Bids in for “sports
village” funding
by Lesley Wilkinson
BIDS have gone in for national funding towards the cost of a multi-million ? plan for a regional ?sports village? at Warrington.
Borough council chiefs will be seeking backing from a variety of sources for the innovative Orford Park Project.
The council will be seeking external funding to cover the cost of building and running the facilities.
Agencies such as Sport England, Football Foundation, the Big Lottery Fund and the North West Development Agency are being approached.
The project is a major public/private sector regeneration initiative aimed at improving the quality of life for local people.
This will be achieved through the integration of sports, leisure, community, health and education services on a single site in Orford Park.
Warrington Wolves are expected to play a part in the scheme.
Coun Ian Marks, leader of the council, (pictured)said: “The Orford Park Project, through its ambitions, will have a major impact on the lives of people in the area and across the borough.
?I fully support and commend the vision behind this initiative and hope it will mark the beginning of things to come in Orford and Warrington.”
High school closures:
consultation finishes
by David Skentelbery
PUBLIC consultation on Warrington?s controversial review of secondary education ? which has put the future of two major high schools in doubt ? ends tomorrow (Friday).
Education chiefs will then study the findings and a report will be presented to the borough council?s executive board on September 17.
A number of options are being considered ? including closure of either Woolston or Padgate high schools or closure of one of their sixth forms.
Both schools ? backed by parents ? have been campaigning to stay open.
But education chiefs have to tackle the problem of dwindling numbers of secondary school pupils across the borough ? particularly in the Padgate and Woolston areas.
Earlier public consultation exercises on secondary education in Warrington have been criticised as being inadequate and as a result a number of recommendations were put forward by the borough council?s education scrutiny working group.
These included:
Considering the community impact of school closures and consulting the users of school community facilities.
Allowing people at consultation meetings to express their views in small groups rather than being forced to speak in front of a large audience.
Carrying out consultation during term time.
Consideration be given to partnering arrangements between primary and high schools on a borough-wide basis.
The current review covers central and eastern Warrington and included four high schools. But only Padgate and Woolston have been considered for closure.
A series of 21 surgery-style events has taken place at times to enable parents, carers, residents and young people to discuss the issues concerning them. There were also public meetings at Woolston and Padgate high schools. The exercise covered a six week period.
A report on the consultation will be considered by the borough council?s Children?s Services scrutiny and overview committee next week.
Adam strikes gold
with play garden
by Lesley Wilkinson
FORMER Bridgewater High School pupil Adam White scooped two medals at the prestigious RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in London.
Now he is recreating his award-winning garden at the RHS Tatton Park Flower Show.
Landscape architect Adam, son of Paul White who has a sports shop in Warrington Market, is visiting the family home at Appleton Thorn between the two shows.
Adam, who now works in West London, designed the Groundwork Playscape show garden at Hampton Court and won both a RHS Gold and the BBC People?s Choice Award. It is rare for a first-time designer to win a gold.
He studied horticulture at the Cheshire College of Agriculture and Landscape Architecture at Manchester Metropolitan University. In his spare time he enjoys cycling, rowing and acting as bingo caller/ quizmaster at charity events.
He has worked for environmental charity Groundwork for nine years – the past two as principal landscape architect with Groundwork West London.
During the past 12 months, he has pioneered the Playscape approach to play area design. This marks a return to simple pleasures in garden creation including grassy mounds, timber decking, trees, water, bridges and boulders complemented by modern commercial play equipment. Fun planting includes chestnut trees for conkers and daisy lawns for making daisy chains.
Adam said: “It has been a thoroughly challenging and exciting journey to bring the Groundwork Playscape project to such a huge audience. To win the RHS Gold and BBC Peoples Choice Award and then be invited to recreate the garden at RHS Tatton Park was totally unexpected.
“By the end of July almost 270,000 people will have visited the Groundwork Playscape show garden and we hope many these of visitors will be inspired to question how play areas are designed in their local communities.”
It is hoped his garden will continue after the shows and funding is being sought to relocate it to a community park in West London.
Warning over
fake toothpaste
by Lesley Wilkinson
PEOPLE in Warrington are being urged to be on the lookout for potentially dangerous counterfeit toothpaste on sale in the town.
Warrington Borough Council’s Trading Standards officers have made a number of seizures of fake Sensodyne, which has been sold illegally throughout the country.
It contains a toxic ingredient that could be dangerous for young children, the elderly and anybody with kidney or liver problems.
Officers say the fake Sensodyne has no connection with the authentic version manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline. The counterfeit version is being sold in 50ml tubes and can be identified by a mixture of Arabic and English writing on the packaging. They are being sold cheaply by unauthorised vendors on streets, in discount shops and in markets and car boot sales.
Anyone who thinks they have used an “illegal” toothpaste should consult a doctor immediately and report it to the police or trading standards.
Coun Roy Smith, the borough council?s executive member for community services, said: “We need all residents and retailers to be extra vigilant to this product, which could have severe consequences for anybody who uses it. I’d urge all residents not to purchase this and report anybody they find to be selling it.”
Art students put their
work on exhibition
by Lesley Wilkinson
ART students from a range of courses at Priestley College, Warrington, were given the opportunity to display their work in public.
Scores of visitors viewed the week-long exhibition held at the campus in Loushers Lane. It marked the end of a successful year for the students.
During the academic year, the Art and Design curriculum area was short listed for Beacon status. This followed work students had completed on the theme of urban renewal in the Ropewalks district of Liverpool.
Individual achievement was high for students. One example was students from the BTEC National Diploma qualification in Art and Design (equivalent to 3 A-Levels). Nine of them landed distinctions across the board.
One graduate from the Art Foundation programme, Peter Regan produced a video documentary based on Polish life in the town.
Andrea Marren, head of Art and Design, said: “It is always useful for students to display their work in an exhibition setting as it gives them valuable experience that they will need at both university and in their chosen careers.”
Warning to van drivers
after tools are stolen
by John Hendon
POLICE have issued a warning to van drivers in Warrington after a spate of thefts of high-quality t
ools.
Officers are urging anyone who owns or drives a van for work to remove valuable items overnight – in a bid to deter would-be thieves.
Over the past two weeks there have been numerous thefts from vans. The items have been stolen from vans parked overnight on residential streets and retail and industrial parks. Items stolen have included laptops and tools totalling thousands of pounds. Many of these have included high-value Dewalt and Makita power tools.
“It takes seconds to remove these items from your van so lock them safely inside your house, garage or workplace overnight,” said Detective Inspector Mark Bradley.
Police are also urging everyone to check their current security measures and to consider taking a few extra steps to increase security and make their vehicle less of a target.
Locks or other security devices will always put criminals off. If a van is fitted with an alarm it should be switched on every time the vehicle is left unattended.
Insp Bradley said valuables should be marked – especially any tools or other items used for work. Marking can help trace a stolen item as well as the person who stole it. Valuable should not be left on display.
“We would appeal to the community for assistance and we would welcome any information that could help us with our enquiries,” he said.
If anyone has any information regarding thefts from vans in the area that could help police with their enquiries please call 0845 458 0000 or Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Advice on how to keep a van secure can be obtained from the local crime reduction advisor on 01244 613862.
Higher education students
get a funding boost
by Lesley Wilkinson
INCREASED funding which will enable more students from the town to go on to higher education, has been welcomed by Warrington South MP Helen Southworth.
New Government proposals mean that one in three students will be eligible for maintenance grants worth ?2,700 per year, according to the MP.
She said a further third of students will also receive partial grants, an increase of 150,000 per year. Plans are for all students from households with an income up to ?60,000, to receive some financial help. Those with a household income under ?25,000, will receive full grants.
Mrs Southworth said: “I am delighted that even more young people in Warrington will now be eligible for financial assistance to help cover the costs of their degrees.
“It is really important that the opportunities presented by higher education are opened up to all those students who want to go to university or college, and these changes will help to ensure that financial barriers to education are removed.”
News in brief
Flood problems
MEMBERS of Appleton Parish Council are concerned about repeated flooding of Park Lane, Appleton near to Walton Hall Golf Course.
Coun John Price said a simple solution would be to instal a land drain through the hedge to a pond on the golf course. The matter is to be raised with Warrington Borough Council.
Plans rejected
PLANS for a storage building for grain and straw at Holcroft Hall Farm, Holcroft Lane, Culcheth, Warrington have been thrown out by borough council development control chiefs.
Police meeting
THE next Police Community Action Meeting for the Appleton, Stretton and Hatton area will be on Wednesday, August 15 at Appleton Parish Hall in Dudlow Green Road at 7pm.
Mast to move
WARRINGTON Amateur Radio Club has won planning consent to reposition an existing mast and antenna at their headquarters at Grappenn Hall and Thelwall Community Centre in Bellhouse Lane, Grappenhall.
