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All set for third
Frodsham festival!
by Gary Skentelbery
EXCITEMENT is mounting as the residents and retailers of Frodsham make the final arrangements to host the town’s third
Christmas Festival.
The two-day festival, which will take place on Friday, 2 and Saturday, 3 December, has become firmly established as
a great family event.
Coun John Grimshaw, Lead Councillor for Recreation, Rural and Culture, has the date pencilled into his diary.
He said: “" I am really looking forward to the Festival. The Festival is the start of Christmas for me and the
thousands of people that visit Frodsham".
Local primary school children from Manor House, Alvanley, Frodsham, St
Lukes and other schools will be entertaining the crowds on stage in Eddisbury
Square from 4pm on Friday and will be joining in Santa’s parade with his
Reindeer.
The festive reindeer will be resting in their pen at Castle Park from 5.30pm until 6.30pm on Friday and 4.30pm until
5.30 on Saturday, visitors are welcome to come and get up close to Rudolf and his friends.
After these times you can go into the town centre and find a good vantage point for the parade leaving the reindeer
to get themselves ready, polish their red noses and shine their antlers.
Santa’s parade will take place at 7pm on Friday and 6pm on Saturday. The Parade will begin on Main Street at the
junction with Fountain Lane and proceed to the traffic lights at the Bears Paw turning right into Church Street.
The parade will then turn right into Kingsway, right into Martin Road, left into Queensway and right into Park Lane
ending at Castle Park.
Picture shows Rudolph in his pen last year
Angry parents in protest
over school closure plans
ANGRY, placard-bearing parents staged a demonstration in protest at proposed school closures and mergers and marched on Frodsham Community Centre.
The demonstration coincided with a consultation meeting arranged by Cheshire County Council - and hundreds of parents and children took part.
A petition signed by 700 concerned parents and residents of the Kingsley area was handed to County Coun Nora Dolphin protesting at proposals to close Kingsley St John's Primary School.
But parents representing other threatened schools, including Alvanley and Manley primaries and Norley CE Primary also took part in the protest, which clearly showed the depth of local feeling.
A spokesman for an action group representing parents at Kingsley said: "The vast majority of Kingsley St John's pupils are from within its catchment area and most are able to walk to school.
"This is in line with the Government's and council's requirement to reduce parents' reliance on cars.
"In addition, Cheshire County Council are keen to reduce surplus places in primary schools. However, according to the council's own figures, Kingsley St John's represents less than 0.25 per cent of Cheshire's total surplus places."
Parents claimed school closures could lead to a shortage of places in the near future because local birth rates had been rising since 2002 and last year were at the highest level in a decade.
A major demonstration is now being planned for December 19, outside County Hall, in Chester, when education chiefs are expected to decide whether or not to press ahead with the proposals.
Shopkeepers praised after
passing "firework test"
by David Skentelbery
SHOPKEEPERS and their staff in the Frodsham, Helsby and Kingsley areas and been praised for their responsible attitude to selling fireworks.
Every store targeted by police and Trading Standards officers using a volunteer underage "customer" refused to sell fireworks to the teenager.
Insp Phil Hodgson who heads up policing in the Neighbourhood Policing Unit said: "This is a fantastic result. It is excellent to see that we have such responsible people working in and running the stores in these communities.
"Their vigilance make a great contribution towards ensuring the celebrations that take place at this time of year are trouble free."
Test buy purchases are used to put retailers to the test in sales of a variety of items including alcohol and cigarettes.
Young volunteers are recruited for the initiatives and they are accompanied by police officers and Trading Standards officials throughout the exercise.
Trading Standard's Sue Kee McParlin said: "There's a whole new set of laws and rules surrounding the use and sale of fireworks and the results of this operation clearly show that the shopkeepers in the areas we targeted have taken the new rules on board and are taking enforcing them very seriously.
"That doesn't however mean the police and Trading Standards can be complacent.
We'll continue this type of work to ensure other premises are taking their duties as seriously as the stores we have targeted."
New laws make it an offence to:
Possess adult fireworks in a public place by anyone under the age of 18.
Possess professional display fireworks by anyone other than a fireworks professional.
Sell adult fireworks, without a licence, outside the periods of October 15 - November 10; December 26-31; 6-9 February and October 29-November 1. This means that shops without a licence can only sell fireworks during these periods.
Sell a range of banned products to the public including air bombs, mini-rockets, bangers and fireworks of erratic flight.
It is also an offence to let off fireworks between 11pm and 7am except on certain dates - November 5, New Year's Eve, Chinese New Year (February 9) and
Diwali night, Hindu festival of lights, (November 1).
Insp Hodgson said: "We are not only targeting suppliers of fireworks. People who misuse them will also find themselves dealt with firmly. We do not want to spoil people's fun, we simply want to make sure people this season is fun, safe and trouble free for everyone."
People who misuse fireworks can expect to receive fixed penalty notice on-the-spot fines or in more serious cases, criminal prosecutions.
Safety work completed
at railway station
by staff reporter
SIGNIFICANT improvements have been made to the high level footbridge and timetable notice board at Frodsham Station – following pressure from local groups.
Network Rail and Arriva carried out the work following expression of concern from Frodsham Forward, Frodsham Town Council and North Cheshire Rail Users Group.
A number of complaints had been received from members of the public, highlighting concerns with the existing notice board and the state of the high level footbridge that provides access to the doctors surgeries on The Rock.
Frodsham Forward contacted Arriva and Network Rail to ask them to look at these issues and see if there was anything they could do about them.
This approach coincided with correspondence from Frodsham Town Council and the North Cheshire Rail Users Group and subsequently both Network Rail and Arriva carried out the required works.
The footbridge had been in such a state of disrepair that many people were afraid to use it.
The work carried out on the notice board has seen the information point replaced with a new board and moved from the roadside along the railway embankment to the pavement on Church Street.
This enables travellers to check train times without the danger of passing cars.
Philip Briggs, chairman of the Frodsham Forward Transport Thematic Group, said:
"The work carried out on the footbridge and the notice board is extremely welcome and we'd like to thank both Network Rail and Arriva for carrying out the repairs and improvements in response to public concerns. The people of Frodsham and visitors to the town can now use the rail services in a much safer environment."
Motorway victim
was local man
by John Hendon
POLICE have named a man killed while apparently walking on the M56 at Frodsham on
Wednesday, November 2.
He was 32-year-old William George Moss, of Ship Street, Frodsham.
Mr Moss was killed instantly when he was struck by a Mercedes heavy goods lorry on the
westbound carriageway of the motorway.
As a result, the westbound carriageway was closed for about three hours, with motorway
traffic diverted along the A56 through Frodsham and Helsby.
Police are still seeking witnesses of the incident.
Anyone who can help is asked to call the Cheshire Police motorway unit on 01244 615269.
Housing scheme put
on hold by planners
by John Hendon
PLANS for up to 12 "affordable" homes at Helsby have been put on hold by Vale Royal planners.
They decided to defer consideration of the proposals for the site of The Old School, in Chester
Road, Helsby, after hearing of doubts about the validity of the application.
Cholmondeley Estate are seeking planning consent for the homes and an improved highway
access.
The application will now probably come before a future meeting of the borough's planning committee.
MP accuses county
of "gagging" teachers
by David Skentelbery
WEAVER Vale MP has accused Cheshire County Council of "gagging" headteachers and teachers in the Frodsham area to stop them campaigning to keep their schools open.
He is calling on the authority to lift the "undemocratic ban" to enable teachers to speak out in support of their schools.
Mr Hall (pictured)said: "We live in a democracy. Everyone should be allowed to have their say about the future of village schools in Cheshire."
A number in the Frodsham area are threatened with closure or amalgamation under the council's Transforming Learning Communities (TLC) programme. Dwindling numbers of pupils are blamed.
Mr Hall said: "Head teachers and teachers have been told by the council that they are employed as representatives of the authority and if they engage in any activity to keep their school open they will be charged with gross professional misconduct.
"Cheshire County Council has got to answer the question 'Why are they gagging head teachers and teachers on this very important issue?'
"What has the council got to fear from what head teachers and teachers have to say about plans to close very successful, popular and full village schools?
"Head teachers and teachers are in a very good position to advise local communities about the benefits of having small successful, popular and full village schools. Gagging them on this issue confirms that 'Transforming Learning Communities' is not aimed at improving education. It is aimed at saving money.
"I am calling on Cheshire County Council to lift its undemocratic gag and allow these professionals to speak out in favour of the excellent schools they work in."
Mr Hall added that he had attended open meetings at village school at Alvanley and Manley where heads and teachers were warned they could not attend.
County Coun David Rowlands, executive member for children's services, described the MP's claims as "puzzling".
He said: "It would not be within the powers of the local authority to charge a teacher with 'gross professional misconduct' - that would fall to the head and board of governors.
"The only advice given to head teachers by this authority is that they should do everything possible to maintain the continuity of education in our schools.
"No one has ever said that the TLC process was going to the easy. But it is absolutely vital if we are to maintain - and improve - the standards of education in this county against the threat of dramatically falling roles.
"Mr Hall maintains that TLC is not about education but saving money.
"This is difficult to understand when it was the present Government that instructed this authority - and others - to address the problems created by an ever-increasing number of surplus places.
"Teachers have many ways of expressing their individual views on the TLC review - either through their own union representatives or as part of the extensive informal and formal consultation exercises."
Coun Rowlands said proper weight would be given to the views of all schools.
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