Archive

CHILDREN were fascinated to come face-to-face with an amazing array of creepy crawlies. They met the unusual creatures at the Catalyst Museum in Widnes. Some intrepid youngsters even plucked up the courage to handle the snakes and spiders! It was all

INTREPID youngsters tackled a dozen daunting tasks this week - in Mission Impossible 2000. They were taking part in a competition organised by the Youth Federation for Cheshire - with a prize of flights to Dublin for the winning team. The eight young

Widnes Schools u11 Town Team 40 Oldham Schools u11 Town Team 6 FOR the second match in succession this was a team performance par excellence from the Widnes youngsters. In recent games the Widnes team has reverted to a simpler, but highly effective style

Widnes Vikings 3 Sheffield Eagles 0 IT'S games like this that will see the crowds flooding back on Sunday afternoon... to the comfort of their armchairs. To be fair, the wet and windy conditions were always likely to put a dampener on any ambitions either

SCRAP merchant John Jones, 38, has been cleared of aiding a £4 million North West drugs smuggling operation. Jones of St Mary's Road, Huyton, Liverpool had been accused at Knutsford Crown Court of letting an international smuggling gang use his Widnes

RAIDERS struck at two Widnes shops within 45 minutes of each other, police revealed this week. Officers are appealing witnesses to the two separate incidents which took place on Monday evening. At 5.55pm, two robbers burst into Visions Videos in Lunts

A 31-YEAR-OLD Widnes woman was jailed for two years and four months on Monday after admitting grievous bodily harm, harassment and intimidating witnesses. Margaret Burns, of New Bank Road, Widnes became involved in the offences because she could not accept

A MAN who started singing Everton football songs in the street was attacked, knocked to the ground and kicked in the face, Warrington Crown Court heard on Tuesday. But police officers witnessed the attack, ran into a crowd of 50 youths and arrested the

THE future of a local cancer support group has been secured thanks to the efforts of Halton Mayor Cllr Bob Gilligan. He has chosen the Runcorn and Widnes Cancer Support Group as his charity - and already raised more than £18,000. It means the group can

THERE will be a new name on the Guardian Cup this year as holders Whiston Cross went out at the quarter final stage 3-2 against local rivals Sidac Social. Sidac went ahead through Graham Mitchell, however, Whiston came back strongly and with 15 minutes

Cammel Lairds FC 2 General Chemicals 0 THIS was a good performance by Chemics but unfortunately a goal just before half time sent them into the dressing rooms chasing the game. The Chemics back four of Cahill, McGhee, Robinson and Hill performed well

EVERTON will be entertaining a former Goodison favourite when they take on Sunderland in the FA Premier Reserve League at the Auto Quest Stadium in Widnes on March 14. Peter Reid was the linchpin of the all-conquering Everton team in the 80s and is now

FA Trophy - Runcorn 2 Heybridge Swifts 1 RUNCORN march into the quarter-finals of the FA Trophy to face Telford United away from home thanks to a stirring team effort and goals from Rod McDonald and substitute Lee Griffiths. Youngster Mike Tomlinson was

A DRUG swoop has led to seven arrests. Halton police executed six search warrants in Runcorn as part of Operation Basal, a community safety initiative designed to reduce drug misuse in the borough. It follows a number of arrests made the previous week

MIRACLE baby Matthew Lord celebrated his 'birth day' this week - three months after he was born. Tiny Matthew weighed less than a bag of sugar when he arrived at just 25 weeks! After battling through the first four crucial days, doctors gave him a 60

TRAVEL firm Direct Holidays have hit out at claims that an elderly Runcorn couple were exposed to deadly carbon monoxide gas while staying in one of their apartments. Patrick Connelly, 63, told the World that whilst on holiday in Lanzarote, he and his

HALTON Councillor Ian Evans was devastated this week to discover he had been de-selected. The bombshell announcement has left him stunned, after serving Runcorn's Murdishaw ward for 17 years. "I am devastated," said Cllr Evans of Fleetwood Walk, a member

Garswood United 0 Middlewich Town 2 MIDDLEWICH were in control of this cup tie from start to finish, with some stout defending against a strong wind in the first half, and fine attacking to put the holders out in the second. Captain Rob Corcoran won the

Report by JON COOPER ROAD safety experts have fixed a date to visit a troubled street in Winsford, where protestors have called for traffic calming measures to be turfed up. Residents, on Delamere Street, believe that the road's traffic calming measures

Report by News Editor NICK HALLISSEY WINSFORD dairy farmers took to the streets yesterday, Tuesday, to get up close and personal with the people who buy their milk. Accompanied by Princess, a large dairy cow from the Booths Hall herd, irate farmers marched

WINSFORD people are to get an updated Neighbourhood Centre - with a cyber cafe. The new scheme will replace the vandalised community centre and housing office in Cheviot Square, on the Over estate, which are to be demolished. Cheshire County Council,

AN elderly Winsford woman died after falling downstairs while living with her daughter in Winsford, a Crewe inquest heard. Lucy Booth suffered a fractured skull after falling at Linn Close on November 19 last year. Her daughter, Mary Russell, told the

ALL the residents of London Road are concerned about is themselves. It's nothing to do with cars or wagons speeding - they live on London Road and they want to do what they want, no matter what. I have seen residents speeding down London Road, parking

IT never ceases to amaze me how many bigots and racists there are in this country of ours and how many claim to be religious and royalists. Jesus said "Love one another" - as far as I know he did not qualify this statement with "unless you are a foreigner

I HAVE driven along Marbury Lane, but I'm not an 'essential' user. However, last summer my son and I cycled along the lane. It was a joy to travel a car-free route through the countryside, and I believe that the many other cyclists, pedestrians and even

LAST week, one of the letter writers in the Guardian referred to Leviticus and pointed out that homosexuality is 'an abomination'. I think that it's worthwhile pointing out that eating oysters, prawns and lobsters is also 'an abomination' (Ch 11 V 9-11

WHEN it comes down to it, those campaigning against the closure of Marbury Road are people who wish to use it as a rat-run into Northwich. There are two other perfectly good roads into the town, roads that were built for the purpose and which do not abuse

WHO'S pulling the strings? After reading the article in last week's Guardian regarding the closure of Marbury Lane, I could not believe the comments of Clr Scott Marsh, an elected Labour member for this area. "A disgusting decision" and "I am appalled

Report by News Editor NICK HALLISSEY LOCAL politics: the stuff of comedy shows, of risible figures like Coronation Street's Alf Roberts and 'Citizen' Wolfie Smith, crying out for 'freedom for Tooting'. Well, actually no. Councils aren't quite that silly

JOHN Batchelor will stand at the next general election for the Tatton seat - as an independent candidate. Mr Batchelor believes that Martin Bell's tenure as an independent has convinced the people of Tatton that there's merit in the idea of being truly

WITTON Albion, assured of survival a week ago, now face a tense race for promotion to the UniBond Premier after losing their top spot this week. Nigel Gleghorn's side were dislodged by Burscough, knocking them from pole position for the first time since

NORTHWICH Victoria claim a prestigious hat-trick a week on Tuesday England's semi-professional side, featuring star names from the Nationwide Conference, take on the Netherlands on March 21 (7.30pm). The club is hoping for a repeat of the bumper crowds

WINNINGTON Park ladies hockey team enjoyed a successful action-packed weekend, in which they strengthened their North League Division One position and progressed to the semi-finals of the All England Plate. On Saturday, Park produced an impressive 2-0

Northwich Vics 3 Yeovil Town 0 IN just 20 minutes, Northwich Vics pressed the rewind button and rubbed over the flat, lifeless performances they had recorded in the first two months of the millennium. Their three consecutive Drill Field stalemates quickly

DAVID Brackstone is lapping up his first taste of international success. The Sir John Deane's College student won the 400 metres representing Great Britain for the first time on Saturday, in a match at New Brandenburg, Germany. He was competing against

Bollington Athletic 0 Barnton 2 SWITCHING this League Cup quarter-final to Townfield Lane appeared to make it game, set and match for Barnton in this Mid-Cheshire top v bottom clash. However, Bollington, whose pitch was deemed unfit for play, hadn't read

NORTHWICH Vics, fresh from their biggest win of the season, are facing another month without a Saturday home game. Even the next scheduled Drill Field fixture on April 1 could be called off if opponents Southport make the FA Trophy semi-finals. The same

Report by News Editor NICK HALLISSEY NORTHWICH dairy farmers took to the streets yesterday, Tuesday, to get up close and personal with the people who buy their milk. Accompanied by Princess, a large dairy cow from the Booths Hall herd, irate farmers marched

THE Lighthouse Theatre Company is preparing for its first public performance and has recruited a rather special performer - a 'cyber-babe' named Amazon. In actual fact, the performer is Deborah Bouchard from Norley, but she has recently acted as the model

If the female teachers are allowed to wear trousers for school why aren't the girls ? It seems like there is one rule for the female staff and a totally different one for the female students. Am I the only person who thinks that girls wearing trousers

He said that the Tatton name was responsible for 'a large part of the drop in the Tory votes at the last election.' That is obviously ridiculous. The name of the old Knutsford constituency changed to Tatton way back in 1983, 17 years ago. It may have

SAMANTHA FINLAN Haslemere Surrey Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.

But perhaps more people would be encouraged to dispose of their dogs' unwanted presents if Macclesfield Borough Council provided the town with 'dog litter' bins. Being a dog owner and also, I have to confess, being a late poop scooper, I think it only

Or at least we know what the county council should have got. A plot of land to build a town house near the centre of desirable Knutsford is worth £100,000 according to developers so 28 plots is worth £2.8m So come on County Councillor Grange, tell the

But his bid to find out more about his Knutsford family's military past has drawn a blank. "It seems that my great grandfather was given a military funeral but we don't really know much more," said Mike. "We can't find anything out about his squadron.

JACKIE Butler's emotions are as natural to her as breathing. In her late teens the devout Catholic had realised that she was not attracted to men. "By the age of 17 it became obvious to me that I was a lesbian," she said. "My friends were interested in

In a private hearing last week, Mr Justice Morland suspended the costs' order while police investigate allegations that the Harrods' boss bought documents stolen from bin bags outside Mr Hamilton's London solicitors. Now the former Tatton MP has three

Westbury Homes had offered to buy the mobile homes in Park Lane, Pickmere, and replace them with detached houses. But borough councillors rejected the idea at a planning meeting on Monday because of the impact the houses would have on homes nearby. Clr

This week the developers - currently seeking permission to build 28 homes on the site - refused to reveal the amount Cheshire County Council earned from the sale. Development director Ken Whitaker said the information was 'commercially sensitive'. Last

Neville Baker said the loss of another historic landmark would ruin the town's character. "We've already lost the Masters House and no one seems to care that our historical buildings are being knocked down," said Mr Baker, 62, of Holly Tree Road, Plumley

The wealthy businessman lived in a house by that name in 1881. But it is not the building most know as Kilrie today. Mr Longridge's first home was in Toft Road in a house that is now a dentists' practice. But when he moved to Northwich Road - he took

They emerged as the preferred new social landlord for Longridge and Shaw Heath at a meeting in Knutsford last week. Yesterday (Tuesday) they were already setting up a base at 106 Longridge. "We wanted to get here as soon as possible to gauge local feeling

For the gardens are good for grubs - as the family of five black birds have discovered. Every morning the crows feast on a platter of pupae that live in the grass roots of the once luscious lawns. "I've watched them," said resident Mavis Parr. "They pick

Bexton School has set up an action team to find out how children get to lessons. Only last week Egerton School, which has been at the forefront of improving road safety around its Bexton Road site, won a £2,500 government grant to keep up the good work

And Tony Greaves fears the noise levels over Shaw Heath could quadruple if airport target figures are reached. "It will not only be a noise burden but there could be an added annoyance of planes flying in different directions over Knutsford," the borough

STAY in bed as long as you can - and win £20,000 and a VIP trip to Canada! That's the enticing offer being made to couples this week to celebrate the late John Lennon's 60th birthday. Radio City 96.7 is searching for four couples willing to share a bed

Halton Hornets u18 36 Heywood u18 12 HORNETS remain at the top of the Second Division after an excellent win at Heywood. Playing in atrocious conditions and starting with just 12 players, Hornets soon found themselves 6-0 down, but fought back well when

Widnes Albion Bulls 32 Springview 10 DESPITE winning by a comfortable margin in the end, the Albion must learn to put teams like this away and not go to sleep after opening up a points margin. They scored two tries in the first five minutes, courtesy

FURIOUS residents fighting multi-million pound plans to build homes on the site of Widnes Golf Club this week won the support of Halton MP Derek Twigg. He has written to Halton Council chief executive Mike Cuff to express his strong disapproval to any

A FACTORY boss showered in molten metal in a furnace blast is recovering in hospital this week. Steven Welsby, 35, sustained 20 per cent severe burns when a furnace exploded at his smelting plant. Paramedics rushed him to the specialist burns unit at

Douglas 39 Moore 23 MOORE'S visit to the Isle Of Man did not produce the hoped for victory, but the match was a hard fought affair. From the kick-off Douglas put Moore under pressure and were rewarded when they crossed the line for their first score out

Halton Girls u12 (Snr) 5 Barcelona u12 0 LCFA Challenge Cup HALTON progressed into the semi finals with a comfortable if hard fought victory, played in atrocious conditions. Halton dominated in all areas and made the game safe by leading 3-0 at half time

HALTON Council has made history by having the first local government legal team in Cheshire to achieve the Law Society's Lexcel award for quality. It was a double success as it is also the first legal practice in Halton to receive the accolade. Council

THE Lord Lieutentant of Cheshire, Mr William Bromley Davenport agreed to become president of Halton Haven Hospice after meeting trustees and visiting the centre on Tuesday. "We are absolutely delighted that the Lord Lieutenant has agreed to become our

Gainsborough Trinity 3 Winsford United 0 OH DEAR! The Blues have done it again, but this time in spectacular fashion as Gainsborough scored an amazing three injury time goals. The result was all the more unbelievable compared with the 90 minutes of regular

MIDDLEWICH Town head for more cup glory this weekend in the quarter-finals of the President's Cup. They booked their place with a 2-0 win at Garswood United and face Linotype Reserves at Seddon Street this Saturday (2.30pm). "If we beat them we have Linotype's

KEVIN Tully has almost settled on the team he wants to take into Winsford United's promotion push for next season. In the wake of this season's disastrous events, the manager is reflecting the board's desire to channel all energies into getting things

MIDDLEWICH's community wardens have logged their first progress report - and the signs are that they are settling in nicely. The borough-wide scheme was launched in January and since then the wardens have been making their presence felt. The report shows

Report by JON COOPER FURIOUS Winsford drivers who were fined by "over-zealous" police officers after they parked outside their own homes have been told that they do not have to pay. Despite using the same parking places, in High Street, for the past two

Report by JON COOPER COUNCIL chiefs will not be able to use health concerns over mobile phones as a reason to stop the erection of a telecommunication mast in Winsford. Neither Winsford Town Council nor Vale Royal Borough Council can object to the proposed

A WINSFORD woman is considering suing Leighton Hospital after her father fell and died while he was a patient there. Lynn Modem claims that the hospital didn't take enough care of her father, Norman Preston, who died on November 30 last year. An inquest

Report by STUART DYE TWO Middlewich heroes who prevented Knutsford Services from exploding into a fireball have won a top award for bravery. AA patrolmen Neil Booth and Mike Lomas were awarded service medals for bravery by the AA after they dashed to

Report by STUART DYE CONGLETON MP Ann Winterton is to champion the cause of a Middlewich woman who is calling for a change in the law. Joan Edwards wants Parliament to close a legal loophole after an Alsatian savaged and killed her Yorkshire terrier,

Report by JON COOPER CHESHIRE County Council has announced that nearly £600,000 of the forthcoming year's budget will be used to pay for new classrooms for four Winsford schools. As part of the council's budget allocation for this year, Verdin High School

YOUNGSTERS from Winsford still have a chance to star in the forthcoming Winsford Town Carnival. Organisers are inviting children to attend two separate contests in Wharton and Over. Titles up for grabs will include Miss Wharton or Miss Over for girls

BOUNCERS in Middlewich's pubs and clubs will have to be registered in a scheme to regulate doormen and security staff. The decision was finalised at a meeting of Congleton Borough's full council and means that any bouncers must be registered on the National

WINSFORD'S new police chief has promised to crack down on the town's hard-core criminals. Supt Chris Richards, who has recently taken over as Divisional Commander for Congleton and Vale Royal, issued his pledge during a meeting with Winsford town councillors

ALAN Titchmarch MBE, presenter of the popular BBC Television programme Ground Force, recently became patron of the Canterbury-based charity Seeds for Africa. The work of the charity started following the visit by Bishop Francis Loyo from the Southern

AS secretary of the Barnton Club of the Royal British Legion, I would like to apologise to the family of the late Dougie Escott for any distress caused by my comments in last week's Northwich Guardian announcing a memorial service for Dougie. It has been

AS the hype and hysteria about the so-called millennium year subsides, it is clear to most people that the future will present more important problems than wondering how we should celebrate the coming of another century. There is no doubt that local government

COULD someone in authority tell me through the pages of the Guardian how much in total the Vale Royal Reporter costs the council tax payer? I object to any of my money being wasted on this, which is full of Labour propaganda. This Labour council is spending

I HAVE just walked my son up to our local pre-school and along the way we played the usual game of dodge the dog poo! Every morning he walks along the path shouting "there's another one, mum". Also, with a pushchair in tow, we have to be extra careful

HOW many people know that trial by jury is to be abolished? Not many, I suspect. On April 13, 1999, the European Parliament passed a vote for a new and repressive legal system. It goes under the name of Corpus Juris (CJ). Only four out of our 87 MEPs

views of their constituents I MUST express my disgust at the recent decision taken by Cheshire County Council with regard to the closure of Marbury Lane. The decision is not only of concern from a transport perspective, but it raises issues regarding

Report by HAYLEY TUTT THESE days, it might not be every teenager's ideal venue for a Saturday night out - but in the 60's Northwich Memorial Hall was a mecca for some of Britain's biggest bands. The Kinks, The Hollies and even the Fab Four famously appeared

NORTHWICH RUFC put some league points on the board for the first time in five weeks to get back on track for a possible promotion spot. After last week's postponement, the Cheshire Cup derby with Winnington Park and two blank weeks, they made a seamless

Bradford Park Avenue 2 Witton ALbion 2 BEFORE this game, Witton would have been pleased to come away from Bradford with a point, but after running rings around them at the Horsfall Stadium athletics track, it has to be considered a disappointment. Especially

TWO young field archers have really hit the target in their attempts to take their sport to the masses. National champions Daniel Williams and Simon Abbott will be leading a team of young arrowers in front of BBC's Blue Peter cameras this week. The 16

Report by HAYLEY TUTT LITTLE rascal Steven Millar, who dialled 999 for his mum and teacher to be arrested because he was unhappy with the result of his spelling test, was behind bars himself this week - on a guided tour of Northwich police station. The

GENEROUS Mid Cheshire folk have been thanked by the charity Christie's Against Cancer, which has announced that the region has raised more than £50,000 in less than three years. Christie's Mid-Cheshire Group began fundraising in June 1997 and reached

POLICE are hunting a man who indecently assaulted a 22-year-old shopper in broad daylight - in two separate attacks. The first assault happened in WH Smith on Witton Street, when the man backed into the woman rubbing his back up and down her body, then

AN AIR Cadet from Acton Bridge has been selected to represent the north region of the corps on a three-week tour to Australia. Cadet Sergeant Adam Twose, of Sandfield Lane, is one of six cadets from across the country who were chosen to travel to Melbourne

Report by JON COOPER VALE Royal Borough councillors are moving into the 21st century - because they're all going 'on-line'. A £50,000 council budget provided all councillors with their own lap tops, printers and computer paraphernalia for their homes.

NEIL Hamilton does not have to pay the first £500,000 instalment towards Mohammed Al Fayed's legal costs - yet. In a private hearing last week, Mr Justice Morland suspended the costs order while police investigate allegations that the Harrods boss bought

Report by VIVIEN KANDEL MYSTERY surrounds the death of a Northwich Gulf War veteran, who drowned while on holiday in India. The body of Richard Bracegirdle was found just days before he had been due to fly home in December 1998, an inquest heard. Richard's

Report by VIVIEN KANDEL THIEVES have gone on the rampage in Northwich's Vickersway Park, stealing all the birds from the aviary and then pulling down a commemorative arch. Around £600 worth of damage was caused around the park during the wrecking spree

POLICE have announced that there have been 2,720 fewer victims of crime in Cheshire, Halton and Warrington so far during the current financial year. The Chief Constable of Cheshire, Nigel Burgess, told how crime in the regions had already fallen by five

HOT bacon and sausage batches were on the menu for a Northwich family which opened up its home to the public last week. But it was all in the name of charity for Elaine and Steve Jump, who managed to raise more than £485 for Cancer Research by selling

CHILD killer Howard Hughes, who murdered Great Budworth schoolgirl Sophie Hook, is demanding compensation - after claiming that he was a victim of child abuse. Reports suggest that Hughes has lodged a claim for at least £50,000 against the owners of the

But I also feel the lads should be able to wear shorts in summer. This issue isn't just about discrimination. It's about common sense. Needless to say, if the school feels so strong about girls wearing skirts, then maybe their women teachers should be

Any inquiry about the fate of this gem of a pub, cherished in Cheshire and held in affection much further afield and even overseas, is met with the words: 'The brewery is unavailable for comment.' Why can't they comment? They must have a plan for the

I am trying to get hold of lorry photographs of the old transport firm of Phibbs, who used to have a garage on the main Warrington Road, near Mere Corner. The other transport firm was called Poplars Transport. I believe it is now called Poplar 2000 Truckstop

As a Knutsfordian, it makes my blood boil to see what was such a lovely content community ripped apart by those who think they know what is best. How much more can we take? Kilrie has been in continuous use in the caring of children. Why change now? I

It should be made clear that the selection was made under strict DETR rules that do not allow elected councillors to be on that group or the committee or ORCA, the residents' association which had to go to the department to gain the option to transfer

I would also like to say to people who have been displeased with this restaurant opening, why not give it a try? You can't judge a book by its cover! NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED Knutsford Converted for the new archive on 13 March 2001. Some images and formatting

At times some of the criticism has not been balanced, nor indeed, justified, but the service has sought to be transparent and has taken the approach of wishing to listen, learn and improve. I would, however, wish to register my disappointment at the comment

AT FIRST glance it appears to be a typical scene from Trumpton. Firemen living side by side in a picturesque cul-de-sac a hosepipe's length from the station. But Knutsford fire station is the living, breathing heart of a tiny community. Sub-officer Jon

But to the young schoolboy, it seemed nothing to write home about as he sat in his classroom. For earthquakes regularly rocked the South American republic. "I always thought our school was made of elastic because of the way it bent when the ground was

Mrs J Hunter, who lives in Cranage, is interested in leasing a ground-floor unit in Bill Batley's building at the station end of King Street. She hopes to serve sandwiches and coffees to eat-in or takeaway every day of the week until 6.30pm in the shop

So on Monday it was fitting that it should be Tommy Lockett's family who led the tributes at his funeral. In a moving speech to the congregation at St Cross Church, daughter Renee Jordan described her dad as someone who had always been there. "He was

A horde of photographers, journalists and devoted fans set up camp in the cold outside Cottons Hotel, while inside a troupe of clowns entertained their baby Brooklyn at his first birthday party. About 30 children frolicked in a room bursting with balloons

For years the bell in the tower of Ashley school has been silent because of a missing clanger. Villagers believe the clanger may have been melted down for the munitions industry during the Second World War. "The bell is looking very sorry for itself hanging

Peter Garsden, who is seeking damages for 15 of McLean's victims, said the former children's home only reminded them of bad times. "They no doubt have many unhappy memories of the building and will be glad to see an end to it both in terms of bricks and

William Chapman needed it to get to work, so Dad duly obliged. But as he drove into Knutsford town centre, the car promptly burst into flames. "I hope he will look at the funny side of things, but I don't know if he will be able to laugh at this," he

Council officer Stuart Rowbotham this week reminded residents in all its sheltered homes that they were not allowed to play for money. "We want residents to have as much fun as they can," he said. "We encourage them to play bingo, but we are asking that

He will introduce an adjournment debate calling on the British Government to recognise those who suffered in Japanese Prisoner of War camps during the Second World War. "We owe them a debt of gratitude and we are hoping to raise the level of visibility