On the campaign trail in Heaton Chapel and Reddish

Des Junior is out and about in SK4 and SK5 on his latest walk, a week before the general election

Jun 28, 2024

Friday 28 June 2024

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Dear County fans, Stopfordians, and anyone else from The Football Family joining us today, a very warm welcome to your Friday edition of The Scarf My Father Wore.

Yesterday, I clocked up another nine and a half miles on my Streets of Stockport walk. You’ll find a summary of my day below, along with loads of photos. I’ve almost raised £2,000 for Mentell. If you can help me reach that latest milestone, I’d be very grateful. Click here if you’d like to donate a few quid.

Today’s edition is sponsored by The Mortgage Mill and Not Just Travel. A big thank you to James, and also to Paul and Tracy.

Finally, I’m currently walking every street in Stockport to raise money for mental health charity Mentell. If you’d like to make a donation to help me reach my target, please click here.

Total distance so far: 158.42 miles

Total steps so far: 254,782

Total raised so far: £1,899

Total completed streets so far: 347 (Click here for the full list, which includes reports and photos from every day of the walk.)

Further information on the walk can be found by clicking here.

Des Junior

With a week to go until the general election, I’m on the campaign trail in Heaton Chapel. Well, not exactly. I’m not standing as an MP, but as my Streets of Stockport walk continues on a scorching June morning in SK4 (the back of my neck will be burnt by the end of the day), I feel I should take a couple of photos to capture the local political landscape, recording the scene for posterity in the process.

I suspect you’ll be able to find more detailed and accurate polls elsewhere on the internet, but from my perspective, the locals round these parts are displaying an abundance of red in their windows and front gardens, quite a lot of green, and absolutely no blue.

Personally speaking, I’ve already had enough of this election. I’m sure many others will share my view. The Economist have dubbed this year’s election as a “low-wattage campaign”, the Financial Times has described it as “lacklustre” whilst the London Review of Books opted for “boring and frustrating”. With so much uncertainty and animosity, at home and abroad, it’s refreshing to spend a few minutes watching the unequivocal joy and innocence of kids enjoying their Sports Day as my walk takes me past Broadstone Hall Primary School.

The children in front of me probably won’t have jobs, houses, or even a functioning planet by the time they’re my age, but for a few moments on this Thursday morning, it’s heartwarming seeing their blissful innocence amidst the world’s problems, as they retrieve a few beanbags before sprinting to the red tape at the finishing line, roared on by their classmates on one side of the field, with their friends and family opposite.

By lunchtime, I’ve wandered into Reddish, via Broadstone Hall Road South. I stop for an orange juice at The Carousel – a pub I don’t think I’ve visited for over 20 years. We’ve touched upon a few of the serious problems in the world at the moment, but I must confess, I do enjoy overhearing some of the more trivial gripes and grievances.

I’m third in the queue, behind two women. “I’m still getting used to me new glasses,” says one to the barmaid, while the other vents about the issues she’s having with her new dog: “I’ve had nine hours sleep since Saturday.” That’s less than two hours a night by my calculations. What sort of dogs are they breeding in Reddish? As for my orange juice, that comes in at £3.30. I refrain from expressing my opinion on that. The barmaid’s got enough on her plate already.

As discussed already, Heaton Chapel this morning was decorated red or green. This afternoon in Reddish, however, I’m seeing lots of blue. I’m shocked to see so many houses clearly displaying their support for a corrupt and greedy organisation constantly telling lies and breaking the rules. But Reddish has always been full of City, hasn’t it?

If you’re able to spare a few quid, please click here to make a donation to Mentell through my JustGiving page.

You can now get on the property ladder with a £5,000 deposit

Purchasing a property can often be complicated, but with their friendly team of qualified and experienced mortgage advisors, The Mortgage Mill can guide you through a home buying experience that’s simple, straightforward and stress free.

Now’s a fantastic time to have a chat with them, with the recent announcement that first-time buyers will have the opportunity to get on the property ladder with a £5,000 deposit.

The Mortgage Mill have a large panel of lenders, offering high street exclusive rates along with specialist lending to match your personal circumstances. Whether this be complex income streams, credit issues, self builds etc, they will find the right lending for you.

With their wealth of knowledge and expertise, they can help you to plan your first move, next move, or investment purchase. Remortgaging couldn’t be simpler; they’ll assess the market and advise on the best option for you.

Visit themortgagemill.co.uk for further details.

If you’re looking to book your summer holiday get in touch with Paul and Tracy Franklin

As a team, Paul and Tracy Franklin are dedicated to delivering for their customers. They recognise that holidays are often the biggest outlay for people and so their top priority is finding them the perfect getaway. Whether you know exactly what you want or are looking for some ideas and inspiration, they can help!

With in excess of 450 suppliers they can find your dream trip. They have a number of key trade partners which allow them to organise anything from city breaks and fly and flops to cruises, weddings, honeymoons and sporting events across every corner of the globe. From high street names such as TUI, Jet2 and Easyjet to bespoke travel arrangements they can meet your requirements. They pride themselves on exceptional, personable service and for peace of mind all bookings are ABTA and ATOL protected.

Using Paul and Tracy as your personal travel consultants means that they can take all the legwork of finding and planning your trips. They can also deal with any bumps in the road should there be any. There are so many variables to a trip and so many places to look most of their customers are so relieved to have someone do that for them! Others are just glad to be able to support a smaller business that delivers a personal touch, as opposed to some of the travel giants out there. Whatever an enquiry looks like they are always keen to get their teeth stuck in, adding value where they can and learning along the way – the world is a big place!

Visit paulandtracyfranklin.notjusttravel.com for further details.

Photo of the day

Broadstone Hall Road South, Reddish

Came across this place on my latest Streets of Stockport walk yesterday. I think it’s the only café I’ve ever seen with a fax number displayed on its frontage.

“Sandra, we’ve just had a fax come through. Brian from over the road needs a couple of bacon butties and an egg custard.”

Today in SK

🎬 Cinema

One film at The Savoy Cinema (SK4) today. Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 (15) at 5pm and 8.15pm. Click here for tickets.

💿 DJs

Stockport’s biggest party at the weekend is at Bask (SK1), with DJ Gareth Brooks playing till 3am. Last entry 1.30am.

The Nelson Tavern (SK1) have their resident DJ playing on a Friday night, with Dicko (Ian Dickinson) on from 8pm till 1am.

🍺 Food and drink

If you’re in Stockport today, pop into The Petersgate Tap (SK1) for a pint or two.

🎶 Karaoke

The Marple Tavern (SK6). From 7pm. DJ as well, plus pizzas served from 5pm!

The Cross Keys (SK8).

🎸 Live music

The Originals at The Crown (SK6). 9pm.

100 random grounds that County have played at

#50 – Crabble Athletic Ground, Dover

Last visit: October 2021. County’s first game after Simon Rusk’s dismissal. Dave Conlon took charge for the long trip to Kent and guided the Hatters to a 5-2 victory. Five different scorers too, with Quigley, Madden, Crankshaw, Hogan and Whitfield on target.