- The Hope Garden open day takes place this Saturday (18th) at the URC Church , Saughall road, Blacon. The reopening event (2-4pm) follows the hard work by Postcode Gardener Charlotte and community volunteers over the last few months. There will be tea and cake as well as plants and seeds for sale.

- Young Storyhouse Card is a brand-new membership scheme for 16-25 year olds. Members pay £1 a month with no commitment and can cancel at any time. alternatively a full year can be purchased in advance for £12. Benefits include : £5 cinema tickets for all films, 15% off food and drink at The Kitchen, regular theatre discounts and access to special events. To sign up visit : https://www.storyhouse.com/storyhousecard
- Coming up on the 25th Sept, The Grosvenor Museum is hosting a free clothes swap as part of the latest exhibition, ‘Curated Closet’. Bring the clothes you no longer wear and trade them for something different. Old clothes can be dropped off and exchanged between 11am and 4pm at the Museum. Clothes for all ages, shapes, sizes and genders are welcome . Councillor Louise Gittins,: “Not only is there a chance to refresh your wardrobe, but also visit the ‘Curated Closet’ exhibition, highlighting items from the Grosvenor Museum’s extensive costume collection, and to learn about sustainable fashion. Clothes swaps are good for your wardrobe and even better for the environment. The fashion industry is the second largest polluter in the world with three out of every five items ending up in landfill within a year of purchase.” No booking is required, just turn up on the day. If you’d like to arrange to drop-off clothing in the run-up to the event, contact: grosvenor.museum@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk
- The team at Cheshire Archives are organising an online “Archive gems” event. The online discussion will allow residents to see some of the more visually-arresting and historically-significant documents and images from their local area. These engagement sessions will help the Archive team to gain feedback on the prototype for this new online experience. The team are looking for participants from the following areas: Sandbach Malpas Nantwich Bollington Wharton (Winsford) and Lache (Chester). Sessions will take place either over the phone or via zoom. Once booking is confirmed participants will be sent a link to the Archive Gems website to browse in advance of the feedback sessions. To register visit : https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/uncover-archive-gems-tickets-168737064101
- Fools Gold, Chester’s Indie Alt rock night have announced their forthcoming events including a DJ set by former Inspiral Carpets keyboardist Clint Boon on the 1st October. Clint will be getting the new student year off in style at the Live Rooms. Fools Gold will be at Bonobo on the 22nd September and the Varsity sports bar on the 23rd and 24th.
- The future of alfresco dining in Chester will be up for discussion at an event organised by Chester BID on Monday 20th (9.30am) : “Over the last 18 months pedestrianisation of Chester city centre has been extended to 8pm to allow businesses to extend the time they operate their alfresco seating areas, the application process has been simplified and charges waived. These changes however are currently only temporary and will require alterations to traffic and planning regulations to make them permanent. We’d love to hear your views on how we progress and improve in the future. Businesses are invited to share their views on pedestrianisation and alfresco seating in the city to help inform future plans.” The event takes place at the Watergate street gallery: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-future-of-alfresco-dining-in-chester-city-centre-tickets-169298276703

- VINCI Construction UK has arranged site visits to the new Ellesmere Port public hub building in October. There will be an opportunity to have a look around the building with bookable tours taking place every day between the 4 and the 8 of October. There are two tours for a maximum of eight people each day: 10am to 11am and from 2pm to 3pm. To book a place visit: https://opendoors.construction/site/454 The new building on the site of the former bus station will house workers from Cheshire West and Chester Council and Department for Work and Pensions staff, is expected to be complete by the end of the year and will provide ground floor access to services including Job Centre Plus and the Work Zone. Meanwhile volunteers from VINCI UK’s building team joined the Council’s parks team plus supply chain partners Constructicon, HE Simm and Tyrrell Electrical, to help tidy up Whitby Park near to their Ellesmere Port Hub project site. The VINCI-led team donated their time, skills and materials to complete a range of activities to enhance the public spaces in the park, including cutting back overgrown bushes that were preventing clear access along walkways within a mini woodland area, repairing damaged fence lines and replacing missing bridge timbers, pruning trees and removing invasive plant growth.

- Organisers of Chester Cocktail Week (20-26 Sept( are offering cocktail fans the chance to win a year’s worth of cocktails. Residents are invited to enter an exclusive “Win Cocktails for a Year Competition” for the chance to win 52 vouchers for 2 x cocktails to enjoy in venues across the city. The competition is free to enter via www.chester-cocktailweek.com Wristbands are also now on sale which will allow drinks lovers to enjoy some unique cocktails which have been especially created for the week and sold at the reduced price of £5. Venues across the City are being supported by drinks brands to run special promotions during the week-long celebration of Chester’s top hospitality venues creating a win/win partnership for all parties to help them bounce back from the pandemic. Wristband holders get £10 off tickets to all Cocktail Week events which can be redeemed by calling the priority booking line – 0808 1689474.
- Cars and Coffee Chester continued their post Covid revival with another successful event at Chester Lakes last weekend. 317 cars were present, and 150people turned up to watch ,with just under £100 raised for SHARE.
- Chester is showcased in the latest “Ten minute trips” video by youtuber Aidan. The video includes a visit to The Carriage Shed, the recent Castle open day, the amphitheatre, St John’s Church. “Compared to last episode in Stoke where the high street was decrepit , this is cut from a different cloth” says the enthusiastic traveller.
The news blog will return in 2 weeks