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ASHTON SET TO TWINKLE
Ashton is to have it's best ever lights display this Christmas. Coloured bulbs, illuminated tableaus, plus artificial and real Christmas trees will be woven together to form a 7,500 pounds winter wonderland in Ashton.
Organisers are confident that their efforts will boost trade in the town, and encourage people to do their Christmas shopping there rather than leaving the district.
The lights, erected by a Kent firm of contractors last weekend, now adorn virtually the whole of Gerard Street, part of Bryn Street and Wigan Road.
The funding for the lights came under the Metro's "Brighter Borough" scheme, where councillors Andrew Bullen, John Hilton and Paul Kirkwood were given 10,000 pounds to spend directly on community environmental issues in their ward. The decision follows a long running campaign by Ashton Community Forum to light up the town more satisfactorily at Christmas.
Spokesman Ian Winstanley said, "Last years lights were, to put it mildly, very disappointing. There have been piecemeal lights put up by various traders in the past but this is a much more co-ordinated approach which I hope the traders will also support
"The lights this year will be a real seasonal treat and should give the town centre a real holiday atmosphere. And they have been purchased for the people of Ashton so at the end of Christmas they will be put into storage for us to use every year."
Green's supermarket and Mad Jacks Irish bar, as well as other individual traders will also be contributing their own illuminations to add to the general festivities. The whole lot will be switched on in mid-November, and will remain twinkling from 3pm to 11pm each evening until Christmas Eve.
ALMOST GONE
The Douglas Stand is now all that remains standing at Central Park. The 97-yr-old ground has been reduced to
to a pile of rubble and just a small section of the Douglas Stand. The Popular stand, Spion Kop, pavilion end, and the famous pitch are already history.
The
trees that screened the Douglas Stand from Central Park way have been removed to make way for Tesco's access road and gives an unhindered view of the sad demise of
the grand old lady to drivers and passers-by.
The four week-old project, is expected to take another six weeks to complete, with clearance and levelling work
needed before construction on the supermarket can begin.
The artist's impression pictured shows Tesco's revised plan for the building, the original plan was
rejected by councillors because it was not a fitting building to be erected on such a historic site! One can only imagine what the original must have looked like!
TIBET WALK RAISES MONEY FOR CHARITY
Two Wiganers are back home after raising 4,000 pounds for charity having completed a challenging trek across Tibet.
45 year old Bob Short of Standish and 47 year old Norman Welch of Hindley Green, had to raise 4,000 to take part in this trip of a lifetime, which changed route at the eleventh hour because of the outbreak of hostilities between Pakistan and India, which centred on Kashmir.
The two friends were part of a 110-strong party who spent 40 hours (spread over six days) exploring the Garwhal region and tracing the source of the Holy River Ganges deep into the Himalayas. They shared their trail with Llamas and shepherds, hugging the foot of the Himalayas, meeting the cheeerful and hospitable locals and visiting Buddhist monasteries to learn more of their way of life.
The pair returned home leaner, wiser and certainly more appreciative of the incredibly comfortable lifestyle even the most hard-up of us in the west enjoy compared with the sub-continent.
And the first thing they did on their arrival back in Wigan?
"Steak pudding, chips and mushy peas and two buttered barmcakes from Farrimonds chippy-absolutely wonderful." said Bob.
TEENAGER DIES IN HORRIFIC CRASH
Teenager Matthew Gale has died after suffering multiple injuries when he was flung through the windscreen of a car.
15 year-old Matthew was
travelling in the back seat of a Ford Escort car when the driver lost control and overturned before colliding with a lampost.
Matthew was thrown out of the car into the path of an oncoming
vehicle which hit him while he was lying in the carriageway. Two other passengers, including a 20 year-old girl from Standish who received chest injuries were also hurt in the smash, which happened
in Coppull in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Police say 19 year-old Robert David Wood, the driver of the car in which the teenager was travelling, was detained on suspicion of causing death
by dangerous driving and was released on police bail.
The car was travelling along Coppull New Road at 4.15am on Saturday carrying Matthew and his two friends Reagan Brady of School Lane Standish
and 21 year-old Paul Gaughan from Haigh Close Coppull.
Mr Wood, of Dickens Road Coppull tried to overtake the car in front of him at high speed but lost control and overturned before colliding
with the lampost. The driver of the other vehicle, Michael John Barnard was treated for shock.
Matthew's parents were being comforted at their home where they were too upset to speak.
Insp
Alan Frangleton of Chorley police said, "It appears that the first vehicle had been travelling towards Chorley when the second vehicle overtook it at excessive speed. Vehicle two lost control and
collided with a lampost. On impact, the deceased, a rear seat passenger, was thrown from the vehicle into the Coppull bound carriageway. Vehicle one then collided with the deceased."
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