LETTERS will be going out to people who have complained about the Widnes skate park from the local government ombudsman. People whose homes on Birchfield Road back onto the skate park have been upset with the noise and disruption they think it creates
ALL the way from the banks of the Yangtze River to a school in Runcorn, Chinese exchange pupils have been sampling education - and food - Halton style. Year 11 pupils Lan Qin and Li Wang are three weeks into a four-week stay at St Chad's. The two girls
A FAVOURITE story has been brought to life at Chesnut Lodge special school thanks to Sam the St Bernard. Cuddly Sam lapped up the attention from the kids when he visited them during their reading class. The children, who have been reading about dogs,
BRIAN Johns scored a magnificent double this week claiming the England Over 40s National Table Tennis Championship and the Veterans' Men's Doubles. Brian defeated former European Champion and Cheshire county team mate John Hilton in the final after coming
ALMOST £3m is being spent on regenerating Runcorn and Widnes by Halton Council. The money will go on a things like policing, more facilities for youngsters and improving the town centres. The money was voted through as the council's contribution to the
NORTHWICH Victoria may have been handed a Nationwide Conference lifeline - thanks to the misfortune of Telford United. Telford, who enjoyed a great FA Cup run and are in the semi final of the FA Trophy are facing financial ruin after chairman Andy Shaw's
Widnes Albion 10 Haydock 8 TWO hard-earned points for the Albion against a very physical Haydock team. The Albion had to defend for long periods and never touched the ball in the first 10 minutes during which Haydock took the lead with a penalty. A good
by writing two books BEING diagnosed with breast cancer has not stopped one Middlewich woman from fighting back from the illness and publishing two books. Bernice Walmsley, 51, lives in Paddock View with her husband Bill and at Easter they will be joined
At 3.20am the fire broke out in a tunnel and destroyed cables connected to a national phone network in a British Telecom cable chamber, wiping out many services in the north west, including Middlewich. BT announced that 130,000 phone lines were affected
for gardening competition MIDDLEWICH gardeners are being urged to have a blooming good attempt at taking part in the town's garden competition this year run by the Community Pride Group. The four categories are private front gardens, private front gardens
SO, a sweet smell of perfume would greet me if I turned up at Runcorn magistrates court first thing in the morning? Only snag is cases are held all day long. May I point out I do not linger near the gents' urinals, I regularly attend hearings in a professional
ACCORDING to the police, safety cameras are not placed to make money, but to curb speeds. Could Sgt Yvonne Williams please therefore explain why a mobile camera is quite often placed within 50 yards of a fixed camera on the expressway towards the bridge
I FEEL duty bound to let the irresponsible parents who buy their children motorised scooters know exactly where their children ride them. This weekend they were tearing around the Upton Rocks park, other parents with young babies were subjected to these
I WOULD like to thank Runcorn fire service for visiting my home recently to install free smoke alarms. My husband and I are in our 80s and the officers who came out were very kind and helpful. They do a thankless job sometimes and I would just like to
A SMALL number of local residents seem dissatisfied with their blue wheeled bins. Halton Council has recently consulted with the residents of Halton before adopting a strategy for dealing with waste. In line with all local authorities across England,
MIDDLEWICH Town will not be competing in the North West Counties League next season. The decision was taken at a committee meeting on Sunday when members voted against the proposal, stating the club wasn't ready. The club applied for North West Counties
IN his letter, Trevor Higginson (Lib Dem) is, quite rightly, concerned with electoral fraud and the possibility of people not understanding what they will have to do for postal votes. We need to 'educate' the electorate and it is incumbent on everyone
WINNINGTON Park and Northwich rugby clubs are organising two major events to raise money for an injured rugby player. John Blower, from Northwich, was seriously injured last year in a failed rugby scrum, which left him paralysed from the neck down. Since
THE parents of a teenage boy who was killed in a car accident on the A533 say they are proud of the way their son lived his life. A huge number of family and friends turned out to pay their respects to Matthew Whittle at his funeral on Friday. St John
FIREFIGHTERS are being treated like salesman, says a local brigade member. The fireman, who has asked to remain anonymous, said a scheme to fit smoke detectors and do home safety checks was not working. Cheshire Fire Service says it's targeting the right
TOP team Kestrels lost to bottom team Gulls 3-1 in group one. This was their first loss but Gulls then went on to beat Vultures 4-1. This was not enough to lift them off the bottom as the team above them, Magpies, also won both their games, 2-0 against
Widnes RUFC u9s 0 Alnwick RUFC u9s 5 Widnes RUFC u9s 20 Preston RUFC u9s 5 Widnes RUFC u9s 5 Newbury RUFC u9s 5 IN a tough group of the four best teams in the Huddersfield tournament, the Wids youngsters were unlucky not to lift the trophy. In their first
A RELATIVELY inexperienced Widnes side, missing five regulars, played some outstanding open attacking rugby to reach the final of the Sedgley Park 10s tournament, only to lose to an excellent Winnington Park team. Debuts were given to Woollam and Lindberg
Parkside Golborne U8s 16 Widnes Moorfield U8s 44 AGAINST a relatively inexperienced side Moorfield played some good rugby, which saw every player score. After some good early defence Matthew Barrow opened the scoring when he skipped through off a pass
Widnes Moorfield U8s 24 Thatto Heath U8s 4 EVERY Moorfield player should take great pride in their achievements this year shows how much they have progressed. Joint opposition man of the match went to Lewis Scott and Daniel Richardson who led the way
THE days of waiting up to a year for cataract surgery to improve eyesight and quality of life are a thing of the past at Leighton Hospital, according to chief executive Simon Yates. The longest anyone will have to wait between the decision that surgery
THE Wids went to the Vale of Lune and in the first group match they beat Fylde 50-30. In the second game against Ormskirk they defended brilliantly and won 35-5. In the final group game against Blackburn Wids won 35-20. In the semi final they played Fleetwood
PARENTS fighting to get their children into the new Kingsmead Primary School have received the backing of Eddisbury MP Stephen O'Brien. Many families who live less than a mile from the new school were told their children would have to find a different
WHEN Una Milsom was in her 50s she joined an art club just for something to do - and then discovered she had an incredible talent for painting. She acquired an agent and sold many of her pieces of artwork to restaurants in London. Even now at 87, Una,
Halton Hornets 24 Wigan St Pats 20 AN impressive Widnes side travelled up the M6 to take on a very good Wigan team. The Hornets took an early lead with a strong run from Adam Kirby to set up a try for Robert Jacks. Crunching tackling from Adam Rhys Jones
THE public will have a chance to voice their opinion on Cheshire's County structure plan review when it is launched on Wednesday next week, April 7, at St Mary's Church in Chester. The plan sets out a broad framework of policies that will shape future
Wigan St Cuth's U11s 0 Widnes St Maries 30 EXCITING running and great defence saw St Maries beat a Wigan team that had not lost in six games. The opening exchanges were evenly contested but a penalty near the Wigan line saw crisp passing put Danny Mellor
CAMPAIGNERS are celebrating after winning a long battle to protect a public field from developers. Councillors and members of Weaverham Trust have been fighting for more than three years to get Lakehouse Field designated as a village green. Their wishes
TRUSTEES are warning that if proposals to develop Castle Park are defeated, the area could fall into disrepair and become an eyesore. At a meeting held last Tuesday, Vale Royal Borough Council's executive group voted to agree the land swap at Castle Park
Bank Quay U11s 32 Widnes Moorfield U11s 6 MOORFIELD started off by gifting the Bulls five players to make up the numbers and finished off with a 50-50 split. Players swapped over sides at will and in the end nobody knew who was playing for who and everybody
A WOMAN stabbed herself in the eye with a seven-inch knife, a court has heard. Colette Neil was using the knife to open bags at Thompson and Capper Ltd, on Astmoor Industrial Estate. The knife cut through the cable fastening a bag easier than she expected
TWO kind-hearted local runners will be trekking through the streets of London on Sunday, April 18, in a bid to complete the London Marathon. And when Marieanne Benson and Suzy Emsden lace up their running shoes they will both be focused on the money their
A RUNCORN man who had more than 600 indecent images of children including pictures featuring animals has been jailed at Warrington Crown Court. Robert Lee Storey's images were described as 'of the very worst kind that has come before this court' by Judge
RESILIENCE, grit and determination have secured millions of pounds of investment and new jobs to transform Halton's image. Chief executive Mike Cuff praised councillors and officers for never giving up hope, as he looked back over his 12 years at the
THE HONOUR of becoming Museum of the Year 2004 could be bestowed on a trailblazing Runcorn museum. Norton Priory is in the final of UK's largest arts accolade, the Gulbenkian Prize. Director Steve Miller, said: "We are thrilled to be in the final four
'KEEP our community together' is the message from a Castlefields councillor after plans to revitalise the run-down estate sparked fears that homes could be bulldozed. A multi-million pound masterplan to restore Castlefields to its former glory threatens
THE girls U13s beat Hope High school in the fifth round of the Coca Cola National Cup. The match finished 6-2, with the goals coming from Christie Craig (2), Faye Ward (2), Rachael Lamb and an own goal. Ruth Woodward had an excellent game in goal. The
Widnes Colts 18 Aldwinians 12 Lancs Cup Semi Final WIDNES will face Preston in the Lancs final on April 28. The Widnes forwards were in top form with Loughnane awesome at the front of the lineout, with Dennett and McCann equally effective. O'Neill, filling
CHAIRMAN of Liverpool St Helens RU club, Alan Walker, has died aged 63, a month after being diagnosed with leukaemia. LSH president, Ray French spoke for officials, members and players at the club when he said: "Everyone at Moss Lane is completely devastated
HOUSE prices in St Helens have continued to soar since the turn of the year, but buyers seem as keen as ever to keep snapping up the properties. Rises this year are thought to be pushing 10 per cent and come on the back of figures last year which showed
ST HELENS' town-centre Safeway store looks set be sold by the end of year following Morrisons' takeover of the supermarket chain. The store at Chalon Way, St Helens, has been earmarked as one of 52 Safeway branches that must be sold off by the end of
WIDNES are bracing themselves for a Rhino charge on Friday as table-toppers Leeds visit the Vikings. The struggling Vikings are desperate to avoid another defeat after plunging to the foot of the table after losing their first three matches. Their start
Wakefield and Emley 3 Runcorn FC Halton 5 PLAYER manager Chris Lightfoot, led by example at Wakefield and Emley by climbing off the subs bench and scoring a hat-trick in just 25 minutes. The early play belonged to the home side and Runcorn FC Halton keeper
AFTER a winter of discontent Robin Reid has a spring in his step again. The Runcorn Reaperman has put the disappointment of his January appeal fiasco behind him and has undefeated Irishman, Brian Magee, in his sights. Reid, who failed to win a rematch
BEECHWOOD Roma are on course for a league and cup double after clinching the title and reaching the Runcorn Sports Trust final. An excellent 4-2 victory over Kingsway Falcons saw them through to the final. Goals from Robbie Shearer (2), Craig Hughes and
A SHOW billed by critics as 'a sensational vaudeville ... brilliantly written and fantastically funny' opens at Chester Gateway this week. Madame Galina Ballet Star Galactica is being performed at 8pm on Friday, March 26 and Saturday, March 27. Lestyn
HOLIDAY on Ice is visiting Liverpool for the first time over the Easter holidays. Perfect entertainment for children of all ages, the show can be seen from the April 6-12, in a specially constructed Ice Theatre in Kings Dock. The all-new show Celebration
THE funeral has taken place of Doreen Tilley, who died in hospital on March 11, aged 66. Doreen was born at Chapel-en-Le Frith, moving in her early days to Barnton where she lived and brought up her family, until moving to Rudheath seven years ago. In
THE funeral has taken place for Beatrice Mary Finlay, of Rudheath, who died on February 28, aged 91. Known as Molly she was born in Lostock, one of a family of five children to the late Lucy and Bill Dimelow. She was brought up in Lostock where she attended
THE funeral has taken place of Hilda Roberts, who died suddenly at home on March 13, aged 88. Hilda was the wife of the late Joseph Roberts, of Hartford, formerly of Davenham. She was born in Davenham and lived there for 84 years. She was educated at
THE funeral has taken place of Barbara Rogerson (previously Thwaites and nee Sutton), who died on March 6, aged 74. Barbara was born in Warrington and later taught there after attending St Katharine's Teacher Training College in Liverpool. She married
THE funeral has taken place of Doris Ashley, of Weaver Grange, Moulton, who died on March 10, aged 84. Doris was the widow of Thomas Harold Ashley and the devoted mother of Gaynor. She was born and lived in Winsford, latterly settling in Moulton. She
Widnes RUFC u9s 35 Carlisle RUFC u9s 0 THE Wids dominated from the start, hooker Kenyon driving over at every opportunity. Second half substitutes Pinder and Thomas led the way with strong tackling. Mercer scored a hat trick in four minutes. Widnes RUFC
campus into something that looks like a shopping centre or airport complex rather than an institution A TRAILBLAZING £235m project to develop England's biggest education programme could create exciting learning opportunities here in Halton. Graham Hilton
KINGSWAY is the subject of a ground-breaking study into crime and disorder concerns. Halton Community Watch is concentrating resources on the estate in an effort to combat the crime problems and to study the fear of crime. Dave Potts, HCW manager, said
A FORMER soldier who broke his neck in a terror fall on an SAS selection course is fighting for damages in London's High Court. Martin O'Connor, of Albert Road, Widnes fractured his spine in a 60-metre plunge from a knife-edge ridge in the Brecon Beacons
A PARKING ban on Kingsway in Widnes has left car owners fuming. Halton Council say from April 13 it will stop people parking on the grass verges and police will fine drivers who risk it. The council and the residents are now negotiating a solution. The
A BRAND new Post Office could soon be built as part of an exciting £3m Simms Cross regeneration. Widnes Regeneration Project has confirmed crunch talks are underway. It comes six weeks after incensed Halton MP Derek Twigg summoned Post Office bosses to
Lostock Parish Council is looking at three sites around Northwich after getting a good response to an appeal made at the start of the month. The quest to find a suitable site follows a suggestion by members of Lostock's Community Action Team at this month's
TRUSTEES are delighted after planners approved the application to relocate Barnton Memorial Hall to Townfield Lane, the home of Barnton Football Club. Doubts had been raised about the hall's future after planners deferred a decision in order to make a
THE problem of vandalism in Moulton has surfaced yet again with two more incidents in as many weeks. The first incident happened at Moulton Royal British Legion where it is thought youths damaged the bowling green with either weed killer or fertilizer
YOUNGSTERS in Comberbach will soon be able to enjoy a junior and toddler play area on their recreation ground. Phase one of the recreation area will be officially opened on Wednesday, April 14, with a garden area and teen shelter also set to be erected
Widnes Ball 38 Waterhead 4 WIDNES Ball Bulldogs finished their season with a win over Waterhead to gain promotion to division two. They took the lead with Antony Ward, Peter Hyland (2) and James Noone crossing and man of the match, Neil Bourke converted
FRESH plans to build a waste dump in Middlewich are set to be submitted to the county council today, Wednesday. And in a severe blow to protesters, previous objections will not be considered, so any campaign against the proposals will have to start from
I WOULD like to point out some facts on the subject of safety cameras. I see that Sgt Yvonne Williams says she has dealt with hundreds of traffic accidents during her time, speeding alone is not the main factor in a road traffic accident. Does she have
NORTON Priory is delighted to have made the final of the Gulbenkian Prize for Museum of the Year 2004 for its inspiring and innovative work with Astmoor Day Services as part of Halton Council's Positive Partnerships project. We polled the highest number
READING a letter in the World recently I was reminded how sad some people's lives really must be. The letter 'ruin of our town' moaned at a range of improvements made to Widnes town centre over the years, even the new Vue Bar. I think the council have
BEFORE you start complaining about recycling and newspapers being able to just breakdown eventually, well there are other things you have to think about like plastic, cardboard, glass, magazines, catalogues, aluminium cans, tin cans, plus you need the
And he is likely to be drafted straight into the Blues squad for their trip to Eccelshall tonight, Wednesday. Winsford manager Dave Twite said: "Rob played for me when I was manager at Middlewich and he's got a lot of experience which will help us at
A WIDOWER whose wife died at an accident blackspot in Winsford hopes that new traffic calming measures will stop other pedestrians suffering a similar fate. Former English teacher Joan Ayliffe, 73, was killed in May 2000 when she tried to cross the busy
A MAN wielding a kitchen knife demanded staff hand over cash in an attempted robbery at a Winsford bookmakers' shop last week. The would-be robber targeted the Corbetts betting shop in Market Place at 5.30pm on Thursday, March 25, but made off empty-handed
Mond Rangers Youth 6 Golborne 0 MOND had a few scares in an ill-tempered mat ch. Early pressure was rewarded when first Colin Grugel, then Steve Duckers both drove shots past the visitor's keeper for an early 2-0 lead. Mond had chances to increase the
Wids U11s 21 Warrington U11s 7 Wids U11s 14 Keighley U11s 7 Wids U11s 21 Preston Grasshoppers U11s 0 Wids U11s 7 Rochdale U11s 0 - semi final Wids U11s 14 Huddersfield U11s 0 - final THE U11s debut at the Huddersfield Festival was as successful as it
WIDNES U12s won the Huddersfield festival playing some excellent rugby along the way. In the opening rounds both Rochdale and then Huddersfield were defeated 28-0 with scores for Daryl Bold (3t), Chris Schofield (2t) and tries for George Lang, Evans,
THERE will be a new name on the Guardian Cup this season. Mid Cheshire League side Daten will start as favourites but Fearnhead will enter the final flying the flag for the Warrington & District League after Saturday's win over St Michael's. The semi
General Chemicals 0 Cammell Lairds 0 Carlsberg West Cheshire League Division One CHEMICS had several first team players missing, notably Whitehead, Erickson, Hill, Ellams and Moore. Dean Wooley was brought in from the second team and did an excellent
Halton Borough Council 2 Beechwood 0 BEECHWOOD'S fine start to the season came to an end at top of the table Halton Borough. Kev Morris twice went close for Beechwood but it was Halton who broke the deadlock on the stroke of half time scoring with their
Mond Rangers 0 Mersey Royal 1 Carlsberg West Cheshire League Division Three A GOAL after three minutes was enough to give Mersey Royal all three points. O'Shea scored the decisive goal after he went round two defenders before firing home. Mond produced
IN the Leisure league, Beech Boys took the lead inside the first minute but did not have much time to enjoy the goal as Bugle FC equalised. Every time Beech Boys scored Bugle FC were not far behind with an equaliser, the game ending 6-6. Table toppers
PARISHIONERS in Moulton are in fear of going to church after suffering verbal and physical abuse from youths who terrorise services. The Sunday evening service at St Stephen's Church is the main target of the youths who come to church to hurl abuse at
Sedgley Park Super 10s WIDNES U16s won the Sedgley Park Super 10s for the third time in three attempts. In the three qualifying matches they played spectacular open running rugby and scored 111 points including 17 tries while only conceding 12 points.
SKILLED workers are preparing to get involved in a national protest after being sacked from their jobs at Northwich's canal workshop. The workshop in Navigation Road is due to close today, Wednesday, after running for more than 100 years in the town.
RUNCORN boys boxing club continues to go from strength to strength with one of their lads winning once again. Paul Jackson, 14, of Halton High beat Callum Cook of Nichols Police ABC, Manchester, over three rounds at the Brooklands club in Sale. Coach
MILKMEN have been given mobile phones to report anything suspicious. Ten phones have been given out to Express Dairies staff in Halton. They can use them to call the police, Crimestoppers, the fire service or an ambulance. The milkmen's early mornings
TWO Kingsmead mothers have organised a petition calling for safety measures to be installed at an accident blackspot. Deryn Munro and Sue McCormack want crash barriers to be put up at dangerous bends on the A533 Bostock Road, which runs from Northwich
TWO coaches from the Cheshire Penguins Swimming Club based in Northwich have been suspended pending a hearing next month with Social Services. Anne Calvert and Andy O'Gara have been suspended by the Amateur Swimming Association while an investigation
A PARALYSED shooting victim has been allowed out of hospital for the day to celebrate his 44th birthday with his family. Police are desperate for people to get in touch with information about his attackers. The father was shot in the back with a small
MEMBERS were welcomed to the March meeting of Cuddington and Sandiway WI by president Valerie Miller, proudly wearing her new president's badge. She asked members for contributions to the Cheshire Show and asked for names for this year's bursary. Joan
A RUNCORN boy caught helping to steal four garden chairs and two wheelbarrows has been given a three month referral order. The 17-year-old pleaded guilty to trying to steal the goods with another boy at Webbs builders, Halton Road, Runcorn. When police
A BLAZING caravan woke residents in Sandy Lane, Weston Point in the early hours of Saturday morning. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus extinguished the fire, shortly after 12.30pm. Adjacent properties were evacuated as a precaution.
POLICE want people to come forward after the burglary squad found gardening items at an address in Murdishaw. If you have lost any items and have some form of proof of ownership, contact Det Con Karl Fitzgerald on 01244-613974 as a matter of urgency.
ONE of the top tourist attractions in the north west is welcoming visitors of a different kind this Easter. Among those who will be attending Tatton Park's Easter Festival are Duke, a mouse, a lion and a giant egg as part of Time for a Rhyme which is
WHEN Les Johnston took on the task of fundraising for a new hospice for St Helens 10 years ago, all he had to work with was an empty plot of land and a set of blueprints. But now the man who became the driving force behind the Willowbrook Hospice fundraising
TEN sixth form students from Rainhill High School are linking up with their continental counterparts when they join in the international European Youth Parliament finals this week. They will compete against 200 teams from all over Europe debating key
ST HELENS MP Dave Watts has taken the plight of the Ravenhead workers directly to Prime Minister Tony Blair. During a 45-minute meeting, Mr Watts and a delegation of MPs discussed how hundreds of workers across the country, including those from Ravenhead
BETTY Bolton, who has died at the age of 77, was a woman of many parts. During her adult lifetime she had been, among other things, a town and parish councillor, school governor, shopkeeper, charity worker, musician and dedicated wife and mother. But
AUDIENCES can expect an evening of gloss, glitz and glamour when the very fabulous Danny La Rue graces the stage of Winsford Civic Hall next month. In this nationwide tour, the 'queen' of the music hall will feature several of his trademark ladies along
WIDNES Vikings are one of six Tetley Super League clubs to benefit from a £500,000 commercial deal. The Vikings, along with Leeds Rhinos, Bradford Bulls, London Broncos, Castleford Tigers and Hull FC, have negotiated a perimeter advertising deal with
RUNCORN FC Halton manager Chris Lightfoot was full of praise for loan signing Matthew Platt after his impressive debut. The striker, on loan from Crewe, made an impressive debut in the Linnets 5-3 win at Wakefield and Emley. "I was very pleased with Matthew's
THE River Weaver may have brought prosperity to Winsford through the salt industry but it also brought disasters through subsidence and floods. The flood of 1946 is well remembered by Winsfordians; Jimmy Tomkinsons' coal lorry ferrying townsfolk across
THE funeral has taken place of Alex Stuart Cookson, of Hartford Road, Davenham, following his death on March 3, aged 19. Alex attended Davenham CE Primary School and completed his studies at The County High School, Leftwich. On leaving school he took
THE funeral has taken place of John Ivor Lees following his death on March 2 at Parc-y-Llyn Nursing Home in south Wales. He was 81. Ivor came to Northwich in 1947 after serving in the RAF and graduating from Selwyn College, Cambridge. He taught history
THE funeral has taken place on March 29 of David Wilson Hardman, who died at the age of 91. David was born in Bacup, Lancashire to a line of ironmasters. He was first class honours in mechanical engineering at UMIST and completed an MSc. Following the
