Everest hero Stuart’s new
job – climbing mountains
by David Skentelbery
EVEREST conqueror Stuart Peacock has landed himself a dream job – climbing mountains.
The 33-year-old from Penketh, near Warrington has just climbed Cho Oyu, on the China-Nepal border – at 26,906 ft the sixth highest mountain in the world.
Earlier in the year he climbed Everest for the second time, leading a team which included two 19-year-olds, the youngest British climbers to ever scale the world’s highest mountain.
Now he’s preparing to tackle Aconcagua, in Argentina, at 22,834 the highest mountain outside the Himalayas.
He has now conquered three of the 14 peaks in the world which are over 8,000 metres – Everest (29,035 ft), Kanchenjunga (28,169 ft) and Cho Oyu.
Which is not bad going for someone who three years ago lost his job in electronics and sold his house to finance his first ascent of Everest! Stuart’s fortunes changed when the climbing company which took him on his first assault on Everest offered him a job as an expedition leader.
He said: “I had dreamed of getting a job in climbing but I never really expected the dream to come true – getting paid for doing what I love most.
“It opens up all sorts of possibilities.”
He led a party of 11 up Cho Oyu (which means Turquoise Goddess in Tibetan) which is just 12 miles west of Everest. The mountain was first attempted in 1952 and first climbed two years later.
Its peak offers a magnificent view of the towering Everest.
Stuart’s job means he is out of the country three or four months of the year. The rest of time he works from an office in Ambleside – and keeps fit for his next expedition by climbing and fell-running in the Lake District.
He still has a dream – of climbing each of the seven highest mountains in the seven continents. Already he has three under his belt. He already has a medal, presented by the Kingdom of Nepal, for being only the 16th Briton to climb Everest by its North summit.
Back home in Penketh, proud mum Mavis Peacock is used to getting messages from her son, via satellite ‘phone, from lofty peaks all over the world.
She said: “He has been climbing since he was a Scout at 10 and I know his aim is to climb all the seven peaks.
” Stuart has taken high quality video footage on most of his climbs and uses it when he lectures on mountaineering. But he also uses it encourage local scouts to take an interest in climbing – because he has never forgotten that his own love of mountaineering started there.
MP joins campaign to
end abuse of shopworkers
by staff reporter
WARRINGTON North MP Helen Jones joined members of the shopworkers union USDAW at the Birchwood Shopping Centre to highlight the union?s campaign against physical and verbal abuse of shopworkers.
USDAW members from Warrington and around the country had been attending a summer school at the union?s Warrington offices, at which Ms Jones was a guest speaker, before they congregated in Birchwood.
Sadly there has been an increase in the number of verbal and physical attacks on shopworkers.
Birchwood town Councillors, Chris Fitzsimmons, Pauline Nelson and Tony Higgins joined the union members and the MP. Over a period of an hour and a half more than 500 signatures were collected and campaign literature handed out.
Ms Jones said: ?The freedom from fear message is important to get across to people.
Shoppers should realise that even if they are experiencing a problem in a shop it does not entitle them to swear, threaten or assault staff. This behaviour is simply not acceptable.
? It was very encouraging to receive such strong support from the shoppers at Birchwood shopping centre.?
Burglaries and car thefts
slashed by 20 per cent
by Terry Johnson
BURGLARIES from Warrington homes fell a significant 20 per cent between April-June, compared with the previous year’s quarter.
And there was a further reassuring 20 per cent fall in vehicle thefts.
Latest crime figures for the town show 227 recorded burglaries, April-June – 56 down on the same period of 2005.
There were 171 vehicle thefts – a fall of 44.
Violent crime eased by two per cent, from 1,076 offences to 1,051.
The Home Office statistics show the burglary detection rate improved by 13 per cent and violent crime detection by seven per cent.
But thefts from vehicles is a persistent problem: there were 471 during the measured quarter, an eight per cent increase.
The number of detections, however, is up 14 per cent.
Cheshire Police say that crime overall has fallen, with more people reporting that the force is doing a good job. There were bigger reductions in violent crime, burglary and vehicle thefts than the national average.
A six per cent drop in Cheshire crime during this period meant 1,441 fewer victims.
Assistant Chief Constable, David Baines, said: “We are working hard in local communities to tackle crime and disorder on the streets.
“Neighbourhood policing and working in partnership with local people is definitely achieving results”.
Students in the pink
STUDENTS and staff brought a distinctive pink tinge to the campus at Warrington?s Priestley College as they launched a programme of events to help Breast Cancer charities.
The college community dressed in pink for the activities, which raised more than ?500.
Spokesman Nat Ashurst said: “Everybody got into the spirit of the day and enjoyed themselves.”
Jane lands her
“perfect role”
by Mark Hemmings
WARRINGTON resident Jane Barker has secured herself a new executive role.
Working for national healthcare cash plan provider HealthSure, Jane will manage more than 200 accounts across south Manchester, Nottingham, Derby and Stoke.
Jane, from Grappenhall, will also be responsible for raising awareness of HealthSure’s policies and increasing the uptake with individuals and small to medium sized employers. She will visit existing and new customers and undertake regular sales and marketing activities including seminars, presentations and promotions.
Jane said: “This is truly the perfect role for me. During my career, I have worked in various sales roles but I also have five years experience as a college lecturer teaching anatomy, physiology, health, fitness, diet and nutrition.
“Health and well-being is a real passion of mine and I’m very much looking forward to combining my sales experience and health expertise to educate people about HealthSure’s products.”
In her spare time, Jane enjoys healthy outdoor pursuits like mountain climbing, skiing and walking, as well as spending quality time with family and friends in Warrington.
Council concern over
anti-social behaviour
by staff reporter
PROBLEMS of anti-social behaviour, litter and fly-tipping are concerning parish councillors at Winwick, near Warrington.
In his annual report, chairman John Gordon pledges that the parish council will do it all it can to get action on the problems.
Coun Gordon says the council has had correspondence with the police over numerous incidents of anti-social behaviour and with the borough council over litter, fly-tipping, potholes and defective street lighting.
The letters have not always yielded the hoped for outcomes, he says.
Continuing breaches of planning control on the Townfield Lane car boot site has been an ongoing source of complaint and the lack of effective action by the borough council has now been referred to the Local Government Ombudsman.
But on a more positive note, Coun Gordon says the Cheshire Community Council awarded Winwick the ?Best Community Project in Warrington? title for the learning centre created in the refurbished Winwick Leisure Centre.
It was the first full year of operation of the new facilities at the centre and they had proved a resounding success, with bo
oks up by more than 40 per cent and a much increased range of activities provided by hirers. This had helped boost trade in the bar.
The continued development of the community woodland at Radley Common was another source of pride.
Planning issues dominated the work of the parish council and it was feared the proposed rail freight terminal on the former Parkside Colliery site would prove to be more of a warehouse distribution centre, adding hundreds of heavy lorries to local road.
The parish council had joined forces with the Parkside Action Group to oppose the plans, he said.
Masked man raids
petrol station
by staff reporter
A MASKED man burst into a petrol station at Lymm, near Warrington, threatened to women staff with a knife and made off with a small amount of cash.
Neither of the women were hurt in the raid in Lymm Road, but both were left badly shaken.
Police say the offender was last seen in Agden Lane, Agden Brow as he made his getaway.
The man was wearing a home-made woollen face mask but was aged about 18-20 and 5ft 6-8 inches tall. He was wearing dark tracksuit bottoms with white strips and a dark jacket.
Anyone who witnessed the raid or has any information to assist police is asked to call DC Robert Scrannage on 01244 613634.
