RedShift to Host Community Stage as Roundheads Take on Cavaliers in Battle

Community Radio and Events organisation RedShift will once again be hosting the main stage in Nantwich Town Square on Saturday 27th January, as the troops prepare to re-enact the Battle of Nantwich.

The Battle was a key event during the first English Civil War in 1644, when a Parliamentarian army under Thomas “Black Tom” Fairfax defeated the besieging Royalist force of Lord Byron.

With a packed programme beginning at 10.00 am, the town square will be at the heart of the action during the morning, with various musicians joining compère Paul Boniface on stage. Also on and around the town square there will be the Domesday Morris Dancers, street entertainers and Plough Witches weaving their way through the crowd. A hog roast will be available and for the first time this year, Joseph Heler’s will be selling special Holly Holy Day cheeses.

Nantwich Museum will be hosting a Civil War tour at 10.00 am followed by a musketry demonstration by the Sealed Knot at 10.30 am and 17th century music from Forlorne Hope at 11.30 am.

Organised by the King’s Guard of the Sealed Knot, the Battle re-enactment has been an annual event in Nantwich for more than 40 years.  The armies will march from Malbank School and down Welsh Row, arriving in the town centre at 1.00 pm.  After a wreath laying ceremony at the war memorial, they will head down Mill Street at 1.30 pm and onto Mill Island for a spectacular battle display featuring muskets, pike and cannon at approximately 1.45 pm.

Anyone interested in volunteering as a steward for the event should visit www.battleofnantwich.org/volunteer.

For more information about Holly Holy Day, please visit www.battleofnantwich.org.

For further information about RedShift, visit www.redshiftonline.org, follow our Facebook page, see us on Twitter @RedShiftRadioUK or join our online Facebook Community Hub

OUT AND ABOUT BLOG: It's Begnning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Friday will be 1st December so I officially have an excuse to talk about Christmas! Put your hand up if you're ready for it?

OK, so I may not be ready for Christmas but I am actually looking forward to it. I will be cooking for 13 people and each time I mention that to anyone, I am reliably informed we need to put a teddy at the table to make it 14! Either I have never cooked for 13 or this is a Cheshire thing and being a southerner, I have never heard of this superstition before. Either way, Jasper our dog now has an excuse to sit at the table with us!

Local Christmas Markets

This weekend you will find me at the Richmond Village Traditional Christmas Markets with two hats on: I will be blasting out the Christmas tunes from the RedShift van whilst also manning my Tropic Skincare stand in the warmth of the main building. Please do pop along and buy some lovely unique gifts and enjoy a mulled wine, or three, whilst browsing.

Also this weekend there is a Christmas market in Nantwich and the ETSY handmade market at Reaseheath so really there is no excuse to not at least start your shopping!

Red Hair, Red Dress Affair

Last week I ventured up to Knutsford to attend my dear friend Sue France’s “Red Hair, Red Dress Affair” event at the Courthouse. Sue runs a fantastic ladies' networking group called Creative Connecting in Cheshire. We had a lovely meal and listened to a great guest speaker called Nikki Pattinson, an inspirational woman who gave a hilarious, moving and insightful speech. The event raised over £700 for a charity called Gift of a Wedding, an incredible charity that stages weddings within weeks, or even days, for terminally sick people.

I met Sue France on 6th September 2010, the day RedShift began broadcasting and we have been friends ever since. Her events (ladies only, sorry chaps) are always unique and well attended with business women from across Cheshire and Sue has been such a wonderful support and encourager to me over the last seven years.

South Cheshire Chamber Business Awards

Friday night saw me hosting the South Cheshire Chamber Business Awards for the 7th year, and 5th year with my fabulous co-host Paul Boniface.

Paul and I both love this event and seeing how much it has grown in size and calibre of entrants and finalists over the years is great. I am looking forward to hosting the Chamber Awards radio show this Friday from 10am - 2pm with all the winners and sponsors so please do tune in at www.redshiftonline.org.

Back to the Future Project

A quick mention for our Back-to-the-Future inter-generational project again. We are looking for people over 70 to join us on Saturday 9th December from 2-4pm at Nantwich Museum. We will be making Christmas table decorations and singing carols by candlelight. We have several young people booked on and we have four spaces for under 20 year olds and seven spaces for over 70 year olds. To book onto this fun and free inter-generational project, please call 01270 440 750.

Volunteer of the Week
My choice for Volunteer of the Week has to be the lovely Paul Boniface who has been with us for six years. Paul presents Easy Like Sunday Morning and really does put his heart and soul into it. He plans his show theme, features and songs so carefully and he has a loyal following of regular listeners.

Paul’s commitment to, and support of, RedShift goes far beyond producing and presenting his show.

Paul frequently supports me at events and over the last six months he has raised an incredible £3,464 as part of the #ClimbKili2017 campaign, a quarter of which will be coming to RedShift to support our youth activities.

Thank you Paul!