TWO companies local to Tamworth have raised a staggering £24,909.09 for Cancer Research UK through their organisation of a Fun Run and Summer Ball.
The Office Pub organises ‘The Office Abbott Run’ annually and is also supported by local Nissan Dealership, Polesworth Garage. Last year the annual run included the ‘Abbot’ name for the first time. This was in honour of local Polesworth resident Karen Abbott who sadly lost her battle to cancer on 22 March 2016. Karen was a keen runner and a Police Sergeant at Tamworth Police Station.
The event is now in it’s fourth year and is growing every time. It sees sees men, women and children run, jog or walk the 5K. The course is from Polesworth Garage on Grendon Road in Polesworth to The Office Pub in Warton.
This year, the run which took place on Sunday 9 July raised an AMAZING £12,636.79 for Cancer Research. The figure which exceeded the 2016 total, as the event continues to grow.
That was not all however, Polesworth Garage wanted to top up this figure and donate even more to the very worthy cause. Earlier in the year, they organised a 50th Anniversary Summer Ball, to celebrate the company trading for half a century! This ball was held in honour of Chairman, Bill Newbold, who sadly passed away with Cancer in October 2016. This ball raised an incredible £12,272.30.
Polesworth Garage decided that they wanted to donate this entire fund to the Office Abbott run figure. Because of this, the total raised jumped to an astonishing £24,909.09!
An amazing well done to everyone involved in organising the events. Also to everyone who has taken part in the the fun run.
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NORTH Warwickshire Borough Council will later this week set out its proposal for the Local Plan after listening to comments from the public.
Earlier this year the Council concluded the first stage of its consultation into how the houses needed for future generations will be built. The overwhelming issue raised by public responses was that the right infrastructure needed to accompany the development.
The final draft version of the Plan will be considered by Councillors on 11th September and then at further meetings in October. A further series of consultation and information events will take place throughout the rest of this year through which the public will be able to comment further.
The latest version looks to accommodate 6800 houses over the next 15 years and now that other public agencies have responded to the first consultation the Council is able to give significantly more detail on the infrastructure investments that will come with that development.
The Council is also making it clear that unless the A5 is comprehensively improved then a large amount of that housing figure will not be delivered.
Health agencies have asked for over £2.4m in contributions to local health care to allow more doctors, nurses and consulting rooms to be provided. Additional primary schools and financial contributions to allow secondary school to expand will also be part of the ask to developers.
In addition, a major study of the Borough’s road network has been undertaken and major investment is to be planned to make the roads suitable for the additional population. In particular major schemes will be included for the A5 which will allow a further ten years of development to take place before a complete overhaul is needed.
Speaking ahead of the publication of the papers on 1st September, Councillor David Humphreys, Leader of the Council said:
“Councillors will start to formally consider the public’s response in September. I’d like to again thank everyone who has engaged in this process so far. It is clear that the public, and Councillors, are very concerned about the need for large infrastructure improvements to accompany this unavoidable growth.
The infrastructure and detailed planning of the major sites will however provide a really important investment into the Borough. Our roads and health services have been somewhat neglected for years as very little investment came into the Borough. With the growth we have to take, there is now the opportunity to use this to improve our facilities.”
The draft plan is not finalised as Councillors will look at the proposals very carefully and there will be even more opportunities for people to give their views. Engagement with communities, where larger allocations will go, will continue beyond this exercise so we can all help shape the areas as they develop.
Councillor David Reilly, Chairman of the Local Development Committee added:
“I welcome the publication of this further draft and in particular the large increase in infrastructure provision. Our Borough has been crying out for investment after very little growth for many years. We have no choice but to address the housing figures and we have done this honestly and with an eye to modernising as many of our services as we can.
“A key case is the A5 and we are now closer to resolving this longstanding problem than we’ve ever been. We will allocate 6800 houses but the transport assessment is clear that if a full modernisation of the A5 doesn’t happen then we will not be delivering a large proportion of that housing. In this way we will be able to use the unavoidable growth to improve our area and we have made it clear that unless this infrastructure is delivered, then we will not allocate this level of housing.”
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DETECTIVES are investigating a sexual assault that took place in Polesworth and are appealing to the local community for information.
The incident, which was reported on 25 May, happened in 15 March at approximately 6:30pm.
A woman was walking along a footpath at the back of the park near the B5000 when a man stopped to talk to her. Whilst talking, the woman was grabbed from behind and was sexual assaulted by three men.
Detective Sergeant Carl Buckley of Warwickshire CID said: “Following the report we have launched a full investigation, part of which is requesting members of the local community to come forward with any information that may help us identify three men who we believe were in the area at the time.
“We are also keen on talking to anyone who may have spoken to the victim or seen any suspicious activity in the area on the evening of 15 March.”
“Additionally, we would like to talk to an older couple who were in the area walking their terrier dog around the time of the incident.”
Information about the incident can be given to Warwickshire Police by calling 101 and quoting incident number 64 of 25 May.
You can also report crime by contacting the independent crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or through their Anonymous Online Form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information cannot be traced or recorded and you will not go to court.
You are not alone…
If you have been a victim of a sexual assault and live in the Staffordshire area, you can contact SARAC which offers a service to men, women and children who have experienced sexual assault. You can call them on 01283 535110 or visit their website at www.sarac.org.uk. They offer support for anyone over the age of 13.
If you have been a victim of a sexual assault and live in the Warwickshire area, you can contact Rosa which offers a service to men, women and children who have experienced sexual assault. Call the 24-hour self-referral number 01788 551151 or visit www.rosasupport.org.
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North Warwickshire Borough Council has reacted with dismay to a decision by a Planning Inspector to allow a development in the ‘Meaningful Gap’ between Dordon and Tamworth.
Inspector Matthew Birkinshaw has allowed an appeal by St Modwen Developments to develop 25 hectares of land off Trinity Road, Dordon.
The Council was concerned that this would mean there would be a continuous line of development from North Warwickshire to Tamworth and threaten the separate identity of North Warwickshire.
The Inspector however felt that this would be protected by relying just on the land to the north of the A5 opposite the Birch Coppice business park.
Commenting on the news, North Warwickshire Borough Council Leader, Councillor David Humphreys said:
“It has been a long standing aim in North Warwickshire to avoid us appearing to merge into the larger urban area of Tamworth. We’ve had planning policies on this since at least 1989 and have always been supported by local people.
“We successfully got an Inspector to agree a policy to have a ‘Meaningful Gap’ between the two areas in 2014 and we are therefore thoroughly disappointed that this Inspector has reinterpreted this, by saying that it’s fine just to be separated from Tamworth north of the A5.
It is very difficult for us to do our job if we don’t get consistency from the Planning Inspectorate. I have already raised the need for Planning Inspectors to follow Government policy and allow local decision to count with the Planning Minister and I will now seek another urgent meeting with him to raise our concerns. ”
“ The Inspector has imposed an entirely different approach to the Meaningful Gap and we will need to review how we deal with this. We may, however, be able to look again at where development should go in North Warwickshire and I will be discussing this with other
Councillors. We will then be able to have a fresh conversation with residents of North Warwickshire about how we all want to see our area develop.”
Councillor Mark Simpson, Chair of the Planning and Development Board, added:
“We are trying very hard to deal with unprecedented growth in North Warwickshire in return for the promise of being able to control where it goes. We feel at the moment that we are doing our bit but the promise of local control is not being delivered by Planning Inspectors. House building levels are up in the Borough to provide for future generations but the public are growing increasingly annoyed when local plans are not followed – we’ve had a number of appeals allowed in the Austrey area, when it could not have been clearer what local people’s wishes are.
Whilst the jobs and economic activity are welcome, the Inspector has gone against decades of local wishes by effectively joining us up with Tamworth.”
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THERE was a dramatic start to the week in Polesworth when the local community came together to help save the life of a Tamworth man.
The dramatic day began at Polesworth Garage on Monday morning, 1 August, at 9am when a customer pulled on to the forecourt and stumbled into the shop complaining of feeling unwell.
The gentleman was given a seat and a glass of water by Kim, the cashier and the Polesworth Garage First Aid Officer Amanda Busby, was called. The man, very pale, shaking and complaining of chest pains then worryingly passed out.
After manoeuvring him into a more manageable position, with the assistance of another member of staff Sarah Maker, the gentleman began to come round, and continued to complain of chest pains. Despite protests from the poorly man, an ambulance was then called.
In the meantime, Steve Sadler, Sales Manager of the Nissan dealership, contacted the nearby Fire Station, for use of their defibrillator. Warwickshire Fire Service came to the scene instantly, and stabilised the man with oxygen.
When the ambulance service first responser arrived, the gentleman was assessed and an ambulance was called as his heart rate double what it should have been. The ambulance arrived and after various checks were carried out, it was suggested the man go with them to hospital for further investigation.
The man, believed to be from Stonydelph refused to go to hospital. Kindly, Amanda and Sarah from Polesworth Garage offered to go to hospital with him but he continued to refuse.
As the man was in no fit state to drive, Amanda and Sarah took the gentleman home, with another member of staff, Darrell Turner following in the gentlemen’s car. On arrival at his home, the man collapsed again, this time with severe chest pain, and 999 was called.
At 11.30am, some two and a half hours from when he first entered Polesworth Garage, the ambulance came, and now understanding the severity of the situation, the man willingly went to hospital.
A spokesperson for Polesworth Garage told Tamworth Informed: “We understand that the gentleman left hospital later that afternoon, we hope discharged as fit and well.”
The frightening start of the week could have had far more fatal consequences had it not been for the speedy response of the staff at Polesworth Garage, and the calmness, patience and understanding of Amanda Busby in particular.
Tamworth Informed wish the gentleman a speedy recovery.
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WARWICKSHIRE Police is issuing a renewed appeal for witnesses following an assault at a canal towpath near Tamworth Road, Polesworth.
The incident happened between 4pm and 8.30pm on Thursday 31 March, when a man was attacked by 2 unknown men whilst walking with a female friend.
The victim, a man in his thirties, received head wounds as a result of the attack and he then left the scene, later receiving treatment at hospital.
Police ask anyone who may have witnessed the incident to call them on 101, quoting incident number 363 of 31 March.
If you want to give information but don’t want to give your name you can call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or use their anonymous online form at www.crimestoppers.org.uk . Crimestoppers are not part of the police, when you contact them you won’t be identified. The only person who knows you have given information is you.
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DETECTIVES are appealing for information following an assault in Polesworth on Thursday 7th April.
The incident, which is being treated as an assault occasioning actual bodily harm, occurred at around 11.45pm on Fairfields Hill near to the junction with The Gullet and Potters Lane. The victim, a woman in her 20s, reported that a man grabbed her after she got out of her vehicle.
The suspect is described as being a white man in his mid 30s with a shaved head and unshaven face and about 6ft tall. He was wearing a long sleeved top and had a stretch piercing in his left ear.
The offender fled in the direction of Market Street after being disturbed by another vehicle driving past. From here he may have gone along the canal and under the canal bridge.
The woman received slight injuries to her wrist and neck. These did not require medical attention.
Detective Sergeant Chris Ramadhar said: “This was extremely distressing for the victim and we’re keeping an open mind as to what the motive was.
“We would like to speak to anyone who may have been in the area at the time and witnessed the incident or who saw someone acting suspiciously. We’re especially keen to speak to the person who was driving down Fairfields Hill at the time of the incident as they may have seen something that could help with our enquiries.”
If you have information that could help police with their enquiries please call 101 and quote incident 374 of 7th April 2016. Alternatively, information can be provided anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org
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THE owner of the Maya takeaway restaurant in Polesworth has received one of the largest fines in the Borough Council’s history for a catalogue of food hygiene horrors.
Mr Salik Mohammed Miah, Director of Maya Midlands Limited pleaded guilty at Nuneaton Magistrates Court on 5th April to eight food hygiene offences.
The Borough Council’s Food Safety Officers raised concerns about the restaurant following their inspection in August 2015. They discovered containers of curry sauce left on the floor, uncovered containers of prawns, chicken and rice, a dirty sink with filthy cloths and sponges, pools of blood and water at the bottom of the freezer and cobwebs on the light fittings.
The Inspectors also found that the fridge and freezer were running at dangerously high temperatures and there were no food safety procedures and no food labelling – despite the advice the Council had provided over the years.
Steve Maxey, Assistant Chief Executive and Solicitor to the Council said:
“ The Court acknowledged that these food premises were a serious risk to public health and safety and they have had a poor record of compliance since the restaurant opened. Mr Miah narrowly escaped a £48,000 fine, which was only reduced because of his early guilty plea to the eight offences and the fact that a recent inspection revealed that the restaurant is now finally complying with the law. “
From 1st February this year, Magistrates now have the power to impose an unlimited fine and can also take into account the risk of harm to customers rather than just the offences. This was the Borough Council’s first food hygiene prosecution since the increase in penalties.
To check the food hygiene ratings of any premises serving or selling food, go to the Food Standards Agency website at www.food.gov.uk/ratings
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POLICE Community Support Officers in Polesworth have rescued a swan that was wondering in to busy traffic.
PCSO HODSON and PCSO HARLE came to the rescue when noticing a swan had wandered into a busy road in North Warwickshire. Clearly distressed, the swan was reluctant to be coaxed out of the road creating a risk to fellow road users and the swan itself.
We simply cannot resist the opportunity to tell you how the bird was ‘swanning around’ in the road!
The officers took it upon themselves to capture the swan and it was later released into Abbey Green Park, Polesworth without incident.
As courageous as the officers were, despite constant warning as a child, have you ever met anybody who has had their arm broken by a swan?
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BILLED as the world’s best value GPS vehicle tracking solution, Polesworth-based Autonect has secured a deal to distribute its groundbreaking hardware and software product in all 220 Maplin Electronics stores.
The connected-vehicle platform, which uses a driver’s smartphone to transmit data from its plugin ProLink™ device, offers car owners the chance to score their driving performance, monitor and improve fuel consumption, and tag business mileage for easy download into tax and expense claims.
The Autonect app also allows drivers to book servicing, as well as contact breakdown and emergency services from within the app itself. They can also see at a glance what might be wrong with their vehicle, helping them to communicate more effectively with whoever they have chosen to fix it.
Autonect co-founder Anthony Shemmans says the relationship with Maplin will help to strengthen the Autonect product in its core market with servicing agents and car dealers.
Anthony told Tamworth Informed: “The more cars we have connected to the system, the better it works out for everyone. And as we’re talking with some of the country’s leading service and repair networks, everyone who buys the Autonect product from Maplin will have access to a wide range of support from some great brands.”
More details about autonect can be found at www.autonect.com
As an introductory offer, the Autonect package is being offered in Maplin with vouchers to spend on servicing, repairs and MOTs at any of the 330+ Halfords Autocentres around the UK.
Drivers can purchase the Autonect ProLink™ and voucher bundle in Maplin stores from the 20th January 2016, or visit the Maplin website at:
http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/autonect-driving-connected-a80un
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