“Whirlwind” devastation
at garden centre
by staff reporter
STAFF are clearing up today after a “whirlwind” caused devastation at a garden centre in Warrington.
The freak weather condition ripped up a 100-year-old tree at the Willow Pool Garden Centre in Burford Lane, Lymm and hurled it into the grounds of the adjoining Rowswood Kennels.
A gazebo was also uprooted and blown into the kennels, damaging property there.
There are reports of damage in other parts of Lymm as the “whirlwind” apparently tore through the area.
One villager said: “The damage must run into thousands. I was sitting in the conservatory at my home when I suddenly heard this terrific wind. Drainpipes were rattling. But fortunately I suffered no damage to my property. Other people were not so lucky, however.”
The freak storm is believed to be the same one which continued on to blow down a tree in Dunham Park, near Altrincham, killing an eight-year-old boy and injuring a number of other people.
Weather forecasters are predicting high winds throughout Britain today, although the worsed of the gales are expected in the North East.
They say high winds can be expected throughout the rest of the week, however.
Council tackles ?12.5
million shortfall
by Gary Skentelbery
FINANCIAL forecasts have revealed Warrington Borough Council faces being more than ?12.5m in the red in the next three years.
A special meeting of the council’s executive board heard a budget forecast showing a ?3.4 million shortfall for next year, reaching as much as ?12.6 million by 2007/08.
A series of options are now being explored as part of the Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP), in light of the possible substantial deficits over the next three years.
Chief Executive David Whitehead says the the forecasts are based on the provisional local government settlement and a special report to Executive Board outlined a number of key options that will now be explored further.
Mr Whitehead said the lack of funding levels from central Government and increased demands on council services were to blame.
Coun John Morris, Executive Member for Resources and Performance, said: “The Council is determined to ensure that resident’s money is managed in an effective and efficient way. The projected deficit will be dealt with if that means, as may be the case, that difficult decisions will have to be taken – and they will be!”
A report outlining the options will be brought back to the Executive Board later in the year.
The MTFP has been in planning for a number of years and the Council will review and update the plan on an annual basis, taking on board demands for future services and resources.
Police dismay over lack
of funding for CSOs
by John Hendon
THE sight of Community Support Officers (CSOs) patrolling the streets of Warrington and nearby villages is providing reassurance to many residents who had previously felt in danger of becoming a victim of crime.
That is one of the early indications from research carried out into the impact being made by CSOs since their introduction.
And it is the reason why Cheshire’s Chief Constable Peter Fahy and Police Authority chairman Peter Nurse have felt compelled to write to the Home Secretary to express their “dismay” at the distribution of the first tranche of Neighbourhood Policing Fund cash, which will pay for only 13 new Cheshire CSOs.
Mr Nurse said: “We are very disappointed that we only got funding for 13 CSOs when we bid for 34. CSOs offer a different style of policing which is informal and reassuring.” Members of the authority have been given details of research carried out by other forces into the perceived effectiveness of Community Support Officers, as well the Government’s funding plans.
They also heard about a recent conference in Cheshire where CSOs from all over the force area came together to share ideas and discuss a number of issues affecting their work, in particular whether they should wear body armour and how they could be best deployed in the community.
Assistant Chief Constable David Griffin said “One of the main things I picked up at the conference was the enthusiasm and commitment of the CSOs. It was very impressive. They are out there day in, day out being the eyes and ears of the community.
“They talked about how they’ll still be doing that in five years time when many of their police officer colleagues will have moved to other roles in policing.
“They want to be part of the community and part of the problem-solving process and one of the outcomes of the conference was an agreement that a strategy be drawn up to give clear guidance on the use of CSOs, how they are funded, a whole variety of issues.”
The first CSOs began patrolling the streets of Cheshire in 2003 although they did not arrive in Warrington until last year. There are now 52 employed across the county While police officers are mostly geared to providing a rapid response to incidents of crime, the CSOs are able to spend more time in areas where problems have developed and strive to find solutions. Foot patrols are a vital part of their job as they seek to forge links between the police and the public and provide a reassuring presence on the street.
It was with this in mind that Mr Fahy and Mr Nurse composed their letter to the Home Secretary to seek confirmation as to why Cheshire had seemingly been so poorly treated with its Neighbourhood Policing Fund allocation.
Pupils take on role of
“environment watchers”
by staff reporter
YOUNGSTERS at St Benedict’s Primary School,Warrington have put on their lab coats and become “Environment Watchers”.
Year Five pupils went along to the Energy House 21, a domestic energy training and advice centre, for a tour of the facilities and to take part in activities, energy experiments and complete workbooks.
The fun didn’t stop there because the children became “Environment Watchers” and took part in projects at school and carried out their own energy-efficient checks at home.
They were presented with their certificates by representatives of Energy House 21.
Headteacher Henry Koltan said: “This is the first year we have done this and the children thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
“Science has a high profile in our school life and we are particularly keen to develop the investigations element of the curriculum. We are always looking at developing projects about saving energy and conservation that the children can joy as well as learn from.
“We hope to go along next year with another year group.”
Warrington Borough Council joined forces with Warrington Housing Association, the University of Salford and more than 60 additional companies from all areas of the energy and construction industries to develop Energy House 21.
The centre is packed full of information to train and inform people in making financial savings on their energy bills, on tackling fuel poverty and in meeting environmental targets.
For more information visit the website at www.energyhouse21.org
Aiming for ?1.5 billion
income from tourism
by staff reporter
A GROUNDBREAKING tourism strategy has been unveiled which aims to reshape the local tourism industry, bringing new jobs and business to the Warrington area.
The strategy – the first ever of its kind – has been produced by the Cheshire and Warrington Tourism Board, in association with key public and private sector stakeholders, to kick-start a new era of success for an industry that is seen as vital to the future economic prosperity of the Warrington area and the sub-region as a whole.
The blueprint presents a 10-year vision to increase visitor spending to ?1.5 billion a year by 2015, sustaining 27,000 jobs.
CWTB chief executive Chris Brown explained: “It’s clear that over the next 10 years, to
urism in our region faces a number of considerable challenges but with the superb array of product within the Warrington area and elsewhere, some really exciting opportunities exist.”
“To exploit those opportunities, we need to raise the bar on our tourism-related aspirations, deliver visitor expectations more effectively and work together in a much more focused way to build the industry. The targets are ambitious but achievable, if we all work together.”
Highlighting one of the main challenges, Mr Brown continued: “We’ve got a tremendous range of tourism experiences on offer but too many potential visitors just don’t know about them. The area has become too dependent on low-yield day visits and that’s one of the priorities we need to address.”
“Cheshire’s very positive brand image needs to be reflected in every aspect of the visitor experience, from planning and booking the trip, through to the visit itself and even to the journey home.”
He added: “We’ll be delivering a top-quality experience with the help of a skilled and caring workforce supported by significant investment in information technology to provide a one-stop, customised booking service which will be one of the best of its kind in the UK.”
The CWTB and its partners in the Warrington area will help translate ideas into action by supporting innovation. It will ensure that the benefits generated through tourism are shared as widely as possible across the community, and that achievements are benchmarked against the best examples from around the world.
Future campaign activity will focus on the themes and key strengths that offer the greatest growth potential rural escape, family fun, conferences and exhibitions, culture and heritage, and festivals and events.
Council scoops regional
award for training
by staff reporter
WARRINGTON Borough Council has scooped a coveted regional award for excellence in workforce development and training.
The Skills To Work (S2W) Awards, organised by Manchester Enterprises, were held as a celebration of innovation in workforce development across the North West region.
Companies and organisations battled it out in a series of categories at the award ceremony held at the Radisson Edwardian Hotel in Manchester.
The Council’s Economic Development Team was competing in the Workforce Development in the Public Sector (finance & professional services and IT and digital sectors) award – sponsored by e-skills UK – after being short-listed alongside Golden Gates Housing, the arms length management organisation that runs Warrington Council’s housing stock.
After much debate, the panel of expert judges awarded the title to the Economic Development Team (EDT) due to the crucial contribution training and development has played in its success over the last year.
Some of the steps taken by EDT to boost employee training and development include: –
Attending the ‘Raising Our Game’ (ROG) development centre, a groundbreaking professional development programme for delivery and support staff working for public sector organisations in the Northwest
WBC contributions (50 per cent funding) to support Postgraduate Diplomas
Modern Apprentice development through NVQs
The whole team taking part in the Myers Briggs profile assessment – helping identify team dynamics and improving how the team works
Paul Thomas, Deputy Chief Executive at Manchester Enterprises said: “We have been very impressed by the winning entries, all of whom have shown a great commitment to staff development. All the winning entries are case studies of best practice for workforce development in the North West.”
Carsten Kressel, the Council’s Head of Economic Development, said: “Workforce development is a very important aspect of good business practice in the 21st Century and we are delighted that our collective efforts to maximise the potential of our team has been recognised in this way. We are constantly striving to get more out of our staff by investing in the skills and training of employees.”
Health project bidding
for national award
by John Hendon
A PROJECT in Warrington to improve healthcare for people with learning disabilities has been short listed for a prestigious national award.
Access All Areas is one of four finalists from over 200 entries for the national Foundation of Nursing Studies Mallabar Award.
The project coordinators will be attending the House of Lords shortly where the winner will be announced.
Set up in 2001, the project has seen an increase in the number of patients with learning disabilities accessing healthcare from 22 per cent to 98 per cent.
Run by Warrington Primary Care Trust (PCT) and 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Trust, Access All Areas supports people with learning disabilities to make healthy choices and, often for the first time, gives these patients health information in accessible formats, like pictures and symbols.
Staff from agencies across the town involved in the care and support of people with learning disabilities are being trained in order to raise standards.
The project has already been hailed as best practice in the Government’s public health White Paper, published last month.
Scott Harrison, the Warrington PCT nurse who is leading the project, and his colleague Liz Berry, health co-coordinator at 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Trust, will deliver a presentation at the House of Lords before the final judging takes place. The panel includes leading healthcare professionals and the Rt Hon Lord Rea, representing the House of Lords.
Scott said: “It is a real honour to be able to present our project at the House of Lords and we are delighted to have been chosen as finalists.”
Liz added “This partnership has enabled a real difference to be made to the lives of people with Learning Disabilities, we endeavourer to change culture around this area of care and events like this help us to continue in a very positive and proactive manner”.
The Foundation of Nursing Studies is a UK-based charity whose sole purpose is to help nurses, midwives and health visitors improve patient care by encouraging them to use the most up-to-date methods.
It is widely agreed that practice should always be based on evidence and research. The Mallabar Award is for projects which have successfully improved patient care through innovative and original practice by expert nurses.
100 cars damaged as
vandals go on rampage
by staff reporter
ABOUT 100 cars and other vehicles were damaged by a gang of vandals who went on the rampage at Lymm, near Warrington.
The hooligans struck in Rushgreen Road, between Rushgreen Service Station and the Farmer’s Arms, slashing the tyres of vehicles parked in the road or on driveways.
It is not clear when the damage was caused, although it was likely to have been during the night.
One local resident said: “A number of people must have been involved because one person could not have caused so much damage. It was sheer, mindless vandalism.”
Police are investigating.
