Wigancourierfebruary17th2016

The Deal

4 page special Pages 9-12

Courier The WIGAN

Wigan Council officer nationally recognised for ‘Soldiering On’ email: info@courier-online.net

A LEADING officer from Wigan Council has been nominated for a national award for their inspirational work with the armed forces community.

Linda Fisher, assistant director of legal services at the council, has been nominated for a Soldiering On award for her work supporting the estimated 22,000 veterans and their families living in Wigan Borough.

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On top of her day job Linda leads on the armed forces on behalf of Greater Manchester. She has been put forward for the ‘Working Together’ award which recognises an individual or team that has demonstrated an enduring commitment and innovative approach in collaborating with other military organisations or charities.

Since joining Wigan Council in February 2015, Linda has forged strong links across all the military services, veterans and cadet groups as well as businesses and major local organisations to improve services available locally and raise pride and

awareness in the armed forces.

She has also been at the forefront of Wigan Council playing a leading role in shaping services to match the needs of veterans and their families, most significantly through the new £500,000 armed forces hub.

Councillor Paul Kenny, lead member for the armed forces, said: “With Linda’s direction Wigan Council is becoming a leading local authority for the promotion of the welfare of serving and former armed forces personnel.

“On behalf of the council I’d like to wish Linda the best of luck with her award and thank her for the brilliant work she does for our armed forces community and their families.”

The Soldiering On awards aims to nationally recognise and thank the inspirational people who support the armed forces and their families.

Linda has been invited to a reception at the House of Lords, to be hosted by Lord Astor of Hever, and also to the final awards night in April which will be held in London and hosted by Jeremy Vine. The winners will be announced at the awards on Friday 22nd April.

Linda is pictured at Armed Forces Day 2015.

NODA awards dinner

THIS year’s fantastic production The Addams Family secured St John Rigby College an invite to the National Operatic and Dramatic Awards for District 6 of the Northwest Region.

The College were nominated for nine awards: Best Leading Male, Best Leading Female, Most Entertaining Male, Most Entertaining Female, Best Supporting Female, Best Production, Best Staging & Technical, Best Musical Director and Best Director.

The students involved in the production attended the glitzy dinner and awards ceremony at Kilhey Court Hotel and Spa in Wigan and were accompanied by extremely proud SJR staff.

As the awards were presented, the tension built and the SJR cast were elated to receive four out of nine awards: Best Supporting Female (Amber Lowe), Most Entertaining Male (Brandon Whelan), Best Staging & Technical and Best Musical Director (David Wall).

Production Director and Music teacher, David Wall, said “We were absolutely thrilled to be nominated and to actually walk away with those awards was a massive bonus! All of the students have been incredibly supportive of one another and can’t wait to cheer on the winners at the next stage.”

A fabulous evening was had by all and the excitement is now building for the regional final at the Mercure Hotel, Manchester in April.

Our picture show the college students at the awards.

The Good News Paper

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Jade receives high apprentice award

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THE 12th annual National Apprenticeship Awards took place late in January at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

The Awards recognise excellence in two areas – businesses that grow their own talent with apprentices and apprentices who have made a significant contribution to their workplaces.

In total six companies, three apprentices and one former apprentice representing a range of sectors and regions fought off competition from over 1,200 entrants and received awards in categories ranging from ‘Higher Apprentice of the Year’ to

‘Newcomer SME of the Year’.

Jade Aspinall, from Wigan and works at M B D A UK Ltd was named as the ‘Higher Apprentice of the Year’.

As a young female entering the industry, Jade has been described by her employer as ‘without doubt a future leader in the business’. She has been working on the project Meteor Missile, responsible for creating and updating plans and layouts from a design drawing, updating rework route cards, designing and ordering specialist tooling, overall ensuring that production of the missile is continuous. Jade has also been responsible for managing entire projects, and as a result has been selected to lead entire programmes now and in the future.

Jade has been involved in numerous events

promoting apprenticeships to young people, employers, and MPs – speaking directly with the likes of Peter Luff, Matthew Hancock, and then Secretary of State Vince Cable, resulting in her being mentioned in the House of Commons during a debate about apprenticeships.

Previously, Jade has also been named one of The Manufacturer’s Top 100 most inspirational individuals in manufacturing in 2014, as well as SEMTA’s ‘Apprentice of the Year’ and was awarded their overall ‘Best of British Engineering’ award due to her contribution to the business and enthusiasm of promoting apprenticeships and women in engineering.

Well done Jade.

Our picture shows Jade Aspinall with her award.

Take the challenge and help the homeless

DO you have what it takes to spend a night on the streets?

Can you stand the cold of winter and bed down on the pavement to help raise money for people in need?

Are you up for one of Wigan Borough’s biggest charity challenges?

If the answer to all the above is ‘yes’, then you are ready for Street Sleep 2016.

On Friday, March 11th, volunteers from all over Wigan Borough and beyond will take over Market Place in the town centre for the annual night of fundraising and fun that is known as Street Sleep.

The annual event is the brainchild of Wigan-based crisis charity The Brick. Not

only does it help people in need, it raises awareness about the hardships faced by homeless people and those struggling with financial and other difficulties.

Last year more than 70 people swapped their home comforts for the cold concrete by taking part in the challenge. Each volunteer agreed to collect money through sponsorships. The total amount raised for The Brick last year was more than £10,000.

Street Sleep is now in its fourth year and organiser are hoping this is going to be the biggest year yet.

The Brick’s Support Services Manager, Louise Green, said: “We ask people to put themselves in the place of a homeless person and experience what it is really like to spend

a night in the cold. Each year we have been amazed at the response we have had from people in our borough.

Street Sleep 2016 will take place on Friday, March 11th at The Marble, Market Place, Wigan. Registration takes place at 9.30pm and the event runs from 10pm until 5am the following morning.

You have to be over 16 to take part and under 18s must be accompanied by an adult.

You have to register in advance to take part and you can request a registration pack by emailing: enquiries@thebrick.org.uk or by calling 01942 236953.

Our picture shows organisers and volunteers at last years Street Sleep.

Very happy Burns Night celebration

A VERY happy Burns Night Supper organised by The Thistle Society, Wigan was held on Friday January 22nd at St. Teresa’s Church Hall, in Upholland.

Their President, Margaret Rowe welcomed the guests and said ‘The Selkirk Grace’. Piper Andy Markland piped in the Haggis, carried by Stewart Mackay and then everyone enjoyed an excellent meal of Cock a Leekie Soup, Haggis, (choice of chicken/vegetarian bake), apple pie, Scottish trifle, or cheese & biscuits.

This was followed by tea/coffee and Highland shortbread.

After this, the soloist for the evening was well known Ken Rees, who sang “The Star of Rabbie Burns” and “My love is like a Red Red Rose”. He was accompanied by Ruth Winnard.

The speeches were short, lively and humourous, with an outstanding and very dramatic “Address to the Haggis” by Ken Morris. The talented and very popular Society speaker Agnes Walker delivered “The Reply for the Lassies.

After the meal Ken Rees started off the entertainment with “Bonnie Mary of Argyle” and a very successful night ended with a great programme of dancing for everyone. Pictured are Thistle members.

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Apply now for World War One event funding

COMMUNITY groups in Wigan Borough are being urged to apply for funding to support events commemorating World War One. Wigan Council’s World War One Community Grant Scheme is available to anyone planning an event in 2016 which links to events during The Great War, including the Battle of the Somme and the Battle of Jutland.

St. John Rigby College top the performance tables

THE release of the Department for Education Performance Tables this week has shown that St John Rigby College remains the top College in Wigan for A level Progress.

The Value Added score highlights how far a student has progressed from the GCSE grades they achieved at school in Year 11, through to the end of their A level studies at college. This score is evidence that students at St John Rigby College make more progress than students at any other college in the Wigan area.

The progress grade has been a feature of the Performance Tables for three years now and in each of these three years the College has topped the table for schools and colleges in Wigan.

Peter McGhee, Principal of St John Rigby College, said “This performance reflects the dedication and hard work shown by our students and our staff and is an endorsement of the outstanding achievements realised during recent years.

The Value Added score of a college is arguably the most important measure of achievement, as this compares GCSE results with A level performance and measures the distance travelled during a student’s time at sixth form.

These results, combined with the Elective Programme and the wide variety of enrichment activities available here at St John Rigby College, mean that our students can progress on to the next stage of their lives well prepared for the challenges and opportunities that they will experience.”

Our picture shows Principal Peter McGhee with some of the table topping students.

Between 2014 and 2018, the council has pledged £250,000 to mark the centenary of the First World War. Groups can bid for funding towards their project and the council is encouraging the community to get involved in raising awareness about this pivotal time in our history.

The money from the Wigan Council run scheme will be shared between groups and organisations.

Anyone interested should submit their applications no later than Friday 4th March.

A panel will be considering bids shortly

after the deadline date.

Lord Peter Smith, leader of Wigan Council said: “It’s so important that we remember this extremely prominent time in our history and by providing this funding, we are coming together as a community to deliver memorable and engaging events that residents of all ages can learn from.

“Over previous years there has been a good response from organisations and communities who have worked together to embrace such commemorations and we hope to receive even more interest this year in order to raise awareness and leave a lasting impression.”

Organisations wishing to submit an application should be able to show how their scheme will either help raise awareness about World War One history, benefit armed forces families, get the community involved or leave a lasting legacy for future generations thereby meeting the aims of the armed forces community covenant.

The application forms should be completed and sent to Chris Walker by Friday 4th March.

Success for schools

IN the ‘Youth speaks’ Competition organised by Rotary Clubs from the Wigan area, the team from Shevington High School were the winners in the ‘Intermediate’ section and ‘Orrell St. Peter’s High School in the ‘Senior’section.

Both will now go through to the District Finals to be held in Frodsham in early March, where they will compete against teams from all over the North West of England.

Keith Trencher, President of Wigan Rotary Club, who sponsored the winning teams, commented "the standard of Public Speaking by these young people is incredibly high and the experience gained in events such as this will stand the young people in good stead for their future lives. The ability to deliver a Speech or Presentation is one, which is useful

in so many walks of life and these young people have already mastered the art. Well done to the two successful schools from Wigan."

Both the teams who won their Heats last night will go through now to the District Final.

Our pictures show Intermediate Winners Shevington High School (left to right) Eva Wane-Smith (Chair), Aimee Lunt (Speaker), and Sophie Lyon (Vote of Thanks). The speech was entitled "Success".

Senior Winners - St. Peters RC High School, as above, (left to right) Oliver Derbyshire (Speaker) Joseph Longhley (Chair) Niamh Foreshaw (Vote of Thanks).

The speech was entitled "Over-fishing - so long and thanks for all the fish".

To get an application form call 01942 404619 or e-mail Chris.Walker@wigan.gov.uk.

For further information about local armed forces activities and celebrations, please search ‘Greater Manchester Armed Forces Page’ on Facebook.

TO CONTACT Standish Voice: “Make Your Own Voice Heard”

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From: Mr Paul Ogden Sir, Standish Voice would like to thank everyone who supported our recent campaign for more public car parking in Standish.

The petition we organised was signed by 1,300 people in only a few weeks and this, together with our survey of parking in Standish, prompted Wigan Council to come up with a package of measures that will hopefully solve this growing problem, which affects shoppers, residents and businesses.

We surveyed current parking within a quarter-mile radius of the crossroads and used the council’s new draft parking standards and national guidelines to calculate the ideal number of public parking spaces we need for the shops, business and services in the village centre. Our calculations, which are accepted by Wigan Council, show we ideally need 130 extra public parking spaces in that area.

Standish Voice and Wigan Council have agreed a 12-point plan to solve the problem, including a crucial council commitment to identify areas for new public parking to find the money to create it.

We will also launch a community car parking initiative, hoping to bring private car park owners together to talk about the problem. The cooperation of these owners is vital.

In that quarter-mile radius, there are 682 spaces owned by private businesses, as opposed to 104 public spaces.

We believe a new public car park is essential and hope it will prompt private owners to relax restrictions on their own car parks and so free up more spaces for everyone.

This was announced at the recent Deal In Action meeting where another

initiative was launched - the upgrading of The Line to be a pedestrian and cycle route into the village and to Standish High School.

We believe The Line is a vital asset in our aim to improve sustainable transport across Standish, and we have protected it further by registering it as an Asset of Community Value with the council, as we have done with Ashfield, The Rec on Southlands Avenue, Community Standish Centre and Standish Library.

Work on making The Line an all-weather bridleway, with an exit on to Aldi car park, begins in April, with the bulk of the project scheduled for the school summer holidays.

Eventually, it will be lit.

This route - also designed for horse riders - will link with other footpaths and cyclepaths and hopefully create an enhanced network of cycleways that, if used to capacity, can play a small part in reducing traffic congestion in the village centre.

These are just two infrastructure projects we at Standish Voice believe are vital to prepare the village for the huge increase in population over the next 10 years.

Many figures of the number of homes to be built here have been bandied about. As of now, 1,552 homes have won outline approval for land in Standish in the past couple of years 150 for already developed brownfield land (Bradley Hall trading estate) with the rest on greenfield areas within the village.

Some of them are already being built, with most homes expected to be occupied by 2022 and all by 2026. The

pace of that development is entirely up to the house builders and 25% of these homes will be classed as ‘affordable’.

There is still residual anger at how we ended up with this scale of overdevelopment, but other than learning lessons and defending other greenfield areas against more building, house spending energy on old arguments is useless and it does a disservice to future generations who need us to act now to properly shape our community for the future.

We have to ensure schools, roads, parking, transport, leisure facilities and public open space are adequate for a third more homes that will spring up and the many families they will house.

Funding is crucial in this. Wigan Council has said that all the developer contributions - around £5m-£6m will be spent in ‘the Standish area’.

We will be holding the council to account on this.

However, much more money is available to areas which accept new housebuilding from the government called New Homes Bonus (NHB), currently the equivalent of six times council tax for each home, payable over six years, plus extra funding for affordable homes.

Standish Voice has calculated that about £15m will flow to Wigan Council from the government from NHB directly due to homes built in Standish. We believe our community should receive a principal share of this to reshape our community - and bring benefits for the change Standish is being asked to cope with.

NHB legislation states: The

“Communities will see the economic and social benefits of having the housing they want. Communities could benefit from reductions in council tax, or a redeveloped town centre or a new community centre or play park as a consequence of accepting new homes. It will be up to them. The New Home Bonus will have localism at its heart.

The Government expects local councillors to work closely with their communities – and in particular the neighbourhoods most affected by housing growth – to understand their priorities for investment and to communicate how the money will be spent and the benefits it will bring.”

It is quite right that NHB will be used to pay for borough-wide services that people in Standish use, but it is quite clear from the passage above that the communities which accept new homes need to see tangible benefits for doing this.

Standish Voice’s principal aim is to create a Neighbourhood Plan for the village, which will be a blueprint for change until 2030. We have a vision for a vibrant, prosperous community based around our historic village centre.

Hopefully, this plan will be finalised over the coming months before and eventually a consultation referendum of everyone in Standish at the end of this year.

Please support us in this by joining Standish Voice for free and make your own voice heard in this very important time in the history of the village. Catch up with us on Facebook or at www.standishvoice.co.uk

From: Mrs Debbie Parkinson Sir, I would like to express my thanks everyone who attended the meeting organised by the Council at Standish Unity Club on Thursday January 28th to explain what ‘The Deal’ is, and why it is necessary. It was very pleasing to see such a large number of people there, and for them, in the main, to be so positive in the face of the difficulties explained.

‘Standish Voice’ has taken up the

cudgels on behalf of the people of Standish, filling the void we have on the Council. It is very difficult for businesses in our Town centre to flourish without adequate parking, and I strongly support their call for some of the S106 money from the new housing forced upon us by Government Inspectors to be invested in more parking.

We may have to accept the additional housing, but that does not mean we should lose the character of our town,

becoming a dormitory for Preston, Liverpool or Manchester.

The scale of the cuts is breathtaking, £160million in 7 or 8 years. If this was equally spread over the country, we might grumble, but at least it would be fair.

But these cuts are being targeted at areas like Wigan, whilst much more affluent areas are having their budgets reduced by much less, and some have even had an increase!

Labour has exposed this injustice in Parliament, in Whitehall, in the Council Chamber, arguing for a fair share of the national cake for our communities.

I will add my voice to those of my Parliamentary and Council colleagues, standing up for Standish, something that has not happened for many years.

Yours, Debbie Parkinson, Prospective Labour Party candidate, Standish Ward.

Letters to the Editor

Promise to stand up for Standish

Great turnout for Labour canvassing

To advertise in the Wigan Courier please call Michelle Hafez on 01257 400026

Yours, Paul Ogden, Vice Chair, Standish Voice.

CANVASSING FOR the May 2016 council elections has already started, as this picture of a Labour Party team in Standish on January 30th shows!

Some 41 Labour councillors and party members and supporters took part in a distribution exercise for the Labour Rose newsletter as part of the party's Campaign Day in the village, leafleting a large area of Standish.

They were supporting the Labour candidate in Standish, Debbie Parkinson, who will come up against sitting Independent

Councillor Gareth Fairhurst in what promises to be a lively contest.

The Conservative candidate is likely to be Ray Whittingham, father of former Conservative councillor Neil Whittingham.

We will be following the election campaigns throughout the circulation area of the Courier up until the election on May 5th, and will make sure that readers get to see exactly who is standing in which seat, and what their message to voters is.

A Labour party spokesman told the Courier: "We will be campaigning strongly throughout

Wigan on issues that are close to the heart of people - there will be no question of Labour taking votes for granted, we have to convince voters that a Labour vote will give them the best representation on the council."

Having spent the morning being lashed by storm Gertrude, Janet Harrison at Standish Labour Club provided tea and coffee to help defrost the campaigners on their return. Debbie said: "Thank you to everyone who turned out in the cold braving the wind and hail to help deliver our leaflets, which have already had very good feedback from Standish residents."

Tasty treat at the office.....

WE had an excellent lunch break in the Courier office today, courtesy the kind folk of the Pound Bakery in Wigan, who provided us with a selection of their special products celebrating Chinese New Year.

We sampled Five Spice Chicken Baguette, Hoisin Duck Baguette, Honey Chilli Chicken Wrap, Chicken and Sweetcorn Soup, and a quite superb Jumbo Chinese Chicken Curry Pasty.

Poundbakery’s Marketing Manager, Keely Palin, told us: “Our in house taste testers absolutely love the new Chinese range so we’re confident that our customers will too.

The Chicken and Sweetcorn soup is the perfect winter warmer, the Hoisin Duck baguette is tasty and filling and the Chinese Chicken Curry Pasty has just the right amount of spice to satisfy your taste buds. All of these new products are only £1 so there really is no excuse not to try them all.”

Took some discipline not to scoff the lot to be honest, but Michelle had a really good try......

Thanks again to our delivery girl Ruth Douglas for hotfooting it up from Wigan to deliver the food!

Our pictures show some of the selection we sampled.

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LUCY Crawshaw, 24, lives locally in Standish and works at Taylors Farm in Lathom as an apprentice butcher were on a day to day basis Lucy cuts meat for the counter, concentrating on the ready meals and all the chicken products.

She attended Shevington High School, then went onto Winstanley for a year and then finally Myerscough College for 2 years.

Lucy started work for Taylors Farm as a Saturday girl at 19, and moved up to butchering in the back for the counter.

Lucy then started her level 2 apprenticeship with Taylors Farm and MEAT Ipswich, the accreditation body for the industry, then moved onto level 3, which she has just completed, and has just been awarded Apprentice of the year by the institute of Meat.

She will pick up her award for this at the end of this month.

Last year Lucy entered and won the Premier Young Butcher of the year competition in Birmingham which is a five and a half hour competition, and she became the first girl ever to win this.

Lucy is now eligible to compete with the Great Britain team of butchers in May in Frankfurt against other international butcher teams.

To recognise this achievement Lucy was invited to a luncheon at Butchers Hall in London on February 4th to be greeted by the Master of the Worshipful Company of Butchers, Mrs Patricia

Dart, the first woman to hold this office.

In preparation for the GB internation competition Lucy has just had the priveledge of working in Denmark for a month with Slaughter Freiman Butchers of Roskilde, Copenhagen, looking at Scandinavian butchery styles and skills.

Bernie Webster, one of the owners at Taylors Farm said: “We are very proud of all our young people.”

“Ben the first of our apprentices left school with no qualifications, having been told he would amount ‘to nothing’.”

“We put a knife in his hand and he managed to complete level 2 of his apprenticeship with the support of the more mature butchers, and went on to be put forward by MEAT Ipswich for the Lord Graham award for Endeavour which he received at Butchers Hall in London from the Princess Royal. He also entered the premier young butcher competition and came 2nd.”

James is the next apprentice through the system and has completed his level 2 qualification with MEAT Ipswich, and is now preparing to enter the Premier Young butchery competition in April. If he is successful, he will be the youngest butcher to achieve this award.

Bryn, 18, has just joined us and is learning fast.”

Early last year Taylors Farm was awarded the Apprentice Employer of the Year by West Lancs District Council.

Our picture shows Lucy with Patricia Dart, Roger Webster (left) owner of Taylors Farm Shop and Steve Perrins (right) senior butcher at Taylors Farm Shop.

Charity night at ‘The Hoot’

A CHEESE and Wine evening at Standish's newest cafe bar The Hoot on the High Street raised a magnificent £270-00 for the Alzheimer's Association and Christies Hospital in Manchester.

Owner of The Hoot Craig Jones thanked all his customers for their support of the evening, which took place on Tuesday January 26th.

The funds have already been sent to both charities, and Mr Jones told the Courier: "We will be organising further fundraising events in the future - watch this space."

Our picture shows Craig with the certificate he received from the charities.

Cherrys hold ‘Cherry Factor’

THE Cherry Gardens recently held 'The `Cherry Factor'.

This event was held over three heats on Saturday 9th, 16th and 23rd January, with the winner and runner up progressing to the Grand Final on 30th January.

Each finalist sang 3 songs, which were scored by a panel of judges as well as the audience.

At the end of the contest Ryan Liptrot, who had sung The Jam's Town Called Malice, Tracy Chapman's Fast Car and the Killers Mr

Lucy wins ‘Apprentice of the Year’

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Brightside, emerged victorious, picking up a £200 cash prize.

The event was such a success they will be holding series 2 in August of this year.

There was a great turnout for all three heats and the Grand Final Our picture shows the finalists (left to right: Ryan Liptrot, Tony Baker, Shannon Hamill, Ben Fidler, Martin Bullen, The Palmy Army (Lee & Dave).

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Cancer Care Centre Celebrates 1st Birthday

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STAFF and volunteers came together to celebrate the very first birthday of Wigan Infirmary’s Cancer Care Centre, on Friday January 29th.

Opening to patients in January 2015, the building was made possible by a strong partnership between Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust, MacMillan Cancer Support and the Christie NHS Foundation Trust (who manage the building).

The purpose of the Centre was to provide local residents with a place where they could undergo chemotherapy, without having to travel to the Christie in Manchester.

Among those in attendance at the cosy event were staff and volunteers who have made the successful running of the building and its services possible.

Together they enjoyed some birthday cake, provided by our excellent catering team, and shared stories of the building’s time in operation.

After the cutting of the cake, there was also a special

Clean for the Queen

Join a warm and friendly group near you today.....

“WORKING together to create a place we can all be proud of” is the latest message in Wigan Borough following a national call to clean up the streets.

‘Clean for The Queen’aims to give the country a tidy-up ahead of The Queen’s 90th birthday in April and the target is for one million people to sign up to take part.

SHEVINGTON SHEVINGTON NEWMORNING MORNINGGROUP GROUPOPEN OPEN NEW

Tuesdays at 9.30 a.m.

Shevington Methodist Church, Gathurst Lane, Shevington also other groups here on Tuesdays at 3.30, 5.00 and 7.00 p.m.

STANDISH Standish High School, International Language Centre Groups on Wednesdays at 5.30 and 7.00 p.m.

Contact Barbara on 01695 731343

moment as one chemotherapy patient took part in a ritual that is fast-becoming a tradition at the Centre.

Whenever a patient reaches the end of their chemotherapy treatment, they ring a bell near the front desk. The lucky patient was Eileen Holland and the clear delight on her face raised many smiles in the room.

WWL Deputy Chief Executive, Rob Forster, was on hand to say a few words to mark the occasion. He said, “This is a great day to celebrate.

The Cancer Care Centre has been open for its first year with over 3000 patients being treated here, with a 100% positive reaction from patients and their families.

“This is a perfect example of us working together with the Christie to provide vital care closer to home for our patients.

Huge thanks must go to the dedication and hard work of the staff and volunteers here, who have, together, made this great year possible.”

Our picture shows Staff and Volunteers posing for a photograph with the birthday cake

And Wigan Council is calling on groups, individuals and schools to ‘do their bit’ and sign up to help clear up the litter that blights the streets of the borough.

Building on The Deal, Wigan Council's informal contract with residents, the council is asking communities to take more ownership of where they live and work together to keep the borough a safe, clean and green place.

This national campaign echoes messages that the council have been issuing for the last few years as part of The Deal – encouraging more people to take ownership of where they live, bringing back good old-fashioned neighbourliness, and so relieving pressure on council resources.

The vision for Wigan Borough sees residents becoming the eyes and ears of communities; being good neighbours to each other, looking after the streets and local area, reporting issues to the council, recycling more and recycling right.

There will be clean-ups across the country for Clean for the Queen on the weekend of Friday 4th – Sunday 6th March.

There will be collection points across Wigan Borough from where residents will be able to get kitted out with equipment to take part in the mass tidy up.

Councillor Kevin Anderson, cabinet member for environment, said:“The idea behind Clean for the Queen is exactly what we aim to do through The Deal – encouraging more people to take pride in and ownership of their area and help us by looking after it.

"We want to have a safe, clean and green borough but, with £60m to save, we need the help of our residents.

“Community spirit in Wigan Borough is fantastic and there are already great examples of places that really maintain their street and are great neighbours. We hope this is something that can be replicated and this will reduce pressure on the council meaning we can save money and focus on delivering the most important services.”

To register to take part in Clean for the Queen visit www.cleanforthequeen.co.uk How do I take part in Clean for the Queen?

1. Sign up at www.cleanforthequeen.co.uk 2 .Find out where your nearest collection point is for the weekend - this information will be on Clean for the Queen website once you've signed up 3. On Friday 4th, Saturday 5th or Sunday 6th March head down to your local collection point, pick up a litter picker, hi-viz and bags 4. Once you’ve finished your clean up, leave your litter at the collection point and council staff will pick it up

Imagine a complete kitchen start to finish IMAGINE Kitchens are a thriving kitchen business based in Shevington, Wigan.

Business owner Billy Davies and his team provide their customer with high quality, bespoke services from designing to installing the finest kitchens in the area.

Imagine Kitchens are now Wigan Council award winners in the Good Traders Scheme.

The scheme is run by Wigan Council to recognise the best traders in the borough.

Billy and his team of qualified fitters have just received a ‘Certificate of Excellence’

which is in recognition of consistently high standards of customer feedback in 2014.

At Imagine Kitchens they have built up a great reputation in assisting families and homes with a friendly, reliable and very honest service to give them that new kitchen that they are looking for to complete their home.

Their service is a start to finish professional and personally overseen procedure were everything needed to refurbish your kitchen is done by our fully qualified tradesmen.

This includes • Fully Fitting Service • Electrics • Plumbing • Plastering • Tiling • Painting If all the above is not required they also offer a supply only service.

As customers of Imagine know, the company caters for all tastes incorporating modern and contemporary to traditional and practical but far more importantly they always focus on the quality of the product and installation.

There is a wealth of exquisite stock to view and all kitchens are made to order and built by cabinet makers, no mass production here!

The kitchen of your dreams is available under one roof, all it takes is a no fuss 30 minute home survey with none of the pressure of the hard sell tactics.

Imagine Kitchens are open 6 days a week for customers convenience to take a peak and to obtain some styles and ideas.

For further information on their services visit the website www.imaginekitchenswigan.com Book a FREE design appointment call Billy on 01257 403003 or 07835 639753.

Don’t just take our word for it.

Imagine Kitchens, Wigan really do go that extra mile for all of our customers. Here are just some of our satisfied customer comments.

To Billy and team Thanking you for a great design & excellently fitted.

Rod & Denise Parkinson Just wanted to say a big thank you.

There was always great attention to detail and all work was to the Highest standard.

Billy thank you for your guidance & support and for my amazing kitchen.

Linda Bird Thank you so much for our lovely kitchen.

All the workforce were so professional and helpful.

STANDARD OF WORK 1ST CLASS. Wouldn’t hesitate in recommending you to anyone. Jill & John Maguire For customer care, that is second to none. Much appreciated.

Jim & Karen Shovelton.

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The Road To............... WIGAN BEER

THE Road to Wigan Beer is a special promotion in association with Wigan CAMRA (Campaign For Real Ale).

The guide on this page details specially selected pubs each offering real ale and real character.

"There exists in this England a curious cult of Northerness - a sort of northern snobbishness... They tell you here that even the water, when it gets north of a certain latitude, ceases to be H20 and becomes 1

something mystically superior..." George Orwell, The Road to Wigan Pier, 1937.

Feel free to join us in celebrating the rich character and real ales that are synonymous with our Wigan pubs, and use this guide to visit any of them, all of which have a story to tell; maybe of royal visitors, ghosts or their place in local history.

Moreover, visit pubs where the traditions of northern hospitality and a great pint are preserved and prosper.

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• Live entertainment • Live sport from BT and Sky • 4 TV’s plus big screen • Quality food served • Pool • Dominoes • Darts • Outdoor Seating

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The Cherry Gardens We are proud to serve a large selection of quality cask ales

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263 Wigan Lane, Wigan, WN1 2NT Follow us on

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THE GLOBE INN LIVE FESTIVAL 27TH FEBRUARY Live Music in aid of Derian House

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• Rugby and Football shown • Real Ale available • Quiz nights • Outside seating • Function room available

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• H an d pu lled real ales: • T im oth y T ay lor La ndlo rd • Blac k S heep • Sil v e r Ta lly • Wainw rights • F ood served every d ay • Beer g arden and bowl ing green

2 W h i t t l e L an e, W r i g h t i n g t o n , Wi gan, WN6 9Q B 0 1 25 7 462 354 www. rigb yea rms. com

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• Real Ale if defined by CAMRA as beer brewed from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which is it dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous carbon dioxide.

• There are 2,500 different real ales in the UK and 3,000 pubs stocking them.

• There are currently 8.6 million regular drinkers of real ale in the country.

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• 8 Cask Ales available • Selection of Single Malt Whiskeys • Fine Wines • Freshly Ground Coffee • Steak & Onion Barmcakes, Meat and Pork Pies and Cheese Boards available • Warm and friendly atmosphere with Log Burner

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01257 806262

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Blundell’s Cafe Bar • Weekly selection of 4 Real Ales • Also housed is their own ‘Blundell’s Ringside Blonde’ and Blackedge • Selection of Fine Coffee and Snacks available 11 • Family and Dog Friendly

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W igan Council brings T he Deal to Standish

Standish

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council and the group will also launch a community The audience at the big Deal event in the parking initiative to liaise with private car park Unity Club on Cross Street listen to one of owners in the village. Local council car parks will the speakers at the meeting. also be improved to make way for more spaces.

‘The Line’, a key route into the village and to be needed to allow the village to cope with the huge increase Standish High School which is not used to its full in population we will see over the coming years as new potential, will undergo a £150,000 upgrade, so it homes are built here. can be used all year round by local pupils, dog“We would like to thank everyone who has supported us on walkers, shoppers, cyclists and pedestrians, the parking campaign, especially all of the people who signed providing an accessible way to travel into Standish our petition.” village and encouraging more people to leave the car at home.

The funding to improve the former railway track will come from section 106 contributions which will come from developers when they build new homes in Standish. The money generated from developers by new homes in Standish is being reinvested into the area.

The council will initially fund the work so the project can be started as soon as possible and then will be re-paid when the new houses have been STANDISHERS wer able to talk to local organisations and local built. authority service providers at the well-attended Deal meeting in The leader of the council, Lord Peter Smith, was the Unity Club in Standish. at the have your say session speaking directly to A NUMBER of measures to improve council also revealed plans to work closely with residents. He said: “This is great news for the parking and congestion in Standish Neighbourhood Forum Standish Voice to find a people of Standish. We’re committed to working with community groups and hearing what they have solution to parking issues. have been announced, including The group handed a petition to the council at the to say and I’m glad we’ve come to a solution. £150,000 to upgrade a key pedestrian have your say session which had 1,300 signatures Residents have a crucial role in influencing how which called for more public parking spaces, and a their local area should develop and it is only by route into the village.

The news was delivered to Standish residents by parking survey which they say backs up their working together through The Deal that we’ll build a stronger borough.” the leader of Wigan Council, Lord Peter Smith, and request.

A spokesman for Standish Voice said: “We were The council has pledged to work with Standish Donna Hall, chief executive, as part of have your Voice by exploring sites to be used for new public pleased the council was able to announce these two Standish Voice is currently working on a neighbourhood say session in the area on Thursday 28th January. plan which will be a blueprint for change in the village to And working together through The Deal, the parking and to commit funds to creating it. The important initiatives at the public meeting.

“After receiving our 1,300-name petition and 2030. parking survey, which showed Standish ideally The Deal has been in Action in Standish as well. The week needs 130 more public parking spaces, the council aimed to encourage more people to get involved in activities moved quickly and decisively to address this and opportunities where they live and to join volunteers in growing problem. cleaning up the area. Council officers stick to their part of “We think the package of measures announced, The Deal by carrying out highway maintenance and tackling which importantly includes a commitment to find local issues. and fund a site for new public parking spaces, can solve a problem which is frustrating for residents and shoppers, and has been hitting the trade of independent shops and businesses.

“We have been working with Wigan Council for a number of months on the initiative to redevelop The Line as an important route for walkers and cyclists to get into the village and to Standish High School.

It will hopefully mean fewer cars on the roads and be a healthier and safer route for pupils. Thanks to the council officers who have worked on it.

“Hopefully, this will be part of a village-wide network of improved cycle routes and footpaths, which can play another small part in reducing traffic congestion in Standish centre.

STANDISH Voice Chair Gill Foster speaks to the audience “We will be working closely with Wigan Council to implement these schemes and we hope to develop gathered at the Unity Club, with Vice Chair Paul Ogden on her more infrastructure projects in Standish, which will

right.

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A personal view

by Mark Ashley, Wigan Courier publisher

THERE WAS a huge turnout at Standish Unity Club in Cross Street for The Deal consultation public exercise which involved both community and volunteer groups and members of the Standish public.

Several different council departments and initiatives were present, along with several local community groups. It was a chance to hook up with ways and means of helping the village to chart a way forward through the maze of budget cuts, house building, and working to clean up or improve our infrastructure.

The meat of the evening was the long session chaired by the Council Leader Lord Peter Smith, who was accompanied by Chief Executive of the Council Donna Hall, Councillor Chris Ready, Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, and several representatives of local Standish organisations, prominent of which was the relatively new Standish Voice organisation represented by Chair Gill Foster and Vice Chair Paul Ogden.

The local authority announced on the night that the old mineral line behind Standish High School was to have £150,000 spent on it to eradicate its surface problems and make it entirely fit for purpose for walkers and cyclists.

The debate, as expected, was robust and focused on the challenges of the 1,440 new houses that will be built in the village in the next few years bring to the community, and the traffic issues that Standish faces, especially lack of adequate car parking.

Senior officers from Finance, Legal, Planning and Housing fielded questions from the Standish audience, as well as the Leader and Chief Executive. General feedback at the end of a two hour gettogether was generally positive, with several issues being raised that will be looked into in detail by the Council.

Keep up to speed with Wigan Voice on facebook or on the group's website for up to the minute updates on issues that affect the village.

www.standishvoice.co.uk

PICTURED: Lord Peter Smith, Wigan MBC Chief Executive Donna Hall, Gill Foster - Chair of Standish Voice, Paul Ogden - Vice Chair of Standish Voice.

COUNCILLOR Chris Ready sums up the evening’s debate and looks forward to the positive results that will come to Standish as a result of The Deal

MR Keith Douglas of Cross Street with members of the council’s MRS Jill Shilladay of Cranleigh ( centre) meets members of the council highways team Gateway team

Pictured: Craftsmans Builders Managing Director and Owner of the Standish Centre in Cross Street Steve Carter meets some of the local authority staff present in the Unity Club meeting.

“Residents have a crucial role in influencing how their local area should develop and it is only by working together through The Deal that we’ll build a stronger borough.” Council Leader Lord Peter Smith

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“The Deal is an What we are doing, and what we would like you to do informal Our Part Your Part agreement Recycle more, recycle right Freeze Council Tax between the Council Tax has been frozen for the second year running. We are reducing council and our part of the bill to balance a rise in the police's part - that's the equivalent Did you know you can check your bin collection dates online?

You can also find out if youʼre 'binning it right' - reducing of a £3 cut in the cost of council services for every family in the borough. everyone who contamination in recycling can have a massive impact on the lives or works Help communities to support environment and our waste disposal costs. We are now recycling each other around 52% of our waste - thatʼs great news and is one of the here to work together to create In 2013, we launched a £2 million Community Investment Fund - we had reasons we have frozen Council Tax for the second year running. a better borough. more than 100 applications, of which 13 were successful. These schemes have helped to improve the lives of people in all areas of the borough. Since Get involved in your community “We have 2013, we have invested a further £2 million to support new projects - that's a £4 million investment in our communities. committed to a Shout about the volunteering you already do or become a volunteer. series of pledges Cut red tape and provide Are you a keen gardener? - Standish in Bloom could be just the and in return need value for money thing for you. residents and Or how about supporting our schools - give something back and We will provide better access to services online and through other digital become a school governor. businesses to services. See the digital strategy for Wigan.

We will reduce the number of administration buildings from 20 to four - saving play their part too. £1 million per year.

Get online We are also working together with other authorities to save money, such as “Together we our IT partnership with Bolton Council that has saved £1 million per year. have saved Contact us when itʼs more convenient for you and more cost around £100m, but efficient for us.

Build services around You can do this by getting online and using MyAccount - our new you and your family there’s still a long online account which is available for all residents. way to go.

We are working hard, together with the NHS, to transform the way we provide Do you use social media? Our Facebook and Twitter accounts “We believe we social care and health services to ensure that they are focused on what have the latest news on council services. service users really want.

Download the new Report It app for your smartphone and you can continue to Where care facilities are out dated, we will look to find better, more modern for people. We will extend the principle of making services focused can report a variety of environmental issues straight away. keep Council Tax solutions on individuals to all areas of the council. bills down but still B e h e a l t h y a n d b e a c t i ve balance our books Create opportunities for young people if you help by We will extend our apprenticeship programme to support more young people Want help to stop smoking or lose weight? Our partners can help doing things like on their career path.

- Lose weight, feel great We will work closely with schools to make sure Wigan Borough continues to You could sign-up to a Profiles gym and get ready for the Wigan recycling more, be one of the improved areas in the country to receive your education.

We will work hard to make sure young people have a voice in local 10K. volunteering in Or if you donʼt fancy a long run, how about a long walk in democracy and decisions that affect them. your communities Continue to fund activities for young people, such as Leigh Sports Village, countryside on your doorstep. and using online Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust and Wigan Youth Zone.

Help protect children and the services.

Support the local economy to grow vulnerable “Now in its We will develop a new brand for Wigan aiming to attract more businesses Find out more about adopting or fostering in Wigan. second year, The and help existing services to thrive.

Find out how you can help to protect the vulnerable by looking We will build on the success of the Business Expo, so that it continues to be Deal, has already one of the most successful events of its kind. We will continue to invest in into child safeguarding and adult safeguarding in Wigan. major infrastructure projects, such as the Saddle Relief Road and the Leigh been a success Guided Busway, to help people to get around the borough more easily.

Support your local businesses thanks to the hard We will work closely with Wigan Forward Board and other Greater Discover your local market (external link) and help support Manchester authorities to make sure Wigan Borough gets the investment it work and deserves. independent traders by buying local. commitment of residents and Listen, be open, honest and friendly Have your say and tell us if we communities, but All council staff will be welcoming and professional and will help you to access get it wrong we all must keep the services or support you need as quickly and efficiently as possible.

We want to hear from you - good or bad, comments are always We will listen to the views of local people and continue to improve the way we doing more.” welcome. work in line with your expectations.

Your councillors will represent your views fairly and honestly and will help with local issues to the best of their ability.

We are also developing a network of community voices you will be able to join.

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Call one of our professional tradesmen from the Good Trader Scheme

WIGAN Council's "Good Trader Scheme" is a directory of over 200 local, reputable businesses. All the listings have star ratings of up to five gold stars that previous customers have awarded them. Ratings are given based on workmanship and customer service, the more satisfied the customer the higher the rating.

Free No Obligation Quotations • Extensions • Orangeries • Garage Conversions • Kitchens • Bathrooms • Traditional Plastering • Electrical • Roofing • Damp Proofing • Structural Works

The scheme has been set up to ensure that the residents of the Wigan Borough are getting a fair deal when it comes to work round the home.

Trading Standards check out the traders' trading history before allowing them to be part of the scheme.

Wigan Council's Regulatory Services Group

Manager, Julie Middlehurst said: "When looking for a trader to do a job for you, the choice can be overwhelming and often useful information about traders can be hard to find. To help make the decision easier check out our Good Trader Scheme, the website is free and easy to use and I would recommend it to any resident thinking of getting this kind of work done."

"All traders on the scheme have met the criteria set by Trading Standards."

Whether it's painting and decorating, joinery, or just tidying up your garden make sure you visit www.wigan.gov.uk/goodtrader. Or ring the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 03454 040506.

If you are aged over 50 or have a disability, Age UK Wigan Borough Starting Point Plus can accesses the Scheme on your behalf, contact Starting Point on 01942 826079.

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Wigan Trading Standards Courier

15

Join the Wigan Council Trading Standards Good Trader Scheme - it’s good for business - Your business The Scheme benefits

The scheme is run by Wigan Trading Standards and helps local people find reputable traders - and supports local businesses, like yours Become a member and Join over 200 local businesses already enjoying the benefits of being on the Scheme •Trading Standards recognition for your business and their support when you need it •Members are proud to display the Scheme’s logo on their vehicles, websites and business stationery •Generate more customers and reduce you advertising costs – •Age UK refer 4100 potential customers to Scheme members each year •The Good Trader Scheme has the most visited pages on the Wigan Council website business pages, with over 1000 visits per month •The Good Trader Scheme dedicated website receives 2300 visits every month

How does it work?

Scheme members must have a good track record of fair trading when it comes to consumer protection legislation, and commit themselves to dealing fairly and honestly with their customers.

New applicants pay a small administration fee and if accepted onto the Scheme, members also pay an annual membership fee.

Members’ details are held on our online database:

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www.wigan.gov.uk/goodtrader – meaning your contact details will be just a click or a call away for potential customers.

Residents can search for businesses by trade sector and/or geographical area – or alternatively they can phone Citizen’s Advice Consumer Service on 03454 040506 and ask them to find the names of two or three traders nearest to their location.

Stars in their eyes

Although the scheme is run by Wigan Council Trading Standards, it’s customer satisfaction that counts.

Members are expected to encourage customers to provide feedback on performance and satisfaction direct to Trading Standards. Customers rate the service they have received, with a star rating of up to five gold stars – and the more satisfied customers you have the better your star rating.

Trading Standards will investigate poor ratings to ensure that feedback is genuine and take action where necessary.

To find out more

If you wish to apply for membership of the Good Trader Scheme, please contact us for an application pack on 01942 827476 or email ts@wigan.gov.uk giving your name and contact details.

You can also apply online at: www.wigan.gov.uk/goodtrader

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New look at Barbara’s of Standish

BARBARAS the popular fashion shop on the High Street in Standish has had a complete make-over.

Denise has transformed the shop with a new vibrant and modern look.

There are colourful displays around the premises that include the fashion and now shoes and bags.

Denise and her staff would like to thank all their customers for the support they have given over the years and hope that they all enjoy browsing in the new surroundings.

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CLEANING

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Perfect Ten for the Latics

AS THE business end of the season gets ever closer, Wigan Athletic seem to be pulling out all the stops to secure a place in the playoffs.

At the time of writing, Latics have gone 10 games unbeaten with just two defeats in the last 24 games, leaving us two points off the automatic promotion places.

Admittedly, Oldham did give us a run for money on our Saturday.

It was a frustrating game which certainly didn’t reflect the team in recent weeks. Jussi Jaaskelainen was given the Man of the Match award, with the Fin being tested on numerous occasions.

We lacked a bit of inspiration and the 0-0 draw was definitely a

By our Latics columnist

Sam Oliver

fair reflection of the entertainment value of the game!

An extra two points could have sent us into automatic the spots, promotion leapfrogging Walsall and Gillingham.

But we continue to look impressive overall and I’m confident we can still make it into the top two come the end of the season.

Solid wins over Chesterfield and preseason favourites

Sheffield United have given us momentum over the past few weeks.

Max Power has quickly become a midfield powerhouse (the clue’s in his name I suppose) and Will Grigg has taken his performances up to another level.

On loan Everton striker Conor McAleny has also shown lots of promise, getting on the scoresheet against the Blades.

Our next game against Walsall has the potential to be a six pointer, with the Saddlers just above us in the table.

Tom Bradshaw is proving to be an absolute menace for them so far this season, scoring 15 goals in the league.

It’ll be a tricky game but home advantage should give us the edge.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to

the DW praise stadium ground staff for their magnificent effort with the pitch relay last week.

It’s always tricky to balance the needs of the Latics whilst also with the sharing Warriors.

The pitch looked absolutely dire in their game against Catalan Dragons earlier in the month, but thanks to a new surface, it looked immaculate just a week later.

The perfectly smooth pitch is now more than for Gary suitable Caldwell’s players to perfect their passing style of football.

It’s also a 100% improvement on the quagmire it was previously!

So it’s onwards and upwards for Latics. hope run Let’s continues.

Rugby Union Roundup

Wigan 19 Hoylake 18 South Lancs & Cheshire Div 1 Saturday February 13th 16

WIGAN SCRAPED a win in an SLC 1 clash at home to Hoylake who took the early lead with a try set up from a driving maul, with a penalty inceasing their advantage to 0-8.

Wigan had a let off as Hoylake had a try disallowed for not releasing in the tackle and subsequently held on till the break.

From the restart Wigan picked up the pace with a deft chip from Martin Gambles finding Danny Mason in space to go over for a try, Andy Whittle adding the conversion.

Hoylake claimed a push over from a scrum for a 13-7 lead.

A long kick by Mason gave Wigan field position but an easy penalty was spurned before losing possession close to the line.

Wigan then pressed the self destruct button as the visitors would have scored from an interception, only desperate defence by Lewis Connell and Mason preventing the score.

Hoylake, however, again drove over for a try from a scrum.

Wigan responded, slick handling by Dave Hoctor and Connell putting Danny Winrow over in the corner.

Another kick and chase by

Mason put Hoylake under pressure resulting in Connell crossing under the sticks giving Whittle an easy conversion and Wigan the lead for the first time.

In the dying seconds Hoylake bombed a gilt edged chance and Wigan held on for an unlikely victory.

Aspull 15 Vale of Lune 3rds 3 Raging Bull Div 3N Saturday February 13th 16

ASPULL CONTINUED their recent good form in Intermediate Three North with a win over Vale of 3rds that secured their tabletopping position.

The forwards worked hard, with lock Aidan Clark outstanding along with hooker Michael Webb.

A penalty by Adam Lavin and a well taken try by Michael Webb converted by Lavin gave Aspull a 10 - 0 lead at the interval.

The second half was evenly contested, a penalty by Vale and a excellent try by Aspull centre Kieron Ford the only scores.

John Silcock had a good game on the wing, with Aidan Clark man of the match.

13-15 victory away to Pendle.

A penalty by Scott Robinson gave Orrell the early lead, but with Louis Whitfield yellow carded Orrell were under pressure.

Pendle were unable to take advantage until just after Orrell were restored to full strength, when the home scrum half went to the blind side from the back of a scrum to go over in the corner.

Pendle attacked again and after series of pick and drives added a second for 103 at the interval.

In the second half Andy Stott took the ball into the Pendle half from where Robinson wrong footed the defence to send Whitefield in for a try.

Pendle increased their lead with a penalty but Orrell came again with a try from John Presho picking up at the back of a scrum to level matters at 13-13, the conversion by Robinson sealing the win.

Aspull 2 and Orrell 2 will have to wait for another day after the derby match at Woodshaw Park was cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch.

Wigan 2 conceded their game at Fleetwood.

Pendle 1 13 Orrell 1 15 Orrell St James had no North Lancs Division fixture for the second week Saturday February 13th 16 running in Raging Bull 5N. ORRELL RETURNED to winning ways in (Geoff Lightfoot) Lancashire (North) with a

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THERE’S AN old saying in sport: ‘A win is a win.’ And that’s as meaningful in 2016 as ever.

We are now two games into the new season and I doubt any Wigan fan is happy with the performances their team is currently offering. Like last year, the Warriors have been sluggish out of the traps, looking disorganised, indisciplined and woefully short of attacking ideas.

But there is one big difference. This year at least, Wigan are winning.

The opposition hasn’t been up to much, it must be said. The new-look Catalan Dragons were bamboozled by the harsh conditions facing them during the first game, driving rain, bitter cold and a disgracefully muddy pitch creating a playing environment the polar opposite of anything they’ve been used to in the south of France. And last week, the Huddersfield Giants were depleted in terms of personnel. Wigan were too – Sam and Joel Tomkins, and George Williams would be big absentees from any line-up. But the Giants were lacking Luke Robinson, Eorl Crabtree, Scott Grix and Danny Brough.

Ultimately though, all that matters is that four points out of four have gone to the Cherry and Whites. It maybe even be more important than that, because at the end of last season the Wigan training staff pinpointed early season fixtures like these as the main reason why the League Leaders’ Shield slipped away from them later on.

Of course, Wigan aren’t the only big club at present who are struggling.

It must be pretty difficult if you’re a Leeds fan. Losing at home by 10-12 to Warrington on the opening weekend and then following that with their own version of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre at Widnes – the Chemics whupped them by an incredible 56-12! – can hardly be the best way to prepare for the arrival of North Queensland Cowboys next weekend.

St Helens are also under the cosh. They started well, beating Huddersfield 30-16, but then went to Salford and suffered a massive 44-10 walloping.

If anything, the clubs who’ve caught the eye for the right reasons this year come from the less fashionable end of the market. Salford certainly – they have recruited well and are operating under the guidance of Aussie legend Tim Sheens, while Warrington, who seemed to struggle after the retirement of Lee Briers, look to have found a very potent halfback pairing in Sandow and Gidley.

And Hull FC – so often the nearly-mean in modern times – look well-nigh unstoppable at present, with two wins out of two and a massive match-points advantage already.

Okay, it’s always a bad idea to read too much into the early part of the season.

Everyone is ring-rusty, and wildcard results can be thrown up, especially when a momentous event like the Dacia World Club Series is just around the corner. But I do think we can theorise as to what may be happening here.

Leeds were on top of the world a few months ago. Current SL champions, some have argued that they ‘scrawped’ their 20-22 Grand Final victory through a very odd refereeing decision, but for my money the better team on the day – just about – won. But a much bigger ramification of 2015 is the loss of Kevin Sinfield, Jamie Peacock and Kylie Leuluai. When you also consider that Danny McGuire was injured in the first game of the season too, that’s pretty much the spine of Leeds’s all-conquering Class of 2015 suddenly absent.

This week in particular will be a real test of Brian McDermott’s coaching skills. Not only will he need to get his battered team up off the deck, but riddled with injuries though they are, he’ll have to get them into physical and mental shape to face Aussie champs North Queensland next Sunday. No small ask, that.

St Helens meanwhile must be haunted by memories of last year’s WCC Final, when of all the British clubs involved they were easily the most humiliated,

Room At The Top??

losing 0-39 to a peerless South Sydney outfit who barely seemed to break sweat in the process. I’ve never believed that wrapping a team in cotton wool is the ideal way to ready yourself for a big game. I’m not saying the Saints have done that this year, but make no mistake, Salford ran riot last weekend – almost as if there was no opposition.

Saints now face Sydney Roosters at Langtree Park on Friday night, and are going to need a sea-change in form if they want to avoid another painful hammering.

Which brings us, at last, to Wigan.

As I said earlier, a win is a win. And though the World Club Series is a great event, one can’t take one’s eye off the league either. But again, hard-fought, error-strewn ‘just about’ victories over relatively mediocre opposition are hardly going to stand you in good stead to meet the mighty Brisbane Broncos.

It was a similar story last year of course, and though Wigan didn’t prevail on the night, they came very close. Will it be more of the same?

Well, if anything, Brisbane look even stronger this year. Adam Blair, Ben Hunt, Darius Boyd and Sam Thaiday are among the best players on Earth, while coaching supremo Wayne Bennett now has additional interest in the British game as the new England coach. He’ll have been running a tight rule over the opposition his team is likely to meet next weekend – and will be even better prepared than he was last year. It’s also important that Bennett is a big supporter of international competitions. No one in the Brisbane camp will be taking this match lightly.

Wigan thus have it all to do. Sadly, neither of the Tomkins brothers will play, but I’d be surprised if George Williams didn’t return.

That may spark Wigan a little, because their close-in attack last weekend was woeful. Shaun Wane might continue with Sean O’Loughlin in the front row – the understrength Wigan forwards did a pretty good job against the Giants – but I’d be surprised if one of our missing props didn’t also make a return to action, just to bolster the pack. As for young Oli Gildart, while I think he’s an excellent prospect, I’d be surprised if he makes this squad. He’s still a kid and it would be a massive ask of him – unless of course Lewis Tierney is deemed too inexperienced and Dan Sarginson drops to full-back. Anything is possible in the underperforming Wigan backs at present.

Whatever the final line-up, the Warriors’ discipline and ball control needs to improve drastically. Several times at Huddersfield, poor handling errors and unnecessary forced passes handed the opposition valuable possession and territory. By the same token, much more imagination than chipping through and praying needs to go into the Wigan attack (though at least, making the mistake of ignoring Huddersfield’s weaker flank by choosing to attack the stronger one instead won’t be a problem this weekend – Brisbane don’t have a weaker flank).

On paper, the Warriors face an enormous task, but as they proved last year, it’s far from impossible. One thing is for certain, from our perspective in the stands it’s going to be absolutely enthralling.

It kicks off at 8pm on Saturday night at the DW Stadium. Get your tickets ASAP as a full-house is anticipated.

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