Ashton-under-Lyne Brass Band: Sunday Brass at the Boarshurst Band Club, 10 October 2021

Audience profit from highly enjoyable concert

Boarshurst Band Club’s journey back to brass gave us another enjoyable concert. This time with a brass band that was formed four years before last week’s band. As with last week’s concert, there was a welcome airing of one or two classic pieces. Though with half the number of solos as last week’s concert, a case of ‘quality not quantity’.

Singing Our Way to Success with the Stronger Together Community Choir

How a blogger and a singer-songwriter took Future Directions’ inclusive choir to winning Care Sector’s Got Talent

Thursday 30th September 2021, 4.50 pm, five miles somewhere south east of Preston: after taking part in a nationwide talent competition, there were scenes of elation at a local community hall with a party of 15 people. Among the fifteen or so people were Stuart Vallantine, Kevin Phoenix, and Lorraine Chapman-Linnett – values-driven employees for Future Directions. With the Stronger Together Community Choir, they entered Championing Social Care‘s Care Sector’s Got Talent, a national talent competition.

The Diggle Band: Sunday Brass at the Boarshurst Band Club (03 October 2021)

First concert at Boarshurst since March 2020 impresses audience with bona fide classics for all the family

Yesterday’s first concert at Boarshurst Band Club since the first lockdown was most entertaining and cathartic in equal measure. In one respect, it was great to see a return to normality at The Brass Band Mecca of the North. On the other hand, it made us slightly bleary eyed over the friends we have lost in the brass band movement since the pandemic began.

Retail Comings and Goings in Tameside, August 2021: The Ashton Review of Shops

Welcome back to your window on the Tameside shop windows

After two months away from looking at the shop windows, The Ashton Review of Shops is back on East of the M60. The creator of this blog has been busier with other activities related to his job and has spent less time in his locality.

Down To The Park: Walkden Gardens, Sale

The start of a new series that looks at Greater Manchester’s parks and gardens

At this moment in time, this pandemic is (hopefully) coming to an end. We are still encouraged to practice social distancing and try not to use public transport for non-essential travel. The message of “Hands, Faces, Space, and Fresh Air” and the lighter nights make trips to the park most favourable.

Retail Comings and Goings in Tameside, May 2021: The Ashton Review of Shops

This month’s reopened window on the shop windows

For the third time this year, our window on the Tameside shop windows has been delayed. Once again we have deferred this month’s edition to tie in with this coming Monday’s events. Confused? Well you shouldn’t be, because on Monday 17 May 2021, our pubs and cafés will be fully opened. Hurrah for being able to eat and drink inside again.

Greater Manchester’s Yellow Buses Through The Ages

From Bee Line Buzz Company to the Rochdale Runners

As we know that Greater Manchester’s franchised buses will be in yellow and black, it is worth noting that yellow buses are far from novel in our City Region. Historically, they have orange and white, white, orange and brown, and several other colours before then. None of them being in yellow till The Bee Line Buzz Company came on to the scene.

The Future’s Yellow: 2024 Start for Greater Manchester’s Publicly Controlled Buses

Bus Franchising Scheme to begin a year earlier than expected

Greater Manchester’s Bus Franchising Scheme is set to start a year earlier than anticipated. With the pandemic, it was envisaged that franchised operations would begin in Sub-Area A in 2023, with Sub-Areas B and C following suit in 2024 and 2025. This morning [10 May 2021], it was announced that a fully franchised bus network will be in operation by 2024.

Interim Report, March 1979: A Beat of the M60 Music Review

Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan’s stunning album

It is a shame that so few great bands have named themselves after civic functions. The only one that springs to mind is The Chicago Transit Authority. They dropped the Transit Authority bit when they started climbing up the charts. After 1976’s If You Leave Me Now, their fame went stratospheric. I only wish I was a Child of the Seventies, who bided their time with Stalybridge Old Band and the as-yet-unrealised Chicago tribute act, SELNEC Southern.

Retail Comings and Goings in Tameside, April 2021: The Ashton Review of Shops

This month’s reopened window on the shop windows

For the second time this year, our window on the Tameside shop windows has been delayed. There is a good reason for this, we have deferred this month’s edition to tie in with this coming Monday’s events. Confused? Well you shouldn’t be, because on Monday 12 April 2021, non-essential retail premises will be reopening across the UK. Also our pubs and restaurants – well, the forecourts and gardens of our licensed premises – of those which have Beer Gardens.