Anna is tipped
for the top
report by Gary Skentelbery
A NINE-YEAR-OLD gymnast from Warrington has been tipped for the top after helping Padgate Gymnastic Club win their first ever national medal.
Anna Stubbs from Woolston, has helped put Padgate on the national map in elite gymnastics and now attends Liverpool’s Park Road Gymnastics High Performance centre, home to Olympians Beth Tweddle and Warrington born Carol Galashan, up to two days per week. The sessions are aimed at not only improving Anna’s gymnastics, but also to ensure her coaches, Kelly and Sioban Simcock, are supported and advised on her skills development.
Anna started her elite career last March (2004) in Compulsory level 4 gaining 2nd place. She later went on to compete in National finals that May. Her next competition saw her win the Regional champion title at Voluntary level 4, with her combined score making her overall combined regional champion.
The National Finals last November in Guildford saw a huge performance for Anna who won bronze position overall in the voluntary competition, her score leading to her to qualify for National squad testing.
Anna tested in January, and achieved 5th place overall, making her World class start National squad reserve.
Her Coach Kelly said: “Her determination to succeed is taking her to places Padgate have never been before.”
Anna won 2nd place overall in the Elite Grades, narrowly beaten by 0.3. She put in an excellent performance in spite of an ear infection and she will now compete for the region at National Finals on May 1 in Birmingham.
Meanwhile Padgate enjoyed unprecedented success in the North West Regional Club Grade 6,5,4 team finals held at Birchwood . Kelly added: “The success of all our competitors was truly overwhelming for us as coaches. We work hard in our ‘put up out down’ gymnasium, and have a strong work ethic in order to achieve the successes. The squad coaching team of Sioban Simcock, Katy Simpson, Rachel Upton and Michelle Yarwood deserve praise for their outstanding commitment and dedication.
“As a club, we’ve never had such success before in terms of National finalists. We achieved more finalists and medals than any other North West club.
The girls have already begun training for the National finals in April/May and hope to bring home more medals!
Cruise liner “revolt”
after engine failure
by Terry Johnson
WARRINGTON holidaymakers are among 800 British tourists reported to have staged a “revolt” on board a luxury cruise ship.
Passengers who booked a trip of a lifetime on the Princes Cruises’ Sapphire Princess say they have been offered just 200 dollars compensation for the liner failing to call at ports in Bali and Penang.
The sister ship of the ill-fated Aurora, which had to abandon a world cruise because of engine trouble, is now heading at reduced speed for Kuala Lumpur after developing a fault with its gas-turbine engine.
The Sapphire Princess diverted from Bali on advice from the American Government and was to have called at Penang instead. But the fault on an electrical circuit board has caused it to slow and head for Malaysia, where specialist engineers will fly in to deal with the problem on today (Monday).
A Warrington man on board liner said: “Passengers are furious that compensation equal to just four bottles of average wine has been offered for missing the two ‘must see’ destinations – and must be spent on board.” Sapphire Princess is owned by American cruise giant, Carnival, whose P & O ship, Aurora, was recently snagged by engine problems, resulting in millions being paid to compensate passengers.
Travellers on the Sapphire Princess said the 200-dollar payments were “paltry and insulting”.
They are demanding improved compensation when the cruise ends in Bangkok on March 26.
The Warrington passenger said: “This cruise has been dogged by a string of problems. The ship left Sydney on March 7 and early on hundreds of passengers were left on the dockside at Brisbane because of a transport management problem.
“The ship was then affected by Cyclone Ingrid and sailed through storms to Cid Harbour and Cairns. Many passengers suffered badly from sea-sickness and trips to the Great Barrier Reef had to be abandoned.” A spokesman for Southampton-based Princess Cruises said: “Since the cruise was booked, the situation has changed in Bali and we noted the heightened security issue.
“We decided to head for Penang, but were hit by a gas turbine electrical fault as we went into a four-day run. These things do happen. We have genuinely done our best for the passengers”.
High school’s soccer success!
MEMBERS of Culcheth High School’s Under-18 soccer team celebrating after winning the Cheshire Cup.
The talented team defeated Ellesmere Port High School 2-1 in the final.
Victory was all the sweeter however because Culcheth defeated local rivals Lymm High and and Bridgewater High on the way to the final.
Community centre re-opens
after disastrous fire
by Terry Johnson
COMMUNTY groups have recovered from a disastrous fire which engulfed their village social centre.
Stockton Heath’s Sandy Lane Centre has re-emerged as an improved community hub following serious fire damage sustained in 2003.
Village activity groups and parish councillors returned to the new-look centre to enjoy an offical ‘re-opening’ afternoon tea.
Coun Mike Hannon, Warrington’s Council executive member for community and wellbeing, said: “This centre is an integral part of community life in Stockton Heath. It is great to see it back in action, with improved facilities”.
Town hall had received huge support from the community and parish council during the re-build.
New facilities include a meeting room for hire by community groups, provision of automatic doors and quality furnishings.
An extension to the centre funded by Stockton Heath Parish Council provides office space.
Top Dutch pianist to
star in charity concert
by John Hendon
TOP young Dutch pianist, Karolinka De Bree, is to star in a special charity concert in Lymm, near Warrington.
The 19-year-old, who won the Beethoven competition at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester and has played in Japan and the United States, is to appear in a Lymm High School concert on May 21.
‘Classics on a Summer’s Evening’ will see Karolinka perform Schumann’s Piano Concerto.
The event, to raise funds for Arthritis Research, will also feature local violinist, Peter Webb, whose London Marathon success was reported in ‘Lymm Life’.
Concert organiser, Roger Dowling, said: “I hope this concert will become an annual event in the Lymm music calendar.
“We are delighted that Peter will be a member of the Lymm Summer Symphonia orchestra which is being assembled especially for this occasion with musicians from across South Cheshire.”
The programme will also see performances of Dvorak’s ‘New World Symphony’ and Beethoven’s ‘Egmont Overture’.
Tickets are ?6, with concessions, from Stephanie Florists, Rushgreen Service Station and 01925-755216.
“Cat and mouse” game
to catch motor cyclist
by Lesley Wilkinson
COMMUNITY Support Officers are playing a “cat and mouse” game as they try to stop a youngster from causing a disturbance on his motorbike in Appleton, near Warrington.
Coun Alaister Day told Appleton Parish Council that he was concerned about motorbikes revving loudly as they went around the Millennium Green.
“The bikes are going around and around and making a hard revving noise. They were there for about two hours one Saturday afternoon,” he said.
CSO Paul Birch said: “We know who this is and we’ve told him it’s only a matter of time before we catch him. We know it’s him and he knows we do – we are playing cat and mouse with him until we catch him”.
Residents w
in second
battle in three months
by staff reporter
RESIDENTS have won their second victory in three months to block plans for a hot food takeaway shop at Fearnhead, Warrington.
The borough council’s development control committee threw out the scheme for an empty shop in Orchard Street after hearing of dozens of objections from neighbours.
Residents said there would be smells, traffic chaos, parking problems, noise and litter if the scheme went ahead.
Orchard Street was the only access to about 350 houses and already struggled to cope with the weight of traffic wanting to use it.
A spokesman for the applicant, Mr A Jehamneh, said the shop would not be operating as a local takeaway but would be taking orders by telephone and delivering meals to customers.
“We would not cause any disturbance,” he said.
But the committee decided the development would result in an unacceptable increase in traffic and damage to residential amenity.
