Archive

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Peter puts his back into it...

BACK-PAIN sufferers in Winsford and Middlewich could find relief at the touch of a button. A local businessman has launched a new company selling specialised beds which move electronically to allow the spine to be evenly supported . Peter Hallums (pictured

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Club enjoys coming of age

THE RAOB Silver Jubilee Club in Witton Street celebrated its 21st birthday in style recently. Members turned out in force for a special celebration night - which also raised £400 for Macmillan Cancer Care nurses. During its 21 year history, the club,

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What's the hold up?

MAY I take advantage of the Winsford and Middlewich Guardian letter page to inform the public that the footpath from Nixon Drive to the recreation area at the rear of Nixon Drive (opposite Saxon Crossway) in between houses 92 and 92a Nixon Drive should

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Fundraiser Vin calls it a day

HAVING to raise £1 million in a lifetime is difficult enough, but it's a feat Vin Armstrong has faced year in, year out, at St Luke's Hospice for the terminally ill. During his six-and-a-half years as company secretary, he has been responsible for helping

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Time to dig deep for Town

DAVE Twite's squad strengthening at Seddon Street could provide a much-needed lifeline for Middlewich Town Reserves. The Witches manager had the luxury of a large squad to choose from for his Cheshire FA cup quarter-final at Linotype, while Darren Saynor's

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Safety first at Oulton Park

MOTORSPORT freaks will get the chance to abandon their daredevil stunts and play it a lttle safer later this month. A special Marshals Awareness Day will be held at Oulton Park on Saturday, January 30 where people can go and find out what marshalling

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Triple whammy floors Middlewich

Lynotype 3 Middlewich Town 0 Cheshire FA Cup Quarter-final IN the first 20 minutes of this quarter final tie, Middlewich dominated and should have been two goals up with Steve Rowlands missing from five yards out after a cross from Tier. Mike Twite also

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Cup joy for juniors

Junior Blues 3 Hartford 2 JUNIOR Blues booked themselves a place in the semi-final of the knockout cup after a titanic struggle against an excellent Hartford. Blues started brightly, going close on several occasions, and their early dominance was rewarded

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PEEL AWAY!

WINSFORD United eased their wage bill further last week by selling Nathan Peel to Northwich Victoria. The striker joined Vics on Friday and although manager Dalton Steele will not have to let another player go to balance the books, he was disappointed

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Meningitis warning

WINSFORD and Middlewich's health information service is warning residents to be aware of the symptoms of the killer illness meningitis. Healthwise say that time is vital in the treatment of the illness and it is important that people can recognise the

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Tied up for good cause

IF you've got a truly awful kipper tie lurking in the back of your wardbrobe, now is the time to show it off! Marie Curie Cancer Care is running a bad tie campaign throughout January and February as a fun way to raise money. The campaign is being supported

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Caravan stolen

POLICE are appealing for witnesses after thieves stole a caravan and contents worth around £8,500 from a car park in Winsford. The mobile home was taken from the Salvation Army car park on Weaver Street, in Winsford on Saturday, January 9. The culprits

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Safety boost for Booth Lane

AN IN-DEPTH safety study into an accident blackspot in Middlewich has identified improvements to be made to prevent further tragedies. The highway safety investigation, carried out on Booth Lane by the highways and local joint committee for Congleton,

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Heaven's above... it's pouring down

THE rector of a Middlewich church is appealing to the generosity of local residents after rain tried to dampen the spirits of a carol service congregation. Reverend Stanley Haworth is asking for donations to carry out emergency work on the roof of St

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Debt help is at hand

WINSFORD and Middlewich's health information service is offering support to those who are finding it difficult to make ends meet. Healthwise has published a debt pack which contains tips on how to prioritise your debts, arrange repayments and budget finances

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Gas heroes save family

A DRAMATIC rescue attempt by two policemen and a Transco worker helped save a Winsford family who were asleep in a gas filled house. The Dalziels, of School Road, were led to safety by the three brave men who had to carefully break-into the house without

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We're bowled out!

FURIOUS Wharton Rec Bowling Club members claim they have been ousted from their green by Winsford Town Council. The bowlers are protesting over a decision made by the council to keep green No 2 at Wharton Recreation Ground open for the public at all times

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Police in hunt for attackers

POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a man was repeatedly kicked about the head and body during an unprovoked attack. The 46-year-old victim was knocked to the floor by five males in their 20s as he was walking home with his 26-year-old nephew along

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SANDIWAY artist Linda Conneely has found an unusual way to get her work exhibited.

Linda, who only started painting a year ago, has caught the attention of Vale Royal Abbey's conference manager - and now her work is set to appear on some of the abbey's stationery. "I was very surprised when they asked me about it," said Linda, of Mayfield

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THE extension at Hartford's parish church has clinched a design award.

The new building, which provides seating for around 100 people and space for group activities, has won this year's North and Mid Cheshire Building Award, presented by the local Chamber of Commerce. Chamber Chairman Peter Craven explained: "The extension

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IF you're still worried about the millennium bug, now's the chance to take advantage of special cour

Managers and business owners can book their places at a one day workshop organised by Elliott-Smith Associates, a Cuddington-based consultancy - for as little as £25. They will take place until February 1999. The firm's Ruth Elliott-Smith said: "Most

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I WOULD like to comment on Councillor Neil's recent letter concerning 'The vision is the people's pl

I believe the Vision for Northwich is a smokescreen to conceal 10 years of Vale Royal Council's handling of the salt mines issue. The council did absolutely nothing for a quarter of a century about a "Northwich Vision" - until 12 months ago, just at the

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NOW that Cheshire County Council have finally given in to reason and accepted that Long Wood at Lost

Those who have helped deliver leaflets, who have written letters to the council, who have taken round the petition and to the many - literally thousands - who have signed the petition and also to your newspaper for consistently highlighting the issues

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MIKE Redmond's first game as manager of Weaverham ended in defeat and signalled the end of any linge

But although Rangers slipped to fourth on the back of the defeat promotion remains a very real possibility. Redmond had the personal satisfaction of being named man of the match and will also have been bouyed by the performances of Rob Farr and Mark Williams

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A HALF million pound development of Sir John Deane's pool should be completed by October following c

An award of £361,498 was confirmed by the English Sports Council on Friday, with help also coming from Cheshire County Council and Redrow Homes towards the project, part of Vale Royal Council's swimming development plan. Plans include improved changing

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OMINIC Crookes' resolution for the New Year became reality a month early when he regained a regular

His form since his return at the start of December has kept the experienced Wes Simpson on the sidelines and earned Crookes the coveted Britannia Carpets player of the month award. Having formed an impressive partnership alongside the imposing frame of

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CONFIRMATION was given last night that a Lottery bid for a massive sporting development in Northwich

Strategic Leisure, a group of independent consultants examining proposals for a multi-million pound development of Moss Farm and Hartford Campus, revealed their findings to the Group behind the scheme yesterday. A statement on behalf of the Group was

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AN inspired half-time substitution by the management pairing of Rob Borwn and Eddie Bishop saw Witto

The introduction of right-winger Andy Lovelock for his first appearance in a red and white shirt since Boxing Day rejuvenated Albion and paved the way for a rousing fightback to continue the club's winning run. Lovelock made one and scored another during

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IAN Cooke took 20 seconds to do what Neil Illman had been struggling to do all afternoon against Dov

The 25-year-old Vics veteran delighted the home faithful on a cold afternoon with his 60th goal for the club, albeit with a slightly fortuitous deflected effort from the edge of the box. It was Cooke's first touch of the ball seconds after coming on as

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CARETAKER manager Eddie Bishop has revealed that the massive vocal backing of the travelling Witton

"When we were two goals down the fans really got behind the team and it gave us a vital lift. We changed things around at half-time and managed to go out and win the game after the break," said Bishop. Albion have now won three consecutive games under

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THERE was widespread success for Mid Cheshire's runners at last weekend's Cheshire championships, wi

Nick Jones claimed his second win in a week by leading from the start to beat a strong field in impressive fashion on behalf of his first string team, Tipton AC. He was among a number of local runners who earned the right to compete in the Cheshire team

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WINNINGTON Park Ladies earned a Cheshire Cup final place last weekend despite the squad being deplet

The team's first game of 1999 was won by two goals to nil thanks to a combination of guts and determination against a well-drilled Chester side. The home defence held solid during a turbulent first half which saw Chester on top. After the break goals

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WORK to create Northwich's very own waterworld is underway with two multi-million pound projects.

Cheshire County Council has already secured £4 million from English Partnerships to change 323 acres of waste land into recreational beauty spots around the town. Formal consent has been received for two schemes bounding Marbury Lane and Witton Brook

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NORTHWICH county councillors were split over the plans for Long Wood.

Bob Woodhouse and Nora Stopford, both Tory, voted against the proposal, while Labour councillor Ron Carey supported development. Clr Carey explained his reasons: "I simply thought that this development could be brought about with a minimal impact on the

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THE chairman of Vale Royal's planning committee has admitted that it will be difficult for the counc

Clr Ron Woodier said yesterday, Tuesday, the county council's change of heart put his colleagues in a difficult position. "I don't see how we can do anything other than follow what the county has done," he said. "I'm surprised and disappointed that the

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A NEW pastor has been appointed at Bethel Church, in Hargreaves Road, Rudheath.

Reverend David Hill, 39, had his induction service at the church on Saturday. Mr Hill, his wife Yvonne and two-year-old son Luke, have been regular visitors to the fellowship during recent weeks and are hoping to move to Northwich in the near future.

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NORTHWICH Carnival has been overhauled as organisers bid to make it the biggest of recent years.

Most of the dancing competitions have been switched to Sunday - leaving Saturday free for the parade and crowning ceremony. "We didn't have a particularly good year last year," said committee chairman Barbara Turner. "The weather wasn't very good and

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VILLAGERS in Anderton and Barnton have attacked plans to close Marbury Lane for good.

Cheshire County Council has voted for a full public debate on the road's future following an accident on the road in November which killed three young men. Parish councillors who represent the villages say they will fight any proposal to close it permanently

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A BARNTON couple - whose daughter gave up everything to marry a homeless vagrant - say the young mar

For against all odds Alan and Sylvia Priestley's daughter Kathryn and her husband Robert have set up a mobile grocery business near their home in Oxford. Alan, of Cherrywood Crescent, Barnton, said: "I'm very proud of Robert, who is making tremendous

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A BARNTON walker, who broke his leg after slipping down a steep embankment, has praised his rescuers

It took firefighters two hours to haul Steve Mills 60ft up a bank - after he lost his footing part of the way down and fell 12ft, by the Trent and Mersey Canal in Barnton. He broke his leg in two places and is now recovering after spending five days in

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AFTER three months of waiting, staff at Sandiway Post Office have been told - it's you.

The store, on Chester Road, is one of just nine across the north west to lose its National Lottery machine after a shake-up by post office bosses. "We have some 4,000 terminals across the country but we must ensure that they are sited where there is a

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TATTON Tories are expecting a flood of high-profile candidates as they try and find the right person

But the constituency association is split between members who want to attract a party big gun and those who want a candidate with good local support. "I think it's fairly mixed," said constituency chairman Mark Stocks. "There are a number of people who

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MUSIC fans were treated to a night of "rabble-rousing" on Friday, when Radio One DJ Mark Radcliffe b

A capacity crowd of 550 people watched the six Mahones - known only by their stage names of DJ, Rusty, Christy, Doc, Bootsie and Donal - as they tore through a collection of Irish-Mancunian folk songs. And in an exclusive interview with the Guardian,

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EUROCAMP'S former Princess Street base has been taken over by a worldwide tour operator.

Up to 60 jobs are expected to be created when Hampshire-based Travelbag begins trading in Knutsford in April. "We are really excited about the expansion and believe Knutsford is just right for the catchment area," said marketing director Julie Tamlin.

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SURELY it's time the Knutsford Guardian stopped acting as publicity agent for Richard Cussons.

Last week's small article 'Trader's euro vision' was yet another piece of self-generated free publicity for his business. The fact that Tiffany's now takes travellers cheques in euros can be of no possible interest to your readers. It's a shop where the

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Hilda

calls a different tune .. IT'S her party so Knutsford's Labour Town Mayor has plumped for an intimate approach to her Civic Ball. Instead of the pomp and ceremony of last year's black tie do at Tatton Park, Clr Hilda Gates will shine at a smaller affair

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Egerton 3, Knights Grange 1

EGERTON won through to the semi-finals of the Mid-Cheshire League Cup on Sunday. They beat second division Knights Grange 3-1 to set up a clash with either FC Gate or Broken Cross at the end of January. It was a close contest, but Egerton just had the

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Acupuncture For Sport

THE founder of acupuncture for sport is opening a clinic in Knutsford. Bernard Nolan, who has also treated actor Michael Crawford, TV star Matthew Kelly and singer Michael Ball, will run his clinic from Knutsford's Chiropractic Centre in King Street.

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Open again

DEVANEY'S Butchers have reopened their doors to Middlewich residents after giving their premises a face lift. The refurbishments were carried out in the week after Christmas and included PVC wall cladding, curved counters, and a new non-slip floor. A

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Bug busting courses for the cynical

IF you're still worried about the millennium bug, now's the chance to take advantage of special courses being run throughout Vale Royal. Managers and business owners can book their places at a one day workshop organised by Elliott-Smith Associates, a

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Photo proves just as pretty as a picture

SANDIWAY artist Linda Conneely has found an unusual way to get her work exhibited. Linda, who only started painting a year ago, has caught the attention of Vale Royal Abbey's conference manager - and now her work is set to appear on some of the abbey's

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No homes for travellers...

I HAVE resisted replying to a number of letters from 'Interested of Over', 'Concerned of Over', 'Over Watcher' etc. I am however compelled to reply to 'Wary of Over' as his/her letter is just plain wrong. It is not true. I have checked the allocation

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Wartime memories of brothers in arms

THE Winsford and Middlewich Guardian of December 12 featured Bob Curzon's article titled 'What's in a name' and mentions my grandfather and three of his brothers in the tape recorded memories of Fred Dodd. My grandfather was Enoch Hough, nicknamed Conk

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Helping to coin it in!

LAST year I appealed to the readers of the Winsford and Middlewich Guardian to take any leftover foreign coins into their local Cancer Research Campaign shop or Boots the Chemist. We all know what it's like when you come back from holiday with bits of

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Queen for a day

THE countdown to Winsford Carnival has begun with the new queen and retinue chosen on Monday for the town's biggest summer celebration. Judging took place at Winsford Civic Hall when more than 30 girls and boys competed for a place in this year's event

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Hunting for bargains at the market

Local historian BOB CURZON continues his look at Winsford from days gone by, comparing and contrasting it with life in the town as it is now MANY'S the time on a Saturday morning in the 1960s that my friend, Geoff Carden, and myself would go to Winsford

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Womble picks up the points

Worksop Town 1 Winsford United 0 UniBond Premier Division By Andy Maylor WINNIE Steele was guilty of another glaring miss as United fell to a defeat they ill-deserved at Worksop's Sandy Lane ground. The little forward has fluffed a string of gilt-edged

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School of excellence

VERDIN High School has won an award which highlights its commitment to teachers and support staff. The school recently gained an Investors in People award which was presented to to members of staff and the governors board on Monday. The Investors in People

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Strong £ forces jobs cuts

A SLUMP in sales has caused four redundancies at a Middlewich factory. Flowcrete Systems PLC, based on Stud Green Industrial Estate in Brooks Lane, says it has been forced to axe the workers because British firms have no money to invest due to falling

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Megan the moggy's taken for ride

MIDDLEWICH cat Megan is probably the luckiest pet in Cheshire after surviving more than 24 hours out in the Christmas cold - inside a car engine. Her incredible journey began on Wednesday, December 23, when she went missing from her home in Booth Lane

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Bogus worker alert

POLICE have issued a warning to Winsford residents about bogus officials following two incidents in the town on Tuesday last week. The first happened just before 11am in Churchill Parkway, off Queensway, and involved a dark-skinned male of Oriental appearance

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Arthritis meeting

THE holiday meeting of the Winsford branch of the Arthritis Care was well entertained by local country and western singer Don Peters, together with a demonstration of line dancing, all followed by a buffet meal prepared by the committee members. The January

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Beware of alien pond invaders

WINSFORD and Middlewich's pond owners and garden centres are being urged to weed out alien plants that are invading canals, lakes and ponds throughout the county. The Environment Agency claim that foreign species like Australian Swamp Stonecrop and Fairy

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MENINGITIS BUG HITS CRECHE

A CRECHE in Winsford has become the latest in a list of Cheshire education establishments to be hit by the killer brain disease, meningitis. The nursery, based at Mid-Cheshire College's Verdin Centre, revealed yesterday afternoon, Tuesday, that a 20-month-old

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THE large hoarding erected before the start of the recent works in Davenham, described them as a 'tr

The implied intention was to make Davenham safer. Regrettably that has not been achieved and in many respects the village is now even more dangerous than before, examples of which are given below. Traffic calming measures have achieved little. The volume

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NORTHWICH'S Regal Cinema is set to celebrate its 60th birthday next week.

And to help film fans share the magic of the moment, manager Karl Woods has borrowed an idea from one of the screen's most famous competitions. If you remember Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory, you might also remember the all-important Golden Tickets

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TWO 'Fab' Ladies will be cooking a dish of culinary delights when a new Dinner Party Course starts a

For tutors Deborah Robb and Isabel Bishop will be emanating their well-known television counterparts, Two Fat Ladies when they present the five week course along similar lines. Both Deborah, the college's community liaison manager as well as a catering

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THE NORTHWICH Guardian is helping launch an exciting new internet service which will take the web by

Called AuctionHunter (www.AuctionHunter.co.uk) it will allow our readers to buy and sell items in auctions taking place live over the Internet. The project is being run by Newsquest Media group - England's largest newspaper group - which owns the Northwich

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BARNTON had to dig deep on Saturday against a physical Castrol Sports side before an 88th minute Adr

Barnton are now one game away from the final, where manager Terry Murphy is hoping to end his long and illustrious career in Mid Cheshire football with the one trophy which has eluded him. They went out at the quarter-final stage last season, but there

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Unibond First Division in the FA Umbro Trophy.

Gardiner hopes to have captain Steve Walters available again after suspension, although there are concerns over a recurrence of a knee injury. With Paul Tait and Val Owen also vying for a return to the starting line-up Gardiner is remaining tight lipped

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MARK Gardiner bolstered his Northwich Vics squad by signing two midfielders and a striker last Frida

Gardiner has added cover in midfield by registering Mark Devlin from Exeter and Jamie Webster from Rhyl while striker Nathan Peel has been signed on an 18 month contract from Winsford United for £6,000. Peel and Webster played the full 90 minutes against

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A TOWN centre chemists was open as usual on Monday - less than 24 hours after a major fire.

Firefighters were called to the Co-op pharmacy on Drill Field Road after a blaze broke out late on Sunday afternoon. "We were very pleased with the very quick response we got from the fire brigade," said Jonathan Snape, area manager for Co-op Healthcare

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A FINAL decision was due to be made last night, Tuesday, on whether to introduce car parking charges

Ian Hickman, Forest Enterprise district manager, said car parking charges were essential for the upkeep of the forest. "Delamere Forest is one of the most visited forests in the whole of Great Britain and gives us conflict between mountain bikes, horses

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MICHAEL Fellows said it, Ron Woodier admitted it and Dorie Willington hinted at it: Vale Royal Borou

County councillors have dropped their support for plans to develop the site - leaving the borough council standing alone. Last week's vote was a victory for common sense and for people power. The campaign to stop the development of Long Wood began almost

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ROAD chiefs want the speed limit on the A556 dropped to 50 mph.

They are concerned about the high number of accidents on the stretch in Oakmere between Abbey Lane and Waste Lane. There have been 25 accidents causing injuries and one fatal accident on that section in the last four years. Vale Royal's Highways and Transport

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UNION chiefs are calling for crisis talks with the Government over a crippling new tax which could f

Chancellor Gordon Brown is considering a tax on limestone which could cost the company £4.5 million a year - and threaten 750 jobs in Northwich. Jeff Joyce, regional organiser for the Transport and General Workers' Union, said: "The consequences of this

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BOROUGH councillors met last night to discuss the closure of the southern leg of The Crescent in Nor

Engineers hope to close The Crescent's Leftwich end - which emerges next to the Mid Cheshire School of Art and Design - while the Kingsmead spine road is completed. The council's decision will be published next week. Converted for the new archive on 13

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MARSHALL'S Arm Nature Reserve is to host a weekend of reed cutting and reed boat making.

People of all ages are invited to attend the reed cutting between 10am and 1pm on Saturday. The reeds will then be used to make a boat at The Salt Museum, between 2pm and 5pm on Saturday and Sunday. The museum will also host a talk about the history of

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STUNNED Hartford residents have voiced their alarm over plans for a new 24-hour supermarket in the v

The plans have been submitted by supermarket giant Somerfield. If approved, the Elf service station on Chester Road would be demolished and completely rebuilt, with a small-scale supermarket being built behind it. But around 30 villagers lobbied Hartford

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The vote split the council's environment committee between its Labour group - which backed the plan

But even though the Labour group argued against deletion, Labour Clr Derek Bateman - the leader of Cheshire County Council - said his group wouldn't fight the motion at next month's full council meeting. "We don't think that any debate at full council

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A GIANT warehouse complex being planned for Lostock has been scrapped by Cheshire County Council.

The news marks a crucial victory for villagers fighting to save land at Long Wood from developers. Now the campaigners are hoping Vale Royal Borough Council will follow the county's example and also ditch the idea. County councillors voted to abandon

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EVERYONE knows the problems with trains.

But I think I have a solution that will result in more understanding passengers. Communication. Many times I have been left standing at Knutsford train station and the train has been over half an hour late. Usually there is a good reason why the train

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PRINCESSES, presidents and pop stars have sworn by them. But do Knutsford's women believe their dest

Head hr and here and hee Travelbeam 18 x 4 'This is the excellent foppery of the world that when we are sick in fortune - often the surfeits of our own behaviour - we make guilty of our disasters the sun, the moon and stars' - from Shakespeare's King

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MAY is already proving a popular month in the year 2000.

Too popular in fact. Knutsford Town Council has been inundated with photographs of the town's Royal May Day Festival for its souvenir Millennium Calendar. Many pictures of Tatton Park - which attracts thousands of visitors every year - have also landed

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Altrincham League - Division One

Knutsford A 1 Partington 0 KNUTSFORD produced their most outstanding performance of the season to beat arch rivals Partington in a bruising battle at Manchester Road on Saturday. They stood up to the hostilities in magnificent fashion, leaving manager

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Knutsford 0, Garswood United 0

KNUTSFORD dug deep into their reserves of strength and stamina on Saturday to earn a point and stay second in the Mid-Cheshire League. Saturday's draw also stretched the Manchester Road team's unbeaten spell to 12 games. Although goalless, it was far

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A HOLMES Chapel teacher led the British team to victory in an international relay race.

Jackie Newton, who teaches junior classes at Terra Nova School, took her team across the winning line in the Bahrain Marathon Relay. "It was a wonderful experience and one I will never forget," she said. The Bahrain Marathon Relay is the biggest relay