Traffic chaos, missing buses and the return of proper snowmen in the Tameside area
For most of us around the UK, this week’s weather has had a fundamental effect on our daily lives. Whether we were stuck on trains to and from the continent or walking to the railway station, we will have no doubt been affected by the lack of grit on the roads and pavements. Read the rest of this entry »
Anger as Top Mossley residents are cut off from outside world by road closure.
When’s the best time to close a main road for roadworks: Christmas Day? Half Term holidays? The rush hour? Christmas Day would of the three as most people would be sat at home scoffing turkey and listening to this year’s X Factor winner (whom would have rigged the Christmas No. 1 spot for the umpteenth time). In a small town, the half term holidays is a least worst option due to the reduced schools traffic. Read the rest of this entry »
A muse on Manchester Metrolink’s Week of Misery
Before I begin my journey into work does not require any use of the Metrolink system. I prefer the less frequent though often more comfortable train which runs parallel with the tram. It takes a more scenic route and is less crowded. I find the trams a poor substitute in terms of comfort to the train, due to the seating (obviously designed for short hop journeys) and (till recently) the ride quality. Read the rest of this entry »
Was it: a) HM Government; b) Thatcher; c) The pub companies; or d) The supermarket chains…?
Before I start, it is best in convivial company not to discuss political issues within the walls of your local pub. This article breaks a multitude of rules by discussing pub politics. Assuming you may be reading this in the comfort of your own home by your laptop/cheap can of lager/favourite ashtray/fellow online poker player, this shouldn’t matter. Read the rest of this entry »
A new series from East of the M60
Any readers of this blog who lived or shopped in Oldham, nearing, or have passed their 30s may remember St. Peter’s Shopping Precinct. Opened in 1967, it was to become Oldham’s (as we call it in 21st century parlance) retail destination, attracting the major names. Influenced by the popular Merseyway centre in Stockport, it was hoped that the winning formula would work in Oldham.
The precinct was a mixed-use development before the term was invented. It was flanked by offices (most of which let by the North West Health Authority) and offered subway access to Henshaw Street, Cheapside and Manchester Street. The subways linked the centre with the market hall and the C&A department store, enabling shoppers to avoid the Market Place roundabout.
Given the cold Oldham weather, Its windswept location won few friends with shoppers and retailers. The subway link from the precinct to C&A acted as a wind tunnel, which was exacerbated by the precinct being fairly open. The layout didn’t seem to have helped either, which must have made it seem like a muggers’ paradise.
For most of its time, empty units plagued the precinct. The precinct’s anchor store was a TESCO, opened by Ken Dodd in 1968. The Post Office was moved to the precinct from Union Street, to a unit overlooking George Street near the TESCO store. A NORWEB showrooms took up a unit under the office block. The rest of the precinct included a handful of chain store retailers and independently owned shops, and a café. This was on the side of a stepped ramp ideal for skateboarding fanatics. At the most easterly part of the precinct on the ground floor was the Job Centre.
I would say that St Peter’s Precinct failed in Oldham due to: 1) the layout; 2) the town’s cold weather; and 3) its windswept location. The design may have worked better in a location with a warmer climate than Oldham. I can recall the precinct in its twilight years and loved how the whole thing was like a giant climbing frame. It could have made a good open air laser shooting venue on Sundays and Bank Holidays – though even in the summertime, I would have needed that Fair Isle sweater!
I also remember in recent times reading a historical feature on the precinct in the Oldham Chronicle, and it showed a picture of how Phase 2 would have looked. St. Peter’s Precinct was originally going to be done in two phases, albeit with windy open air shops continuing on what is now the Town Square Shopping Centre.
Instead, a private company took on Phase 2, and learning the lessons of its predecessor, made the precinct fully enclosed. This was opened in 1981. 12 years later, St Peter’s Precinct was replaced by Spindles Shopping Centre. It was a breath of fresh air from the windswept subways of its predecessor. C&A also moved into the new shopping centre, dispelling the risk of hypothermia. Both centres are linked internally, and the transition from the older Town Square centre to the Spindles is seamless.
S.V., 29 April 2009
So, almost four years since 7/7, almost eight years since 9/11, and a host of anti-terrorism laws during then. Have these laws stopped any terrorists? Are we a more illiberal country than we were in 2001?
I would yes to the latter, though I would say the UK ceased to be a free country since the Miners’ Strike. This point refers to the activities of the government in relation to the castration of trade union power and an organised working class.
Now, it seems that anti-terror laws are used more popularly for targeting trainspotters and photographers. How far do we need to go before we target anyone with a camera? Will Flickr, Photobucket and company be closed down? Would all Ian Allan Bookshops in future be treated the same as adult shops with opaque window displays?
Trainspotting is a harmless hobby, as is collecting numbers of other forms of public transport. It is the thrill of the chase, though this chase is less pleasurable as most passenger trains are electric or diesel multiple units of some description. In these cash strapped times, trainspotting can be a cheap hobby, if you live close to a main line. Plus you don’t always need a camera, as a discrete notebook and pen could suffice.
Most trainspotters seem to mind their own business and not bother any one, but they seem to be a threat to the rail franchises. Other than the anti-terror angle, I reckon it is more to do with money and them (to the companies) taking up precious space on the platform.
They may claim that trainspotters standing on the platform edge do not generate enough profits. Au contraire. How else would we have saved the Settle and Carlisle line or our steam trains without the derring do of the rail enthusiast? In fact, rail enthusiasts and spotters probably do more for the railways. Without them we wouldn’t have had steam trains doing Summer Sundays on the Settle and Carlisle, numerous other railtours, or restored stations.
Note to jobsworths harassing our spotters: leave them alone if they’re not bothering the travelling public. They too may be one of them waiting for trains.
S.V., 05 April 2009.
Update on Ewing School.
Some time ago, East of the M60 reflected on the ‘grotesque shambles’ of Manchester City Council’s proposed closure of Ewing School. Though a local Liberal Democrat newsletter exposed this at the end of last year, the story has finally made the Manchester Evening News (Wednesday 11 February 2009). East of the M60’s story was released into cyberspace nearly a month before the MEN’s account of event.
Since Manchester Withington MP John Leech proposed an Early Day Motion for the retention of Ewing School, an online petition has attracted over 650 signatures. This is in addition to the 2,500 signatures gathered at a rally in West Didsbury.
The loss of Ewing School and the council’s proposals are tantamount to “inclusion by isolation”. Think of the pupils who will have made friends at West Didsbury, only to find he/she has been moved to Moston or Wythenshawe. For the good of fellow auties, aspies and SPLDers like myself, sign the online petition as soon as possible. In the words of Del Trotter, ‘You Know It Makes Sense’!
S.V., 11 February 2009
Outrage over Manchester City Council plans to close Ewing School
Imagine being part of a successful football team, winning every trophy imaginable and being forced to split that winning team by the FA. Picture the prospect of your teammates being split into ninths.
As part of Manchester City Council’s plans to improve integration with mainstream schools within its boundaries, is a proposal to downgrade and close two special schools within Didsbury. One school is going to lose its secondary school classes, the other is going to close completely. The latter one is Ewing School, the school I attended from January 1987 to July 1990.
I could cope with the mighty Stalybridge Celtic losing 6-1 to Durham City, spend hours on rail replacement buses from Hell. These are minor compared with this recent development. This development interferes with people’s lives at a fundamental level rather one’s peeves.
I am always happy to talk at length or write about my time at Ewing, and claim that Ewing School, not my secondary school, was the one which helped me the most. What helped were the small classes (18 was the biggest class number) and the high pupil to teacher ratio (4 pupils to 1 teacher). I also enjoyed being able to go to different places on a weekly basis along with my fellow peers. It is thanks also to Ewing School that I am able to appreciate the countryside, enjoy walks and travel independently by bus, train and tram.
Ewing School already has a proven record in enabling pupils to settle in mainstream schools long afterwards. So much that there is a waiting list and people moving to South Manchester so their child can be taught by their specialist teaching staff. Instead of keeping up the good work, the council wishes to break up that successful team.
They propose that its students would be dispersed into 9 ‘havens’ within existing mainstream schools. How do you tell the pupils that their best friend will be moving to a haven in Moston if he/she will be moving to one in Gorton? Will the Ewing staff leave the profession altogether rather than join one of the havens, resulting in a loss of specialist personnel? Any move away from the status quo would cause chaos with parents and their children already satisfied with Ewing School.
As a former pupil, I am totally against the plans. This is an issue shared by Manchester Withington MP John Leech (Liberal Democrats) who in December last year submitted an Early Day Motion favouring its retention. I have written a letter to him.
A petition against the closure will be launched on Saturday 17th January 2009. The rally and launch will take place in West Didsbury between 12.00pm – 2.00pm. If you can make it, please do, especially if you live in the constituency, or linked with Ewing School, as for example a former teacher or pupil.
S.V., 15 January 2009
