Rock band caught up
in major riot in US
by John Hendon
A WARRINGTON rock group got caught up in a major riot while performing at a gig in America.
Members of the group Death by Decibels helped rescue people – including children -affected by tear gas during the British Invasion punk festival at San Bernardino, California.
The band – consisting of Iain Tidbury (rhythm guitar and vocals, Matt Frodsham (lead guitar and vocals), John Risley (bass) and Lee Gallagher (drums) – are now on their way home.
But they are counting themselves fortunate to have escaped unhurt from the melee.
A spokesman for the band said: ?The British Invasion gig was good, but there were massive riots.
?No words could explain how crazy things were! There was some trouble out the front of the gig and someone got seriously hurt. The police then responded with tear gas bombs.
?Shops were looted or burned, police cars upturned and palm trees ripped out of the floor! It was devastating. There were more than 150 riot sqaud cars and police coming in from other states.?
At first, the members of the group took it in turns to go into the tear gassed room to help people get out. But later they were kept safe in their dressing rooms, with lots of security men around them.
?Security handled the situation very well – half of them stayed in the tear gassed room to make sure all the gear was safe,? the spokesman added.
The rioting broke out about two hours at Death by Decibels (dBd) had played their set.
Speaking about the festival itself, the band spokesman said: ?The gig was breathtaking! Thousands of punks moshed like crazy all through our set – even when we weren?t playing!
?It?s just a shame the thousands of people missed GBH, Vice Squad and The Addicts due to the riots.?
Pupils “adopt” animals
at children’s zoo
by staff reporter
PUPILS from Broomfields Junior School, Appleton, Warrington raised ?480 through a non-uniform day ? and are to use the money to ?adopt? animals at nearby Walton Gardens children?s zoo.
They have adopted a wide range of animals,including African pygmy goats, Bobo the donkey, Shetland ponies, minature pot bellied pigs and rabbits.
The group adoption scheme was set up specifically for schools and uniformed groups after a number of requests for such a scheme had been received from teachers and group leaders.
The ?Adopt an Animal? scheme was started by the Friends of Walton Estate to help raise funds for special projects at the children’s zoo. The scheme has gone from strength to strength since it was launched in December 2003 and so far the money raised has provided magnificent new ornamental entrance gates for the zoo.
In August last year, the gates were presented to the Mayor of Warrington, Coun Hans Mundry, who accepted them on behalf of the council, by chairman of the Friends of Walton Gardens group Keith Inman and the animal adoption co-ordinator Beverly Batey.
Coun Jeff Richards, the borough council?s executive member for Sustainable Environment, said: “I want to thank the school for deciding to use their funds to be a part of this scheme.
?They will get something back as they will receive regular updates about the animals they have adopted. It’s good to see that our young people do get involved in their communities and take an active interest in the environment. The scheme is proving to be very popular and has gone from strength to strength since it was launched in December 2003.”
Anyone who would like more information on the Friends of Walton Estate ?Adopt an Animal scheme? should contact Lynne Stamp on 01925 261957.
Regional youth music
festival comes to town
by John Hendon
THE Music for Youth regional festival comes to Warrington on Saturday March 25.
More than 650 young instrumentalists, singers and dancers aged 6-21 years old will perform in the festival – one of 60 across the country.
The whole series is held in collaboration with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and with funding from Youth Music.
Twenty-two groups of young musicians are performing in Warrington including three groups from the host school, Great Sankey High – a chamber choir, concert band and swing band.
They perform alongside two more groups from Warrington – Broomfields Junior School Voices and the Woolston Choral Group from Woolston High School.
Once the final chords of the whole series are struck in Haverfordwest on April 5, 42,000 young musicians, singers and dancers will have performed in the world’s largest youth music festival.
Many of these young performers will go on to the National Festival of Music for Youth in Birmingham, when up to 300 groups are invited by Music for Youth to perform at Symphony Hall, Birmingham Conservatoire and the CBSO Centre from July 10-15.
Finally, 30 of the groups who perform at the National Festival are invited to play on the stage of the Royal Albert Hall, London, in the world-acclaimed Music for Youth Schools Prom Concerts on November 13, 14 and 15.
Vampire Queen to
visit the library!
by John Hendon
The VAMPIRE Queen, aka Rosie Lugosi, is coming to perform at Warrington Central Library for one night only.
The evening of spooky delights this Thursday (March 16), will be packed with Rosie’s unique blend of poetic humour, mayhem and song.
Rosie has been delighting audiences for six years and performed at many events including the Cheltenham Literature Festival and Europride. Her award winning stories, poems and essays have been widely anthologised and she has won both the Alternative Oscar for Performance Artist of the Year and the Diva Award for Solo Performer.
For more information call Wendy at Warrington Library on 01925 442732 or 07730075966.
The children who are
proud of their school
by staff reporter
CHILDREN at Lymm?s Oughtrington Primary School are ?extremely proud of their school?.
This is just one of the many positive comments made by OFSTED inspectors following their visit earlier this year.
They stated that Oughtrington Community Primary is a ?good school with some outstanding features? and is ?well managed?.
The report noted that achievements and standards are good and the children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. They are involved in the wider community – for example they serve at the Elderly Person?s Luncheon Club and are very active in fund raising for charities.
The report highlighted that teaching is ?good with some outstanding features?, the curriculum is ?outstanding and meets all statutory Requirements.?
Most children make good progress because lessons are well organised, objectives are shared, pace is good, work is challenging and there is outstanding attention to developing basic skills.
The use of innovative teaching methods, the development of pupil’s thinking skills and the promotion of teamwork were identified as strong features of lessons.
Positive comments were made in the report about the headteacher’s strong leadership, which gives a clear educational direction to the school and she is supported well by her staff and the school governors.
The inspectors recommended that to help improve further, the school needs to raise standards in mathematics to those of English and science and develop a more consistent approach throughout the school to the application of accelerated approaches to learning.
Headteacher Sue Cameron said: “We are thrilled with this OFSTED report and I want to thank all my staff, pupils and the wider school community as we are all working together to give the children the best education possible.”
“We are very committed to providing a fun, relevant and high quality education for all our children as well as care, support and guidance and I am very glad that the innovations we’ve introduced and the children’s’ enjoyment of learning a
nd pride they feel towards the school are highlighted in the report.?
Search is on for
“Mum in a million”
by staff reporter
THE search is on for a ?Mum in a Million? at Birchwood, Warrington.
A three week campaign will try to find the best mum around and the eventual winner will be pampered with gifts including a new hairdo, someone to tend her garden and someone to clear her ironing pile.
Shoppers to fill out an entry forms in the shopping centre so that they can be entered into the draw. There will be 25 finalists who will have to battle it out in a live elimination round, which will be held in the centre on Saturday March 25.
Birchwood Shopping Centre Manager Gary Jones said: “This is going to be a great, fun event and we’re hoping the family and friends of our finalists will come and offer their support on the day.”
Kitchen blaze
by staff reporter
FIRE crews were called to a house in Festival Avenue, Orford, Warrington in the early hours of today after fire broke out in the kitchen.
The blaze involved an chip pan left unattended after the woman occupant had fallen asleep in the lounge.
There was severe smoke damage in the kitchen and light smoke damage throughout the rest of the property. A smoke alarm failed to arouse the woman – but a neighbour raised the alarm.
No-one was hurt.
[ 15.03.2006, 18:21: Message edited by: DS ]
