From the Reporter files - Thursday 28th August 2025

A blue plaque unveiled in Stalybridge in August 2000 commemorated the achievements of a local political activist.

Gibbon Mitchell was born in 1869 in a house on Malakoff Street built by his father, who was a stonemason.  

His family were Chartists with Gibbon going on to become a pioneer socialist.

He later worked alongside his wife Hannah in the Co-operative movement and helped establish the Independent Labour Party.

Hannah was a founder member of the suffragettes and a tireless campaigner for women’s rights.

William Johnson, who originally had the idea for the plaque, was joined at the official unveiling by the present day residents of Gibbon and

Hannah’s former home, David and Glenda Thorpe and their children  Jennifer, aged seven, Gaynor, eight  and Tony, 17.

Stalybridge had never seen anything like it - a nine-day ‘festival in a tent’ with famous names from the world of music, together with cutting edge comedy and some weird and wonderful acts.

Renaissance 2000 attracted large crowds to the specially created canalside venue at Sandhills.

The festival got off to a flying start with legendary ‘70s folk rockers Lindisfarne, followed later in the week by singer-songwriter Eddi Reader, formerly of Fairground Attraction who topped the chart in 1988 with their signature song ‘Perfect.’

Next to grace the marquee stage, ‘80s hitmaker Howard Jones delighted the audience with his greatest hits including New Song, What Is Love and No-one Is To Blame.

The final night featured a scintillating performance by saxophonist and respected session man Snake Davis who had worked with M People, Eurythmics, Take That and many others.

Kind hearted Michael Lewis was among thousands of well wishers sending the Queen Mother a card for her 100th birthday.

The 57-year-old from Station Road, Mossley was delighted to receive a letter from the Queen Mother’s lady-in-waiting thanking him for his kind gesture.

Safety conscious Hyde Cricket Club turned down a tempting offer of £45,000 to allow a mobile phone mast at their Werneth Low ground amid concerns about the possible effects of radiation on young players and people living close by.

Manchester City fan Brian Malpas was “chuffed to bits” when star midfielder Alf Inge Haaland ‘refunded’ his petrol money after the team suffered a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Charlton Athletic in their opening game of the season.

Brian, from Dukinfield, had taken his wife and family to South London to see their beloved Blues in action. On the way back, they pulled up at a service station and were amazed to see a familiar face alongside them in his grey Audi.

As they started chatting, Alf apologised for the team’s dismal display and insisted on giving Brian £20 for his petrol.

A Stalybridge shopkeeper came under fire from Trading Standards for continuing to serve sweets in imperial ounces rather than grams.

Jean McDermott from Eric and Jean’s newsagents on Market Street had been given 28 days to ‘go metric’  - or face prosecution. Jean said she could not afford to replace her old scales, adding that she - and most of her customers - had not got their heads round the European system for weighing food products, introduced at the start of the year.

Plans to run trams to Ashton were gathering pace.

Metrolink confirmed that public and private funding had been secured to build the new Manchester to Ashton line through Droylsden and Audenshaw.

Speed limits in built-up areas across Tameside were to be slashed from 30mph to 20mph.

The scheme would target 100 streets deemed ‘high risk’ for road accidents.

Tameside residents could look forward to having the world at their fingertips.

The borough had been promised £400,000 from the government’s New Opportunities Fund which would see all its libraries fully online within three years.