Reds supporter Vicky Campbell, 29, from Hunts Cross, said: “We got through the first two ticket check rings around the ground and just as I approached the turnstile, this man came out and said the stadium was full.
“I just couldn’t believe what I was hearing. There were hundreds of people in my section who had genuine tickets and were locked out.
“People got angry, there was no violence or anything, but the police came out and started firing the tear gas. It was dreadful - so unnecessary. There were children in the crowd … It got really bad so I just walked away.”
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For three decades, the Bewsey Old Hall site, one of Warrington’s most historic buildings, has been gently decaying, unloved on the edge of the urban sprawl. Not for much longer. The Warrington Guardian reports that Urban Splash is planning to turn the historic site into luxury accommodation.
The grade II listed Bewsey Old Hall was originally built by William Fitz Almeric le Boteler. The Hall and estate was home to the Lords of Warrington from the 13th century for many generations.The current three storey building is largely Jacobean, with its distinctive chimneys and stone mullioned windows.
Urban Splash says it will achieve what others have failed to do in the 30 years the hall has stood vacant: restore it back to its original use. “It is residential to residential so we don’t actually have to change much inside like knocking walls down,” says the associate director of development, Simon Humphreys. “If in 150 years time it’s no longer the right use for it, it will be easy to take everything out.”
The company’s architects have also designed six raised timber-clad pavilions, which would form a crescent on the western edge of the 800-year-old site. The planning application, which includes landscaping the grounds to improve access to the moat, moving residential parking out of view from the rest of the park and creating a nature trail, will be heard next month.
About 18 years ago, a team of reporters from the Warrington Guardian (including me) had the bright idea of staying overnight at the hall, which was supposed to be haunted. None of us got much sleep, and someone ended up with a bloody nose after a fight, but there was no evidence of any spooky goings on.
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A farmer from Northumberland has been playing Pink’s album to his cows in preparation for the Northumberland County Show on Monday. Mark Lewis, who has been breeding award-winning cattle for the last 10 years, told the Newcastle Journal, that the only thing that really prepares them for the show is a bit of popular music. Mr Lewis said, improbably: “Pink’s hot stuff at the farm at the moment. All the cows are used to her, and when I put her on the radio they all have a little hum along.”
The 42-year-old, of Royal Westside Farm at Ryal near Matfen in Northumberland, says they also quite like the Fratellis. He reckons the music is essential when it comes to preparing the animals for the noise of the public appearances. Mr Lewis, who has built up an 80-strong pedigree herd on his 300-acre farm, said: “It’s all part of the process of getting them ready to show. They have to get used to different sounds, lots of noise and hullabaloo and a little bit of shouting and screaming from Pink certainly helps… It’s like gettng a beauty queen ready for the catwalk.”
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“They’re back,” screamed the headline in the Manchester Evening News this week. Flares? No. Long summer nights? No. Car parking racketeers. Oh.
The scam involves bogus attendants in fluorescent jackets moving in on pay-and-display car parks in the city centre. They take genuine tickets from motorists as they leave the car parks and sell them to others as they arrive. However, the tickets are invalid as many are way past their expiry time. People return to their cars to find the bogus attendants gone and a %26#163;60 fine slapped on their windscreens.
The conmen had been particularly active near to the MEN Arena on concert nights, when unwitting out-of-towners would fall for their ruse. The racketeers were first exposed by the newspaper 15 months ago. Then they would take over office car parks at weekends and at nights and intimidate people to hand over money.
The city council has cancelled the fines after learning of the scam.
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James Bond star Daniel Craig’s high school bandmates have surfaced with a demo tape of House of The Rising Sun, which was recorded at a tiny studio on the Wirral in the mid-1980s, when Craig was a schoolboy.
He was, in fact, the lead singer of Hilbre High School’s rock band Inner Voices and his vocals are described as having “a bit of a punk quality”. The Liverpool Echo unearthed a photo of the young Bond in school uniform, looking a little pensive.
The recording has turned up in an archive of old recordings at Pulse Records, run by Rob and Alan Fennah, whose younger brother Andy was the band’s lead guitarist. Alan, who produced the song, said: “I was chuffed when I found it, I remember we had a good laugh when we recorded it.” They are making copies for all the former band members, but have no plans to release it - although it may feature on their website.
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One of the great delights of the much-loved Westmorland Gazette is the Spot the Dog competition. It is almost impossible to second-guess, and makes me feel even more short-sighted than I usually do while trying to squint at the picture and find the dog. Now a student from South Lakeland has redesigned Spot.
“In my view it was time to rejuvenate it for the local audience and remind people that it can appeal to the young as well as to the traditional reader and I wanted the new design to emphasise a youthful image,” editor and publisher Mike Glover said. He asked students in the design department at Queen Katherine School, Kendal, for ideas. The year 10 students came up with 40 designs and the work of compulsive doodler, Michael Hanlon, was selected as the winner. The new Spot was doodled during a double French lesson and will be also used as part of Michael’s GCSE art coursework. The newspaper now plans to launch a range of Spot products - mouse mats, t-shirts and mugs.
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HELEN CARTER RECOMMENDS:
The Tempest at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, with Pete Postlethwaite playing Prospero, directed by Greg Hersov. From May 23 to July 7. Not my favourite Shakespeare play, but as the wonderful Mr Postlethwaite is in it, I will go.
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