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STREET GUARDIAN
A BLACKPOOL woman who refused to be intimidated by noisy neighbours and gangs of youths, has become one of Britain’s first Community Crime Fighters.
Julie Bascombe, 42, is in the first 800 selected for the £5million community crime fighter programme announced by the Home Secretary last year which aims to train 3,500 members of the public to help keep their communities safe. Julie has been on two initial courses to equip her with the skills and knowledge to work with local police and councils to combat local crime. All Julie, a former auxiliary nurse, wants for herself, and her neighbours, is for their streets to stay safe and pleasant places live. She has been pivotal in making them that way. When she moved into Harrison Street, four years ago, she thought she had found her ideal home. It was to be far from that. Within months she and her West Indian husband, Colin, were the subject of racist abuse from unruly and noisy tenants in private lets. The tenants and their lifestyle drew gangs of young troublemakers to the area and a pleasant street became a prison to residents who, like Julie, just want to live in peace. Refusing to be intimidated, Julie badgered local authorities and police to take action and stepped
Julie’s neighbours can rest easy knowing they are close to where she lives. Elizabeth Gomm reports in herself by doing her best to win over the youngsters causing trouble. “Every kid deserves a chance, they aren’t born bad,” said Julie, who led the peacekeeping campaign with two of her close neighbours. Their courage and determination brought results. Over months of effort, working with the council and police, brought harmony to Harrison Street. While others moved on, Julie has continued her informal neighbourhood watch. She chats to everyone, and helps run a Dream Scheme for local kids which rewards points for good behaviour which they can cash in for shopping vouchers. Julie, who grew up in the resort and attended Stanley and Tyldesley schools, is modest about her role. “I don’t feel I have achieved anything special. I just want to live in a nice area, where I feel safe to walk down the
street, and if that is what I have to do to make it such, then that’s what I’ll do. “I am proud that after so long we no longer have the loud music and boarded-up houses. We are no longer afraid to say where we live, we have nice residents and a nice group of youngsters. “But the first sign of trouble and I will step in.” The Government’s Neighbourhood, Crime and Justice Adviser Louise Casey said: “Local people are the key to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour – they know what is really going on their in neighbourhood, what the real problems are and where residents’ concerns lie. “By training local people who are already active in their communities to work even more closely with their local services such as Neighbourhood Police teams and councils, we can really help make communities safer. This training also means these people will have the skills and knowledge to challenge services to do better where they need to.”
E V E Tuesday, February 3, 2009
fashion family friends
Kathleen’s 10 years younger treatment
Page 2
The glass maker extraordinaire
Pages 4 & 5
Charity champion on the television
Page 6
2
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk
evelife
A NEW WOMAN Makeover magicians give Kathleen the 10 Years Younger treatment. Elizabeth Gomm reports
CLEVELEYS civil servant Kathleen Pownall admits that she had been stuck in a fashion time warp for more than 25 years.
BEFORE: Kathleen in her ‘time warp’ clothes
Clinging to the familiar, she hid her size eight figure under Tshirts and long skirts, and had the same hair style and glasses for the whole of her married life. But approaching 50 and her Silver Wedding anniversary, Kathleen’s sister stepped in and nominated her for a radical makeover on Channel 4’s 10 Years Younger. On Thursday, in the first of a new 10 part series, viewers will see how experts in alternative therapies, dentistry and fashion styling worked their magic to bring her right up to date, knocking years off her at the same time. “It was absolutely brilliant, I had the time of my life,” said Kathleen. “I just wish I could do it all over again. “I have been watching the programme ever since it started about six years ago. I’d wanted a makeover but I’d never put myself forward because I didn’t think I’d get picked. But it was my 50th birthday in November and my 25th wedding anniversary in October, and my sister nominated
me because she thought it would be better than any present she could ever buy” Kathleen isn’t the only one to be featured in the TV show – a cleaning company manager from Manchester will go under the knife while Kathleen is transformed by non-surgical, alternative treatments. Her saggy eyelids get a boost, her crooked teeth straightened with veneers, and skin treatments leave her glowing. A new hairstyle, clothes and glasses ensure that Kathleen no longer goes unnoticed when she enters a room. The show’s new presenter, Myleene Klass, was on hand to guide her through. “She is such a nice girl, she puts you at your ease straight away – it’s as if you have been best friends forever,” said Kathleen, a civil servant at Warbreck House. “When they revealed my new look I felt like a million dollars. My husband said he was a bit dubious about it, but now thinks it was the best thing I’ve ever done. “I have so much more confidence. I go out more. “I was told it would be life changing, and it really is.” At the end of the show, people in the street are asked to guess her age, but what did they say? “I can't tell you, but it was 10 years younger and some more!" said a delighted Kathleen. ■ 10 Years Younger: The Challenge is on Channel 4 on Thursday at 8pm.
EasierwaytopayforTV THERE is a new online and text message services, making it easier than ever before for cash and savings card customers in Blackpool to spread the cost of their television licence. Customers on TV Licensing’s cash payment plan make small weekly, fortnightly or monthly payments towards the cost of their licence in cash or by debit or credit card, while the savings card allows people to save money towards their next licence. Around 6,000 people in Blackpool are registered on the cash payment plan, while around 1,100 people pay by savings card. Under the changes, people on both schemes can now make payments by logging onto www.tvlicensing.co.uk/ cashplans where they will also be able to view their account balance and payment history and request a call-back from a TV Licensing representative. Those customers who would rather use their mobile phone can register to pay and also request balance and arrears information by text message. Transactions are quick and simple, making it more straightforward than ever for cash schemes customers to manage their payments. Payments are also accepted over the counter at any PayPoint outlet and by phone – an automated service allows customers to make payments and check their balance 24 hours a day. Financial expert Lawrence Gold, from the BBC’s Bank of Mum and Dad, said: “If you’re struggling
with household bills, it’s essential to think about ways to spread the cost. Anyone caught watching TV without a licence risks a £1,000 fine, so it’s simply not worth trying to avoid it. Schemes like TV Licensing’s cash payment plan allow you to plan ahead and stop bills spiralling, so you have the peace of mind of knowing that you’re covered.” Charlotte Hancock, TV Licensing spokesperson for the North, said: “TV Licensing’s database allows us to see exactly which properties are unlicensed, helping us to target evaders, but we are also using technology to make it easier for people in Blackpool to pay for their licence. “We would always prefer people to buy a licence rather than risk prosecution and a fine, which is why we offer a wide range of payment methods to suit people’s lifestyles and budgets. If anyone is having trouble paying for their licence, we would urge them to get in touch with us, either by calling 08457 289 289 or by visiting www.tvlicensing.co.uk/info.” ■ I f you use or install television equipment to receive or record television programmes as they are being broadcast, you need to be covered by a valid TV Licence. Viewing television without a licence risks prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000. ■ A colour TV Licence currently costs £139.50. A black and white TV Licence currently costs £47 and there are many different ways to pay – to find out more call 0844 800 6732 or visit http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/easyread/
AFTER: The new, sophisticated look for Kathleen
The cost of your kids
WHILE all parents know that bringing up children is expensive, the true cost is staggering – particularly when so many families are so short of cash. A new study has calculated that raising a child from birth to the age of 21 can cost parents £193,772 – that’s £9,227 a year, £769 a month or £25 a day. It’s little wonder then that 81 per cent of parents have had to cut back on family expenditure, and over a third have sleepless nights over money worries. And what won’t help them is the fact that, according to a survey by insurers LV=, the cost of raising a child has increased by four per cent over the past year, and by 38 per cent over the last five years. Childcare and education remain the biggest expenditures, costing parents £53,818 and £50,240
respectively until the child reaches 21. There is some good news – pocket money costs are at their lowest since 2004 and expenditure on family holidays in 2008 was only four per cent up on the 2003 figure. Over half of parents say they’re curbing spending on holidays and short breaks, as well as reducing what they spend on leisure and recreational activities (52 per cent). Clothing is also in the firing line, with 47 per cent of parents spending less on it. Then there’s savings (42 per cent), furniture and furnishings (38 per cent), and food (35 per cent). Recent research by the Family & Parenting Institute (FPI) found that 57 per cent of parents feel unable to save money, and 59 per cent think they’ll struggle to pay bills in six months.
www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk
evefood
Vikki’s dishes up a fresh start. Elizabeth Gomm reports
CHEERS: Vikki Clarke celebrates the opening of of Cupcake
LIFE’S a piece of cake for budding entrepreneur Vikki Clarke.
After months clouded with anxiety, and suffering from panic attacks, Vikki is on the road to recovery and cooking up a fresh start! She has launched her own business Cupcake – a coffee shop and cupcakery – right in the heart of Blackpool. And she started it with a girly night – Sex in the City style – with cupcakes, canapes and cocktails on the menu plus pamper manicure treatments, and jewellery and handbags to buy. Based in Church Street, Vikki’s enterprise is aimed at local businesses and visitors and is going down a storm with students at a nearby campus of Blackpool and The Fylde College. Vikki, 23, of Staining, had been forced to give up her own studies for a degree in theatre design when her panic attacks became too much, and settled for a job at The Syndicate as bars manager and later on admissions. Once again, anxiety kicked in and she was unable to work, signed off by doctors as long-term sick. But she was determined to win through, and The Gazette held the key. “I was reading the paper and I saw a small piece about NES, the New Entrepreneurs Scheme, which is Euro-funded and run in conjunction with the University of Cumbria.” She applied for a place on the scheme, a 10-week course, with a glimmer of an idea for a business which would give her a chance to turn a food passion into a career ... a cupcake cafe! Her own enthusiasm, plus the backing from NES and Blackpool’s Get Started! project, which gives support and advice to budding businesses, has seen Vikki’s seed of an idea blossom into a business. She has won financial backing to the tune of around £3,000, including support from the Prince’s Trust, which gives her a firm foundation on which to build. It has taken months of effort and hard work, with hours and hours devoted to perfecting her basic cupcake recipe, sourcing ingredients (using locally produced or Fair Trade where possible) and devising new flavours. “We will keep on adding new flavours as we come up with them,” said Vikki, who inherited her love of cooking from her mum, Andrea. “My mum used to rent the kitchen at the Number 4 pub and I used to help her out, so my love of food and much of my skill has been passed on from her.” The cafe is offering a variety of snacks, including handcut sandwiches and wraps, plus cupcakes and hot drinks, to eat in or out.
life! Saturda y,
Februar y
7, 2009
ion in associat
CRAZY CAPER YOUR WEE KEND
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Your complete guide to the week’s television
Talent for laughs
B
ack in November 2007, a comic gem debuted on Channel 4’s Comedy Showcase slot.
Produced by Nira Park, who helped make Spaced, Black Books and Shaun of the Dead, Free Agents bristled with great one liners (by Chris to Niel), a colourful cast, and begged be made into a series.
This week comes the first of that longawaited sitcom (Channel 4, 10pm, Friday) and it’s just as good as Plus One, the Friday night series it replaces. Stephen Mangan reprises his role as Alex, the divorced talent agent who had a one night stand with Helen (Sharon Horgan, pictured), a colleague struggling to get over the
YOURVIEW e-mail life@blackpoolgazette.co.uk
death of her husband. When Alex was made homeless, she offered him a place to stay, if he helped her mother’s toyboy lover land an acting job. As their working day progresses, Alex stalks Helen around town trying to get her to be his girlfriend. Homeless, he returns to the office to spend another night on his sofa, while Helen heads to the off-licence to pick
up supplies for the evening’s bingedrinking. So, by the time Alex shows up uninvited on her doorstep, Helen’s booze goggles are firmly back on again. As good as Mangan and Horgan are, it’s Anthony Head who steals the show as foul-mouthed, sex-obsessed boss Stephen.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
life! 25
Cupcakes are available for all occasions, with orders being taken for everything from family occasions to corporate events.
Now Andrea is helping Vikki out a couple of times a week and other relatives are rallying round too. “I am very lucky to have people willing to help me out – unpaid, of course,” said Vikki. Her dad, Russell Clarke of Blackburn, set up her website designed
the logo and took photographs. “I have had a lot of help and I am really grateful to everyone.” Vikki said her confidence had grown and she is enjoying being her own boss. “I don’t want to be a multi-millionaire, I just want to be secure and happy!” To find out more visit www.cupcakeblackpool.co.uk
VALENTINE’S Day is coming and Life! is hotting up. Be a ❖ scarlet woman and steal his heart with any one of the red hot little numbers on our Fashion&Style page plus feel
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with
ON SATU RDAY
A PIECE OF CAKE
FIN US ON THE NET
www.blac kpool gazette.co .uk
every inch a princess with some fabulous beauty buys. Life! is packed with fantastic features for all the family making it a must-have weekend read, including a full sevendays TV guide – free inside Saturday’s Gazette. Don’t miss it!
GIRLS NIGHT: Linda Jackson and Helen Bowell (above left) at the Sex in The City night at the Cup Cakery, Church Street, Blackpool. ABOVE: Carol Kingdom, Abbey Kingdom and Charlie Davies
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
3
Try a fruity pork treat
BRITAIN’S favourite cooking apple is giving cause for celebration this week with national Bramley Apple Week. And the clever cooks at The English Provender Company have created a delicious organic chutney using Bramley apples carefully and slowly cooked in organic cider to bring out their full flavour and to balance the acidity. It is seasoned with organic spices chosen to complement the fruit flavours, including ginger, cinnamon, garlic and cayenne pepper. PORK AND APPLE PASTIES Ingredients Makes 6-8 pasties Cals per serving: 324 Fat per serving: 18.8g Saturated fat per serving: 8.5g Ingredients: 224g (8oz) lean pork mince 1 onion, chopped butternut squash, peeled and cut into small cubes (about 224g (8oz) 2 tbsp English Provender Organic Bramley Apple chutney Seasoning 500g pack ready-rolled puff pastry Beaten egg and milk wash Method In a large bowl mix together the pork, onion, butternut squash, Organic Bramley Apple Sauce and seasoning. Cut pastry into 6 x 15cm (6’’) rounds using a small plate or saucer as a guide. Brush edges of the pastry with cold water – place a spoonful of the filling in the centre of the round and fold over, pressing the edges together to seal. Place onto a non-stick baking sheet and brush the pasties with egg and milk wash. Bake in a preheated oven at Gas Mark 4 180 C 350 F for 30 – 40 minutes until pastry is golden brown. Serve with extra chutney and a crunchy salad.
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Tuesday, February 3, 2009
www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk
evelife
BIG HEART: Sue Hayward with children in the schools she has built
Blackpool Sue’s African charity challenge moves TV producer to tears. Elizabeth Gomm reports A BLACKPOOL hotelier’s challenge to change the lives of some of the poorest children in Africa is the subject of a twopart television documentary starting tomorrow.
Sally Williams, a producer from the BBC1’s Inside Out North West, flew out to the Kenyan village of Watamu last month to see first hand the amazing work of charity champion Sue Hayward. Sue, 59, and her husband Dave, 65, have put their hotel in Shaftesbury Avenue, North Shore, on the market and once it is sold will make Watamu their permananent home - with a new family of 100 kids. Together, with local people, they will run their Happy House to give a safe an happy home to youngsters orphaned by Aids or disease, or abandoned by families too poor to look after them. Every child, under Kenyan law, will have to become a ward of court to Sue and Dave. Sue said: “Sally was amazed by the children, the schools we have built and also our Happy House. Her filming has caused great excitement among the community.” Since happening across the poverty in Watamu whilst on holiday in 2000, Sue founded the charity Children of Watamu. She has rebuilt the old school, added new ones, and now has more than
Customer pleasers GOOD customer service is the key to keeping shoppers happy, according to a survey of high street stores. Waitrose was voted favourite in the Which? shopping study for the second year running, while sister company John Lewis was runner-up. More than 14,000 Which? members rated 96 shops on factors including products, price, staff and shopping environment. Despite higher prices than many retailers, both were praised for helpful staff, pleasant store environment and quality products. Also in the top 10 were toiletry chain Lush (joint fourth favourite), book store Waterstone’s, joint eighth, stores Aldi seventh, and Lidl eighth.
TV FAME
for charity champion 700 children, mostly sponsored, in full-time education. Sue is committed to her cause. “I want to teach a generation of children to read and write. I'm putting hope into the hearts of children. It’s a very special job." Inside Out producer Sally said: “It was a real privilege to be able to travel to Kenya and see first hand what a massive difference Sue is making to the lives of a generation of children. “There was a huge contrast between the pupils at Sue's school and the other children that you would see hanging around the streets asking tourists for sweets. “My camera woman Fridah Okutoyi was from Nairobi. She was really impressed by the standard of care
and particularly food that the children received at the school. She thought what Sue was doing was marvellous. It was a week which I will always remember. “There is a sequence in the programme where I went home with one of the pupils from the school, 13-year-old Samuel Firiki (left). “Samuel’s been sponsored to attend the school for the past three years. His parents died from Aids 10 years ago and he is being brought up by his grandmother. I was told Samuel’s home was very humble, but nothing prepared me for the tiny hut that Samuel shares with his elder brother. It was the size of a two-man tent. “On the floor was a piece of sack-
Most can’t life-save
LACK of knowledge and confidence in basic first aid could be a national epidemic! A national survey carried out for First Aid Week shows that 77 per cent of those questioned don’t know, or are unsure, how to administer lifesaving resuscitation. The survey also highlighted some of the most important first aid procedures that everyone should know – and revealed an alarming lack of knowledge of even the most common scenarios.
One in three people don’t know how to respond to a toddler who is choking, and one in four would be of no use to a person suffering an asthma attack. Men are more confident about putting their knowledge and skills to use - with 30 per cent feeling sufficiently confident to resuscitate a casualty, compared to just 20 per cent of women. Watching TV hospital soaps also boosts first aid with nearly one in five people confident enough to resuscitate a casual-
ty as they’d seen it performed on television! Despite the fact that the majority of people (57 per cent) don’t own a first aid manual, seven out of ten people claim that they would feel more confident in treating a number of conditions if they could refer to a first aid manual. Now in its ninth edition, The First Aid Manual is still the only guide to be written and fully authorised by the UK’s leading first aid providers.
EMOTIONAL JOURNEY: Visting Watamu was a moving experience for BBC1 producer Sally Williams. Below: Barke, five, can go to school thanks to her Blackpool sponsor
ing for them to sleep on. The only other possessions were two orange crates used for furniture and a couple of frayed T shirts on a washing line. The level of poverty was horrifying. “I'm not ashamed to say that I burst into tears as soon as we got back to the car. What was so moving was that, despite having nothing, Samuel was an extremely happy boy who would arrive at school at 6am so he could read by the classroom lights before school started and was determined to fulfil his ambition to be an engineer. What a difference Sue has already made to this young life.” Sally was also there to see the arrival of 6,000 books, donated by the Oxford Publishing Company, which will be added to the library, which, thanks to the charity, already has a stock of 35,000 titles. Sue said: “The children are so happy and proud that their school has brand new books to read and share.” In the second programme to shown on Wednesday, February 11, Sally will be looking at Sue’s plans for the future as she shows her around the site where the Happy House is being built. Sally said: “Her husband Dave, who was at first reluctant to move to Kenya, is very much looking forward to growing enough fruit and vegetables on the plot to feed the orphans and the school children. At 65 he says: “I'm looking forward to a happy retirement. This is something to focus on, something to get my teeth into.” Sue and Dave are in Watamu for three months to oversee work on the Happy House which is helping the economy by sourcing both its materials and workforce from the local area. Sue, Lancashire Woman of the Year, is passionate about improving lives for these youngsters. “I want our Happy House children to grow up and be proud to tell their children:“I was a Happy House child”. I asked God for a little job to do and he gave me this!” ■ InsideOut North West on BBC1 tomorrow, 7.30pm, and on February 11, 7.30pm ■ To find out more visit www.childrenofwatamu.net
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evesocial socialspotlight
Coffee call
Anchorsholme Methodist Church holds a coffee morning every Wednesday 10.15am.
Tea dance
St Stephen-on-the-Cliffs, North Shore, has an afternoon tea dance every Wednesday, 2pm-4pm. £1.50
Folk dance
North Shore Folk Dance Club meets tomorrow at All Hallows Church, All Hallows Road, Bispham, 7.30pm. No partner needed and all are welcome. Contact: 890486.
Methodist church
Cleveleys Park Methodist Church has a coffee morning every Wednesday, 10.30am, and a Mix and Meet Group on Wednesday, 2pm, for people on their own to enjoy a cuppa and make new friends. Contact 876051.
Support group
Blackpool and Fylde Widows’ and Widowers’ Association meets on January 7, tomorrow at the Trades Club, Chadwick Street, Blackpool, 7.30pm. Contact: Lavinia on 623119.
Cleveleys coffee
Cleveleys United Reformed Church, Rossall Road, has a coffee morning every Wednesday from 10.30am.
Stitch and Chat
The Stitch and Chat Club, Dunsop Court, Blackpool, has craft classes every Monday: 9.45am-11.45am, drawing and waterclour painting with Peter Slater; 11.45am-1.45pm, card making with Debbie Gulliver; 2pm4pm, crochet and needlework. Advanced card making also available monthly. For details and to enrol, contact 405138.
South Shore
South Shore Community Centre (The Old Library) Highfield Road, hosts the following weekly events: Mondays, watercolour painting 10am, social bridge 1.15pm; Wednesday, social chat and games 10am; Thursday, arts and crafts 10am, patchwork for beginners 2pm; Friday, watercolours 2pm.
Claremont lunch
Claremont First Step Community Centre’s Senior Citizen Luncheon Club at Methodist Buildings, Dickson Road,meets every Friday, 1pm. £2. Contact: 299306.
Barbershop Harmony
Blackpool & Fylde Barbershop Harmony Club meet every Tuesday at Brun Grove Workingmens’ Club. Contact: Pete Lavelle 867218.
Thornton Ladies
Thornton Ladies Club meets on Tuesdays at Thornton Methodist Church Hall, Victoria Road East, 7.30pm. New members welcome. Contact: (01253) 856537.
Bispham coffee
Bispham United Reformed Church, Cavendish Road, has a coffee morning tomorrow 10.30am-11.30am.
Photo society
Lytham St Annes Photographic Society meets at 7.30 pm, every Thursday evening at Heyhouses C of E Junior School, Clarendon Road North, St Annes. www.lsaps.org.
Fylde RA
The Ramblers’ Association will be walking in Longton and Ribble tomorrow and Haslam Park and Inglewhite on Sunday. Contact: 865976.
Bridge club
The Gazette Bridge Club welcomes players at 7pm at the Wainwright Club, Hornby Road, Blackpool on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday Contact: 354513.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Fleetwood Rotary Club held their 83rd charter night dinner at the North Euston Hotel, Fleetwood. Pictured are Mayoress of Wyre Yvonne McCann, President of Fleetwood Rotary Gordon Oates, Mayor of Wyre Coun Gordon McCann, and President-Elect Margaret Lund. More pictures, Saturday Life! magazine.
Kirkham Arts
Kirkham Arts Society meets tomorrow at the Community Centre, 7.15pm. Contact: 01772 632202.
Coast Ramblers
Fylde Coast Ramblers will be walking in Grasmere on Sunday. Contact 401135.
On song
New singers always welcome to Blackpool Male Voice Choir rehearsals every Monday at Springfield Methodist Church, Bispham Road. Contact 883913.
Poulton Band
Poulton Band welcomes new players to rehearsal nights on Tuesday and Friday 8pm-10pm at Band HQ, Station Road, Poulton. Contact: 886823
Arts Society
Blackpool Arts Society meets on Thursday for a practical with Eileen Shawcross at the Studio,Wilkinson Avenue, 7.30pm. Weekly sessions at the studio include: General painting Tuesday and Thursday ,2pm, Friday, 9.30am and 2pm; portrait sessions Tuesday, 7.30pm, and Wednesday 10am; Life drawing Wednesday 2pm. New members always welcome. Contact 407541.
Windmill arts
The Windmill Arts Society meets on Friday at the Frank Townend Centre, Beach Road, Cleveleys, 1.30pm3.30pm. Contact: 855072.
Craft club
A weekly craft group meets at Holy Cross Church, Central Drive, Blackpool, every Friday, 1.30pm3.30pm. £2.
Over 50s
Claremont Over 50s welcomes new members. Meetings at the Claremont Community Centre, North Shore, every Wednesday, 1.30pm-3.30pm. Contact Hilary 353160.
Weeton WI
The new year opened with a talk by Gillian Butler, the daughter of one of the committee members. She is a blacksmith and members were amazed at the variety of examples of her work and the marvellous ideas
Contact us
Any local organisation which would like information to appear should send details to:
Elizabeth Gomm, Eve, Social Page, The Gazette, Avroe House, Avroe Crescent, Blackpool, Business Park, Blackpool, FY4 2DP or e-mail elizabeth.gomm@blackpoolgazette.co.uk
to arrive by first post Thursday for inclusion on the following Tuesday
she has for her creations. The ever popular craft gatherings, which restart in February, will have instruction from Gillian on how to add this to their skills. The walking group meets again from March and will alternate the distance of the routes to enable all abilities to take part. The WI meets on the third Thursday of the month in the Village Hall at 7.30 pm. We have a variety of speakers and events. New members are always made to feel very welcome.
Royal Engineers
The Blackpool Branch of the Royal Engineers Association, meets on Friday at the BLESMA Home starting 7.30pm for its AGM. Serving and ExSappers are very welcome to attend.
Coffee time
St Bernadette’s Church, Bispham, has a coffee morning in the church hall tomorrow 10.30am-noon, all welcome.
Embroiderers
Blackpool Embroiderers has a practical evening on Monday at the Arts Studio, Wilkinson Avenue, 7.15pm. On Saturday, February 14, there will be a workshop on textile miniatures with Ann Christy.
Support group
The Fibryomyalgia Support Group meets on Tuesday next at the CVS, Abingdon Street, 1.30pm-3.30pm. Contact: Andrea 358105.
Pilling WI
Pilling WI were “spellbound” by a captivating film show staged by Mr and Mrs G Sharp showed several films featuring the Ribble Valley, Pat Ascroft, the Isle of Mull and Ten Green Bottles. Competition winner was Helen Curwen and runners-up were Maureen O’Reilly, Betty Lawrenson and Barbara Johnstone. There is an interesting programme for the WI this year and new members are welcome to meetings on the fourth Thursday of each month at the Methodist Church at 7.30pm. On February 26 Mr G Tolson will talk about Blackpool’s Grand Theatre.
Social dancing
Social dancing is held every Sunday from 8pm Our Lady Star of the Sea, Parish Centre, St Albans Road, St Anne's. £3. Contact: 782717.
Coffee morning
Sale of books, jigsaws, CDs, DVDs and videos at the coffee morning on Friday, 10am-noon in St Paul’s Hall, Warren Avenue South, Fleetwood.
Flower club
Fleetwood Flower Club has its AGM tomorrow at the Senior Citizens Hall, Warrenhurst Road, Fleetwood, followed by a talk from Mr Rotheram of Fishermans Friend. 7pm.
Little Thornton WI
Little Thornton WI has a talk on the Bowen Technique holistic therapy tomorrow at St John’s Church hall, Little Thornton, 7.30pm.
Pre-Bond Ramblers
Pre-Bond Ramblers has a walk in Newby Bridge on Sunday. Contact 316713.
Probus club
Blackpool South Probus Club has a talk on the history and humour of wills from Richard Hook tomorrow at Marton Methodist Community Centre, Midgeland Road, 10am. Visitors welcome. Contact: 763812.
Choir concert
Blackpool Male Voice Choir will be in concert on Saturday, 7.30pm, at St Paul’s Church, Honister Avenue, Marton, in aid of the Mayor’s Charities. The Mayor who is the choir president will attend. Admission £4.
7
Amicus
St Annes branch of the Townswomens’ Guild has closed to become a new independent group, LSA Ladies Amicus Club. The first meeting is tomorrow at the Pensioners’ Hall, St Albans Road, 2.15pm. All ladies welcome. Contact: 728167.
Naturalists
Fylde Naturalists has a talk from Ann Hoyer tomorrow at Fylde Coast Alive Church, Raikes Parade, 7.30pm.
Wildlife Explorers
The junior wing of the RSPB meets tomorrow at Wyreside Ecology Centre, Stanah, for an evening themed to winter wildlife. 6.30pm. Parents welcome to stay. On Sunday they will be out in search of wild swans. Contact: 866010.
Lunch club
Blackpool and Fylde Ladies Luncheon Club meets at the Queens Hotel tomorrow for a talk on North West Air Ambulance.
Bispham TG
Bispham Townswomen’s Guild has a talk on Tuesday next from Geoff Hodkinson at the UR Church Cavendish Road, 2pm.
ME support
Blackpool and Fylde ME Support Group meets on Sunday in the lounge at Poulton Methodist Church, Queensway, 2.30pm. Contact 723608.
Diabetes UK
The Diabetes UK Wyre & District Voluntary Group will meet on Tuesday next at The Kirkland Memorial Hall, Garstang, 2pm-4pm for a talk on The Expert Patients Programme from Sandra Waddingham, Diabetes coordinator. All welcome.
Poulton LLL
Poulton Lifelong Learning Group meets tomorrow at the Community Centre, Breck Road, 2pm with a film show from Spellbound Productions. New members welcome.
Barn Dance
Poulton Christian Aid Group has a barn dance on Friday, February 13, at St Chad’s Church Hall, Poulton, with hotpot supper. 7.30pm. Tickets £5 (schoolchildren £3), from 890486 before February 11.
Tea Club
St Christopher/St Nicholas Church, Marton, start a tea club for older people starting this Sunday at St Christopher’s Church Hall, 3pm, with high tea. Music by Bob Milner. A short service will follow at 4pm. The club will meet on the second Sunday of each month.
Bloomfield
Bloomfield (East) Community Association, St Heliers Road, hosts the Primetimers Over 55s from 10am-noon on Tuesday, Mother and Toddler Group, Wednesday 1.30pm-3pm, Saturday coffee drop in 10.30am to noon.
Pipe Band
Pipers and drummers including learners are required by St Annes Pipe Band. Practice every Friday at 7.30pm at St Thomas’s Scout HQ, St Thomas Road, St Annes. Contact: 729587
Senior Citizens
A senior citizens’ social club meets on Wednesday for sequence dancing at the Senior Citizens' Hall, Cleveleys, 1.30pm-4pm.
Poco Loco
Poco Loco, the Blackpool School of Samba, plays Brazilian-based rhythms using surdos (bass drums) and other smaller percussion instruments. Every Wednesday at the First Step Centre, Dickson Road, Blackpool, 7pm-9pm. Contact: 358432.
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Tuesday, February 3, 2009
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ABOVE: Hayley Pearson (proprietor), Naomi Bardusco (senior therapist) and Jeannie Farmer (receptionist) BELOW: Senior therapist Rebecca Stott (left) and therapist Elizabeth Neve INSET: Senior therapist Carolyn Swarbrick
DRESSED UP: 5th Ave staff at their Moulin Rouge themed charity event