Vandals smash historic
stained-glass windows
by David Skentelbery
VANDALS have smashed historic stained glass windows at St Thomas? Church, Stockton Heath, near Warrington.
The offenders are believed to have used a baseball bat or similar implement to shattered the windows at the base of the church tower.
It is believed the windows had survived since the church was built in 1870.
The vicar, the Rev Michael Ridley, said: ?It is very worrying. We are always getting windows broken in the church hall ? that is almost a weekly occurrence.
?But now it has happened at the church as well.
?Repairing stained glass windows is a specialist job. We have got an expert coming to look at it. But it will be very costly.
?Usually, vandalism at the church hall happens at the weekend, on a Friday or Saturday night when people are juiced up. But the damage at the church happened mid-week.?
Mr Ridley said the church window had been concealed by vegetation, but it had been removed on the advice of an architect because it could cause damage to the building.
?We no sooner remove the vegetation than this happens,? he said.
Police are investigating the incident.
Boom time for girls’ soccer
by Terry Johnson
BUDDING stars of Culcheth Athletic Girls Football Club have been selected for training at Cheshire Centres of Excellence.
The Culcheth club, run by sisters Nat And Lea Hooper, is riding a boom in women’s football.
Huge interest flows from the Womens? European Championships in the North West last summer and prestigious venues, including Warrington?s Haliwell Jones Stadium, which attracted supporters from all over Europe.
Nat is a FA qualified coach and remains a player with a career which includes turning out for the famous Manchester United Ladies team.
Culcheth has benefited this year from shirt sponsorship by local construction firm, Lowbury.
Training takes place at Culcheth High on Tuesday nights and there are presently under-15 and under-13 teams.
New players and help from assistant coaches are welcome.
Said Nat: ?Women?s football has enjoyed a bigger profile through the smash hit movie, ?Bend it like Beckham? and 2.5 million people tuned into BBC 1 to watch the FA Women?s Cup Final?.
Police crackdown cuts
pub car park crime
by Terry Johnson
A MAJOR crackdown has been launched on pub and hotel car park crime in south Warrington.
Travelling criminals who target parked cars will run into snares set up by the Neighbourhood Policing Unit.
Police, hotel and pub managers are working together to protect their car parks with up-graded CCTV systems, non-return barriers, regular patrols, extra lighting and landscaping.
Police will carry out car park patrols during the vulnerable summer months to reinforce a group-led ‘car park alert’ scheme.
Pubs and hotels taking part include Park Royal International Hotel, The Cat and Lion Premier Travel Inn, The Stretton Fox, The Hollow Tree, Warrington Golf Club, Walton Golf Club, The Village Hotel and The Green Dragon, Lymm. DS Colin Westgate from the Warrington South NPU Investigation Team said the scheme had already led to a dramatic reduction in car park crime in the area.
“Target hardening” of car parks was also helping to reduce associated crime in the area, with each member of the scheme automatically forwarding information to other members and also alerting police patrols.
The snap that captured
Andrew a gold award
by Terry Johnson
IT?S that split-second golden moment, captured for a lifetime.
Baby Scarlet Harrison winks at photographer Andrew Spencer…and captures him a prestigious gold award.
The seven-weeks-old tot, of Callands, Warrington, helped Andrew build on his fast-growing reputation as a portrait photographer which has won him the North West Professional Portrait Photographer of the Year prize and the region’s Under-5’s Portrait award.
All the more a remarkable an achievement is that Andrew,40, has just two year’s experience as a lensman.
He was a financial advisor and mortgage consultant for 14 years before redundancy forced him to make a career change.
“I had a wife, two children and a mortgage to support”, said Andrew. “I invested some of my redundancy money in a photographic course, then rejected a franchise offer to set up my own company – Spencer Portraiture.”
In just two years Andrew, of Kingswood, Warrington, has achieved a handful of successes as a child and baby photographer.
He has had work displayed at NEC Birmingham, had an image auctioned at Bonhams London and received a Bursary from the British Institute of Professional Photography.
His photography has also won a BP photo award and regional competition portrait prizes.
His latest awards – a gold, two bronze prizes and two merits – were presented at the Lowry Arts Centre, Salford.
Art exhibition
MEMBERS OF Warrington Art Group are to stage an exhibition of their work at Grappenhall Library from May 13 to June 17. Some of the work will be offered for sale.
The library is open Mondays and Wednesday from 2-8pm, Thursdays 2-5pm and Saturdays 9.30am to 1pm.
[ 04.05.2006, 09:23: Message edited by: DS ]
