Midcheshire Independent Issue 185

NOVEMBER 2025 4 AN intrepid Cheshire nurse has successfully scaledMount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, in memory of her late mother. Donna took on the chal- lenge to raise funds for Mac- clesfield Hospital’s Emergency Department (ED), where she works. The 52-year-old sister and training facilitator has worked in the department for 25 years. She said: “This was without question the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. “The days before summit night had already left me exhausted and cold. And after eight days on the mountain, with little sleep and hours of walking every day, every part of me was sorely tested. “At 10pm on the final night we set off into the pitch-black on our final push for the sum- mit. Near the top I was very much running on fumes and without my incredible guides there’s no chance I’d have made it. “At one point all I wanted to do was lie down in the cold A GLAMOROUS night of music, dancing and fund- raising is on the cards as Nantwich Town Disabil- ity Football (NTDF) gets ready to host its annual ‘Black Tie Ball’. This year’s event has the theme ‘Disco Through The Decades’ and will take place on Saturday November 22 in The Fairfax Suite at Nant- wich Town Football Club. Guests are being encour- aged to ‘dress to impress’ and enjoy a fantastic evening of entertainment, with a live DJ, and a raffle. Tickets are £20 per person, which includes food and entertainment, and the event is for over 18s only. All proceeds from the night will go directly towards the running and development of NTDF, helping to provide footballing opportunities for more than 45 players across five teams in the Cheshire FA Ability Counts League. Event organiser Craig Acton said: “Our Black Tie Ball is always a brilliant night and a vital fundraiser for the club. Every penny raised goes back into helping us provide inclusive football for players of all abilities. “We’re incredibly proud of how our teams have grown, A WOMAN from Chesh- ire has been honoured on the world stage for her lifelong commitment to helping others. Parveen Smith, 55, has been awarded the prestig- ious United Nations Global Peace Council Award, rec- ognising more than two decades of tireless humani- tarian work. She received the acco- lade at a special ceremony at the Houses of Parliament in London, celebrating her 24 years of supporting com- munities both in the UK and overseas. A proud mother of three and grandmother of four, Parveen, from Crewe, says her own life experiences have inspired her mission to help people dealing with stress, anxiety and relation- ship challenges. With more than 20 years of mentoring experience, she has guided both chil- dren and adults to improve their health, wellbeing and resilience. Her remarkable efforts have reached far beyond Britain. In Nepal, after a devastating earthquake, Parveen helped feed entire villages, delivered sanita- tion kits, and worked with her friend Nirmal to build CREWE Concert Band will host ‘An Afternoon of Remembrance’ concert in Wistaston to mark sacri- fices made in the defence of the country. The patriotic concert of Proms and Remembrance favourites will take place on Saturday November 8 from 2-4pm at Wistaston Memorial Hall on Church Lane. Admission is £5 for adults, payable on the door, while children go free. Refresh- ments will be available and there will also be a raffle with prizes. Organisers say the after- noon promises ‘an uplifting and reflective’ programme of music, bringing people together to both celebrate and remember. A band spokesperson said: “It is an honour to be perform- ing a remembrance concert at Wistaston Memorial Hall. “We warmly welcome the whole community to join us for an afternoon of stir- ring music, reflection, and celebration. It’s a chance to come together through music and share in a very special occasion.” Crewe Concert Band, formed in 1982, is the long- est-running concert band in south Cheshire and has called Wistaston Memorial Hall home for more than 30 years. The band welcomes musi- cians of all ages and abilities and regularly performs across Crewe, Nantwich, Alsager and beyond. Donna’s peak performance! High point: Donna on her Kilimanjaro adventure (Photo credit: East Cheshire NHS Trust) Peace award for Parveen Presentation: Parveen receives her honour BY JONATHANWHITE tin houses in remote moun- tain communities cut off from aid. She also supported orphaned children with food and vital school supplies. In Haiti, she led a small team including a nurse and an engineer to rebuild a children’s orphanage after the earthquake, making it self-sustainable while providing food, clothing and sanitation. She even secured 100 pairs of flip flops fromWalmart to protect children from injury, and paid four years of unpaid wages for local teachers so they could continue support- ing their families. Most recently, Parveen has been supporting peo- ple affected by the war in Ukraine – offering medita- tion classes to help manage anxiety and raising funds to get aid directly to those in need. She has helped organise charity dinners and made personal donations to support the work of volunteer Gary Fears, who has travelled into Ukraine several times to deliver food and supplies. Parveen says she is deeply grateful to the local commu- nity for backing the mission. And he has also raised funds for Cancer Research UK, the world-leading char- ity dedicated to pioneering cancer research, prevention and treatment. Parveen said receiving the UN award was “a remarka- ble honour” but was quick to share the credit. She said: “It is not just a recognition of my achieve- ments, but a testament to the unwavering support of friends and family who’ve been part of this journey. “This accolade inspires me to remain humble, knowing that true impact comes not from personal accolades, but from the positive change we create together.” Footy club is having a ball Remembrance through music Shaping the future of policing MORE than 30 people from communities across Macclesfield have come together to help shape local policing. They are taking part in the latest citizens’ assembly run by Dan Price, Cheshire’s Police and Crime Commis- sioner (PCC). They are taking part in face-to-face workshops to give the PCC a better under- standing of local community policing needs. Dan Price said: “This is the fourth citizens’ assembly we’ve held and it’s great to see local people so committed to helping Macclesfield thrive. These assemblies really mat- ter because they give everyone a voice. “Even though our communi- ties across the county can feel quite different, some issues like wanting to see more police around, keep coming up no matter where you live. It’s clear that people care about the same core things. “I’m interested to see what comes out of this assembly and how it stacks up against what we’ve learned in other areas. Local people’s input is what makes these gatherings invaluable, and I’m excited to see the results.” Dan Price is the first PCC in the country to hold citizens’ assemblies to form local polic- ing priorities. The first ones were held in Crewe and Nant- wich at the end of last year. and have a nap, which isn’t exactly a great survival strat- egy at 5,000m. “And at nearly every cor- ner we saw someone heading down, or worse being taken down, and the rescue helicop- ters were practically running an Uber service up there. “After more than ten hours of solid climbing I finally staggered to Stella Point at 8.36am, which is one the three recognised summits on Kilimanjaro. “And of course, after ten hours of dragging myself uphill, I discovered the cruel punchline of mountaineering, what goes up must also come down, and four hours later I crawled back into base camp only to be told we had another seven hours to go to descend to 3,000m for the night. At that point, my legs were filing a formal complaint! “I’m so glad, and slightly shocked, that I’ve done it, but let me say clearly, never again. Once is enough!” Donna has led the ED’s education programme for the past nine years and her epic climb has so far raised £1,800, smashing the origi- nal target of £1,500, towards training resources and devel- opment opportunities for her colleagues. But the challenge was also a very personal one for Donna. She said: “I took on Kiliman- jaro in memory of my wonder- ful mum, as a tribute to her. “She would have been incredibly proud to see me take on something like this and I carried her memory with me every step of the way, especially in the hard- est moments. She was always my biggest supporter, and the climb was for her.” and events like this make it possible to keep that momen- tum going. We can’t wait to see everyone dressed up and ready to dance through the decades!” NTDF also runs free pan-disability football train- ing sessions every Friday from 7pm to 8pm on the Swansway Stadium’s state-of-the-art 3G pitch at Nantwich Town. The sessions are open to anyone with a disability, reflecting the club’s mission to make football accessible to all. For tickets, message NTDF through https://www.face - book.com/NantwichTownDis- abilityFootball , or contact Craig on 07791 214269. For more information visit https://www.facebook.com/ cwecb or email creweconcert- band@gmail.com