Robberies, theft, assault –
and 22 arrested at festival
by David Skentelbery
TWENTY two people were arrested at the Creamfields music festival at Daresbury, near Warrington over Saturday and Sunday, police have revealed.
They were arrested for alleged offences of possessing drugs, drink driving and deception.
Another 22 received street cautions, mainly for drugs offences and 104 people received cautions inside the festival arena, mainly for drugs offences.
Numerous ?bladed items? were seized at search points outside the venue, police said.
But police said they had received no reports of any serious incidents during the festival.
As a result of careful planning and a high profile police presence almost 40,000 people were able to enjoy the event safely.
An extra 500 officers were drafted in to police the event to prevent and deter crime and disorder and to help minimise disruption on local roads.
Inspector Paul Carroll, who led the police team said: “The figures reflect the pro-active policing, the use of police dogs and the Automatic Number Plate Recognition system. Crime figures reported to us are far lower than last year with a drop of around 80 per cent.
“I recognise that all crimes are distressing for the victim and it is somewhat re-assuring to note that the crimes reported are not in the more serious categories that we saw last year. We would like to thank the organisers, festival goers and local residents for their cooperation.” Officers were deployed on a range of duties to ensure that the event caused minimum disruption to local communities and that those attending were able to do so safely.
The event was good natured and the vast majority of those who attended enjoyed themselves. Only a small minority of those present caused trouble.
There were 20 crimes recorded – 11 for theft of mobile phones, seven assaults and two robberies – but none of these were classed as being serious assaults or robberies and no weapons were used.
There were also few problems with traffic. Drivers were told to leave the M56 at junction 11 or 12 avoiding junction 10. Drivers were told to park in two designated car parks and taxis and buses also dropped passengers off in these areas.
“We are very satisfied with the policing operation for Creamfields,” said Inspector Carroll. “It achieved what we set out to do, which was to minimise any disruption to local residents and to ensure that visitors enjoyed the festival safely.
“We learned lessons from last year and we wanted to make sure the event had minimal disruption for those living in the area.?
However, there were reports of the noise being heard in surrounding areas including Appleton and even as far away as Lymm.
A trip that touched
students’ hearts
by Lesley Wilkinson
THE plight of Romanian orphans touched the hearts of a group of students from Priestley College, Warrington, when they made a residential trip to the country.
The 10 teenagers are studying for qualifications in Early Years and Health and Social Care. They travelled to Bucharest to work in a children’s orphanage and hospital.
They worked as part of team with volunteer social workers, psychologists and play therapists.
Romania is now part of the EU, but its history is marked by economic and political problems – reflected in the state of the nation’s orphanages.
Students saw that despite progress, shanty town areas still exist. They stayed in a travellers hostel and met a range of people during their 10-day stay.
During the day they worked with orphaned and hospitalised children, offering care and helping with games, artwork and physical exercise.
Student Kayleigh Livesey, 17, said: “Coming into contact with the children and making them feel wanted was a very rewarding experience. Bringing a smile to their faces certainly brought one to mine. It was a very emotional trip and since returning home I have come to appreciate just how lucky I am.”
Bev Whittaker, curriculum manager for Early Years and Health and Social Care, said: “Taking part in this residential stay equipped the students with wider social experiences. It was an emotional roller coaster for all concerned and a life changing one for our college party.”
Rebecca’s “perfect”
set of GCSE results
by Lesley Wilkinson
AN Appleton teenager received a “perfect” set of GCSE results – and one of the top marks in French in the country.
Rebecca Banks, 16, gained 10 A* grades, together with two A* grades for short courses in IT and Religious Studies.
And Rebecca, a pupil at Manchester High School for Girls, also finished in the top five percentage marks in the country for French, from a field of almost 101,000 candidates.
She was one of eight students at the school who scored 10 straight A* grades.
Headteacher Christine Lee-Jones, said: “I congratulate our GCSE students for returning such excellent results.”
Ex-army man is
top franchisee
AN entrepreneur from Warrington, who gave up a career in the army to launch a car painting service franchise, has been crowned a National Finalist in the British Franchise Association Franchisee of the Year Awards.
Now Chris Webster has his sights on the top title ‘bfa Franchisee of the Year’ – and the chance to walk away with ?5,000 courtesy of HSBC, when the winner is announced at a glittering awards event in Birmingham on Thursday 4th October, to mark the start of this year’s National Franchise Exhibition.
Chris Webster spent eight years in the army before trying a number of unsatisfactory jobs to pay the bills.
He originally started working for Revive! – a car painting service – as a technician, before recognising the huge potential of the business and taking on his own franchise.
But it took Chris some time to realise that working for himself didn’t mean doing the job as quickly as possible, whatever the price. He gradually started to understand his customers and to realise that what they really wanted was quality, reliability and trust.
Working closely with the Revive! sales managers, Chris has developed structures and strategies that have not only helped his business but had a knock on effect on all the franchisees in the North West.
Painting cars is the skill he has, but what his main customers – car dealerships – really need is someone who can help them sell cars as well as paint them. Chris and his team check cars on the forecourt, run a priority day service, have a simple price structure and create extra value for dealers by offering repairs to their customers.
Chris’s efforts have had a significant impact on his balance sheet and he was delighted when, in May this year, he beat the monthly sales figures of his former employer!
The business is performing 30 per cent ahead of last year and has grown significantly, mainly through word of mouth recommendations. This, says Chris, is due to his relentless focus on customer service, which will continue to drive the company forward.
Revive is an example of how the franchisor’s collaborative approach, combined with the go-getting attitude of the franchisee, generates success at both individual and network levels.
The prestigious bfa Franchisee of the Year Awards – the highlight of National Franchise Week (1 – 12 October) – were launched in April as a celebration of the best-performing franchisees in a booming industry, now employing over 370,000 people and worth an annual ?10 billion to the UK economy.
Picture shows Chris Webster, centre, with representatives of the bfa, sponsors, etc.
Youth attacked by
gang of thugs
by staff reporter
A YOUTH was attacked by a gang of thugs at Burtonwood, near Warrington.
Police have appealed for witnesses of the assault which took place at Butcher’s Field, Kinnock Park in the early hours of August 19.
The youth was in the company of a group of friends when he was att
acked.
Anyone who saw the attack, or who knows anything about it, is asked to contact police on 01244 61345 or 614893.
Stables plan
thrown out
by John Hendon
PLANS for stables and a storage building on green belt land off Heath Lane, Croft have been thrown out by a Government-appointed inspector.
The proposals were originally turned down by Warrington Borough Council but went to appeal ? only for the inspector to take a similar stance.
He said the issue was to decide whether the buildings could be justified in the green belt on the grounds they were necessary for outdoor sport and recreation.
The buildings could not be described as small or modest, he said. Both included space for the storage of a tractor for general grounds maintenance. This is not essential for outdoor sport and recreation.
He decided the development was inappropriate in the green belt and would impact adversely upon the openness of the green belt.
In these circumstances it was for the appellant to show very special circumstances outweighed the harm identified ? and no such circumstances had been identified.
Motor cyclist
injured in crash
by John Hendon
POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a road accident at Warrington last night (Tuesday).
The incident in Warrington Road, Birchwood involved just one vehicle – a white Honda motor cycle ridden by a 30-year-old man.
He suffered serious head injuries and was taken to Warrington Hospital.
Police are asking for help from anyone who may have seen the bike being ridden in the Glover Road or Kinsale Road area of Birchwood prior to the accident around 10.15pm.
Anyone who can help is asked to call police on 01244 616449.
