Midcheshire Independent Issue 190

APRIL 2026 2 Nopartofthispublicationmaybeusedorreproducedwithouttheexpresspermission ofthepublisher.Everyeffort ismadetoensurethatthearticlesandadvertisements thatarecarriedareauthentic,howeverthepublisheracceptsnoresponsibility for claimsmade. © Investors inPublishingLtd2025. Thisnewspaper ispublishedmonthlyby Investors inPublishing,PublishingHouse, 3 Bridgebank IndustrialEstate,TaylorStreet,Horwich,BoltonBL67PD. Tel.01204478812 EDITOR : Ged Henderson ged@hendersonnewsandmedia.com ADVERTISING: Robin Atkins 07767 840274 robin@cheshireindependent.co.uk CONTACT: JayneMeadowcroft 01204 478812 or 07703 045189 jayne@independentnewspapers.co.uk CONTACT US PDQ LANDSCAPE & BUILDING SERVICES 07763 923005 01270 421405 From inside to outside, whatever you can imagine, we can make it come true. IF WE CAN’T DO IT NO ONE CAN! FREE QUOTE Call Steve sredmond24707825@aol.com MEMBERS of Crewe Central Table Ten- nis Club in Nant- wich helped smash a nationwide target as players across Eng- land came together to celebrate a major milestone in the sport. The club took part in Britain’s Greatest Rally, a coordinated challenge organised by Table Tennis England, which aimed to collec- tively achieve 100,000 table tennis rallies in a single day. The response exceeded expectations, with hun- dreds of players at 33 venues across the coun- try combining to record an impressive 207,343 rallies – more than dou- ble the original target. Cr ewe Cent ra l , based at the Bob Hope NEWSINBRIEF PLANNING is well underway in Macclesfield for this year’s 1261 Festival. The town council has opened applications from community organisations for funding. And the ArtSpace organisation has been commissioned to organise the parade taking place on June 20. LOCAL MP Tim Roca held a Big Advice Drop-In event at St John’s Church Hall in tKe 0aFFlesfield :est aQd ,v\ :aUd ZKiFK involved organisations including the local policing team, Citizens Advice, NHS Care and Community Support Team and the Family +XE :aUd FoXQFilloUs also took part. CLUB MEMBERS RALLY ROUND Smash hit: Club members took on the challenge (Photo credit: Edward Shields) “Our club was abso- lutely buzzing, with players young and old joining in and enjoying every moment. We’re incredibly proud to have contributed so many ral- lies to such a fantastic WORKERS at luxury car maker Bentley have been left stunned after the firm announced up to 275 job losses at its Cheshire plant. The manufacturer, based in Crewe, has announced plans to cut it workforce after operating profits plunged to £187million in 2025 – a 42 per cent fall on 2024’s figures. Kaaren Lewis, GMB union organiser, said: “These cuts have come out of the blue and the work- force is stunned. “Trump’s tariff’s have hit Bentley hard and the company is still feeling the effects of the covid lockdown. “GMB will stand side by side with members in Bentley to ensure the minimum redundancies and the maximum pay outs.” The company is one of the biggest employers in Cheshire East, with workers travelling from across the area to the Crewe operation. Bentley chief executive and chairman Dr Frank-Steffen Wal- liser said the company was invest- ing in its factory “at unprecedented levels” but needed to make “some difficult decisions” to ensure its long-term competitiveness. Academy in Nantwich, played a significant role in the effort, contribut- ing 11,775 rallies to the national tally during a packed day of activ- ity involving players of all ages. The day began with participants from demen- tia and Parkinson’s groups, who generated 2,576 rallies during a lively opening session. They were followed by the club’s ‘Old Bats’ group and members of the U3A, whose doubles matches added 2,197 rallies. Junior players then brought extra energy to the hall during an evening session, pro- ducing 3,002 rallies, before two adult groups embraced the challenge and added a further 3,291. Meanwhile, play- ers from Crewe Central and Norton contested a league match in the same vibrant atmos- phere, contributing 709 rallies to the total. The event a l so attracted regional media attention, with a crew from ITV Granada vis- iting the club to film and interview participants during the day. Club representative Jan Johns praised the enthusiasm shown by everyone involved. She said: “It was wonderful to see the excitement building throughout the day as groups from across the country shared their rally totals and photos. nationwide celebration of table tennis.” Organ i sers a l so thanked volunteers, par- ents and supporters who helped count rallies, feed balls and provide refresh- ments, as well as Table Tennis England repre- sentative Evie Collier, who spent the day at the club witnessing the com- munity spirit first-hand. Photos from the day were taken by student media photographer Edward Shields, who is also producing a video of the highlights from the event. Bentley workers face the axe