Out & About: It's All About RedShift Radio's #BigBroadcast This Week!

Barry Ellams from the Chronicle with fundraiser Briar Hulme

We are now a week into our #BigBroadcast on RedShift Radio. This means that we have added six hours of live programming to our schedule. I am thoroughly enjoying my stint as a breakfast show presenter: I am even coping with the earlier start to my day, although perhaps not firing on all cylinders until my first brew during a long song!

Nantwich Police

We launched the Big Broadcast with our first guest, PC Matt Stonier from Nantwich Police who gave us an insight as to what’s happening behind the scenes with some of the recent crimes such as the car vandalism on Birchin Lane. PC Stonier also spoke about the great projects he and some of his team are involved in with our local schools, such as youth mentoring and supporting their residentials.

Chronicle Newspaper

I enjoyed very much welcoming the Deputy Editor of the Chronicle, Barry Ellams into the studio on Wednesday morning. Barry talked about the local Crewe and Nantwich headlines and each Wednesday at 9am you can hear Barry or Andrew from the Chronicle.

Fundraiser Briar Hulme 

Briar Hulme was one of my most inspiring guests of the week, Briar, aged 19, is raising funds to send six young women from an African refugee to university. Briar met these women during a two-month volunteering trip to Tanzania last year and she spoke passionately of her drive and ambition to help these young women carve themselves a better and brighter future. If you can make a small donation towards her £8,000 target then I know Briar would be over the moon. Her fundraising page is called Education To Empower on the www.gofundme.com website.

Hope House

On Thursday I was invited to host the Hope House Kids Ladies' Lunch at the Grosvenor in Chester. This was a super event, organised by the Hope House team, sponsored by Conwy based company CareLink and supported by Mococo jewellery from Chester and Tarporley-based Si Belle Boutique from Tarporley.

Highfields Academy ... Aided by Staffordshire University!

I was very tempted to bunk off work for the afternoon and have a relaxing wander round Chester but I had to dash back for the new group of Junior School Run children, this time from Highfields Academy. I needn’t have worried though. With Producer Steve and our two Staffordshire University students here on work experience, they were in good hands and I arrived four minutes into the show to find Joe and Libby in complete control of four very chatty year 6s.

Listen Live and Listen Again

Please do give RedShift a listen this week and let us know what you think. I am on air weekday mornings from 8-10am and we now have live shows right through until 10pm each day. You can ask your Smart Speaker such as Amazon Echo (Alexa) or Google to "play RedShift Radio" or you can find us on your mobile by downloading the TuneIn app or on your computer by going to www.redshiftonline.org/player.

I must say a big THANK YOU to Helen Gregory who has booked over 70 guests for our Big Broadcast and Steve Bebe who, despite doing an extra eight hours of presenting himself each week in March, is keeping up to date with uploading our shows so you can listen at your convenience.

Please visit www.redshiftonline.org/listenagain to find the links to all our broadcasts and keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter to find out about upcoming guests.

RedShift Annual Quiz

Now, if I forget to mention our REDSHIFT QUIZ again, I will get lynched! Join us for our “8 Rounds for £8” annual quiz. On Friday 23 March we will be at Nantwich Town Football Club from 7 pm with our unique quiz that includes a special “live” music round. To book your tickets, please follow the link on www.redshiftonline.org/redshiftevents.

Easter Weekend in Nantwich

Looking ahead to Easter Weekend, we are delighted to be supporting The Studio in Nantwich with their charity nights in aid of the Mid Cheshire Hospitals Charity Dementia Appeal. It’s Electro 80s on Thursday 29th March - always a great night for 80s fans!

I am especially looking forward to letting my hair down on Friday 30th March for the Gin & Jive night, again at The Studio, with two of my favourite local bands; Baxter and VaVoom … and I think I will indulge in a sprinkling of gin!

On Bank Holiday Monday, its the Acoustic Gin Festival from 11am at Residence. I will see you there!

Out & About:

In My Free Time ...

Yay! We’ve had two days of gardening weather at last! I have been longing to get out and tidy up my garden for weeks and last weekend we set-to and blitzed and pruned almost everything. Now we have to sit tight and cross our (green) fingers and see if we have done it at the right time and amount: like my cooking, I am an experimental gardener!

I have also enjoyed my final week of a sewing evening class at Brine Leas school. I have fiddled and faffed about and am really pleased with my cushion, eight metres of bunting and wonky bag. I thoroughly recommend looking at the Brine Leas evening classes: great facilities and a super range of courses. I think Garden Design or Cookery is next on my hit list.

Nantwich Show 2018

The Nantwich Agricultural Society’s AGM took place last Monday at Dorfold Hall. About 60 people attended and heard a full summary from Michael-John Parkin and his team of volunteers. Unfortunately, gate entries were down by about 3,000 people on the day last year due to the weather, so can we all start the sun dances a bit earlier this year as I am convinced we are due a good one!

On a serious note, the Nantwich Show relies heavily on volunteers and sponsorship from local companies and I am helping to recruit both. If you can offer any kind of assistance, either in the run up to, or during the event, please get in touch via hello@redshiftonline.org or call me on 01270 440 750.

Big Day Out 2018

On Tuesday we had a Big Day Out meeting and I am delighted to say that we have some exciting news to share. This year, the family day out will take place on Sunday 29th July from 12 - 8pm and there will be lots more music in the schedule. We can also announce that the two charities who will benefit from the fundraising activities on the day are Hope House and RABI (Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution).

Once again, we are seeking volunteers and sponsors for this event and I would love to hear from you if you would like to help. We are also hosting a Big Day Out launch night, creatively called the Big Night Out at The Studio in Nantwich on Friday 8th June. More details to follow but do save the date: it's going to be a great night of live music for all to enjoy.

RedShift Radio: #ListenOnline2018

Over the last week I have interviewed Sarah Callander Beckett, the High Sheriff of Cheshire, Sarah Hunter from the Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life team and a Valentine's Day special chatting to Anabel Hannam from introductions agency Intro North West and her associate Andrea Crump who coaches women in confidence and communication skills to improve their dating success.

My favourite show of the week however had to be another of our Junior School Run Taster sessions, funded by the Baker Wynne and Wilson Community Grant we received last year. I spent a rather warm, and snug, 1.5 hours in the studio with 10 children from Pear Tree Primary School. We had a great time: I love how chatty and relaxed children are in the studio, usually after the first five minutes!

The children shared their experiences during their special STEAM week (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths). You can “Listen Again” to this, and most of our community radio shows via www.redshiftonline.org/listenagain.

Obituary: Peter Bebbington

I will finish by dedicating my article this week to Peter Bebbington about whom I wrote a few months ago. Sadly Peter lost his battle with cancer and was buried at St Margaret's Church in Wrenbury last Friday. It was a lovely service and so nice to hear all about Peter’s life, his achievements and his dedication to his community.

As Captain of the Tower, I think Peter would approve of my invitation on behalf of the St Margaret's Bell Ringers to anyone who may be interested in having a go at bell ringing. My fiance Michael-John would be happy to show you the ropes (literally!) and introduce you to campanology in memory of Peter. If you are interested, then please email me on hello@redshiftonline.org or call 01270 440 750.

Out & About: The Second Part of Liz's Look Back Over 2017

Big Day Out

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I do hope you had a peaceful and happy one. As I am actually writing this just before Christmas I'm hopeful that I will have had a peaceful and happy one too! While you read this I am probably dragging myself to the gym as the official 16-week countdown to our wedding will have began – yikes!

Skoolszfest

So, leading on from last week's review of 2017 and we are skipping into July with our crazy month. Starting off with the first weekend and I attended not one, but three events with the RedShift RoadShow; Skoolzfest in Nantwich, VolFest in Congleton and the Manchester Bombing fundraiser at Nantwich Town FC.

We celebrated my dear Grandpa's 95th birthday closely followed by my 40th with a super 80s-themed party in our garden which was topped off by the announcement from Michael-John that we had got engaged a couple of days previously. What a whirlwind of loveliness July was! I had so many kind and thoughtful gifts (mostly gin related!) and cards for my birthday and then another flurry of cards for our engagement. I certainly felt very special indeed!

Each July we provide the PA kit for the Aqueduct Marina Open Day, always a lovely family day out. We were also the lucky recipients of a grant from Baker Wynne and Wilson as part of their Community Pledge for our youth activities and I am delighted to say we enjoyed listening to John Baker being interviewed/grilled by Ben and Dan, two of our young presenters. They present Musical Monday which is a fantastic, fun-filled show, broadcast every Monday between 5 pm and 6 pm.  Take a listen to Part 2 of their Christmas Special, featuring John Baker: mixcloud.com/RedShiftRadio/musical-mondays-with-ben-dan-181217.

July of course is Nantwich Show and with Michael-John as the Chairman and me

RedShift Community Garden
at Nantwich Show

organising the RedShift Community Garden on Show day and the Big Day Out (see photo top) which takes place on the Sunday after the show, we are like ships that pass in the night during that month, ensuring that our events are planned and executed to the best of our ability. Thankfully, despite the weather being pretty grotty, both events went ahead but both saw a dip in income as attendance was down.

Richmond Village Dog Show

August involved some more #ClimbKili2017 training, this time all on the flat and involving a few drinks with our 18 mile pub crawl. August also saw the Richmond Village Dog Show, another walk up Snowdon and a rather wet Willaston Social Club fun day in aid of the Royal British Legion. 

My August highlight has to be the launch of our Back to the Future inter-generational project, which saw a group of 13 over 70s and 9 under 20 year olds, all enjoying afternoon tea and a quiz whilst getting to know each other. This project continues in 2018 so please call 01270 440 750 if you would like to join.

The #ClimbKili2017 Team

September was another big month: our much anticipated and trained for walk up Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in Africa. 14 walkers departed and thankfully 14 walkers returned having had the experience of a lifetime. Thank you so much to each and every walker who took part to help raise nearly £20,000 which was split between our youth activities at RedShift, the Wingate Centre, CRY for Matthew and the Dementia Care Appeal at Mid Cheshire Hospitals.

October was thankfully fairly quiet allowing me to fully recover from Kilimanjaro whilst November included hosting two firework displays and the Chamber Business Awards and even an attempt at wedding dress shopping.

December is always a lovely month, starting as ever with the Weston Christmas Lights in

aid of the Donna Louise Hospice and our Christmas Community Hub drinks at Residence in Nantwich. The RedShift PA kit was put to good use at the Richmond Village Traditional Christmas Market, the Tatton Yule Yomp and the rescheduled Hope House Santa Dash in Nantwich. Finally, my father-in-law's donkeys Betty and Anne had three trips out to put a smile on the faces of people at the Wingate Centre, St Mary's Church in Nantwich and on Christmas Eve, St Margaret's Church in Wrenbury.

In addition to the myriad events attended on behalf of RedShift, I have also trained 16 new presenters and work experience students, interviewed 43 people on the radio and been to 38 aerobic classes (60 is the target for next year!) ... oh, and I have climbed nearly 6,000 metres to the top of Africa! I think that deserves a large G&T! 

This article appeared in Crewe Chronicle on 27th December 2017.  Please look out for my "Out and About" page each week in the Crewe Chronicle. For more information about any of the items in this article, please email us here at RedShift or call us on 01270 440 750. 

Out and About: Liz's Funky Week with Lashings of Christmas Cheer

The Funky Choir singing at Sainsbury's, Nantwich

Volunteer of the Week

I am going to start with my Volunteer of the Week because this week I am dedicating it to a popular group of volunteers who bring lots of joy and cheer wherever they go. The Funky Choir, led by the very witty, Mr Funky himself, Brent Robinson.

The Funky Choir.com ("don’t forget the dot.com!") has been around a similar length of time as RedShift Radio so you could say we have grown up together! We have welcomed them at many of our events from singing on the Community Stage at the Battle of Nantwich in the freezing cold, to flag waving at the Queen’s 90th birthday Gala in St Mary’s Church and the RedShift Community Garden at the Nantwich Show to our Christmas Fair at the Crewe Lyceum.

The Funky Choir is far more than just Funky ... they are a friendly, welcoming and fun bunch who meet weekly at The Georges Community Centre on West Street in Crewe to practise for their constantly growing list of performances.

I have enjoyed seeing the choir grow over the years and now that my mum has joined having moved up here from Surrey last year, I can see just how much of a supportive and friendly community choir Brent has built.

My Mum happily keeps me informed about which care home, hospital or community event they are next playing and I know that not only does the choir put a smile on the faces of the audience, but also the sense of wellbeing and joy that each member of the choir gets from singing together is priceless.

This photo was taken on Saturday at Sainsbury’s in Nantwich where the Funky Choir sang for over four hours to help the local branch of Riding for the Disabled with their bucket collection. Have a Funky Christmas Funky Choir and thank you for everything you add to our Funky Community!

Betty and Ann Parkin

Betty and Ann at St Mary's

Moving on, and I must mention another pair of volunteers that bring joy to lots of people: Betty and Ann Parkin, my father in-law’s lovely donkeys. They were out again on Sunday for their annual visit to St Mary’s Church, Nantwich for the Nativity service.

Don’t worry if you missed them, Betty and Ann will be at St Margaret's Church, Wrenbury for their final outing of the year on Christmas Eve at 3pm for the Crib Service.

Merrily, Merrily ...

Last week I enjoyed two carol services: one at my nephew's school, St Anne’s in Nantwich and one at St Margaret’s in Wrenbury. Seeing my nephew sing was lovely and we realised that, just like his Mummy, Auntie Liz and Grandma Ruth, he's not exactly pitch-perfect, but belts out his tunes with a smile and giggles!

Sadly though, I feel the need to include a little rant here. I was walking home with my mum and nephew after the service at St Anne’s (about 5.45pm) and I was horrified that TWO cars didn’t even slow down at the zebra crossing, let alone stop while we patiently waited there.

What shocked me even more was my sister telling me that this is a regular occurrence - even in daylight! Drivers please slow down at zebras - especially near schools!

Lots of Christmas Cheer

Christmas is of course a time for parties and having had more than my fair share this month, it's safe to say that I have completely fallen off the diet-wagon! Last Thursday I was out with my fellow Tropic girls for a superb meal and dancing at the Crown Hotel, Nantwich, which served up the best Christmas dinner so far! On Saturday we had Christmas with our old neighbours and friends and I ate mountains of the legendary Diane Kilby pâté.

On Sunday I enjoyed another lovely Christmas meal with my girlfriends at The Globe in Nantwich, although this time I went off-piste and opted for the Thai green curry with king prawns - not a stuffing ball or sprout in sight, but very tasty!

Lots of Santas ready to run ...

The Annual Santa Dash

Sunday saw a huge gathering of Santas (and the odd reindeer and snowman!) in Nantwich Town Square. Sponsored by The Ruk Group, the annual Hope House Santa Dash had to be postponed the week before due to the snowy weather but it got in full swing this week, despite the miserably wet weather. Participants were able to choose to run either 2.5k or 5k and considering the weather, there were almost 200 people running to raise money for Hope House.

And Finally ...

On Monday, after writing this article, I will be at the Oddfellows on Welsh Row for our office team Christmas dinner AND to celebrate the fourth RedShift engagement of the year - Helen Gregory our Office Manager who got engaged on her birthday weekend to the love of her life, Mark Thompson. Congratulations Helen and Mark!

This article appeared in Crewe Chronicle on 20th December 2017.  Please look out for my "Out and About" page each week in the Crewe Chronicle. For more information about any of the items in this article, please email us here at RedShift or call us on 01270 440 750.