Full steam ahead for new station scheme
A BEREAVEMENT CHARITY SET UP BY MUM WHO LOST HER BABY AND HUSBAND IS JUST ONE OF MANY HELPED BY £1BN OF NATIONAL LOTTERY FUNDING
PLANS for a new railway station in Cheadle are steaming ahead after the area was awarded nearly £14million in the spring budget.
It is the largest of three schemes due to benefit from cash aimed at revitalising ‘left behind’ areas as part of the government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda.
The £9m project would bring a station back to Cheadle for the first time since the 1960s.
More detailed proposals must now be worked up before ministers will release the full £13.9m in funds.
If approved, the most likely location for the new station is next to the Alexandra Hospital – not far from where the original Cheadle Heath station once stood.
The scheme is being driven by the Cheadle Town Board - a partnership of leaders from the public and private sector and local community. It is hoped trains could begin serving Cheadle again within five years.
While the station is the priority, the money – £13.9m in total – will also fund two other projects.
The first is a low-carbon eco business park. Earmarked for councilowned land at Bird Hall Lane it would create a cluster of small and large companies and aims to accelerate the green business sector.
And there are also a number of walking and cycling schemes in line for a boost to create a ‘coherent network’ across Cheadle, which will encourage people to walk or cycle to the new station, rather than drive.
Councillor David Meller, cabinet member for economy and regeneration at Stockport council, and ward councillor for Cheadle Hulme North, said: “I am delighted we now have a chance to progress further with the case for a new railway station.
“This is something I’ve campaigned for quite some time and the potential benefit is huge for the
whole borough. The Town Deal will allow us to start delivering a green recovery in Stockport with Cheadle at its heart.”
Coun Meller says the logistics of delivering a new station are likely to prove more challenging than getting
it built. And he believes Cheadle MP Mary Robinson could play an instrumental role in bringing ‘everyone around the table,’ from Network Rail and the Department for Transport to The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government.
Mrs Robinson – who has represented Cheadle in parliament since 2015 – hailed the Towns Fund cash as ‘brilliant news’
She said: “This funding is all about recognising the vital role that the high street plays in our community and local economy.
“This boost, alongside a raft of other financial packages and measures, will ensure that Cheadle is able to bounce back as we begin lifting restrictions this year.
“This news is fantastic for our area, especially for local jobs and ensuring that we keep the green agenda at the heart of all that we do.”
There were some dissenting voices when plans for a new station emerged last year – with critics questioning whether another was needed given that trains stop at Cheadle Hulme, East Didsbury and Gatley.
But a survey carried out by Cheadle Village Partnership found 85pc of more than 1,200 respondents said the lack of rail connectivity and local congestion were their biggest concerns.
When Rhian Mannings’ little boy George died in hospital and her anguished husband Paul committed suicide five days later, she could have given in completely to her grief.
Instead brave Rhian launched 2 Wish Upon a Star, a Wales-based charity that supports families when they suffer the sudden death of a child or young person under 25.
To date the charity has helped more than 890 bereaved families. With National Lottery funding she can expand the team in order to grow her support network. “Thanks to The National Lottery we’ve quadrupled the amount of families we’re supporting,” says Rhian.
Rhian’s charity is just one of thousands of public-spirited projects that have been supported with National Lottery funding through the pandemic: National Lottery players have raised £1billion to help people across the UK during these unprecedented times. That’s been a massive boost to communities, as well as the arts, heritage, conservation and sports. And it is no small achievement. Apart from the
of the thousands of projects and people you helped during the past 12 months.
Becky Dell helped launch Citizens of the World Choir, a 53-strong singing group of refugees and asylum seekers made up of 28 nationalities. The London-based choir offers hope and emotional sanctuary to its members and to communities it performs for. Becky even kept up rehearsals and shows in the pandemic by going online.
Debbie McGowan is the manager of National Lottery-funded children’s play organisation The Urban Fox Programme, which offers activities and outdoors sessions such as cooking and kayaking, to young people. Like many charities, The Urban Fox Programme had to adapt how it engaged with its young people during the pandemic. Gone were the youth groups and in-person projects. Instead Debbie used her team of youth workers to support the younger children in the area.
National Lottery funding was given to the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, set up to commemorate the service and sacrifice of members of the armed forces. There are now plans to create a memorial to NHS workers who have died from Covid-19.
PROUD
Thanks to National Lottery players, Body & Soul, a charity that supports families struggling with the life-threatening effects of trauma, has enhanced its counselling services. These include delivering 1,500 support calls helping young people who have attempted suicide in the past six months and 44 therapy skills groups.
The support of National Lottery players has also meant that nearly 9,000 community schemes have been funded, 759 support groups looking after the isolated have been helped, and 316 community gardens have flourished.
So you should all be proud of the difference that you have made to the lives of thousands of people.
Thanks to The National Lottery we’ve quadrupled the amount of bereaved families we’re supporting RHIAN MANNINGS, 2 WISH UPON A STAR
RUPAUL’S Drag Race UK isn’t just about the entertainment – it’s a glimpse into the lives behind the showstopping make-up and outfits too. When The Vivienne opened up about overcoming drug addiction during season one in 2019, it started a conversation about an issue often hidden.
“I didn’t really expect to talk about it, but when you’re on a reality TV show you do open up a lot more, because it’s just a pressure cooker of emotions and personalities,” she says now.
The Vivienne is glad she did though, as it has enabled her to show others you can beat these things. It took hitting “rock bottom” and being warned she’d be “dead by 30”, if she didn’t stop, for The Vivienne to start turning things around – but she did.
She got clean, found love with David Ludford (they’re now married), and of course became the UK’s first Drag Race winner.
She still gets at least 30 messages a day on Instagram, “saying, ‘You inspired me to get clean,’ or, ‘Your story really inspired me’. I love being able to help people with that,” adds the performance artist, now 28.
“I also get messages off dads who have just discovered their son really loves Drag Race and they think maybe they’re gay, [saying] ‘I’ve tried everything to try and help him along, what can I do?’ When I reply, I’ll usually say something like, ‘You’re doing everything right.
“They’re young, they’ll find their people, they’ll find their tribe, they’ll find out who they are – as long as you are there to love and support them, you’re doing everything right’.”
BREAKING THE TABOO
Today, The Vivienne is talking about another element of this journey: personal finances problems. She’s teamed up with Experian on a campaign encouraging people to be ‘money positive’ – she knows first-hand how quickly things can spiral, and how much harder it is when no one talks about it. After leaving school at 16 and moving from North Wales to Liverpool, The Vivienne says like lots of people, she was unprepared for the realities of financial independence. “I didn’t really get any training, you know, I wasn’t taught anything about all that at school.
You know you’re going to have bills to deal with, [but] I always looked at it like, ‘Oh look, this flat is £400 a month, I can afford that’ – I kind of forgot there was council tax on top of that, water bills, electricity, wifi, your phone, all these bills.
“And I wasn’t really prepared for the repercussions that would come if you didn’t pay all those bills.”
LOSING SLEEP OVER MONEY
One of those repercussions was constant anxiety.
“It’s horrible. I think money worries have one of the biggest effects on people’s mental health. You kind of know that what you’re doing isn’t great, but if you’re not in a position to deal with it, or having those conversations... I used to lose sleep over it. I’d be scared if there was a knock at the door. I wasn’t educated on how to deal with those things.”
There were practical repercussions too, as mounting unpaid bills had dented her credit score. A reality check came when she tried to take out a new phone contract, but was refused when she failed the credit score check.
“It was a hard lesson. I’m only now really getting in a good financial position, because I’ve learned about all that stuff.
“My dream now is me and David want to buy a house, so [getting my finances in order] has been really important, to make sure I can set up for a mortgage in the future.”
For The Vivienne, being ‘money positive’ means lots of things – including talking and taking positive action.
She says she wishes she’d known sooner that there are solutions, like payment plans to help you pay off mounting debts.
As someone who knows the value of speaking up about hidden issues, she’s glad to be part of the conversation.
“Another reason I wanted to get on board with this campaign was so I could really have open and honest conversations about what kind of mess I got into, and maybe share some knowledge with younger people, and older people who may still not be super educated on personal finances.
“There is such a social stigma around [money problems], but maybe if I’d talked more about it back then, I would have been in a much better mental state about it. But I was so scared to talk about it.
“I think when you do have those conversations, you can kind of go, ‘Oh right, so there are solutions out there, there is a way I can get myself out of this’. It’s a great feeling, and it puts you in such a better position for your financial future.”
I used to lose sleep over it. I’d be scared if there was a knock at the door.
The Vivienne on her money worries
Experian Boost is a free new service that can help people boost their credit score through sharing more information on some of their regular payments, such as Netflix, Spotify and council tax. Visit experian.co.uk/consumer/ experian-boost.html