Willaston, Crewe and Nantwich
Encyclopedia
Willaston is a civil parish and village
in the unitary authority of Cheshire East
and the ceremonial county of Cheshire
, in north-west England
. It has a population of 2,277 people according to the 2001 census
. It is approximately three miles west of Crewe
town centre and two miles east of Nantwich
town centre.
. Since this was abolished on 1 April 2009, the civil parish has been administered by the new unitary authority
of Cheshire East
. Willaston falls in the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich
, which has been represented by Edward Timpson
since a by-election in 2008.
s (The Horseshoe, The Lamb, and The Nag's Head) and a social club, while an off-license provides local produce and day to day goods. Another pub, The Peacock, is situated to the north-west of the village centre, on Crewe Road (the A534).
The social club offers many social events ranging from bingo to bungee jumping nights. The club boasts two pool teams, a snooker
team, two 7-a-side football teams, a darts and dominoes
team and a ladies darts
team.
The village also has a fish and chip shop, and two hairdressing salons. There are local businesses within the village providing employment (Scanlans, SJB Steel, Rowlinsons.)
At the edge of the village is a Farm shop, Cheerbrook, on the Newcastle Road.
Willaston Primary School is the only education establishment in the village.
For children of pre school age, there is an Ofsted registered playgroup in the village.
. The original event in 1980 was won with a total of 511 worms by Tom Shufflebotham - a record that stood until 2009.
Celebrities that have taken part in the championships include Ben Fogle
and Bob Carolgees
. In 2008 celebrity contestants were Paddy McGuinness
and Rory McGrath
who were filming a slot for their series "Rory & Paddy's Great British Adventure".
The 2008 championship was won by Mr Mike and Claire Gaukroger with a total of 125 worms, the trophy for the heaviest worm went to Ray O'Grady and Steve Plant. (4.6g)
In 2009, due to particularly good conditions, 3 teams broke the previous world record of 511, with Sophie Smith and Matt Smith of Willaston claiming the title with a total of 567 worms in 30 minutes.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the unitary authority of Cheshire East
Cheshire East
Cheshire East is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England.The borough was established in April 2009 as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, by virtue of an order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in...
and the ceremonial county of Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, in north-west England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It has a population of 2,277 people according to the 2001 census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
. It is approximately three miles west of Crewe
Crewe
Crewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
town centre and two miles east of Nantwich
Nantwich
Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich...
town centre.
Governance
From 1974 to 2009 the Borough Council was Crewe and NantwichCrewe and Nantwich
Crewe and Nantwich was, from 1974 to 2009, a local government district with borough status in Cheshire, England. It had a population of 111,007...
. Since this was abolished on 1 April 2009, the civil parish has been administered by the new unitary authority
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
of Cheshire East
Cheshire East
Cheshire East is a unitary authority area with borough status in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England.The borough was established in April 2009 as part of the 2009 structural changes to local government in England, by virtue of an order under the Local Government and Public Involvement in...
. Willaston falls in the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich
Crewe and Nantwich (UK Parliament constituency)
Crewe and Nantwich is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election. For 25 years since its creation in 1983, the constituency had elected the Labour MP Gwyneth...
, which has been represented by Edward Timpson
Edward Timpson
Anthony Edward Timpson is a British Conservative Party politician. He became a Member of Parliament in 2008 after winning a by-election in the constituency of Crewe and Nantwich.-Biography:Timpson was born in Knutsford, Cheshire, in 1973...
since a by-election in 2008.
Local amenities
The village centre of Willaston has three public housePublic house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s (The Horseshoe, The Lamb, and The Nag's Head) and a social club, while an off-license provides local produce and day to day goods. Another pub, The Peacock, is situated to the north-west of the village centre, on Crewe Road (the A534).
The social club offers many social events ranging from bingo to bungee jumping nights. The club boasts two pool teams, a snooker
Snooker
Snooker is a cue sport that is played on a green baize-covered table with pockets in each of the four corners and in the middle of each of the long side cushions. A regular table is . It is played using a cue and snooker balls: one white , 15 worth one point each, and six balls of different :...
team, two 7-a-side football teams, a darts and dominoes
Dominoes
Dominoes generally refers to the collective gaming pieces making up a domino set or to the subcategory of tile games played with domino pieces. In the area of mathematical tilings and polyominoes, the word domino often refers to any rectangle formed from joining two congruent squares edge to edge...
team and a ladies darts
Darts
Darts is a form of throwing game where darts are thrown at a circular target fixed to a wall. Though various boards and games have been used in the past, the term "darts" usually now refers to a standardised game involving a specific board design and set of rules...
team.
The village also has a fish and chip shop, and two hairdressing salons. There are local businesses within the village providing employment (Scanlans, SJB Steel, Rowlinsons.)
At the edge of the village is a Farm shop, Cheerbrook, on the Newcastle Road.
Willaston Primary School is the only education establishment in the village.
For children of pre school age, there is an Ofsted registered playgroup in the village.
Local events
One of the major events in Willaston is the World Worm Charming Championships. It was started in 1980 by John Bailey. The event attracts many competitors from around the world, from the U.S.A. to AustraliaAustralia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. The original event in 1980 was won with a total of 511 worms by Tom Shufflebotham - a record that stood until 2009.
Celebrities that have taken part in the championships include Ben Fogle
Ben Fogle
Ben Fogle is an English television presenter, adventurer and writer.-Early life:Fogle is the son of actress Julia Foster and broadcasting veterinary surgeon Bruce Fogle...
and Bob Carolgees
Bob Carolgees
Bob Carolgees is a comedy entertainer who appeared on the Saturday morning TV series Tiswas and then later in its adult versions O.T.T. and Saturday Stayback. He is best-known for appearing with a puppet named Spit the Dog.-Career:In the early 1970s Carolgees ran a DJ and modelling school at 11A...
. In 2008 celebrity contestants were Paddy McGuinness
Paddy McGuinness
Paddy McGuinness may refer to:* Paddy McGuinness , English stand-up comedian* Padraic McGuinness , Australian journalist- See also :...
and Rory McGrath
Rory McGrath
Patrick Rory McGrath is an English comedian and writer. He is best known for roles in Who Dares Wins, Chelmsford 123, Three Men in a Boat and its successors. He was also a regular panellist on They Think It's All Over....
who were filming a slot for their series "Rory & Paddy's Great British Adventure".
The 2008 championship was won by Mr Mike and Claire Gaukroger with a total of 125 worms, the trophy for the heaviest worm went to Ray O'Grady and Steve Plant. (4.6g)
In 2009, due to particularly good conditions, 3 teams broke the previous world record of 511, with Sophie Smith and Matt Smith of Willaston claiming the title with a total of 567 worms in 30 minutes.