Vernon Building Society Poynton Band: Sunday Brass at the Boarshurst Band Club

Poynton Band opens 2017 Sunday Brass programme with great style

Last night [29 January], VBS Poynton Band had the honour of opening this year’s programme of evening concerts at Boarshurst Band Club. The North East Cheshire band have been promoted to the Championship Section this season. They proved their worth in the venue, colloquially known as The Mecca of Brass Banding. For the same price as two pints of lager in the club, the audience were treated to a wonderful night of music.

The Glory Days of the Payphone

A look at Tameside’s payphones, past and present

When Vince Met Giles: two K6 telephone boxes in central Manchester, seen outside the Town Hall Extension. A chance meeting between a creation by Vincent Harris and two of Giles Gilbert Scott’s finest. One of Tameside’s best known K6 boxes is the one on Bow Street and Market Street behind Ashton-under-Lyne’s indoor market hall. Image by Ian Livesey, 05 March 2016 (Public Domain).

In the last thirty years, the way we kept in contact with our friends and loved ones have changed dramatically. In 1987, having a mobile phone meant you were: 1) pretty loaded; 2) the head of a drugs cartel; or 3) a bodybuilder able to pick up the damn thing. Whilst City types were cavorting in and out of London in flash cars with car phones, the average Ashtonian struggled to find ten pence for the phone box outside Woolworths.

Tameside and Saddleworth Bus Changes Extra, Winter 2017

Changes to South Pennine Community Transport and Tameside Local Link services

South Pennine Community Transport’s then newly formed 352 service outside The Commercial Hotel, Uppermill.

Since our Tameside and Saddleworth area bus service changes articles went to press, here’s news of a couple of changes that have escaped our radar.

Oldham and Saddleworth Bus Service Changes, January 2017

FirstGroup retime journeys following consultation events 

The 409 to Rochdale: one of a few Oldham and Rochdale bound services covered by FirstGroup’s retiming exercise.

If you’ve ever tried catching the 409 in the evening peak, it can be quite a chore. At about half five, you would have had your fill of late buses, missing journeys, and packed vehicles. In this set month’s set of changes, could Oldham and Saddleworth passengers be benefiting from the results of FirstGroup’s consultation?

Tameside and Glossop Bus Service Changes, January 2017

Winter changes dominated by Stagecoach retimings

• Cuts to night buses on 201 and 216 routes;
• Reductions to some peak hour journeys;
• First and Stagecoach retimings.

The 330: one of a handful of Stagecoach routes being retimed.

True to form, the late January changes for 2017 are another lull before April’s storm. The bulk of this year’s first changes are retimings on Stagecoach Manchester’s part. Some of which entail the withdrawal of some journeys, mainly outside the peaks in the small hours or before the witching hour.

Straight Outta Bolton: A Passenger’s Eye View of Overcrowding on Northern Trains

In Pictures: The Evening Crush Hour

Over the last six months, there has been a lot of coverage on the Southern Rail strike and the cancellations faced by its commuters. The main reason for the strike is the introduction of Driver Only Operation on 8 to 12 car units. That’s right: 8 to 12 carriages, without a guard.

The Pick of Strawberry Studios: The Not So Perfect Ten

The Not So Perfect Ten returns with a celebration of Strawberry Studios in Stockport

This year sees the fiftieth anniversary of the arrival of Strawberry Recording Studios. The story began a few yards from Strawberry’s location at the Inter-City Studios in 1967. This was above the Nield and Hardy Music Shop. It was used for recording demo tapes for local groups. The studio’s unique selling point was its location: there was nothing else of the like outside London. Hence the name Inter-City, because of Stockport being a stop on the (then recently electrified) Inter-City service to London Euston.

Retail Comings and Goings in Tameside, January 2017: The Ashton Review of Shops

This month’s window on the shop windows

Hyde Town Hall: image by Mikey, 2011 (Creative Commons License – Some Rights Reserved).

• Ashton Market and Son of TAC updates;
• More shop closures;
• All the usual comings and goings in the Tameside area.

The last month has seen quite a few shops closing or changing hands in Ashton. Apart from that, the first section of steelwork has been erected for TAC’s replacement.