Archive
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Cash cuts will hit education of our children
Recycled store was Scout base WITH reference to the wonderful photograph of Over Four Lane Ends in Bob Curzon's column in the Winsford and Middlewich Guardian last week. I was puzzled for a while what the building was between the No 9 Branch of the Co-operative
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WE are deeply disturbed by the proposals of Cheshire County Council to alter the funding arrangement
The partnership between the churches and local education authorities has been widely accepted as valuable for children in England and Wales for more than 50 years since the passing of the Education Act in 1944 set the tone for the provision of education
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In tune for harmony
ARE there any ladies in this area who can sing and would love to learn to sing barbershop-style? I belong to a barbershop chorus and we are looking for more ladies of all ages who adore singing and would like to be part of a very friendly chorus. Barbershop
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Sign up for Super Cup
CROWN green bowlers in Winsford will be taking to the turf for a series of prestigious competitons in the spring. Entries are now being invited for the new-look 1998 Winsford Super Cup events, now in their 10th year. The new format sees the main event
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Neary's ring return
A WORLD champion boxer who used Winsford as a training base last year is back in the ring this March to defend his title. WBU champion Shea Neary, nicknamed 'The Shamrock Express', takes on fellow Liverpudlian Andy Holligan in a marquee at Stanley Park
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Back from the brink!
Fleetwood Freeport 2 Middlewich Athletic 3 North West Counties Division Two BRAVE Athletic fought back from an early 2-0 deficit to clinch a stunning victory in this North West Counties Division Two thriller. Athletic had an horrendous start to the match
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Branson says it's the end of the line...
FURIOUS councillors are to write to Richard Branson after hearing that plans to run direct train services from Winsford to London have been derailed by the Virgin boss. Rail passengers in the town were given a massive boost last year when North Western
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Council Tax will go up by £100!
FEARS of a record £100 Council Tax rise for typical Winsford and Middlewich householders have this week been confirmed. Local Government Minister Hilary Armstrong has confirmed previous draft figures which will mean an increase of 19 per cent in the amount
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Living here is a fair cop
CHESHIRE is one of the safest areas of the country to live in, according to new figures published by the Audit Commission. The figures compare the performance of police services across England and Wales in a number of key areas. And they show that Cheshire
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People power saves library
HUNDREDS of library users in Wharton have been celebrating this week after it was confirmed that the district's branch library will not be closing. Wharton was one of several libraries across the county threatened with closure as part of a Cheshire County
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Hospital's casualty in good state of health
STAFF at Leighton Hospital have been praised by health watchdogs for dealing with patients quickly. The busy hospital accident and emergency unit was put under examination this week by officials from Cheshire Central Community Health Council. But representatives
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Anger over new home
A ROW has broken out between neighbours over a new house which has been built in Winsford. The two-storey home at the centre of the dispute has been built at the back of 96 Middlewich Road. A retrospective application for planning permission has been
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Green scheme a top success
MAJOR environmental improvements have taken place in and around Winsford and Middlewich over the past year, according to a new report. 'Cheshire's Check Up' is a countywide progress report from the Sustainable Cheshire Forum on the Local Agenda 21 campaign
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Copped for driving 25 minutes too soon...
A WINSFORD woman found herself in trouble with police for driving her car 25 minutes before her insurance cover was due to start, a court heard. Kathryn Bryning, of Avon Walk, pleaded guilty to driving without insurance when she appeared at Northwich
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Council keeps down the cost
WINSFORD Town Council has hailed its budget for 1998-99 as "good news for the town." Details of the budget were revealed at Monday's town council meeting by Clr Nick Harris, chairman of the finance committee. Clr Harris said: "It's very pleasing that
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Now you can have your say on town budget
A PUBLIC meeting is to be held today, Wednesday, in Middlewich Civic Hall to debate Congleton Borough Council's budget proposals for the coming year. This is the first time the council has consulted directly individuals and community groups in its decision
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FURY OVER BACON WORKS NOISE
PEOPLE living next to Winsford's Harris bacon factory claim they are being kept awake into the early hours of the morning by the sound of lorries running engines. And now construction workers are carrying out demolition on the site, neighbours fear the
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AN accountant has warned taxpayers that they could be facing interest charges - without even knowing
And Peter Kay said people who should have completed a self-assessment tax return but haven't will be landed with a £100 fine. "Interest will be charged immediately on unpaid tax with a surcharge of five per cent on tax still unpaid after 28 days. "This
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YOU can count on married couple Jane Platt and Chris Swallow taking the accountancy world by storm.
Jane and Chris, 30, from Bartington Hall Farm near Acton Bridge, both had the promotion of a lifetime when they became partners in separate accountancy firms last year. "It's been very hard work," said Jane. "After school - Cransley in Great Budworth
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I WAS recently admitted to Leighton Hospital on an urgent basis via ambulance and feel most strongly
From the time I was examined in the medical assessment unit and passed to Ward Two for treatment and nursing over an eight day period, I cannot fault the hospital. A very high level of professionalism coupled with a friendly manner was evident throughout
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VICS recorded their sixth consecutive win at a canter. In doing so they earned a place in the last 1
Vics didn't start playing until the second half here and still managed to rattle in four goals - but it really should have been more. Played at a frenetic pace, neither team showed the composure necessary in the first half to build up meaningful attacks
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MULDER and Scully should pay a visit to Cuddington.
Reports of strange lights and objects hovering above the village in last week's Guardian have prompted more sky-watchers to describe their own close encounters. Roy Martin was driving to his girlfriend's house when he spotted something strange in the
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THIEVES have stolen a giant 30ft screw - which has a scrap value of just £100.
The bizarre theft from New Cheshire Salt Works, in Wincham, has baffled police and staff at the site. The stainless steel screw is part of machinery used to push salt from one place to another during production work. It was stolen from the grounds outside
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PLEAS to stop a record £100 Council Tax rise for a typical Northwich householder have failed.
An announcement confirming the £100 rise was made by Local Government Minister Hilary Armstrong on Monday. Leaders of an all party delegation from the county council had been pressing for more financial support to ease bills. But the minister confirmed
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A MAN who was viciously beaten up as he walked home from a night out is in a critical condition.
Charlie Jones, 42, was discovered unconscious, just yards from his home on Parkfield Road the Sunday before last. He was taken to Leighton Hospital with severe head injuries. His brother Ernie Jones said: "He came home last Thursday but then had a slight
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BARNTON Library has been saved from closure - thanks to people power.
The village library, on Townfield Road, had been under threat as part of drastic budget cuts being drawn up by Cheshire County Council. But, after a flood of objections, the council has decided not to axe the service. Barnton's county councillor Scott
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HOPES that government cash could fund work to stop part of Northwich shopping centre from sinking ar
Vale Royal needs to find £16 million to pay for two huge salt mines to be filled - and end a ban on major town centre development. In a letter to Northwich MP Mike Hall, Vale Royal's chief executive Bill Woods said the council was confident English Partnerships
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A BRAVE bobby is taking to the water to compete in a gruelling race - known as the canoeist's Everes
Brett Mankee, 29, from Beach Road in Hartford, is teaming up with fellow Pc Yanto Evans to take part in the DW race. The 126 mile long event gets its name from its start and finish points, Devizes in Wiltshire and Westminster - in the heart of London.
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SUPER gran Pat Dolan keeps fit in the best way she knows how - by having fun.
She loves disco music, line-dancing, ice-skating and 10-pin bowling. Come the spring, she'll be BELLY DANCING. "I've had more fun in the last 12 months than in the whole of my life," said Pat, who joined a health club after she retired from NNC in November
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AS a boy Derek Taylor was too timid to answer the phone.
Today, he's on the receiving end of calls from all over Europe - from businessmen seeking his advice. At 67, the former managing director is just one of three Britons on the European Scientific and Technological Committee - a group which spends millions
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Knutsford 3, Bollington Athletic 1
KNUTSFORD maintained their pursuit of mid-Cheshire league honours with a victory on Saturday. It was not as comfortable as the scoreline suggested, but very important as both nearest challengers dropped points. Stuart Walker, very much the man of the
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A SAILOR celebrated his 40th birthday on HMS Invincible by eating a birthday cake from a KNUTSFORD S
Agnes Yates sent the cake to her son David in the Gulf via a special postal service. He received it - albeit two days late and squashed - but phoned home on Sunday to say it still tasted nice. HMS Invincible was deployed to the Gulf after United Nation's
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RESIDENTS were evacuated from their homes as fire swept through a town centre shop early yesterday (
Many - wearing only their dressing gowns - stood in Canute Place as firemen tackled the blaze at Oliver's butcher's shop. One resident, Geoff Pullar, 62, told how he and his wife Pat were awoken by police pounding on the door of their flat. The alarm
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A SHOPKEEPER this week urged fellow traders to be positive.
LATE NIGHT shopping could work in Knutsford - if enough traders backed it, one shopkeeper said this week. Val Boston-Davies, who runs a general store, said a united effort could boost trade in the town. "Shopkeepers need to work together and perhaps it
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TWO men were bound and gagged during a terrifying raid on a Knutsford firm.
The pair were working late at De La Rue Systems when the masked robbers burst in. The robbers used sledgehammers to smash through a locked, security door. They then ordered the terrified pair to lie on the floor before tying them up with electrical flex
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A RETIRED writer, who won acclaim from publishers for a self-penned poem, told them this week: I'm n
John Wrigley said his poem - entitled Knutsford - was just dreadful. "I penned a rubbish poem under the pseudonym Greg Carlton and sent it to Anchor Books," he said. "Of course it was accepted." Mr Wrigley, 60, was offered no payment for publishing his
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FOLLOWING last week's allegations in The Mirror that Tatton MP Martin Bell may have broken the law b
To vote YES in our telephone poll call 0990 44 66 44 and when asked enter selection number 1847 To vote NO in our telephone poll call 0990 44 66 44 and when asked enter selection number 1848 The results of our phone-in will be published in next week's
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Tatton's offer
WHETHER it is spring time walks, summer holiday visits or historic mansion stays, famous Knutsford estate Tatton Park is offering the chance for visitors to come back time and time again. Two new ideas - a monthly car pass and a quarterly car pass - are
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Sam's game on for corny rugby laughs
A GROUP of TV types take to the big screen this week for a rather corny comedy about Humberside amateur rugby league - Up 'N' Under. The cast - including Gary Olsen (2.4 Children), Samantha Janus (Game On) and Neil Morrissey (Men Behaving Badly) - provide
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Get in the mood for Glenn Miller
A DIAMOND anniversary tribute is to be made to the world famous 'Glen Miller Sound' at Winsford Civic Hall on Saturday by the Syd Lawrence Orchestra. It may be 60 years since Glen Miller first formed his band in 1938 but his meteoric rise to fame with
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Sign of a good deal
SCORPIO Signs, in Hartford, has helped a neighbouring business improve its image. The design and display company on School Lane has taken delivery of £20,000 worth of new equipment. Managing director Peter Mullin said: "We wanted to show what our new
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Holiday show takes off
PEOPLE had a helping hand with planning their holidays on Saturday, thanks to Gray Travel. The company held its first ever travel exhibition at Northwich Memorial Hall. Manager of the Northwich branch Eileen Kelsall said: "We used to do in-store promotions
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A couple you can count on
YOU can count on married couple Jane Platt and Chris Swallow taking the accountancy world by storm. Jane and Chris, 30, from Bartington Hall Farm near Acton Bridge, both had the promotion of a lifetime when they became partners in separate accountancy
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Is pregnancy now a career option for girls?
YOU only have to take a stroll around Winsford town centre any day of the week to see a large number of young girls with babies. I still have something of a rose-tinted view of life and would like to imagine that these girls are taking their younger brothers
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PC Pete chalks up 30 years in uniform
LONG-SERVING Winsford bobby PC Pete Dutton reaches a special milestone in his police career today, Wednesday. PC Dutton, who works as a youth justice and community liaison officer, is celebrating 30 years with the force. He says that the town and the
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Twite stays calm after thrilling win
CONSISTENCY is the key for Middlewich Athletic as they look to ease themselves away from the relegation trap-door which two consecutive home defeats had plunged them towards. Manager Dave Twite realises that although their sensational comeback to win
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Mariners sail off with the points
Winsford Utd 2 Marine 4 UniBond Premier Division By NICK SMITH ALTHOUGH there was no repeat of the floodlight failure which halted the original fixture, Winsford still suffered a complete blackout last Wednesday night. The Blues' defence was all at sea
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Karen lands county spot
SPEEDY Karen Ellison, of Woodford Lodge High School, was on top form last Saturday for Mid-Cheshire Schools at the county cross-country championships. Hunting a place in the county team, the Year 10 pupil stayed in the leading pack to stride towards the
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Came heroics all in vain for Blues
Boston Utd 2 Winsford Utd 1 UniBond Premier Division BRAVE Winsford succumbed to an 85th minute winner at second-placed Boston with a severely weakened team, writes ANDY MAYLOR. Blues boss Dalton Steele was in the impossible position of not being able
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Ashall and Lomas on target for classy Junior Blues
Moulton 0 Junior Blues u-11s 3 JUNIOR Blues travelled to Moulton with two key players missing and put together a professional performance to win 3-0 and keep their ninth clean sheet of the season. Blues found it hard to break down a packed defence for
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IN A DIFFERENT LEAGUE!
TWO defeats in a week and a demolished forward line still in need of rebuilding means "a lot of downers" for Winsford United boss Dalton Steele. He concedes that when resources are thin on the ground, it is hard to compete with the likes of Barrow, who
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Green fears over waste
FEARS have been raised about the popularity of land around Winsford being used as a dumping ground for abattoir and other waste. Industry in Vale Royal has a close proximity to agricultural land, making spreading of waste on open land an attractive alternative
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Don't cheat on the trees
CHESHIRE Landscape Trust would like to hear from anyone in Winsford wishing to volunteer to become a tree warden. The role involves working with community groups and schools in the areas of tree planting, maintenance and the Cheshire Orchard Project.
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Ambulance service at mercy of thugs!
SHOCKING statistics released by Mersey Regional Ambulance Service show the violent effect alcohol and drugs could be having in Winsford and Middlewich. The ambulance service which covers Cheshire and Merseyside revealed that crews dealt with 733 assault
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Parents go back to school
A GROUP of Winsford parents have gone back to school to help their children improve their literacy skills. Greenfields County Primary School is running a 12-week family literacy course, in conjunction with Mid-Cheshire College. The course involves parents
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Euro MP helps to tackle racism
A MIDDLEWICH Euro MP is tackling racism in football and has attended a special one day conference at Manchester United Football Club to mark his support of the campaign. Michael Tappin has vowed to throw his weight behind the major fight aimed at kicking
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Inquiry
A NEW homes scheme in Middlewich comes under the microscope next month when a local inquiry will take place. Merionview Ltd has applied for outline permission for 17 detached houses on land next to Truby Cottage, Holmes Chapel Road. The proposed plan
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Hospice cashes in
THE Christmas 'Light Up A Life' appeal held by Winsford-based St Luke's (Cheshire) Hospice raised £3,971. Hundreds of tree lights, bought in memory of loved ones, were illuminated during the hospice's outdoor carol service in December. Arthur Freeman,
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Help me trace my family history
AN appeal has been made by a Winsford woman for people in the town to help piece together her family history. Mary Curry (nee Dodd) of Dingle Lane, is trying to locate a number of distant relatives. She has already accumulated considerable information
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Help at hand for carers
THE next monthly carers' afternoon organised by The Princess Royal Trust Vale Royal Carers Centre takes place at the Dingle Centre, Winsford, on Monday, February 9. Carers' outreach worker Ruth Bolton will be on hand to offer support, information and
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LOVE him or loathe him comedian Robin Williams is back on our screens this week in a remake of knock
Williams plays Professor Philip Brainard, a mad boffin who comes up with the ultimate anti-gravity slime and decides to call it Flubber. It's so-called because it floats and it's a bit like rubber (obviously) - with the naturally hilarious consequence
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A VOYAGE beyond the stereotypes is promised as Northwich star-to-be Jonathan Tristram kicks into gea
When we last saw JT, the boy band frontman with the winning smile was searching for a fourth superhunk to join the group. The band remains nameless - but the position has been filled. "The new guy's name is Christian," said Jonathan, 20. "He's a student
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COULD I respond to I Kelly who doesn't know that hunt supporters do wear balaclavas, and asks who sl
Firstly the answer is yes, I actually know hunt supporters wear balaclavas. I and two other women in a car were surrounded by several young men wearing balaclavas and brandishing sticks in a Comberbach back lane when I first became hunt monitor for the
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FIRSTLY a very special thank you for the excellent photographs of by-gone Northwich in the Guardian.
I, and possibly many others, have pasted them into my scrap book along with interesting items over the years from your Market Place feature. The recent piece on disused salt mines was most informative and reveals the enormous problems ahead. On the BBC
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I AM very sad to hear that the governors and management board at Mid Cheshire College of Further Edu
The repercussions of this decision, in my opinion, are far wider than they have envisaged. The degree of expertise that past apprentices have been given by college lecturers in the brickwork department, can be judged by the fact that in the past six years
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As for myself, I blame it all on Frances Bowyer.
Frances is the admirable secretary in our non-party constituency office in Tatton. On the day before The Mirror delivered its 'scoop' about legal fees, she was wondering aloud why everything had gone so quiet. And then the storm broke. I remember driving
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THERE may have been a distinct lack of snow at Aviemore last week, but that didn't stop Matt Buckle
Matt, 19 from Rudheath, was competing at the event for the third year and despite being one of the youngest in the field he earned a place in the coutnry's top 10. By far the biggest event in the sport's calendar in Britain, it attracts a huge field of
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CAMPAIGNERS have renewed their battle against plans to build a massive housing estate in Hartford.
Members of the Hartford Village Trust are calling on residents who share their views to tell local councillors before next Monday's parish council meeting. "This is clearly going to go to a public inquiry," said the trust's chairman Dick Finnis. "My worry
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CARING workmates are rallying round a Rudheath couple whose four-year-old son is suffering from leuk
Little Johnathan Fahrenholz has just been diagnosed with a rare form of the disease - and his parents Keith and Carole Leonard are now by his bedside at Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Liverpool. The Tele-tubby mad youngster, who is a pupil at Victoria
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NEIL Hamilton' supporters are engaged in a race against time to bring a libel action against Harrods
The former MP's long-time friend, Lord Harris, has set up an appeal for pledges to raise £150,000 to fund a libel action against Mr Fayed, Channel 4 and independent production company Fulcrum Productions. The cash must be pledged before the writ, which
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JARVIS Cocker the cockerel has defied the odds to prove it's still a man's world - if only just.
For the handsome five-month-old lives on a Knutsford farm with only female company to share. But if it weren't for a broody hen with mixed-up hormones then Jarvis wouldn't be here at all. He was a chick from a batch of five eggs given to Veryan Roxby
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Fulcrum's confusing comedy
THE award-winning Fulcrum Theatre Group, of Middlewich, is in its final stages of rehearsal for an hilariously funny play - Relatively Speaking. This comedy by Alan Ayckbourn is to be presented on February 18-21, at 7.45pm, and is said to be one of his
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Tribute to Patsy
ALTHOUGH it has been a generation or more since her death, the passing of the years have diminished neither the legend nor the music of Patsy Cline. She was a feisty singer with a dream, who died tragically in a plane crash in March 1963 at the height
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Tax fine warning as return deadline passes
AN accountant has warned taxpayers that they could be facing interest charges - without even knowing it. And Peter Kay said people who should have completed a self-assessment tax return but haven't will be landed with a £100 fine. "Interest will be charged
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Sue's a real super mum
SUE Chatt has proved you can be a good mum and successful in business. The training consultant from London Road, Northwich, has been appointed a licentiate member of the Institute of Personnel and Development. She has also earned a national training award