Cllr Janet Jackson Blog Post June

Cllr Janet Jackson’s Blog Post June 2018

Published on: Monday June 25, 2018

June has been a glorious month, warm and sunny, great for outdoor activities.

The Barnaby Festival had a fabulous variety of events, from the art trail, street entertainment, music in several locations (the Beat Route) and one of my favourites the film “Paterson” shown at Cinemac in The Old Sunday School.

The film was sponsored by the Silkscreen Film Society, a local film club, which shows films at The Old Sunday School throughout the winter. They have over 300 members and will be advertising their new programme of films ready for their new season in September.

There were also various exhibitions, talks and workshops covering a wide range of interests, many of which were free to attend and take part in.

The Barnaby Parade was a colourful display of floats and costumes created by many of the community groups in Macclesfield. Well done for all their hard work. I particularly liked the group of suffragettes with their fabulous costumes, and of course John’s samba band giving the parade its life and rhythm.

St Michael’s Church was one of the venues for a number of events during Barnaby. The James Taylor Quartet was a night not to be missed. The group raised the roof with their unique mixture of music and literally had everyone up dancing in the aisles. The Will Self discussion was interesting and, as ever, guaranteed to be thought provoking. The evening with Arthur Smith: At Your Service was thoroughly entertaining, with some great one liners and the customary audience participation.
Come and take a look at Sparrow Park, behind St Michael’s Church, a little oasis of quiet during the day. See the view over the Town to the beautiful panorama of the hills in the distance.
The Town Council is entering Britain in Bloom this year and have been working hard, with the help of ANSA, to get the flowers looking their best. The cast iron flower troughs and tubs have been given a coat of paint and the Town Centre benches have been refurbished. Some of our local shopkeepers have joined in, with their displays of hanging baskets, but we still need more shops to get involved!

Another place the Town Council plans to improve is the area outside the Train Station. There is an ongoing consultation in the Grosvenor Centre and on line, showing the options. The intention is to brighten up the exit from the station with a form of mural or display to give the visitor a positive first impression of Macclesfield.