Archive

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We're showered with success. . .

A WINSFORD business is set for further expansion after winning the UK licence to use a unique anti-bacterial ingredient. Contour Showers announced last week that it has been awarded sole rights to use the Maxguard AB agent in its shower trays, which will

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Business has found its feet

WINSFORD beauty therapist Linda Blake has proved that she is one step ahead. She is now offering chiropody treatment at her shop in Chester Road, Simply Relaxing. Customers can also benefit from aromatherapy, reflexology, non-surgical face-lifts, holistic

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Europe goes on the agenda

BUSINESSES in Winsford and Middlewich can find out more about how the introduction of the Euro might affect them by attending a seminar in Northwich next month. Vale Royal Borough Council has teamed up with Euro expert Tony Shaw to organise the seminar

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Speed bumps could prevent a tragedy

I WOULD like to comment on the letter published in last week's Winsford & Middlewich Guardian from 'Outsider'. Apart from being arrogant, they are also misinformed. The traffic calming measures on Delamere Street are not there to enable some narrow-minded

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Keep off the tracks

SOME points about the railway through Winsford - it has been there for 162 years and it is an offence punishable by a £200 fine to trespass. If fencing is damaged, report it to the police. I may add that the fencing does not damage itself. Parents should

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Where were all the signs?

I WOULD like to point out for the future, as regards the Winsford Town Festival, that advertisement is great, it reaches the masses, it gets results. At Sunday's car boot sale we were stuck behind the Verdin Centre, our money was taken and that was it

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We all make mistakes

SOME years ago I lived in the Whitegate area and over the years developed a keen interest in local history, particularly Northwich and Winsford. I keep in touch with local affairs with the Guardian and for some time now, I have detected a cynical note

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Anne's rising to her new challenge

ANNE Sherratt has been working at St Luke's cancer hospice for only 12 weeks - but that has been plenty of time to realise just how demanding her job is. Every day £1,600 has to be raised to keep the Winsford hospice for the terminally ill operating.

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Home throws open its doors to the public

A HOME for elderly and mentally ill people is opening its doors to the public next month to give people an insight into the establishment and how it is run. Westwood Court in Well Street, Winsford, has organised an open day and May fair for May 22. It

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BLUES FACE CUP TEST

WINSFORD United will have to cast a difficult period aside if they are to retain the Mid-Cheshire Senior Cup at Northwich Victoria tomorrow night (Thursday). The Blues go into the game on the back of Saturday's 3-1 reverse at Frickley and a disappointing

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Forum is going swimmingly. . .

SWIMMERS in Winsford are pooling their resources with the rest of Vale Royal to enhance opportunities for all ages and abilities. Winsford and Northwich Swimming Clubs, Cheshire Penguins, Marbury Park Swimming Club and the Sub Aqua Clubs have formed the

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Depressed husband killed himself

THE husband of a Winsford woman hanged himself because he was devastated at the collapse of his marriage, an inquest heard last week. His wife's wedding dress was found suspended next to the body. London Underground employee Paul Christopher Gayle, 30

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Marathon man Alan cashes in

ACCOUNTANCY assistant Alan Maddock gave sponsors a good run for their money when he raised £650 at the London Marathon on Sunday. The Vale Royal Borough Council employee completed the course in three hours and 11 minutes - just ahead of the target he

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Top band's money man admits theft

A MIDDLEWICH man who managed the accounts of top rock band The Charlatans has admitted swindling almost £300,000 from the band. Trevor Williams, aged 48, of Lewin Street, admitted taking the cash when he appeared before magistrates in Northwich on Wednesday

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CLERK'S £56,000 LAVISH LIFESTYLE

A MOULTON accounts clerk fiddled the books of a multi-million pound company to finance a lavish lifestyle for herself and her husband, a jury has been told. Knutsford Crown Court heard how over a 12-month period, £56,000 was taken from two companies by

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WINNERS ENJOY A REALLY WILD NIGHT

FLEDGLING workers from the Northwich area, have been honoured at a really wild night out. Four young captains of industry picked up awards from Normid TEC recently for their work as trainees. And they received their honours from TV's Michaela Strachan

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A DIY DISASTER? GET A HANDYMAN ABOUT THE HOUSE

FORGET Handy Andy, there's a new hero in town for all the DIY dunces out there. A building firm from Hartford has launched a service which promises salvation if you don't know a spanner from a screwdriver. Bits and Bobs Maintenance will send a handyman

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COUNCILLOR CARE-Y

LIKE the reader who wrote in last week's Guardian I also have known Councillor Ron Carey for a number of years. His work over many years for the people he represents seems to go unnoticed, mainly because he himself just likes to get on with doing his

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GET THE BULLDOZERS IN AND STOP ALL THAT WHINGEING!

I AM sick and tired of listening to the whinges of Northwich townsfolk - no top named shops, no life in town after 6pm, nothing to do, the salt mines, Marbury Road, congestion. What's the problem? Just line up 50 bulldozers at the bottom of Castle and

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CIRCUS CRUELTY

HOW can a fine stop Mary Chipperfield, her husband and her employees continuing their life of animal cruelty? I have written to Magistrate, Roger House, to ask him, but doubt if I will get an answer. If you want to help end the dreadful suffering of circus

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IT'S A FACT

I AM responding to a letter from Councillors Willington and Mather, which appeared in your edition of April 14. May I take the opportunity to correct the letter in its reference to the Liberal Democrat Group on Cheshire County Council. The fact is that

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A 'DODGY' DATE? IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR THEM.

ONE of Northwich's top bands is set to support pop heroes Dodgy at a prestigious London gig tonight, Wednesday. The talented trio who make up 'The Collectors' will line up with Dodgy - who had hits with Staying out for the Summer and If It's Good Enough

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CHIEF PASSES FINISHING POST AFTER QUARTER OF A CENTURY.

ONE of the men who has helped shape Northwich over the past 25 years has announced his retirement. Bill Woods, Chief Executive of Vale Royal Borough Council, is to leave at the end of July. Mr Woods, 58 - whose passions include rowing and training thoroughbreds

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GATE'S WINNING DOUBLE

DARTS: HANGING Gate A completed a perfect double on Monday when they won the Country Darts League's Burtonwood Cup. They beat Ring O' Bells 5-4 to take the team knockout trophy, adding it to the Division One title they won two weeks ago after finishing

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PARK END SEASON WITH A DISAPPOINTING DEFEAT

RUGBY: IN many ways, Winnington Park's final league match of the season summed up a difficult campaign. They battled hard all the way through, suffered some bad luck at a crucial time and ended up unlucky losers. Park's forwards were outmuscled by the

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BIG GUNS START SEASON WITH A BANG

BOWLS: MID Cheshire's big guns fired a warning to their rivals in the first round of league matches this week. Lostock A were just five points short of a full house as they took on their own B team while Wharton Cons A demolished Kelsall A by a staggering

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HOME STARS PIPPED

SAILING: A GENUINELY national field converged on Winsford Flash on Saturday for the home club's first Comet Open. Home sailors Ros Stevenson and Brian Herring each won a race but failed to finish in the top four. The overall winner was Chester's John

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RAIN FAILS TO DAMPEN DERBY CLASH

Cricket roundup OULTON Park got their season off to a winning start - at the second attempt. Their opening league fixture was rained off on Saturday, but they did manage to play Winsford in the opening round of the Quinn Foden Cheshire Cup at Little Budworth

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MANKEE'S MAGIC EARNS FIRST HEAVYWEIGHT VICTORY

BOXER Brett Mankee got back to winning ways last week. Brett, 30 and from Hartford, moved up a weight to fight heavyweight Glenn Haughton from Warrington's Phoenix Club at the town's Rylands Hotel. But despite facing a bigger opponent, the former national

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STARS OF THE FUTURE ENJOY CUP GLORY TODAY

NORTHWICH VICS YOUTH 3 EGERTON YOUTH 1 TWO goals in the final 10 minutes earned Northwich Vics Youth a deserved victory in the Staffordshire County Youth Cup Final on Sunday. After conceding an equaliser with only 11 minutes left, goals from Gavin Smith

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RED CARDS SPOIL THATCH'S SECOND HALF FIGHTBACK

CONTROVERSIAL refereeing marred Thatched Tavern's second cup final defeat in three years. With Thatch pressing for an equaliser midway through the second half, their keeper Derek Fortune was sent off for handling outside his area. No-one disputed that

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FINAL DEFEAT - BUT MURPHY'S NOT BITTER

ONE of the most respected figures on the Mid Cheshire football scene has confirmed his intention to retire from management. Terry Murphy, who has been in charge of Northwich Vics and Witton Albion, will vacate the manager's chair at Barnton at the end

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DUO MISS WITTON CLASS

AN operation is likely to cost Witton Albion the services of key defender Brian Pritchard for the rearranged clash at Stocksbridge tomorrow, Thursday. Pritchard needs treatment for an eye problem but should be back for Saturday's match at Lincoln United

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GARDINER AGREES VICS DEAL

NORTHWICH Vics manager Mark Gardiner has agreed a deal tying him to the Drill Field for two more years. He has agreed terms with chairman Rod Stitch and is due to put pen to paper once his playing contract expires at the end of the season. "He's done

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POWER NOT GLORY

Last night's football action NORTHWICH VICS 0 ALTRINCHAM 1 NORTHWICH Vics old boy Phil Power broke Green hearts last night with a first half winner which denied his former side their first major trophy since 1994. Power struck in the 37th minute, nipping

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THE COMMUNITY WHERE NO-ONE WANTS TO VOTE.

WHEN the parish council elections take place this week the Kingsmead ballot boxes will be empty. Kingsmead recently became a ward in Davenham Parish and was allocated five of the 11 parish council seats for the forthcoming elections. But the simple fact

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£1,500 PAY OUT FOR EX BRUNNER MOND WORKER.

AN Ex-Brunner Mond worker has received £1,500 - after a tribunal ruled that the company had unfairly dismissed him. Pete Wilding, who had worked as a fitter with the chemical firm for 32 years, was laid off last year. Mr Wilding told a Liverpool Industrial

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MARBURY LANE COULD BE REOPENED IN THE SHORT TERM.

BOROUGH and county councillors met yesterday (Tuesday) to discuss the possibility of re-opening Marbury Lane. Vale Royal Borough Council want to re-open the road until Winnington Bridge is improved. And they have pledged to help Cheshire County Council

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HE WAS OUR ANGEL - GIFTED TEENAGER DIES SUDDENLY AFTER SUFFERING A BRAIN TRAUMA.

OVER 400 mourners are expected at Weaverham's parish church today (Wednesday) to pay tribute to a talented 13-year-old boy who died suddenly last week. Ian McPherson collapsed at his home in Valley Road, Weaverham, last Wednesday, and died at Alder Hey

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Business site still growing

A BUSINESS and industrial estate in Middlewich is to be expanded by a further 150 acres. The new land, acquired by Middlewich builder's Pochin, brings the total area of the site to more than 350 acres, making it one of the largest in the north west. Their

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No degrees - but plenty of passion

I WOULD like to reply to Brian Curzon's letter of last week, in which he dissects Alan Ravencroft's letter concerning Over Cross and the Gallows Loont. Though Alan and myself have no letters after our names, we do share a passion for local history, and

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Traffic calming is a nuisance

WE are all entitled to air our views and complaints through this column. Therefore, as residents of Delamere Street, we object to being called narrow-minded when in fact we are just the opposite. Think yourself lucky, Outsider, that you have a choice

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It's heads you win for Rosemary

NEW challenges are an everyday part of school life, which is what inspired Rosemary Hodgkinson to take her first headship. She has completed her first week as headteacher of Willow Wood Infants, during which she has had to adapt to caring for children

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Bill makes his fond farewells

VALE Royal Borough Council is to lose a familiar face this summer when their chief executive bows out to take early retirement. The council decided last week that 58-year-old Bill Woods, who has headed the borough council since its inception in 1973,

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By the book!

WINSFORD schoolchildren will have a bookshop of their very own to celebrate World Book Day. On Saturday, Winsford library will be giving them the opportunity to exchange the £1 voucher all four to 18-year-olds receive through their schools on World Book

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Cricket Club to give youth a spin

WINSFORD Cricket Club's new captain Andy Cooper is looking to give youth players their big chance in the 1999 season. He leads his team into their first Meller Braggins Cheshire Cricket League match at home to Weaverham this Saturday with a line-up virtually

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Up the pole. . .

THIEVES have left Over Hall Primary School without a pole for its May fair. It was vandalised when burglars raided the caretaker's shed recently. Now a plea for help has gone out to Winsford residents who may be able to find a replacement maypole. Teacher

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Parking problem hits restaurant scheme

PLANNERS have turned down an application to transform a canalside cottage in Middlewich into a restaurant, bar and tourist information office. The proposal was refused at a meeting of Congleton Borough Council's planning committee last Monday night, when

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Police crack down on killer road

POLICE aircraft, unmarked patrol cars and motorbikes will carry out high visibility patrols over the next two months on a treacherous Middlewich road that has seen more than 700 accidents in just 10 years. The A530, from its junctions with the A559 at

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Festival voted a success

ORGANISERS of Winsford's Town Festival have been staggered at the positive feedback from residents following the event earlier this month. The committee has already received telephone calls and correspondence from people wishing to be involved in future

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Anger as school bus fares look set to rise

PARENTS in Winsford and Middlewich will have to wait until May to find out whether there will be a big rise in school bus fares. Members of the resources committee of Cheshire County Council were set to ratify an increase in transport costs for secondary

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SO-FA SO GOOD FOR RISING STAR CLAIRE

CLAIRE Brooks is getting comfortable in the world of DIY furnishings. Claire, 18, left Woodford Lodge School in Winsford just two years ago. Since then, and with some expert guidance, she has risen to the post of manager at Focus DIY's kitchen and furniture

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TREATED BADLY

HAVING just moved Hamilton Catering Equipment into the Northwich area from Altrincham, I considered that, living in the Lostock Green area, life would become considerably easier just travelling to Manchester Road. However, it would appear that Lostock

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MAKE MARBURY LANE A TOLL ROAD

ON visiting Northwich today I could not help noticing how nice the flowerbeds and pots look. Then I went near to Marks and Spencers and couldn't believe the wooden fixture that has been erected. Has this been donated for some reason or did the council

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PROTECTING THEIR COMMUNITY

RECENTLY some people have been at pains to clear up supposed misunderstandings. In reality they have added to the confusion. We would just like to point out the following about the Long Wood protest: Vale Royal Borough Council proposed the site and continued

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ATHLETES TO MAKE A SPLASH FOLLOWING FORUM SUCCESS

SPORT DEVELOPMENT: VALE Royal's athletes are hot on the heels of the area's swimmers. Following the success of a Mid Cheshire swimming forum, an athletics forum is likely to be established in time for the millennium. Key representatives of athletics in

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WHO'S BEEN THE GREENS' GIANT?

IT'S that time of year again. With the season rapidly drawing to a close decisions must be made - the most important being, who has been the Greens' star of the 1998/99 season? And this year, like last, Guardian Sport in conjunction with Britannia Carpets

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LATE TAIT EQUALISER EARNS VICS A ROVERS' RETURN

DONCASTER ROVERS 2 NORTHWICH VICS 2 NORTHWICH Vics battled back from the worst possible start to pick up a point last Wednesday. And after their inept display at Kidderminster, even the most loyal Greens fan could have been forgiven for expecting the

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HAYES LEFT IN A DAZE

NORTHWICH VICS 2 HAYES 1 A TWENTY minute purple patch was enough to win Northwich Vics a game they could easily have lost. They handed their visitors an early lead and allowed them to dominate the opening hour before conjuring up a goal from nowhere to

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OFFSIDE PROVES COSTLY

BARNTON 0 POULTON VICS 1 A DISPUTED goal cost Barnton an equaliser and possibly the chance to clinch the Cheshire Amateur Cup for the first time in 30 years. Paul Hennin was flagged offside after running onto Paul Nelson's free kick and slotting the ball

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PRESIDENT CALLS FOR POSITIVITY

THE President of Winnington Park has urged the club to stay positive - despite suffering relegation for the first time since the sport turned professional. Bob Glenister said the club's young players provided a perfect platform on which to build for the

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IT'S JUST NOT 'FARE' SAY PARENTS.

PARENTS are fuming over plans to increase school bus fares. The new prices mean some parents face increases of up to £65 per child, per term. And they have hit out at Cheshire County Council accusing it of exploiting a 'soft target'. Now MP Martin Bell

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DC PHIL CHANGES ROLE

NORTHWICH'S crime prevention officer, Detective Constable Phil Woods, is to be replaced by a civilian. The news was confirmed this week by Chief Inspector Paul Moore, who said the move would give more resources back to Northwich police. "Putting civilians