Selling Runcorn By The Pound: 16. I Was Working as a Planner By a Cocktail Bar

East of the M60’s 2021 Advent Calendar looks at Coulthard Productions’ Sheffield: City on the Move

Cast your mind back to 1970. We had full employment; you could afford to go to university and get a grant towards materials and living costs; houses were more affordable and we had this strange thing you don’t see nowadays called Council Housing.

Can You Have a Full Yorkshire Picnic?

Feast of the M60 asks if you can have an all-Yorkshire picnic

With relatives on both sides of the Pennines, I could claim dual nationality status if in the unlikely event that Yorkshire secedes from Westminster rule. Thanks to the lockdown and yours truly not having left Greater Manchester since then, a strange thought occurred to me: “Could you have an all-Yorkshire picnic?”

Northern Nationalised: Franchise Transfers from Arriva Rail North to DfT

Northern franchise taken over by DfT as Operator of Last Resort from the 01 March

After several rumours and persistent lobbying by Northern English political figures in the last six months, it was announced today that Arriva lost its Northern rail franchise. Under the Anglo-German company’s tenure, the rail franchise was dogged by poor service, delayed rolling stock deliveries and gross overcrowding.

Strata Brass: Sunday Brass at the Boarshurst Band Club, 01 December 2019

Superb concert with great solo performances and a Christmas set with a difference

In the words of their mercurial Musical Director Jonathan Bates, it has been quite a while since Strata Brass Band ever had a concert at Boarshurst Band Club. The last time they performed there, they were probably known as Hoyland Town Band. As for Jonathan Bates, he is known for his arranging skills and his role on Principal Horn with Foden’s Band. In many cases, absence makes the heart grow fonder – and Strata Brass’ latest concert was no exception.

Thurlstone Brass Band, 03 February 2019: Sunday Brass at the Boarshurst Band Club

Thurlstone Brass Band deliver a delightful concert, warmly received by all audiences – live and on-screen

In relation to competitive brass banding, the term Unregistered doesn’t do brass bands any justice. To the untrained ear, ‘Unregistered’ may be seen in the same light as a ‘U’ grade in GCSE examinations (as in ‘substandard’ or ‘dire’). In this context, ‘non-competing’ is a far better category. Whether they compete or otherwise, a brass band of any description ultimately serves its community. They also nurture local talent, taking them from village halls to (perhaps) The Royal Albert Hall.

Deepcar Brass Band: Sunday Brass at the Boarshurst Band Club

Treacherous weather fails to dampen spirits in a most memorable concert

The journey to Sheffield from Saddleworth can be an epic trek on the sunniest of days. When you add snow to the mix it becomes a nightmare. Slush and/or ice can test the driver’s patience on the Isle of Skye Road into Holmfirth. Last night, Deepcar Brass Band gave us a concert to remember in more ways than one.

Tates Travel Ceases Trading

Barnsley based independent bus company ceases operations after liquidation

Tates Travel, formed in 2003, ceased operation of all stage carriage services this Monday at 4pm. The family run bus and coach operator based in Barugh Green had a fleet of 39 buses, which had been cut to 22 this year. Throughout West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire, they operated a number of commercial and tendered services. On summer weekends, this included the 951 service from Glossop to Huddersfield via Holme Moss and Holmfirth.

Five Hundred Go To Doncaster

The last leg of Stalybridge Celtic’s F.A. Cup Run

By 4.50pm on Saturday 07 November 2015, it was third time lucky for Doncaster Rovers as they beat Stalybridge Celtic by two clear goals, in the F.A. Cup First Round. The hosts had previously lost to the ‘Bridge when both sides met in the Football Conference during the 2001 – 02 season.

Scare on a Shoestring: A Look at Threads

A gory picture of Sheffield before, during and after a nuclear attack

• Starring: Reece Dinsdale, Karen Meagher;
• Co-featuring: David Brierley, Rita May, Jane Hazlegrove;
• Narrator: Paul Vaughan;
• Companies: BBC/Nine Network/Western-World Television Inc.;
• Transmitted: Sunday, 23 September 1984, BBC Two, 2130 hours;
• Writer: Barry Hines;
• Director and Producer: Mick Jackson.

WARNING: this piece may contain spoilers.

Britain in 1984 was hardly the best year for one’s formative years, mine included. Fellow children of the 1980s were affected by the rigours of high unemployment. There was also the Miners’ Strike; service cuts thanks to the introduction of rate capping. A certain Yorkshire group was kept off the top spot by a Liverpudlian group singing about the threat of nuclear war. The promotional video, produced by Godley and Creme, saw lookalikes of Ronald Reagan and Konstantin Chernenko slugging it out in a pit.

Countdown to Black Monday, 08 September 2014: Your Questions Answered

Everything you need to know about changes to evening peak fares this coming month

Another export from Workington: this stunning Class 153 which came from the same Lillyhall plant as your beloved Pacer unit in the previous article. Here’s the old roof, which is being dismantled and replaced by a new one. Paid for by yours truly, the squeezed commuter and even more squeezed casual traveller.

On hearing about the changes covered in our previous article, we at East of the M60 were aggrieved to say the least. Incensed because of the effects it would have on casual travellers. Fuming over this sanction being the most retrograde rail development in Greater Manchester since the arrival of the Class 142 Pacer unit.