MP dodges terrorist
bombs for second time
by David Skentelbery
FORMER Warrington South MP Mike Hall has told how he was almost caught up in the terrorist bombing atrocity in London.
It was the second time he had narrowly missed a terrorist bomb – he was in Warrington town centre in 1993 when the IRA set off two bombs which claimed the lives of two schoolboys.
A defiant Mr Hall, now the Weaver Vale MP, said: “The actions of those responsible for this attack stand to be utterly condemned.”
Mr Hall, who lives in Warrington and was formerly leader of the borough council, told how he had narrowly escaped the London bombs.
He said: “At 8.40am I tried to go on the Underground tube to Euston to attend a Ministerial visit to NHS Logistics in Runcorn.
“I was turned away from the tube station and got the bus instead. I arrived at London Euston at 9.10am. I boarded the Runcorn bound train which departed on time at 9.18am. During the train journey I was informed of a number of explosions that had taken place at tube stations across London.
“This is the second time in my life when I have narrowly missed the terrorist’s bombs. I was in Warrington in 1993 when the IRA blew up the town centre.
“The actions of those responsible for this attack stand to be utterly condemned. This attack comes at a time when the World leaders are meeting in the UK to discuss ways of tackling poverty in Africa and the developing world, bring forward measures to tackle global warning, improve the treatment of people suffering from AIDS and Malaria in Africa.
“The whole country will be resolute in its response to these atrocities and redouble our efforts to tackle international terrorism and safeguard our democratic freedoms and way of life.
“My condolences go out to all those who have lost loved ones in these cowardly attacks and to those who have been injured.”
Police in Cheshire revealed that patrols and visits to key locations in the county had been stepped up. But a spokesman said there was no specific threat to Cheshire and no particular reason to believe any attack was imminent in the county.
He said a hotline had been set up for people anxious to enquire about relatives who were possible casualties in London. The number to call was 0870 1566 344.
Cheshire Police were standing by and ready to help if requested to do so by the police in London.
Teenage student wins
place on art course
by John Hendon
A TEENAGE student from Warrington has landed a place on one of the most pretigious art courses in Britain.
Matthew Richardson, aged 19, from Penketh, is just coming to the end of a three-year stay at Warrington’s Priestley College where, among other qualifications he has most recently completed an Art Foundation Diploma.
Come September, the former St Gregory’s RC High School pupil will be packing his bags and heading for the capital where he will enrol on a degree course at the Slade School of Fine Art.
Matthew also had offers from a range of other highly respected institutes including Glasgow School of Art, Winchester School of Arts, Goldsmiths College University and Byam Shaw School of Art but opted to make London his new home.
He said: “I found my three year stay at Priestley very enjoyable and my tutors were extremely helpful.
“I’m very happy to be taking up a place at Slade and am looking forward to September as every day passes.”
Jeni ties up her
sculpture studies
by Lesley Wilkinson
A MATURE art student from Stockton Heath has come up with an unusual way of using men’s ties – to make sculptures portraying family links and as a female undergarment.
Jeni McConnell, 43, a student on the Art Foundation Diploma Course at Priestley College, Warrington, showed her work during a course exhibition at the college.
The work earned her a distinction – the highest mark possible.
Jeni created two sculptures using men’s ties, Family Ties and Feminine Ties. The former uses ties from all the men in her family displayed on a copper tree-like sculpture to portray the family hierarchy.
“It is hierarchical, showing fathers at the lower level, my husband, brother and brother-in-laws at the middle level, and my son and nephews at the highest level. The ties are positioned so they represent the individuals’ relationships to each other, such as father to son,” she said.
Jeni, of Ackers Road, Stockton Heath, is married with two children Molly, 10, and Will, eight, and feels the work shows the importance of family links.
Her second work, Feminine Ties, displays the ties on a basque suspended on wires from the ceiling.
“This garment is the opposite of the male dominated business world that a tie represents. This piece of work uses mostly friends’ ties which have been sewn over a pre-bought ‘body’ as the basic form,” she said.
“The front uses more formal tie fabrics, the back uses the Disney and other cartoon characters as a fun opposite to the formal front. Yet the front is far from formal, and could be seen as frivolous or even provocative,” she added.
Jeni works part-time in the computer industry for Fujitsu as a catalogue development manager, and from September will study part-time for a BA (Hons) Fine Art Degree at Wirral Metropolitan College.
She said: “I focused on ties as they have been in the national news since Sir Andrew Turnbull said that civil servants no longer have to wear them and I noticed that last week there was a discussion on Newsnight on the BBC between Jeremy Paxman and Jon Snow about the wearing of ties. Perhaps sculptural ties is the way forward for all those ties that are about to be thrown out,” she added.
Older people are helped
back on their feet
by John Hendon
OLDER people at risk of falling are being helped to get back on their feet through Warrington’s Falls Management and Prevention Service.
Set up by Warrington Primary Care Trust (PCT), the service was launched last year and more than 350 older people have already benefited from it.
July 19 is National Falls Prevention Day and to highlight the occasion, the PCT enlisted the support of one of its clients – an 83-year-old woman from Culcheth.
Alinda Pearson said: “I had a nasty fall and didn’t think I would walk properly again. After four weeks I walked to the paper shop. I was so pleased. The service gave me my confidence back.”
Mrs Pearson, who suffers from arthritis, fell when she tripped over a kerb. While she was recovering at home her community nurse visited her and suggested she take part in a 16-week course of exercise classes.
The classes can help to strengthen muscles, improving balance and co-ordination to prevent further falls and make everyday activities easier.
“After I had fallen I couldn’t go out,” Mrs Pearson said. “It was a mental and physical effort – I had no confidence whatsoever.
“At the classes we did exercises with an elasticated band to strengthen the muscles in our feet, legs, arms and body. After that, different health professionals would come to talk to us about different issues. The sessions were very social – whoever denies themselves going doesn’t know what they are missing.”
The service provides assessments for those most at risk and exercise programmes to keep older people active. It also incorporates a home-safety check scheme, which includes the fitting of two free smoke detectors and the planning of an escape route in the event of a fire.
In addition to the fire check, older people are referred to Warrington Community Services if they require an assessment for aids to help reduce the risk of falls.
Carole Rowlinson, Warrington PCT’s falls co-ordinator, said: “There is a huge problem with falls nationally because we are living longer and there are increasing numbers of older, frailer people. The service can make a real difference to their lives.”
Falls represent the most frequent and serious type of accident to
people aged over 65. Up to 14,000 people each year die in the UK as a result of a hip fracture while half of older people who fall over can no longer live independently. The NHS spends ?1.7 billion a year on treating fractures from falling.
Soap star hands
out special awards
by Gary Skentelbery
HOLLYOAKS heart throb Christina Bailey, who plays Dannii Carbone in the popular TV soap was special guest at an awards ceremony at Warrington’s Peace Centre.
Christina handed out awards to youngsters who took part in special educational courses.
She also met up with international students from around the world who have been doing work placements at the pionering centre, built as a living memorial to the two young boys, Tim Parry and Johnathan Ball, who were killed by the Warrington bombing in 1993.
The students who are pictured with peace campaigners Colin and Wendy Parry and Christina (centre) are Doris Beyer-Hrebicek (Austria), Ewa Rozycka (Poland), Anne Marie Voss (Germany) Sofia Sarekova (Russia), Aiko Inoue (Japan), Katrina Hussinen (Finland), Caspar Muller (Netherlands), David McNeil (England) and Jonathan Kathrein (USA).
Choir’s appeal to help
blind music lovers
by staff reporter
WARRINGTON Male Voice Choir has launched an appeal on behalf of blind music lovers in the town – to help boost their audiences.
Every year for the last 20 years, the choir has given free and priority seating at concerts to members of the Warrington and Widnes Society for the Blind.
But after noticing a decline in the take-up of the free tickets they investigated – and found blind people were being prevented from attending because of a shortage of volunteer drivers.
Derek Thorburn – son of choir vice president Angus Thorburn and a stalwart of the blind society – highlighted the problem, which in fact has wider consequences.
A desperate shortage of volunteer drivers is preventing the society from ferrying its members to social and cultural events across the region.
The problem arises from an insurance restriction which prevents drivers over the age of 70 from helping – and younger volunteers are hard to find.
In addition to missing out on the choir’s concerts, the society’s dominoes groups regular competitions across the North West, summer trips to Southport and even the annual Christmas Dinner have all been hit.
Although the society has offered to arrange taxis to Parr Hall Concerts, recent parking and access alterations in Palmyra Square mean that blind concert-goers have to negotiate, not only the crowds of other fans, but also street furniture.
Choir chairman Barrie Johnson: “We make an urgent appeal for volunteer drivers – under 70 years of age – to come forward and restore this vital lifeline of enjoyment to this section of our community.”
Electrical fault
blamed for pub fire
by John Hendon
FIRE crews were called to a Warrington pub after fire broke out in the first floor living accommodation.
The blaze was at the Black Bear pub in Knutsford Road, Latchford.
Firefighters wore breathing apparatus to combat dense smoke.
Three fire engines were called to the scene. But apart from blackening caused by smoke there was little damage.
Spot the Dog’s
birthday celebration
by staff reporter
TV and book favourite Spot the Dog is celebrating his 25th birthday at libraries across Warrington this month.
Children are being einvited to help him celebrate by going for free Spot craft workshops, storytime and even a special visit by Spot himself.
The sessions will be at Warrington and Birchwood libraries on July 9, Great Sankey and Burtonwood libraries on July 11 and Woolston Library on July 12.
All the events are free and everyone is invited to join in the birthday celebrations, with lots of fun guaranteed.
Places are limited, however so people intending to attend should reserve places by contacting the individual libraries. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
Vandals in arson
attack on store
by John Hendon
VANDALS attempted to set fire to a supermarket at Latchford, Warrington during the night.
The incident was at the Lidl store in Thelwall Lane.
Hooligans piled packaging materials against the outside of the building and set it alight. The flames reached the roof and caused damage to brickwork.
Smoke penetrated the building and caused blackening in a storage area.
But fire damage was minor and was confined to the exterior. The store was expected to open as usual today.
A Fire Service spokesman said: “This was a foolish attempt to try and start a fire. It was just mindless vandalism. But fortunately it was not very successful.”
In a separate incident, fire damaged a portable building at the rear of property in Winwick Street, Warrington.
