Contents:
- Editor's welcome
- Paul Waugh: From Rochdale to Westminster
- Rachel Winnard: One in Two Million
- Rochdale Sixth Form College wins at prestigious Further Education awards
- Rev Mark Coleman
- Baillie Street Quarter
- Touchstones reopens with new exhibitions
- Greater Manchester Fire Service Museum
- Highlights of a Mayoral Year
- Fancy dress posties raise £1,700 for MIND
- John Swinden’s Captain Tom 100 challenge »
- Littleborough’s Tackling Minds to become first organisation to work with NHS in prescribing angling
- Keith Hicks retires after 33 years of service at RAFC
- Bid for local digital radio signal
- Carpet Creations celebrates 25 years in business
- Help fill Springhill’s gardens with sunflowers in memory of your loved ones
- Local author reminisces about Rochdale high streets in the 80s and 90s in new book
- After the storm, the healthy hazy days of summer
- Rochdale Heartbeat honoured with Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service
- Ian Jenkins: Forty Years of Making Music
- Hairdressing Trend - Babylights
- Lasting Power of Attorney
- Cupcakes recipe
- Brown’s Cakes celebrates 10 years
- Beauty Feature: Coming back strong after lockdown
- Take a walk at Ealees
Summer 2021John Swinden’s Captain Tom 100 challenge
Rochdale’s singing jeweller raised £2,000 for Springhill Hospice with a song relay
Owner of J & D Alexander Jewellers on The Walk, John Swinden sang 102 songs in a row on Sunday 2 May to raise money for Rochdale’s only hospice.
Totalling five hours and 40 minutes, John performed hit tracks by the likes of Elvis, Dean Martin, Johnny Cash, Bobby Vee, and the Everly Brothers.
The Captain Tom 100 challenge was set up by the late veteran’s family in his honour: dream up a challenge based around the number 100 and do it at anytime and anywhere over Captain Tom’s birthday weekend - Friday 30 April through to Monday 3 May.
John live-streamed his challenge via Facebook, taking a break at 30, 50, and then 75 songs.
The initial 100 track set was closed with the Frank Sinatra classic ‘My Way’ before John performed two acoustic songs by request.
“I treated the performance as if I was in front of an audience,” he said, “I felt the pressure for the last 27 songs, but Captain Tom kept walking so it was the least I could do in his memory.
“The amount raised is only a drop in the ocean of what the hospice needs to stay open, but I’m happy to have helped.”