Weekend Feature: The Better Half

Letting my mind drift recently, and making a quick calculation, I realised that I had passed a landmark – over half of my life had been spent in Audlem. And I can add, without a moment's hesitation, it's been the better half.

I moved to the village in April 1981, the same week that I joined Rolls-Royce Motors. Mind you, I wasn't moving to be closer to the Pyms Lane, Crewe factory as I had spent the previous three years living in Nantwich.

It was on a trip from Nantwich one weekend that I discovered Audlem. Somehow the little green down by the old Grammar School and later a pint by the canal as my then very young children watched the narrow boat traffic outside the Shroppie Fly were immediate attractions. So, shortly afterwards a Georgian house right in the centre of the village had been bought.

My previous thirty five years had seen a fair bit of moving – Southampton, the Wirral, back to Southampton, Wolverhampton, Maldon and Basildon in Essex, North Wales and Nantwich. Little did I realise that Audlem would be the long-term stay despite two subsequent jobs leading to ever-longer commutes of forty then fifty miles each way which lasted over twenty years. Somehow though, despite the many frustrations of traffic jams on the M6, I never dreamt of moving away.

The children enjoyed Audlem St James' and Brine Leas School and there was a cracking social life with parties galore, many pretty lively, and a busy pub scene – indeed some nights it was near impossible getting into the Lamb or the Bridge because of the crowds.

Audlem 700

Family commitments, work, and lots of overseas travel prevented too much involvement in village affairs in the early years except for chairing the Audlem Tennis Club back in the eighties and being heavily involved in the refurbishment of the courts bringing in floodlights and many other improvements. Then, in 1995, I was asked to chair the group that was to put on the Audlem 700 celebrations, marking the 700th anniversary of the village gaining its Market Charter from Edward 1 in 1296.

Many locals volunteered to get involved as a mediaeval market, a history play right in the centre of the village, live music and a firework display on Holmes Bank, a Transport parade, art exhibitions and much more were planned. Even I had to smile when some wit changed all the Audlem 700 posters to Audlem Zoo with one small stroke of a pen!

The event was a great success and it played a part in stimulating some of the events the village now enjoys annually such as the Transport Festival a few years later.

Audlem Parish Plans

A year after retiring in 2003, a knock on the door revealed Mike Hill, a colleague from my Rolls-Royce days and now chairman of Audlem Parish Council. He was pulling together a team to produce a Parish Plan and there was no point arguing, he said, I was on the team.

Seven 'volunteers' plus Mike Hill gathered a few weeks later in late-November 2004 with little or no idea of what a Parish Plan was. We were briefed by a representative of Cheshire Community Action. It appeared that most of the group had useful and relevant skills such as project management, administration, planning knowledge etc. I, with no discernible skills, inevitably became chairman.

We soon worked out a way to proceed on the plan which had to reflect what local residents wanted for their village. We found out what the priorities were by each of us talking to ten people, that led to a questionnaire, thirty odd people agreed to join working groups that would tackle key issues and, despite being told most plans took two or more years to complete, we picked up the final beautifully designed printed report exactly 365 days after our first meeting.

That, however, we realised was just the end of the beginning. All too often Parish Plans (and many other well-meaning initiatives) then gather dust forlornly on some shelf. Ours had a detailed Action Plan and a Community Projects team was formed to bring those actions to fruition.

The group met regularly for over ten years and helped produce a second Parish Plan in 2010 which is seeing its major suggestion, a new building for the youth of the village rising from its foundations as APHAx, the Annexe to Audlem Public Hall where a team, led by Roland Hall, one of the Community Projects team, has raised over £700,000, an amazing achievement.

In all, twenty seven significant projectss came out of those two parish plans, ranging from persuading the chief executive of Enterprise Inns to invest heavily in the Lord Combermere back in 2005, obtaining £40,000 in EU funds to improve the tow path out to the Overwater Marina, arguing for the re-opening and refurbishment of the public toilets, obtaining funding for Audlem Lass and much more such as launching AudlemOnline, which I have enjoyed editing ever since.

Major Awards

2005 also saw the village scooping some major wards. We became Calor Village of the North – and would have won the national title, I later found (or at least suspected) after becoming a judge in subsequent Calor national competitions, but for that tatty 'Urinals' sign on the old toilets.

But, in a parallel competition run by Defra, Audlem was voted best village in England for its Community Spirit, now one of the many plaques on walls in the Square.

Getting better and better

Over recent years, the village has doubled the number of shops – when most villages have been lucky to keep one shop – and seen much success. It remains a cracking community – indeed new organisations such as ADCA, which also came initially from prompting by the Community Projects team which was taken up by the Parish Council and then Roger Millns – have made it all the better.

The Events – the Music & Arts Festival, Party on the Park, the Transport Festival and Fireworks – have all emerged since 2000 – and the work of groups like ADAS, ASET and the Festival committee mean the village is both lively and extremely well presented.

Yes, it's definitely been the better half of my life living in Audlem. On top of everything else, I am married to Helen who was born and bred in Audlem, perhaps giving me 'semi-local' status. We even have plots booked in Audlem cemetery – so it looks as if I'm here for good!

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