MAN CHARGED WITH MURDER OF LOUISE SELLARS
A lorry driver has appeared before Wigan magistrates charged with the murder of 15-year-old Louise Sellars.
Darren Ashurst of Back Lane, Appley Bridge, was remanded in custody until Friday after an application for bail was refused. Wearing a red fleece sweatshirt and blue and white jogging bottoms, Ashurst spoke clearly when he confirmed his name, address and date of birth. For the rest of the 50 minute hearing, the defendant sat slumped in the dock with his arms folded.
His father Joe and girlfriend Selina Carrington were in the public gallery, smiling and signalling to him. He waved to them as he was taken down to the cells. His mother, Esther and Louise's parents Gary and Elaine, were not present at the hearing last Saturday morning.
Ashurst was arrested on Wednesday night and after two days questioning by police was charged with Louise's murder.
The body of the Appley Bridge teenager was found in a field behind Billinge hospital on August 14th 1995- the day after she was reported missing by her parents.
She had been strangled.
ST PATRICK'S GIRLS REUNION
Former playmates from St Patrick's Girls School are being recalled for a reunion- almost half
a century on.
The classes of 1954-1956 are being invited to the get together planned at St Patrick's Social Club
Wellington Street at 7.30pm on March 3rd. A buffet and music will be provided.
The evening is the brainchild of past pupils Mary Stott (nee Penman)
and Maureen Porter (nee McMahon).
Anyone interested should contact either Mary on 01942 235942 or Maureen on 01942 214440.
CITY MOVE LOOMS FOR 'ALE' AND HEARTY PUB CHAIN
A pub firm in Wigan has announced a major new City plan to finance it's dramatic growth.
'Real ale and no discos' champions JD Wetherspoon already boast three showpiece pubs in Wigan and two other exciting new projects are currently under consideration in the borough.
Now they are bidding to raise more than �43m through a new share issue to help speed up the expansion of their estate by offering a further nine million ordinary shares.
Wetherspoons operate The Moon Under Water on Wigan Market Place plus the Sir Thomas Gerard in Ashton.
They have just revealed a scheme to turn a former cinema in Hindley's Market Street into a new pub, which, if approved, could be serving pints by September.
And a scheme could turn their Brocket Arms into Britain's first "Wetherlodge" pub/hotel.
FAMOUS WIGAN PIE SHOP TO CLOSE
Pooles Pies, one of Wigan's best known institutions, has shut down with the loss of more than 100 jobs.
Stunned workers were told told to turn off the ovens at their dozen shops for good at the end of Mondays trading after owners M&A Bakeries-who bought the
famous name from Dave Whelan's Whelco Holding in June 1998-went into liquidation.
More than 100 bakery and shop staff have been made redundant, although
eight workeres have been retained at the Pooles' bakery in Swan Meadow Mills to complete existing orders.
Pooles insiders say Bolton-based rivals, Greenalgh's
Craft Bakery are now bidding to buy the famous name, founded in 1847, which could result in at least half the Wigan shops eventually being re-opened.
However,
neither Greenalgh's nor official receiver Rod Withenshaw of Manchester based HLB Kidsons would comment on the state of negotiations. But a spokesman for the
receivers did say, "M & A Bakeries went into liquidation late on Monday afternoon although the bakery itself is continuing trading in a limited capacity in the
short term to complete existing orders."
Pooles pies was purchased by Dave Whelan in the early 1990s and his later acquisition of Newtown's Rathbones Bakery
gave the product almost a dozen new outlets when the former Rathbones shops were re-named Pooles. Almost two years ago, he sold Pooles to M & A Bakeries a company
formed by Anne Allen, former spouse of building chief Jim Allen, and her business partner who was a former manager at Greenalgh's.
But the
shop premises themselves were only leased to the company and remain the property of Whelco.
The closure is a huge shock to customers
who continued rattling the doors of the darkened shops in disbelief yesterday, as word of the firm's demise spread through the town.
Would-be pie buyer Mrs
Jean Clarkson of Beech Hill said, "This is all very mysterious, if they have closed at least they could have given some warning."
A staff member said, "We were
officially told the shops were closed at 3.45pm on Monday and we don't have a job anymore."
AUTHOR VOWS TO SAVE BLACK GOLD MECCA
An Ashton author is marshallling his troops to fight a controversial museum closure.
Retired teacher,
Ian Winstanley is 'sickened and furious' that cash strapped Salford City Council have proposed closing the Lancashire Mining Museum
at Buile Hill. Ian, of Greenfields Crescent, claims such a move would be a massive insult to the thousands of local men who toiled in Wigan's pits and the many whose
health has been ruined as a consequence in the fight to win energy resources for the nation.
There are a number of exhibits and most of the records from the Wigan
coalfield stored there.
Best known as an author of six books on local pit disasters, with Britains top
mining history website to his credit, Ian is now asking Wigan's former pitmen to join him in fighting the proposals.
He fumed, "No matter what Salford Council's
problems, it is outrageous that they are even considering closing th Lancashire Mining Museum. It's small but dedicated staff worked hard under very difficult circumstances
to rescue what records and artefacts they could and their collection is a well used and valuable resource for our children. There are many schools in the region that make
regular visits to the museum which provides an invaluable curriculum experience. The museum has become the guardian of all that was Lancashire Mining and the Salford City
Council are not taking their responsibilities as guardians of this heritage seriously in considering the closure."
Ian was angry that SCC's recent lottery grant bids for
'millions' for the ambitious Lowry Centre and the Imperial War Museum of the North didn't mention Buile Hill.
He concluded, "Lancashire mining is our heritage and
mining has shaped the Lancashire character, contributed greatly to the national wealth and left a sad legacy of thousands of tragic deaths in the mines.
"A community that
does not treasure it's heritage is a sick community. We have seen the once proud Wigan coal industry destroyed by the pit closures programme and British Coal strip our
landscape of the headgears that stood proud for generations, vandalise them and grind the buildings into dust, all with indecent haste.
"There is also a concerted effort
by British Coal to destroy the records and diminish even the memory of Lancashire mining. I hope we are not going to let Salford council aid and abet them by further wiping
the memory from the history books."
A spokesman for Salford City Council insisted, "Closure of the museum is a budget suggestion and not yet a proposal, never mind a
proposal out to public consultation."
Ian can be contacted on 01942 723675.
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