Town gets grim warning
on the environment
by David Skentelbery
WARRINGTON has been given a stark warning that unless urgent taken now, the town will completely fail in its drive to protect the environment.
Ian Marks, leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the borough council and prospective Parliamentary candidate for Warrington South said: “We owe it to our children to take more care of the environment.
“Unless more action is taken now, we will be passing on to them a world beset with problems.”
Coun Marks said the Prime Minister came to power in 1997, pledged to put the environment at the heart of policy-making.
He said: “Sadly his record has been patchy. Since then greenhouse gas emissions in Britain have fallen by 7 per cent, but they’re now on the rise again.
“Yet experts tell us that climate change is the most dangerous threat we face today. The Prime Minister must use his influence with President Bush to change America’s attitude to the environment. The President appears to be in denial that a problem even exists.
“Since 1997, municipal waste is up by almost a fifth and we languish at the bottom of the European re-cycling league table.
“Here in Warrington we have a poor record on waste and the leader of the council recently received a letter from the Environment Minister.
“The Minister wanted an explanation of why the Council has failed to meet its recycling target of 20 per cent in 2003/04 and what it intended to do to meet the target of 30 per cent in 2005/06. At present the recycling figure is only 13 per cent.
“Liberal Democrats want a green thread to run through all aspects of government policy. We would use the mechanism of the market to encourage more sustainable behaviour. This would reward ‘good’ green behaviour and penalise ‘bad’ behaviour. The polluter should pay the full cost of any polluting activities.”
“Beast” of rugby aims
to be maths teacher
by staff reporter
WARRINGTON Wolves star Mark Hilton, known as ‘Beast’ on the pitch, knows a thing or two about skills.
But it’s skills of an academic type that have had Mark’s attention recently.
He has been juggling a career as a Rugby League player with studying part-time for a Maths honours degree since injury knocked him out of the game for a year.
Mark and Warrington Wolves are just one of many Northwest sports clubs and individuals supporting SkillCity Northwest, a free interactive careers and advice show at the G-MEX Centre, Manchester from December 8-11.
Also supporting SkillCity is Cheshire and Warrington’s Learning and Skills Council.
LSC director Liz Davis said: “Mark’s attitude to learning a new skill is what SkillCity Northwest is all about. It demonstrates a unique and fun way for young adults to be aware of the career pathways open to them.”
Since spending a year out of the game Mark has come back to play consistently well. But his brush with being forced to seriously consider what early retirement for the game would mean, made him focus on the future.
He said: “When I got injured and was forced to spend time away from the game, it made me re-think my future and what qualifications I had to make a career for myself.
“I knew there was a shortage of maths teachers so that was what I was going to do – qualify and get working.”
SkillCity Northwest aims to give the young people the chance to get hands on experience of everything from cookery to construction.
Survey reveals town’s
baby boomer status
by John Hendon
A NEW survey suggests the streets of Warrington should be echoing not to the sound of traffic – but to the patter of tiny feet.
The town – better known for Rugby League, soap and wire – has been named as one of the top places in the country for children’s facilities, with 556 per 100,000 population.
In particular, it comes third for the number of baby sitters per head of population.
The survey is based on the number of entries in The Phone Book telephone directory for creches, nurseries, nannies, kids’ shops, etc.
Overall, Manchester is Britain’s baby capital – but Warrington comes sixth, only two places below London.
BT, which has just re-launched The Phone Book into a new “3 in 1” format that now includes a Classified section as well as the traditional Business and Residential numbers, compiled the results by comparing the number of children and baby facility entries across all 171 editions.
A BT spokesman said: “Parents in Warrington shouldn’t have much trouble getting baby sitters. The area has a huge number of sitters and child minders compared with most other areas.”
Researchers used the following Phone Book categories to list the top “baby boomer” areas: Baby goods, Baby sitting and child minding, Children’s wear shops, Nurseries – children’s day care, Children’s entertainers, Children’s play centres, Children’s playground toys, Kindergarten and nursery schools and Nannies.
“Jungle Queen” Kerry
backs hospital kids
by Lesley Wilkinson
JUNGLE queen Kerry McFadden took on another television challenge when she led a project to give Liverpool’s Alder Hey Hospital a new playground in just four days.
Warrington-born Kerry, a former member of Atomic Kitten and winner of the last series of I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, enlisted the help of former school friends from Padgate High School in her latest project.
Birchwood international project management company AMEC responded to her call for help to create the playground for ITV’s With a Little Help From My Friends shown recently.
AMEC staff, led by project manager Lee Hillyard, donated its design, engineering and project management skills to the project, to help create the playground.
Kerry said: “Alder Hey does an outstanding job for so many unwell children that we did not hesitate to lend the hospital a helping hand.”
Lee said: “AMEC believes in being involved in our local communities and we are delighted that our project management, design and engineering skills helped make a difference on our own doorstep here in the North West. We had a tight schedule to meet and it was touch-and-go but it was great fun to do and we hope the children enjoy the new playground for many years to come.”
A dog can be “just
for Christmas”
by Lesley Wilkinson
PEOPLE in Warrington are being urged to give a dog a Christmas break by taking it into their home rather than leaving it “behind bars” at Cheshire Dogs Home in Grappenhall.
The home is reversing the usual message by asking people to consider that a dog can be “just for Christmas.”
Staff are asking people who may be too busy to take a dog full time because of work commitments – to consider taking one of the lost or abandoned dogs into their home for a couple of days over the festive season.
Dogs Home spokesman Colin Balance said: “Last year many dogs that would have spent Christmas ‘behind bars’ were taken into the homes of caring dog lovers over the Christmas period.”
Some people had suggested that it could be unfair for dogs to be temporarily re-homed.
“We feel that if you could ask the dog whether it would prefer to spend Christmas in kennels or by the fireside with a human friend, the answer would be obvious,” he added.
John Newton, manager of the Warrington home, said the fostering initiative had not been previously encouraged, but was a “huge success” following television and press adverts. Many of the dogs taken in by foster carers were adopted on a permanent basis.
“Not everyone has a house full of people at Christmas and maybe some of these people would be willing to care for a dog for a short period of time.
“Some of our dogs have been here for a considerable time and would love a break from the kennel environment, even if only for a short time,” he added.
John said that many people who cannot have a permanent pet because of other commitments
may enjoy having a dog as part of the family when they are at home for the festive season.
Anyone interested in finding out more about the scheme should contact the home on 0870 062 4747.
Health care project
wins Government praise
by staff reporter
A PROJECT to improve health care for people with learning disabilities at Warrington has been hailed as best practice by the Government.
The scheme called Access All Areas, set up in 2001, has seen an increase in the number of patients with learning disabilities accessing healthcare from 22 per cent to 98 per cent.
Access All Areas, run by Warrington Primary Care Trust and 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Trust, helps people with learning disabilities to make healthy choices and, often for the first time, gives these patients health information in accessible formats, like pictures and symbols.
Staff from agencies across the town involved in the care and support of people with learning disabilities are being trained in order to raise standards and prioritise their health and well being.
All people with a learning disability are being offered a health action plan and helped to access mainstream health services.
One 72-year-old carer said: “It’s the first time in a long time that someone asked me how I was feeling and what my worries for the future are. I feel that there’s someone there now if I need advice.”
Scott Harrison, Warrington PCT’s Primary Care Nurse Specialist who is leading the scheme, said: “Access All Areas took a bleak situation, where people with learning disabilities were excluded from mainstream health, and gave power to individuals and their carers who, before this project, did not have a voice. This raised awareness of and access to healthy choices and good healthcare – which influenced other areas of their lives, allowing them to access education, independence and relationships. These are things you and I take for granted.
“We have made healthcare professionals aware that this group of patients expect little – so often get little in return. Warrington PCT has taken the longer but more sustainable route of changing culture, not just practice. Practice is what we do – culture is how we think and behave. Both need to change to ensure that when care is planned and delivered, people with learning disabilities are considered.
“Our partnership working in this project has challenged the boundaries that exist across health and social care agencies, and has proved that with commitment and democracy, we can focus on individual rather than organisational needs.”
Motorway body: police
rule out foul play
by staff reporter
A POST mortem examination carried out by a Home Office pathologist on a body found near a motorway link road at Warrington has revealed that death was due to natural causes.
Police have still not released an identity for the body – nor indicated whether it is male or female.
But they say they do not believe there is anything suspicious about the death.
Clothing found on the body is similar to that worn by a person reported missing from home some time ago and police have informed the family of that person of the situation.
But they say the body was probably lying alongside the A574 Winwick Link road to the M6 for some time before it was discovered.
Anyone who has seen anything unusual in the vicinity of the link road is asked to call Warrington Police on 01925 652222.
Driver traced following
collision with cyclist
by staff reporter
POLICE have traced a driver who failed to stop after a collision with a pedal cyclist in Sankey Way, Warrington on Monday morning.
The motorist is to be interviewed but police are still seeking witnesses of the collision which resulted in Sankey Way being closed for about two hours and resulted in hundreds of people being late for work in Warrington.
Anyone who saw the incident is asked to call Warrington police on 01244 613813.
The pedal cyclist, a 59-year-old Widnes man, who was thrown from his machine and suffered serious head injuries, is now said to be in a stable condition in Walton Hospital, Liverpool.
