The very first newsletter from Hesketh-with-Becconsall Parish Council launches today and should be distributed throughout Hesketh Bank tucked inside the Champion free paper. But if you just can't wait, then click here to download a pdf version now.

Christmas came early for the youngsters of Hesketh Bank as today saw the official opening of a new meeting point and shelter which has been provided specifically for the youths of the village.

Ian Cropper at the hand-over of the youth shelter

Hesketh with Becconsall Parish Council and Hesketh Bank Village Institute have worked together on the £8,000 project and representation from both groups took part in the official hand-over to local youths this afternoon. Youth Shelters are becoming increasingly popular with Councils, Residents and the Police alike and have in many instances helped to reduce petty vandalism and noise from youths who before their installation had only street corners to meet. The new "Youth Shelter" has been installed in between the Village Library and the Band Hut on Station Road.

Council Clerk, Ian Cropper, said “The main problem for this project was finding a suitable site that wouldn’t annoy residents and also give the youth some degree of privacy. The Council consulted with some of the potential users of the facility and also local Community Beat Manager PC Phil Corrigan. All agreed that this was the best site and it was very rewarding when the Village Hall Committee subsequently voted to support the initiative.”

Source West Lancs District Council 17/12/04:

It is with great regret and sadness that we have to announce the sudden death of one of the North West's longest serving elected members, Cllr Robert Hodge.

Robert gave a lifetime of dedicated public service, serving on West Lancashire District Council, Lancashire County Council and also as a long-serving member of Tarleton Parish Council.

Robert was first elected to the District Council in 1973. He quickly rose through the ranks becoming leader of the Conservative Group and District Council, with a similar distinction as leader of the Conservative Group on Lancashire County Council.

Politically, Robert had many interests but his greatest passion was housing. One of his greatest achievements was the unparalleled range of sheltered housing accommodation provided for the elderly in West Lancashire, which was directly as a result of Robert's leadership. Robert's interest in this field was also inspired by his time spent in steering Skelmersdale through its early years when he was a senior member of the Skelmersdale Development Corporation Board.

Robert's record of public service also saw him serve many years as a Magistrate and as Chairman of the Chorley Bench. He was also a member of the old Health Authority.

His long service was recognised when he was elected Chairman of the Council. He was indeed "the father of the Council" and was often fondly thought of as "Mr West Lancashire".

While Robert's community achievements were many, he will be best remembered for his sheer humanity and friendship he displayed towards people. He was also a very committed Christian and he was a well-known preacher on the Methodist circuits.

Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this very sad time.

Cllr Geoff M. Roberts, Leader of the Council, said: "Robert's passing away is an immense loss to the District Council. He was a guiding light for so many years. One of his unique gifts was not only to know what was the right thing to do but to do it in the right way. "

"He leaves a gap which will never be fully filled."

THE FUNERAL OF ROBERT HODGE WILL BE HELD AT 2pm 28th DECEMBER,
TARLETON METHODIST CHURCH

The second issue of the Tarleton Parish Council newsletter is now available.

Parish Councillors delivered over a 1200 copies of the "Village View" yesterday and the remainder are expected to be delivered throughout Tarleton over the next 10 days.

However, if you just can't wait to get your copy through the letter box then click here to download it now as a pdf file.

For more information on Tarleton Parish Council visit their website

'Th'unto us a lad were born' is a great little online video from BBC Lancashire. Shot on location in Blackburn, you will recognise the story and the cheeky Lancashire twist is guaranteed to make you smile! Watch it Now!

Residents were tonight out in force to ensure the Parish Council were left with no uncertainty about local opinion on the proposal to build 13 houses on the field opposite the junction of Moss Lane with Boundary Lane.

Speakers at Hesketh-with-Becconsall Parish Council cited poor access, inadequate infrastructure, road safety and environmental issues.

Attention was specifically drawn to the recent flooding of houses down Moss Lane and the necessity of the need to mitigate any adverse impact of surface water run-off when considering a new development as stated in the WLDC's Replacement Local Plan. No member of the public spoke in favour of the proposal.

The Parish Council voted unanimously against the proposal.

Hesketh Bank has made a modest inroad into community Christmas decorations this year with some 14 Christmas trees, illuminated with modern LED lighting sets, being erected on the front of the trade premises in a joint scheme between Hesketh-with-Becconsall Parish Council and local traders.

"The response from all the local proprietors and business people has been tremendous as has the feedback from the general public" said the Parish Clerk. "We hope that the few who, for various reasons, couldn't join in will be in a position to do so next year"

Friday night saw the officiall switching on of the Douglas Cardiac Trust (First Responders) Christmas Tree in Mark's Square which has been sponsored by local business and Tarleton Parish Council.

The Scouts at Hesketh Bank were told last night that the troop may have to close if a replacement Scout Leader cannot be found.

Hesketh Bank Scouts is a well established and thriving troop of 15 scouts with more younger scouts on the way as they move up from the popular Cub Pack.

Colin and Helen have been running the troup as Scout Leader and Assistant for the last 3 years but can no longer carry out the organisation of the troop and the scouting programme due to other commitments.

A new Scout Leader is saught urgently as, without a replacement, the troop will have to close. If you know of anyone who could take on this role please contact the Rector or email the editor who will pass on your details.

The controversial annual school "league" tables for England have been published, showing how well pupils did in their national curriculum tests.

The first table below shows how our local secondary schools compared to all the 93 schools that fall within the Lancashire Education Authority area.

Our second table shows the points attained by our local primary schools. Primary schools are ranked on their "aggregate" scores - the total out of 300 across all three test subjects. The average score for Lancashire was 243 with the national average being 237.

Click on the School name to go to a comprehensive breakdown of the results provided by the BBC.

Local Secondary Schools Complete list LEA Secondary Schools	Lancashire GCSE/GNVQ Rating (Out of 93)
Hutton Church of England Grammar School	9th
All Hallows Catholic High School	11th
Bishop Rawstorne Church of England Language College	16th
Penwortham Girls' High School	21st
Tarleton High School	22nd
Balshaw's Church of England High School	27th
Priory Technology College, Penwortham	26th
Burscough Priory High School	33rd
Glenburn High School	70th
Worden High School	83rd

Local Primary Schools Complete list of LEA Primary Schools	Combined Score (LEA Av 243)
Little Hoole Primary School	296
Tarleton Holy Trinity CofE Primary School	281
Banks St Stephens' CofE School	267
Tarleton Community Primary School	264
Hesketh-with-Becconsall All Saints CofE School	250
Bretherton CofE Primary School	243
Hoole St Michael CofE Primary School	240
Mere Brow Church of England Primary School	236
Rufford CofE School	230

An oncology nurse from Hesketh Bank who completed the gruelling New York Marathon earlier this month has been overwhelmed by people's generosity.

Sue O'Hanlon, 46, who has worked in cancer care at Whiston Hospital for over 20 years has now raised more than £5,000 for MacMillan Cancer Relief and money is still coming in.

"People have been very generous with their support for this cause and also sympathetic when I moan about my aching legs and feet"

Having previously completed the London, Manchester and Paris marathons in under 4 hours, Sue was dissapointed with her time of 4hrs 3 minutes but said the thrill of running in the Big Apple made up for it.

"The day was fantastic and it was just fabulous to be there. It is a great event and the Americans turned out in force to cheer us on but the course is quite a hard one especially as it was so warm on the day"

Sue is hoping for a place in the 2005 London Marathon and is already in training just in case.

The Do-It-Yourself Centre has been named Britain's Best Hardware Retailer at the Retail Awards 2004 event held in Manchester.

Edwin and Susan Miller founded the Church Road DIY Store seven years ago and have since opened a further outlet in Parbold. They now employ nine people between both the branches.

Edwin said "When we were told we were finalists in this award we decided to take our staff along to the event because any success we have is very much down to their hard work and enthusiasm." and added "We are very proud of our staff and they have all played their part in winning this accolade."

The glass trophy and other mementos from the award ceremony are presently on display in the Tarleton DIY Centre window.

Lancashire Constabulary’s Southern and Central Divisions have joined forces to open Lancashire’s second Public Protection Unit (PPU) as part of the Constabulary’s drive to protect people from dangerous offenders.

The Public Protection Unit will open on Monday 22 November and will operate initially from two sites one in Ormskirk serving the people of South Ribble, Chorley and West Lancs (Southern Division) and the second site from HQ serving the people of Preston (Central Division).

Following on from recommendations in the Victoria Climbie Inquiry Report and after a successful pilot in Accrington, the Constabulary, after an in depth evaluation is in the process of establishing a number of Public Protection Units. These units will bring together various disciplines including family protection, domestic violence and dangerous offender teams.

Approximately 26 officers from Southern, Central and Force Headquarters will work from the re-furbished accommodation at Ormskirk and HQ. The main aim of the unit is to protect the most vulnerable members of the community and to reduce the risk of abuse by those who present a significant threat.

For Detective Chief Inspector Graham Gardner and Detective Inspector Graham Herrmann the opening of the unit will play a crucial role in improving the exchange of information between officers working with vulnerable children and adults, victims of Domestic Violence and Dangerous Offenders. The new unit will also provide other agencies with a ‘one-stop’ point of contact in all three areas, which will aim to break down communication barriers and enhance information sharing.

DCI Gardner commented: “People who suffer these types of awful crimes are often the most vulnerable in our communities. Anything we can do to improve our service to them should be seized upon. The creation of a Public Protection Unit is the start point to closer working with other agencies and voluntary groups. We will continue to improve our efforts to arrest and imprison criminals intent on attacking those least able to defend themselves”

Detective Inspector Graham Herrmann said; “ The PPU will allow the Constabulary to have a better platform for implementing the recently introduced Crime and Victims Bill. The units over-arching principle will be to protect the most vulnerable members of the communities of the Southern and Central divisional areas and to prevent their abuse by those who present a significant risk or threat.”

Members of the public are advised that with effect from Monday 22 November they will be able to contact officers from the Domestic Violence Team, Dangerous Offenders Team and Family Protection Unit on the following telephone numbers:-

Southern Division (Covering South Ribble, Chorley and West Lancashire) 01695 566321

Central Division (Covering Preston) 01772 416232

The popular Hesketh Bank youth club, All Saints Crusaders, has been closed with immediate effect due to the increasing misbehaviour of youngsters who attend.

The behaviour of youths both inside and outside the church hall was cited as the main reasons for the closure.

Reverend Richard Plant wrote to all parents expalining the situation "In spite of numerous warnings and promises from the youngsters of better behaviour, the situation has become markedly worse and we have, sadly, after three years efforts, after due consideration and discussion, no option but to close the group."

A parent of one of the group said today "I fully support the decision of the Reverend and the leaders; if the kids will take no notice whatsoever of the youth group leaders, then they cannot be expected to exercise their duty of care. We tend to think of anti-scoial behaviour as an urban issue but here we are with a very popular Church led Youth Group closing due to unruly kids who hold little respect for those who give their time to help them. A sad day for the village."

On Sunday 14th November the West Lancashire Light Railway ran Steam Trains free of charge all day to raise money for Children In Need.

	The passengers donated £309.90 for Children In Need compared to £201.38 last year ..... an improvement of over 50%!! Peter Young, Hon Treasurer of the West Lancashire Light Railway Association wished to convey his thanks to all the customers who made the charity day a resounding success. For more info on the Children In Need Appeal please Click Here
Pudsey Bear gets a ride on the front of "Irish Mail"

West Lancashire Light Railway Website

Speeding and bad driving in rural areas of the county have been identified by our community as a major concern which affects peoples’ quality of life. Tarleton & Hesketh Bank now have the chance to target problem motorists in the villages with a new pilot Roadwatch scheme.

Tarleton Community RoadWatch Team

The aims of the Roadwatch scheme are to address the problem of real or perceived speed related offending in partnership with the community, to assist in improving the wearing of seatbelts and also to deter motorists from using mobile phones whilst driving. The scheme has clear objectives: to reduce by five per cent the number of speed offences within 12 months of launching the scheme; to reduce by five per cent the number of drivers and or passengers observed not wearing seatbelts and to reduce the number of drivers observed using their mobile phone whilst driving.

The Roadwatch scheme will consist of active members of the local community joining together to monitor speed at selected locations with speed monitoring equipment. All volunteers will receive the appropriate training and will be supported by the local Community Beat manager and Police Community Support Officer. The volunteers can also assist with improving seatbelt compliance and deterring drivers from using their phones whilst driving. The volunteers will log details of offenders who will then be sent a letter explaining that whilst on this occasion no further action will be taken they could have been liable to prosecution for the offence they have committed.

The speed monitoring will only take place in areas with a 30mph or 40mph speed limit and not in an area with an existing safety camera. All monitoring sites will be assessed by a police officer before being used.

Cheryl Gradwell, Road Safety Advisor for Lancashire Constabulary said “This is a really positive step forward in tackling peoples’ driving behaviour. All too often the police are criticised for persecuting motorists and what this scheme demonstrates is that the police are assisting local people to address an area that concerns them and affects their quality of life.”

“The scheme will be piloted initially in three areas but if successful we would look to roll this out across the county, empowering more people to take action against speeding and bad driving where they live.”

The Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety has supported the three pilot schemes by providing funding through the Community Action Grant which is a special fund set up by the Partnership whereby communities can apply for funding for local road safety initiatives which target speed, drink driving or seat belt issues.

Tarleton RoadWatch Coordinator Gavin Simpson said "Our main objective will be to visibly demonstrate that we are all part of one community. It's all about re-education of motorists about what their own community considers acceptable behaviour. Speeding certainly isn't acceptable. With police assistance we can do something about the things that concern us most - in this instance, it's speeding."

Tarleton & Hesketh Bank Police & Communities Together (PACT)

There are a number of Neighbourhood Watch schemes in and around Tarleton and Hesketh Bank but more are required. If you live on Hesketh Lane, Station Road or on one of the many roads either side of this thoroughfare and would be prepared to act as a co-ordinator please get in touch with the Crime Prevention Officer, Dianne Hignett, on 01695 566353 (direct line), who will set the wheels in motion for you.

If you are concerned that it will take a lot of work– don’t be! The co-ordinator’s role is to liase with the Police on an irregular basis; the bulk of the work is done by the Police who send out a recorded message to all members of Neighbourhood Watch about any particular criminal activity particular to their area.

Crime reduction and crime prevention are most successful when they involve everybody, not just the Police. You may even receive a reduction on your home insurance premium!

Crime in our local environment reduces our quality of life. Why not get involved and to do something positive to help create a safer neighbourhood for all.

Tarleton & Hesketh Bank Neighbourhood Watch Webpage

A partnership project between Neighbourhood Watch, Tarleton Village Design Group, Lancashire Constabulary, WLDC and Identislot is to again encourage those people aged 60 or over who live in their own homes to increase their security to avoid bogus callers.

There is a package of a security measures that will be made available, free of charge, to people who may be vulnerable to "distraction" burglaries. The package consists of:

• A mechanism that is fitted into the door which allows an identity card to be passed from the caller to the householder without the door being opened. • Upgrading of front and back door locks to 5 lever mortice systems, if not already fitted. • A viewing ‘spy hole’ • Fitting of window locks to all ground floor windows and those accessible from flat roofs. • A bar system that allows the door to be left open for ventilation or to view a caller without fear of intrusion. • A smoke alarm.

Residents of Tarleton are also entitled to additional security which has been funded by Tarleton Parish Council and Tarleton Village Design Group:

• An intercom system that allows the householder to control the contact with a caller through a viewcom.

This is quite a unique opportunity for older people to increase security in their homes at no expense to themselves. They will receive a visit from the West Lancashire District Council Home Safe Scheme to assess their requirements.

The package is supplied by West Lancashire District Council Home Safe Scheme. Tarleton was a pilot for this project last year and now the package is available to the whole of West Lancashire.

The project is being coordinated by Dianne Hignett and John Marriot Crime Prevention Officers at Ormskirk Police Station who can be contacted on 01695 566353 or 566354. No names of any individuals wishing to participate in the project will be shared with anybody outside of the police and appropriate staff from West Lancashire District Council and Identislot who will fit the assessed equipment.

We decided to go straight to having a "letters" page rather than mix any letters received in with the news: The new feature opens with a letter from Andy Parkinson, who rues the passing of the Forum, and one from Mike Winrow who feels it was the Administrator who should be blamed for the demise of the forum. Click here for the Letters Page

The popular village forum has been closed down after repeated postings that were considered incompatible with the image and standards this website wishes to maintain.

Whilst many people have kindly offered their services as forum moderators there was only one way we could GUARANTEE that no further inappropriate or offensive postings are made. We deeply regret this course of action but felt we were left with no alternative.

If you do wish to continue to share your views on the village news and issues, then please consider emailing a Letter to the Editor. Please include your address and telephone number (these will not be displayed). Initially they will feature on the News Page but if we get enough we will start a separate letters page.

Without any ceremony or fanfare the Hesketh Lane speed camera was officially declared open by Community Beat Manager (CBM) Phil Corrigan. Phil advised that the camera was loaded in yesterday and is now operational. Be warned! In a complimentary move, the CBM and Sgt Tonge positioned the new Speed Trailer (a mobile version of the much praised speed warning equipment sited at Rufford) 300 meters inside the 30mph limit on Moss Lane. We watched a random sample of 10 vehicles who all approach the device at speeds between 36 and 42mph yet every vehicle slowed down to under 30mph as the device flashed their speed. It really does work! Speeding was retained as the top priority for November at the PACT surgery held last night at Tarleton High School. The community also requested underage drinking and inconsiderate parking be also targeted by the CBM.

Hesketh with Becconsall Parish Council tonight rejected a request made by the Police to consider funding a laser speed camera for use by our Community Beat Manager.

It had been proposed that the laser speed measurement device which costs £2750 (plus an annual fee of £200 for calibration) be shared by Banks, Tarleton and HwB Parish Councils.

Councillors were collectively vocal in their frustration with the Police proposal and the massive 19% increase in their 03/04 element of the council tax was cited as an untennable backdrop to the request; "It is a Police responsibility to deal with speeding - we should not be charged twice".

As part of the major refurbishment at the Tarleton Health Centre it is necessary to install a complete new telephone system. Installation is to be carried out on the afternoon of:

Wednesday 3rd November 2004
The Practice will be closed from 12 noon and the telephone lines will be switched off.

If you require to speak to a doctor during this time, please contact the Out Of Hours service on 01695 571551 or alternatively telephone NHS Direct for advice on 0845 4647. Normal service is expected to resume at 08:30 am on Thursday 4th November.

Police in West Lancashire will be launching Operation Cascade this week to target and reduce juvenile nuisance and anti-social behaviour throughout the Halloween and Bonfire season.

Using new legislation that came into effect last week, the police are warning that the misuse of fireworks can not only be damaging to your health but to your pockets too, since officers can now fine youngsters under the Fixed Penalty Notices for Disorder (PND’s) scheme.

The scheme introduced in April 2004, takes account of the new firework legislation and means that £80 fines could be issued to anyone committing the following offences:-

• Throwing Fireworks
• Breaching a fireworks curfew
• Being in possession of a category 4 firework (a display type firework)
• Being under 18 and in possession of an adult firework in a public place

Inspector for Skelmersdale, James Lee commented,” Police will be using this new legislation and those people found to be committing these offences can expect to receive a fine for £80. We want people to be able to enjoy Bonfire Night in safety and this is why any anti-social behaviour and juvenile nuisance will be dealt with appropriately.”

As well as enforcing this new legislation, Police will be working in partnership with local Fire Chiefs, Local Authorities and Trading Standards Officers to reduce the nuisance caused by fireworks and the number of offences committed. This will involve all retail shops licensed to sell fireworks in the West Lancs area being jointly visited by police and Trading Standards. Details of the initiative will be provided along with the enforcement of the legislation in relation to the storage and sale of fireworks. Any shops found to be selling fireworks to persons under the age of 18 will be referred to Trading Standards for investigation and possible prosecution.

Information regarding unauthorised “bonfire sites” will be forwarded to the relevant agencies who will attend and assess the bonfire.

Letters will be sent to schools informing them of Operation Cascade as well as advising on firework law and safety. The Emergency Services Community Support Officer will also visit some primary schools to talk to the children about Firework safety.

The police will also be using their Ringmaster messaging system to send messages to Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinators giving details of the initiative and requesting the assistance of neighbours in the identification of apparent breaches of firework legislation and bonfire sites.

Inspector Phil Melling, Geographic Inspector for Ormskirk and Burscough commented, “Police officers, Special Constables, CBM’s and PCSO’s will be working together and conducting extra high visibility patrols of areas that have been indentified as “hotspots” in relation to incidents of nuisance and disorder. Fireworks will be seized from those people under the age of 18 who are in possession of a firework in a public place. Relevant details will be obtained for the juvenile referral scheme and where appropriate fixed penalty notices will be issued.”

Visitors to the event witnessed 21 massive pumpkins entered for this year's weigh off with Dave Turley from Dune FM kindly doing the honours on the Mike. Radio Lancashire and Northwest Tonight were both recording so watch and listen for more pumpkin updates. James and Liam said they looked forward to bringing a 1000lb pumpkin to next year's competition.

Novice pumpkin growers James O'Hanlon (10) and Liam Cupit (8) from Hesketh Bank not only beat off all comers at the Mere Brow Giant Pumpkin Competition but also smashed the official record for the heaviest pumpkin ever grown in the UK. The monster pumpkin registered 915lb on the Mere Brow competition scales and has been validated by a Guiness Book of Records Judge at 912lb. The previous record for a UK pumpkin was 819lb. Lauren Whiteside, also of Hesketh Bank, completed the kids' takeover bid with a very credible 3rd placed 486lb pumpkin. More pictures and the weigh in results will be available shortly on www.merebrowgiantpumpkins.com

Chief Superintendent Chris Weigh, Commander for Southern Division today announced that the decision had been made not to proceed with the project of building a new rural Police Operations Centre in the village of Tarleton.

Commenting today, Chief Superintendent Weigh said, ”Myself and senior police colleagues have been involved in the final decision process and we are really disappointed that we have had to take this decision. I can assure residents that this has been reached after lengthy and careful consideration.

A consultation exercise was conducted earlier this year with local residents and over 360 people took the time to reply to our questionnaire to let us know their views. The analysis of these answers revealed a divergence of views regarding the suitability of the Church Road site and in particular people’s concerns over traffic congestion and road safety issues. After listening to these views the decision has been made not to proceed with this project. Views and comments have also been taken on board from Councillors, Parish Councils, the Over 60’s Club and local shopkeepers.

I would like to take this opportunity of reassuring the residents of Tarleton that this decision will no way affect our policing of the village. We remain 100% committed to the village and it’s residents and evidence of this can be seen everyday by the presence of the local Community Beat Manager. We will now be looking at further ways in which we can increase our accessibility within the village.

The current police station situated on the A59 will remain for the foreseeable future and will undergo refurbishment. I would like to personally thank those people who have written to us independently with their views all of which were taken on board in reaching our final decision.”

• Speeding - Gorse Lane, Hesketh Lane, Moss Lane, Station Road & Shore Road
• Inconsiderate and obstructive parking
• Cycling without lights and cycling on and off the pavements

The 10th Mere Brow Giant Pumpkin Competition will be held on the 16th October at Brandreth Barn, Tarlscough Lane, Burscough with all proceeds going to the Air Ambulance.

For more information on the competition weigh-in event, the competition rules, advice on growing giant pumpkins and some photos of previous winners please visit the Mere Brow Giant Pumpkins website. Additional sponsors for the event would be very welcome.