The Parish Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Denise Draper as the new Parish Clerk with effect from the 1st January 2006 when Mike Howard retires from the post.

Denise has lived in the Village for the past 10 years and recently took early retirement from being Admin & Accounts Manager for part of a large international company. She now wants to become more actively involved in serving the local community and this has presented her with an ideal opportunity to do so.

Denise brings to the position considerable experience in computing, business accountancy and administration, all of which makes her ideal for this role and Mike Howard is delighted that he can leave the post knowing that it is in such capable hands.

The Parish Council is sure that you will all wish Denise every success in her new position and she can be reached at Fairways, Hermitage Lane on 537009 or through the Parish Office at the Village Hall on 535825.

The Parish Council has recently been sent an information pack regarding applications for Grants provided by Manchester Airport Trust for projects which enhance the life of local communities. If there are any Residents who feel that they may have such a project in mind, they should contact the Parish Council Chairman who currently holds the information.

Following the recent announcement that the Parish Council has installed a new sound system in the Village Hall, it is pleased to let you know that this has been further improved by the provision of a hand held radio mike and a lapel radio mike which will be ideal for presentations, demonstrations etc. The Parish Council would also like to thank Sally & Mike Ball for donating a CD player to further enhance the facilities available when hiring the Village Hall.

Now that we are into the New Year, the Parish Council looks forward to seeing you at its Meetings during 2006. Don't forget that these are held on the second Tuesday of every month, except August, commencing 7.30pm in the Lounge of the Village Hall, so do come along and make sure that your opinions are heard!