Good year, bad year for these Warrington characters

And what a year it has been. England almost won the World Cup. Warrington Wolves almost won the Challenge Cup and Grand Final.

Warrington got a new council leader, its mayor was forced to resign (for the first time in history) and the Golden Gates were removed.

But who has it been a good year for, and who has had a year to forget?

Take a look at our good year, bad year list.

GOOD YEAR >

JESSE LINGARD >
2018 could not have gone much better for Jesse Lingard.

The Longford night not only played, but scored, in his first World Cup finals appearance in Russia in the summer before scoring again for England as they made the semi-finals of the European Nations League.

RUSS BOWDEN >

The man who has run the council's finances for the past few years is now council leader.

The Birchwood councillor was the obvious choice for the job after Terry O'Neill stepped down in October.

But with local plan, the Western Link and an election in 2020 on the horizon, it will be a challenging 18 months for Cllr Bowden.

STEVE PRICE >

If you had said to Steve Price this time last year that his Warrington Wolves side would end the season in two finals, he would have snapped your hand off.

We started 2018 with many Warrington Wolves asking 'who is Steve Price?'.

We ended it with them calling him the Jurgen Klopp of rugby league.

Same again in 2019 please.

CHRIS EVANS >

This year has been a pretty good one for Chris Evans.

The Padgate-born DJ has seen twins added to his family and he has a new job.

He announced in September he would be leaving his Radio 2 Breakfast role for one at rival station Virgin, on a much larger salary

BAD YEAR >

CARLA RENSHALL >

Mum-of-one Carla Renshall, from Huyton, probably regretted her choice of make-up at Creamfields.

In February, she was jailed for two years after pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply drugs.

The 33-year-old was searched after an officer overheard her saying ‘we did it’ shortly after she entered the festival. 

She was one of dozens of people jailed for smuggling drugs into the Daresbury festival in 2017

KAREN BELTON >

A WOMAN who kept her 'industrial scale' theft of almost £200,000 of office supplies hidden from her family and employers has been jailed.

Karen Belton, of Gainsborough Road, Lower Walton, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court in November for stealing stamps and printer cartridges during a six-year spell from 2009.

The 41-year-old business service manager was ordering staggering quantities of supplies and then selling the majority on eBay – often on her work laptop – and pocketing the ill-gotten gains.

CLLR LES MORGAN >

Becoming Mayor of Warrington is the crowning of a career for most councillors.

Sadly for Les Morgan it didn't last as long as it should have done.

The Latchford councillor had already had a brush with trouble on social media when he suggested Chris Evans should give some of his wages to charity.

However he was forced to resign when he made some rather ill-advised jokes about Warrington Wolves brothers Toby and George King on Facebook

THE HIGH STREET >

This was a depressing year for many shops and restaurants in Warrington.

Toys R Us, Crashaws, Prezzo and Homebase all announced closures of units in Warrington.

And with warnings already issued about many other big high street names, there are no guarantees 2019 will be any better.

SIMON BYRNE AND DAVID KEANE >

Whatever happens in the misconduct inquiry over former chief constable Simon Byrne, neither party will look back on the public hearings with any delight

Mr Byrne was described as a Darth Vadar like character who left his staff in dread.

Mr Keane was described as someone who did not read the detail of the serious allegations and failed to follow proper procedures.

The hearing, split into multiple blocks throughout the year, was at times painful listening for both of the men