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June 2008 Archives

We salute the community heroes of Southport

Posted by Visiter Newsdesk on June 26, 2008 2:14 PM

HOW many people would organise a huge event in the hope of raising cash for a good cause - and agree to pay £1,000 of their own money if it doesn’t work out?
That was the incredible gamble taken by 20 members of Southport Hesketh Round Table, who organised last November’s Bonfire & Grand Firework Display at Victoria Park (full story, page 40).
In the end it was a spectacular victory, with almost 10,000 people paying to go through the gates and with a breath-taking £25,000 raised for Queenscourt Hospice.
It was partly down to the tremendous generosity of a number of companies who donated cash or services - not least a £10,000 sum from Paymentshield - and partly down to such overwhelming support from the people of Southport who turned out in such numbers.
But it that it happened at all is down to the courage and conviction of a small group of organisers, either members of or closely affiliated to Southport Hesketh Round Table, who met on a regular basis in the kitchen at the home of Tom and Ilyd Bradshaw to plot their blueprint for success.
And success it was - they have now decided, bravely, to make the display an annual fixture in our town’s calendar, which they now hope to establish as ‘Southport’s Official Bonfire Night’.
On Monday, the organisers are in line for a Southport Visiter Community Heroes Award, and rarely has such a nomination been so richly deserved.
They will not be on their own however, with a number of similar stories due to emerge of people who go that extra distance to make a huge impression on the communities in which they live.
Don’t forget to pick up your copy of the Southport Visiter next Friday - we can guarantee these stories will be well worth reading.

Yobs walk free after woman, 92, robbed in own home - is this justice?

Posted by Visiter Newsdesk on June 26, 2008 2:13 PM

JUSTICE’ is a hot topic in the news this week.
The consensus suggests that it must be seen to be done.
Louise Casey, former head of Tony Blair’s Respect task force, community punishment offenders to be put to work wearing high-visibility bibs under proposals intended to restore confidence in the justice system. She also wants on-the-spot fines for disorder and a commissioner to champion crime issues on behalf of the public.
The Metropolitan Police Authority's youth scrutiny report meanwhile, following consultation with more than 1,000 youngsters, says young people believe there are too many legal loopholes for escaping justice.
Many people reading the story on the front of today’s Southport Visiter may well agree.
A gang of teenagers broke into the home of an elderly lady in Marshside while she was upstairs, and stole her life savings.
They later spent some of the cash, and even burnt a large quantity.
In five out of six cases, their parents had to pay £300 compensation to their traumatised victim, who appears to have been left £2,000 out of pocket.
The Visiter is banned from identifying any of them.
We only learned of the crime, and indeed the sentence given out, by chance. Calls to Southport Police every day failed to reveal that any crime had taken place, or that anyone had been arrested for the burglary, or that anyone had been punished for the incident.
The 82-year-old victim has been left so traumatised by the raid she dare not open her door even to social workers. We have deliberately withheld her identity and address.
Do you think justice has been done in this case? It’s your town - we’ll let you decide.
E-mail us at: visiternews@southportvisiter.co.uk or write to us at: Southport Visiter, 26-32 Tulketh St, Southport PR8 1BT.

Ainsdale Edwardian Day and Southport's Charity Fun Fest a huge success

Posted by Visiter Newsdesk on June 26, 2008 2:11 PM

COMMUNITY spirit, it seems, is alive and well in Southport!
Thousands of people enjoyed two superb, free events earlier this month, and while both may have appeared to have run smoothly, neither would have taken place without the tremendous generosity and huge amount of hard work by a great number of people.
Ainsdale Edwardian Day (June 7) was once again a riot of colour as cowboys and Indians battled it out throught the village.
The floats were colourful, traders were resplendent and the crowds loved it.
Similarly Southport’s Charity Fun Fest (June 7&8) saw thousands of people enjoy what has now become a two-day event.
Where do you begin to say thanks? To Mike Heybourne of MD Travel who brought a fleet of limouisines (and drivers) to Princes Park to raise money? To Robert Abram who chugged one of his incredible steam ploughing engines down Lord Street for people at the Fun Fest to admire? To members of Ainsdale Civic Society who spend all year organising Edwardian Day? To all the teams who took part in the Ainsdale parade, Ainsdale traders, It’s A Knockout, the tug o’war challenge, the bands?
The list is endless, the work tireless.
But to judge from the beaming smiles on youngsters’ faces at both events, it was all well worth it.

Is Banksy setting a bad image for Southport's youngsters?

Posted by Visiter Newsdesk on June 26, 2008 2:10 PM

DOES it seems fair for graffiti hero Banksy to be heralded as a cutting-edge artist only for youngsters to land themselves in court for copying him?
While Banksy receives praise and the prospect of great wealth, a 17-year-old from Ainsdale faces an ASBO for damaging trains and stations with graffiti.
It is wrong for him to create £20,500 of damage - but surely it is more wrong of society to create icons, which young people are forbidden to emulate?
Detective Inspector Collier said the artistic merits of this boy’s graffiti were irrelevant.
Would he say the same about Banksy’s if his art showed up on a Southport train?

Road rage - why more drivers should take a deep breath

Posted by Visiter Newsdesk on June 5, 2008 7:32 PM

IN the car, we can all feel aggrieved when faced by other motorists driving in a careless, inconsiderate of even downright dangerous manner.
But true road rage is another, more gruesome matter entirely – and is often meted out by those whose own driving leaves plenty to be desired.
Shocked onlookers witnessed that up-close when they rushed to help a 45-year-old man left beaten and unconscious beside his car on Guildford Road last week.
The poor victim experienced the vicious cruelty of one stranger – who police are now trying to trace.
More positively, the kindness of numerous strangers was on hand to assist him after the attack, and the Southport Visiter sends its best wishes for his recovery.
One of those who helped was mother-of-two Wendy Gillett, who believes “people are getting very aggressive in their cars these days�.
Of course, the vast majority of drivers would never contemplate violence.
But many could learn from taking a few more deep breaths and behaving more calmly behind the wheel.

This page contains an archive of all entries posted to Visiter Newsdesk in the June 2008. They are listed from oldest to newest.

May 2008 is the previous archive.July 2008 is the next archive.

Many more can be found on the home page or by looking through the archives.