Coronation Street & Newsome Ward

Simon Gregson aka Steve MacDonald with Growing Newsome Guru Diane Sims and the gang

There has been both positive and negative input from the cast/former cast of  Coronation Street in the last few weeks in the Newsome Ward. To start with the really positive, Simon Gregson who plays Steve MacDonald in the hit soap came to show his support to Growing Newsome at the Community Allotment at Ashenhurst. Growing Newsome are finalists in the 2015 National Lottery Awards for their sterling work to grow individuals and communities as well as fruit and vegetables. What they do is really inspiring and has made a genuine and positive difference to the area with the community events like potato day and seed swap day at Newsome Scout Hut, the Community Allotment and most important of all to get folks who may never have met before to come together doing positive and enjoyable activity in their local community. It brings people together on a project where they can literally enjoy the fruits (and Veg) of their labours. You can support Growing Newsome in the National Lottery Awards here http://www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/project/growing-newsome-growing-all-seasons

Compare Simon's support for Growing Newsome with the recent views on a key local issue expressed by Bruce Jones, formerly Les Battersby in Corrie. He was in attendance for the opening of The Newsome Tap, the former Newsome Working Mens Club on St Johns Avenue recently He gave his opinion to the Huddersfield Examiner on the leaseholders proposal to build on the adjacent Bowling Green which has been there for the last 110 years. He suggested that it was time for the Bowling Green to be built on to build much needed housing. It is progress apparently and matches the  view of the proprietor of The Newsome Tap who had hired him. It is a plot worthy of Corrie itself where someone with a degree of 'ownership' is seeking to make a fast buck by destroying a facility which is well used and very much loved by the local community. There will be more plot twists yet in this particular tale!

This is not the end of the Newsome/Corrie relationship. Back in 2012, in Labour's I'll fated attempt to take Newsome from the Green Party, former Kirklees Labour Leader Cllr Mehboob Khan engaged the services of Tracey Brabin who played Tricia Armstrong in their campaign. The Labour supporting star canvassed for a while in the rain at Ashemhurst before heading to the University to try to canvass Students. This was the year that Labour threw everything into the campaign, including a Corrie star, but fortunately for us to no avail.