From the Reporter files - Thursday 24th July 2025

Graphic design students from Hyde Technology School celebrated the end of their GCSEs with an exhibition of course work which was open to the public at Hyde Town Hall.

Pictured here from left were: Kerry Hilton, Luke Thorpe, Morganne Hadley, Melanie Robinson, Claire Kirk, David Williams, David Appleby and teacher Paul Evison.

Time was running out for Stalybridge market traders who had been given six months to move out of the market hall.

The building was set for a £1.2 million revamp to create a meeting space for community groups with the stalls due to be re-sited at the former Tetlows engineering works on Castle Street. The move had now fallen through, leaving a huge question mark over the future of the market which had seen a steady decline in recent years.

Denton’s town centre development group wanted fresh ideas to revitalise the market which had lost many of its regular shoppers since the main post office moved from its traditional spot on the market square to the other side of Manchester Road.

The market had been hit by a dramatic drop in trade with several empty stalls and needed a massive turnaround in fortunes to keep it alive.

A memorial bus shelter in Audenshaw faced an uncertain future.

Built in 1923, the shelter at the junction of Audenshaw Road and Ash Street honoured a well known resident Edna Noblett.

With plans to replace it sparking a public outcry, the shelter had been taken down brick by brick and put into storage. The council had agreed it could be rebuilt in its original location but surveys by the passenger transport authority suggested that a bus stop there would lead to lengthy rush hour queues of traffic on the new stretch of Audenshaw Road over the M60.

After years of planning and fundraising, Tameside’s eagerly awaited Willow Wood Hospice was officially opened by Don Newton - the man who first came up with the idea and led the £2.3 million appeal. 

Built in a semi-circle around a large pond on land donated by Tameside Council, the hospice had been thoughtfully landscaped to create a tranquil setting for the patients. VIP guests at the opening included Coronation Street star Roy Barraclough - one of Willow Wood’s keenest supporters and fundraisers who lived nearby in Stalybridge.

Actor John Savident, originally from Ashton - who played one of Coronation Street’s greatest ever comic characters Fred Elliott the butcher -  was among the hundreds who joined in the fun as a proud local tradition was rekindled after a long absence.

Another famous face turning out for the Black Knight pageant and carnival procession was Dukinfield’s Kathy Staff, best known as Last of the Summer Wine’s Nora Batty.

Rumours that a bowling alley could be built in the old multi-storey car park at Ashton’s Ladysmith shopping centre were quashed by the owner Tops Shop Precincts.

Spokesman Adam Cohen said initial plans had included a leisure facility but after further consideration, the revamped centre would be exclusively retail.

Demolishing the dilapidated church hall and selling off the land to build flats seemed likely to be the best way forward to save St Luke’s Church, Dukinfield.

The church itself needed urgent repairs and was faced with spiralling costs of heating and maintenance. With an injection of cash from the sale, the church on King Street could be divided into two to create a meeting space for parish activities and social groups.

Tameside was preparing to adopt a village in Kosovo which had been almost destroyed by Serbian forces during the recent conflict.

The relief mission would see the council, local businesses and residents pulling together to support the rebuilding of Shtime - the home region of most of the refugees who were currently staying here.

Ashton’s veteran MP Robert Sheldon announced that he would be retiring at the next general election. Mr Sheldon first won the seat in 1964 with a majority of just over 2,700 which had soared to 22,000 in 1997.