The characters who keep Nantwich thriving are revealed in a new book to raise money for the local theatre group WORDS BY LAURA NORMANSELL
Nantwich is a pretty medieval town with winding streets, beautiful black and white timbered buildings and history to discover around every corner. But it is the people who make up this community that have been put under the spotlight in a new book.
Author Gareth Roberts has put together Nantwich Life, a book that focuses on life in the town today. It has contributions from 35 organisations, who each wrote a chapter and is full of photographs of local people.
The 56-year-old, a member of amateur dramatic group Nantwich Players, wrote the book to raise money for a project being run by the group to improve the theatre for the public. The main aim of the project is to create an arts centre that is a community facility for local art to be displayed as a venue to hire for the public.
Some funding will be provided through grants, but ideas like this book will help to raise additional money. A total of 500 copies have already been sold.
Gareth, a maintenance officer at a children’s centre in Nantwich, has been a member of Nantwich Players, since 1998. Despite living in the area for 33 years Gareth said putting the book together made him more aware of the town’s appeal.
He said: ‘Research opened my eyes. There is such a lot going on, more than I realised. It’s such a friendly town, with something for everybody. It’s a relaxed place where you can walk free and talk to people.
‘When you live somewhere, you always have an attachment to it. Anybody who has a connection to Nantwich, whether they live there now or have moved away will have an interest in this book. Two copies have even been sent to Australia.’
Nantwich Life costs �9.95 and is available to buy at Nantwich Bookshop
The print version of this article appeared in the February 2012 issue of Cheshire Life
We can deliver a copy direct to your door – order online here
