Dave Sweetmore - 24th October

Pauline Town MBE is a Tameside hero and a legend. As landlady of The Station Hotel in Ashton, she has made the respected British pub much more than that, it's also a hub for the homeless, victims of domestic abuse, families in need, and those facing poverty in this area.

She received her MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list in 2021, and was recently nominated in the BBC's 'Make A Difference' Awards. The Station, on Warrington St in Ashton, is always open 365 days a year, and is also base for the 'We Shall Overcome' appeal, which raises awareness of the homeless situation locally, and helps those in need, from finding shelter, to having a meal, to even finding homes. All this is the work of that one lady, Pauline Town, who with a dedicated team of volunteers, has continued to daily make a difference to people's lives in this area. She does none of this for her own benefit, or even that of her pubs, it's purely to help others. 

Although I'm not from Tameside, even before I started working on Tameside Radio and for the Not Really Here Media Group, I was aware of Pauline and the work she does and have met her several times over the years, through the work she also does supporting new and local music and unsigned bands, another reason why I have always had nothing but admiration and respect for her. With this in mind, a few weeks ago, when popular band 'Longshots' asked me if I would come along to The Station on Sunday November 10th and host a band night, along with playing a few DJ sets inbetween, with all money raised going to the work and causes which Pauline is involved with, I immediately said yes. 

The event is being assisted by the promoters of the 'Strummercamp' festival and will feature four brilliant bands and myself. Playing live are 'Longshots', a band who recently reformed and have just supported legendary punk band 'The Skids' at one of their gigs. Longshots were a listener's favourite on Tameside Radio recently when they appeared as band of the week on our 'Local Music Spotlight' feature and have played a big part in putting this event together. 

Another band playing at the event are 'Picture Nova', another band who our listeners admired when they also appeared on our popular feature, and also headlined the 'Bayfest' festival in August. Completing the lineup will be two other great local bands, 'Recoil' and 'Shake Rag'. Tameside Radio's Laura Beth will also be joining me on the day, completing a great line up which is all for an amazing cause, and with one aim in mind, which is to help the homeless locally. The event is a non-ticketed gig, instead music fans who come and support the event are asked to give a donation with an affordable amount of their choice on arrival on the day. 

This will be a special day for The Station Hotel, and music fans locally, which will hopefully raise a good amount of money, alongside supporting the amazing Pauline Town and the work she does. I hope to see you at The Station Hotel in Ashton on Sunday November 10th, it promises to be a great day, please come and support this amazing event.