Council scores highly
in waste disposal test
by staff reporter
COUNCIL chiefs at Warrington were asked to face up to a future dogged by horrendous problems over waste and landfill ? and emerged triumphant.
Independent assessors decided the borough council had achieved a higher score than any other local authority enrolled in the Planit Waste scheme ? an interactive learning exercise for councils on landfill and waste issues.
As part of the exercise, potential future problems that councils could face were simulated and councillors and officers were judged on how well they coped with them.
The various scenarios were designed to put the Warrington team through their paces ? and showed that on waste and landfill issues the town is in safe hands.
Waste and landfill sites pose a growing problem for all councils, with dwindling landfill space and the increasing dependence on recycling.
It is estimated that waste will have to be cut by 80 per cent of the current amount by 2020 if a crisis is to be averted.
Many of the simulations focussed on consultation with households, schools and local businesses and how they could work together to find a solution.
Coun Brian Axcell, (pictured)the council?s executive member for Environment Services, said: ” All local authorities have to reduce the volume of waste they send to landfill.
?The purpose of this exercise was for officers and members to work together to consider what options can be pursued. It proved a very useful exercise and highlighted the need for the council to consult and work with our residents to find the best way forward for Warrington”.
Career change
for Lynette
by Lesley Wilkinson
A WOMAN who swapped spreadsheets for bed sheets has trained as a midwife after studying as a mature student.
Following the birth of her two children former senior finance officer Lynette Hinde, 39, of Paddington, Warrington, decided on a career change.
She took A’ level biology at night school to top up her qualifications before enrolling on a midwifery degree course. She studied the theoretical part of her course at the University of Chester, Chester Campus, and the practical side at Leighton Hospital, Crewe.
During her final year she was awarded the valedictory prize for clinical excellence – an annual award by course tutors for exceptionally high marks.
Lynette said: “I enjoy setting up a rapport with people – even if I am only with them for a few hours. I believe it is very important to keep a woman informed every step of the way.
“You have to deliver 40 babies before you graduate and I am convinced I made the right career choice. It is a fantastic feeling being able to help bring a new life into the world. ” She is now working as a registered midwife at Leighton Hospital.
“Cultural week”
plan for village
by David Skentelbery
AN annual ?cultural week? is being planned at Stockton Heath, near Warrington ? an opportunity for arts groups in the village to join together for a festival of music, dance, art, drama, etc.
Stockton Heath Parish Council has set up a working group, led by Coun Tudor Pole, to draw up detailed proposals for the event.
Councillors have already been in touch with organisers of the Lymm Festival ? set up seven years ago and now a popular event in the village calendar ? with a view to organising it in a similar way.
Coun Pole said: ?We will start in a small way. We don?t expect to be able to match the Lymm festival which has been going for seven years.?
The working group will examine the feasibility of staging arts and cultural events at various venues in the village. Churches, schools, pubs, etc could be involved as well as clubs and societies.
Council chairman Coun Celia Jordan said: ?I am sure that is plenty of talent in Stockton Heath.?
Coun Pole added: ?There is a lot of goodwill out there and a lot of people prepared to help.?
Youth attacked in
as he walked home
by staff reporter
A YOUTH was attacked in the street for no apparent reason as he walked home at Warrington.
The 17-year-old was walking along Loushers Lane at about 9pm on Wednesday when he was approached by another youth of about the same age who was drinking from a beer can.
Without warning, the other youth punched him in the face and then struck him with the can, causing a wound under his left eye which required stitches.
The offender was described as being about 17, 5ft 4 inches tall, wearing a dark blue track suit and navy blue cap.
Anyone who can help police is asked to call PC Amanda Cotterell on 0845 458 0000.
Specialist nurse Gillian
is a serial learner
by staff reporter
MATURE student Gillian Seddon, from Great Sankey, Warrington, is proving to be something of a serial learner, after obtaining no less than five qualifications in the past 10 years and with a sixth course due to start in February.
Her most recent qualification is a BSc (Hons) Specialist Practice Community (Occupational Health) Degree from the University of Chester.
Gillian said: “I did not set out deliberately to continue taking courses, but I consider each qualification has been necessary, as they have enabled me to become an efficient, effective and knowledgeable occupational health practitioner.”
When she left school, Gillian had hoped to go into social work but struggled to find a job because of her age and lack of life experiences.
She said: “I decided to train as a nurse in order to gain life experiences but never went back to social work. I have been nursing for 24 years now, the last nine of which have involved specialising in occupational health.
“I trained as a state enrolled nurse at Wythenshawe Hospital and stayed there until 1987 when I got married and moved back to Warrington, finding a job at Warrington Hospital.
“My study ladder commenced in 1995 when I decided to upgrade my qualification to state registered nurse. By 1997, I was looking for a change from ward work and was interested in the possibility of training or occupational health nursing.”
Gillian worked as an occupational health nurse with a pharmaceutical company for four years. During her time with the company, she acquired a Post Graduate Diploma in Health Care Practice, a NEBOSH health and safety qualification and a Certificate in Personnel Practice.
In 2002, Gillian returned to the NHS, joining the occupational health department at 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Trust, Warrington, Gillian jumped at the opportunity of a new specialist practitioner degree in occupational health, made available in 2005 at the University of Chester’s Warrington Campus.
Gillian said: “My next course will be a Post Graduate Diploma at the Warrington Campus, which involves part-time study. But in the meantime I am enjoying some leisure time – I even managed to go horse riding last week, the first time since I was a teenager!”
Prison officer taken
to hospital after fire
by staff reporter
THREE fire engines were called to Risley Prison, near Warrington after fire broke out in a ground floor cell.
The blaze was tackled by prison staff, however and had been extinguished by the time fire crews from Warrington and Birchwood reached the scene.
One prison officer was taken to hospital by ambulance suffering from the effects of smoke but was not thought to be seriously harmed.
The cause of the outbreak is under investigation.
Residents call for
better bus service
by staff reporter
RESIDENTS of Ellesmere Road ? which is partly in Stockton Heath and partly in Walton ? are campaigning for an improved bus service.
Currently, just one bus goes down the road on just two days of the week.
Coun Peter Walker told Stockton Heath Parish Council: ?Residents are asking for a more frequent bus service.
?The bus company says th
ere isn?t sufficient demand but one of the residents is doing a survey to try and show that there is.
?At present only one bus goes down Ellesmere Road, from the Walton end and turns left over the swing bridge into Warrington.
?There are people who would like a more frequent service to get into Stockton Heath.?
The council are to await the result of the survey.
Police warning after
doorstep thieves strike
by John Hendon
POLICE at Warrington have issued a warning to pensioners after two ?doorstep burglaries? on the same day.
Two men posing as water board workers got away with jewellery and cash from a house in Gerrard Road, Croft while another man duped a householders in Mendip Road, Orford out of money.
Anyone with information about either incident is asked to call police on 0845 458 0000.
Both offences were on Wednesday. At Croft, two men called at an elderly man?s home and said they were from the water board. They gained admission to the house and got away with a quantity of jewellery and cash.
Both spoke with a Liverpool accident. One was tall, with a black jacket and flat cap. The other was short, with dark hair. Both were in their 20s.
The Orford offence involved a man aged 24-28 who offered to get cigarettes for the householder. He was given money but later returned without any cigarettes and asked for more money. When the householder refused he asked if he could use the toilet ? and was again refused.
He then said he would got cigarettes and left ? but did not return.
Police say he was about 5ft 8 inches tall with mousy hair and wore a dark tracksuit with the word ATIMEX on the top. He also wore white trainers.
News in brief
Litter pick
SIXTEEN bags of rubbish were collected in Stockton Heath village when members of the Warrington Clean Team carried out a blitz on litter.
Extension refused
PLANS for a two storey front extension and detached garage at a house in Matlock Close, Great Sankey, have been rejected by Warrington planners.
Hospital lottery
WINNING numbers in the weekly lottery run by the League of Friends of Warrington Hospital were 2, 4, 8 and 12. The ?371 jackpot went unclaimed and will be “rolled over” to next week.
Cottage plan
PLANS to demolish a front extension at September Cottage in Dam Lane, Rixton have been given the green light by planning chiefs. The scheme also includes removal of an arched wall at the side and construction of a carport with a shower room in the roofspace.
