Council asked to think
again on threatened school
by David Skentelbery
TOWN Hall chiefs are to be asked to meet representatives of Woolston High School before making the final decision to close the school.
The plea comes in a motion to be put to Warrington Borough Council at its meeting on Monday October 29.
Two senior Labour councillors ? Colin Froggatt and Maureen Banner (pictured) ? are to put a seven-point motion to the council.
They want the council to agree that the parents of St Elphin?s and Oakwood primary schools should have been asked whether they wished to change their partnering arrangements to the two nearest secondary schools ? Padgate and Woolston High.
This would have had the potential to increase the intake in the area by 90 pupils and would help to negate falling roles in the area.
They also want education department to consider potential population increases arising from proposals to build social housing on the former Bruche Police Training Centre.
They also point out that small secondary schools, such as Cardinal Newman High (670 pupils) and Sir Thomas Boteler (676) can deliver a successful and comprehensive curriculum for the benefit of their pupils and say Padgate High (872 pupils) and Woolston High (964 pupils) could also do so.
The two councillors also say it would have been helpful to publish the potential planned admission numbers up to 2013 for each individual school as at May 2006 (prior to the commencement of the Secondary Education Reviews) in order to fully ascertain the pupil potential for each individual high school; and in the case of Woolston High School, allow it to compare itself on a numerically competitive basis with other schools in Warrington.
They argue that closing Woolston High will reduce choice for pupils and parents.
Book details history
of 60-year-old campus
by James Parr
AN intriguing book detailing the 60-year history of Padgate Campus in Warrington has been launched.
Fond memories from students past and present are captured in the book, which looks at the changing face of the Warrington site.
Published by Chester Academic Press, The Padgate Story 1946-2006, looks at the transition of the campus from being a college for demobbed service men when it first opened, to part of the University of Chester as it stands today.
Author Elsie Newton, who is secretary of Padgate Old Students Association, said: “I asked everyone who attends the POSA reunions to bring along information and photographs, particularly about the times of change at the campus – for example, when it first became a college for men and women, when teacher training courses were replaced by other courses such as media studies and drama, and when the various name changes occurred.
“The book makes for interesting reading and is a real eye opener for students today, giving them an insight into student life back then. Padgate means a lot to the people who have studied and worked there. We all have many cherished memories.”
Students and staff past and present at the site have contributed to the book, including former principal Dr Alan Smith.
He said: “I look back on 32 happy, eventful and satisfying years. Padgate gave me many opportunities…. I made many lasting friendships for which I am eternally grateful.”
Anyone who would like to purchase a copy of The Padgate Story 1946-2006, priced at ?5.00, can contact Chester Academic Press on 01244 513305 or email [email protected]
Woman kicked sex
attacker, court told
by James Parr
A WOMAN who awoke to find herself being indecently assaulted kicked the offender away, Warrington Crown Court was told.
Both had been drinking heavily at a party and in several clubs, the court heard.
Paul Hartigan, 25, was jailed for 16 months after admitting indecent assault.
The court heard he had already signed the Sex Offenders’ Register.
David Jones, prosecuting, said Hartigan, from Bristol was visiting Warrington to attend a party at Thelwall.
He and several others, including the victim, drank heavily at the party and several other bars afterwards, before returning to an address in Thelwall.
The victim, in her 20s, attempted to get a taxi back to her own home but was unsuccessful and ended up sleeping on the sofa at the house.
Hartigan committed the offence when she was sleeping – only to be kicked away by the woman when she woke up.
He did make another attempt to return to the woman but eventually left after a verbal exchange with another person in the house.
Paulinus Barnes, defending, said Hartigan had no previous convictions and had been drinking heavily at the time. He deeply regretted the assault and fully understood the impact of his actions on the victim.
Judge Nicholas Woodward said: “The effects on this young woman have been considerable. She has suffered greatly with anxiety and distress.
Car painter Chris wins
top national award
by business staff
A WARRINGTON man 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.
Beating off stiff competition, Chris Webster from Revive was presented with his National Finalist certificate before an audience of 250 at a gala dinner at Birmingham.
Chris 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.
He 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.
School’s link
with Malawi
by John Hendon
TWISS Green Primary School has opened a special section of their school dedicated to a Malawian village to mark the achievement of opening a school there.
A quiet area of the school has been designed by pupils in Year Two to represent the town of Mwanjati and includes a wishing well, stepping-stones and wild flowers.
The corner has been opened at Twiss Green because children, parents and staff have managed to raise more than ?4,000 for the town, which has enabled them to build a school of their own.
A parent of a pupil from Twiss Green grew up in Mwanjati and had to walk eight miles to reach the nearest school everyday.
As a result of this, Twiss Green set up the Mwanjati Village School Trust and set about raising funds to build a school and employ a teacher in the village.
After various fund raising events, which included head teacher Lesley McGann running the Berlin marathon, Twiss Green soon raised enough money for the school, with the help of a lot of other head teachers from across Warrington.
Opened at the begin
ning of September, the school now has more than 100 pupils.
CCTV will monitor
problem junction
by James Parr
CCTV cameras are to be installed at the traffic lights at the junction of Cromwell Avenue and Ladywood Road, Westbrook, Warrington to enable the borough council to monitor daily incidents.
At the same time, new signal phasing and traffic light changes will be introduced to allow more time for pedestrians.
The changes will be introduced by early November and come on the back of an independent report from transport consultants JMP Consulting.
They were asked by the council to review the junction, following complaints of traffic congestion and delays for motorists in the Westbrook area.
The consultant’s report explains that the layout of the junction does not have enough capacity to deal with the current levels of traffic.
It was particularly congested during late afternoons in the summer months when people left the nearby Gulliver’s World Theme Park.
Current traffic signals were installed earlier this year and while many shoppers welcomed the improvements, with improved pedestrian and cycle facilities, heavy traffic on the road has caused problems.
The council?s executive member for Environmental Services Brian Axcell said: “The council has made a swift response to this matter and the first phase of improvements will shortly be in place, which will further improve safety and deal with a number of the concerns raised by residents.
?We will continue to work to ensure the long term plans will still allow easy access for pedestrians to the shopping centre but will also keep traffic around this junction on the move. I would like to thank residents for their patience on this matter.”
The report is recommending that more long-term solutions be established to increase the capacity of the junction, such as localised road widening, which will be subject to further study by the council.
