News in Frodsham

Local residents aged 50 and over can now come forward for their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

This means that vaccination teams are now working through cohort 9 of the priority groups, the last one needing to be completed before the April 15 deadline.

Frodsham MP Mike Amesbury has welcomed the prospect of an innovative public transport service in the rural area after a successful £1m funding bid.

The three-year trial of a demand-responsive bus and taxi service follows Cheshire West and Chester Council's successful bid to Government for £1.075m from the Rural Mobility Fund.

We are now one week in to the first step of the government's roadmap out of lockdown, and case numbers have begun to plateau, both locally and nationally.

Last week, we reported that the number of new infections in Frodsham, Helsby and the surrounding villages had reached a six month low, with only eight cases being recorded across the area.

More than £400,000 has been spent by Cheshire West and Chester Council in fighting planning appeals since 2015, data shows.

A freedom of information request to the Council reveals that officers spent £415,000 fighting 500 appeals from 2015-16 to 2019-20.

It has been announced that five new acts will be joining the line-up of Tributes on the Hill 2021.

The festival, whose programme already includes groups celebrating the likes of Ed Sheeran, The Killers and Bruce Springsteen, will now also be featuring tributes to the Arctic Monkeys, Robbie Williams, Foo Fighters, Neil Diamond and Motion Picture.

Frodsham Town Council Planning Committee has reacted positively to a planning application to 'upgrade' the Bears Paw pub beer garden in order to make it comfortable for customers no matter the weather.

To this end, the application proposes the construction of timber pergolas in the cobbled and patio areas to the rear of the pub, as well as the replacement of the existing tarmac drinking area with a resin finish.

The Courtyard Café at Castle Park has announced that it will be back serving customers on Tuesday 13 April, the day after hospitality businesses are allowed to reopen their outdoor spaces.

The Courtyard Café is normally open from 10am-4pm, Tuesday to Saturday, serving hot drinks, children's packed lunches and a range of sweet treats including brownies from popular local business, Cheshire Brownies.

Six months on from the launch of a new community policing model in Frodsham, Helsby and other towns across Cheshire, the county's Police and Crime Commissioner, David Keane, has reflected on the results of the programme so far.

Under this model, each of Cheshire's 122 policing communities have been provided with a dedicated police constable (PC) and police community support officer (PCSO).

Helsby High School is one of 14 west Cheshire buildings set to benefit from a multi-million-pound grant aimed at providing greener heating and energy measures across the borough.

Cheshire West and Chester Council company, Qwest Services, has secured £5,836,172 from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy's Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS).

With its historic buildings, pretty countryside and many independent businesses, Frodsham is definitely a special place.

While the various lockdowns have halted visits to the town, people are still interested in what it has to offer.