Police chief’s pledge
to vandal-hit village
by David Skentelbery
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WARRINGTON’S top cop has been out on patrol to see for herself the vandalism and graffiti which is blighting one of the borough’s most attractive communities.
Division commander Supt Julia Clayton told residents of Culcheth: “The culprits will be stopped.”
Recent months have seen an upsurge of graffiti, vandalism and criminal damage in Culcheth and Supt Clayton visited the village with Helen Kirkley, of the Safer Warrington Partnership, to inspect the damage.
Among issues raised by members of the public was damage caused at Millenium Gardens.
A number of names and symbols have been drawn onto the Millenium Gardens sundial which will cost about ?400 to remove.
Two lights which illuminate the structure at night will have to be replaced at a cost of ?1,000 after they were ripped out by vandals.
A vehicle parked at Smithy Garage in Church Lane had its passenger window smashed, while another vehicle had its passenger door damaged.
It was the first time there had been any damage at the garage – but CCTV has been installed and officers are advising other business owners to consider taking similar measures.
Supt Clayton said: “The current situation in Culcheth is clearly unacceptable and is causing misery for the people who work and live in the village. I wanted to speak to residents face to face to hear what they have to say on the matter and to find out what effect these incidents are having on their lives and in some cases their livelihoods.”
PC Jane Tetlow, of the Risley Community Action Team (CAT), said: “This is an on-going problem which we have tried to address through a variety of ways including speaking to local youths to establish who is responsible for the graffiti.
“Risley CAT is conducting additional patrols and is also monitoring the area using the mobile CCTV van. Residents are sick and tired of the damage being caused and we are determined to resolve the problem.”
Anyone with any information about vandalism in Culcheth can contact PC Tetlow on 01244 612652 or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Pictures show Supt Clayton examining vandalism and graffiti at Smithy Garage and Millenium Gardens.
Trio help launch
new youth facility
by Gary Skentelbery
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THREE youngsters brought together by local production company La Kat took centre stage at the opening of a new youth facility at Cinnamon Brow Community Farm.
Jademic performed on stage after the new facility had been opened by the town’s Mayor Coun Ted Lafferty.
The new youth facility has been opened In partnership with Cinnamon Brow Community Association, Warrington Drug Action Team, GLR Productions and Warrington Borough Council, who have successfully raised funds to develop a new youth section, which will also include an editing studio. Jademic consist of a trio of girls – Mica-Hope, although only 11 years of age has appeared on stage singing in Autumn Years with GLR Productions and has also performed in the film Peer Influence by the same company.
She started singing at Longbarn Primary School appearing as Bjork in their version of Stars In Your Eyes and has since appeared in a number of shows produced by GLR and La Kat.
Emma is 14 years old – She has only been singing for about three months. She made her debut appearance on stage at Youth Matter!’s presentation evening where, as well as performing a solo version of Boyzone’s Words she teamed up with Jade & Mica-Hope as a trio performing Atomic Kitten’s Whole Again & Hear Say’s Pure and Simple.
Jade is 15 years old – she has only been singing for a short while but has improved incredibly, showing dedication and the determination to succeed with her ambition.
The girls teamed up for Jademic’s first official performance at the Culcheth & Glazebury Community Day. They had only been singing together for a couple of weeks and decided, after their strong performance at Youth Matters to pursue a career as a group. They have performed at several events so far this year, with yet still more to come .
The girls aim to be unique as they will not always be seen singing on stage as a trio to retain their own original identities – in order to reduce them becoming bored and wanting to split and go their separate ways as most bands tend to do nowadays.
Jade is currently working on a solo number which is to appear in GLR Production’s World War II musical ‘I Will Come Home’ and will be included on Lauren O’Donnell’s first long awaited debut CD.
Hospital chief
gets on his bike
by staff reporter
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WITH parking spaces in short supply at Warrington Hospital, chief executive Ian Dalton has jumped on his bike to spread the word that two wheels are better than four.
In association with Warrington Borough Council and the Company of Cyclists, Warrington Hospital is taking part in the “Get Cycling Week” to promote healthy living as well as being one of the best ways to overcome the car parking shortage.
Said Mr Dalton:” Cycling to work is a great way for staff to avoid the frustrations of parking and we are also looking at other methods of cutting the volume of cars on the hospital grounds.
“I hope this initiative will spur staff and visitors on to taking an active role in the parking problem while also doing something positive for their health.”
The Company of Cyclists held a small roadshow in the old “Cherry Tree” courtyard where staff and visitors were able to learn about cycle safety and try out different bikes.
College’s welcome for
600 prospective students
by staff reporter
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WARRINGTON’S Priestley College welcomed nearly 600 prospective students through their doors for this year’s Welcome Day.
The event is organised in order to give current Year 11 students the opportunity to get a real taste of college life before making decisions about their future.
College chiefs were delighted with the number of students attending – particularly the mix of pupils from schools in and around Warrington.
Prospective students took part in a wide range of sample lessons in both A-Level and vocational subjects to see if a particular pathway was right for them and more importantly the students were able to get a feel for campus life.
College staff were on hand to offer advice and guidance to the youngsters who were facing many new experiences during an action packed day.
Members of Priestley’s media studies team were recorded the events on film and this formed the centrepiece for their final session of the day.
Senior admissions tutor Geoff Rudall said: “It was a great pleasure to see so many energetic youngsters on site and as a College we are sure they liked what they saw. I look forward to seeing them again in September.”
Pictures show prospective students sample college activities.
Playground gets a
?30,000 facelift
by John Hendon
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A CHILDRENS’ playground is to be officially re-opened after undergoing a ?30,000 re-vamp.
The Mayor of Warrington, Coun Ted Lafferty will unveil the play area at the Tim Parry Community Centre in Cromdale Way, Great Sankey, on August 21.
Great Sankey Parish Council has funded the refurbishment of the play area.
New play equipment, fencing and safety surfacing has been provided to ensure a safe play area is available for local children.
All ages are catered for from tots to teenagers.
A parish council spokeswoman said: “The play area had, over the years, deteriorated, but it is now in superb condition again.”
Travel company expands
with major take-over
by business staff
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WARRINGTON-based Uniglobe Diamond Travel have taken over the Northenden Travel Group.
The development takes the company, based at St James Court, off Wilderspool Causeway, Warrington, into a new phase of growth. Already one of the largest independent business travel management companies in the country, Uniglobe Diamond Travel was established in 1992 by Nigel and Jeni Schofield and has previously concentrated on corporate travel.
The acquisition brings not only a multi-million pound addition to its corporate business, but also marks a significant entry into the leisure market as the Northenden Travel Group includes a range of leisure activities.
The Cheshire Travel Centre is a well established travel agency which serves the local community around Heald Green, on the doorstep of Manchester Airport.
Tour operator Far East Gateways offers quality holidays to exotic destinations in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and elsewhere.
Fan Fare Events and USA Sports Tours are specialist divisions which cater for sports fans and corporate Entertainment with agreements to see the key matches in the European Football leagues and a wide range of sports across North America.
Catering particularly for the requirement for low cost travel, the Seat-Only operation has negotiated special fares with airlines flying to the Mediterranean and other parts of Europe, as well as the Far East, Australia and North America.
Nigel Schofield said: “We have been looking for another high quality business travel in Derbyshire last year.
“Northenden Travel will fit well with our other centres in Warrington and Telford. Its excellent reputation in business travel is echoed in the leisure market, and we intend to use this expertise to add to our service for the clients of Uniglobe Diamond Travel.
“The jobs of all the 36 employees at Uniglobe Diamond Travel and the Northenden Travel Group are secure, and we have already embarked upon a recruitment programme to cater for our expansion plans for both parts of the organisation.”
No sting in
this tale
by staff reporter
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FIREFIGHTERS fled when they discovered the cause of a fire in the bathroom at a house in Laburnum Lane, Great Sankey, Warrington last night – a wasps’ nest in an extractor fan.
A spokesman said: “We left the scene at great speed followed by the angry wasps. Fortunately we had managed to put the fire out and there was only some smoke damage. None of the crew were stung.”
In a separate incident, fire crews rescued a man from a smokefilled house at Whittle Hall, Warrington.
The blaze was in the lounge and the man was helped from a bedroom window using a ladder. He was no hurt.
