Peace campaigner to
meet Sinn Fein leader
by Gary Skentelbery
PEACE campaigner Colin Parry the father of Tim Parry, the 12 year old boy killed by the 1993 IRA bomb attack on Warrington is set to have a face to face meeting with Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams for the first time.
The historic meeting between the two men is expected to bring a powerful mix of emotions as Colin, chairman and co-founder of the Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace, hosts a debate on the subject of “Exploring Different Routes to Peace”.
Neither man has ever met the other before but, recognising that the Northern Ireland Peace Process has come a long way, Colin invited Mr Adams to share a platform with him, not only to mark that progress but also to inform an invited audience of their different perspectives on making political progress in the face of an entrenched and historic conflict.
Commenting on the meeting, set to take place on October 31, Colin said: ?Meeting Mr. Adams and sharing a public platform with him will be very challenging for me. However, it is a vital step on my own personal journey to reconciliation and a vital step too for the Foundation in living up to its Charter principles which include:
?Developing mutual understanding and respect between conflicting parties? is the only sustainable way to build trust?
?The Foundation takes no side in conflict situations and strives to ensure that all its programmes are fully inclusive, even though this may be challenging??
Mr Adams said: ?The peace process in Ireland has come a long way. This year especially has seen significant strides forward. Of course, the process is not over. There is much work still to be done, particularly in the field of victims, truth and reconciliation. I look forward to meeting Colin Parry and to sharing with him and those attending the event my hopes for the future.?
The Irish Ambassador to Britain, David Cooney, has also agreed to attend the event and to say a few words. BBC Political Editor, Nick Robinson, who is a Foundation Patron, will MC the event.
The event is generously supported by Clifford Chance which has made its facilities in Canary Wharf freely available to the Foundation.
Colin previously met Sinn Fein deputy Martin McGuinness in December 2001 when he visited the peace centre.
The Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace was set up by Colin and Wendy following the death of their 12-year-old son Tim and 3-year-old Johnathan Ball after the IRA bombed Warrington in 1993, which also injured more than 50 shoppers, the day before Mother’s day. The bomb blast followed an attack on the town’s gas works a week earlier.
The Peace Centre is a unique Living legacy and memorial to Tim and Johnathan. It was built with local, national and international support, and was opened on March 20, 2000 – the 7th anniversary of the bombing.
It is a ?3m state of the art, fully equipped learning centre where people develop a passion for peace through participating in learning programmes.
The Foundation works with young people, victims of political violence and former military and paramilitary combatants, including former adversaries.
Survey reveals town
with a drink problem
by Lesley Wilkinson
HEAVY drinking in Warrington results in higher than the national average admissions to hospital for both men, women and the under 18s.
And the town is the eighth highest in the country for booze-related deaths among women.
The sobering statistics are highlighted in a report by the Centre for Public Heath.
Alcohol profiles for every local authority in the country have been published by the North West Public Health Observatory based at Liverpool John Moores University – and Warrington is higher than average in eight categories.
The survey measures alcohol consumption above sensible levels in quantities that are hazardous and harmful to health.
Hazardous is a health risk – this is measured as regularly drinking more than two to three units a day of alcohol for adult women and three to four units for adult males.
Harmful drinking is at levels that lead to significant harm to physical and mental health (such as liver damage or alcohol dependence) and that may cause harm to others such as stress or aggression in the family. Women who regularly drink over six units a day (or over 35 units a week) are at risk, and for men the figure is eight units a day (or over 50 units a week).
Warrington is significantly higher than average for female deaths from alcohol, for alcohol-specific (entirely related to alcohol) hospital admissions for the under 18s, males and females, and alcohol-attributable (wholly or partly attributed to alcohol) hospital admissions for males and females.
Warrington is eighth highest in the country for alcohol attributable hospital admission for females, with a figure of 793.6 per 100,000 of population.
Estimated figures for hazardous drinking and binge drinking in the town are also significantly higher than average.
National figures for hazardous drinking throughout the country range from 14.1 to 26.4 per cent, and for harmful drinking from 3.2 to 8.8 per cent.
The survey highlights that in a town like Warrington where problems are high, it can lead to pressure on the health services. The figures are intended to assist the primary care trust and local authority to help plan services.
Prof Mark Bellis, director of the observatory, said. “While much attention has been paid to binge drinking less discussion has focused on the damages associated with routinely consuming too much alcohol.
“Across England around one in five adults are drinking enough to put their health at significant risk and one in 20 enough to make disease related to alcohol consumption practically inevitable.”
Media students
in the groove
by James Parr
MEDIA students at the Warrington Campus of Chester University are in the jobs-market groove, thanks to expert training in a specialised area of broadcasting.
Under the guidance of radio DJ-turned-visiting lecturer Paul Smith, would-be broadcasters and producers at the Padgate campus are among some of the only media students in the UK to be trained to use RCS Selector, the national industry standard for music scheduling.
Although the top broadcasting agencies in the country use this type of technology, tuition is only available to students at a select band of institutions.
Paul, (pictured) who has been a visiting lecturer at the university for six years, said: “In simple terms, RCS Selector schedules music to ensure that people listening to the same station are given a good variety and diversity of songs throughout the day. In practice, it is actually a sophisticated piece of technology, and students with knowledge of how it works will clearly stand out when seeking employment.”
As a former media student at Padgate, Paul graduated in 1995 alongside Dave Vitty, aka Radio 1’s Comedy Dave.
Paul has a wealth of experience in the radio industry, working on Chester’s Marcher Sound, Key 103 and Magic 1152, before setting up his own independent media company, Reactive Radio, on Knutsford Road, Warrington in 2001.
As well as teaching, Paul is supporting students by offering them placements at Reactive Audio, and by helping out in Cat 1251AM, the campus’ very own state-of-the-art station.
He added: “When I was a student here, I was given the opportunity to combine my media course with elements of business, and that has really stood me in good stead. I hope to be able to provide current students at the university with the chance to gain experience and knowledge which can only benefit their future careers.”
New housing could
save threatened school
by Lesley Wilkinson
NEW homes to be built on the site of the former Bruche Police Training Centre could attract enough families to the area to save the threatened Woolston H
igh School, according to a local councillor.
Coun Colin Froggatt says the planned housing development could have massive implications for the local school population.
He is joining forces with Warrington North MP Helen Jones to monitor plans for the housing development.
They will fight to ensure open spaces and leisure facilities are protected, and ensure homes are in keeping with the area.
English Partnerships plans to build affordable housing on the site, which is now administered by police training agency Centrex.
The MP said: “Any plans for the site must be appropriate to the area and fit in with the expectations of local people.
“Developments will be closely monitored with a view to keeping the people of Poulton South informed in order that their views are fully taken into account regarding any future use of the site.”
Coun Froggatt said: “There is extensive open space and good leisure facilities within the complex which should be retained for public use.
“If there is to be an influx of new families to the area – which is likely if affordable housing is to be built – this could have massive implications for the local school population and have an impact in helping to retain Woolston High School, which the ruling Liberal/Tory Alliance is threatening to close.”
MP puts under-age
drinking under spotlight
by James Parr
WARRINGTON North MP Helen Jones put the hotly disputed topic of under-age drinking to Gordon Brown during Prime Ministers? Question Time.
This came as the Prime Minister called for all councils to ban alcohol in trouble spots.
Ms Jones said: “The brutal murder of my constituent Mr Garry Newlove has highlighted continuing concerns about the effects of under-age drinking.
?I welcome what the Government has done so far to tackle the problem, but can my Right Honourable Friend assure me that he will consider what needs to be done now? In particular, will he assure me that he will try to persuade the industry to end the immoral practice of targeting alcohol drinks directly at young people, and enforce severe penalties for those who sell alcohol to under-age youngsters?”
In response, the Prime Minister offered his condolences to Mr Newlove’s family and then went on to say: “I urge councils to use their new powers to ban alcohol in trouble spots. Police already have powers to disperse young people who are involved in alcohol-fuelled disorder, and I hope that they will use their powers as well.”
Explosion at
power station
by staff reporter
FIRE crews were called to the giant Fiddlers Ferry Power Station, near Warrington after an electrical explosion in a 22000v transformer.
A hazard management unit and a hydraulic platform were involved in the operation.
The explosion also caused a leakage which resulted in 10000 litres of oil leaking into the drainage system.
A small fire was out by the time fire crews arrived. The transformer unit was isolated and made safe. No-one was hurt.
Radio buffs open
doors to public
by James Parr
RADIO buffs are opening their doors to the public to show off their newly refurbished suite.
Members of Warrington Amateur Radio Club, in conjunction with Warrington Disability Partnership, has moved to the ground floor at Grappenhall Community Centre, modernised their meeting room and improved their toilet facilities to make the building totally accessible for disabled people.
Founded in 1947, the club was able to make the changes thanks to the National Lottery fund “Grants for All” scheme and money from Grappenhall Youth and Community Association.
A cheese and wine evening was held to celebrate the occasion and Dave Connor, operations manager for WDP, unveiled a commemorative plaque.
Guests at the evening included Dave Thompson, chairman of WDP, Coun Ray Fisher, chairman of Grappenhall and Thelwall Parish Council and two of the original founder members of the radio club.
WARC meet every Tuesday at 8pm and a guest speaker is usually present to hold a talk on different aspects of radio.
Membership is open to all keen radio enthusiasts who are invited to come along and check out the club’s new facilities.
