Ladies in the pink
for St Rocco’s!
by Gary Skentelbery
MORE than 1,200 women stepped out in pink to help raise tens of thousands of pounds for St Rocco’s Hospice during a special Starlight Walk.
Kerry told the walkers that she was determined to help the hospice after visiting the premises and being impressed by its facilities and fantastic work.
But instead of joining the walkers Kerry jumped in a taxi saying she would see them all later “down the pub!”
The event attracted women from all over Warrington and beyond, with the average walker completing the course in around four hours.
The 1200 women in pink produced an amazing scene under the floodlights at Victoria Park and provided St Rocco’s with their biggest fund-raising event of the year – which sure to become an annual event.
Pictures show the “A” Team and Kerry Katona luanching the walk.
Walk of Faith “degraded
by officialdom” – claim
by Terry Johnson
A WARRINGTON church?s Walk of Faith has been “degraded” by officialdom, claim its organisers.
After 106 years of staging its annual community witness on public roads, walkers at Stretton, are being forced to use a narrow footpath.
The move – resulting from the denial of police funding for safe marshalling of the event – has come as a bombshell to organisers of the St Matthew’s community walk.
Lead organiser Danny Jump, said: “A Walk of Faith in the parish which pre-dates 1900 is going to be marginalized.
“A religious and heritage event is being degraded. It is a great disappointment to us”.
The Stretton Walking Day Committee had applied to Warrington Borough Council to close a 300-yard stretch of the A49 for just 10 minutes on Saturday, July 15 to make way for the traditional village walk.
Police want payment to cover walk-manning – and the council said its funding for local walks only stretched so far.
Stretton’s walk failed to pick up enough points to secure funding, bringing about the village’s first ?pavement walk?.
Mr Jump said it was unfortunate that the borough council and police had taken this action – especially as they fully supported the Bawming the Thorn festival in nearby Appleton Thorn.
“I know that St Matthew’s Vicar, the Rev Elaine Chegwin-Hall, will be greatly disappointed that the walk cannot take place in the traditional way. Our heritage is being marginalized”, he declared.
It is expected that around 200 people will take part in the walk.
A number of other festivals and galas have had to discontinue processions or drastically amend routes because of the funding issue. These include Glazebury Gala and Grappenhall Walking Day.
Telecoms firm’s top award
WARRINGTON-based Martin Dawes Systems has scored a telecoms industry coup, winning top prize in the World Billing Awards.
MDS provided BT Mobile with specialist management systems and team skills for the operator’s BT Fusion customers.
Tom Hodgson, MDS sales and marketing director, said: “We’re extremely pleased to win this award with BT Mobile for our work on BT Fusion for the corporate market”.
Historic machinery
should be kept in village
by Lesley Wilkinson
HISTORIC machinery at The Forge Shopping Centre, Stockton Heath should be kept in the village, a local resident believes.
The machinery ? which has been a feature of the shopping centre for more than 20 years ? has to be moved to make way for redevelopment of the shopping centre.
But no decision has yet been made on what to do with it.
Resident Patrick Mullee told Stockton Heath Parish Council: “This is part of the village’s history and we should fight to keep in the area.”
Members heard several sites had been considered as a new location.
Clerk Peter Briggs said there had been some difficulty over moving the machine. He agreed to arrange a site visit with the site owners and other interested parties, to consider its future.
The machinery consists of a rolling mill, a cutter and a lathe and was originally owned by local family firm Caldwell?s, who once operated from the site.
Caldwell?s manufactured tools ? including those used for the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal.
Police seek feedback
from victims of crime
by Terry Johnson
POLICE at Warrington are to ask victims of crime if they are ?happy? with the service received from investigating officers.
Peoples’ views are being harnessed, for the first time locally, to give both “positive and negative feedback”.
Said Supt David Bertenshaw: “We will be asking a sample of victims if they are satisfied with the actions taken by officers – if they feel reassured or otherwise, and most importantly, why?”
Govt surveys were already carried out, but these did not show why people are happy or unhappy with the service they get.
Such information is vital in assessing local training and service needs.
Crime victims in Warrington and Halton will shortly be hearing from the police again. They will be contacted by ‘phone or postal questionnaire.
Warning to old folk
on dangers of falling
by John Hendon
ELDERLY people are to be urged to exchange their “sloppy slippers” to prevent a nasty fall at a National Falls Awareness Day event in Warrington on June 27.
The town’s Primary Care Trust and The Pension Service will be giving advice on falls and fractures reduction; there will be chair-based exercises; advice on benefits for the over-60’s….and a sloppy-slipper exchange!
The event is at Birchwood Shopping Centre, from 10.00am-3.00pm.
A PCT spokeswoman said: “Raising awareness of falls is still a critical issue since one person dies every five hours as a result of falling.
“It remains the biggest cause of accidental death for older people”.
Sex attack on
teenage girl
by staff report
POLICE are investigating an alleged sex attack on a teenage girl in the centre of Warrington.
The 19-year-old girl was walking along Academy Way in the early hours of the morning when she was followed by a group of youths from the Bridge Street area.
They ran up to her and indecently assaulted her before running off.
The girl was not seriously hurt but was badly shaken.
Police are seeking witnesses of the attack. Anyone who can help is asked to call PC Moira Hay on 01244 613835.
Car forced off M6
by road rage driver
by staff reporter
TWO people escaped injury when their car was forced off the M6 motorway near Warrington in what is believed to have been a road rage incident.
The Saab convertible careered off the carriageway, flipped over and ended up in a copse after being clipped by another car.
Amazingly, neither of the occupants was hurt.
Police are trying to trace the other vehicle involved in the incident.
It is believed the crash was preceded by an incident in which one car would not move over to allow another to pass.
Smaller chairs
requested
by staff reporter
USERS of the Sandy Lane Centre, Stockton Heath, have asked for the large armchairs to be removed to give more space.
Coun Wendy Emsley told Stockton Heath Parish Council that the Users Committee was asking Social Services if the chairs could be replaced with smaller ones.
“People were asking for dancing and other activities to be reinstated,” she said.
Members heard that following the refurbishment of the centre after a fire, it was used more frequently by Social Services. Many of the activities previously offered had ceased.
