A Spirit of Hope Returns to Cheadle
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
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 is today. One great example is the 2-year programme organised by the Cheadle Discovery Group, collaborating with many partner organisations to showcase local activities and people during a time of great strife for our nation. We caught up with Ivan Wosniak, chair of the Discovery Group, to find out more.
Ivan told our reporter that in 2024, the Discovery Group was given the responsibility of looking after the Cheadle & Tean Times newspaper archive. This enabled a small group of local people to meet in the library, organised by Outside, for what they called the "Stunner Sessions." It was while going through these old newspapers, some of which go back to the 1920s, that they discovered the Second World War editions were almost complete. This led to the idea that the Discovery Group should celebrate the Second World War with special events, so they set about getting funding from the Lottery and were granted £30,000.
They focused on collaborating with as many local groups as possible to share their findings in innovative ways. One of those partners, Outside, organised ‘The Longest Yarn’ event in Tean. Amazing talks took place about the Second World War in a local church.
One of the excellent things to come out of the Stunner Sessions is that the copies of the newspapers are being digitally scanned so that the memories will never be lost. From this activity, we will also see a special souvenir copy of the Cheadle & Tean Times out next month.
Creative Cheadle is currently hosting make-do-and-mend workshops, and local schools are looking into children from the past who came to Cheadle as evacuees. Oral histories are to be created from people of that time, stories extracted from the newspapers, and the personal histories of some of the local people who served in the war will be shared. Wellspring Methodist Church is hosting two film screenings in May. Also in May, a model aeroplane exhibition is to be held in the library, and a VE Day Exhibition will take place at St Giles the Abbot.
In June, we will see the celebration of local history go even further with a Cheadle Spitfire Day to be held on the High Street & Market Square in Cheadle. The Spitfire Day will feature a full-size Spitfire replica in the Market Square, a military vehicles parade, with everyone encouraged to dress up in period costume. It's a family-friendly event with entertainment and is being created in collaboration with Team Cheadle. A display is to be unveiled by Creative Cheadle Knitters and Stitchers too. You can find out the latest and more detailed information on the Discovery Group's website.
Next year, there is to be a large exhibition in Tean and Cheadle, finishing with a 1940s big band dance. It will be great fun for the South Moorlands to enjoy and recapture some of the Spirit of Hope, which no doubt drove our ancestors to purchase the Spitfire of the same name, and something we can capture for future generations to come.
Dates for your diary:
April
Make Do and Mend, see Creative Cheadle, Tudor House.
May
VE Day exhibition at St. Giles the Abbot Church
WWII Souvenir Edition of the Cheadle & Tean Times - Stunner Sessions
Aircraft Model Display at Cheadle Community Library
Film screening at Wellspring Methodist Church
Friday 29th May 7pm: Hope and Glory (rated 15)
Saturday 30th May 3pm: The Railway Children Return (rated PG)
6th June
Cheadle Spitfire Day - Cheadle High Street and Market Square, 11am–4pm
Full-sized Spitfire replica on the market square
Family-friendly events with entertainment
Surprise display to be unveiled by Creative Cheadle's Knitters & Stitchers
Event organised in conjunction with Team Cheadle
All events and activities are courtesy of Cheadle Discovery Group - with our grateful thanks.
About the Spirit of Hope Spitfire
The plane the people purchased
The Cheadle Spitfire was manufactured in the Castle Bromwich factory, which is the home of Jaguar cars today. It was a Mark VB with a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. It was lost in June 1942 fighting over France near Étretat, a picturesque seaside town in Normandy.
A Spirit of Hope Returns to Cheadle - created 20th April 2026
