Police hunt for dogs
after woman savaged
by David Skentelbery
A WOMAN was taken to hospital at Warrington after being savaged by one of two vicious dogs.
Another, smaller, dog is thought to have been attacked by the pair ? Rotweilller-Staffordshire Bull terrier crossbreeds ? and left for dead in a park.
Police are trying to trace the dogs and their owner following the horrific attack just outside Ridgway Grundy Memorial Park, Lymm.
A 65-year-old local woman was walking near the gate to the park in Maltman?s Road when the two dogs emerged from the park.
Neither was on a lead and there was no sign of the owner.
The smaller of the two dogs ? which had a light brown face ? bit the woman on the calf, causing a nasty wound which bled profusely.
A friend took the woman to Warrington Hospital for emergency treatment.
Shortly after the incident, the two dogs were being seen being placed in blue, Transit-type van.
Both animals were wearing leather, studded collars.
Police were later told that another dog had been attacked in the park and ?left for dead?.
Community Support Officer Daren Dennis is appealing for anyone who witnessed the incident or saw the dogs? owner putting them in the van to contact him on 0845 458 6372.
Theatre stalwarts
made life members
by Mark Hemmings
TWO women with a total of 82 years service as members of Warrington-based Centenary Theatre Company have been made life members.
Anita Warburton and Pat Taylor both from Grappenhall have both been active on and off the stage ? with Anita taking a number of leading roles and Pat being chairman for five years.
Anita has 42 years service, first appearing in 1964 in Gilbert and Sullivan?s ?The Mikado?
Pat has 40 years and also made her debut in a Savoy opera ? ?The Gondoliers.”
Anita went on to play a number of memorable parts, including Maria in ?The Sound of Music? and Bloody Mary in ?South Pacific.”
She also served as a committee member for 18 years ? 16 years as ticket secretary.
She said: “I feel really honoured to be made a life member and will wear my badge with pride.?
Pat preferred to concentrate on behind-the-scenes roles, and was stage manager until the company?s recent move to the Brindley Theatre at Runcorn.
She was chairman for five years and vice chairman for three.
Pat said: “I am absolutely delighted to have been made a life member – it is of course a great honour for me.?
Centenary present their next production, Willy Russell’s play “Educating Rita” between September 20-24 followed by Jerry Herman’s “Hello Dolly!” between October 20-24.
Children get crash course
on dealing with bullies
by Terry Johnson
MORE than 1,200 Warrington schoolchildren are to be given a crash course in dealing with the trauma of bullying as they step up from primary to secondary school classes.
?Coping strategies? take place over the next two weeks at the innovative Warrington Peace Centre, run by the Tim Parry-Johnathan Ball Trust.
A ?5,850 grant from British Nuclear Group and a Warrington Council arts action award enable the centre to teach conflict-resolution skills and final-year primary pupils deal with older bullies.
Said project leader, Kerry Hosken: “Transition to secondary school can be an extremely daunting prospect. By developing their knowledge and understanding of bullying we hope children will approach this with confidence”.
A new theatre company, ‘Nugent Education’, will present a play which addresses bullying from a victim’s perspective, that of the bully and the bystander. The play also explores hi-tec bullying in the form of texts and emails.
Special workshops will discuss issues raised and insight be given into bullying in different countries and cultures.
Pauline Deans, BNG’s community affairs officer, said: “We are pleased to be supporting this initiative as part of our community programme. It will help teach and develop conflict-resolution skills and also help stop physical and verbal bullying and intimidation”.
Police ready for trouble as
World Cup tensions grow
by Terry Johnson
RELATIONSHIPS experts and police are bracing themselves for a possible surge in domestic abuse as World Cup tensions escalate.
The Warrington-based Relationships Centre is urging emotionally charged fans: ?Give domestic violence the red card?.
And Cheshire Police are drafting extra bobbies into the town centre to guard against drink binges which could spiral out of control.
“We want people to have a good time – but don’t want them to drink too much”, said Chief Inspector Chris Clarke.
Relationship advisors say boozy match-watching and ?high emotions? can easily trigger domestic abuse.
Service Director, Pam Arnold, said: “It is a sad fact that all types of crime, including domestic abuse, tend to increase during major sporting events like the World Cup.
“People are drinking more alcohol and this can be a trigger factor. Our advice to anyone worried that they or a family friend may be more at risk is to ‘think safety first.'” The centre gives these tips for non-fans:
Be honest with your partner. Tell them if you feel neglected – just don’t tackle the subject in the middle of a big match!
Try to empathise: understand just how important the World Cup really is to your partner.
Try ?sharing? matches with your partner and his passions for the beautiful game.
Fans themselves should plan to manage TV coverage and decide which events are just ?unmissable?.
Anyone needing relationship advice should contact: 0800-7839636.
Police high visibility patrols will be in Warrington centre during key matches.
They have powers to seize alcohol and make random spot-checks of licensed premises.
School campaigner
to question council
by David Skentelbery
?SAVE our School? campaigner Patrick Mullee is to pose a question at Monday?s meeting of Warrington Borough Council.
Mr Mullee, (pictured)a former member of Stockton Heath Parish Council who quit over the proposals to demolish the village?s century-old primary school and replace it with a new one has given notice of question he wishes to put at the meeting.
He will point out that at a meeting of the development control committee on March 20, when planning consent for the scheme was refused, the meeting was told the decision made at the meeting was final and ?irreversible.?
His question will be: ?By whose authority and why has this decision been ignored, resulting in more public money being spent going through a similar but more rushed (and probably just as flawed) process.?
Mr Mullee said borough education chiefs are still trying to push through a scheme that would mean the demolition of the school, even though money is available to refurbish the existing buildings.
He claimed the wishes of local people ? more than 4,000 of who signed a petition opposing the demolition ? are being ignored.
But he added: ?We will not give up the fight. We are as anxious as anyone to have a good school for the children of the village. But we don?t want it at the cost of losing our heritage.?
The Government has made some ?3.4 million available for providing modern accommodation for the school ? whether by replacement or refurbishment. But the borough council says refurbishment would cost an extra ?500,000 and would lead to a less satisfactory solution.
Wheelchair users will
benefit from new service
by John Hendon
PEOPLE across Warrington who need a wheelchair assessment will benefit from reduced waiting times when the NHS Wheelchair Service moves to new premises on July 3.
The service is moving to 226, Europa Boulevard at the Gemini Retail Park, where the assessment, storage, repair and delivery of wheelchairs on long-term loan will be located. It is the first time all aspects of the servic
e will be on one site.
A working group which included service users, carers and representatives from the voluntary sector was involved in a redesign of the service.
Louise Jenkins, independent living manager for Warrington PCT, said: “We want people to be as independent and mobile as possible; a wheelchair can make a huge difference to people’s lives.
“By bringing all the functions of our service together, we can give our clients a better overall service. This includes shorter waiting times between being assessed and receiving a specially adapted wheelchair.
“The assessment service is presently located at Beaufort Street where there is limited space. The new building is fit-for-purpose, which means we have room for expansion.”
There are currently 4,500 people across Warrington who use a wheelchair loaned from the service, which may include specialist seating and pressure care, prescribed following comprehensive assessment by a wheelchair therapist.
The NHS Wheelchair Service is complimented by a short-term loan service run by Warrington Disability Partnership, which is part funded by the PCT. The Wheelchair and Independent Living Equipment Loans Service has a range of equipment which people can borrow for up to six weeks.
