Friends of Gorse Hall

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Friends of Gorse Hall

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Volunteering Group set up in 1998. Located near Staybridge and Dukinfield

Group runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:30am.

Please ring Alan Pickles on 07790 006345 to discuss volunteering opportunities. Let's preserve Gorse Hall for Future Generations Volunteering Group set up in 1998, to maintain and preserve Gorse Hall for residents in Tameside. The group runs every Thursday morning at 9:30am

02/11/2026

🌿 Could you help protect the future of Gorse Hall?

For the past 28 years, a dedicated group of volunteers has worked hard to care for Gorse Hall and protect this special place for everyone to enjoy. 💚

Now, we're looking for more people to join us and help keep that work going.

Our current volunteers have given so much of their time, energy and passion over the years. We want to welcome new faces who can learn from them, build on their hard work and help carry the torch forward for future generations.

🙌 A great opportunity to get involved is our upcoming Community Volunteering Day!

📅 Sunday 22nd November 2026
⏰ 10am start
📍 Gorse Hall, Stalybridge

Come along for an hour or two and lend a hand with jobs such as weeding, digging, clearing overgrown areas, cleaning noticeboards and litter picking.

It's a chance to meet the team, enjoy some fresh air and make a real difference – with no commitment to becoming a regular volunteer.

📝 PLEASE REGISTER BEFORE ATTENDING:
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/qMfyxJVarB

🌳 Interested in doing more? Our regular volunteers currently meet on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. With more people joining us, we also hope to introduce more weekend sessions.

Whether you're interested in the outdoors, local history, learning new skills, gaining experience for your CV or simply giving something back to the community, we'd love to hear from you.

💚 WANT TO BECOME A VOLUNTEER?

Complete our Volunteer Interest Form to find out more:
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/pstqibYyU2

📣 Please share this post and help us spread the word. You never know who might be interested in getting involved!

Let's make sure the dedication and hard work of the last 28 years continues for many more years to come. Every helping hand counts! 🌿

🌐 Find out more about Gorse Hall:
https://gorse-hall.co.uk

01/11/2026

We are honestly overwhelmed by the support we've received over the last few days! 💚🌳

From the amazing response to our post about the missing cobbles, with so many of you sharing it and helping spread the word, to our page growing from 800 to 900 followers in less than FOUR DAYS – we really can't thank you enough!

It's wonderful to see so many people taking an interest in Gorse Hall, sharing our passion for this special place and helping us raise awareness. It means more to us than you know 💚

But we'd love to turn some of that fantastic online support into helping hands on the ground!

🌿 COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERING DAY – SUNDAY 22ND NOVEMBER

We'd love you to come along and join us! Whether you're curious about what we get up to, fancy lending a hand or just want to come along and meet us, everyone is welcome.

We'd especially love to welcome some new faces to our little team. There are lots of ways to get involved, and you don't need any previous experience. Every helping hand makes a difference!

Have a look in our Events section for more information about the day, or simply pop us a message. We'd be delighted to hear from you!

💚 SUPPORT US THROUGH DONATIONS

If you enjoy visiting Gorse Hall or following our page, please consider making a donation. As a small volunteer group, we rely on donations to help maintain the grounds and keep this special place looking its best.

We've been working hard for 28 years to care for Gorse Hall, and every donation, no matter how small, helps us continue that work.

You can donate here:
https://gorse-hall.co.uk/donations/

Thank you for every like, share, comment, donation and helping hand.

Your support really does make a difference!!!

Let's keep growing our community and working together to protect and celebrate Gorse Hall for generations to come! 🌳💚

01/11/2026

🕯️ 1st November 1909 — The Murder at Gorse Hall

On this day, 117 years ago, a shocking event took place at Gorse Hall that would become one of the most notorious and enduring mysteries in Stalybridge’s history.

George Harry Storrs, a wealthy local businessman and owner of Gorse Hall, was at home with his wife, Maggie, and their niece on the evening of 1st November 1909 when an intruder entered the house.

A struggle followed, and George Harry Storrs was fatally stabbed. Despite the alarm being raised, he died shortly after 10 pm.

The investigation that followed captured the attention of the local community. Two men, Cornelius Howard and Mark Wilde, were subsequently tried for the murder, but both were acquitted. To this day, the case remains a fascinating and unsettling chapter in the history of Gorse Hall.

Behind the headlines was a family whose lives were changed forever, and a house that would become forever associated with one of the area’s most talked-about unsolved crimes.

📖 You can read the full story and discover more about the history of Gorse Hall on our website:
https://gorse-hall.co.uk/the-murder/

30/10/2026

If you have taken or moved some cobbles from the Gorse Hall site, please could you return them? 💚

The cobbles were purchased specifically for our memorial chair project using money very generously donated by a supporter of Gorse Hall. Their kindness has also helped fund the path from the Cliff Dale entrance and the paths through the orchard.

The memorial chair is being created in recognition of this generosity, so it's particularly upsetting that the materials have gone missing.

We have also been made aware of an incident which may be connected. A couple of weeks ago, at around 7.30pm near the Macauley Close entrance, a volunteer saw two blonde-haired women with stone in a festival-style trolley. When he politely asked them to put it back, he was met with foul language and threats.

We cannot say for certain that this involved the missing cobbles, but the circumstances are concerning. Our volunteers give their time freely and should never have to face abuse for looking after the site.

If you are reading this and know you have taken them, please think about what these materials represent. Imagine if this were a memorial to someone in your own family. How would you feel knowing that something intended to honour them had been taken?

Our volunteers work incredibly hard to maintain Gorse Hall and protect its history. We simply want the cobbles returned so we can complete the memorial chair.

Please respect the site, our volunteers and the generosity of those who support us.

Thank you to everyone who continues to help us care for this special place. 💚

Friends of Gorse Hall

30/10/2026

🍂🎃 Autumn vibes at Gorse Hall! 🎃🍂

The leaves are turning, the nights are drawing in and there's a little bit of Halloween magic in the air! 🍁🧡

There's something rather special about Gorse Hall at this time of year, with its beautiful autumn colours and atmospheric surroundings.

A little autumn scenery, a touch of mystery and a little Halloween magic… 👀🕸️

Whatever you're up to tomorrow, we hope you have a lovely Halloween filled with fun, treats and a little autumn magic! 🎃🧡

And I heard this song and just couldn't resist using it…🤣

Where are all my Pretty Little Liars fans? 👀🤫🖤

29/10/2026

🌳💚 WOW, OVER 800 FOLLOWERS! 💚🌳

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who follows and supports Friends of Gorse Hall. We really do appreciate every single one of you! 🥰

Please help us keep growing by sharing our page and inviting your friends and family to follow us. Can we reach 1,000 followers? 🤞💚

🌿 A little about Friends of Gorse Hall…

We’re a voluntary group established in 1998. For 28 years, we’ve dedicated our time, energy and hard work to caring for Gorse Hall and maintaining its grounds for the community to enjoy.

But the truth is, there are now only FIVE of us left! ❤️

We need new people to join our little team to help us continue the work we’ve put so much into over the years. We’d love to welcome some fresh faces, new ideas and helping hands to keep Friends of Gorse Hall going for the future.

And when we say volunteering, we don’t just mean getting your hands dirty! 🌱

Of course, help with the practical tasks involved in looking after the grounds is always welcome, but there are plenty of other ways you could get involved too:

📱 Social media support
💻 Website support
🎉 Helping organise events and activities
💷 Fundraising
🌳 Practical help caring for the grounds

We used to run lots of events, but with a much smaller team, it’s become harder to keep up with everything we’d love to do. With a few more people on board, who knows what we could achieve together!

🌿 COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERING DAY — SUNDAY 22ND NOVEMBER 🌿

Why not come along and join us for our community volunteering day? It’s a great opportunity to meet us, lend a hand and find out more about what we do.

Whether you can spare an hour or a little longer, we’d love to see you! You don’t need any experience, just a willingness to help. More hands make lighter work! 💚

💚 HELP US KEEP GORSE HALL GOING 💚

We also rely on donations to help us maintain the grounds. If you enjoy following our page, learning about Gorse Hall, or spending time enjoying the grounds, please consider making a donation.

Every donation, no matter how big or small, makes a difference and helps us continue caring for this special place.

🙏 You can donate here:
👉 https://gorse-hall.co.uk/donations/

We’ve put 28 years of hard work into Gorse Hall, and we want to see that work continue for many years to come. But we can’t do it alone.

Could you volunteer? Know someone who might be able to help? Or perhaps you could make a small donation?

Please get in touch, share this post, and help us spread the word.

Thank you for being part of our community and for all your continued support. Let’s keep Gorse Hall going for future generations! 🌳💚

28/10/2026

🏛️ A little piece of Gorse Hall history in Stalybridge town centre!

We recently saw a post about the former NatWest Bank building in Stalybridge and discovered that many people didn’t know about its fascinating connection to Gorse Hall Mansions.

Following the murder of George Storrs, his widow Maggie ordered Gorse Hall to be demolished in the summer of 1910. Although the grand hall disappeared, its stone was reused elsewhere, including in the (former) NatWest Bank building in Stalybridge town centre 🧱

It’s a fascinating piece of local history, and one that many people may never have known about. Who would have thought that part of Gorse Hall’s story could be found in the centre of Stalybridge?

At Friends of Gorse Hall, we love sharing these little-known connections and keeping the history of our local area alive.

💬 Did you know about this connection between Gorse Hall and the former NatWest building?

28/10/2026

HELP SAVE GORSE HALL, STALYBRIDGE!

Gorse Hall is a special local green space with a rich heritage, and it needs your help!

The Friends of Gorse Hall work hard to care for the site, but with just 4–5 regular volunteers maintaining the whole area, they really need more helping hands to keep it looking its best for the community and future generations.

Could you spare an hour or two?

Join them for a community volunteering day:

Sunday 22nd November 2026
Starting at 10am
Gorse Hall, Stalybridge

There's plenty to get stuck into, including:

* Digging and weeding
* Clearing overgrown areas and unwanted vegetation
* Cleaning noticeboards
* Cleaning up the nature trail sculptures
* Litter picking

Some jobs, particularly the digging and heavier clearance, will be quite physical and may need a bit of muscle! If you're happy to roll up your sleeves and get stuck in, your help would be especially welcome. Every helping hand makes a difference.

The aim is to grow the volunteer team and make weekend sessions more regular, giving more people the opportunity to get involved in caring for this much-loved local site.

Can't make it? You can still help by making a donation towards the group's ongoing work.

Donate here:
https://gorse-hall.co.uk/donations/

IMPORTANT: You must register before attending. Please don't just turn up on the day. Registration helps the team plan tasks, organise equipment and meet health and safety requirements.

Register here:
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/qMfyxJVarB

Sturdy footwear and suitable outdoor clothing are essential. Bring gloves if you have them, plus your own drinks and snacks. There are no toilets or refreshments on site. The event will go ahead unless weather conditions are considered unsafe.

Let's come together to care for Gorse Hall and help preserve it for future generations.

Please share this post and help spread the word. Every volunteer, every donation and every share counts!

Find out more on the Friends of Gorse Hall page. If you have any questions, please get in touch with Friends of Gorse Hall via Facebook.

28/10/2026

🍂🎧 Looking for something else to do this half term? Why not discover Glorious Gorse Hall! 🌿

If you’re planning a visit to Gorse Hall this half term, why not discover its FREE audio trail too? 💚

Glorious Gorse Hall is a self-guided heritage and nature audio trail for adults and families, offering a different way to explore this special local spot.

🌳 Discover the beautiful surroundings
🏰 Uncover the fascinating history of Gorse Hall
🐦 Learn about local trees, plants and wildlife
🎶 Enjoy soothing music and calming nature sounds
🍃 Take time to slow down and reconnect with nature

🎧 Simply download the free audio guide and accompanying map, pop on your headphones and explore at your own pace. Choose from 10 separate audio tracks, or listen to the full trail. A text version is also available.

🥾 The walk takes approximately 1½–2 hours and includes some steep and uneven paths, so sensible footwear is recommended.

✨ A lovely way to enjoy the outdoors and discover more about the history and nature of Gorse Hall this half term!

📍 Gorse Hall, Stalybridge

🎧 Find the FREE audio trail, map and text version here:
https://www.2baap.co.uk/glorious-gorse-hall

27/10/2026

🌳 Have you listened to The Lost Trees podcast by Operation Farm?

Although recorded a few years ago, this fascinating series explores the history of Stalybridge, its lost fruit trees and orchards, and the stories behind our local landscape. 🍎🌿

Episodes 2 and 3 have a special connection to Gorse Hall!

🌳 Episode 2 explores the Gorse Hall Orchard.

🍏 Episode 3 looks at Gorse Hall’s history and Cheetham Park Community Orchard, featuring our very own Alan Pickles!

It’s a wonderful way to discover more about Stalybridge’s heritage and the history of places we know and love. Well worth a listen if you haven’t heard it before!

🎧 Listen to the series here:
https://operationfarm.org.uk/the-lost-trees-podcast/

💚🌳

Address

High Street
Stalybridge
SK151PD

Website

https://www.gorse-hall.co.uk/, https://linktr.ee/friendsofgorsehall

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