Friday 17th December 2004

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Shafilea: new moves
in the murder hunt

by David Skentelbery

POLICE investigating the murder of tragic Warrington teenager Shafilea Ahmed have issued a new bilingual poster appealing for assistance from the public.
The poster, in Urdu and English, has a previously unreleased picture of the 17-year-old and is being distributed around the town and in other areas where Shefilea is known to have frequented.
Meanwhile, eight people who have been questioned on suspicion of attempting to pervert the course of justice.
They are all due to surrender to police bail tomorrow (Wednesday).
Police say most of those arrested are members of Shafilea’s extended family.
It is now 15 months since Shafilea disappeared from her home in Liverpool Road, Great Sankey.
Her badly decomposed body was discovered in April at Sedgwick, near Kendal in Cumbria. Forensic tests have so far failed to establish the cause of death.
But police are satisfied she was murdered – in fact they were convinced within days of her disappearance that she had been unlawfully killed.
In February, 2003, she had visited Pakistan for a family wedding and, it is understood, was introduced to a would-be suitor. She is believed to have turned him down and, while still abroad, apparently swallowed bleach as a protest. This seriously damaged her throat.
In early December police, revealed they had found poems or song lyrics written by Shafilea which spoke of her bringing “shame” on her family and wishing she were dead.
Shortly before Christmas, detectives arrested Shafilea’s parents on suspicion of kidnap. They were bailed pending further inquiries.
But in February, the couple’s solicitor, Milton Firman, said they “strenuously” denied any involvement in the death.
They were released from their bail in July and indicated they might sue the police. The following week they put up a reward of ?5,000 to catch their daughter’s killer.
The new poster contains a freephone hot line 0800 458 9701 which can be used by anyone with information. But it is also still possible to speak directly with the incident room on 01244 615835.
Det Chief Inspector Geraint Jones, who is leading the inquiry, said: “The inquiry is still very much active and the poster is intended to encourage people who, for some reason or other, may not already have come forward.”

Dickensian Day’s
worldwide appeal

by Gary Skentelbery

LYMM’S annual Dickensian Festival had a real international flavour.
Our picture shows Jo Baskerville and her daughter Rachael from Queensland, Australia and Bob Bobel from Ohio, U.S.A. who entered into the spirit of the occasion.
Jo dressed to impress at the festival while visiting her Lymm based sister Cassandra, (Bob’s nextdoor neighbour), who she was visiting to celebrate the birth of her neice Isabella.
Also picture above are “Evil Cats” Lucy Bradshaw and Sarah Latham from Lymm High School.
Unofficial estimates indicated that up to 17,000 people flocked into the village to see the festival.

Special sport classes
for special pupils

by Lesley Wilkinson

STUDENTS from Priestley College, Warrington, organised a range of sporting classes for pupils from a local special school.
Pupils from Green Lane Special School attended a range of sessions on the Loushers Lane site, including games, team building, volleyball and gymnastics.
Priestley students have been representing the college’s Centre of Excellence for Disability Coaching and have offered hours of fun and exercise to the pupils.
Students, working with their tutors to deliver the session, have enjoyed the experience and many want to follow careers in teaching or sports coaching.
Kathy Yates, who was responsible for overseeing the programme, said: “The team of students are very committed and dedicated to what they are trying to achieve. They are thoroughly enjoying the experience, which in many instances is new to them.
“Our students have built very strong relationships with the children so far and feedback from both them and Green Lane itself has been very positive,” she added.
The relationship between Priestley and Green Lane will continue until the end of term and then resume in the New Year. Students are planning a similar programme in local primary schools next year.

Man in hospital
after knife attack

by David Skentelbery

A 25-year-old man is in hospital with serious stab wounds and head injuries after being attacked by a gang of youths in Mallard Lane, Birchwood, Warrington in the early hours of the morning.
He suffered slash wounds to his arms after one of the youths attacked him with a large knife.
Police said the attack occurred around 2.50am as the man, accompanied by a woman, was walking home along Mallard Lane.
They were near the junction with Whinchat Lane when they were confronted by the gang, most of who are believed to have been teenagers.
One youth produced the knife and there was a struggle during which the victim was stabbed in the arm and also struck with some other objection.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Sgt Alex Kane on 01244 612643.

Carol concert was “slice
of real life” for prisoners

by John Hendon

A CHRISTMAS Carol Concert at HM Prison Risley on Sunday was described by one of the inmates as ” a slice of real life.”
The concert by the Warrington Male Voice Choir featured guest presenter Terry Waite, the church envoy who was held as a terrorist hostage in Beirut.
One Risley inmate said the concert was, “a slice of real life not often witnessed by the inmates, and the chance to be with normal people.”
The enthusiastic comments were made in an informal after-show reception, when in a situation unique to the choir’s experience, choristers, inmates and guests mingled over the mince pies.
Terry, a choir patron, had made a special detour between engagements in Oxford and Bristol, to be there.
About 70 members of the 100-strong audience were inmates. Guests were the Mayor and Mayoress of Warrington, Councillor Ted and Pat Lafferty, and representatives of the Butler Trust, an organisation dealing with prison welfare.
There was a high level of audience participation in the concert, according to members. One of the highlights was the inclusion of the prison’s own 14-strong choir in the selection of Christmas music. The choirs both said it worked well considering there had been no joint rehearsals.
Choir chairman Barrie Johnson said: “Every year we increasingly look forward to our Christmas visit to a local prison, and I can honestly state that this was a very warm and happy occasion.”

Town plans link-up
with “culture capital”

by staff reporter

PLANS are being made to link Warrington with the celebration of Liverpool as Capital of Culture in 2008, in a bid to promote the area and attract new visitors.
Cheshire and Warrington Tourism Board is spearheading an initiative to help local business to benefit from the celebrations. Tourism businesses and interested organisations met the Liverpool Culture Company at Chester Racecourse to discuss plans.
It is expected that one and a half million extra visitors will attend the world-class festivals and events that are planned during the celebration year.
Tourism board chief executive Chris Brown said: “It’s vital that we do everything we can to lead our stakeholders in developing a strong a relationship with the Capital of Culture Company, to ensure that we don’t miss out on the valuable tourism-related business opportunities that might arise.
“The meeting with company’s commercial, tourism and events director Jason Harborow, and its marketing director Kris Donaldson enabled us to start the process of creating key relationships that will see the sub region effectively adding value through its facilities and resources

to the success of the Capital of Culture programme,” he added.

Town and county will
be in the picture

by Lesley Wilkinson

TELEVISION viewers and film fans should not be surprised if they recognise some of the locations on screen, as increasing numbers of companies are filming in Cheshire and Warrington.
Popular productions such as Pride and Prejudice, Casanova, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and Hollyoaks are amongst the productions that have used the county for filming.
For the past four years Cheshire and Warrington Film Office (run by North West Vision) has been promoting the county locations. Since its launch it has co-ordinated more than 600 filming days in the county.
The office has recently moved from Frodsham to new premises at the International Business Centre in Warrington, and staff are inviting local people to contact them with potential filming venues.
One of the recent filming sessions was when star of Troy, Peter O’Toole visited popular sites Lyme Park, Tatton Park and Norton Priory as part of the filming for a new BBC drama, Casanova.
North West Vision’s head of inward investment Lynn Saunders said: “Filming in Cheshire and Warrington has played a key role in the economic and commercial development of the county, by increasing inward investment and creating jobs for local people.
“Over the next year we plan to run a series of events to showcase Cheshire and Warrington as a serious and desirable film making destination,” she added.
The organisation is supported by Cheshire County Council, many of the county’s local authorities and the Cheshire and Warrington Tourism Board.
Anyone who wants to register a possible location can find out more on the website http://www.northwestvision.co.uk/section/film_offices
Chris Brown, chief executive, Cheshire and Warrington Tourism Board said: “Attracting new film and TV productions to Cheshire and Warrington will contribute significant economic benefits to our region and we will be working closely with the film office in its new location in Warrington to maximise the tourism potential that this sector undoubtedly brings.”

Driver, 71, dies
after collision

by staff reporter

A MOTORIST who died in a road accident at Little Leigh, near Northwich at the weekend has been named by police.
He was Robert Lewis, aged 71, of Marsh Lane, Lower Whitley, near Warrington.
The accident involved Mr Lewis’ Peugeot and an articulated lorry and occurred in Warrington Road, Little Leigh. The lorry driver was not seriously hurt.


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Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.

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