisations took part in what has become the Hospice’s biggest mass participation event of the calendar.

Community and Events fundraiser Sarah Elvin said: “We can’t quite believe how much we’ve raised – it’s a crazy amount.

“We’re overwhelmed by the response from schools and groups who responded to the challenge of raising funds for patients, carers and their families.

“We had participants from across Cheshire and we’re so grateful for such amazing support. It is a giant community effort showing enormous love for the Hospice and what we do.”

Groups carried out various activities, including walking, running, swimming, dancing and a nature trail in one case. The event was sponsored by Active Sport for the second year running.

Sarah said: “We leave it up to the groups. It’s whatever works best for them. They can make it as flexible and inclusive as possible.

“There’s a different theme each year and next time it’s a Reindeer Rush. We’ll be inviting everyone to get involved again. We had an Elf Run a couple of years ago.”

What have a Bishop, a Mayor and Chaplain all got in common? The answer is they all took part in this year’s East Cheshire Hospice Christmas tree collection.

They were among some 230 volunteers from all walks of life who helped gather more than 6,400 trees.

The 24^th edition of the scheme went like clockwork once again, thanks to a well-drilled routine which raised another £150,000 for the Hospice.

Volunteers ready to start the Christmas tree collection.

A staggering £1.9m has been generated overall for the Hospice, leaving organisers on course to smash the £2m mark when the scheme celebrates its silver jubilee next year.

Macclesfield Mayor Cllr Chris Wilcock was on a mission, signing up as a volunteer after his late mum Lesley was a Hospice outpatient in 2015.

Cllr Wilcock said: “The Hospice is one of my chosen charities during my year of office and my mum is another reason I wanted to help. She was only 59 when she died of cancer.

Macclesfield Mayor Cllr Chris Wilcock and wife Katie, the Mayoress.

“She was treated at the Sunflower Centre and on the day she died was on her way here to become an inpatient.”

The Bishop of Stockport, Reverend Sam Corley, was also out and about collecting trees for delivery to the Ansa recycling plant in West Park and Swift Tree Services in Adlington.

Rev Corley said: “I’m one of several bellringers involved in this brilliant event. I couldn’t make it last year and am delighted I can be here this time.

Air Cadets (from left) Cpl Arthur Brough, Sgt Bill Martin, Sgt Millie Carlisle and Andrew Storer.   

“It’s a win-win – people get their trees collected and it raises money for a wonderful cause.

“The collection helps promote the work of the Hospice in the local community and there’s a real buzz among volunteers.”

Co-founder Richard Raymond said: “Yet again we’ve had an overwhelming response, both in terms of donations and volunteers whose amazing dedication makes this all possible.

Volunteer bellringers (from left) Nick and Graham Jenkins, Richard Raymond, Marcela Hall, David White and Rev Sam Corley.

 Workers at the Ansa recycling plant prepare to mulch the first tree delivery.

“The support of sponsors, led by AstraZenaca, covers costs meaning funds donated go directly to patient care.”

Richard and co-founder Pete Chapman will hold a debrief in the coming weeks as thoughts turn to how to mark the 25^th year. One idea is to get everyone who has volunteered involved.

Volunteers collected trees over two days.  

Volunteers helping with refreshments included Hospice Chaplain Marion Tugwood and Air Cadets from 201 (Macclesfield) Squadron, whose Flt Lt Spike Elliott is a long-standing volunteer.

Organisers have advised other hospices on running their own collections and on the eve of this event provided route planning help for charities in Essex and Yorkshire.

It’s a wrap … volunteers enjoy a well-earned drink after the collection.