Westoe Brass Band: Sunday Brass at the Boarshurst Band Club

South Shields band kicks off 2019 season of Boarshurst concerts in style

Only three weeks ago, Boarshurst Band Club finished off its 2018 season of Sunday Brass nights in style with the Friends of Music For Youth Brass Band. That concert got us on a high for the 2019 programme, which has a tasty selection of bands coming our way. Kickstarting the new season last night [20 January] was Westoe Brass Band.

Oldham and Saddleworth Bus Service Changes, 27 January 2019

A low key affair – unless you want to visit Foxdenton Hall and Gardens from Middleton

• 415 rerouted during daytimes;
• All the usual timetable tweaks.

In a marked contrast to the forthcoming changes facing Tameside bus passengers, this month’s set of changes is a quiet one for Oldham bus passengers. For some passengers, retimings are the order of the day. If your regular bus is the 415 service, we have news for you; it is not very good news either.

Tameside and Glossop Bus Service Changes, 27 January 2019

Hyde gains enhanced South Manchester links at Ashton’s expense

• 168 rerouted and renumbered as 150;
• Boosted 7 and 230 services bridge gap left by 168’s withdrawal;
• 217 service rerouted via Ashton Old Road;
• Plus the usual slight tweaks.

If you live in the Stagecoach part of Tameside, our borough is at the sharp end of their latest changes. Most of the changes concern timetable retimings whereas the biggest change affects their East Manchester routes. By contrast, only one First Greater Manchester route has been affected by this month’s service changes.

The Duffers’ Guide to Rail Operations #2: Sleeper Trains

A rough guide to nocturnal and, mainly horizontal, travel options

Imagine boarding a long distance train by night and waking up in another part of the world the following morning. In another country, or another part of the country. Most of the great long distance trains, for example the Trans-Siberian Express, traverse more than one country. If you are an EU citizen, the journey from France to Czechia is as easy as one from Glasgow Central to London Euston (thanks to the lack of border controls in most of mainland Europe).

RingGo No No: Parking Scheme Paused: Ashton Review of Shops Extra

Tameside MBC pauses controversial parking scheme in Ashton-under-Lyne

After a miserable Christmas for Ashton’s shopkeepers, a controversial parking scheme has been paused by Tameside MBC. From the 07 January 2019 at 2pm, the smartphone and text message based RingGo service was suspended. It has been criticised for alienating, mainly elderly drivers, who prefer to pay for their parking by cash.

Retail Comings and Goings in Tameside, January 2019: The Ashton Review of Shops

This month’s window on the shop windows

• Ashton parking peeves attract attention of Angela Rayner;
• Tameside One set to open this month;
• Plus all the usual retail movements, our first summary for 2019.

RingGo no-no ire continues

If you wish to look at the bigger picture outside our borough, Christmas 2018 has been a pretty grim one for bricks and mortar retailers. Firstly, we have heard of HMV entering liquidation again. Secondly, Mothercare is continuing to shed stores with its Denton Crown Point North branch up for the chopping list. On the 03 January, Next’s modest rise in bricks and mortar sales was outstripped by a rise in online sales – 15% over 1.5% for High Street figures.

Parking the Bus: Bus Routes That Share Numbers with Football Formations: The Not So Perfect Ten

Ever wondered which Greater Manchester bus routes share or shared their number with a football formation?

For many people, New Year’s Day isn’t only about giving up smoking, going on a diet, or alcohol abstinence. January sees the start of a 31-part soap opera known as The Transfer Window. Yes, it is that time of the year which leads to Transfer Deadline Day. The climax which sees Barclays Premier League and English Football League players change hands for silly money.

Friends of Music For Youth Brass Band, Boarshurst Band Club, 30 December 2018

How the Friends of Music For Youth Brass finished 2018’s programme of Sunday Brass concerts in great style at the Boarshurst Band Club

Question: how do you end a phenomenal season of concerts at a band club in a southern part of Saddleworth? The answer is simple: pick the finest brass band players, create a one-off scratch band, then add a charity of your choosing. Then stir a live audience into rapture for the best part of two hours. Serve with meaty compositions and a generous serving of locally sourced cask conditioned ales. In a nutshell, all the ingredients of a truly memorable concert.

A Brass Band Advent Calendar: 26. Toccata in D Minor

SECOND ENCORE: J.S. Bach’s seminal organ tune, in brass band form

For the final door on this year’s East of the M60 Advent Calendar, we have decided to give you a right corker of a piece. Originally written for organ, this tune by Johann Sebastian Bach is one of his best known works.