Residents get advice
on protecting valuables
by Lesley Wilkinson
POLICE made house-to-house calls in the Whitecross area of Warrington to hand out free UV security marker pens.
They advised people how to use the pens to protect their valuables – such as televisions, videos and computer equipment. Officers said that all valuables should be marked with the owner’s name, house number and postcode, to identify ownership and increase the chances of getting it back if stolen.
Police and Golden Gates Housing (GGH) representatives attend residents meetings and take part in community walkabouts regularly, to increase safety.
Alison Young, of GGH, said: “It’s all part of the Whitecross Safer Community Partnership, helping to make the town centre a safe place to live.”
Community safety officer Kath Harkin added: “We are advising residents to mark valuable items such as televisions and DVD players with their surname, postcode and house number. It makes it much easier for the police to identify stolen property, which has been recovered. Marking property in this way can also act as a deterrent to thieves.”
The next Whitecross Community Action Meeting will be held from 7pm on Wednesday June 1, at St Barnabas Primary School, Collin Street, and everyone is invited to attend.
Picture shows community safety officer Kath Harkin, PC Kevin McLeod and Alison Young from GGH, helping Paul Flannery mark a television set.
Town centre to
get more taxis
by staff reporter
WARRINGTON is to get 30 extra taxis – specially equipped to carry wheelchair users.
The borough council has made the decision following a consultation exercise which revealed there was a shortage of wheelchair-accessible taxis in the town centre.
Fifteen additional Hackney Carriage licences will be issued later this year and a further 15 will be issued next year.
The situation will be reviewed again at a later date.
A Town Hall spokesman said: “The new taxis will be fully accessible for wheelchair users and will be subject to other ‘quality based requirements’, in recognition of the shortage of wheelchair-accessible taxis, as reported within a recent consultation exercise.”
It is also hoped an increase in the number of licensed Hackney Carriages operation in the town centre might persuade more people to leave their cars at home.
Defence ministry says
thanks to university
TO thank a Warrington employer for its support the Armed Forces called in two England international rugby players and a top coach to present an award.
Professor Tim Wheeler, principal of University College Chester – which has a campus in Warrington – received a certificate from England rugby internationals Charlie Hodgson and Andrew Sheridan, and Sale Sharks’ director of rugby, Philippe Saint Andre.
The University is one of the region’s employers who support staff who serve as volunteer reservists in the Armed Forces, such as in the Territorial Army (TA). Through its SaBRE (Supporting Britain’s Reservists and Employers) campaign the Ministry of Defence recognises this support and presents certificates of recognition to employers.
The award was presented on the pitch at Edgeley Park, the home of Sale Sharks, following the club’s European Challenge Cup semi-final second-leg victory against Connacht.
Sale Sharks has now formed a partnership with the TA to look at cross-training opportunities.
Cutting down on
salt can save lives
by John Hendon
CUTTING down on salt can save lives, a survey carried out by Warrington Trading Standards Department has revealed.
Just a few pinches less a day significantly reduces the chance of a heart attack or stroke.
A potential danger is that processed foods such as breakfast cereals, soups, sauces, ready meals and biscuits already contain salt. If more is added in cooking, it can amount to a significant amount each day.
The Warrington survey has revealed that many popular ready meals are very high in salt, with one meal sampled containing 80 per cent of a whole day’s recommended salt allowance of 6g.
Included in the survey were ready meals on sale in shops and major supermarkets such as shepherd’s pie, lasagne, casseroles and macaroni cheese. The samples included major manufacturers and supermarkets own brands.
More than half the ready meals surveyed were found to contain more than a third of the recommended daily amount.
Trading Standards manager Peter Astley said: “Ready meals are increasingly popular for many consumers and can be a fast and easy way for people to feed the family. But our survey shows that many of them contain very high levels of salt.
“This leaves little room for the salt we take in from other foods, such as breads and cereals. Convenience should not mean an increased health risk. It is possible to reduce the amounts of salt in ready meals – that’s clear because there is up to a four-fold variation in the amounts of salt we found in the same types of meals.
“Manufacturers and retailers are starting to respond to calls to reduce the salt levels in ready meals, but they need to go further and play their part in improving the health of the nation.”
High salt intake is linked to high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart disease and strokes. People with high blood pressure are three times more likely to develop heart disease and strokes, and twice as likely to die from these diseases than people with normal levels. In England alone, high blood pressure contributes to more than 170,000 deaths per year.
Further advice is available from Warrington Trading Standards on 01925 442658.
College students’
radio station
by Lesley Wilkinson
AN innovative new internal radio station for students at Priestley College, Warrington, is entertaining students and keeping them informed about college life.
Priestley Central Radio has been devised by students who hope to go on to media careers. It was the brainchild of former student Craig Gwilliam and current first year David Marchant, when they both took a professional radio course sponsored by the college.
The station, funded by the college, is initially being broadcast on campus, with the Wicked Caf? Bar benefiting from the new service. Future plans are for it to be broadcast on line to reach a wider audience.
It is hoped that the station will benefit all students who want careers in the media and give them DJ experience.
Vice principal Matthew Grant said: “I congratulate both Craig and David for getting this project off the ground.
“Listening to the first broadcast, we already appear to have some very talented DJ’s on campus and I look forward to tuning in on a regular basis,” he added.
A chance to
quiz the police
by staff reporter
PEOPLE who want to have their say on local policing are invited to a meeting at the Gateway Centre, Sankey Street, Warrington.
The Warrington Police Forum will be held from 7pm on Tuesday May 10.
Peter Walker, chairman said: “This meeting will provide an opportunity to discuss policing issues, with the person in charge of policing in Warrington – Superintendent Julie Clayton. Anyone can attend these meetings and I would urge all of those who have any concerns or an interest in policing to attend.”
Vandals run amok in
disused warehouse
by David Skentelbery
VANDALS went on the rampage in a disused warehouse at Warrington during the night.
They broke into the old Seddon Atkinson building in John Street, off Winwick Road, Warrington, smashed windows and set fire to piles of scrap timber.
Fire crews raced to the scene after being told there could be someone trapped inside the smoke-filled building.
But the vandals – teenage youths – ran off as the fire engines arrived.
In a separate incident, fire crews were called to a house in Latham Avenue, Or
ford after a small fire in an electrical fuse box filled the property with noxious fumes. They used a ventilation unit to clear the fumes from the house. No-one was hurt.
