Bob was surprised to make his mark on tattoo comp
●●10 years ago: LITTLEBOROUGH tattoo artist has inked his way to a top international prize despite not knowing he had been entered.
Rob Ratcliffe, who runs his tudio on Hare Hill Road, beat off competition from Japan, Samoa and Thailand to come top of the pile at The Manchester International Tattoo Convention.
His winning design was a graffiti-style demon’s face, entered by one of his customers.
It was the fifth year in a row he had won a prize at the show.
The 35-year-old, who says he stopped counting the tattoos on his own body when he got to 60, said it was a big surprise.
He added: “The first I knew I had even been entered was when they called my name out to go up on stage. It was a big surprise but I was delighted.”
AAN award-winning caravan park welcomed MP Jim Dobbin through its gates to celebrate the first National ●●At Gelder Wood for a special tour were, from the left, the late Coun Ann Metcalfe, owner Paul Chadwick, the late Jim Dobbin MP, Coun Colin Lambert and park co-owner Peter Chadwick Tourism Week.
The Heywood and Middleton MP, whose constituency includes Castleton, Norden and Bamford, enjoyed a special tour of Gelder Wood Country Park, which has been run by the Chadwick family for nearly 17 years.
Over the years they have won a number of awards.
During his visit, Mr Dobbin met two young men from New Zealand who were staying at the site for three weeks. Co-owner Paul Chadwick said: “We showed Mr Dobbin, councillor Ann Metcalfe and councillor Colin Lambert the improvements we have made to the park, including an expansion of our green area, more recycling bins and a system to recycle waste for our gardens.”
Gelder Wood is now set to become an official fivestar park. PUPILS at Our Lady and St Anselm’s Primary School have been learning new skills through a Learning to Learn week of special events.
On Monday, traditional circus skills were introduced to the children, helping them to learn in a fun way.
On Tuesday, infants enjoyed a visit from the Village Bakery, which was followed up the next day with the children making scones.
A skipping workshop and a handball competition also took place.
Headteacher John Cunningham said the events helped pupils strive to achieve. He said: “It’s been a very successful week.
“At the end of the circus day we had a sale of equipment and received 10 per cent of the sales, which helped us buy some circus equipment of our own.” A popular Castleton pub was packed as two of the bar staff got a close shave literally.
Dave France and Terry Cook had volunteered to have their heads shaved by local barber Sim Whittaker to raise funds for Comic Relief.
The pair sat patiently at their local - the New Inn on Manchester Road - as Sim got to work with his razor, taking just over five minutes to complete the job.
Barman Dave said: “It was all in a good cause but I’ve regretted it a bit this week with the Arctic wind blasting in.”
Terry said: “My hair was getting a bit long, so I thought why not get it done for free and raise some cash for a worthwhile charity in the process?
Landlady Catherine Hague said: “We had quite a laugh and the lads were very game having their heads shaved, particularly as they hadn’t got much on top to start with.” MUSICIANS from Wardle Brass Band have their sights set on the premier league of music-making.
They have achieved successive promotions and last weekend came top of their pile when they competed in the North West Area Finals in Blackpool.
Now the band, which practises at Wardle High School, is set to represent the region at the All-England finals in Harrogate on September 30.
Chairman Peter Bamber reckons their success is down to good old fashioned hard work.
He said: “It is absolutely superb. The band has put some real graft in lately. They have been there every night for the last two weeks and it has obviously paid off, but this is beyond all expectations.
“It is our first year in this section and I would have been happy with a top six place. Now we are just looking forward to the final and whatever happens there we are determined to go and enjoy it.” IT was toothy smiles all round for High Birch School’s nursery, after being presented with a Golden Grin award.
The award recognises the efforts of nurseries and playgroups to promote healthy eating by reducing the number of sugary snacks given to children at break time.
Year 1 teacher Liz Wallis said: “We changed our snack policy by giving out fruit and bread sticks instead of foods with lots of sugar in them.”
On special occasions, such as birthdays, children can still enjoy birthday cake, but as part of the midday meal, replacing the usual pudding and without upsetting the new healthy snack plan.