CPRE Cheshire/Cheshire Life Magazine 2008 Writing Competition - over-18 winners
Winner - Elizabeth Lloyd, Congleton
Cheshire Born
"Cheshire born, Cheshire bred, strong in the arm and wick in the head," not weak as we wrongly chanted as children, but wick, meaning quick or alive! What a heritage of health and "wickness" is ours who have been born and live in Cheshire.
Looking down at the Cheshire Plain from Bosley Cloud, I see Cheshire as a piece of beautiful jewellery, inset with the sapphires of its meres and canals, and the River Dane winding its way to the Irish Sea. Here lies a sea of green, in shades of emerald, jade, onyx and olivine stretching as far as Wales and the Malvern Hills. Up here on the Pennine moorland, amethyst heather mingles with rubies of rowan and silver birch, and in Spring, a haze of lapiz lazuli adorns bluebell woods: all this in a setting of golden suns and silver rains.
I look down on Cheshire's black and white elegance, its dairy cows, traditional roadside railings and black and white timbered buildings. Here I can look into Derbyshire, Shropshire, Lancashire, Staffordshire and Wales. I can look down on buzzards and hear skylarks. I can also see Jodrell Bank's pearly-white disc among the greens, searching for songs of the universe.
This priceless jewel is irreplaceable. It is our inheritance. It is England's jewel in the crown, so, "Cheshire born, Cheshire bred, ..." let's use that famous muscle and "wickness" to keep it sparkling for generations to come.
Runner up - Mrs Pauline Temple, Lymm
CHESHIRE CAT
Cheshire to me means Lymm, the small peaceful village I came to 46 years ago as a young bride, where we lived and loved, had two children and where my husband died and is buried in St. Mary's Church, overlooking Lymm Dam.
Cheshire means to me the green rolling plains of England - Summer picnics - memories of going to Moodys in Lymm and queuing on Good Friday for Hot Cross Buns, Lymm May Day - then a huge event - so many floats and dancers, happy children, the sun always shining, although probably that was not the case!
Cheshire means to me a place where I felt safe and secure day and night.
Now I am uncertain if Cheshire means to me as much as it used to anymore as all around I see the green areas, which I thought were protected, built on and so many houses where once there were fields for the children to play. I look around and see Lymm, Stockton Heath, Appleton all taken over by developers as greedy landowners sell their heritage for profit.
I wonder what Charles Dodgson would have thought of the Cheshire he loved if he could see it now and all in the name of progress. As he sat in that tranquil All Saints Church in Daresbury he would have probably thought, like Alice "Dear, dear! How queer everything is today!".
Still, I love the Cheshire I live in and will never leave and will always stay true and loyal.
Highly Commended - Sarah Egerton, Nantwich
A market town for all the senses
Nantwich is situated in one of the most historic and picturesque areas in Cheshire and as many towns struggle to compete with larger-than-life supermarkets and online shopping, it is evidently bucking the trend.
Its town square has become the focal point for this bustling pocket of Cheshire, where shoppers stroll, office workers take an alfresco lunch and mothers take a breather while their little ones eagerly chase pigeons.
The town's heritage is evident everywhere, ingrained into the beautifully preserved Elizabethan buildings which form the boundaries of the square and branch out along its wonderful winding streets.
Locally produced food and drink is at the heart of what makes this town tick, with its many annual festivals and shows bringing visitors from afar. On Thursdays and Saturdays, Nantwich Market is popular with locals and a monthly farmers market features local cheeses, pastries and beers with plenty to tickle the taste buds -just follow your nose!
In 20 years time, all the tiny neglected patches of hidden land have been transformed into nuggets of green space to explore freely and enhance the already enthralling annual Nantwich Hidden Garden trail.
The market has grown to accommodate local artists and crafts people, featuring a regular outdoor art exhibition in league with Nantwich Museum. Spreading throughout the town, its edges are flanked by street entertainers. Churche's Mansion has been saved from developers and restored as a crafts centre for local people.
By 2028, Nantwich has become a real feast for the senses!
Highly Commended - Clifford Lomas, Macclesfield
Kerridge Hill
Kerridge Hill is my special place. Walking on the grassy ridge top from White Nancy to the trig point at its highest point it looks like a great whale emerging from the sea. Up there one can feel the full force of uninterrupted westerlies which is sheer exhiliration!
But what sets Kerridge Hill apart is the wonderful panaramic view. Owing to its position as an outlying ridge on the western fringe of the Peak District, it provides a perfect bantage point to view Cheshire in its entirety.
On a clear summer's day the Cheshire Plain is an undulating woody carpet backed by the hills of Staffordshire, Shropshire and Wales; one can almost imagine what it was like when forests covered the Plain centuries ago. But these are musings; the stark outlines ofAstra Zeneca lie in the foreground, Jodrell Bank Observatory a little further and, on the horizon, Stanlow refinery which, when the sun sets behind it, is silhouetted by a red glow - perhaps symbolic of an oil industry in the evening of its existence. Will there be wind turbines instead one day?
Turning east we see an entirely different Cheshire - hills, sheep pastures, dry stone walls and distant moorland through to Derbyshire.
Kerridge Hill - viewpoint of Cheshire's Peaks and Plains! Trees now grow in ever increasing numbers on its flanks, hopefully they won't one day obscure the fabulous view.
Certificate of Merit - Theresa M. Carrier, Davenham
HATCHMERE.
For me Cheshire has a tradition of agriculture, a rich historical tapestry, breathtaking scenery and a diversity of wildlife all unique to this area.
Our County encompasses a variety of economies and ecosystems, from the Industrial backbone epitomised by BP in Ellesmere Port and ICI in Northwich with its underground warren of salt mines to the swish traditional retail arcades of Chester and contemporary retail outlets just off the motorway. The undulating landscape is perfect for agriculture with dairy herds producing its very own Cheshire cheese.
My favourite area of Cheshire is Hatchmere with its tranquil lake nestled on a leaf dappled B5152 heading towards Frodsham, rubbing boundaries with Delamere Forest, why travel to New England for the leaf trail when it is all here? For me this area epitomises stunning landscapes and wetlands that is a marriage of tradition with modern; an area of leisure and activity; enjoyed and appreciated by the young and old; the loner and groups; something for everyone.
I always feel that the Carrier's Inn is the Guardian of the lake where it has rested since 1637 being the original Blacksmith's home will it still be there in 2026? Undoubtedly, it may change its business again to keep up with the times and I fancy that it may become a cybercafe or more than likely an Educational centre working hard to develop the awareness of the effects of global warming in one of the most idyllic areas of Cheshire.
Certificate of Merit - Doreen A. Ellison, Warrington
Thoughts of a Cheshire Cat
Born in Warrington, I was originally a Lancastrian and proud of it, however, when the boundaries were redefined, I became a Cheshire Cat.
I am now passionate about this green and pleasant Shire, though concerned for its future, in an increasingly, materialistic world.
Epitomised, by the image of the Clock Tower and magnificent coat of Arms, Chester sets the tone for the county.
Rich in many ways and beautiful at heart, the Cheshire countryside is breathtaking in every season. I am wooed by the bucolic peace of the Cheshire plains, leafy lanes, farms and villages, picturesque in sleepy rural settings.
Stately homes and gardens, are all special and different. Forests, woods, and pastures, live in harmony with reclaimed waterways, that now encourage, returning wildlife and fishermen.
Tucked away treasures, happened upon, surprise and delight, whilst major events, like the Cheshire Show, Warrmgton Horse Show, Farmers Markets, Antique Fairs, outdoor concerts. Carols round the tree at Christmas, deer parks, etc, etc, are superb.
But for how long? Litter spoils our beauty spots, graffiti scars walls built by better men, lost is the tenant farmer and village craftsmen who founded this wonderful place.
Beware the empty, characterless blocks of 'apartments' and overbuilding.
When will common sense prevail to restore, resurrect, breathe new life into what is there to be utilised and preserved for our children and theirs? Cheshire is a county to be proud of so let us protect and honour it and let us start now.