Hyde Motor Club

In the emails this week Keith contacted us about the above club... 

OVER TO KEITH

Does anybody remember Hyde Motor Club. It was started after WW2. It was for cars and motorcycles.

I joined about 1955 with a BSA Bantam. The club joined with Macclesfield Trials Club sometime in the 1980s and lost its identity.

Keith Mellor

I've not heard about this club myself, but hopefully you have memories and information we can share with Keith..  

I have since found out the club is still up and running: ..... but now it seems to be just for Trials Riding.

http://www.macclesfieldforum.co.uk

Trials unlike most motorcycle sport has nothing to do with out and out speed but more to do with balance and throttle control. The club has been around under the Macclesfield name for around 15 years, before that it was the Macclesfield and Hyde club and before that the Hyde motor club which can be traced back to 1953.We run around 11 trials every year in and around Macclesfield

if your interested in having ago or taking a look at the cheapest motor sport visit the macc website.

http://www.macctrials.co.uk

Gleams of Sunshine

We have had an email from  Peter Furnish which someone might find of interest.

I have just read your blog about the Gleams of Sunshine.

I used to live in Manchester (a true Mancunian born and in Higher Blackley) and my grand-folks lived in Allen Avenue, Gee Cross. I migrated to Western Australia in 1972 and then in 2012 went to live in southern Tasmania with my wife Linda. I will be 71 in January but still remember my roots in Lancashire.

Grandad was John/Jack Collinson and Grandma was Maud. When I came to Australia they gave me two original 'Gleams of Sunshine' written by my great grandfather James Leigh. Both books are in good condition and are over a hundred years old. Jack was a very skilled calligrapher and used to the do the book keeping for one of the merchants in Hyde When he retired he was asked to go back part-time to continue his book-keeping, which I believe he did. I think it was called 'copperplate' writing at the time. He was also a skilled water-colour artist and produced many beautiful pictures. He tried to teach me his skills with water-colours to no avail. I am okay with the writing and am a skilled black and white (Inked) drawing artist so maybe something did rub off in the end.

When the grand folks moved from Allen Avenue they went to live in a group of old cottages opposite where the trolley bus used to turn around on the Hyde to Romily main road and go back to Hyde. The end cottage to where my grandparents lived evidently used to be an old Smithy. These cottages had been renovated but as I hazily remember they still had low ceilings and oak beams, steep stairs to the upstairs bedrooms and small windows.

 Due to a bad back and lots of surgery my savings are depleted and I am in the position that I wish to sell one of my 'Gleams of Sunshine' and wondered if you are aware of anybody who might be interested in purchasing one of these copies (Originals)?

If anyone is interested in contacting Peter about one of these books then send in an email and I will pass it on. The book shown above is not the one for sale, that one's mine.

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Hyde Library To Close

Well the writing is on the wall for the library building... it will either be leased out or sold.. I'm not sure which to be honest. The Library will be moved to the Town Hall.
Link to a PDF Document  "gotocentres111213" below

[PDF]

centres - Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council

Another great old building which should be for the benefit of of the townsfolk is going to be lost in the near future. Be it leased out or sold either way we the people will have no right to walk around the building as we should. Isn't it a good job money was spent on the buildings refurbishment a few years back... other wish it might not be up to standards.. or was that the plan all the time? 

Will this mean that money will be spent on the Town Hall , work is surely needed to stop the stonework and brickwork from decaying any more.. the clock and bells need work and the removal of years of pigeon droppings in the bell tower needs to be done or so I have been informed. 

Hyde like many of the towns in Tameside is a shadow of how it was... and are left to tick over on the scraps that not being spent on Ashton, or many (to many) councilors expenses. 

Knowledge, thoughts and comments on this matter will be appreciated, as long as they are relevant to this post and not at each other everyone one is welcome to voice their opinion.