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DAVE FOUND VILLAGE LIFE IN GOOSTREY (and an old pal) A DREAM

Dave (left) in character role with Terry Price

  Probably it was on a visit to The Crown for a tipple or two, I first met Dave Garratt and his wife, Kathy. They had  been in Goostrey only for  a short time but they were already full on into community life and making friends fast. That was only a decade or so ago but Dave had slipped so seamlessly into the village to spend a well earned retirement, it may have been thought he had been among us for many years. Dave, who villagers will know by now, has sadly died aged 66, moved with Kathy to Goostrey in February 2004 from Milnrow, a pennine village near Rochdale. Like our village, Milnrow has a thriving community  where newcomers are warmly welcomed. So it was not without a lot of soul searching  the couple decided to leave their home of 30 years for new pastures and Dave's early retirement from head of an international transport company. Their choice of Goostrey was a fortuitous move. Neither was aware of its existence, but Dave, trawling the internet found, the house of their dreams in the centre of the village. And for both viewing the property for the first time from their car parked in Mill Lane it was love at first sight. The move to downsize was prompted by a mutual desire to leave a one-in-ten hillside environment for a house on the level. Saying good-bye to their many long-time friends and neighbours, however,  was a great wrench, but Kathy was assured by Dave that if she ever wanted go back it would not be a problem.

Dave (centre) writing the results at this year's show

Kathy, who worked in an estate agency, says: "I said I hoped we were not making a mistake but as soon as I walked across the road to the house I thought this is for me. I was worried about him because he  had worked 70 hours a week. It had always been work with him, but he loved Goostrey and it was here he learnt to relax. I went with him once or twice to the Crown because we knew no-one to begin with but that soon changed. We got to know a lot of people in the village as a result  and Dave  used to meet friends there on a Wednesday, Friday and Sunday almost until the week he passed away. He said from very early on here that there was no place like Goostrey and he did not want to move anywhere else". And the Gooseberry Show particularly appealed to him  as part of village life. So much so that as well as a novice grower with promise, he became secretary and was among the first to support its launch of a float as part of  Goostrey rose day. Dave's sense of fun always ensured it was a great success, and this year he was unabashed wearing a pink voluminous dress and curled wig as a character in its theme of the Wizard of Oz. When I started this blog,he was the first to sign up as a follower! A friend said: "You could not have met a nicer person than Dave. He would do a favour for anyone and his loss will be felt by many people in the village. When he became ill only weeks before he died, he made it clear he wanted no fuss and did not want to discuss it. He must have been suffering great discomfort at times but he continued almost to the end to meet his friends at the Crown. His bravery in the face of a terminal illness was incredible." Dave, who was born in Wythenshawe, was a lifelong Manchester City supporter and season ticket holder. He died soon after listening to City's defeat of United in their derby game."He did not have his eyes open but heard the game and he put his thumb up when they won," said Kathy. Since Dave's death, she says she has been swamped by kindness and the number of people offering support and calling at the door to offer condolences and with gifts of flowers and even food has been incredible. Kathy has also praised the care Dave received from the medical services and Holmes Chapel Health Centre since he was diagnosed with cancer. His funeral at Davenham Crematorium this Wednesday will be a celebration of his life. The coffin will be shouldered by former social friends from Milnrow known collectively as the Loonies.And so many friends and former colleagues have expressed a  wish  to speak about Dave and his life that twice the time has been allocated  to say farewell. Dave leaves his wife, Kathy, and their son, Lee, who lives in Derby, and daughter, Sara, from Brereton.
Graham Lenihan, a long-time friend of Dave and Goostrey Parish councillor, had known him since they were five-year-olds at school, but lost contact for some years. They were delighted to find they lived in the same village when they met up by chance at the Crown.
In an appreciation "My thoughts on my friend David Garratt" Graham recalls how they met at Rackhouse Junior School in Northern Moor, Wythenshawe, where Dave was noted for his football school skills and visits to headmaster Mr Leach to see the benefits of toeing the line! 
"During this time David became a scout and this was where we spent all our time, either in Wythenshawe Park playing wide games or camping. Here David excelled at British Bulldog! He moved on at 11 having passed the eleven plus and got a place at Wythenshawe Tech and then after O levels at 16 he became a shipping clerk in Manchester. It was then he met Kathy and was smitten with the girl  who was to become his lifelong love. David worked for different companies in Manchester until he got together with a couple of likely lads and started a business called Cardinal Maritime which has become one of the largest freight forwarding companies in the country. He was fanatical about Manchester City and loved Manchester, organising what became Old Gits days out. We visited the roughest parts of the town, and if we go together with the 'Rochdale Mafia and Choir' there were experiences that can only be described as surreal! After David and Kathy moved to Milnrow their circle of friends became even bigger. David was the sort of friend that we all look to have. He would do anyone a favour. Always buying his round at the bar. He was a gentleman. OK he wasn't perfect - he could not sing and his dancing was not up to the standard for Strictly. But David Garratt was heck of a true gentleman and one hell of a nice guy!

Jasper Carrot

RAISED UNDER A GOOSEBERRY BUSH!

All the big berries have long since gone but you never know what you might come across under a  Gooseberry bush in a Goostrey  garden. Emma Williams was clearing  weeds from around her trees  when she found this many legged carrot  lurking  among the tangled foliage. With the addition of a pair of eyes it looks like some extra terrestrial character that got lost on its way to Jodrell Bank.! But Emma, a member of Goostrey Gooseberry Show, thinks she must have dropped a packet of seeds among her prize-winning bushes and this diminutive carrot with the trace of a smile on its face is the result. He has been been called Jasper - and saved from the pot!
*Tap or click on image to enlarge
See also:
www.countynewsandpicturepost.blogspot.com
This site www.blogsfromthebongs.blogspot.com

The summer holidays are upon us so I thought it would do no harm to run this Blog from 2014 if anyone fancies a great day out with the kids. Take your bikes and use the old rail track for an outstanding traffic-free ride! Have checked the details and Carole is still making her cakes!

CAROLE'S BAKING IS MANIFOLD IN THE VALLEY

Carole with one of the sponges she bakes 

A smell of baking always stirs nostalgia and memories from childhood of home made bread and cakes. These days it is also found in supermarkets where fans blast out the aroma from so called in-store bakeries, or more deliciously in artisan shops  like Mandeville's in Holmes Chapel. Until recently my son-in-law Adrian was a bit of a dab hand at baking cakes at BH. But since  a new cooker was introduced he has lost the plot. I am afraid like King Alfred  he has abandoned hope of becoming  Goostrey's rival to Mary Berry after a series of burnt offerings came forth from the oven. Now to my sheer enjoyment of  childhood memories a trip the other day to the Manifold Valley in the Staffordshire Peak District with brother and sister-in-law, Richard and Sylvia, was as memorable for home baking as the beauty of its landscape. I must admit despite some years of working in the Potteries,

Visitors enjoy the grounds and scenic views from Ilam Hall

 I was only vaguely aware of the Manifold Valley. It was only when my daughter, Emma, took a wrong turning several weeks ago on a trip to visit the John Smedley woollen mill in Derbyshire, we found ourselves in this corner of  hidden England  I vowed to return to explore its delights. We trio on a day out less than an hour's run from home base arrived at the visitor centre in Hulme End at the head of the valley just in time to find freshly-baked scones being drawn from the oven in the adjoining Tea Junction tea-room. A bustling Carole Davies was in charge of cooking - hence a smell of fresh baking to die for in what was the engine shed of the old Manifold light railway. Carole takes it in turns in the kitchen with the owner, Rebecca Simcock, to provide hungry visitors and walkers with a real taste of home. And it is all served like a "proper do," as we used to say when I was a lad, in real china teacups and plates and a pot of tea provided by Laura Grindey that would have done twice as many! My companions opted for Carole's still warm scones but I couldn't resist a hefty slice of lemon drizzle cake! Carole says apart from the regulars they have visitors from all over the world as well  as home-grown tourist, and everyone thinks it is - a wonderful oasis!

Butterton church

12th cent Ilam church

We left Carole and the temptations of her tea room to explore the valley, a compact  eight miles long and perhaps four miles at its widest. Within its boundaries is some of the finest scenic country to be found in these islands. A gaggle of  tiny villages, some no-more than a hamlet, with names like Waterfall, Ilam, Warslow and Butterton rise from narrow lanes which flow on popular days with booted walkers and cycling couples and children, many of them taking the now unused rail line in complete safety. At Ilam Hall, the National Trust maintain a caravan site in what must be one of the most picturesque places to pitch in the country, nestling between limestone hills and woodland. Spending a few minutes in the visitor centre at Hulme End provided us with all the information we needed for our day's exploration. And, yes, there was time for another cuppa before we left this iconic spot. In the ancient Warslow village church a notice invites visitors to brew their own and pop a donation in the box towards the repair of the tower!
*I wouldn't like anyone to be disappointed if they visit the valley - the tea room is open March to October, Tuesday - Sunday, 10am to 5pm and  closed December and January.Telephone 01298 687368.The visitor centre is closed Mondays except for Bank Holidays,

In Warslow church visitors invited to tea

Link the new sister site: www.countynewsandpicturepost.blogspot.com 

The summer holidays are upon us so I thought it would do no harm to run this Blog from 2014 if anyone fancies a great day out with the kids. Take your bikes and use the old rail track for an outstanding traffic-free ride! 

CAROLE'S BAKING IS MANIFOLD IN THE VALLEY

Carole with one of the sponges she bakes 

A smell of baking always stirs nostalgia and memories from childhood of home made bread and cakes. These days it is also found in supermarkets where fans blast out the aroma from so called in-store bakeries, or more deliciously in artisan shops  like Mandeville's in Holmes Chapel. Until recently my son-in-law Adrian was a bit of a dab hand at baking cakes at BH. But since  a new cooker was introduced he has lost the plot. I am afraid like King Alfred  he has abandoned hope of becoming  Goostrey's rival to Mary Berry after a series of burnt offerings came forth from the oven. Now to my sheer enjoyment of  childhood memories a trip the other day to the Manifold Valley in the Staffordshire Peak District with brother and sister-in-law, Richard and Sylvia, was as memorable for home baking as the beauty of its landscape. I must admit despite some years of working in the Potteries,

Visitors enjoy the grounds and scenic views from Ilam Hall

 I was only vaguely aware of the Manifold Valley. It was only when my daughter, Emma, took a wrong turning several weeks ago on a trip to visit the John Smedley woollen mill in Derbyshire, we found ourselves in this corner of  hidden England  I vowed to return to explore its delights. We trio on a day out less than an hour's run from home base arrived at the visitor centre in Hulme End at the head of the valley just in time to find freshly-baked scones being drawn from the oven in the adjoining Tea Junction tea-room. A bustling Carole Davies was in charge of cooking - hence a smell of fresh baking to die for in what was the engine shed of the old Manifold light railway. Carole takes it in turns in the kitchen with the owner, Rebecca Simcock, to provide hungry visitors and walkers with a real taste of home. And it is all served like a "proper do," as we used to say when I was a lad, in real china teacups and plates and a pot of tea provided by Laura Grindey that would have done twice as many! My companions opted for Carole's still warm scones but I couldn't resist a hefty slice of lemon drizzle cake! Carole says apart from the regulars they have visitors from all over the world as well  as home-grown tourist, and everyone thinks it is - a wonderful oasis!

Butterton church

12th cent Ilam church

We left Carole and the temptations of her tea room to explore the valley, a compact  eight miles long and perhaps four miles at its widest. Within its boundaries is some of the finest scenic country to be found in these islands. A gaggle of  tiny villages, some no-more than a hamlet, with names like Waterfall, Ilam, Warslow and Butterton rise from narrow lanes which flow on popular days with booted walkers and cycling couples and children, many of them taking the now unused rail line in complete safety. At Ilam Hall, the National Trust maintain a caravan site in what must be one of the most picturesque places to pitch in the country, nestling between limestone hills and woodland. Spending a few minutes in the visitor centre at Hulme End provided us with all the information we needed for our day's exploration. And, yes, there was time for another cuppa before we left this iconic spot. In the ancient Warslow village church a notice invites visitors to brew their own and pop a donation in the box towards the repair of the tower!
*I wouldn't like anyone to be disappointed if they visit the valley - the tea room is open March to October, Tuesday - Sunday, 10am to 5pm and  closed December and January.Telephone 01298 687368.The visitor centre is closed Mondays except for Bank Holidays,

In Warslow church visitors invited to tea

Link the new sister site: www.countynewsandpicturepost.blogspot.com 

Special News blog to mark 1914


LEST WE FORGET THE VILLAGE FALLEN

I think it would be amiss of me if I didn't mention today's historic day, the outbreak of the Great War 100 years ago on August 4 1914. Goostrey's cenotaph to the fallen in St Luke's churchyard has a wreath and crosses placed there to remember those from the village and near communities who died during the terrible conflict that lasted until 1918.

Goostrey cenotaph

 There are not many names inscribed on the sandstone memorial but with a population then many hundreds fewer than now, the impact of the losss on families and friends  in  the community must have been devastating.
 Even when I was born World War 1 was of recent history and there were still many who vividly recalled the horrors of the trenches and the sheer slaughter of battles like the Somme and Ypers. 
My grandfather, John Smith, on my mother's side served in the Boer War as well as the Great War but sadly I have little knowledge of his service. I do know that he was said to have suffered sun stroke in South Africa and then he was badly wounded in World War 1.
 Eventually with, what I can only think  of as shell shock, he was detained in a Manchester mental hospital for the rest of his days. It was a sad end to a proud man who served his country with distinction like thousands of others. My mother once took me to visit him.  I recall a military looking of elderly gentleman with bushy white hair and penetrating blue eyes.
 I watched in fascination as he used a penknife to strip the complete peel from an apple in one piece, but I remember nothing more of  the visit. To her dying day, my grandmother kept at home his medals, a pistol he was said to have carried in the war and a rifle I presume came from the Boer War. She would bring them out to let us handle as a treat. if we grandchildren were  especially good. Somewhere I have a photograph of him in uniform and  I would dearly like to find it but my cousin Peter Yates in Essex has dipped into an archive and produced one for the blog.

Waiting to go over the top on the Somme

Another hero of the war was one of my first editors as a young reporter in Wilmslow. He was called Fred Fletcher and suffered all his life from the effects of a gas attack at the front but  he was never heard to complain. He would breeze into the office on th dullest of winter days, walking stick in hand, and take in a deep breath as if to say it was still good to be alive! I believe he died in harness in his seventies.

+Click images to enlarge

John Smith

Special News Blog....

NICOLA MAKES A TRIO OF GOOSEBERRY CHAMPS

The winning gooseberry trio

Gooseberry grower Peter Goode, twice winner of Goostrey’s show with his Prince Charles berry, has almost been toppled from the throne as the family’s heavyweight champion….by his wife, Nicola.

 Peter, whose 33 pennyweight berry took  top spot a week ago at the Goostrey contest at the Crown Inn, won success after raising berries for 25 years.

And their son,Jamie, nine, a pupil at Holmes Chapel primary school, also became a family champ when he gained the junior trophy at the same show with a Belmarsh berry of 26 pennyweights and nine grains.

 Now Nicola, a novice grower of only six years, has come within a whisker of beating Peter’s heaviest berry by winning the Swettenham Club show  at the week-end with an Ann Archer berry of  32 pennyweights and fifteen grains – only a fraction below her husband’s heaviest berry.

Nicola, the first woman ever  to win the Swettenham show, thought she had little chance of success when she looked at her trees tangled in a mass of chickweed on the eve of the show.

 But as Peter cleared the bushes for the official picker, Chris Jones from Goostrey, to see what he could find for Nicola’s entry he felt a clutch of  whopping-sized fruit hidden among the foliage.

“I just thought ‘Oh, my God’ as soon as I felt what was there,” said Peter. “I asked Chris to take a look and he said the same. I just couldn’t believe it as I had only just said I didn’t think there was anything worth picking for the show.

“It was the last tree I looked at and there were actually four berries all over 30 pennyweights. She certainly sneaked in with that one but I am very pleased for her.”

Nicola, who also collected a clutch of other prizes at the show, pipped veteran grower, Tom McCartney, in the place for the premier gooseberry.

Her Ann Archer berry was cultivated by world champion grower, Kelvin Archer, at his cottage garden at Rode Hall, near Congleton, and named after his wife.

Said Nicola: “I still can’t quite believe my success, and what is nice I think we are probably the only husband and wife growers to win the premier award in the same year at two shows.”

She added: “I had no idea there was a tree in my pens with a berry of such a size but they were hidden in its heart"

PETER'S PRINCE CHARLES WINS THE CROWN

Peter and Jamie

It was goodies for the Goode family at Gooseberry Goostrey Show - Peter Goode won the top place for the  heaviest berry for the second year in a row! 
Peter, always somewhat of a dark horse in 25 years of cultivating the fruit, beat all the odds of a season of discontent among growers to sweep the board and  collect most of the silver.
Few gooseberry men believed that size would matter this year as the result of a season two weeks ahead and juice-swollen fruit bursting on the bushes.
 But Peter the Plumber pulled a monster from his box to win the premier prize. He repeated his success of last year as the top grower with another Prince Charles berry, this time even heavier at 33 pennyweights than his previous best of 29 pennyweights and seven grains.
And  to cap it all his son Jamie. a mere stripling of nine, weighed in as a junior contestant with a big  Belmarsh berry of 26 pennyweights and eleven grains raised on his dad's allotment at Cranage. 
Jamie, a pupil at Holmes Chapel primary school,was as thrilled as his dad at the outcome. He has been growing berries for only  three years and this was his first show.

Alan Garner hands Peter a  trophy

But in a day of nail-biting competition at the Crown Inn, two absent members took second and third places for the heaviest berry. In second spot was Tom McCartney, top of the crop in 2012, who is still unwell, with a whopper of a Millennium in a season of bursting fruit of 30 pennyweights and nine grains. 
The late David Heath, another of Goostrey's top growers who died earlier this year, came third with an Edith Cavell berry of 28 pennyweights and seven grains presented at the show by his widow, Kath.
The prizewinners also included Griselda Garner, of the Blackden Trust at The Old Medicine House and Toad Hall, Blackden. Goostrey, where an archive of gooseberry varieties cultivated by the late Frank Carter, a legend among growers,  is maintained. Her husband, the novelist Alan Garner, presented the trophies.

*Click on the pictures to enlarge

A Prince Charles Berry!

Blogs from the Bongs: NOT A BERRY HEAVYWEIGHT YEAR!Kelvin with his wor...

Blogs from the Bongs:
NOT A BERRY HEAVYWEIGHT YEAR!
Kelvin with his wor...: NOT A BERRY HEAVYWEIGHT YEAR! Kelvin with his world record holder  If ever there should be a song "They are Bustin' Out all...

NOT A BERRY HEAVYWEIGHT YEAR!

Kelvin with his world record holder

 If ever there should be a song "They are Bustin' Out all Over..." it would be most apt for the Gooseberry men of Goostrey - and all growers  around these parts- poised to do battle in the annual ritual of finding the heaviest fruit of the year. But, what with a mild winter, wonderful spring and now a hottie summer to savour, many of the berries are reportedly past their best for the start of the showing season this Saturday. When the boxes filled with the luscious offerings are opened at the Crown in Goostrey there will be some nail-biting, I guess. Sadly some of the village's most ardent growers will be absent, such as David Heath, who has died since the last show, and Tom McCartney, a 91-year-old champion, still unwell. But their berries will be presented for weighing by proxy, that is if like many a grower the juice-filled fruits have not already burst. Here at BH where a single pen of bushes is shrouded to reflect the burning heat the chief grower dare hardly look under her covers to see how they are surviving! World champion grower Kelvin Archer with last year's Millenium berry of 41 pennyweights 11 grains grown at Rode Hall tells me he can't see any records being broken this time around.. He admits he has a lot of decent berries but  nothing of the order of last year. "I don't think there will be record weights this year because they were ripe two weeks ago and have now stopped growing. There was no winter to speak of, an early spring and then there has not been much rain." However, we will watch with interest to see what Kelvin pulls out of his box at Lower Withington's show on Saturday!The Goostrey show coincides with a week-end beer festival at the Crown, so there will be ample ale in which the growers can drown their sorrows. 

John Dutton

I must end on a sad note as yet another friend has gone to a higher place. John Dutton, of Dutton Contractors, who moved in the recent past from Barnshaw Hall Farm to Middlewich, died of cancer earlier this month. The packed service of a celebration for his life at St Luke's, Goostrey, on Wednesday was a reflection of the high esteem in which he was held and the many friends he made over the years, both as a farmer and for many years as a businessman,as well as serving as a member and chairman of Goostrey Parish Council. I can confirm all that was said about his great sense of humour, generosity and that he was just a hell of a nice guy. I will  miss his cheery greeting whenever he saw me of Hi, Johnny, boy! He was born on Valentine's Day, 1936.

D-DAY SHOULD BE REMEMBERED

A World War 11 poster from the Home Front

I woke this morning  with an unfamiliar news report on Today on Radio 4. It told of the allied landings on the Normandy beaches in a voice that I certainly didn't recognise. But then I realised it was D-Day. And the item that snatched me from my slumber was the voice of an actor reading in measured tones the script of the  news report of invasion across the channel 70 years ago. I am old enough to remember World War 11 and the bloody battles and bombing raids, and young enough not to have served in the conflict. My grandchildren, Hugh, six, and Joseph, five, looked a bit non-plussed  when I asked on their return from school if anything was mentioned about what is probably the greatest day in Britain's history since we defeated the Armada in 1588 and the battles of Trafalgar and Waterloo. Now, at their tender years, I guess such a historic moment in time would have gone over their heads, and I can only assume in this less

D-Day plus 70 years is digging for treasure for  the boys

jingoistic age it was not thought a subject to merit the curriculum. Which is a tad sad when kids - not here I must add - will spend hours on screens playing violent games that make real war more like a Sunday school outing! Anyone whose early schooldays took in the years 1939 to 1945 will remember the conflict as a bit of an adventure worthy of Biggles. Youngsters felt none of the fear of their parents as nights were spent cowering in a shelter in the blitz as bombs rained down and shells burst overhead. I still have razor sharp shards of  metal that dropped from the sky from  exploding shells. It was collected as we walked  the three miles to school - much of it still  hot - from the night raid. And I recall my frustration of a daylight raid when my dad refused to allow me  from the shelter beneath living room window to let me watch as  fighter planes weaved in the sky above in mortal combat. Still. that was then and the world has changed, a peace that began when heroes stormed the Normandy beaches is to be preferred than the rattle of battle. So long as we remember the fallen and survivors of that longest day and, hopefully, somewhere in their school years youngsters will catch up with history that is still real to many.