logo
Crewe and Hoole centres aim to boost interest in Cheshire's history

Crewe and Hoole centres aim to boost interest in Cheshire's history

BBC News13-02-2025

Building work has begun on a new history centre which will co-host a county's archives.The facility in Crewe, Cheshire, will sit in the western part of the site of the town's former library, next to Memorial Square, and is one of two new centres being built in the county.The other is based in Hoole, near Chester, on the former Enterprise Centre on Lightfoot Street.Work on the Crewe site began in the middle of January while the Hoole project started in November.
While construction is taking place at both sites, libraries across Cheshire will be providing access to local history books and maps as well as free online access to family history websites.The deputy leader of Cheshire East Council, Michael Gorman said he was thrilled work was well under way."Cheshire has an extraordinarily varied heritage and these two new archive centres are going to be a brilliant way for us to continue to enjoy and celebrate that," he said."The history centre coming to Crewe will mean that people will spend longer and more quality time while they are here which can only be positive for the town as a whole."Meanwhile work to build a car park and a new entrance for Crewe Magistrates' Court on the eastern half of the site is expected to be finished in March.A council spokesperson said they would host an event this month to update residents on the plans for Crewe.The meeting, which is open to the public, will take place at Crewe Market Hall from 11:00-13:00 GMT on 20 February.
Read more Cheshire stories from the BBC and follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

At least 240 killed, including 53 British nationals, as London-bound plane crashes in flames
At least 240 killed, including 53 British nationals, as London-bound plane crashes in flames

Belfast Telegraph

time7 hours ago

  • Belfast Telegraph

At least 240 killed, including 53 British nationals, as London-bound plane crashes in flames

The plane – a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner – came down in a residential area, striking a doctors' hostel close to Ahmedabad airport in India, officials said. The Reuters news agency reported 217 adults and 11 children were on board the flight. There were no survivors, the police chief in Ahmedabad said. They told the BBC that 204 bodies have been recovered from the crash site. It is not known if all 204 were on the plane, or if some were on the ground when the plane crashed. Separately, India's federal health minister Jagat Prakash Nadda said that "many people" were killed. India's Federation of All India Medical Association said 50 to 60 students studying medicine were taken to hospital after the flight crashed into the doctors' hostel. The association says five students are missing, and at least two are in the intensive care unit. According to reports, the plane gave a mayday call to air traffic control after taking off, but then gave no response. Videos circulating online show the plane exploding as it hit the ground, sending a ball of flames above rooftops. Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, chief of India's directorate of civil aviation, said the plane crashed into a residential area called Meghani Nagar. There were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian national and seven Portuguese nationals on board. The King said he was "desperately shocked" by the incident and Buckingham Palace said he was being kept updated on the developing situation. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said: "The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating. "I am being kept updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time." We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. In a statement on X, India premier Narendra Modi said: "The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words. "In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with Ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected." Flight tracking website Flightradar24 posted on social media platform X: "We are following reports of a crash of Air India flight #AI171 from Ahmedabad to London. "We received the last signal from the aircraft at 08:08:51 UTC (shortly before 9.09am BST), just seconds after take off. "The aircraft involved is a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with registration VT-ANB." It added that the signal from the aircraft was lost "less than a minute after take-off". India's Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu says he is "shocked and devastated" at the crash. "We are on highest alert. I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action. "Rescue teams have been mobilised, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site. My thoughts and prayers are with all those on board and their families." News Catch Up - Thursday 12th June Air India's chairman, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, says "with profound sorrow I confirm that Air India Flight 171 operating Ahmedabad London Gatwick was involved in a tragic accident today". "Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event," he says. "At this moment, our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families. "We are doing everything in our power to assist the emergency response teams at the site and to provide all necessary support and care to those impacted. "Further updates will be shared as we receive more verified information. An emergency centre has been activated and support team have been set up for families seeking information." Gatwick Airport confirmed the plane was due to land in London at 6.25pm UK time. In a statement on X, the airport said: "We can confirm that flight AI171 that crashed on departure from Ahmedabad Airport today was due to land at London Gatwick at 18:25." Air India was acquired by Tata Group from the Indian government in January 2022 after racking up billions of pounds of losses. The airline's UK operations are at Birmingham, Gatwick and Heathrow, with routes to a number of Indian cities such as Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

John Simpson: I got Frederick Forsyth sacked from the BBC
John Simpson: I got Frederick Forsyth sacked from the BBC

Telegraph

timea day ago

  • Telegraph

John Simpson: I got Frederick Forsyth sacked from the BBC

John Simpson has claimed that he engineered Frederick Forsyth's sacking from the BBC for spreading 'propaganda' about the Biafran War. Forsyth, who died earlier this week, maintained that he quit his job as a BBC foreign correspondent because he was fed up with his bosses, who thought he was biased in favour of the Biafran fight for independence. But Simpson, the BBC's world affairs editor, says he was instrumental in Forsyth's exit, and suggested that Forsyth might never have written The Day of the Jackal were it not for his intervention. He wrote on X, formerly Twitter: 'The Times obit on Freddie Forsyth says he left the BBC in 1967 because he displeased powerful people by his reporting from Biafra. Not quite. 'As a very junior BBC subeditor, I spotted how he was introducing Biafran propaganda into his reports and told my boss. Forsyth was sacked – and went on to write one of the best thrillers ever.' The Times obit on Freddie Forsyth says he left the BBC in 1967 because he displeased powerful people by his reporting from Biafra. Not quite. As a very junior BBC subeditor I spotted how he was introducing Biafran propaganda into his reports and told my boss. Forsyth was… — John Simpson (@JohnSimpsonNews) June 11, 2025 Writing for The Telegraph more than 20 years ago, Simpson said: 'As an extremely lowly subeditor in the BBC radio newsroom, I had to put Mr Forsyth's Biafran dispatches on the air. 'Even at the age of 23, I could see that he had accepted the Biafran line entirely. He was reporting propaganda as fact. 'Eventually he announced, without any qualification, that Biafra had shot down (as far as I remember) 16 federal Nigerian aircraft. 'The newsroom copy of Jane's All The World's Aircraft said that the federal air force possessed only 12.' Forsyth joined the BBC in 1965, first as a radio reporter then as the assistant diplomatic correspondent for BBC Television. When war broke out between Nigeria and the secessionist Republic of Biafra, he was dispatched there for three months. Writing in 2020 to mark the 50th anniversary of the war's end, Forsyth said he realised within days of arriving in Biafra that the BBC had swallowed British government propaganda. Harold Wilson's government supported Nigeria in its fight against the Biafran forces. Forsyth said: 'My brief was to report the all-conquering march of the Nigerian army. It did not happen. 'Naively, I filed this. When my report was broadcast our high commission complained to the CRO [Commonwealth Relations Office], who passed it on to the BBC – which accused me of pro-rebel bias and recalled me to London. 'Six months later, in February 1968, fed up with the slavishness of the BBC to Whitehall, I walked out and flew back to West Africa.' He said that 'every reporter, peer or parliamentarian who had visited Biafra and reported on what he had seen was smeared as a stooge'. Forsyth later wrote a non-fiction book, The Biafra Story (1969), and used some of his experiences there to inform his third novel, The Dogs of War. The conflict officially ended in 1970. It caused an estimated one million civilian deaths from starvation after the Nigerian federal government cut off food supplies to Biafra. Forsyth remained 'haunted' by what he had seen there, saying: 'Sometimes in the wee small hours I see the stick-like children with the dull eyes and lolling heads, and hear their wails of hunger and the low moans as they died. 'What is truly shameful is that this was not done by savages but aided and assisted at every stage by Oxbridge-educated British mandarins… with neutrality and diplomacy from London it could all have been avoided.'

'I was watching TV at home when deadly African scorpion crawled past my feet'
'I was watching TV at home when deadly African scorpion crawled past my feet'

Daily Mirror

timea day ago

  • Daily Mirror

'I was watching TV at home when deadly African scorpion crawled past my feet'

The homeowner from Swindon was given the shock of her life when the deadly scorpion appeared on her living room floor - but acted quickly to trap it under a wine glass A woman has been been lauded for her brave actions after a terrifying African scorpion appeared on her living room floor while she was watching TV. The homeowner, from Swindon, was given a huge shock when the exotic creature began scuttling across the carpet one evening earlier this month - and quickly trapped it under a wine glass. After carefully transferring the arachnid into a jam jar, she got in touch with the RSPCA, who told her to get in touch with a specialist. The scorpion - later found to belong to the venomous and potentially deadly Buthidae family - is thought to have hitched a ride in her luggage back to England after a recent trip to Africa. ‌ ‌ It was initially given to local expert Jonathan Cleverly, who lauded the anonymous woman for her quick-thinking response. He told the BBC: "She'd done a brilliant job of moving it from a wine glass into a jam jar with a secure lid so it couldn't move and escape. "She put in some lettuce for a bit of moisture. She looked after it brilliantly well." Mr Cleverly, who runs a 'Jungle Roadshow' that educates local children on different types of wildlife, said he did not believe the scorpion was an escaped pet - and believed it was likely a stowaway which had survived the trip over. He added: "The scorpion, I would like to say, is absolutely gorgeous - even if it is potentially harmful to humans, it's a very rare thing for these sorts of scorpion to make their way into the UK." The scorpion has since been sent to live with an expert who holds a Dangerous Wild Animals (DWA) licence. It's believed the critter was around 4cm long, with Jonathan calling it the "most dangerous animal" he ever had. ‌ It's not the first time a scorpion has made an unexpected visit to Britain. Last summer, a couple were left stunned after discovering a 'venomous' scorpion stowaway in their suitcase. John Gray, 27, and his girlfriend, Jodie Daly, 26, were unpacking their luggage after arriving back in England from Mexico when the unwelcome visitor suddenly emerged. He managed to trap the scorpion in a pint glass before transferring it to a takeaway container with added air holes and calling a local reptile rescue. Soon after, they discovered the arachnid was pregnant, and they kept it overnight before it could be taken to a rescue centre the following morning. ‌ Describing the incident last July, John, a client solutions manager from Streatham, South London, said: "We got back to the flat and Jodie was sorting out the washing. As she pulled out a t-shirt and the scorpion dropped out and ran into the bedroom. All I heard was her screaming and shouting - I had no idea what was going on. "She was shouting 'scorpion', but I still didn't know what she meant I ran in there and found a six-inch scorpion sitting in the bedroom trying to hide under the washing. We didn't even see one while we were in Mexico - I was shocked. I called Mitcham Zoo who work with non-native species and reptiles, and they wanted to send it over to their team to do some research. "They said it was highly likely it was highly venomous - we kept it in a container inside a Hello Fresh box. We were trying not to kill it but to also stop it from killing us."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store