Recently by Chester Chronicle

EVER wondered what a Gladiator tournament was like? Have you ever wished you could see a full blown battle in ancient surroundings? Well now you can.

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This weekend sees the first Roman Arena Games in the Ancient Amphitheatre in Chester for nearly 1,600 years and will be based on a day at the games.

The event is being planned by Chester's own Roman Army at Roman Tours UK and is completely free.

Fans will be able to speak to the Gladiators and find out what really went on nearly two millennia ago, and what didn't happen as well.

STEP back to Elizabethan times at Stretton Watermill this weekend (July 18 and 19).
The watermill near Farndon hosts a free Tudor festival from noon-5pm on both days.

Visitors will be shown how to grind corn in the working watermill by costumed Tudor millers.

There will be games, plays and stories for children, displays of Tudor food and a herbalist will prepare treatments for ailments including plague.

A sergeant of the local militia will be seeking recruits to put through a sword drill.
Richard and Elizabeth York will entertain on a wide range of period instruments, from English bagpipes and the hurdy-gurdy to the more refined melodies of harps and recorders.

Stretton Watermill is just off the A534 by the Cock O' Barton pub.

CHESTER'S heritage has been brought to life through 21st Century technology.
The city is one of only five UK cities chosen for an mp3 audio tour, alongside London, Edinburgh, York and Manchester.

Walk Talk Tours, the company behind the concept, aims to transform the way visitors experience top heritage destinations by providing a downloadable audio tour that visitors can add to their iPods or mp3 players for a small fee.

Walk Talk Tours founder Phil Nash said: "I was a tour guide as a student and was talking to my brother about getting back into it.

"He said why don't you do something that can be downloaded and the site went live last year?

AN EXHIBITION that celebrates the good times in Chester life will take place next month.

The exhibition, entitled A Bit Of A Do, takes place at St Michael's History and Heritage Centre on Bridge Street.

The photographic images allow visitors to step back in time and bring back memories.
Cestrians can come and identify their family, friends, colleagues and even themselves from their past at both work and play as the photos show celebrations, gatherings and social outings attended over the years.

DO YOU have any memories of the West Cheshire College, old or new?

As work begins on the college development programme costing £70m, stories or memories are needed for a new virtual time capsule, entitled Past Times@West Cheshire College.

They will used for a new memories section of the website.

If you are a current or former student or member of staff, what memories or stories do you have to share about the college?

A Chester Brownie pack celebrates its 70th anniversary this year.

The 12th Chester Brownies, of Saltney, commemorated the event with a celebration time get-together for Brownies young and old at St Mark's Christian Centre in Saltney.

The pack was registered on April 11, 1939, and the first Brown Owl was a Miss Hilda Errington.

First pack leader was Joan Baldwin, whose sister Amy became Brown Owl of the pack in 1947 until 1992.

Current Brown Owl Lorraine Halsall has been with the pack for more than 30 years and gathered scrapbooks, photographs and memorabilia of what is one of Cheshire's oldest packs to share with visitors.

A FULL picture of The Ridings Infant School's history is being compiled ahead of its November closure.

Representatives from the Saughall school have appealed to anyone involved with the establishment since it opened in 1974 to send in any memories or anecdotes that could contribute to the timeline display.

The move has been taken ahead of the upcoming merger with Thomas Wedge Infant School.

A drop-in event will be held at school on July 15 from 2-5.30pm, with former students and pupils encouraged to attend.

A celebration day will be held on July 16.

For more information, ring 01244 881451.

A CHESTER mariner has retired after spending more than 41 years working for the Liverpool Pilot Service.

Head Mersey river pilot Stuart Wood, 64, retired on June 19.

Stuart set his heart on a career at sea at an early age and has sailed dinghies since he was nine.

Later in life, he was involved in building the replica 1870s pilot schooner Spirit of Merseyside (now Spirit of Fairbridge).

After a seven-year apprenticeship, he received his pilot's licence in 1968, just before getting engaged to his now wife, Sally.

The couple live in an old sandstone cottage in Bickerton.

CHESTER Cathedral held a Tudor day to celebrate the 500th anniversary of King Henry VIII's accession to the throne.

Nick Fry from the cathedral said: "Henry VIII was a very significant figure in the history of Chester Cathedral; in 1541 the King turned the old Benedictine monastery into the new Cathedral of the Diocese of Chester and as a result, the building we see today is one of the best preserved examples of a medieval monastery in the country."

Visitors were able to meet Henry VIII as well as his six wives, and find out about Tudor customs, crafts and games.

They listened to Tudor music and tried Henry VIII's favourite food.

The picture shows Danielle Siedlow and Steven Gratton of Chester Cathedral.

HE was one of the finest British road cyclists of his generation - a genuine pioneer who raced in the Tour de France six times and remains the only Englishman to win a stage at the world famous Giro d'Italia.

But the name of Vincent 'Vin' Denson rarely crops up in conversations about famous Chester sporting personalities.

The 73-year-old is never mentioned in the same breath Michael Owen, Beth Tweddle or Danny Murphy - though few are more deserving of a place in the city's sporting hall of fame.

Vin, who grew up in Handbridge, began cycling in his early teens after a serious knee injury forced him to turn his back on his first love - football - and try other sports.