Archive

A LANDLORD fears that maintenance work on Acton Swing Bridge could put him out of business. Ian Embury and his business partner Tony Carroll spent their life savings taking over The Horns Inn on the A49 earlier this year. But Mr Embury says the work will

IN reply to the letter from 'Interested of Over' in the November 18 issue of the Winsford and Middlewich Guardian, I would have thought the reasons for the use of a nom de plume by some contributors to the 'Your Views' column would be patently obvious

I HAVE recently returned to Winsford after 20 years in the services and during the last 12 months I have been receiving the Vale Royal Reporter, which informs people in Vale Royal about what and where the money generated and grants received by Vale Royal

I READ with some dismay in last week's Winsford and Middlewich Guardian that Cheshire County Council is considering yet more bus service cuts. I understand that the council is not rolling in money and needs to make cuts somewhere. But it seems totally

THE time bell rang a long time ago for many of Winsford's traditional pubs, but those missing their favourite locals of the past can drown their sorrows at Winsford Library. Local historian Bob Curzon has compiled a display made up of beer mats, trays

PUPILS and staff at a Winsford school waved goodbye to one of their best friends and most popular servants last week. Allan Bolger, who turned 65 on Monday, retired from his post as caretaker at Willow Wood, where he has kept the place clean for both

VALE Royal Borough Council has helped to spearhead a campaign to raise awareness in the pet shop trade of the increased number of exotic animals being found in the wild in Britain today. A special conference was staged at Chester Zoo last week, during

YOUTH sport in Winsford has been given a major boost by appearing in the English Sports Council newspaper, which covers the entire region. Nearly a page is given to reports about a special celebration for the Cheshire Youth Sport Initiative, which took

MIDDLEWICH Town suffered a double knockout blow this week and need to recover in time for Saturday's testing trip to runaway Mid-Cheshire League leaders Barnton, writes NICK SMITH. A defeat on penalties to Beeches in the League Cup on Saturday followed

GOLD medal sprinter Allyn Condon raced into Winsford to help Verdin High School celebrate its top sporting achievements of the past 12 months. Cheshire athlete Allyn, who won gold in the 4 x100 metres relay at this year's European Championships and also

THE third round of the Deva League, at Birkenhead, was another exciting swimming gala and with 24 event wins (out of 42), Winsford again finished comfortably in first place, this time ahead of Mold. In the 11-year-old age group there were individual wins

CRAIG Acton's smile says it all - it was his winning goal which proved that Chesire's visually impaired footballers are the cream of Britain. The Verdin High School pupil's magic moment came during a recent tournament at Aston Villa, which was the venue

A WINSFORD photographer has proved that she's in sharp focus by having her snap of the River Weaver produced as a Christmas card. Mary Parsons, a member of Mid-Cheshire Camera Club, took the picture on a very cold and frosty day, and the scene turned

A TOUCH of spice was added to the Winsford music scene last Thursday when Sporty's mum, Joan O'Neill, took to the stage for a Tina Turner tribute. Mel C's mum performed at Winsford pub DB's with her band River Deep. More than 200 people packed the nightspot

A WARNING has gone out to Congleton Borough Council that it is only a matter of time before somebody is killed or seriously injured on a dangerous Middlewich road. Sam Newman, of Angus Grove, is protesting over hazardous conditions on the A54 Holmes Chapel

WINSFORD residents have been praised for their generosity after raising nearly £6,000 for this year's Poppy Appeal. The money was raised during a two-day collection in Winsford town centre on November 6 and 7, along with static collections in Asda, Morrisons

PLANS to merge two Middlewich schools have been given the go-ahead by Cheshire County Council. Middlewich County Infants and Middlewich County Juniors, both in Park Road, are set to amalgamate on April 1. School governors from the two schools agreed in

A WINSFORD woman who professes to be hopeless in the kitchen will make her mark next week when she appears on a cult TV cookery show. Lindsey Bradshaw, aged 22, of Roehurst Lane, fended off competition from thousands of other applicants to win a place

A DECISION on the future withdrawal of three bus services in Winsford and Middlewich has been deferred until later this month. Members of Cheshire County Council's environment planning and operations sub-committee have already voted in favour of withdrawing

ARSONISTS have been blamed for a blaze which raged through Winsford Car Transplants, destroying more than a dozen cars and leaving many others severely damaged. The fire broke out just after 11.30pm on Friday, when flames engulfed the enormous car supermarket

The people of Northwich do go out and enjoy themselves in their own time, hence the old saying 'You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink'. Most people in the heart of Cheshire enjoy life in and around their own home, lounging in comfort

The Operation Nectar sounds like most policing these days, dealing with crime after it has been committed. People want more prevention of crimes and the beat bobby is a major part of crime prevention in the community plus it gives police contact with

Personally, I can't wait for all the good things that Christmas brings. Just think about it. First we have the wanton greed of children barely old enough to feed themselves but who know the difference between a Nintendo and a Playstation. Then we have

Mike Weedall was victorious in the Over 40s while there was a senior women's win for Suzanne Wood. It was Wood's first ever victory. The third win was from Phil Robinson in the 0ver 50s race. Edward Preedy was fifth in the Under 15 boys, while Siobhan

Chairman Rod Stitch has been impressed by the way in which Gardiner has taken to the post since Phil Wilson's departure. He said: "We feel Mark has done well but we didn't want to rush a decision and give him the job permanently straight away. We've got

The FA Cup exit combined with other factors means the club could be facing a shortfall of £80,000 for the year. It was a problem discussed by the board at last Thursday's AGM. Chairman, Rod Stitch said: "The figure of £80,000 is very much a worse case

Mr Bond, who is working alongside the caretaking team of captain Eddie Bishop and former Assistant Manager Rob Brown, said: "I have had almost 30 applicants for the job. I am in no rush, I shall spend the next few weeks processing all the applications

A letter was sent to each of Witton's shareholders last week by Begbies Traynor, the company supervising the repayment programme to creditors, stating the club will be put up for sale. Tom Shaw has responded by denying the club is about to be sold. In

Leigh Christopher Allen, aged 21, of Cranmere Close, Leftwich, admitted allowing the use of an uninsured motor vehicle at Northwich Magistrates' Court last Wednesday. The court heard how Allen handed his car keys to a friend who asked him for a lift.

Toilets underwent rigorous inspection by contest judges and won recognition again in the popular national Loo of the Year Awards. After winning its first ward in 1996, the Memorial Hall won another last year and now another this year. Sheila Loughlin,

A ground-breaking report, due to go before councillors tomorrow, Thursday, suggests devolving power to area committees and setting up civic surgeries. "This is a fundamental shake-up," said Arthur Neil, Leader of Vale Royal Borough Council. "It's partly

And the college came fourth out of the 444 colleges in the country once again with an average score of 22.7 per student at Advanced Level. There were two significant changes in the leagues tables for the 16 to 18 year olds. In addition to the usual points

The 57-year-old will set sail next July to enjoy retirement in the Greek Islands. "There must be 1,600 islands and I'm going to visit them all," he said. His painstaking work has been carried out in the main at Jalsea Marina near Hartford which has just

Paul John Pacey, 26, and Jason Lowe, 22, both of Poplar Road, Weaverham, and Peter Burgess, 26, of Crab Lane, Norley, were committed to Chester Crown Court for trial by Northwich magistrates last Wednesday. Pacey is accused of supplying heroin on October

David and Linda Horobin, from Bostock Green, are prepared to pay the shocking sum because pet Jeremy is like a child to them. "Jeremy is Abyssinian but not a full pedigree," said David, 48. "As a cat he's worth nothing, but as a pet he's worth the world

The 20-year-old actor from Cuddington shot to fame playing Nick Tilsley after joining the soap about 16 months ago, but is now being steered to a new career by manager Nigel Martin-Smith, the man behind former chart-toppers Take That. Since taking over

The child had been out with a friend to McDonalds and was on the way back to the car, which was parked on Weaver Way, when he slipped into the icy water. Representatives from Vale Royal Borough Council, British Waterways, Cheshire Constabulary and Cheshire

The horrific accident happened at about 8am when 43-year-old David Senior - who cannot swim - plunged into the icy waters near to the bridge at Farm Road. A neighbour walking his dog raised the alarm when he saw a body in the canal about two-and-a-half

Only drawback is that she last held a class in Knutsford at the Conservative Club 28 YEARS AGO. She gave it up in 1970 to teach computers. But now she's back at the Conservative Club - looking for her former pupils. "I can't remember their names, but

KNUTSFORD won through to the second round of the league cup at Manor Avenue on Saturday. A strong Sale West team proved formidable opposition, but Knutsford were up to the task and a late Alan Brown goal secured the victory. The home team opened well,

On Monday, Macclesfield borough councillors were told they couldn't discuss Granada Hospitality's application. "It wasn't discussed because the Transport Secretary of State has directed the council not to do anything about it yet," said Clr Doug Page,

Congleton borough planners approved United Norwest Co-operative Limited's scheme to build a supermarket on the site of the former Good Companions pub on Monday night. The single-storey building off Parkway will also have a 106-space car park. Council

For the tins of food - collected in Knutsford on Saturday for the town's old folk - have almost filled two rooms at her home in Moordale Road. "I am looking at fruit and meat in the lounge, and soup, beans and vegetables in the bedroom," she said. "But

Lynette Adshead, who underwent emergency surgery, was dealt the blow in a letter from Mann Broadbent Insurers. "It is just disgusting the attitude of the insurance company," said boyfriend Jamie Stanton, of Shaw Drive. "It's like they don't want to know

David Molloy, who was just 55, lost his long battle against the disease on Friday. The owner of David's Place in King Street was diagnosed with the disease three years ago. This week another restaurateur paid tribute to one of Knutsford's biggest characters

SEVEN modern apprentices have been chosen from 1,500 to receive a special 'Oscar' award for their hard work by Middlewich-based South and East Cheshire TEC. One winner of the motor trades category was Anthony Healey, of Beech's Garage, Middlewich, who

THE firm behind a machine which sniffs out disease has won a huge cash grant from the Government. Analytical Precision Ltd have been given £90,000 to continue developing mass spectrometers, machines which find minute bacteria in breath samples. "The award

DAVID Yoxall is Vale Royal Borough Council's latest apprentice of the year. The 20-year-old plumber, who works for the council's contract services deparment, won a cheque for £115 and a certificate marking his achievement. He joined the council in 1994

RESTAURANT provision in Middlewich has been beefed up with the arrival of Burger King. The take-away and sit-down restaurant has just opened on the A54 Holmes Chapel Road. Granada Services is behind the new development which is within easy reach for motorists

ONE in 10 companies in Winsford and Middlewich has not even started to plan for the year 2000 when the dreaded millennium bug could cause chaos with computer programmes, a survey carried out by Middlewich-based South and East Cheshire TEC has revealed

WHERE have all the councillors gone? Gone to strip clubs every one! Come on Mr Mayor, you say you didn't know what was going on! I bet you think Playboy's The Dandy, don't you? Middlewich, meanwhile, is full of undesirable beings, such as gypsies. The

WHAT a shambles, Mr Mayor. Come to think of it, where are the councillors and MPs - both Congleton Borough Council and Vale Royal alike? Have they gone underground or joined the gypsies? When is someone going to do something about these people who disrupt

I AM writing regarding the front page of the Winsford and Middlewich Guardian last week, with Mrs Lorraine Yearsley wanting the Middlewich town mayor, Clr Fred Johnson, to quit. Just who does she think she is? I have known Mr Johnson all my life, and

AN HISTORICAL book has been launched, paying homage to the bravery of Winsford's war dead and the dedication of a local clergyman. The book was published as part of an act of remembrance for the 247 soldiers of the St Chad's parish, in Over, who died

WINSFORD town centre enjoyed its biggest ever crowd for the Christmas switch-on when Claire Sweeney lit up the sky on Friday night. The Brookside actress, who plays Lindsey Corkhill in the popular soap, led the singing, dancing, carols and fun and games

A WINSFORD mum has proved she has a way with words - by having her very own book of poetry published. Sue Peach is the proud author of The Little Book of Poems after her literary talent was spotted by Poetry Now. Sue, of Bramhall Close, has been writing

CHILDHOOD memories have been flooding back to a group of adult actors playing children in a production of Blue Remembered Hills at Byley Village Hall. The Dennis Potter tale was staged last Thursday, Friday and Saturday, telling the story of seven children

SWAPPING letters with their South African pen pals will become a matter of fax for a group of Winsford primary school pupils. Youngsters from Darnhall County Primary School have been writing to children at a township school in Soweto ever since an exchange

PUPILS from Tarporley Primary School have been taking part in a tree planting scheme organised by Vale Royal Borough Council. The mayor of Vale Royal, Clr Keith Musgrave, helped the children to plant four fruit trees as part of the council's free orchard

A NEW mini fun club is revved up for action in Middlewich. It is to be officially launched at Bisto Foods Sports and Social Club on Sunday, December 6 - but already it has around 20 members set to join. The Cheshire Cats Mini Club has been formed by three

WINSFORD United are having to trim their playing staff to keep the club on its feet. Manager Dalton Steele, who has been told he has to reduce his squad, has loaned Nathan Peel to Stevenage Borough, with a view to a permanent move. The striker, who joined

Middlewich Town 0 Beeches 0 (after extra time, Beeches won 3-2 on pens) IN a thrilling League Cup tie at Seddon Street the outcome was decided on a penalty shoot-out, in which Middlewich Town were outgunned. Middlewich started this quarter-final tie very

Winsford United 1 Gateshead 2 By ANDY MAYLOR WINSFORD United, who have played a lot worse at Barton Stadium and won, played their part in a magnificent advert for the UniBond League. It was Gateshead's first visit to Barton Stadium and the team which

MARK Came has played his last game for Winsford United, after confirming his retirement from the game this week. The 37-year-old Blues skipper has not appeared in the first team since picking up a cartilage injury against Leigh in August and has abandoned

A WINSFORD town councillor has hit back over accusations that she has been living the easy life while her voters suffer. Clr Kath Watson reacted angrily to suggestions made by a resident in her Wharton ward that she had been invisible to her electorate

WINSFORD residents are being urged to ensure that their names are contained in the draft register of electors for Vale Royal. The register will be published on November 27 and anyone not included will not be able to vote in next year's borough, parish

A WINSFORD man is being forced to shut up shop after thieves stole power tools and other equipment from his car body repairs business. Ian Christopher, aged 28, owner of ICS Autos on Woodford Lane, was the victim of a burglary on Wednesday, November 19

A LOCAL comprehensive school has been praised by Educational Minister David Blunkett after its A-level students proved they were among the best performers in the country. Tarporley County High School was shown to have scored 27.2 points in the Government

A WINSFORD supermarket withdrew cans of tomatoes from sale this week after a scare over tin levels in some products. The scare came after research, conducted by the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, revealed that a batch of Asda's hand picked

A CRUCIAL meeting between Railtrack and Cheshire County Council - concerning the re-opening of the town's station for passenger use - has sent the rail campaign steaming ahead. The two organisations met to discuss the future of the Middlewich line and

A DISTRESSED couple are offering a huge £10,000 reward for the return of their missing cat. David and Linda Horobin, from Bostock Green, are prepared to pay the shocking sum because pet Jeremy is like a child to them. "Jeremy is Abyssinian but not a full

YOUTHS who pelted firefighters with stones outside Winsford Civic Hall on Monday night after dialling 999 have sparked a major crackdown on hoax calls. Winsford fire station officer Mike Hamilton is campaigning to slash the number of false and malicious

A DISPUTE between Middlewich Town Council and David Wilson Homes over the ownership of a piece of land at Finneys Lane has been resolved. The developers have proved that they purchased the land and that they own it legitimately. Middlewich Town Council

POLICE raided the home of a jobless Winsford man and found a large piece of cannabis concealed in an airing cupboard, a wooden box containing vegetable matter, a memo pad with a list of 'deals' and other drug-related items, a court heard. Paul Martin

A NEW scheme which identifies and offers rehabilitation to offenders whose behaviour is linked with drugs could be introduced in Winsford and Middlewich. The PASCO project - Partnership in Action on Substance Misuse for Crime and Offending - is being

WINSFORD Community Action Project is urging people interested in the future of Cheviot Square's Neighbourhood Centre to attend its annual general meeting. The meeting will be held in the centre next Monday, November 30, at 7pm, and part of the agenda

A MENINGITIS scare has flared at a Winsford school after a pupil was diagnosed with a deadly strand of the disease. The nine-year-old boy, who attends High Street Primary School, was taken to Leighton Hospital on Friday, where it was confirmed he had

WINSFORD town centre manager Paul Bateman is calling for improved police presence in the shopping area amidst fears of youth gangs terrorising shoppers and tenants. The latest terrifying incident occurred on Friday night, when the annual Christmas light

During 1997, 3,470 people were killed or seriously injured in drink-drive related accidents. May I appeal through your newspaper to readers not to drink and drive, not only this Christmas but at any other time as well? The driver faces high penalties

A short while ago you would very often see a bobby on his beat, but as they have reduced the number of police officers on foot, the level of street crime has increased. It seems to me that today's police officers are content to sit in their patrol cars

They do not have the right to vote, but they surely have the right to be listened to. They are especially troubled by transport issues - the lethal state of many of our roads, including the death track known as the A556; the dangers of our railway stations

Its nursery is the only one run by the Forestry Commission to grow oak trees which are replanted across the country. But bad weather and wasps have destroyed this year's harvest, forcing Delamere bosses to search overseas. Nursery manager Graham Menzies

This year there are even more lights than ever, with some along the dual carriageway - something Northwich hasn't seen for many years. "The children were so starry eyed when the lights were turned on," said Tricia Friar of Munchkins children's wear. "

As a result, he has been invited to join the Great Britain junior squad at their winter training camp in Seville for a week this month. Matt, from Northwich, said: "It is a training squad in preparation for next year's World Championships in Bulgaria.

NORTHWICH VICS 1 Football Conference Saturday, November 28 MARK Gardiner's tenure as caretaker manager was extended until January last Thursday and, on Saturday, his players demonstrated why. The best compliment which can be paid to Vics' performance

NORTHWICH 3 Endsleigh Trophy - 2nd rd. Monday, November 30 THINGS just keep getting better and better for Vics at the moment, particularly in cup competitions. They have won three of their last four games under caretkaer manager Mark Gardiner, with each

The inquiry resumed yesterday, Tuesday, after a month's break while Government inspector David Fenton considered objections to plans for a huge warehouse at Lostock Gralam. The Longwood site will come under the spotlight again tomorrow when the Ascol

The fate of the information hut, which is run by Cheshire County Council, rests on how much the county receives in its annual budget from the Government due to be announced today, Wednesday. The hut provides bus passengers with passes, information and

Filming took place in June - before Emily decided to tie the knot with Chris Hughes, who she met on a bus to Northwich a year ago. "He works with my niece Sharon at the railways. We started chatting about her and things just moved from there," explained

An argument broke out after the men, who were drunk and abusive, entered the fast food store on High Street at around 9.55pm on Friday. They demanded free toys but when the 22-year-old handed them over, the men threw them back at him. One of the men then

Deafness Support Network received £191,000 from the National Lottery Charities Board, last year to build the day and social centre. But building costs have risen to more than £213,000 which has meant money for furnishings have had to be transferred to

Kevin Brian Astles, aged 32, of Hatton Lane, Greenbank followed Andrew Robinson into the gents toilets at Owley Wood Social Club in Weaverham on September 25 before assaulting him. He admitted causing actual bodily harm when he appeared at Northwich Magistrates

Dorothy Jones was head of Comberbach County Primary School for 15 years before becoming embroiled in a job wrangle. She claimed she was unfairly dismissed from the school but lost her battle against Cheshire County Council. The Industrial Tribunal announced

Instead, they seem to be shadowing me. Macclesfield Borough Council have apparently selected the 'SAS option' as their chosen weapon in the battle to defend the Cheshire green belt. People who have developed their properties without planning permission

This weekend Knutsford have a Mid-Cheshire League first division game at Bollington Athletic. Kick off 2pm. Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.

RAW sewage leaked into a pond near to homes. Crosby Homes' labourers damaged the underground sewage pipe as they worked at the former Sevenoaks and Willow Bank site in Bexton Lane. The Environment Agency immediately attended the luxury home development

More than 25 people turned up at the meeting to display the strength of community feeling against a planned housing estate. "We were the first into the gallery to make sure we heard what went on," said parish chairman Clr Ray Turton. Maunders Westbury

Results of June polls revealed this week show 49 per cent of people who responded want cars banned. But nine out of 10 King Street traders, and three out of four King Street residents rejected the borough council's plans. Details of the response, which

The director of Monckton Properties wants to demolish garages behind Tatton and Minshull Street to build the office block. Planners rejected similar proposals for Red Cow Yard, which is owned by Monckton, in June. But now officers are recommending councillors

The entire fish population of Smoker Brook was wiped out when ammonium nitrate seeped into the water from a crashed tanker. But last week 1,000 fish - including chub, dace and roach - were released into the Tabley brook by The Environment Agency. "We

Beverley Roberts' Aphrodite bridalwear shop was demolished after the King Street building next to a construction site crumbled seven weeks ago. But on Saturday she will reopen in temporary accommodation above the Andi Hanson shop in Minshull Street. Mrs

A TEENAGE daredevil braved the heights of a 100ft high training tower at SpanSet's family open day. Catherine Allcock, aged 19, was a visiting member of the public at the height safety equipment manufacturer who challenged herself to the terrifying task

THE announcement that British farmers are to receive a £120 million survival package has been cautiously welcomed by Middlewich's MP Ann Winterton. Agriculture Minister Nick Brown told the House of Commons last Monday of the Government's financial package