David was arrested earlier today (30 November) and will be returned to prison.
David Taylor, 26, of Lindsay Street, Burnley, had been recalled to prison in connection with allegations of assault.
Taylor had previously been convicted of raping a female under 15.
A headteacher has warned drivers and children to take extra care around his school after a lollipop woman was knocked down.
The incident happened on Thursday morning as the school crossing patrol worker was helping children to cross Stanah Road in Thornton.
Elaine Ross was not seriously hurt in the incident and no children were involved.
But now Hamish Clough, head at Stanah Primary School, is calling on drivers to do their bit to ensure children make it to school safely.
He said: “We appreciate that people are busy and need to get to work or appointments but following an incident last Thursday where one of our School Crossing Patrol officers was knocked down, pleasecould we ask that drivers take extra care on the roads at the start and end of the school day.
“This incident highlights how we need to be extra vigilant of people crossing with the school crossing patrols.
“Very often at this time of year, the sun is low in the sky and can make driving vehicles and crossing roads more dangerous.
“We have also reminded our children not to cross until the officer tells them that it is safe to do so.”
There is a maximum speed of 20mph in the school crossing patrol area but Mr Clough said he had seen a number of driver going much faster, even at busy times in the school day.
He said: “I have seen vehicles driving quite fast on the two main roads near school and also witnessed a driver drive through the school crossing the following morning while the officer was in the road.”
And the head of the Lambs Road school made clear parents must play their part in making the area around the school as safe as possible.
And he warned those tempted to park illegally they might face police action.
He said: “Crossing on Lambs Road is also becoming more hazardous as people are now parking illegally and parking in between the ‘No Parking’ markers that we were asked to place outside school, thus causing drivers to concentrate more on the parked cars.
“As a school, we will be asking the children’s Parking Busters group from the Thornton primary schools to continue to look into these issues and we will forward details of any repeat offenders to the police.”
Two-years-ago parents at the school battled Lancashire County Council plans to scrap the crossing patrols.
REGIONAL NEWS
CORONER DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM BLACKPOOL VICTORIA HOSPITAL FOLLOWING TRAGIC DEATH
THE family of a Leyland woman whose death sparked an investigation into care at a Lancashire hospital today said: “This can’t all be for nothing.”
Former auxiliary nurse Pamela Briggs, a stalwart of St Catherine’s Hospice, died on her 69th birthday following a routine heart operation.
A coroner has written to Blackpool Victoria Hospital NHS Trust interim chief executive Wendy Swift warning the process for dealing with serious incidents, which he said is not robust or thorough enough, is putting lives at risk.
Read more here
PRESTON MAN ADMITS HE IS JEWELLERY SHOP'S ROOFTOP RAIDER
A burglar whose rooftop heist prompted the closure of a Preston street - and the retirement of one of the city’s longest serving jewellers - has admitted his guilt.
Mark Bentley, of Woodplumpton Road, Ashton, Preston, admitted a single offence of burglary over the £8,000 break in at Hackler’s in Lune Street, Preston city centre, a Lancashire Police spokesman said.
Read more here
WARNING TO DRIVERS AFTER LOLLIPOP LADY IS KNOCKED DOWN
A headteacher has warned drivers and children to take extra care around his school after a lollipop woman was knocked down
The incident happened on Thursday morning as the school crossing patrol worker was helping children to cross Stanah Road in Thornton. Elaine Ross was not seriously hurt in the incident and no children were involved.
PENSIONER DIES AFTER BEING HIT BY CAR
A pensioner has died after he was hit by a car in Wigan.
The elderly man was in collision with what is believed to have been a Jaguar on Golborne High Street close to the Charles Napier pub early on Tuesday evening.
Emergency services were called to the scene at around 6.25pm and the unnamed victim was taken to hospital but doctors were unable to save him and he died a short time later.
NATIONAL NEWS
MINISTERS URGED TO 'GET A GRIP' AFTER CRITICISM OF BENEFIT SANCTIONS
Benefit sanctions that can plunge claimants into hardship, hunger and depression are being handed out with little evidence they work, a scathing report by the public spending watchdog has found.
Use of the penalties also varies "substantially" across the country and referral rates have changed significantly over time, according to the National Audit Office (NAO).
It accused the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) of not doing enough to find out how sanctions affect people on benefits.
MORE EX-FOOTBALLERS SPEAK OUT ABOUT 'ABUSE' AS EIGHT POLICE FORCES INVESTIGATE
Eight police forces are now looking into allegations of historical child sex abuse in football.
There have been 250 reports made to police and more than 50 calls were made to an NSPCC hotline set up for sexual abuse victims in football in the initial hours of opening.
More than 20 former players have now spoken out about alleged abuse, including former Newcastle United footballer Derek Bell, who waived his anonymity to the Guardian.
FOUR MEN TOOK OWN LIVES AFTER 'SEXTORTION' BLACKMAILING
Four men killed themselves in the last year after being blackmailed as part of an increasing cyber "sextortion" racket.
International gangs of organised criminals are targeting more and more young men by luring them into potentially compromising positions, the National Crime Agency said.
The number of people reporting financially-motivated cyber enabled blackmails more than doubled from 385 in 2015 to 864 up to November 2016.
LABOUR MPs WILL NOT BE FORCED TO BLOCK SNP OVER TONY BLAIR PROBE
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will not force his MPs to block an SNP attempt to trigger a parliamentary investigation into whether Tony Blair misled the Commons in the run-up to the Iraq war.
Mr Corbyn has decided to impose only a one-line whip on his MPs for Wednesday's vote on the SNP bid, meaning they are not obliged to attend, and could even back the former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond's motion without fear of sanction.
Mr Salmond has drawn cross-party support for his motion calling on the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee to probe any differences between Mr Blair's public statements in the lead-up to the invasion, and private correspondence with then US president George Bush revealed by the Chilcot inquiry.
WORLD LEADERS HONOUR FIDEL CASTRO AT HAVANA RALLY
World leaders joined tens of thousands of Cubans in Havana's Plaza of the Revolution, celebrating Fidel Castro on the spot where he delivered fiery speeches to mammoth crowds in the years after he seized power.
The presidents of Mexico, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela and South Africa, along with leaders of a host of smaller nations, offered speeches paying tribute to Castro, 90, who died on Friday night.
South African president Jacob Zuma praised Cuba under Castro for its record on education and health care and its support for African independence struggles.
EXPERTS PROBE AIR CRASH THAT WIPED OUT 'CINDERELLA' FOOTBALL TEAM
Colombian authorities are searching for answers after a charter plane carrying a football team whose Cinderella story took them to the finals of one of South America's most prestigious regional tournaments slammed into Colombia's Andes mountains, killing all but six of the 77 people on board.
The British Aerospace 146 short-haul plane's crew declared an emergency and lost radar contact just before 10pm local time on Monday (3am GMT on Tuesday), according to Colombia's aviation agency. It said the plane's black boxes had been recovered and were being analysed.
The aircraft, which departed from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, was carrying the Chapecoense team from southern Brazil for Wednesday's first leg of the two-game Copa Sudamericana final against Atletico Nacional of Medellin. Twenty-one Brazilian journalists were also on board.
STRAINED AMBULANCE CREWS TOO SLOW TO REACH CRITICAL PATIENTS - REPORT
Ambulances are failing to reach dying and seriously-ill patients fast enough as the service creaks under the strain of high demand, according to a report.
Only one of the UK's 13 ambulance services, the Welsh Ambulance Service, is meeting the target to reach patients with life-threatening conditions within eight minutes, a BBC investigation has found.
Freedom of Information requests by the broadcaster found more than 500,000 hours of ambulance crews' time in England, Wales and Northern Ireland was wasted waiting at A&E to hand over patients to hospital staff.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOMS EROSION 'ENDANGERS FAITH COMMUNITIES' HELP TO COMMON GOOD'
Religious freedoms in everyday life are being eroded in modern Britain, a new report warns.
Magistrates, teachers, foster parents, doctors, and therapists have been disciplined, demoted, or sacked for living in accordance with their beliefs, the paper from think tank ResPublica said.
Compromises to religious freedom "seriously endanger" the contributions of faith communities to the common good, the study argued.
POLICEMAN INJURED IN LORRY DRIVER CHASE DRAMA
A police officer was seriously injured when he was struck by a passing car after being threatened by the driver of a "suspicious" lorry during a chase, his force has said.
The Staffordshire Police officer was taken to hospital after stopping the HGV at around 6.15pm on Tuesday.
The lorry driver ran off and the officer followed him on foot along the A5 near Lichfield.
Dozens of children have been killed or seriously injured on Fylde coast roads in the last five years, figures show.
There were 110 child casualties in Lancashire last year, according to Government data – of which 21 were on the Fylde coast.
A report to Lancashire county Council, which looks after the roads in Fylde and Wyre, shows figures for the county are among the worst in the country.
But while in parts of Lancashire, including Wyre and Preston, child casualties have risen in recent years, that was not true in Blackpool. Nine children were killed or seriously injured in the resort in 2015, nine in Wyre and three in Fylde. Now County Hall chiefs are looking at plans to make the roads safer for children.
Dr Sakthi Karunanithi, LCC director of public health said: “The number of people who are killed or injured on our roads has fallen considerably over the last decade, but the number of incidents involving children, particularly child pedestrians, remains higher in Lancashire than many other areas.
“Road safety is everyone’s responsibility and we need everyone to help prevent deaths and injuries on our roads by staying alert and driving carefully.”
The report, which is to be presented to LCC’s cabinet committee for performance improvement, singles out boroughs outside the Fylde coast – Preston, Burnley and Pendle – as having the worst accident figures.
Across the whole county council area – which does not cover Blackpool – there were 363 kids killed or badly injured during the calendar years from 2011 to 2015 - the highest in the whole of Great Britain. The Blackpool figure was 47.
The LCC report, which comes with 20 proposals aimed at reducing casualty numbers, found most accidents happen when children are walking. And the vast majority involve children running or stepping into the road, often on streets where visibility is reduced by parked cars.
Other common factors in collisions are children using pedestrian crossings, parents losing control of younger children when crossing the road, children moving together in groups and also distraction.
Coun Fred Jackson, Blackpool Council’s cabinet member responsible for road safety, said regular reviews look at ways to make the resort’s roads safer and recent work includes the sue of traffic calming measures and 20mph zones around schools and in built up areas.
He added: “It’s promising to see that the figures aren’t rising but we are always keen to reduce the amount of accidents on our roads.
“Schools in Blackpool can access road safety training from the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service.”
A rural road which has claimed numerous lives has been earmarked for a share in a Government road safety pot.
The A588 which links Poulton to Lancaster, running through the Over Wyre villages of Hambleton, Stalmine, Preesall and Pilling, is one of 10 roads named in a Department for Transport (DfT) spending announcement.
England’s most dangerous roads are to get a £175 million funding boost to improve safety.
The 50 roads with the highest risk of fatal and serious crashes will be upgraded under the Department for Transport (DfT) plan.
The A588 has a long history of fatal accidents, claiming a dozen lives in the last 20 years.
The most recent was in September this year when a 58-year-old motorcyclist was killed in a crash between Cockerham and Pilling.
At one point the route was branded the third most dangerous road in the UK, with 89 serious or fatal accidents recorded over a 10 year period.
Lancashire County Council has carried out works to improve safety, including the introduction of a 50mph speed limit between Stalmine and Hambleton.
It said the DfT had given no instruction on what work would be carried out, merely that a pot of cash had been made available.
The authority will look at ways money could be spent
A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: “We have invested heavily in road safety schemes on these roads over many years and will be taking steps to identify any safety schemes that may improve the collision record and take advantage of the prospective funding being made available by the government.”
Preston North and Wyre MP Ben Wallace welcomed the news.
He said: “The A588, Over Wyre has been a major safety concern for many years and this is a road which should benefit from the investment. I know improved road safety measures are much needed as a result of increased volumes of traffic in many areas and this extra funding must be used to address this.”
By ‘eck, it’s cold!
Freezing Fylde woke up to a blanket of frost yesterday as the country shivered on one of the coldest days of the year
The mercury plunged into the minus figures but the Fylde was then blessed with gorgeous winter sun, giving our photographer Dan Martino the perfect opportunity to capture the best of our coast.
But the cold snap is expected to be over as quick as it arrived, with temperatures set to rise to nine degrees celsius today.
A founder member of the Nolans will be one of the people helping to bring a bit of festive cheer to patients in Clifton Hospital, this Christmas.
Anne Nolan, who moved to Blackpool aged 11 and currently lives in South Shore, has been handing out presents at Clifton Hospital for the past four years, as part of her work as the patron of Lytham-based group ‘Just Good Friends’.
She said: “We give presents out to the pateints at hospital every Christmas and I go along and chat with them.
“Sometimes they have a choir there and they sing some carols for them and stuff like that.”
She is backing The Gazette’s ‘Give a Gift’ appeal to ensure every patient in hospital on Christmas Day receives a gift.
The main focus of our appeal is the “forgotten” elderly, with 601 of the 682 patients in hospital last year being over the age of 50.
It’s a cause that Anne, 66, particularly believes in.
She added: “A lot of elderly people might have had their own children who’ve moved away or emigrated or they’ve never had children, or their partners have died and we forget about them.
“You’d think they wouldn’t care but they do.
“Their reaction is really lovely and they’re so nice and grateful that somebody is thinking about them.
“If it was me, I’d love somebody to come along and give me a present. I think it would be amazing.”
Previous articles:
Give a Christmas gift and spread a little happiness
Shop provides festive fun for sick children
Fylde Coast’s ‘forgotten’ elderly are focus of festive appeal
Transport chiefs on the Fylde coast will get money to repair thousands of potholes over the next year.
Blackpool Council is in line to receive £106,000 from the Department of Transport as part of a £70m pot to repair the nation’s roads in 2017/18.
The money is enough to fill 2,000 potholes in the resort, based on government estimates of £53 per pothole.
Lancashire County Council, which is responsible for roads in Fylde and Wyre will get £1.7m, enough to fill more than 32,000 potholes, it was announced. Transport secretary Chris Grayling (pictured) said the cash was on top of £1.3bn of road improvement funding outlined during the Chancellor’s Autumn statement last week.
He said: “This is a government that steps up, not back which is why we are investing record amounts into improving our roads across the country.
“This investment is over and above the £23bn we are spending to get motorists to their destinations quickly, more easily and safely.”
Other funding announced by the Department for Transport this week includes £925m to tackle congestion and provide upgrades on local roads as well as £220m for Highways England to combat congestion on motorways and major A roads.
As part of a ‘highways maintenance block allocation’ £1m is set to be spent in Blackpool while a further £20m has been earmarked for the Lancashire County council area.
Mr Grayling added: “The schemes are focused on relieving congestion and providing important upgrades to ensure our roads are fit for the future, removing the barriers to help make an economy that works for everyone.”
Blackpool singing star Linda Nolan was left black and blue after tumbling down a flight of railway station stairs.
The I’m in the Mood for Dancing star was travelling from home in the resort to rehearse for her upcoming role as the Good Fairy in Jack and the Beanstalk at Preston’s Charter Theatre when she suffered a fall down the steep steps yesterday while exiting Preston station.
But true to the adage ‘the show must go on’ Linda carried onto to rehearsals, despite her pain.
She said: “I felt myself falling and the next thing I knew I was at the bottom of the stairs.
“I was in absolute agony. A policeman helped me get back up but I was very shaky on my legs.
“I think I must have been in shock, because I carried onto rehearsals but the pain was getting worse as the day wore on.”
When she returned home to Blackpool, sister Maureen, who sang alongside her in the Nolans, was shocked by her appearance.
She said: “Maureen took one look at me and said I had to go to A&E.
“I went to Blackpool Vic and they X-rayed my arms, neck, legs and pelvis. Nothing was broken but I was black and blue from head to foot.
“I’m in a neck brace now and am taking the next couple of days off work.
“The panto begins on December 12, so I hope I will have plenty of time to recover.
“In showbiz people say ‘break a leg’ for luck, so the run should prove a success.
“I’m living proof that the show must go on.”
In the Nolans, Linda sang on many hits but, ironically, did not feature on their 1984 song Crashing Down.
She appears in Jack and the Beanstalk from December 12-January 5.
It’s World Aids Day today, and Lancashire health professionals are marking it by calling on people to get tested for HIV which, in 90 per cent of cases, if caused by unsafe sex.
Lynne Park, from Lancashire Care’s Contraception and Sexual Health (CaSH) service, said: “The earlier the condition is identified, the better the health outcomes.
“Early diagnosis is the way forward to successfully managing HIV.
“However, the most effective way of reducing HIV prevalence is prevention.
“Therefore, we urge everyone, especially with the festive period approaching and the increase in alcohol consumption and lowering of inhibitions, to be aware of the importance of practicing safer sex to reduce the risk of transmission of STIs and unplanned pregnancies.”
Here is a round-up of some of the cases at Blackpool Magistrates Court from November 30.
Joannea Moffat, 30, drunk and disorderly
A woman was arrested in Blackpool town centre after she walked down the street spitting at passers-by.
Joanna Moffat had drunk to excess because she and her fiancé had split up at the time.
Moffat, 30, of Coote Lane, Lostock Hall, Preston, pleaded guilty to being drunk and disorderly.
She was fined £40 with £85 costs and ordered to pay £30 victims’ surcharge by Blackpool magistrates.
Prosecutor, Martine Connah, said Moffat approached police officers patrolling on Queen Street on November 12, about 1am, and told them £40 had been stolen from her purse.
She was described as very drunk and she took police to Pop World to see if the theft had been captured on CCTV. Once there, she swore at officers and door staff calling them vile names. She walked off and spat at people.
Moffat’s defence lawyer said her client had struggled with an alcohol problem and had not long been out of prison when the offence occurred. At the time she and her fiancé has spit up but they were now back together.
Alexander Allen, 30, sexual assault
A man has made his first appearance at court accused of carrying out three sex attacks on a 15-year-old girl.
Alexander Allen, 30, of Pinewood Drive, Cheltenham, faces three charges of serious sexual assault on the teenager which he is alleged to have committed in Blackpool, Wigan and Cheltenham in September last year.
He is also accused of making seven indecent photographs of a child between March 2014 and December last year.
Prosecutor, Martine Connah, said the case must be heard at crown court.
Defence solicitor, Peter Cave, said his client had indicated he would plead guilty to the offences.
Allen was bailed to appear at Preston Crown Court on January 4 by Blackpool magistrates.
Dean Dowie, 46, drink-driving
A chef was heavily drinking at the time he drunkenly crashed his car into a neighbour’s vehicle, Blackpool Magistrates were told.
Dean Dowie, 46, of Boothley Road, North Shore, had suffered a family bereavement in Ireland and when he returned home his wife announced that she and their children were leaving him.
Dowie then started to drink heavily to blank out his problems but on his way home he hit a neighbour’s car parked in the street where he lived.
The woman heard a bang, went outside and saw Dowie trying to drive off, hitting her car again. Neighbours gathered to watch and he refused to leave his vehicle.
Despite having a badly damaged front wheel, he managed to drive off and park outside his own home.
Police were called, said prosecutor Pam Smith and entered the house when he refused to answer the door.
He was arrested and was abusive to officer who took him to the police station where he refused to undertake any sort of alcohol testing.
Dowie admitted failing to provide a specimen and he was banned from the roads for 20 months, fined £345 and ordered to pay £119 costs.
Brett Chappell, defending, said: “He is seeking help for his drink problem an that is working. At the time of the offence he was in a bad place and drinking himself into oblivion.”
Zoiee Kirby, 26, drink-driving
A woman accused of driving an Audi while over the alcohol limit in Blackpool has had the first hearing of her case at court.
Zoiee Kirby, 26, of St Martin’s Road, South Shore, who was not present at court, was bailed to December 7 by Blackpool magistrates.
Patrick Herridge, 45, theft
A father’s bid to sell pirate cigarettes ended in his arrest because he kept the money and did not provide the goods.
Patrick Herridge, 45, of Scorton Avenue, Layton, pleaded guilty to theft.
He was ordered to pay £30 compensation by Blackpool magistrates who imposed no other penalty.
Prosecutor, Martine Connah, said Herridge told a man outside Poundland he could get counterfeit cigarettes on March 28 about 1pm, and the man paid him £30.
Herridge, who police later discovered had his two children with him at the time, did not return with the cigarettes.
He was given a caution by police on the condition he paid his victim the £30 back but he did not pay.
Steven Townley, defending, said Herridge had been unable to pay the man back because at the time his benefits had been stopped and he was struggling even to put food on the table for his family.
Matthew Ainsworth, 22, criminal damage
A supermarket worker took revenge on the store where he worked when he was wrongly accused of theft.
Management sacked Matthew Ainsworth and then banned him from the Sainsbury’s outlet where he was working.
But as Ainsworth, of Windsor Avenue, South Shore, was being escorted from the Sainsbury in Gravesend, Kent, he put out a hand and swept houseware off the shelves causing £268 of damage to stock.
Ainsworth admitted criminal damage when he appeared before Blackpool Magistrates.
He was given a 12 month conditional discharge and ordered to pay Sainsbury’s full compensation.
Peter Cave, defending, said that Ainsworth was arrested by police for the criminal damage and an allegation for theft.
However, he was de-arrested when he showed officer receipts for goods. They were the receipts the store management had taken no notice of and which caused this man to become angry because he felt unfairly treated even though he accepts he should not have done the damage.”
A veteran volunteer with Fleetwood Lifeboat was given two pleasant surprises during a lunch to celebrate his 30 years with the branch.
Captain Peter Woodworth has held a number of roles with the group over the last three decades and this milestone was being celebrated with a lunch at the town’s Trafalgar Restaurant.
He was firstly surprised to receive a bar to the gold medal for his ‘valuable support of the lifeboat service’ for the past 30 years.
But the biggest surprise came when the award was presented by a major figure in the RNLI whom Peter hadn’t seen for many years.
Michael Vlasto OBE, the recently retired operations director to the RNLI, travelled to Fleetwood specially to hand Peter the award.
Peter, 80, who lives on Fouldrey Avenue, Poulton, said: “The presentation came as a big surprise, but nothing like the surprise at seeing Michael again.
“It was a fantastic day and a great honour to receive the award.”
Peter joined Fleetwood RNLI as deputy launching authority in 1986, after becoming involved with the volunteer lifeboat crew at Fleetwood Nautical College, where he worked as a lecturer.
After almost 20 years as lifeboat operations manager, Peter became chairman of the Fleetwood branch, a post he still holds today.
One of the most important planning applications in Fleetwood’s history will not be looked at until next year.
And there is frustration among Fleetwood residents that ambitious £3.5m plans by Simmo Developments to build apartments on the former Fleetwood Pier site seem to be taking so long to be looked at by planners.
The proposals have been lodged with Wyre Council since April and it was anticipated they would be considered at a planning meeting in October or November.
But they have not come up on the lists so far and Wyre Council has now confirmed that the planning meeting for December 6 has now been cancelled because only one case - not the pier plans - is on the list.
Consortium Simmo, headed by businessman Mike Simmons (aka comedian Joey Blower) wants to build 15 ultra modern apartments, aimed at the over 55s, on the site which it is leasing from Wyre.
Although the modern, curved glass design has its admirers, many residents are opposed to the scheme and there have been 200 objections lodged with Wyre.
There have been a raft of reasons given for the objections, but the main fear for residents is that the three storey building would be too large for the site, is in the wrong position and would ruin Fleetwood’s much admired seafront.
Fleetwood Town Council is among those objecting and this week Coun Terry Rogers, chairman of the council, said: “I have experience in planning myself and I cannot understand why this application is taking so long to be looked at.
“Many people in Fleetwood have been asking me what is happening but I just don’t know.
“This is one of the most important planning matters in Fleetwood for years so it is something people want to know about and don’t want to miss.”
Wyre Council says that such an important and major application needs time to fully prepare before councillors make any decisions.
Mr Simmons bought the pier building for £500,000 but it burnt down in 2008, and since then he has been keen to develop the land, which he is leasing from Wyre Council on a long-term basis.
Recently in the news was a 14 year-old girl who won permission from the High Court for her body to be cryogenically preserved.
This poor cancer sufferer was snatching at a chance for living and for survival denied to her by a deadly disease.
It is heartbreaking when someone dies young. However much life may have been lived to the full in the time spent on earth, there is still that aching thought of unrealised potential.
Moving away from this individual case is there any sense that cryonic preservation is the same as the life beyond death that people of faith hold on to so dearly? Personally I cannot see the comparison. One is about life extension, the other is about life transformation.
As a young curate, I encountered a lady called Marguerita who was widowed with three children when her husband was killed in a traffic accident. That lady demonstrated to me a sense of eternity. She lived it out.
Words about ‘this life is only a part of things, the best is yet to come’, were truths she demonstrated. I found myself wanting that same sense of eternity.
I find the whole cryonics movement inspired by science-fiction accounts of future resurrection.
It taps into the post-truth generation of elevating feeling above reason. Yes, that is different from the resurrection of Jesus at the heart of the Christian faith.
There is clear evidence for this teaching which has been forensically examined by a host of thinkers and legal people.
When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead in the course of his ministry, poor Lazarus would still have to die again. He would still walk through the valley of the shadow of death. The Christian has a much higher view of the life to come.
It is not life preserved, it is not an earthly immortality, it is much more.
What a shame that so many people cannot glimpse something better than this vale of tears – eternal life in all its fullness; a glorious new beginning that is no mixed blessing. What a hope.
It’s getting easier to spread some joy this Christmas and get involved in The Gazette’s Give a Gift appeal.
Two resort stores have added themselves to the list of official drop-off points for presents, which will be delivered to patients at Blackpool Victoria Hospital on Christmas Day.
Anyone looking to donate a gift to the appeal, which aims to brighten up the festive period for those spending the time in a hospital bed, can now drop gifts off at Smyths Toys or Asda, in Marton.
Smyths Toys’ announcement follows on from its pledge on Tuesday to donate “hundreds of pounds” worth of presents to the cause.
Nick Sheridan, store manager at Smyths Toys, on Vicarage Lane, said: “It’s something that I wanted to get into anyway and I noticed looking at the list of drop-off points that there wasn’t that many.
“It just seemed to make sense because people come here for their Christmas shopping anyway and it’s nice if people associate Smyths with Christmas and giving.”
Asda, on Cherry Tree Road, and Smyths join the likes of Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Booths and Poppy & Jacks Nursery in offering itself up as a ‘gift drop’.
Asda community colleague, Neil Herdman said: “We choose a local charity every year to do a collection for and this year we’ve chosen Blue Skies. Last year it was Cash for Kids and the year before that is was Brian House.”
Ann Hedley, head of fundraising at Blue Skies Hospital fund thanked the stores for their support.
She said: “We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the stores who have given up their valuable space to support us this year.
“We have already had some calls from members of the public asking about the drop off points and it just shows how many people think about others at this time of year.
“Here at Blue Skies, we are always grateful for every donation we receive but those gifts bought for others at Christmas just have that special sparkle of kindness about them. We can’t thank the readers enough.”
Previous articles:
Nolan sister is in the mood for giving
The length of time paramedics are left waiting at Blackpool Victoria Hospital’s A&E department has soared by 450 per cent since 2013/14, a Freedom of Information request by the BBC showed yesterday.
It comes after The Gazette revealed in September how breaches of handover times – how long it takes a patient to be placed under the care of hospital staff – were reported 145 times this year, compared to just two last year.
The issue has been reflected nationally as patient numbers increase, with all but one ambulance trust reporting an increase – with the overall figure doubling in the past two years.
A statement from the North West Ambulance Service said: “We are seeing more and more people in need of our services, especially for Red incidents for patients with serious and life-threatening conditions.
“This contributes to additional activity at hospital emergency departments. During busy periods this can unfortunately result in ambulance crews having to wait longer to hand over patients into the care of hospital staff before they can be clear to respond to other emergencies.”
Almost 2,500 people have signed a petition lobbying for stiffer punishments for those who kill or seriously injure on our roads.
The Gazette launched its Drive For Justice campaign to highlight the scandal of lenient sentences that mean some dangerous drivers are getting off too lightly.
Some avoid jail all together while others are sentenced to an average of just four years in prison.
Many other motorists who kill on the roads are prosecuted under the lesser charge of causing death by careless driving which bereaved families view as an insult.
We launched a petition to lobby the Government to re-work sentencing guidelines for driving offences so judges can use the powers that exist as well as tackling loopholes and imposing tougher sentences for the worst offenders.
The petition has been supported by more than 2,000 people and hundreds of people have left comments giving their own personal reason for supporting the campaign.
• Sign the petition here to help bring about a change: https://www.change.org/p/uk-parliament-deliver-stiffer-punishments-for-drivers-who-kill-or-seriously-injure-on-uk-roads
County Hall looks set to spend £2m to carry on providing subsidised bus services for another year.
The authority’s cabinet member for highways and transport, County Coun John Fillis, is being recommended to approve the extension of the existing tendered bus service network for an extra year, until the end of March 2018.
Meanwhile, County Hall bosses have drawn up a major new assessment and priority policy for public transport services in Lancashire, to guide future decisions on funding.
County Coun Fillis is set to approve the new criteria, setting out how services may qualify for subsidies in the future.
Bosses have warned the council will not be able to afford to provide services for everybody, and is not in a financial position to commit extra resources. The strict criteria are set out in an 11-page document explaining how cash will be allocated across the county.
Oliver Starkey, head of service for public and integrated transport, said: “The assessment and priority policy provides a set of objective criteria to allow the county council to evaluate options should a commercial operator decide to withdraw a service.
“It takes into account factors including the need of communities to be able to access key destinations and services.”
Council staff have carried out a clean-up operation on land occupied by travellers for nearly a week.
The group moved on from Marsh Mill in Thornton after Wyre Council successfully secured a court order.
The entrances to the plot were shut off with large concrete blocks following the operation during which Wyre Council staff took photographs of the vacated land.
The travellers left behind dozens of bags of rubbish, gas canisters and a caravan which has now been removed by local authority workers.
Wyre Council’s actions were praised by residents.
One homeowner, who did not wish to be named, said: “It is good to see the local authority respond quickly.
“The site was left a real mess with bags of rubbish strewn about and a caravan abandoned on a grass verge.
“I feel sorry for the people who have just moved into the new homes and have ended up with this on their doorstep.”
There are height barriers at both entrances to the car park which was occupied by the group of travellers, who parked more than half a dozen caravans and vans on the land.
A convoy was seen heading down Amounderness Way on Friday.
It is not known where the group has moved on to.
Johan Petterson, 76, was last seen at his home at around 11.30pm on Friday 18 November 2016.
He is wanted for breach of his sex offender notification requirement and on court warrant for recall to prison.
Detective Inspector Andy Roberts, of Dorset Police, said: "We have made a number of enquiries and now have information to suggest that Johan Petterson has travelled to London and subsequently Blackpool.
“I am releasing his photograph in the hope that someone will know his whereabouts.
“Although we have no information to suggest he is an immediate danger to the public, I would ask that anyone who sees Johan does not approach him, but contacts their local police on 999.
“There may be various reasons why he has not complied with the requirements placed on him and I appeal to him directly to make contact with police at the earliest opportunity.”
Johan Petterson is described as white, five feet eight inches tall and of slim build. He has brown eyes, grey hair, a grey beard and sideburns and wears dark rimmed glasses.
DI Roberts continued: “I’d like to assure members of the public that officers are making every effort to find this man as soon as possible.”
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Johan Petterson should call their local police on 999.