Final preparations are underway for the annual Staffordshire Moorlands Walking Festival. Free guided walks and related events are taking place from 24 April to 4 May 2026. The 11-day celebration offers over 60 free and low-cost walks and activities across one of England's most scenic regions, including routes for all ages and abilities. New additions to this year's programme include a trail run around Tittesworth Reservoir, three half-marathon walks, and four evening talks co

Reverend Garry Higgs of St. Giles the Abbot (the church on the hill) in Cheadle reported to COGNEWS that they had experienced a fire. The fire occurred during the Sunday morning service on the 19th of April 2026. An eyewitness saw one of the halogen lights spontaneously combust, and organist Andrew Hall told us that the fire had started during their second hymn "Come Down, O Love Divine," second verse starting with "Let it freely burn." The fire was brought swiftly under cont

Anyone who was thinking of going along to tonight's Cheadle Town Council planning meeting should be aware that it is no longer taking place. We understand that this is because the clerk's office omitted to send out the agenda to councillors, which is a legal requirement for the meeting to occur. Important Notice: Tonight's Planning Meeting is Cancelled - Created 20th April 2026

Events and Activities | Visits and Partnerships | Encouraging Young Visitors | How the Space is Used | Our Incredible Volunteers | How the Library Came to Be | What Next? Events and Activities The library is always trying to provide innovative events and activities that attract a wide range of community members to use the library. Some are more traditional events, such as Baby Bounce and Rhyme, and Jigsaw loans, but also a more varied range of initiatives, suc

Discover Events | About the Cheadle Spitfire During the Second World War, the people of Cheadle raised enough money to purchase a Spitfire aircraft. It was called the "Spirit of Hope," and with sufficient funds remaining, they purchased a speedboat too. It was a coming together of local folk giving something up to help a common purpose important to all. It's also a remarkable tale of how a small town achieved big - something Cheadle has been doing for many years and still

The 16th of April 2026 saw 15.25 percent of the local population of Cheadle West turn out to vote in the by-election. Two candidates stood: Emma Chatwin for the Green Party and Lee Bentley for the Reform Party. The count took place quietly on a rainy Thursday evening as candidates, their agents, and local county councillor Gary Bentley lent support. It’s a turning point for Cheadle as neither the Labour Party nor the Conservative Party chose to field a candidate, meaning chan

This year, Staffordshire Libraries are focusing on  recycling, re-use, food waste,   everyday waste management , and sharing simple actions that can make a big difference. All month long, you'll find posts featuring useful resources and collaborations with partners throughout the county to provide practical advice on minimizing waste in daily life. There’s something for everyone, with events and activities ranging from recycled crafts for little ones to relaxed reading cafés

Voting in the by-election is not only your democratic right but a great opportunity for a local person who is passionate about Cheadle to take their place on the Town Council, but they need you to help them get there. Knowing that local people put their trust in them will help the new councillor feel confident and it will make a difference to local governance. Who you vote for is entirely your choice (of course) - both are worthy candidates and if you'd like to read our inter

Summer Programme 21st May 7.00 for 7.30 New Life Church, Tape St, Cheadle Visitors £3 The speaker for the May meeting is Mr. Harry Tomkinson. Harry specializes in the medieval period, and in particular that of Edward IV and Richard III. He has worked at the King Richard III Visitor Centre in Leicester, working alongside Philippa Langley, who was instrumental in the finding of Richard III. He travels extensively doing lectures, talks, and tours, and is an active member of The

Dearly Departed - Staffordshire Moorlands

Arts programme OUTSIDE has awarded 30 Creative Community Commissions to artists, community groups and organisations across the Staffordshire Moorlands. The successful funding applications, totalling over £24,000, were selected by OUTSIDE’s advisory group and youth advisory group made up of local residents, and will support a wide range of arts activity to take place over the next year in the district’s towns, villages and rural areas. Funded projects span all kinds of art for

Since COGNEWS began we've always encouraged local people telling us their views and ask questions about things on their minds. We've never really shared this information before now, prefering to investigate and them let the individuals know our findings, helping where we can set things straight. So we're delighted to be able to bring you this new segment - Reader's Letters, where you can share things that bother you, things you're celebrating, or things you'd like others to k

Police Surgery Information

Local businessman and Team Cheadle volunteer Paul Keeling is planning to take part in the London Half Marathon. COGNEWS caught up with him after a hard training run on Sunday morning (5th April 2026). His mother, 71 years of age, has undergone a successful open-heart operation, and as a token of thanks to the wonderful team that treated her, he is planning to do a sponsored run. He has already managed to raise £350 before the event. We wish him the best of luck and hope he co

Last week we caught up with Reform Party Candidate Lee Bentley, a Cheadle man born and raised to find out what his plans are for Cheadle if he's elected in the Cheadle West Ward By-Election on the 16th of April. The conversation flowed here's what we learned about Lee. Lee told us that he's been married for over thirty years, with two grown-up children, and both he and his wife have worked in the care industry for most of their careers. He's been a manager for residential hom

Councils across England now required to collect food waste each week - the district council has announced that preparations are underway to commence this service in the Moorlands at the end of June. Residents will need to present any food waste separately from garden waste. At the same time, the Council and its waste and recycling collection partner Alliance Environmental Services (AES) will be introducing an opt-in subscription scheme for collecting household garden waste. E

The use of privately owned e-scooters on public roads is against the law, and local officers recently responded to a teenager seen riding an electric scooter on a public highway.   The youngsters parents were spoken with and, they voluntarily handed the scooter to police for disposal. This was done to protect their son from the dangers of the road, as well as to prevent potential offences and avoid him having a criminal record which could affect his future life choices.   Sta

A regular reader of COGNEWS commented to me that the Iran war has cost her more to fill up her car this week. She tried to fill up with regular diesel, but there was none. So she had to fill up with premium, costing £1.89 per litre. Because she is on a budget, she was limited to just £20 for the top-up—a mere 10.5 litres, barely enough to get to work and back for a few days. What can be done about the high energy costs we are experiencing now? Our government has put a cap on

We've heard quite a bit lately about how some parts of Cheadle, especially on the High Street, are in a conservation area. With little being done to improve empty buildings, signage getting more and more garish, plus general scruffiness being discussed by many, we decided to take a look at where the conservation area lies and what can be done to improve the appearance of our 1,000-year-old market town. There are 14 conservation areas in Staffordshire Moorlands. Cheadle was th

We're excited to announce that the April edition of COGNEWS Monthly is currently being distributed to stores. If you wish to obtain a printed copy, you can find it at: A & C Stores - Froghall Road Cheadle Bargain Booze - High Street Cheadle Cheadle Library - High Street Cheadle Fresh Produce Cheadle - Tape Street (Access via Tape Street Car Park) Post Office - 3 Shopping Centre (Tape Street Car Park) South Moorlands Leisure Centre - Allen Street Cheadle Wooliscrofts Butchers