Enjoy Staffordshire is encouraging Staffordshire residents to have a hair-raising half-term this October, with an array of great family days out taking place across the county.
Boscobel House in South Staffordshire is home to Beano characters and costumed story-tellers for Halloween half-term.
There are thousands of pumpkins of all shapes and sizes at Staffordshire pumpkin patches including Lower Drayton Farm near Penkridge, and Canalside Farm and Amerton Farm near Stafford.
Weston Park’s 1,000 acres of parkland encompass a history dating back to the medieval period and an important Capability Brown commission, in addition to playing host to impressive biodiversity.
Join Head Gardener Martin Gee and the attraction’s knowledgeable team to discover more of the exceptional landscape at this seasonal park walk.
Discover the park’s seasonal beauty and see areas of the park that are not normally seen by visitors, such as the Medieval layers of the park’s history and the surviving moat which is now home to invertebrates.
The walk takes place this Sunday, from 10.30am to 12.30pm.
Have your say:
South Staffordshire Residents’ Survey now out
Make your voice heard – take part in our newly released Residents’ Survey.
The survey is a chance for everyone living in South Staffordshire to let us know their views on where they live, and the district as a whole.
Have your say by completing the survey via this link
Community Safety newsletter
In this edition meet the new Police Commander, as he introduces himself, outlines his priorities, and takes a look at the crime figures.
Halloween is fast approaching – this newsletter includes some contact numbers, should you feel worried about callers or fireworks over the last week in October.
It also discusses scams currently operating and how to minimise the risk of keyless vehicle theft.
Bird flu: Prevention Zone declared across Great Britian
Following an increase in the number of detections of avian influenza (bird flu) in wild birds and on commercial premises, an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone has been implemented across Great Britain.
This is to help mitigate the risk of the disease spreading amongst poultry and captive birds.
It is now a legal requirement for all bird keepers in Great Britain to follow strict biosecurity measures to help protect their flocks from the threat of avian flu.
Around 70 delegates attended South Staffordshire Council’s Parish Summit event this week.
The event, which took place on Thursday, focused on financial resilience for our communities.
Attendees heard presentations from all three tiers of local government and had the chance to speak to partner organisations and groups.
Public sector awards body iESE also attended to give a presentation on cyber security and ever-growing threat it presents.
South Staffordshire Council leader, Cllr Roger Lees, said: “I’d like to thank everyone who attended and took part in the Parish Summit event.
“It was a hugely successful event and a useful, thought-provoking experience for all attendees.
“We look forward to scheduling a further Parish Summit event in the new year, which will focus on community wellbeing.”
Recycle Week
It’s Recycle Week – and South Staffordshire Council has been sharing valuable recycling information through our social media platforms in the hope we can add value to our recycling commitment.
This year we are focusing on three key questions:
Does my recycling really make a difference?
One item in the bin can’t hurt, can it?
Recycling is so confusing, Isn’t it?
By us all getting our recycling right we can make a difference.
Recycling doesn’t have to be confusing – that’s what the Recycling Locator is for! Just pop in your postcode to find out what you can recycle.
We are also answering your questions – keep an eye out on our Facebook page for answers.
Make a difference: Be a Councillor
We hosted a Be a Councillor event for anyone looking to stand in next year’s election.
A range of people attended the evening, held in association with the Local Government Association.
Senior Caretaker – closing midnight on October 30th
Relief Leisure Assistants at Codsall, Wombourne, Penkridge & Cheslyn Hay Leisure Centres – open application date.
Biffa Class 2 Driver, Municipal Waste Collection – open application date.
Swimming Instructors, all leisure centres – open application date.
For more information on all South Staffordshire Council vacancies and for details on how to apply, click here
Leisure latest
The Goodlife Winter Saver
From November 1st to 30th, South Staffordshire Council’s leisure centres are giving customers the chance to join for just £10, with no further payments until January 2023.
Customers can sign up to any of the membership packages and enjoy unlimited use for two months, for just £10.
Thursday, November 3rd, marks one year of Wellbeing walks at Baggeridge Country Park.
In celebration we are inviting walkers to come along, enjoy a walk around the park from 10-11am, followed by complimentary tea, coffee and cakes after the walk at Baggeridge Tea Room
Partnership updates
Flu vaccination: who should have it this winter and why
Flu can affect anyone but if you have a long-term health condition the effects of fu can make it worse even if the condition is well managed and you normally feel well.
Anyone with a health condition should consider having the vaccination, plus a range of others, including those aged 65 or over, those living in residential or nursing homes, those who are pregnant, and children of a certain age.
There are small things we can all do to help be kind to our mind and these can make a big difference to how we feel.
That’s why a new Better Health – Every Mind Matters campaign is being launched, helping us find those little things we can all do to look after our mental health and showing us how they can add up to make a big difference; helping us to lead happier, healthier lives and cope with life’s challenges.
At its heart is the free, NHS-approved Mind Plan, available on the website. By answering five short questions people get a personalised mental health action plan, providing practical tips to help them deal with stress and anxiety, boost their mood, sleep better and feel more in control.
£2,000 in government funding available to help with childcare costs
Families could save up to £2,000 a year towards their childcare costs to help pay for October half-term holiday clubs and wraparound care during the school terms.
Families can sign up to Tax-Free Childcare to help pay for holiday clubs, before and after-school clubs, childminders and nurseries, and other approved childcare schemes. It is available to families with children up to the age of 11, or 17 if their child has a disability.
The government will pay 20% of childcare costs by topping up the money paid into a Tax-Free Childcare account. This means for every £8 paid into the online account, families will automatically receive an additional £2 in government top-up.
The Community Recovery Grants scheme is now open for applications from groups who work with and support communities in Staffordshire from a new County Council fund.
Staffordshire County Council is keen to support the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector in Staffordshire by providing a range of one-off grants to help them recover following the pandemic and with the challenges of the rising cost of living. The funding will help organisations adapt to new ways of working, sustain existing activities and support residents with cost of living pressures. Grants of between £500 and £5,000 are available.
The County Council is working with the Community Foundation for Staffordshire who are managing grant applications and distribution. Grants will be awarded throughout October, November and December 2022 on a first come first served basis. All grants will be fully distributed by December 2022 and recipients will need to spend the award by 31st March 2023.
Following the passing of Her Majesty The Queen, locations of condolence books can be found at Codsall Council Offices, Wombourne Civic Centre and The Hailing Dene Centre, Penkridge, from 9am – 5pm Saturday 10th until the day of her funeral.
A National book of condolence will be available at the National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas, Burton-on-Trent, DE13 7AR.
An online book of condolence can be found at www.royal.uk
The Church at Perton will be open for all:
Friday 9th 10am – 3pm & 6.30pm – 8pm
Saturday 10th 8am – 12 noon
Sunday 11th Morning service at 10.30am
Monday – Friday 10am – 3pm
Monday 12th also 6.30pm – 8pm
Residents are invited to sign a book of remembrance, light a candle and say a prayer.
For those who may wish to leave flowers, these can be placed in the Church courtyard.
Time for the kids to complete the Summer Reading Challenge!
The Summer Reading Challenge is in full swing at Staffordshire Libraries with over 8000 children taking part so far!
Your kids have until 12th September to complete the challenge and for them to collect their certificate and medal from their local Staffordshire Library!
They can listen to audio books, read graphic novels or even read to a younger brother or sister! You can also choose eBooks or eAudios for children from our fantastic eLibrary; just download the Borrowbox App and sign in with your Library card and PIN.
Not started yet? Not a problem, there is still time to read 6 books! It’s easy and FREE and is great to encourage a life time of reading for pleasure!
Just join at your local library and get your child started on a reading voyage of discovery… and they’ll be ready for the new term too!
The Summer Reading Challenge, presented by The Reading Agency, is delivered in partnership with public libraries and funded by Arts Council England. The Challenge encourages children aged 4 to 11 to enjoy the benefits of reading for pleasure over the summer holidays, providing lots of fun as well as helping to prevent the summer reading ‘dip’.
Discover the Staffordshire History Festival this Autumn
September sees the start of the annual Staffordshire History Festival – Staffordshire Library and Arts’ and Archive and Heritage’s two-month celebration of our local history and cultural heritage in Staffordshire and beyond. We will be offering an engaging programme of events and activity including highlighting our history themed book stock, events, talks and activities in our libraries and new behind the scenes events, where visitors can explore the collections and buildings cared for by archives and heritage.
Highlights include the return of the Perton Library History Open Day on Saturday 8th October with a host of historical stalls, exhibitions, re-enactors and enthusiasts, a Local History Day at Burton Library on 29th October, talks from local historians such as Dr Mark Knight, Andrew Baker, Trevor Fisher, Brendan Clifford, Dr Richard Talbot and Steve Booth, a walking tour of Lichfield with local historian Jonathan Oates exploring the “Little Known Authors of Lichfield”, an update on Staffordshire’s recent archaeological news from Principal Archaeologist Shane Kelleher, taster sessions on Ancestry Library edition website, quizzes and treasure hunts for the kids and much more.
The Burton Library Local Author Day will be returning on Saturday 1st October after a 2-year hiatus because of the pandemic. The day will run from 10am to 2pm so if you fancy chatting to local authors and picking up a new read or two, then pop along.
There will also be an online festival that will be discoverable at the hashtag #StaffsHistFest. A programme of informative posts, quizzes, interesting videos, crafts and activities for children and families will be shared on social media across the two months of the festival, many produced by our staff, volunteers and local partner organisations. There will be regular posts to highlight famous people from Staffordshire and little-known facts about Staffordshire’s history. Look out for a brand new video tour exploring the history of the William Salt library.
We will also be sharing history eBook and eAudio recommendations for titles that can be borrowed from the eLibrary – look out for recommended reading on all kinds of history stock from local history, the Second World War and Black History Month to historical novels, history for children and much more! Visit your local library or our eLibrary to find out what we have to offer: www.staffordshire.gov.uk/eLibrary
Look out for information about our fantastic websites, available for Library members, including the Ancestry Library Edition website, Find My Past (Staffordshire Collection), British Newspaper Archive and Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
Look out for weekly quizzes every Saturday evening on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
Staffordshire Museum Stores Open Day
Come along and see behind the scenes of the stored museum collections. Meet the experts, try out hands-on activities and view our amazing collections!
Visit the museum stores and take time to view our fascinating stored collections of Staffordshire social history, costume, art and rural life.
Pick up a trail sheet to help you explore, try out object handling and craft activities or bring along your photos of Staffordshire people and places to add to our collection at our digi-drop in stand.
This is a self guided visit but staff and volunteers will be hand to highlight our treasures, direct you around our site and answer any questions.
Saturday 17th September
Beacon Business Park, Weston Road, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST18 0WL
It’s National Reading Group Day on 14th September!
Are you a member of a Reading Group? If you are then 14th September is the day to hashtag #NationalReadingGroupDay and tell us what your Reading Group means to you!
There are over 300 Reading Groups in Staffordshire, many of whom use Staffordshire Libraries as meeting places as well as sources of their next great read. Our Reading Group Service, run by a small team of staff and volunteers at Burton Library, has issued over 30,000 items of stock to Reading Groups across the county in the past year and that doesn’t include items borrowed through our brilliant e-library! Although some Reading Groups shut down following the pandemic, 2022 has seen a boom in Reading Groups starting up and the growth of existing groups; the average size of Reading Groups using our service is now 15 members, compared to 10 members before the pandemic.
If you would like to find out more about joining our Reading Group service, or want to find Reading Group near you, please email reading.groups@staffordshire.gov.uk
The Reading Agency provides a free monthly e-newsletter for Reading Groups filled with great offers, giveaways and book reviews. Visit The Reading Groups For Everyone page to sign up.
Staffordshire Pocket Film Festival
Staffordshire Libraries & Arts Service are delighted to be supporting the return of Pocket Film Festival this year and will be hosting a variety of events during the festival for people of all ages to take part at Rising Brook Library and Stafford Library.
Staffordshire Day Film Showcase Stafford Library
At Stafford Library, we are very excited to be showing the winning entries of the 2022 Staffordshire Day Film Competition, based on the theme of the Staffordshire & the Great Outdoors! Titles include A Toast to Tamworth, Spring in the Staffordshire Moorlands and An Amazing Sunset at the Roaches!
Tuesday 13th to Saturday 17th September 1pm – 2pm, Free event, everyone welcome!
Staffordshire Heritage Films will be showing at Rising Brook Library
A new digitisation of a complete 1960s film made by Stafford Ciné Society will take you county-wide to show and tell examples of Staffordshire’s heritage and history. Stafford Lives: Films from the Archive shows amazing scenes of Stafford life in the 1950-1960s curated by the Media Archive for Central England.
WALL -E Disney Pixar’s children’s classic – a heart-warming story of hope which will take you on a fantastic journey across the galaxy! Sunday, 18th September, 2 – 4pm Tickets £2 per person or £3 for a family ticket Rising Brook Library, Stafford Buy Tickets!
Create your own Wall-E inspired Movie Poster! Families are welcome to get creative with print maker Iain Perry at Rising Brook Library. You will have the opportunity to create your very own film poster using a variety of techniques – screen printing, collage and some good old fashioned felt tip pens! Saturday 10th September, 2 – 4pm Suitable for children aged 4 upwards, children must be accompanied by an adult. Places are limited – book your free place now!
Grow your family tree at Staffordshire Libraries with free access to Ancestry and the FindMyPast Staffordshire Collection.
Ancestry is the leading genealogy resource on the internet and is packed full of records, as well as hints and tips to help you trace your family history, whether you are from Staffordshire or beyond.
Records recently added to Ancestry:
England and Wales National Probate Calendar 1861-1941
Return of Owners of Land 1873 for England and Wales
Registers of coroners inquests for New South Wales, Australia 1796 -1947
UK Naval medals 1793 -1972
Military campaign medal award rolls 1914 -1949
World War II prisoners of the Japanese
Findmypast is one of the leading family history resources on the internet. The Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service has partnered with Findmypast to make some of the most popular Staffordshire sources available online. Currently available are the Staffordshire Parish Registers (Church of England), 1538-1900, containing around 4 million records. Further resources are ‘in the pipeline’ and will be made available soon, so watch this space.
Both are available to use for FREE for Library members on a public access PC at your local Staffordshire Library.
Dig into History this September
We have a whole host of new library books and audio books in our libraries and we also have lots of new eBooks and eAudios on Borrowbox! We have all the best historical books from top historians & historical fiction authors and plenty for the kids. Why not have a look and discover something new!
Explore the history displays on your next visit to your local library or visit the Borrowbox App or eLibrary!
Ukrainian ‘Getting to Know You’ Events at Staffordshire Libraries
Biddulph and Newcastle Libraries had the honour of hosting some Ukrainian Coffee Mornings recently. It was lovely to welcome the families and their hosts and invite them to join the library and sign up to use our computers. Luckily, our conversations were a little easier with the support of Maria Leligdowicz, who can speak Ukrainian and runs the Donation Centre ‘We Stand With Ukraine’ in Newcastle-under-Lyme. Hearing their stories and seeing a photo of someone’s home burnt out really impressed upon me their need for help. Learning English is the top priority for some refugees now and others were keen to hear from the Job Centre staff on hand. Families were able to sign up to the Children’s Centre and have fun with Play Dough too, thanks to the staff from Biddulph and Newcastle. Positive Pathways were able to attend our last session providing details of their business start-up and employability support programme designed for refugees in Stoke and Staffordshire.
Think you can help? Please use this dedicated email address for all enquiries about the schemes in place to support Ukrainian refugees here: ukraine@staffordshire.gov.uk
Jigsaw Time
This month’s Jigsaw is a beautiful cottage window box
Check out our Facebook page for a new jigsaw each Sunday at 7pm
Bumper Book Chats this September and October!
We have a fabulous author line-up for September and October starting off on 7th September with a historical fiction panel featuring Imogen Matthews, Kate Hewitt and Amanda Lees.
Bestselling thriller author, Kim Sherwood, will be chatting to us on 12th September about Double Or Nothing The start of a brand new trilogy following MI6’s agents with a licence to kill, that blows the world of James Bond wide open!
Bestselling romantic comedy author, Sophie Cousens, will be with us on 5th October, followed by thriller writer Stacey Willingham on 12th October.
All our online chats begin at 7.30pm on the dates stated. Links to join the chats are posted in our free Staffordshire Libraries’ Book Chat Facebook Group. Please join the group to access the links.
Author Stephanie Carty at Lichfield Library Reading Café
Author Stephanie Carty visited Lichfield Library in August to attend the Reading Café. The reading café is run monthly by volunteers Fiona and Rosemary. Stephanie visited to chat about Lichfield and to work with the group to write a short story with funding from the local Literature Development Agencies Writing West Midlands.
The short stories will be published as an anthology later this year. The Reading Café meets on the 1st Wednesday of the month at 10:30am at Lichfield Library.
The photo above is Stephanie (center) with Fiona (Left) and Rosemary (Right)
Borrowbox Campaign Titles – Borrow and enjoy without queuing!
We have added this great selection of titles to Borrowbox, in eBook and eAudio, including titles by Susan Wilkins, Diane Chamberlain, Helen Sedgwick, Patricia Wilson & E.Nesbit. These titles are all available, until 28th September without the need to queue!
Just download the Borrowbox App from your app store for your device or visit our eLibrary
Look out for these great new titles, below, coming on 15th September! We have some great eAudios and eBooks coming including history, crime, thrillers and the perennial classic All Creatures Great and Small, which will be available in both formats!
Staffordshire’s Asylums: A Case for the Ordinary
This major exhibition ‘A Case for the Ordinary: Staffordshire’s asylums and the patient experience’ reveals the story of the county’s three asylums, their staff and patients.
The project, funded by leading medical charity, the Wellcome Trust, explores the patient experience of mental health care in Staffordshire, 1818-1960. The research is available through the project blog.
The main exhibition is opening at the Nicholson Institute in Leek in January 2023, but until then you can explore the ‘taster’ during the Staffordshire History Festival at:
Codsall Library from Thursday 22 September until Monday 17 October
Rugeley Library from Wednesday 19 October until Thursday 10 November
Free to view during normal open hours.
Night Sky Guide for September
There may not be much darkness at this time of year, but what there is can be spectacular. You can download the September edition of the Night Sky Guide, created by Doug, our Perton Library Astronomy Group member, here.
Our County, Our Climate: Exploring the historical impact of climate change
Saturday 1 October, Oddfellows Hall, Stafford
10am – 3.30pm
Join Staffordshire Archives & Heritage Service & Liverpool University for this free event to discover the impact of weather on the lives of Staffordshire people.
Historically, landscapes, communities and people have coped with, and adapted to, environmental change and extreme weather events. This study day will explore how Staffordshire’s communities have adapted, and continue to adapt, to changing circumstances and how this might inform how we manage and respond to challenges and changes in the future, building on two collaborative projects between the Staffordshire Archives and Heritage Service and the University of Liverpool.
The Service has continued to work in partnership with the University of Liverpool as part of the AHRC/UK Climate Resilience project ‘CLANDAGE’ (Building Climate Resilience through Community, Landscape and Cultural Heritage). This study day will look at some of the historic impact of extreme weather events and reflect on the work of the CLANDAGE project with responses from Staffordshire’s communities today.
The day will include speakers from the projects together with Staffordshire Poet Laureate Mel Wardle-Woodend and storyteller Maria Whatton who have worked with groups across the county to explore stories and responses to our changing weather. There will also be an exhibition of archive documents and of work produced as part of the projects.
Image credit: Flooding at Newport Road and Bridge Street, Stafford, February 1946 (Image courtesy of Staffordshire Record Office and Peter Rogers)
COBRA: Complete Business Reference Advisor NOW available to Staffordshire Library members!
COBRA contains all the information you need to turn your idea into a business or if you are thinking of working for yourself.
Log on and find more than 4,000 factsheets, sector guides, market reports, local area profiles, contacts and sources of funding and support plus hundreds of practical guides to starting up more than 350 types of business.
Ideal for anyone looking to start a business, write a business or marketing plan or conduct research into a new market.
COBRA is free to use on Library PCs. If you wish to access COBRA from home you will need to log in HERE with your Library Card Number.
In other news…
The British Newspaper Archive
Discover history as it happened with over 50 million historical local and national newspapers. One place, millions of stories now available in Staffordshire Libraries via our public access PCs. Find out more here
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
Have you visited the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography yet? It’s FREE to access from home with your Library card number.
ODNB contains over 60,000 biographies, 72 million words, 11,000 portraits of significant, influential or notorious figures who shaped British history.
This month for the start of the Staffordshire History Festival we have chosen Aethelflaed, Lady of the Mercians, whose statue now stands in front of Tamworth Castle.
Start searching by following the ODNB link on our Online Resources page.
Discover the English Language with the OED Online
The OED Online has recently been updated with a new look and several new features. The core of the site is still the 600,000 definitions and uses of words, but the website now features word timelines, an historical thesaurus and pages on the OED‘s most-cited authors and texts – offering an insight into those who have shaped the English language.
View at the Library of free at home, using card number and PIN at our Online Resources link.
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Grow your family tree at Staffordshire Libraries with free access to Ancestry and the FindMyPast Staffordshire Collection.
Findmypast is one of the leading family history resources on the internet. The Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service has partnered with Findmypast to make some of the most popular Staffordshire sources available online. Currently available are the Staffordshire Parish Registers (Church of England), 1538-1900, containing around 4 million records. Further resources are ‘in the pipeline’ and will be made available soon, so watch this space.
COBRA: Complete Business Reference Advisor NOW available to Staffordshire Library members!
The British Newspaper Archive
Have you visited the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography yet? It’s FREE to access from home with your Library card number.
The OED Online has recently been updated with a new look and several new features. The core of the site is still the 600,000 definitions and uses of words, but the website now features word timelines, an historical thesaurus and pages on the OED‘s most-cited authors and texts – offering an insight into those who have shaped the English language.
See a summary of the services we have to offer.
Find you nearest local library and opening times
Borrow e-books, e-audio and magazine for free.