Well what a year we have had in Stone in 2013, and especially on A Little Bit Of Stone. Before we start the round-up let me just give you a few facts and figures that are amazing!
In 2013 we have had over 620 posts and amazingly over 71,947 Unique Visitors. Our biggest post had 3310 views and the most commented post had 187 comments.We have also been viewed in over 150 countries internationally.
This year for A Little Bit Of Stone has been amazing and having learnt so much and tried new things we are pleased to say that the things ready for next year are just *AMAZING*
Anyway let’s crack on as there is a lot to talk about! LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!
January
Well didn’t Stone kick off 2013 in style, parties all over Stone and our very own Joshua Cope was at one *amazing* party in the Crown & Anchor! To view them photos click here. Then we had a shock, pollution was detected at the Downs Banks and people were told that they should not let their dogs go in the stream at all until further notice, and after a few weeks they finally removed the warning and it the stream was back to its usual clean self, thankfully. Also in January the Council sent a team of divers into a culvert near Meaford to try and clear a problem they believed to be causing the flooding, including the very bad flooding of 2012. After the rain of late 2012 we had a bit of a shock and had a hit of snow, great for some and awful for others, the snow bought everyone out to different parts of the town, with their sledges, snowboards and anything else you could sledge on, even a turkey tray (hopefully not used!)
As January came to an end there was a shock, Mary Gale, the longstanding headteacher at St Michael’s First School would be stepping down in August. Sad news for all, especially St Michael’s. Then – in what wasn’t a shock for all – the Westbridge Park consultation was released and the consultation process started.
February
At the start of February it was the sound of success for Stone as after long hard months of fundraising for their repair the St Michael’s Church Bells came home. Hallelujah! Stone was then taken over, by the furry kind! No no, not UFOs or aliens….sheep! Sheep were loose in Stone and causing what can only be described as a bit of a baahhhmmyyy! A very sad time for Stone came next when the news broke that overnight several charity shops and shops in Stone has been burgled, a small amount had been stolen from each of the shops and the damage would cost so much that it could put one shop into a bad state for the rest of the year. The results are in…. that’s what was being said when the new Youth MP was elected for Stafford & Stone and it was fierce competition. The candidates all ran very good campaigns but the people voted and the winner and 2013’s Youth MP was named as Matt Hall! Well done Matt!
March
At the start of March graffiti was sprayed along the canal in Stone and people were not happy – Stone In Bloom gathered up support and went out on a cleaning spree. The canal was back to its usual glory in just a few hours of hard scrubbing work! Also in March this year an instructor at Westbridge Park Fitness Centre became a lifesaver as he did CPR on a man who fell ill at the centre. The lifesaver Lee Nicklin modestly said, “I was just doing my job”. Well Done Lee! March also saw the presentation of an award to a very special teacher at Alleyne’s Academy, Graham Finlay, who was recognised and awarded by Staffordshire County Council for his outstanding efforts to education and particularly the Duke Of Edinburgh Award. It was the ‘Tweet’ sound of success as late March saw the aviary in Stonefield Park back with its birds in it after having a facelift and a makeover, another great attraction in Stone.
April
April saw the beginning of UKIP’s campaign trail get under way with their leader, Nigel Farage, in town. His clothing for the day was described on Facebook as ‘Paddington Bear going to a funeral’ – that’s one way to describe it! As April went on it saw the arrival of the new Late Night Pharmacy in Stone, this rivalled previous chemists Birchall & Watson. However it is now a very handy service to have. There was a ‘rising’ star on TV in April as we saw a baker from Stone appear on the adverts of Britain’s Got Talent, Debbie from Morrisons bakery was chose to do an advert for the company and did it in style. Congratulations Debbie! Finally at the end of April saw the March for Stafford Hospital, our very own Jack Taylor & Joshua Cope went along and both said it was an extraordinary experience and a great day! 50,000 people marched for the hospital on the very hot day, and it sure got through to the Government as David Cameron praised each person who marched as “a credit to their town”.
May
The Tory flag kept flying in Stone in May when the election results came in to tell us that the Conservatives had won and would keep Stone blue for another term. May saw the return of what can be called a relic of Stone’s history as we welcomed back the Medieval Seal to where it belongs, St Michael’s Church. A lovely service was held and it is now available for viewing in the church. May also bought great news for the town as a man was charged with the charity shop burglaries after they discovered a large amount of jewellery at his property. At the end of May we were treated by Lymestone Brewery as they opened their doors for a Brewing Heritage day with many things going on throughout the day, including sampling the produce.
June
June kicked off with the annual Stone Festival and the week of fantastic event s building up to it. We were treated to a Party in the Park by a Rolling Stones tribute band and then we were also given on Carnival Saturday girls in hot pants on horses, or as they should be called The Blazing Saddles Stunt Team, they were very very good! :) June also saw another addition to a Stone Festival with new directors being appointed to the Stone Food & Drink Festival board. June also saw sad times for our High Street as we saw the fair-trade shop, Wikijum close its doors after being there for many years, a shame to see it go. June can also be described as the month of the cows as two herds of the animals decided to get out and wander the streets of Stone, one set ending up on Mount Industrial Estate and the other ended up at the Lamb in Walton. I know which place I would prefer to go ;)
July
July was the month of the Pubs, for good and bad reasons. Early July bought the closure of the Red Lion, which bought sadness for lots of folk as their regular was no longer pulling pints. Then on a brighter note the Titanic-owned Royal Exchange was crowned CAMRA pub of the year, a great award for Michelle and her excellent team. And now we go back to a very sad note, just after the amazing music festival that pulled in thousands for a great weekend of music and dance and provided people with brilliant entertainment, the Crown Hotel shut its doors. With no notice a sign went up on the front door and a chain was placed around the door handles. The Crown was no more.
August
Not a huge amount happening in August but here are a few things – a landslide closed the A34 near the Darlaston. The police helicopter circled Stone after a disturbance on the Crown Hotel roof and a huge Pilgrims Parade took place with over 1000 people marching from St Dominic’s to Aston Hall. Also in August we saw the sale price of the Crown Hotel halved to £750,000 and we saw the re-opening of the Crown & Anchor and the old La Dolce Vita, which is now Bella Napoli.
September
At the start of September several pubs were caught out when the Police and Trading Standards did an underage test and failed. September is also the month of ‘Back to School’ and the pupils and staff at Alleyne’s did not go back to a High School but to an Academy, another great step forward for Stone. September however took a dramatic twist as the Wine Cellar in Stonefield was robbed and an assistant, Pat, hurt. Once again Stone In Bloom came of age as Stone won Gold in the Large Town Category for the 7th consecutive year, Another reason to celebrate! September also bought very sad news for residents of Stone as we were hit with the news that a house fire on Lichfield Road had killed an elderly couple while they were upstairs, this was later believed to be caused by a light socket in a wardrobe.
October
As per usual October bought us the amazing Stone Food & Drink Festival that bought over 15,000 people into the town once again! Another triumph for the town. Another TV appearance was in store for someone from Stone as the ironmongers, Mountfords, were the stars of The One Show as part of documentary about old shops still going. More foodie greatness was on the way for Stone as we saw a new restaurant open. The new restaurant owed by husband and wife Richard and Kara Cullen would bring what was described in Jack Taylor’s review as a bit of class to Stone dining. October bought lots more to us as it was ALBOS’s busiest month so here’s just a couple of quick things: Alleynes Pool was closed after a burst pipe and The Wine Cellar robber was jailed for six years.
November
November bought lots to Stone including the Annual Christmas Lights switch-on, the Annual Remembrance Day Parade and the news broke that St John’s Church had been sold at auction. Stone & Stafford Canoe Club also had reason to celebrate as it was 40th Birthday, and they celebrated in style, with a huge sitdown meal at the hut. A great addition to November was the brand new Autumn In Stone photography competition here on A Little Bit Of Stone. With over 50 entries it proved to be huge success – watch this space for more competitions in the forecoming months.
December
December bought sad news for many people in Stone as we found out the news that two loved people had died. One was a 25 year old lady who crashed her car on the Eccleshall Road, near the M6 bridge. The other death was a big shock for Alleyne’s Academy as they found out that on Sunday 8th December one of the PE & Maths teachers had died of a suspected heart attack. The school was in mourning and it was a very sad for all teachers, pupils and staff alike. December also bought two VERY special birthdays for ALBOS as we saw the site’s founder turn 40! Yes, Jamie turned 40 and he celebrated in style with over 10 days of celebration. We also saw our very own Jack Taylor turn 16, only 24 years off Jamie but that’s just making him look old! Happy Birthday Boys! Christmas was also big in Stone as per usual with parties here there and everywhere, Santa and the Round Table came around the streets, even if they did get soaked.
So, ladies and gentlemen, that’s the round-up of 2013 and I hope you have enjoyed it and all that’s left to say now is have an absolutely amazing New Year, stay safe and ENJOY!
From all at A Little Bit Of Stone!
CHEERS!
