4.12.2000 News from Wigan

News Report Archive 4th December 2000

News reports from Wigan Observer, Wigan Reporter and Wigan Evening Post

ASHURST FAILS TO APPEAL

The man jailed for killing Wigan teenager Louise Sellars has failed to lodge an automatic appeal against his murder conviction.
If a prisoner feels he has not received a fair trial, he has 28 days to signal his intention to contest the case. That deadline for lorry driver Darren Ashurst came and went last week.
It does not mean that the 26 year-old has lost his chance of trying to prove his innocence, but it does increase the likelihood that his legal team will have to find fresh evidence if they want the case to be reviewed in a higher court.
Ashurst of Back Lane, Appley Bridge was given a mandatory life sentence on November 1st after a Manchester Crown Court jury found him guilty of beating and strangling 15 year-old Louise to death in fields behind Billinge Hospital five years ago. He denied the charge.
His family have since claimed that an innocent man is behind bars and pointed to several matters which they say cast doubt on both the hearing and the conviction.
These include the fact that the cigarette butt bearing the damning DNA evidence which linked him to the killing was not produced in court, neither was a photograph of it at the scene available.
They also highlighted several witnesses whose later statements to police contradicted or contained more information that the ones they gave earlier in the investigation.
But Ashurst's solicitors have evidently concluded that these irregularities on their own are insufficient grounds for automatic appeal.
In order to appeal after the 28 day deadline, a convict has to prove their are special grounds for doing so. This usually means presenting new evidence that is powerful enough to convince a judge that the case should go to the Court of Appeal.
Both the Court of Appeal and Manchester Crown Court confirmed last week that no appeal had so far been lodged by Ashurst.
Louise's adopted father Gary Sellars, said; "This comes as no surprise.The guy was given the fairest of trials, to the point where I was scared he might get off when the Judge was summing up, but the jury found him guilty because the evidence was overwhelming. All these questions raised by Ashurst's family could have been dealt with at the trial if they had had any real significance"

LIMAHL IS BACK-CENTRE STAGE

Wigan's own 80s pop star Limahl has returned to the stage in a major national UK tour to perform in a rock 'n' pop musical hit concert.
The infamous front man of Kajagoogoo, whose real name is Chris Hamill a former Pemberton High school boy is in the line up of 'What a Feeling' at Salford's Lowry Centre.
The 41 year-old who still has bleached blonde spiky hair, walked on stage and brought to life his top 10 solo hit 'Never Ending Story'.
He also joined other members of the cast in Fame, Grease and songs from Abba.
After achieving spectacular sell out success with the 1996 and 1997 UK and Overseas tours 'What a Feeling' returns for a major national UK tour for the first time in three years. It's an all new song and dance spectacular which celebrates the rock and pop movies and musicals of the 70s, 80s and 90s.
Limahl is no stranger to live theatre. He originally started out in musicals after winning a singing competition at the age of 16. This led to a dedicated apprenticeship in London's West End. He performed in classics like Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Godspell and Agatha Christie's Murder at the Vicarage.
Following his three top 10 hits, including the worldwide smash hit Too Shy, and a million selling debut album, White Feathers, Limahl and Kajagoogoo went their seperate ways.
Limahl went on to enjoy solo chart success with hits like Only For Love and Never Ending Story, which reached No 1 in more than 17 countries.

PICTURE OF THE PAST FOR SALE

An oil painting by a 19th century Wigan artist is expected to fetch more than Ł20,000 at a New York auction.
The picture entitled Horses in a Meadow, was created by Charles Towne in 1835. It is set to go under the hammer at Christie's auctioneers in New York early in December.
Towne was born in Wigan in 1763 and died in 1843.
He gained a reputation as a highly talented sporting and animal artist who also painted detailed pictures of landscapes.
He originally trained as a coach painter after moving to Liverpool where his talent was recognised. After a stint in London Towne returned North and later became vice-president of the Academy of Artists.
A further set of eight paintings by Towne will be sold at the same auction. Episodes in the Life of a Horse is expected to attract bids of around Ł46,000.
The paintings were owned by Paul Mellon, one of America's richest men who gave millions to good causes until his death in February of last year.
Included in Mellon's donations was a Ł1.6 million hand out to Cambridge University.
Charles Towne's first painting at London's prestigious Royal Academy was exhibited in 1799 and he was a founder member and later a vice president of the Liverpool Academy.
Although he painted seascapes, dogs and cattle, he was considered to be the best horse painter of his day.
He died aged 80 in Liverpool and today some of his paintings are exhibited in the city's Walker art gallery.

FIREFIGHTERS HOLD CONCERT TO BOOST CHARITY

Wigan firefighters have presented a Ł400 cheque to the Myasthenia Gravis Association (MGA) after holding a successful concert evening.
The lads from Blue Watch organised the event at the Earl of Balcarres pub, and thank everyone who donated prizes for the raffle.
Money was also raised for MGA by Alison Lee who collected Ł300 after doing a parachute jump at the Black Knights Parachute Centre at Lancaster, and staff at Booze Bargain displayed charity boxes.
MGA is a muscle weakness disease caused by antibodies that block the muscular triggering system, which can eventually lead to double vision, loss of speech and can affect breathing.
.Pictured aboveWigan Fire Station's Blue Watch, along with station officer Steve Pattyson present Steve Annable with a cheque for Ł400.
Centre are Steve Lee, who has the disease and wife Eileen from Goose Green who asked the watch to arrange the event, organised by John Roberts, second left.

KEEPING KING COAL ALIVE

Coal, the working bedrock of Wigan for generations, is no more.
Legions of men who worked at the coalface have only memories and would be hard pressed to find much evidence of it's huge importance to the borough as we pass the millenium year.
But a well known Metro artist is determined to help record a little of it's passing as part of an exhibition in Wigan which opened on Monday 27th November and will run until December 21st.
Ulrich West, 63, born in Belgium, raised in India but who moved to Ashton in the 1950s, is a member of Sefton Guild of Artists which is mounting the show at The Observer Gallery in Rowbottom Square.
Trained in Liverpool as an art teacher for people with severe learning difficulties, Ulrich became a full time professional painter 20 years ago when he built himself a home studio in Ashton.
He has exhibited a pen and ink drawing of the former Windy Arbour Colliery between North Ashton and Orrell, colliery land at Golborne and a salute to Wigan's last working pit, Bickershaw.
He also has a major 40 painting exhibition running at Liverpool's Hanover Gallery and was the subject of a special programme on BBC Radio Merseyside.
Ulrich said, "I hope my paintings reflect the warmth I feel is within northern people. I have worked in London and they have all sorts of silly misconceptions but there is really no place like here."
The Sefton Guild exhibition comprises drawings, ceramics, textiles and jewellery.
The collective of artists formed in 1975 to concentrate on exhibiting together to sell their work.
There are at present, 19 members who comprise artists, potters and embroiderers.

TIDINGS OF JOY FOR 2LB TWINS

Wigan twins Declan and Eliese Lannan are getting ready to celebrate their first birthday, just months after doctors feared they would not survive after being born two months early.
Their parents, Lesley and Wayne, went through an agonising wait after their birth on December 3rd last year before the babies were allowed to go to their Beech Hill home for the first time in January.
The twins weighed little more than 2lbs each when they were born at Billinge Hospital.
Lesley said, "They are still a little under the weight that they should be, but that's only to be expected after everything they went through. Both of them are in perfect health and we're all looking forward to having a big party to celebrate their first birthday.
"Last year was very difficult for us, but we had their room all ready for them and it was fantastic when they could finally come home. They were so small when they were born and they needed a lot of special care which obviously frightened us both, so it was a big relief when they were allowed to come home.
"Everyone at Billinge Hospital was absolutely fantastic and we can't thank them enough."
Lesley and Wayne spent Christmas Day last year at the hospital's Special Babycare Unit with Declan and Eliese, but can now look forward to their first family Christmas together.