About us

 

Cheadle may no longer be a village in the strict sense of the word, but there are still many people who greatly care about the area and who want to preserve the best from the past, as well as make positive improvements to ensure a better future. 

This was the primary criteria of the Cheadle Civic Society when it was formed in 1964, with the founding members having the main aim of stimulating public interest in the beauty, history and character of the village and its surroundings.

The Society has always been entirely independent, accessible and non-commercial and has no connections to any political party, and over the years, the many hundreds of people who have become members have all played their own role in helping to make Cheadle a better place to live.

To help promote the work of the Society, this web site was created towards the end of 2009 with most of the editorial content being provided by Alan Jabez (former editor of the Cheadle Civic Society Newsletter) and Pat Seddon, local historian and also a former Newsletter editor. 

 

Society's achievements

  • We have monitored all planning applications since the 1960s
  • We have managed to prevent over-development in the area to ensure Cheadle retains its small village charm
  • In the 1980s, we collaborated with other local groups on the "Save Bruntwood" campaign to ensure that Bruntwood Park was not developed into a business park
  • We helped to ensure that when the Cheadle Royal Business park was built that as much land and open space as possible was retained and the local environment and wildlife were protected
  • We have paid for the installation of approximately 20 public benches throughout Cheadle, including those in the High Street, Cheadle Green and Bruntwood Park
  • We have built gardens in a number of locations which were previously run-down
  • We have paid for extra Christmas street lights and other seasonal decorations, in addition to those already provided by the council
  • In the 1990s, we commissioned a landmark strategic report into the effects of out-of-town shopping centres and the effect this would have on village life. A number of the recommendations were subsequently adopted by the local council and the report also contributed to a change of thinking at national government level
  • We have paid for hanging flower baskets to be erected at different strategic locations around Cheadle
  • We have given funds to Cheadle Library at different times for environmental and reading purposes
  • We have provided assistance to local schools with applications for National Lottery funding
  • We regularly attend council planning meetings and read the minutes of all meetings
  • We have helped residents' associations with very localised planning issues
  • We have organised work parties which have cleared rubbish and planted flowers in different parts of Cheadle
  • We have created an ever growing photographic and ephemera archive which includes valuable historic photos and literature about Cheadle dating from the 19th Century onwards. We also make these available in various ways for everyone to enjoy and help with their own personal memories of Cheadle 
  • We have shared and exchanged policies and good practices with other local civic societies
  • We have part funded a major archaeological dig on Cheadle Green to learn more about the history of Cheadle Hall -a large residential house which stood on the back of the green for more than 200 years
  • We part funded and helped to organise Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee festival in Cheadle in in 2012 which was regarded as one of the best community events in the area for years
  • We provided major support and backing for ther Cheadle Maker's Markets which began on Cheadle Green in May 2013, including the extremely popular Victorian Christmas market in December 2013
  • We spent approximately £10,000 on organising the major floral display in the centre of Cheadle in the summer of 2013
  • During 2015 and 2016, we spent more than £200,000 on a major renovation of Cheadle Green. This entailed everything from clearing the existing green of old trees and other dated wasteland and then resigning the green to the highest standards with improved pathways, benches, lawns, lighting and moving the pond. The work took more than 18 months to complete and was the biggest project the Society has ever been involved in.  
  • In 2017, we created a permanent photographic exhbition in Cheadle Library of many high-quality archives photographic boards relating to well-known land markes and other places of interest in the village from the past 100+ years  
  • In 2017, we paid for the repair and subsequent removal of the historic Ockleston Memorial back to a position where it originally stood at the front of Cheadle Green.
  • In 2018, the Civic Society paid for attractive metal to be added to the top of the memorial which also includes lighting which comes on automatically at dusk

 

We need your help

Money

We are a society with charitable status and rely on the support of many people to help us undertake our work and are greatly appreciative of donations of any size. 

If you would like to make a donation to the Society, please send cheques, payable to Cheadle Civic Society, to the Hon. Treasurer, Philip Gould-Bourn, 19 Mornington Road, Cheadle SK8 1NJ or you can make a donation online by clicking here.

 

Old photographs and ephemera

We are always extremely grateful to anyone who may have any old photographs of Cheadle life or buildings from the past who would like to donate them to our archives. Similarly, if you have any old literature of any form which you feel may be of interest to others, please get in touch as we would also like to add them to our collection.

You can contact us in the first place by e-mail. Or, please send the material directly to: Phillip Gould-Bourn, 19 Mornington Road, Cheadle SK8 1NJ