Armed raid on town
centre travel agent
by David Skentelbery
A MAN armed with a handgun got away with a substantial amount of cash from a travel agent?s shop in Warrington town centre.
Sterling and foreign cash and traveller?s cheques were grabbed in the raid on the Going Places shop in Buttermarket Street.
The raider ? a man about 5ft 8 inches tall and in his mid-30s ? ran off in the direction of Town Hill.
Police said the man entered the shop brandishing a small, black gun with a criss-cross pattern on it.
He threatened staff and then made off with the money.
No-one was hurt, but staff were left badly shaken.
Police said the man was slightly tanned with stubble and reddish coloured hair. He was wearing a dark blue, one-piece boiler suit, a dark woollen hat and silver rimmed glasses and was carrying a canvas bag.
He had been spotted loitering outside the shop for some time prior to going in.
Anyone who can help police is asked to call DC Alison Howarth on 01244 613730.
A good hair day
for young stylists
by Lesley Wilkinson
STUDENT hair stylists from Warrington Collegiate won a two-day competition held at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens.
The 10 Warrington youngsters competed against stylists from across the UK, to take a number of awards including the top spot.
They won the Goldwell College of the Year award for creating stunning evening and daytime styles for the catwalk.
One of the collegiate’s teams came first in the Club Scene event and students also won two second places and one third, for separate blow-drying categories.
Hairdressing tutor Lynsey Chorley said: “I’m so proud of the students and how well they did. The competition was of a very high standard. For such a small team of Level One and Two students, walking away with the College of the Year trophy was just fantastic.”
CCTV firm wins
Queen’s Award
by Lesley Wilkinson
A WARRINGTON company that develops equipment for tackling crime on transport has been awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise.
CCTV manufacturer AD Group, the parent company of Dedicated Micros, won in the Innovation category, for its advanced TransVu system which is helping to tackle crime on the move.
The compact multi-camera digital CCTV recorder can be fitted to a wide range of vehicles including trains, buses, taxis and heavy goods vehicles.
It features total network integration, automatically downloading images and incidents, eliminating the need for time consuming manual archiving. It also has security measures to prevent tampering, and GPS to allow the vehicle’s position to be identified.
Company spokesman Mike Newton said: “The Queen’s Award is a great honour for AD Group and we are particularly delighted that it reflects our position as a real pioneer in the CCTV industry.
“Our business thrives by being ahead of the competition, when we innovate – with TransVu being a prime example – it’s not simply by adding a bell or whistle to a box but by introducing something genuinely new.”
Cartoon character’s
Wizard gesture
by Gary Skentelbery
A RAFFLE and tombola organised by Warrington Disability Partnership helped raise more than ?1,500 towards the re-fit of the Wizard narrow boat.
Cartoon favourite Sponge Bob Square Pants visited Warrington Market and helped WDP founder Dave Thompson with the Easter Raffle draw.
WDP spokesman Jon Menzies said: “We would like to thank the market management and its traders for their kind donations.
“We are optimistic that the boat will be re-fitted next month and be back in the water before June but we still need help to raise more funds.”
Meanwhile the next WDP quiz takes place at St Oswalds Social Club, Padgate Lane, on Friday May 12 at 7:30pm. It costs ?2 per person on the door with proceeds of the night going to the Wizard appeal.
WDP are also looking for additional volunteers to help crew the Wizard over the summer season and are also looking to offer additional day trips along the scenic Bridgewater Canal over the weekends if they can provide enough cover.
Call Jon Menzies on 01925 240064 for further details.
Bus driver was
punched in face
by John Hendon
A BUS driver who refused to allow three youths to board his bus without paying fares was struck in the face.
Police at Warrington are seeking witnesses of the attack which took place on a Warrington Borough Transport bus at Gorse Covert.
The three youths tried to get on the bus but said they didn?t have enough money for the fare.
When the 46-year-old driver said he could not let them on the bus, one of them struck him in the face before they all ran off.
Police say the offenders were aged about 14 or 15.
Anyone who witnessed the attack or has information about the offenders is asked to call DC Steve Deehan on 0845 4580000.
Use real nappies to save
?500 – and the environment
by staff reporter
PARENTS are being encouraged to use real cotton nappies for their babies to help the environment and save money.
Warrington is marking “Real Nappy Week” with initiatives to inform parents of the benefits of using cotton nappies compared with single-use disposables.
The week is co-ordinated by the Women’s Environmental Network and the Real Nappy Campaign. Organisers claim that most families could save up to ?500 per baby by using and washing modern cotton nappies at home.
They are offering a 75 per cent discount on nappy starter packs and an introductory offer to the weekly nappy laundry service, both provided by CottonTails.
Warrington Borough Council is backing the national initiative. Campaigners say three billion nappies a year – eight million a day – are thrown away in the UK. This gives a disposal cost to individual local authorities of thousands of pounds per year.
The council is offering advice on how parents can help the environment by a series of measures including washing nappies at 60 degrees Centigrade, hanging them outside rather than tumble-drying and not ironing nappies.
Man attacked and
robbed of mobile
by staff reporter
A YOUNG man was attacked and robbed of his mobile phone as he walked along Barbauld Street, Warrington.
The 20-year-old was with a 19-year-old friend near the junction with Rylands Street when a complete stranger walked up to him and punched him, knocking him to the ground.
After snatching the victim?s mobile phone, the man walked off in the direction of Cairo Street.
The victim required hospital treatment for a black eye and other face injuries.
Police are appealing for witnesses. They say the attacker was in the early 20s, about 6ft tall of medium to stocky build. He had fair hair, stubble and was wearing blue jeans and a white T-shirt.
Anyone who can help should call police on 01244 613845.
Woman, 30, charged
with robbery
by staff reporter
A 30-year-old woman has been charged with robbery, following an incident reported in Warrington-Worldwide yesterday (Tuesday).
The woman, of no fixed address, was due to appear before the town’s magistrates today.
Police say the charge relates to an alleged incident after the woman had met an elderly woman outside Sainsbury’s supermarket in Warrington, engaged her in conversation and later followed her and robbed her.
