It has been another tough year for many of us as Covid-19 rumbles on.

Away from coronavirus, there were a lot of things going on in and around Northwich, and here are some of our most popular stories from 2021.

For example in January, Northwich was battered by heavy rain as Storm Christoph arrived in town.

A major incident was declared in Cheshire, while red flood warnings were issued by the Environment Agency at Northwich Marina, Weaverham and Acton Bridge.

This was followed by a much-loved barber hanging up his scissors in February after more than 50 years cutting men’s hair in the town.

Malcolm Wood had been based at his Owen Street shop since 1970, and after cutting such little hair because of three lockdowns, he decided it was right to call time on his long career.

In March, firefighters tackled a huge industrial fire with eight crews attending from across the north west.

The blaze, in a building off Works Lane confirmed as the TATA Chemicals site, was suspected to have involved electrical equipment and measured approximately 200 metres by 300 metres.

Bratts of Northwich had been serving the community for more than 160 years, but in April, after an incredibly difficult year, the company announced it would close for good.

Initially founded in 1860, the Bratts family consisted of two department stores, their flagship store located in Northwich and another on Pepper Street in Nantwich.

May saw a section of the roof at Northwich Railway Station collapse, causing major disruption to train services.

Miraculously, there were no injuries as a result of the incident.

Images posted on social media showed the immense damage and a pile of rubble on the platform of the station, as well as inside the waiting area.

Cheshire West and Chester Council’s plans to make changes to the waste collection and recycling service divided opinion in June.

An exciting announcement was made in July – a brand new ‘Forbidden Forest’ Harry Potter adventure was coming to Cheshire.

Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience made its debut at Arley Hall and Gardens later in the year.

In August, a block of public toilets sold at auction for more than six times the guide price.

The Cheshire West council owned block, located in Weaverham, was sold by Pugh’s online auction on August 18 and had been listed with a guide price of £10,000.

However, when the hammer came down on the 1,700 sq ft site of public convenience, the price was at a whopping £61,000.

Detectives launched an investigation in September after a man was seriously assaulted in Northwich.

Officers attended Pure Gym in Leicester Street on September 23 and found a 20-year-old man had been stabbed.

October saw Cheshire West and Chester councillors unanimously back plans to become a ‘borough of sanctuary’ for refugees and asylum seekers.

While the title did not impact the numbers of refugees and asylum seekers the borough was be expected to take in, it would see it become part of the City of Sanctuary network – a list of towns, boroughs and cities that have voiced their commitment towards becoming a safe place for those fleeing violence and persecution.

In November, plans to to build a ‘monster’ sodium bicarbonate plant in Northwich with the lowest carbon footprint process of its kind anywhere in the world were given the green light.

Cheshire West and Chester’s Planning Committee approved proposals by Tata Chemicals to flatten its existing Sodium Bicarbonate Plant (SBP) at Winnington Works and build a new one on a different part of the site with double the manufacturing capacity.

A permanent ban on trail hunting on council land was approved in December following a meeting where accusations of ‘gesture politics’ and ‘diabolical’ attitudes were thrown back and forth.

Cheshire West and Chester’s ruling cabinet voted unanimously to ban the practice, which replicates a traditional fox hunt but substitutes a scent instead of a live animal.

The move followed the publication of a council report which found it was ‘dangerous’ to wild and domestic animals.