Midcheshire Independent Issue 194

3 JULY 2026 Visit our website: www.independentnewspapers.co.uk THE Winsford community has raised more than £4,500 for an important cause. Over the past couple of months, the people of Winsford have come together to raise funds for Crohn’s and Colitis UK. The two conditions can have life-limiting consequences and complications, whilst drastically affecting children who have their quality of life impacted as they are forced to cope with the chal- lenges that carry on through to adulthood. There were a number of fund- raising streams and initiatives across the town in the lead-up to A HEADTEACHER has con- demned a council’s decision to remove free school transport from a village to his school after the authority installed a pedestrian crossing on a bypass. The change means that unless families inWillaston, near Nant- wich, choose to pay £950 for an annual bus pass or find an alter- native way in, pupils will have to walk for around an hour to reach Malbank School fromSeptember. “Whilst there is a crossing in place, that doesn’t make the route safe,” said headteacher John Har- rison, adding that he would not allow his own children to walk it. Cheshire East Council said safety remains its priority but following highway improvement work on the A51, the route had been deemed viable for walking and was within the statutory dis- tance of under three miles. There has been a free school bus service fromWillaston to the school for decades. “I’m not under any illusions that there needs to be financial changes made, the local authority is under a lot of pressure to make cuts, I get that,” saidMr Harrison. “But I think when you make a cut that undermines safety, you’ve got to ask fundamental questions, which is what I’m doing.” Mr Harrison highlighted that a former Malbank School pupil died after being struck by a van on a pedestrian crossing in Crewe in 2021. The council said around 64 existing compulsory school age pupils were expected to be enti- tled to free school transport in September 2026 before the route was assessed as available. Work to install a toucan cross- ing on the A51 by Peacock Round- about and reduce the speed limit on the approach from 60mph to 30mph began last January. John Harrison is concerned for pupil safety on the A51 Nantwich bypass ‘I WOULDN’T LET MY OWN CHILDREN WALK THIS ROUTE’ Angry headteacher condemns council Town raises £4500 A SERIES of well-attended Armed Forces flag raising events took place yester- day across Crewe, Congleton, and Macclesfield, bringing together civic leaders, veterans, local organisations, andmembers of the public in a powerful showof unity and support for the Armed Forces community. The day began at Bentley Motors in Crewe, where the mayor of Cheshire East Councillor Judy Snowball, was joined by Cheshire East Council’s Armed Forces Champion, Councillor (Major) Anthony Harrison, the council’s Armed Forces lead officer Richard Stephenson-Evans, com- pany staff, and local veterans. The early morning ceremony marked the start of a day dedicated to recognising the service and sacrifice of military personnel, past and present. Councillor Rob Moreton, the dep- uty mayor of Cheshire East, attended an event in Congleton supported by Congleton Town Council who were joined by the local branch of the Royal British Legion in welcoming the start of Armed Forces Week during a special ser- vice at the cenotaph. The programme continued at MacclesfieldTownHall, where theArmed Forces flagwas raised inpartnershipwith theMacclesfield Royal British Legion and Armed Forces HQ. The ceremony was attended by HMDeputy Lord Flying the flag for Armed Forces Day Winsford Water Festival back in May, where the raft race was won by team Crohn’s and Colitis UK. As a result, a total of £4,544 has been successfully raised for the charity. St John’s Pre-School Nursery, on Delamere Street, has been incredibly successful in raising funds for the cause this year. The children, parents and staff participated in three sponsored walks in and around the town which raised a total of £1,778. Becky and Tom McCosh had their lives forever altered as their two youngest children, aged three and seven, were diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. They now believe that their youngest son Jonah, aged three, also has the disease. To raise funds for the char- ity, they campaigned through a GoFundMe which raised a fan- tastic £1,160.