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A GAS fitter from Walsall has been handed a suspended prison sentence after he fitted a hob at a house in Tamworth when not on the Gas Safe Register.
Alan Nicholas Price’s work came to the attention of the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) after a registered fitter subsequently carried out repairs on the gas hob.
Price, 57, from Pelsall, was charged with breaching the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations. He failed to appear in court on two separate occasions and was arrested.
At Stafford Crown Court, he pleaded guilty and was sentence to nine months in prison, suspended for two years.
He was also ordered to complete 100 hours of community service and pay £100 towards the HSE’s costs.
HSE inspector Wayne Owen said after the hearing: “When working on gas systems it is vital that the person has sufficient knowledge, training and experience so that they are aware of safe working practices and standards. This is due to the level of risk if gas systems are not worked on and fitted safely. The risk is posed not only to the person carrying out the work but to anyone else who may be in the vicinity of the systems afterwards; in this case the occupants of the house.”
STAFFORDSHIRE’S Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis is renewing his call for parents in Tamworth to take simple steps to help their children stay safe online.
Earlier this year the Commissioner sent information to every household across the county and Stoke-on-Trent with council tax bills which included advice about online safety.
The information featured hard-hitting facts like: 60% of 13-year-olds have been asked for a sexual picture or video of themselves, one in three of a child’s social networking friends are people they’ve never met and 75% per cent of parents don’t know how to keep their children safe online.
The issue is again highlighted in new national research, released this week by the NSPCC, which asked young people about the impact of online pornography, including sharing images of themselves online. It found that 65% of 15 to 16 year-olds questioned and 28% of 11 to 12-year-olds had seen pornography, and that children were more likely to stumble across material (28%) than deliberately search for it (19%).
Details about how parents can help their children stay safe online are available now through the www.knowaboutcse.co.uk website which was launched in Staffordshire in February.
Mr Ellis said: “Taking simple steps to improve online safety is crucial to helping protect young people and reduce the risk of the sexual exploitation of children.
“I’d urge parents and young people to visit www.knowaboutcse.co.uk to find out more about staying safe online.”
People also can find out more about keeping themselves and their children safe online at http://www.staffordshire-pcc.gov.uk/online-safety/
The NSPCC report can be read at https://www.nspcc.org.uk/fighting-for-childhood/news-opinion/children-desensitised-damaging-impacts-online-porn/
GREEN-FINGERED gardeners and pub landlords are being reminded that there’s still time to enter two great Tamworth in Bloom competitions.
As part of the 2016 Tamworth in Bloom campaign, Tamworth Borough Council is holding two separate competitions – one for gardeners and one for pubs.
In a bid to encourage gardeners and publicans across the borough to do their bit to help make Tamworth bloom, a prize of £100 worth of gardening vouchers is up for grabs in both competitions.
The gardens competition is open to everyone living in the borough, whether an experienced gardener, a complete beginner or somewhere in between. Entries are welcome from all types of gardens – huge plots with a rolling lawn and endless flower beds, a small square of grass, a hanging basket or a window box.
Last year’s winners were Barbara and Jack Sippetts of Glascote, who took the top prize for their stunning garden at their home in Clifford Street.
The pubs competition is open to every pub in the borough. Last year, Olivers in Lower Gungate took top prize for its beautiful hanging baskets at the front of the pub and in the courtyard.
To enter either of the competitions, this year’s garden competition, just take a picture of your garden or pub displays and either email it to Garden Competition on [email protected] or drop a copy in to reception at Marmion House.
The closing date for entries for both competitions is 5pm on Monday, August 1. Entries being judged during the following week.
Be Prepared to Bloom
This year’s Tamworth in Bloom theme is Be Prepared to Bloom. Organises have teamed up with Tamworth Cubs to help them celebrate the 100th birthday of the national organisation.
The borough is aiming to scoop gold in the Small City category for the seventh year running – and is hoping gardeners and publicans throughout the borough get involved in the campaign.
Tamworth in Bloom Champion, Cllr Joy Goodall, said: “We would like to see as many people as possible getting involved in this year’s gardens and pubs competitions, because the most important part of Tamworth in Bloom isn’t the flowers, it’s the people of Tamworth and their involvement.
“We could not have won gold for the past six years and taken a silver gilt award in the national Britain in Bloom campaign in 2014 without the hard work and support of the Tamworth community, who put so much time and effort into making the areas where they live and work look superb.”
A £5million road project which will pave the way to a major business and housing scheme near Burton will begin this month.
The development will see 400 acres of land immediately west of the A38 developed with 2,500 new homes, a range of community facilities and a 50-acre employment site, which will be known as Quintus.
It will also include retail, health, leisure and recreational facilities, as well as provision for older people. Separate developments on land nearby will see new primary and high schools built.
Staffordshire County Council will be delivering a package of road and infrastructure works which will enable Nurton Developments (Quintus Ltd) to move on site to carry out the main project, together with residential developers.
The road scheme will start on Monday June 20 on the A38 Branston Interchange to the area around the canal bridge. The Government’s Local Growth Deal, which was accessed by the county council and Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership is funding the road project. Nurton Developments has also made a substantial contribution.
Staffordshire County Council’s economy leader Mark Winnington said: “The Branston Locks development is another major project for Staffordshire; bringing in thousands of new homes, new business and new jobs. We will be starting to build the new roads and improve existing ones over the next few weeks, enabling the development on site to follow.
“We will of course be making every effort to keep any disruption to a minimum. This is yet another example of how the county council is working closely with developers and other partners to further increase Staffordshire’s economic growth and make it right for business and an attractive place to live and visit.”
Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership chairman David Frost said: “We are delighted to see such rapid progress on this scheme. It is an excellent example of how we are working together across the public and private sectors to create new jobs, sustained economic growth and flourishing local communities.
“Branston Locks is one of a whole series of exciting new developments taking place across our region illustrating that Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire is an increasingly attractive place for businesses to locate and grow, and a great place to live.”
The main road works will see Branston Road realigned in a northern direction with a new bridge over the Trent and Mersey Canal, together with new infrastructure to the business and housing development sites. The whole project will also improve pedestrian and cycle access to the future development and canal tow path.
All works are expected to be completed by late summer 2017. Ttraffic signals will be put in place on Tatenhill Lane and at times over the existing canal bridge, during the first phase of the works, t. All access to the site will be off the A38, with work taking place Monday to Friday, 7.30am to 6pm. Nearby residents will receive letters about the scheme.
People can find out more by visiting: www.staffordshire.gov.uk/branstonlocks
The development is part of the wider plan by the county council and partners to create more and better jobs in Staffordshire.
WORK on the site of the former Tamworth Golf Course is to begin next month.
The work is to relocate the gas pipeline which currently runs over the canal. This will be rerouted underneath the waterway during the works.
British Pipeline Agency will be carrying out by the work, along with site owner and developer Redrow Homes.
The relocation work is due to start on July 4 on the 60 hectare former golf course site off Eagle Drive in Amington.
Outline planning permission for the building of up to 1,100 homes has been granted. There are also plans for a new primary school, extension to Hodge Lane Local Nature Reserve and community woodland.
Tamworth Borough Council’s Planning Committee approved the reserved matters planning application for the development of the first 218 homes last week, subject to a number of conditions.
Image thanks to West Midlands Police
Almost 300 motorists were caught by motorway cops during a week-long campaign tackling distracted driving and mobile phone use behind the wheel.
A driver eating porridge on the M6, a woman applying make-up at the wheel, and a biker steering one-handed while he took a call were among the most shocking incidents encountered by the Central Motorway Police Group (CMPG).
In total, 289 people were found using a hand-held device or driving carelessly during the May 23-26 campaign.
First time offenders were offered the chance to attend a driver improvement course, while others were fined and had licences endorsed with three points or face a day in court on suspicion of careless driving.
CMPG Inspector Sion Hathaway said: “Some of the things our officers saw were absolutely staggering. In the space of just a few minutes we caught a man eating porridge and a lady applying lipstick both while driving on the M6 at 50mph.
“We also stopped a motorcyclist riding his bike with his helmet resting on the top of his head in order to take a phone call.
“A number of motorists who were stopped for using their mobile phones were also found to have no insurance…so their vehicles were seized.”
The campaign saw officers in both marked and unmarked vehicles on the lookout for motorists using mobiles to make calls, text or browse the internet.
Between 2013 and 2015, a total of 7,713 drivers in the West Midlands were prosecuted for driving while using a mobile phone.
Insp Hathaway added: “Yet again it’s very disappointing to see that many people just don’t seem to be getting the message that using your phone, or any mobile device, while driving is extremely dangerous.
“If you use your phone when driving your reaction times are similar to those of someone over the drink drive limit…no call can be so urgent that it’s worth putting lives at risk.”
THE world of the jungle will be brought to life in Tamworth Castle Grounds this weekend with an outdoor performance of The Jungle Book - and there are still tickets remaining for this entertaining event.
Tamworth’s Misnomer Theatre – a spin-off from the popular Tamworth Pantomime Company – will be performing its own award-winning version of the children’s classic on Saturday June 18 at 6pm. The performance is suitable for an adult audience but can also be enjoyed by families.
Company manager Alex Farrell said: “This play is one of the best shows I have ever been part of. Our adaptation is more in keeping with the original Rudyard Kipling script and
addresses some serious themes while also harking back to the cartoon film with some subtle, yet comic, references.
“We have a very strong adult cast as well as a talented 10-year-old boy playing Mowgli which makes the whole world of the jungle come to life.”
The colourful and moving one-act play explores the struggles faced by Bagheera the panther and Baloo the bear as they try to return Mowgli to the ‘man village’. They are faced with the terrifying Kaa - the enormous snake who almost eats them whole - and the ferocious Shere Khan who spends his time hunting down anything human.
The Jungle Book is ideal entertainment for family audiences, and at just 45 minutes long, it is definitely time well spent.
Misnomer Theatre is an award-winning production company specialising in plays. It was formed in 2011 as a spin off to Tamworth Pantomime Company and prides itself on using local actors in all of its productions. Many cast members are volunteers and have other careers. It has won more than a dozen awards in the All England Drama Festival to date.
Gates for The Jungle Book open 45 minutes before the performance starts and audience members are invited to take picnics and blankets, but are asked not to take any glass items or gazebos. No alcohol is to be taken on site but a licensed bar will be available.
Tickets cost £6 and £4 concessions and must be purchased in advance. Children under the age of two get in free of charge but still need a ticket. Tickets are available online at www.tamworthartsandevents.co.uk, in person from Tamworth Tourist Information Centre in Corporation Street or by calling the Box Office on 01827 709618. A transaction fee of £1 is payable on all online and telephone bookings.
Another helping of outdoor theatre will be served up in the community location of Dosthill Park with a production of Danny, the Champion of the World. The Roald Dahl classic will be brought to life by the award-winning open-air theatre company Illyria at 3pm on Saturday July 2.
The performance follows the successful production of Beatrix Potter’s Tales of Benjamin Bunny last summer which was the first show to be staged in the community setting of Dosthill Park.
Tickets for Danny, the Champion of the World, cost £8 and £6 concessions.
STAFF at H. Samuel Ankerside will be swapping selling jewellery for walking on Sunday 19 June, when the entire staff take on a 13.1-mile challenge for charity.
As part of the ‘90 ways for 90 days’ campaign, currently running across the popular jewellery chain nationwide, Store Manager Nina Pabla and her five colleagues will be travelling to Dovedale in the Peak District and walking the half-marathon distance in a bid to raise money for cancer charity, CLIC Sargent.
Nina said she was delighted to be raising money for the charity that provides support to young cancer patients and their families. “The work that CLIC Sargent does is vital for those that really need it by supporting them at a time they need it the most,” said Nina.
“Everyone in the store wanted to be a part of this walk and to do it as a team as it is for such a good cause. Staff from other H. Samuel branches have kindly volunteered to come and cover us on 19 June so that everyone can be a part of it, and the store can still remain open. I’d like to thank our District Manager, Alastair MacDougall, who has been really supportive and has allowed us to do the walk as a full team. It really means a lot to everyone here.”
“For anyone that wants to donate they can come in and see one of the team - our collection will be running until the end of July.”
Ankerside Centre Manager, Jeff Wigley, said he was thrilled that the staff from H. Samuel had rallied together to raise money for CLIC Sargent. “We’re a big community here at Ankerside and it’s great that shops like H. Samuel take part in activities such as this for charity. From everyone here at the centre I’d like to wish them a huge ‘good luck’ ahead of their walk.”
As well as the walk there will be a range of different activities taking place in-store as part of the ‘90 ways in 90 days’ campaign that began on the 1st May and will continue till the 31st July. Football fans will be able to enter a raffle to win a football signed by Leicester City player and recent Premiership winner, Marc Albrighton. For those with youngsters visiting the shop, they’ll be in with the chance of winning a huge jar of jellybeans if they guess the correct total. More prizes and events are set to be announced in the coming weeks.
DEPUTY Police and Crime Commissioner Sue Arnold is encouraging victims of crime across the Tamworth area to find out more about the free advice and support available for them from the Staffordshire Victim Gateway.
Staffordshire is the first area in the country to pioneer the new Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB)-led approach which is unique because it is based locally. Offering a tailored service for victims, the Gateway is able to give timely advice and emotional and practical support to victims in the way that suits them best.
For the first time support is being offered to all victims of crime and the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner and Citizens Advice Bureau are keen to encourage victims who are vulnerable or who do not feel they can report crime to police to contact the Gateway for support.
The appeal was made at an event, organised by the Staffordshire North and Stoke-on-Trent Citizens Advice Bureau to showcase the work of the Victim Gateway. The event highlighted the work of the Gateway which was officially launched by national Victims’ Commissioner Baroness Newlove in Staffordshire in September 2015.
Latest figures show that by the end of May over 36,000 people were offered help through the Victim Gateway, an improvement on the 23,000 people helped in the 12 months prior to the Gateway being launched.
Sue Arnold, Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Staffordshire, said: “This free service has really benefitted a number of victims of crime throughout Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent already.
“The advice and support given by the Victim Gateway will positively impact people’s lives because of the additional benefits victims will experience, such as better accessibility and local knowledge.
“Previously, the very services that were there to support victims and witnesses were anything but user-friendly, meaning the experience people have of the courts and criminal justice system was as taxing and traumatic as the original incident. The Staffordshire Victim Gateway has been a significant change that fully focuses the attention on victims, where it belongs.”
Matthew Ellis, Police and Crime Commissioner for Staffordshire, said: “The Gateway offers a ‘one-stop’ access to services and gives direction, protection and support to victims, witnesses and their families.
“The Gateway ensures that the system fits the victim rather than the victim having to fit around the system. It puts victims at the heart of decision-making, meaning that they are treated as individuals.”
Left to right is Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Sue Arnold, Specialist and Equalities manager for CAB Jude Hawes, Victim Gateway Project Co-ordinator Jo Moss and Simon Harris, CEO of Staffordshire North and Stoke-on-Trent CAB
Simon Harris, Chief Executive of Staffordshire North and Stoke-on-Trent CAB, said: “We have been very busy over the last 9 months developing the service, and identifying areas of work we still have to carry out.
“That work includes encouraging people to self-refer to the service, because the service is available not just to people who have reported their crime to the police but to anyone who has been a victim of crime. We urge people who may be reluctant to report the crime to the police but who none the less want support to get in touch.”
The Victim Gateway contract was awarded to the CAB as part of work by Staffordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis to provide better support for victims and put their needs back at the centre of the criminal justice system.
To find out more about the work of the Police and Crime Commissioner visit www.staffordshire-pcc.gov.uk.
More information on the Victim Gateway is available at www.staffsvictimsgateway.org.uk or by ringing 0330 0881 339.
LICHFIELD city centre is set to go green on Saturday June 18 with a major fund-raising day for a cancer charity.
Three Spires Shopping Centre will once again be taken over by Macmillan Cancer Support with a street fair, family activities and prizes from retailers.
The event, which runs from 11am to 4pm, features a hog roast and face painting,while Muggy, the Macmillan mascot, will also be putting in an appearance.
The 2016 Macmillan Takeover Day has been organised by the charity’s Lichfield and Tamworth Villages Committee, to help raise awareness of the charity and the work it does.
The inaugural event last year raised more than £2,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support, which provides specialist health care, information and financial support to people affected by cancer.
Over the past five years the Lichfield and Tamworth Villages Committee has raised more than £80,000 with a wide variety of events, and is now appealing for more volunteers to join them to help hit the £100,000 mark.
Three Spires Shopping Centre Manager Lisa Prokopiou said: “Last year’s event raised thousands for the charity, thanks to the support of visitors, and it was a great, fun day.
“We are very happy to be going green again for Macmillan Cancer Support and I hope that we have another great turn-out.
“Cancer is an illness that affects so many people and Macmillan does sterling work in the community - I am sure that our shoppers will be very generous on the day.”
Claire Morden from Macmillans Lichfield and Tamworth Villages Committee said: “A variety of attractions will be available on the day from face-painting to cake stalls and a hog roast, raffle and tombola, with every penny raised going to benefit Macmillan.
“If anyone is moved to want to volunteer, then someone will be available to chat about what is involved.
“Whilst raising funds for Macmillan is our primary goal, we hope people who attend, will also see that fundraising can be fun. Awareness and fundraising really do go hand in hand!
“For those who have questions or concerns about cancer or caring for someone who has been diagnosed with cancer, we have also arranged for a Macmillan professional to be on hand to offer guidance and support.”
Claire added: “By 2020 one in two people will receive a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime, Macmillan is working to ensure that as the demand for cancer services rises, people affected by cancer wherever they are in the UK, have access to the best cancer information and support in their local community.
“We know that cancer can be the loneliest place and now more than ever we need people to support Macmillan to help ensure no one has to face cancer alone.”
The Macmillan Cancer Support takeover day will run from 11am to 4pm at the Three Spires Shopping Centre, Lichfield on Saturday, June 18.
If you would like to donate prizes for the raffle or tombola please contact Claire on 01543 444 959.
About Macmillan Cancer Support
When you have cancer, you don’t just worry about what will happen to your body, you worry about what will happen to your life. At Macmillan, we know how a cancer diagnosis can affect everything and we’re here to support you through.
From help with money worries and advice about work, to someone who’ll listen if you just want to talk, we’ll be there. We are millions of supporters, professionals, volunteers, campaigners and people affected by cancer. Together we make sure there’s always someone here for you, to give you the support, energy and inspiration you need to help you feel like yourself again. We are all Macmillan.
No one should face cancer alone. Call us free on 0808 808 00 00 (Monday to Friday, 9am–8pm) or visit macmillan.org.uk
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