Digger manufacturer JCB has donated £1,000 to help a community group stage a life-saving heart screening programme in memory of a mechanical engineer who died suddenly aged just 26. Pictured at JCB’s World Headquarter are (left to right): Past President of Uttoxeter Rotary Club Jerry Gear, Penny and Paul Lane and JCB Group Communications Director John Kavanagh. Formula One mechanical engineer, Anthony Lane, who grew up in Stubwood, near Denstone, close to the company’s World

Festive residents in a Stoke-on-Trent street have raised nearly £30,000 for Dougie Mac. Each year, families living in Bromsberrow Way, Meir Park, dress their homes with Christmas lights and decorations to raise money for the hospice. The cul-de-sac – known locally as ‘Christmas Street’ – attracts thousands of visitors from Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire every year, with some people making it part of their Christmas tradition on Christmas Eve and even Christmas Day. Ov

The UK government has just published its white paper on biodiversity, ecosystem loss and national security. Quite a long title, but what does it mean? And how does it affect us living in Cheadle? This is the first time an issue related to climate change has been cited as affecting national security. The big issue directly affecting the UK is related to possible food shortages for supermarkets that rely on a nationwide road distribution service to deliver to our shops, wherea

Spring is the perfect time of year to get outdoors and enjoy the countryside, and with many plants already coming back into bud, why not revisit our wonderful winter walks and enjoy the beauty of springtime? Download your copy here: Put a Spring in Your Step - Take a Walk with COG- created 28th February 2026

For years, local residents have expressed concerns that the pool at South Moorlands Leisure Centre has been too cold for a comfortable swim. As there is no local alternative, when several residents informed us about improvements in the temperature, we decided to investigate. Steve, the leisure centre manager, told COGNEWS that the swimming pool is being kept at 27–28°C, with the temperature moving a little higher when catering for their disabled visitors at the weekend. Steve

Events for adults | Local Group Events | Easter Holiday events Events for adults Spring walk and cream tea at The Wolseley Centre Saturday 15 March, 1pm - 3pm Enjoy a gentle stroll and spot the signs of spring all around. You'll receive helpful identification tips as you explore. Binoculars and ID guides provided. Delicious cream tea at The Kingfisher Café included in the price. Find out more Forest School and Sustainability Conference at The Wolseley Centre Thursday 19

What's Weaning? Weaning is the process of introducing solid foods alongside breast milk or a baby’s usual infant formula. Complementary feeding is the term often preferred by practitioners, but most people use the word weaning instead. Where Can I Find Reliable Information? The Best Start in Life (BSiL) website is a Dept. of Health & Social Care tool to help support your family on your complementary feeding journey. The Introducing Solid Foods section is full of helpful guida

STOKE-ON-TRENT charity The Hubb Foundation and Staffordshire digger giant JCB have today (February 16th) launched a unique partnership to ensure thousands of vulnerable children across the city have free half-term holiday activities throughout the year. JCB apprentice George Lowe (19) serves up a healthy meal to St Mary's Primary School children.    The three-year £375,000 partnership will fund 1,000 activity places every half term in February, May and October at up to 35 Sto

This week we're thinking about love, love for your family and friends but also for your community! Below is the cover and contents so do look out for your printed copy in your favourite retail store this week or contact us to collect. If you'd rather read online you can do that here: and here's the pull-out too! Whatever you do today - we hope it's lovely for you! This Week's Pocket COG - Love Is in the Air! - created 14th February 2026

COGNEWS would like to wish everyone in Staffordshire Moorlands a very Happy Valentines Day! St. Valentine's Day originated as a Christian feast day honouring a martyr named Valentine, and through later folk traditions it has also become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance, commitment, and love in many regions of the world until it became the celebration we have today. Whilst it's a great day to celebrate your partner it's also great day to

POV: Bernie's Story As a reporter for COGNEWS, I come across many people who, through no fault of their own, spend the Christmas and New Year season on their own. This may be due to the loss of a partner or having gone through the breakup of a relationship. The feeling of isolation can be quite painful, especially after a time spent with friends and relatives. In this modern world, we don’t have the social connections we once had, and certainly in Cheadle isolation can be qui

The World Health Organization (WHO) Europe has confirmed that the UK has lost its ‘measles elimination’ status based on data submitted for 2024. The announcement follows a decade of declining vaccination rates in the UK with coverage for 2 measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) doses in 5-year-olds now at just 83 .7%. The child’s cheek shows the characteristic rash associated with measles. In 2024, 2,911 laboratory confirmed cases of measles cases were reported in England, the high

This week, we were informed that Moorlands Home Link will permanently close on Friday, February 6th. This decision by the board of trustees is not related to a specific service closure or a temporary issue for the Charity, but is final. You may have seen their year-long fundraising campaign aimed at bridging the gap in finances caused by a withdrawal of some grant funding. Home Link provides a much-needed lifeline to many elderly and disabled people living in South Moorlands

POV: I recently purchased some wholemeal bread rolls for my weekly hike in the moorlands, only to discover they were a highly processed product. I decided to look for something simple and healthy to make as an alternative and came across a recipe for sourdough bread. It contains only flour, water, and salt, and the flavor is just wonderful. So here's my simple process, which some records show dates back to Egyptian times. The Starter For the starter, add 100 grams of flour wi

Wanted at Cheadle Food Bank. Here is the list of food bank shortages for this week and we thank you for your continuing support.

ChatHealth is a safe and confidential text messaging service, connecting young people and parents/carers in Staffordshire with health professionals from the Families Health and Wellbeing Service, which supports 0 to 19 years in Staffordshire. It's organized by the Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust. You can contact the service by: Young people - text 07520 6157 Parents/ carers - text 07520 615722   The ChatHealth text messaging service allows young people be

Funding of £300,000 has been awarded to a collaboration of agencies in the Staffordshire Moorlands to help them support people struggling with low-level anxiety. The group comprising of Staffordshire Moorlands District Council, the Moorlands Rural and Leek and Biddulph Primary Care Networks, Support Staffordshire, Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, the County Council, MyActive, and other partners to deliver the project to improve the health of Moorlands res

Staffordshire Police are making residents aware of a recent increase in key safe boxes being forcibly broken into. Offenders are targeting poorly secured key safes and using the obtained keys to commit burglaries at later times. Police approved key safe as fitted by n-able What you can do to protect your property: Review your existing key safe – older or low-quality models are particularly vulnerable. If a key safe is required, use a high-quality, police-approved model. Ensur

Unlocking the Benefits: Why Every Homeowner Should Consider Fitting a Key Safe

This article from Innovate Uk shares their extensive work into retrofitting homes. It's a rising tide for our economy, our workforce and our communities. Without a doubt reusing and repurposing what we already have is better for the environment that anything we can create from scratch and housing is no different from any other item in this regard. We believe this information is crucial for reimagining our homes we offer it to inspire and educate anyone involved in this area.