Our City Issue 04

OurCityISSUE 4: MAY 2008

Western Edition

Kerbsidechallenge aswe all gogreenSEE CENTRE PAGES

CENTRE PAGES

WIN one of 20 homecomposters

WIN one of 20 homecomposters

City tohost Tourof Britain cycle race

SEE PAGE SIX

Our City (Local Matters Western) p1 1/5/08 15:43 Page 1

OurCit

y2 Our City M AY 2 0 0 8

Our City is printed on 100 per centrecycled paper. When you havefinished with this publicationplease help the environment bypassing it on to a friend or put itin your recycle blue bag.

BLOOMING brides areturning to the citycouncil for advice onfloral displays andbouquets for their bigday.

Greenhouse 2000 –based at Festival Park –will either grow or orderthe plants and flowersneeded to make a superbwedding display.

Florist Annette Fordruns the service whichhas provided displays forhundreds of eventsincluding royal visits tothe city. Greenhouse2000 has a special roomwhere brides andgrooms-to-be can seethe range available tomake their dreams cometrue. Cut flowers areavailable to purchasewhile larger displays,including palms and baytrees, can be hired.

Annette, picturedamong some of herfloral creations, said:“We can offer any styleof display fromtraditional to exotic andour service includes allthe bouquets anddisplays included in afull bridal package.”

For more informationcontact Annette on235068.

A TRAVEL users group hassingled out Stoke-on-TrentCity Council as a shiningexample when it comes topublic transport.

ACES, whose membershipincludes more than 100North Staffordshire bus users,has been highly impressed bythe service provided.

Selwyn Brown, co-ordinatorfor ACES, wrote: “Of all thecouncils, it is Stoke-on-Trentthat has proved to be the mostefficient, helpful andresponsible in terms of publictransport.

“It responds readily toquestions and criticisms andhas been involved in manyareas of improvement. Whycan’t all councils be thatgood?”

The city council works withall bus operators in the areaand much has been done interms of co-ordinatingpassenger transportinformation, plus theintroduction of otherinnovative schemes.

John Nichol, the citycouncil’s Transport andPlanning Manager, said: “Webrought in the Smart Ticket,which enables passengers to

combine journeys withdifferent operators.

“The text messaging servicefrom bus stops is also beingwell received. We’ve almostbecome like a one-stop travelguide and we are pleased withthe good work we’ve done sofar. What we must do now isbuild on that in the future.”

● Over 60s and thedisabled can apply for a freeride on any bus at any time in

Staffordshire, and the sameoff peak in the rest ofEngland.

The perk is part of anationwide scheme to giveboth groups free travel offpeak, but Staffordshireauthorities have raised the barby making peak time travelfree as well.

To apply for the pass,telephone PassengerTransport on 235995.

Travel users praise city as

a shining example

Give us your feedback on thisissue of Our City by [email protected] or write to:FREEPOST Our City– next issue out July 12

Displaysthat makebrides’dreamscome true

OUR City prescribed the perfect tonic forreader William Stephens while recovering inhospital from an operation – the news thathe had won his council tax FREE for one year.

That was the great competition prizeoffered in our last issue to everyone wholives in Stoke-on-Trent – and the entry fromMr Stephens, aged 84, of Chell Heath, was thefirst correct one drawn out of the hat.

Readers were asked to name the newpublic/private sector joint venture companyresponsible for the maintenance of citycouncil homes and public buildings in Stoke-on-Trent.

The response was tremendous, and likemany of the entries that poured in, MrStephens came up with the correct answer:Kier Stoke.

With the entries came useful feedback onwhat you think of the magazine, pluspositive ideas to help shape the futurecontent of the publication.

The lucky winner, for instance, describedOur City as “clear and pleasing,” while mostof the others were also impressed with howit looked and its contents. Many others alsosaid they enjoyed the magazine. Typicalcomments were:

� Very bright and colourful and easy to read. Lovethe layout, it beats the local papers and hassome interesting stories and certainly makesyou feel proud to be living in Stoke-on-Trent.

� A great magazine – it shows our city is

moving forward in the right direction.

� Bright, colourful and an enjoyable andinformative read.

� Thank you for a really good magazine.

I was really impressed by the content

and presentation.

� It is refreshingly positive in contrast to the localpress. I found it to be a celebration of ourupwardly mobile city.

Reader Anne Strek, of Burslem, was movedto put her thoughts into verse:

Eye catching format,With a rich local theme,Interesting, informative,No wonder I’m keen.

Our City prizejust the tonicfor lucky reader

COMPETITIONWINNER:reader WilliamStephens, who wonhis council tax forthe year.

�

Our City p2 1/5/08 15:45 Page 1

M AY 2 0 0 8 Our City 3

IT’S little wonder that Chris Simskeeps his office desk remarkablyfree of paperwork. For his

headline grabbing crusade againstred tape, form filling andperformance targets is helping toshape the future of policing in 21stcentury Britain.

When he returned to Staffordshire lastautumn as the county’s Chief Constable,the man once in charge of policingStoke-on-Trent city centre declared war onbureaucracy and has freed up more time forhis officers to spend with victims of crimeand other people who need their help.

Mr Sims’s Big Bang Approach (hisdescription) has impressed the PrimeMinister – who visited the Stafford-basedforce HQ to see how it works for himself – aswell as the Home Secretary who paid aCommons tribute to his “excellent work.”

For instance, the introduction of radicalnew ways of recording crime is cuttingpaperwork for the county’s front line officersby a staggering 40,000 hours a year – 40,000more hours they can spend in thecommunities they serve.

Incident reports that used to fill 15 pagesnow often run to just one – though officerscan still produce a 15 pager, but only ifthe case warrants such detail.

Fewer case filesThe annual activity analysis – a

time and motion type box tickingexercise to record each officer’stypical working day – has gone; there’sa shorter way of recording road accidentsand some cases of domestic violence; andStaffordshire is piloting a different approachto criminal investigations, with officersrequired to complete fewer case files.

In addition, Staffordshire Police has led thenational debate on tackling unnecessarybureaucracy with a major contribution onthat issue to Sir Ronnie Flannagan’s recentReview on Policing, the basis of aforthcoming Government Green Paper on thefuture of policing in England and Wales.

It was his previous post as deputy chiefexecutive of police policy body, the NationalPolicing Improvement Agency, that motivatedMr Sims’ mission to cut red tape. A group hechaired to tackle bureaucracy simply gotbogged down by its own bureaucracy!

He said: “Returning to Staffordshire afternine years I found bureaucracy wasconstraining officers in terms of having notime to do more useful things. It constrainedthem in being able to use their own discretionand constrained them in decision making.

“So I drew up a contract under which Ipledged to reduce bureaucracy and createspace for my officers in terms of time and

discretion.In return myofficers had todeliver a betterservice for thepeople ofStaffordshire.

“We have led the way oncrime recording and shownthat our approach gives ourofficers more time to spend withpeople and gives them thediscretion to respond in the waythey think best.”

Mr Sims added: “We are also getting awayfrom the regime of nationalperformance-driven targets which are notnecessarily the way in which the people ofStoke-on-Trent want us to perform. Instead,

our officers concentrate on the issuesthat matter most to the communities they

serve.”Now officers based at Longton police

station are helping to combat the form-fillingculture by taking part in a national pilotmobile data scheme. Front line officers useBlackberry-like devices no bigger than amobile phone to receive information andinput their own data while on the move.

TechnologyThis provides far more in-depth

intelligence about a case they are out on thana radio message could possibly convey, whilealso saving paperwork back at the station. It’shoped that Government funding willeventually make this technology availablethroughout the Force.

Mr Sims has happy memories of his time asDivisional Commander for Hanley. Duringhis watch, city centre regeneration saw thestart of the Cultural Quarter andpedestrianisation. He was also closelyinvolved with Single Regeneration Budget(SRB) initiatives at Bentilee that havedrastically reduced crime such as burglaries.

He said: “Staffordshire has been verysuccessful in reducing crime over a longperiod of time – especially in Stoke-on-Trentwhere crime reduction is particularlyimpressive.

“The difficulty has been convincing peoplethat this is the case, but I hope that theincreased time officers are now spending inthe community will help to dispel people’sperception and fear of crime.” ■

TIMELORD Dr Who isbringing his Tardis back toStoke-on-Trent – 20 yearsafter his last visit.

The Gladstone PotteryMuseum, in Longton, wastransformed into a set forthe hit sci-fi TV series in thelate eighties, when twoepisodes, featuring ColinBaker as the Doctor andTerry Molloy as Davros,leader of the Daleks, werefilmed.

On Sunday May 18 bothactors are returning to thesite for the museumsGladstone Doctor Who Day.

Throughout the daythere will be autographsignings, question andanswer sessions and photoopportunities.

Costumed charactersfrom the show, a Tardis andK9 will also be on display.

There will be craftworkshops, and also adalek trail around theMuseum.

The event will be heldfrom 10am – 5pm andadmission is by ticket only,available from Gladstoneon 01782 237777.

A recent Dr Who Day atthe City Central Librarybroke all attendance andjoining records.

PEOPLE have been warnedof bogus charity collectionsafter residents contactedthe council’s consumeradvice team to report flyersappealing for clothing andhousehold linen to bedistributed to poor familiesin Eastern Europe. Inreality, the collections areorganised by commercialoperators who sell thedonated items for profit.

Bogus charitycollections

ON THE BEAT:Chris Sims, centre,in Longton with PC Frank Flannigantalking to residentAhmed Mahfooz.

Chief declares war onneedless paperwork

TEARING UPUNNECESSARY

BUREAUCRACY...Staffordshire Chief

Constable Chris Simsis leading a crusade

against needless form-filling.

Dr Who travelsback in timeto Gladstone

Our City p3 1/5/08 15:56 Page 1

4 Our City M AY 2 0 0 8

RESIDENTS in Stoke-on-Trentare being urged to help combatthe nuisance caused by intruderalarms that are faulty oraccidentally set off.

The aim is get allhouseholders whose homes areprotected by alarms to registercontact details and those of twokey holders so that alarms canbe switched off quickly if thereis no-one in the house at thetime.

Complaints about alarms thatgo off when they shouldn’t haveincreased in recent years asmore and more properties havebeen fitted with the securitysystems.

Now the city council isinviting people to complete aregistration form with thedetails needed for thehouseholder to be entered on acentral register. This means thatin the event of a complaintabout an alarm causing a noisenuisance, council officials canphone a named key holder andalert them to the problem.

If no-one can be found to dealwith an alarm that is soundingand causing a statutorynuisance, environmental healthofficers have to serve anabatement notice and may haveto obtain a warrant to enter theproperty so the offendingdevice can be cut off.

Jayne Hawe, PrincipalEnvironmental Health Officerwith the Investigation Team,said:“The register already exists,but there are thousands ofhouseholders who could be onit that are not.

“It saves everyone a lot oftime, trouble, annoyance andmoney if we can contact a keyholder to enter the house andswitch off the alarm.”

To obtain a registration formphone 232065 or [email protected]

MEET the PC witha pocket-sizedPC, the latest

cutting edge technologybeing used in the frontlinefight against crime.Staffordshire Policeofficers have beenequipped with the hi-tech,hand-held devices to helpthem in their duties asthey patrol the streets.

As well as cutting down onpaperwork, they areable to access vitaldatabases and records,and the Personal DigitalAssistants (PDAs) arealso set to be linkedto the city council’sCCTV surveillancecameras.

It means officerswill be able to takeadvantage of theinteractive link toaccess video clipsfrom any of the 190cameras throughoutStoke-on-Trent.

There are approximately 160devices in use, the majority are inthe Longton area of the city withseveral also being used in otherareas such as Tunstall, Stoke andHanley.

Increased visibility

PC Wayne Elden, of theMobile Data Project Team, said:“The PDA has and will make asignificant difference to frontlineofficers.

“It allows them access toStaffordshire Police systemswhile out on the streets of Stoke-on-Trent where the publicwant to see them. It still allowsthem to carry out the tasks thatare required by the Force’spolicies and procedures – such asdirectly transmitting crimereports from the scene.

“Its primary use is to increasethe visibility of officers on the

streets of Stoke-on-TrentDivision and some officers havemade arrests as a result ofcarrying out checks on the PDAwhile with the person.

“An officer recently made anarrest of a male in the Longtonarea who had been wanted bythe police for six months, andafter carrying out checks on hisdevice the person was arrested.Without the PDA, the personcould have otherwise got awayagain.”

He added: “Access to citycouncil CCTV footage is at thefinal evaluation stage and steps

are being taken to link up withthe CCTV centre.

“It works by the operatorcapturing images from CCTVcameras around the city and thensending them to the PDA forofficers to view while en route toincidents or during routineinvestigations.”

Staffordshire Police is one offour forces nationwide takingpart in pioneering trials with thepocket PCs, which are savingtime and money. The force is alsoworking towards assisting withthe Prime Minister’s promise todeliver 10,000 PDAs to frontline

policing by the end of 2008.PC Elden added: “The trials

started 18 months ago and over180 officers across the city nowhave the computers.

“The technology enables directaccess to all sorts of policerecords and information,allowing officers to make checksand write reports withoutreturning to the station.”

Images will be used foridentification purposes ONLYand deleted once the incident hasbeen filed unless the image isrequired for evidence in court ata later date. ■

Initiative tosilence falsehome alarms

CCTV clips to be transmitted to

bobbies on frontline

PC TonyGodwin on

patrol in the citycentre with his

pocket-sizedcomputer.

Our City p4 1/5/08 16:05 Page 1


FORWARD planning led to asmooth transfer of operationswhen Kier Stoke took over themaintenance of publicbuildings and city councilhomes. During the first monthof the new 10-year agreement,a seamless service wasmaintained with Kier Stokecompleting 1,881 emergencyjobs and 3,921 non-emergencyjobs.

More than 200 vans carryingthe Kier Stoke logo hit thestreets and the Cromer Roaddepot at Northwood has beengiven a new look.

Janet Lee, the city council’sCommunications Officer forRegeneration, said:“Kier Stokehave also introduced morechoice of external doors.Wooden doors have beenphased out and better qualitycomposite doors introduced.Tenants will enjoy the benefitsof the extra security and choicein design.”

New style electric fire suitesand surrounds have also beenapproved.

Seamlesstransfer ofoperations

Bypass bringsbig benefits

ACHALLENGE tothe people of thePotteries is the key

to the next step ofStoke-on-Trent’stransformation, accordingto the man who led thecouncil from “the lastchance saloon” to beingthe toast of Governmentquality watchdogs.

There’s no complacency here;but there is lots of pride inturning the city council roundfrom the UK’s worst to its mostimproved, and a coveted threestar status this year.

But forgive Chief ExecutiveSteve Robinson if thechampagne corks don’t pop justyet. He has thrown down thegauntlet to the public and thecity council’s partners to goforward together with “theenergy to drive change.”

Steve points to new ways ofworking and a new partnershipof councils, the public sector,local companies, voluntary andcommunity groups and localpeople as the city’s saviours afterdecades of Stoke-on-Trent beinga poor relation.

“There’s no doubtregeneration has been lacking forsome time,” he said. “There’sbeen too much bureaucracy andtension between the localauthorities.

“If we are to promote the areait has to be North Staffordshireas a whole. We have put in placea partnership with real powerand real clout to buy properties,buy land, invest, bring indevelopers, and free up thewheels of bureaucracy to move it

on.” Steve’s local governmentmantra is simple: “Provide valuefor money and keep council taxdown.”

The rise to three star status –showing big improvements in keyservices like housing benefit,children and young people’sservices and housing – wasachieved while the city councilsimultaneously cut its costs by10 per cent, or £20 million.

Community pride

The council tax rise for2008/09 has been pegged toinflation, and the council isaiming for that target for theforeseeable future.

So the challenge is to continuethese improvements whileharnessing community pride tohelp speed the pace of recovery.

Steve said: “If we are reallygoing to make this work and belong lasting we need to give ourresidents a sense of pride in theircity. There is an issue that we dotalk ourselves down.We have great thingshere, a great attitude,great people andgreat pride but wedon’t shout about itenough.

“We also have tobehave in a positive

way. An example is the massiveamount of money that we spendcleaning up after residentsbecause they don’t have enoughpride in their area to do itthemselves.

“People have to start takingresponsibility for their way of liferather than just thinking it’s thecouncil’s job to do it.”

The people of Stoke-on-Trentare already having a majorimpact on improving quality oflife in the city. An example isOperation Nemesis, organisedjointly by the city council,Staffordshire Police police andhealth services, which hasremoved dozens of drug dealingcriminals from the streets, whilesupporting the communitiesaround them... all with help frompeople living in those neighbour-hoods.

Steve said:“It’s been atremendous

success and is an example of acity working together to make adifference.”

Steering the city is a huge job,with hundreds of other issuescompeting for the chief ’sattention, including the “smallmatters” of replacing thecouncil’s 20 year old IT system,continuing to strengthen politicalleadership and crusading todevelop better management at alllevels and across the board.

“There are not many councilsin the UK that have achievedwhat Stoke-on-Trent hasachieved in the last 12 months,”he said.

“When we started out on thisjourney we really were drinkingin the last chance saloon. NowI’d ask everyone in the city tojoin up and help us reach thenext stage.

“It isn’t just about what ourcity can do for you... it’s alsoabout what you can do for ourcity!” ■

Working together is key to

continued progress

TRAFFIC congestion in Tunstalltown centre is set to be relievedwhen the Northern Bypassopens at the end of May.

Unrecorded mine shaftsdating back to the 1800s andpockets of contaminated landhave caused considerableproblems.

But 16 months of work isnearing completion and trafficwill soon be flowing on the0.75 mile (1.2km) bypass, whichlinks Chell to Sandyford.

David Stubbs, the city council’sGroup Manager for Highways,Policies and Programmes, saidthe road will provide animportant link, connecting theA527, A50, A500 and M6.

He said:“The high volumes oftraffic passing through Tunstalltown centre cause congestionand reduces the quality of thelocal environment.

“The Northern Bypass willimprove the reliability ofjourneys for all road users in thatarea, including faster and moredirect bus services.”

David said the new roadwould also have regenerationand wider economic benefits byopening up land fordevelopment and employment.

OUT AND ABOUT... City councilChief Executive Steve Robinson is

pictured during a visit to see at firsthand projects at the local authority’s

Weston Coyney Training Centre. Here,he chats with trainee Kayleigh Marshall

who is taking a Smart Start course.

Steve Robinson talks to SmartStart course trainees MatthewAlexander, left, and David Nixon.The course boosts basic skills andhelps young people intoemployment.

Our City p5 1/5/08 16:17 Page 1


INFESTED by wasps a little early this year? Blame global warming.

Rising temperatures encourage rodents and creepy crawlies to breed quicker, and pest control experts reportbreakouts of rats and wasps this spring.

Officers were even called out to deal with an infestation of ants – normally a summer job– during the snow and hail of easter weekend.It makes you shiver!

Cartoons that madethe Potteries laugh

My brother’s idle

THE old saying “Dust no? Thee’s a grate neouwexeebishun on dine the Pottrees Musayum?”

By means of translation: Three Decades ofwork by Staffordshire cartoonist, the late DaveFollows, is featured in a colourful show at thePotteries Museum and Art Gallery. Famouscharacters from the much-loved May un MarLady strip feature in the show, organised byDave’s family to celebrate his life and work.

As well as cartoons that featured in nationalnewspapers and formed the basis for children’sTV shows, the exhibition also features tongue incheek work he did to promote council andhealth services in Stoke-on-Trent, like the oneabove.

The exhibition runs until June 29.

STOKE-on-Trentwill welcomeworld class

cyclists to the citystreets when the UK’spremier cycle racereturns to the area forthe first time in 18years.

The route for the 2008Tour of Britain wasannounced recently at theLondon Transport Museumand Stoke-on-Trent wasnamed as a host.

The city will host thefinishing of stage four, whichruns from Worcester to theheart of Stoke-on-Trent onWednesday September 10

Some of the worlds topprofessional cyclists take partin the Tour of Britain andaround 100 riders will race into Stoke-on-Trent CityCentre at the end of the 90mile route, which begins inWorcester.

The city last hosted therace in 1990, and hosted theMilk Race and Kelloggs Raceon several occasions. It was ahuge success at a time whenthe area was experiencing acycling boom.

Hotbed of cyclingCycling remains very

popular in the city with morepeople cycling to work thanever before, taking advantageof the 100km of cycle andwalking routes within thecity.

It is expected Britishcyclists will do very well inthis year's Olympic Games inBeijing, leading tounprecedented levels ofinterest in the sport.

Paul Rowlands, from theTour of Britain, added: “It isfantastic that Stoke-on-Trenthas come on board with theTour of Britain this year.

“Stoke-on-Trent has beena hotbed of cyclingthroughout the years andhome to some of the greatnames of British cyclinghistory.

“I am from the area andremember watching the MilkRace in the city. That wasalways a huge success and Iknow this year’s stage will be

a huge success as well.The people of Stoke-on-

Trent love their cycling andtheir sport and will come outin their numbers to showtheir support.”

City cycling Olympiclegend, Les West, said: “TheTour of Britain is coming tothe city and that is greatnews for local cycling, greatfor local people and great forStoke-on-Trent.”

Les won the Milk Racetwice in the sixties andrepresented Great Britain inthe Mexico Olympics in1968. Les lives in SneydGreen, Stoke-on-Trent and isstill racing – and winning –even though he is in his 60’s.

The Tour will begin with arace around the streets ofLondon, featuring some ofthe great landmarks of thecapital, on SundaySeptember 7 and finishes inLiverpool a week later,completing over 1,000kilometres throughout thecountry.

Elected Mayor MarkMeredith added: “Iremember watching the MilkRace when it came throughthe streets of Stoke-on-Trent,as will thousands of otherpeople.

It was really inspiring tosee an internationally famousevent come to my city.

“I am proud that we will,

once again, host a stage ofthis fantastic event and Iknow the people of this citywill come and enjoy the day.”

A number of events areplanned for the day, with thefinale being the finish of theTour outside Hanley TownHall on the afternoon ofWednesday September 10.

Full details of the route,and an itinerary of the day'sevents, will be available in thenext issue of Our City. ■

THE organiser of a Sportsmen’s Dinner, whichhad former Stoke City legend Denis Smith asthe main speaker, was left feeling distinctlyoffside by a telephone caller who wanted twotickets

“Can we sit at the front please, my brother’sidle,”added the caller.

“Well if he’s idle,” said the organiser, ”wecan put him at the back, because it’s closer tothe bar. He won’t have as far to walk.”

“No,” protested the caller.“I said we want tosit at the front because Denis is my brother’sidol.”

I know the feeling... sometimes you justwish the ground would open up.

City plays host to top

cycling spectacle

Ants for all seasons

THEAGONY AND

THE ECSTACY!Action from a

dramatic finish in last year’s

Tour of Britain.

Our City p6 1/5/08 16:09 Page 1

LOCALMATTERS

In the wards of Burslem South, Northwood & Birches Head, Hanley West and Shelton.


HEALTH CENTRESBedford House 01782 425000

Burslem 01782 525700

Cobridge 01782 525893

Hanley 01782 425120

For more information and advice onhealth issues please call NHS Direct

on

0845 46 47or visit www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk

or www.nhs.uk

£8m health centre built atheart of the community

Birthplaceplaque on showLORD Mayor Bagh Aliunveiled a plaquecommemorating thebirthplace of Potteriesnovelist Arnold Bennettwhich has beenincorporated in a newhousing development.

The brass plaque –originally laid in HopeStreet, Hanley, in 1931, ayear after Bennett’s death –now forms part of theentrance to a new hostel forhomeless people.

It was rescued when theformer Five Towns Cafe wasdemolished to make way forthe hostel, which was builtby the Brighter FuturesHousing Association.

Members of the ArnoldBennett Society, many inperiod costume, were joinedby Bennett’s grandson,Monsieur Denis Eldin, at theceremony.

Taking pain outof prescriptionsPAPER prescriptions willsoon be a thing of the pastthanks to a new schemefrom Stoke-on-Trent PrimaryCare Trust.

GPs can now give anelectronic prescription witha bar code instead ofwriting.

This can be scanned bythe pharmacist to see whatdrugs are needed.

The PCT is leading the wayin the West Midlands withthe number of GPs using thenew system.

Ninety five per cent ofGPs and 87 per cent ofpharmacies are alreadyapproved to use the newelectronic system.

THE keys have been handed overfor the new £8million SheltonPrimary Care Centre which

will transform patient care in thearea.

It will bring together a wide range of healthand care services under one roof includingthree different GP practices currently workingfrom converted residential premises in thecommunity (Queen Anne Street Surgery,Snow Hill Medical Centre, Wellesley StreetSurgery).

It also provides midwifery, psychiatricnursing, district nursing, family planning,health visiting, podiatry, child health, minor

surgery, asylum-seeker and refugee medicalscreening, cervical cytology screening,phlebotomy, chronic disease management,speech and language therapy, outpatientservices from secondary care (with a focus ondiabetes) and a new pharmacy.

The handover ceremony involved the keys tothe centre being presented to Ian Gibson,Head of Planning at Stoke-on-Trent PrimaryCare Trust by Campbell Boyle, Chair of Prima200, the Local Improvement Finance Trust(LIFT) Company for the North Staffordshirearea which is funding the improvements. Thiswill enable the team of professionals due tooccupy the building to begin equipping andsetting up the centre ready to open its doors to

patients in mid May.Ian Gibson said: “It is excellent to be

standing outside the new centre receiving thekeys and knowing that we are now only weeksaway from opening our doors to the public.

“The centre really will transform health andsocial care services in the local community.Having so many services under one roof andbeing in modern purpose-built premisesshould make life so much better for patientsand staff.”

Campbell Boyle added: “It will not onlydramatically improve the patient experiencebut it has also made a real contribution to theregeneration of this part of Shelton, whichshould benefit the wider community.

KEY OF THE DOOR... Ian Gibson, Head of Planning at Stoke-on-Trent Primary Care Trust receives the keys to the new SheltonHealth Centre from Campbell Boyle, Chair of Prima 200.

A NEW generationof gardeners is setto take root at theallotments site onTurner Street withschool pupils sharing thesoil with older planters.

Students from Birches Head HighSchool are working on designs forraised beds and a shed on the site,and will carry out the work underthe guidance of the UddesfieldAllotment Committee.

Rob Smith, Extended ServicesManager at Birches Head, said: “Thestudents involved in this project have

already shownthat they havean interest and

practical skills forgardening byworking on the

school’s allotment.”The allotments site

boasts roughly 77 occupied plotsgrowing everything from carrots andcourgettes to olives and artichokes.Members also keep racing pigeonson the site, housed in wooden lofts.

The school involvement, set up bythe Hope Children’s Centre, comesin tandem with a security boost to

the site in the form of fresh locks onthe entrance.

Elaine Smith, Secretary of theAllotments Committee, said:“Working on a plot is a good way tostay fit and produce healthy naturalfood.”

If the scheme is successfulorganisers hope to extend it to otherschools and youth groups in thearea.

Rob Smith said: “The idea is to get different generations to engagewith each other in a way thatenhances both their social andpractical skills.”

Students rise to the cultivation challenge



PUPILS throughout the city are teachingthe people of

Stoke-on-Trent animportant lesson in how toprotect the environmentthrough the Eco-Schoolsprogramme.

The youngsters are leading theway by developing their own greenprojects to make their schoolsmore energy efficient andeco-friendly, showing how othersin the community can make adifference.

Their efforts will be showcasedat an event, hosted by the citycouncil at the Kings Hall, Stoke,on Wednesday June 11 whenteaching staff, governors and pupilrepresentatives from all the city’sschools can find out about thewide ranging support that’savailable for the eco-schoolschemes.

Public transportPupils at a number of schools in

the city have already come up withtheir own environmental plans.They include energy savinginitiatives like ensuring lights andelectrical items are turned offwhen not in use and water taps arenot left running.

The young people have alsolooked at other issues, such as theuse of chemical pesticides andherbicides by ground staff, litter,recycling paper and other wastematerials, composting and the useof public transport instead of carsfor the journey to and from school.

On hand at the inter-activeEco-Schools event will be expertsand professionals to advise on howpupil projects can be set up, withinput from environmentalists,curriculum advisors, transport

planning representatives and manymore. Tracy Brennan, a member ofthe Corporate Communicationsteam in the Chief Executive’sDirectorate, who is organising theevent, said: “The initiatives are allpupil-led, with the support andresources provided by teachingstaff, the city council and ourstrategic partners.

“The programme developsacademic achievement by teaching

essential life skills such asleadership, independence andverbal reasoning, and it turns drylesson topics into engagingprojects, making learning creativeand fun.

“It also enables the city councilto engage with schools to deliverbetter services, improve thecleanliness of communities, hitrecycling targets and even reduceanti social behaviour.

“What the pupils are doing alsoinspires us all to do our bit toreduce our carbon footprint andbecome more environmentallyaware.”

● Anyone interested inattending the Eco-Schools event iswelcome to drop in between 10amand 5pm (there will be a break forlunch between midday and 1pm).For more details contact TracyBrennan on 01782 236937.

Phone hotline to report anti social behaviour

Introducing the CivilEnforcement WardensTRAFFIC Wardens are no more – after new legislationwas introduced to alter the image of one of the mostdisliked professions we know.

The perception of wardens scouring car parks andtaking pleasure in slapping tickets on drivers’windscreens as a council cash cow is being challenged.

A Government consultation drive, carried outnationwide, has resulted in a new job description of CivilEnforcement Warden, pictured above.

And the Traffic Management Act has also ordered aswifter service to public inquiries and fairer levels ofparking fines aimed at helping traffic flow.

Michael Clarke, the city council’s Interim ParkingManager, said:“The new measures are intended to befairer, more effective and transparent. The Governmentwant to end the cloak and dagger image of trafficwardens. The focus now is more on road safety andkeeping traffic moving rather than going around carparks and sticking tickets to windscreens.

“Councils also have to reply to letters from membersof the public regarding parking tickets in no more than21 days and in some cases within 14 days.”

Parking fines of £60, reduced to £30 if paid within 14days, used to be the same for motorists whose tickethad ran overtime on a car park as if they had parked onyellow lines or caused an obstruction.

New fines have now reduced the car park category to£50 (£25) and lifted the fines for what are nowrecognised as more serious offences to £70 (£35).

A 24 hour hotline has been launched to help win thebattle against anti social behaviour in Stoke-on-Trent.

Police and the city council want residents to be theireyes and ears by calling the freephone number 0800561 5610. Calls requiring urgent action will beforwarded by the council’s Stoke-on-Call contact centreto the emergency services.

Non-urgent calls will be passed on to the relevantpolice or city council departments. The helpline is part ofthe Stoke Won’t Stand for It campaign which aims toclamp down on behaviour like dropping litter, grafitti,drug and alcohol related nuisance, excessive noise,threatening behaviour, swearing and abusive language.

Cllr Joan Bell, Council Portfolio holder for Public Safety,said:“People have asked us to make anti socialbehaviour a priority and this is one way we can helpthem. The new service is a first for this area and one ofonly a handful in the country. It will boost publicconfidence and show how determined we are to beatthis problem.”

HERE’S your chance tohelp the environmentand make your gardenbloom by winning oneof 20 home compostbins in our great easy-to-enter competition.

The neat circular bins willtake up to 220 litres of yourgreen waste and withinnine months turn it intoorganic compost ready touse on your garden beds,borders and vegetablepatches.

These great prizes, whicheach retail for £27.99, arebeing offered to mark therecent Compost AwarenessWeek which was supportedby Stoke-on-Trent CityCouncil. Waste that isrecycled now will be readyfor next year’s plantingseason.

The 88 cm high binscreate highly nutritiouscompost from veg peelings,fruit waste, dead flowers,tea bags, plant prunings,spent plant compost, grasscuttings, cardboard eggboxes, scrunched upnewspaper, fallen treeleaves, shredded paper,crushed egg shells andmuch more.

With each bin comeinstructions on how tostore waste inside in orderto achieve the best results.

All you have to do isanswer a simple question –the answer to which can befound in the magazine. Thequestion is:

What is the colour ofthe wheelie bin forgarden waste?

Send your entries toCompost Bin Competition,FREEPOST, Our City, oremail: [email protected] Monday June 16.

The first 20 correctentries drawn out of the hatwin the prize. The Editor’sdecision is final and thewinners will be announcedin the next issue of Our City.

Even if you don’t scoop aprize, you can still be awinner by purchasing your220 litre compost bin fromthe city council at a specialdiscount price of £17, a 330litre bin for £20 or a 250litre KOMP bin for £40 – allwith free delivery.

For details log on tostoke.gov.uk/composting

Win one of20 gardencompostersup for grabsin our funcompetition

WE REALLY DIG IT!Working on the new allotmentat Oakhill Primary School areeco-pupils Kane Skelding,Katie Purcell and Josh Pedley.


MORE and more people inStoke-on-Trent are gettingthe kerbside habit –leaving out recyclablewaste in appropriatecontainers for fortnightlycollections.

The increasing amountof waste being disposed ofin this eco-friendly waythroughout the city is

encouraging – but morepeople could do their bitby using the service.

Green bins are providedfor glass bottles and jars,cans and clean foil, the bluebag is for newspapers, junkmail, directories andcatalogues and the whitebag is for textiles, while thebrown wheelie bin takes

garden waste such as grasscuttings (not food waste),general household rubbishshould be put in the greywheelie bin.

Meanwhile, the goodnews for those who use theHanford recycling facility isthat the roadway to the siteand the site lay-out is soonto be improved.

Recent months haveseen the roll out of wheeliebins to terraced propertiesin Stoke-on-Trent, meaningthat most people in the citynow have wheelie bins. Aseries of roadshows gaveresidents the opportunityto discuss the bins beforethey were introduced.

Communication OfficerHilary Hampton said:“ Thewheelie bins havegenerally been very wellreceived. Most peopleunderstand they keep ourcity cleaner and tidier.

“The standard sizedwheelie bin is sufficient tohold waste from mosthouseholds, but larger binsare available for residentswho need them.”

If you need a largerwheelie bin please call234234.

Meet the mum from Bentilee who was a recyclingchampion long before recycling became fashionable

IF everyone was like Kath Hughesand her family, Britain would nothave a waste disposal problem.

The mother of two from Bentileehas recycled just about all herhousehold rubbish and unwanteditems for the past 15 years – longbefore most of us became aware ofterms like “landfill sites,”“greenhouse gases” or “globalwarming.”

The Hughes family discoveredhow they could help theenvironment while on holiday inJersey where there was a wasteincinerator, bottle banks andcollecting points for plastics andcartons – facilities then largelyunheard of on the UK mainland.

Back home in Stoke-on-TrentKath and her husband Rob followedthe example of the eco-friendlyChannel Islanders and recycled herfamily’s household waste wheneverpossible.

Family traditionIn addition their unwanted

clothes and other re-saleable itemslike ornaments went to a Longtoncharity shop run by a close familyfriend. Now the city’s ownpioneering recycle superstars havean eco-friendly way of getting rid ofmost of their waste. Kath and Rob’sgrown-up children Robert and Lisa,who live nearby, also follow thefamily tradition.

Kath, who was a classroomassistant for special needs pupils atBrookhouse Green Primary Schoolbefore she retired, used theHousehold Waste and RecyclingCentre at Federation Road,Burslem, before the kerbsidecollections were introduced – andstill takes plastic, cardboard andused paint to Federation Road.

When buying food she avoidspackaging by buying fresh – keepingtins and packets to a minimum andensuring a healthy diet. Even petdog Gismo contributes – instead oftinned dog food he eats the samemeals as the family – and especiallyloves salads and vegetarian dishes!

Kath often cooks enough food to

last two days, keeping down costand waste, and any left-overs go outfor the birds. She collects oldwoollen garments and re-knitsthem into scarves as gifts for familyand friends, and with daughter Lisashe is trying out tumble dryer ballsto stop clothes tangling and so cutback on electricity to help savemoney and the environment.

Kath said: “I suppose we wereregarded as unusual when we firststarted to recycle, but noweveryone is aware of the need to doit and facilities like kerbsidecollections and the recyclingcentres make it easier. We seem to find something new to recyclejust about every month!”

More residents getthe kerbside habit

The Hughes’family recyclingtradition is being

carried on by the nextgeneration – Kath and her

seven-year-old grand-daughter Courtney, make

sure all her unwantedbooks and toys go to

less fortunatechildren.

Eco-pupils leadthe green lobby

COMPOSTING CAN BE FUN!

Oakhill primaryschool eco-pupils MillaHulmes and Connor

Smith with one of thecompost bins you

can win in ourcompetition.

Our City p8/9 1/5/08 16:23 Page 1


PUPILS throughout the city are teachingthe people of

Stoke-on-Trent animportant lesson in how toprotect the environmentthrough the Eco-Schoolsprogramme.

The youngsters are leading theway by developing their own greenprojects to make their schoolsmore energy efficient andeco-friendly, showing how othersin the community can make adifference.

Their efforts will be showcasedat an event, hosted by the citycouncil at the Kings Hall, Stoke,on Wednesday June 11 whenteaching staff, governors and pupilrepresentatives from all the city’sschools can find out about thewide ranging support that’savailable for the eco-schoolschemes.

Public transportPupils at a number of schools in

the city have already come up withtheir own environmental plans.They include energy savinginitiatives like ensuring lights andelectrical items are turned offwhen not in use and water taps arenot left running.

The young people have alsolooked at other issues, such as theuse of chemical pesticides andherbicides by ground staff, litter,recycling paper and other wastematerials, composting and the useof public transport instead of carsfor the journey to and from school.

On hand at the inter-activeEco-Schools event will be expertsand professionals to advise on howpupil projects can be set up, withinput from environmentalists,curriculum advisors, transport

planning representatives and manymore. Tracy Brennan, a member ofthe Corporate Communicationsteam in the Chief Executive’sDirectorate, who is organising theevent, said: “The initiatives are allpupil-led, with the support andresources provided by teachingstaff, the city council and ourstrategic partners.

“The programme developsacademic achievement by teaching

essential life skills such asleadership, independence andverbal reasoning, and it turns drylesson topics into engagingprojects, making learning creativeand fun.

“It also enables the city councilto engage with schools to deliverbetter services, improve thecleanliness of communities, hitrecycling targets and even reduceanti social behaviour.

“What the pupils are doing alsoinspires us all to do our bit toreduce our carbon footprint andbecome more environmentallyaware.”

● Anyone interested inattending the Eco-Schools event iswelcome to drop in between 10amand 5pm (there will be a break forlunch between midday and 1pm).For more details contact TracyBrennan on 01782 236937.

Phone hotline to report anti social behaviour

Introducing the CivilEnforcement WardensTRAFFIC Wardens are no more – after new legislationwas introduced to alter the image of one of the mostdisliked professions we know.

The perception of wardens scouring car parks andtaking pleasure in slapping tickets on drivers’windscreens as a council cash cow is being challenged.

A Government consultation drive, carried outnationwide, has resulted in a new job description of CivilEnforcement Warden, pictured above.

And the Traffic Management Act has also ordered aswifter service to public inquiries and fairer levels ofparking fines aimed at helping traffic flow.

Michael Clarke, the city council’s Interim ParkingManager, said:“The new measures are intended to befairer, more effective and transparent. The Governmentwant to end the cloak and dagger image of trafficwardens. The focus now is more on road safety andkeeping traffic moving rather than going around carparks and sticking tickets to windscreens.

“Councils also have to reply to letters from membersof the public regarding parking tickets in no more than21 days and in some cases within 14 days.”

Parking fines of £60, reduced to £30 if paid within 14days, used to be the same for motorists whose tickethad ran overtime on a car park as if they had parked onyellow lines or caused an obstruction.

New fines have now reduced the car park category to£50 (£25) and lifted the fines for what are nowrecognised as more serious offences to £70 (£35).

A 24 hour hotline has been launched to help win thebattle against anti social behaviour in Stoke-on-Trent.

Police and the city council want residents to be theireyes and ears by calling the freephone number 0800561 5610. Calls requiring urgent action will beforwarded by the council’s Stoke-on-Call contact centreto the emergency services.

Non-urgent calls will be passed on to the relevantpolice or city council departments. The helpline is part ofthe Stoke Won’t Stand for It campaign which aims toclamp down on behaviour like dropping litter, grafitti,drug and alcohol related nuisance, excessive noise,threatening behaviour, swearing and abusive language.

Cllr Joan Bell, Council Portfolio holder for Public Safety,said:“People have asked us to make anti socialbehaviour a priority and this is one way we can helpthem. The new service is a first for this area and one ofonly a handful in the country. It will boost publicconfidence and show how determined we are to beatthis problem.”

HERE’S your chance tohelp the environmentand make your gardenbloom by winning oneof 20 home compostbins in our great easy-to-enter competition.

The neat circular bins willtake up to 220 litres of yourgreen waste and withinnine months turn it intoorganic compost ready touse on your garden beds,borders and vegetablepatches.

These great prizes, whicheach retail for £27.99, arebeing offered to mark therecent Compost AwarenessWeek which was supportedby Stoke-on-Trent CityCouncil. Waste that isrecycled now will be readyfor next year’s plantingseason.

The 88 cm high binscreate highly nutritiouscompost from veg peelings,fruit waste, dead flowers,tea bags, plant prunings,spent plant compost, grasscuttings, cardboard eggboxes, scrunched upnewspaper, fallen treeleaves, shredded paper,crushed egg shells andmuch more.

With each bin comeinstructions on how tostore waste inside in orderto achieve the best results.

All you have to do isanswer a simple question –the answer to which can befound in the magazine. Thequestion is:

What is the colour ofthe wheelie bin forgarden waste?

Send your entries toCompost Bin Competition,FREEPOST, Our City, oremail: [email protected] Monday June 16.

The first 20 correctentries drawn out of the hatwin the prize. The Editor’sdecision is final and thewinners will be announcedin the next issue of Our City.

Even if you don’t scoop aprize, you can still be awinner by purchasing your220 litre compost bin fromthe city council at a specialdiscount price of £17, a 330litre bin for £20 or a 250litre KOMP bin for £40 – allwith free delivery.

For details log on tostoke.gov.uk/composting

Win one of20 gardencompostersup for grabsin our funcompetition

WE REALLY DIG IT!Working on the new allotmentat Oakhill Primary School areeco-pupils Kane Skelding,Katie Purcell and Josh Pedley.


MORE and more people inStoke-on-Trent are gettingthe kerbside habit –leaving out recyclablewaste in appropriatecontainers for fortnightlycollections.

The increasing amountof waste being disposed ofin this eco-friendly waythroughout the city is

encouraging – but morepeople could do their bitby using the service.

Green bins are providedfor glass bottles and jars,cans and clean foil, the bluebag is for newspapers, junkmail, directories andcatalogues and the whitebag is for textiles, while thebrown wheelie bin takes

garden waste such as grasscuttings (not food waste),general household rubbishshould be put in the greywheelie bin.

Meanwhile, the goodnews for those who use theHanford recycling facility isthat the roadway to the siteand the site lay-out is soonto be improved.

Recent months haveseen the roll out of wheeliebins to terraced propertiesin Stoke-on-Trent, meaningthat most people in the citynow have wheelie bins. Aseries of roadshows gaveresidents the opportunityto discuss the bins beforethey were introduced.

Communication OfficerHilary Hampton said:“ Thewheelie bins havegenerally been very wellreceived. Most peopleunderstand they keep ourcity cleaner and tidier.

“The standard sizedwheelie bin is sufficient tohold waste from mosthouseholds, but larger binsare available for residentswho need them.”

If you need a largerwheelie bin please call234234.

Meet the mum from Bentilee who was a recyclingchampion long before recycling became fashionable

IF everyone was like Kath Hughesand her family, Britain would nothave a waste disposal problem.

The mother of two from Bentileehas recycled just about all herhousehold rubbish and unwanteditems for the past 15 years – longbefore most of us became aware ofterms like “landfill sites,”“greenhouse gases” or “globalwarming.”

The Hughes family discoveredhow they could help theenvironment while on holiday inJersey where there was a wasteincinerator, bottle banks andcollecting points for plastics andcartons – facilities then largelyunheard of on the UK mainland.

Back home in Stoke-on-TrentKath and her husband Rob followedthe example of the eco-friendlyChannel Islanders and recycled herfamily’s household waste wheneverpossible.

Family traditionIn addition their unwanted

clothes and other re-saleable itemslike ornaments went to a Longtoncharity shop run by a close familyfriend. Now the city’s ownpioneering recycle superstars havean eco-friendly way of getting rid ofmost of their waste. Kath and Rob’sgrown-up children Robert and Lisa,who live nearby, also follow thefamily tradition.

Kath, who was a classroomassistant for special needs pupils atBrookhouse Green Primary Schoolbefore she retired, used theHousehold Waste and RecyclingCentre at Federation Road,Burslem, before the kerbsidecollections were introduced – andstill takes plastic, cardboard andused paint to Federation Road.

When buying food she avoidspackaging by buying fresh – keepingtins and packets to a minimum andensuring a healthy diet. Even petdog Gismo contributes – instead oftinned dog food he eats the samemeals as the family – and especiallyloves salads and vegetarian dishes!

Kath often cooks enough food to

last two days, keeping down costand waste, and any left-overs go outfor the birds. She collects oldwoollen garments and re-knitsthem into scarves as gifts for familyand friends, and with daughter Lisashe is trying out tumble dryer ballsto stop clothes tangling and so cutback on electricity to help savemoney and the environment.

Kath said: “I suppose we wereregarded as unusual when we firststarted to recycle, but noweveryone is aware of the need to doit and facilities like kerbsidecollections and the recyclingcentres make it easier. We seem to find something new to recyclejust about every month!”

More residents getthe kerbside habit

The Hughes’family recyclingtradition is being

carried on by the nextgeneration – Kath and her

seven-year-old grand-daughter Courtney, make

sure all her unwantedbooks and toys go to

less fortunatechildren.

Eco-pupils leadthe green lobby

COMPOSTING CAN BE FUN!

Oakhill primaryschool eco-pupils MillaHulmes and Connor

Smith with one of thecompost bins you

can win in ourcompetition.

Our City p8/9 1/5/08 16:23 Page 1

LOCALMATTERS


Western Edition

Bar code system takes pain out of prescriptionsBAD handwritingshouldn’t stop pharmacistsfrom preparing aprescription thanks to anew scheme by Stoke-on-Trent Primary Care Trust.

GPs can now give anelectronic prescriptionwith a bar code instead ofwriting. This bar code canthen be scanned by thepharmacist to see what

drugs are needed.Ninety five per cent of

GPs and 87 per cent ofpharmacies are approvedto use the new electronicsystem.

It’s easy to get in touch with a local beat bobby or Police CommunitySupport Officer (PCSO) via their digital airwave radios. All officers haveindividual collar numbers which are either four or five digits long.

For officers with four digit numbers dial 08453 30 31 32 then enter ‘0’followed by the four digit collar number of the officer you need to speak to. No‘0’ is needed for officers with five digit collar numbers. If the officer is on duty,their radio rings like a mobile phone and you will be connected.

If they are off duty or dealing with victims, witnesses or offenders, your callgoes through to the officer’s individual voicemail box.

Remember, in an emergency, dial 999.

Police contact numbersWestern and City Centre

Jamie Walker and her son Jake outside theirnewly-renovated house.

£2 million boost for popular theatre

Eco-friendly school buildingsets a new green standard

A STOKE-ON-TRENT arts complex it to get a near £2million makeover thanks to an injection of BigLottery cash.

The Mitchell Memorial Youth Arts Centre in thecity centre will receive £1.95 million after the citycouncil’s Community Assets Programme applicationto the Big Lottery was successful.

Only £30 million was available in the fund,meaning Stoke-on-Trent secured 6.5 per cent of allcash. The city council now has six months to deliverthe project.

The complex consists of two buildings, theMitchell Memorial Youth Theatre and CartwrightHouse and is at the gateway to the Cultural Quarter.

PUPILS have swapped their 19th centuryschool for 21st century classrooms in a“green” school that incorporates the verylatest in eco-friendly features.

Waterside Primary at Joiner’s Square,Hanley, which opened its doors in January2007, provides the whole community witha valuable lesson in how they can protectthe environment.

The school, which replaced the VictorianJoiner’s Square Primary on the adjacentsite, boasts:● A wind turbine to power outside lights,

corridor lighting, fire and security alarms.● Lighting with no switches that is

activated by the presence of people solights are not left on unnecessarily.

● An underground tank connected to theguttering that stores 50,000 gallons ofrainwater which is filtrated on site tosupply all the school’s water except fordrinking water.

● Solar panels installed in the roof to backup power supplied by the wind turbine;and tinted glazing to stop glare from thesun and retain heat inside the school.

Homes improved in £1.1m faceliftDOZENS of homes in Middleport

received a facelift as part of a £1.1million makeover project.

Terraced houses had front windows, doors, roofs,guttering, boundary walls and gates repaired orreplaced, as well as having masonry repointed andpainted. The work was carried out by RENEWNorth Staffordshire as part of the huge programmeto make run down neighbourhoods attractive andpopular places to live.

Resident Jamie Walker’s home benefited from anew front door, front wall, patio, a retiled roof and

loft insulation.She said: “It looks absolutely

brilliant. When it’s finished it willlook as good as a new house. Thewhole street will look great and itwill certainly help give the area abetter reputation.”

Jamie’s home is one of 27properties in Newport Streetimproved under the project. Morethan 30 homeowners andlandlords in Ellgreave Street, 12 inSt Paul’s Street, six in Sant Streetand others in Church Square andGlobe Street have also signed upfor the work.

NPU commander

Inspector 4465 MartinBreretonBurslem Police Station, Jackson Street,Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, ST6 1AF

Tel. 08453 30 20 [email protected] 4602 Paul Clarke Sgt 3840 John Hazeldine Sgt 4019 Pete Slinn

BIRCHES HEADPC 0848 Ruth BarlowPCSO 8979 Michelle ChadwickPCSO 16225 Adrian HemmingsPCSO 8984 Rebecca Simon

BURSLEM AND SNEYD GREEN WESTPC 4718 Paul RigbyPC 0896 Tracy AdamsPCSO 8957 Justine MarshPCSO 6440 Wendy Rigby

ETRURIA AND SHELTON NORTHPC 4632 Andy ManderPC 4389 Guy WainPCSO 8995 Lucy Slater PCSO 16230 Vicky Smith

FOREST PARKPC 805 Kate Beardmore PCSO 8987 Liz OldPCSO 8831 Katie Sullivan

LONGPORT AND MIDDLEPORTPC 4368 Andy GrahamPC 4886 Scott McGrathPCSO 8959 Helen RowleyPCSO 8832 Adam van de Sande

NORTHWOODPC 3829 Ian MartinPCSO 9045 Sue Wall

SHELTON SOUTHPC 4139 Dave Marshall PCSO 16299 Katie BrickleyPCSO 6484 Lisa Donachie

STAFFORDSHIRE UNIVERSITYPC 4483 Keith Emery

Special constables The Western Neighbourhood Policing Unitis supported by a team of 20 specialconstables headed by a divisional officer.CITY CENTRE

NPU commander

Inspector 3509 Shaun KerriganHanley Police Station, Bethesda Street,Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 3DR.

Tel. 08453 30 20 [email protected]. police.ukSpecial constables The City CentreNeighbourhood Policing Unit is supportedby a team of 13 special constables headedby a divisional officer.

We’ll give you help to find work, soyour family can have a brighter future

Your Jobcentre Plus PersonalAdvisorWe can arrange for you to meetwith an advisor too. They cancalculate how much better offyou’ll be working, arrangeinterviews for you, advise onchildcare and much more. Youcan continue to get help fromthem for up to 6 months after youstart work.

Work to fit around your familyWe also work closely with localemployers, who are happy to fityour working hours around your

family life. When you’re ready wecan guarantee to arrange aninterview for you.

Extra money for treatsTo make sure you’re better off,we’ll give you an extra £40 taxfree a week on top of your wages,for up to a year. Check with anadvisor to see if you’re eligible.What will you do with the extramoney?

Order a free Choices Kit todayCall and order your Choices Kittoday and soon you could affordsome fun, family days out.

There’s much more to paid work than just work. You’llmeet new people, learn new skills and with the extramoney you earn you can treat your family to a day out,or even save up for a family holiday.

Support into workOf course, it’s not easy to find work. So we’ve createda Choices Kit for you. It’s full of useful tips and adviceand covers everything from helping you find the rightchildcare, to training, preparing for interviews, andgetting financial support while you’re working.

*Lines are open 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday. Calls to 0800 numbers are free from BT landlines but youmay have to pay if you use another phone company, a mobile phone, or if you are calling from abroad.The textphone number is 0800 085 5729. The textphone numbers we provide are for people who find ithard to speak or hear clearly. If you do not have a textphone, some local libraries or Citizen AdviceBureaux may have one. Textphones do not receive text messages from mobile phones.



EMPLOYERS in theconstruction industryhave been urged tomake the most of a freerecruitment service inStoke-on-Trent.

The Government-fundedNorth StaffordshireConstruction EmploymentCentre, set up in June lastyear, has a bank of 3,000workers looking for jobs.

Based at Groundworkpremises in Moorland Road,the organisation has alreadysecured jobs for 170 peopleand put a further 384 throughtraining courses.

Project Manager TimRobins is now urging moreemployers to get in touch andtake advantage of the service.

He said: “We’ve got amassive bank of constructionworkers on our books,ranging from school leaverseager to take their first job topeople with 25 years ofexperience.

“Getting in touch with uscuts out the cost ofadvertising in newspapers andwe are confident we can fulfilany employers’ needs.”

Tim and his team atNSCEC fixed upBurslem-based GoldstrawEngineering Services Limitedwith a new apprentice,19-year-old Josh Rawlins.

He added: “We sourcedseveral potentials for the post,they were interviewed andJosh got the job.”

Richard Goldstraw,proprietor of the company,said: “We tried differentagencies and the NSCEC

were the best. Josh comesfrom an engineering familyand definitely has theaptitude for the job. He isdoing smashing.

“The NSCEC had alreadyput Josh through a health andsafety course and a gas

central heating course, whichwas a massive help and savedus considerable expense.”

Other employers in theconstruction industryinterested in taking up Tim’soffer can contact him on829946.

ASIAN men in Shelton are being encouragedto take advantage of a new initiative set upto help their physical and emotional wellbeing.

The Open Door project is held from 1pmto 3pm every Wednesday at Rectory RoadCommunity Centre, where the groupexercise with a qualified instructor and alsosit and chat in English and Urdu. Older menare being specifically targeted for thesessions, although adults of all ages arewelcome.

Open Door is run by Shelton-based charityApproach, which is funded by Help the Agedand supported by the Primary Care Trust andthe Beth Johnson Housing Association.

Saturday openingat crematorium

Doors open on newwell-man project

BURIALS and cremations at CarmountsideCrematorium are taking place on Saturdaysfor the first time in an extended openinghours trial.

The two month pilot will gauge thepublic demand and need for extra services.Until early June, the reception atCarmountside will be open from 9am tonoon to take bookings and payment forburials and cremations at eight districtcemeteries as well as Carmountside.

Officers will be available to deal withmemorialisation and other generalenquires, and a registrar will be on hand toregister deaths during the trial period.

Cremation services will be availablebetween 9am and 10.30am atCarmountside. Burials will be offeredbetween 10am and noon at all cemeteries.

For more information about the trial callthe Bereavement Care Office on 235050.

HOME buyers and sellers havebeen warned to use councilproperty searches insteadof those offered by agrowing number of privatecompanies.

The searches can uncover vitalinformation about a property includingwhether or not it has planning permission orbuilding regulations approval, whether partof the property may be affected by acompulsory purchase order or even whetherdouble yellow lines are planned in the road.

While private companies offering searchesmay be cheaper than the council, they do nothave access to the full range of informationneeded to answer all questions because itappears in registers which only the councilcan access.

Homebuyers or sellers who need advice orinformation should contact the councilexperts on 232775, or visitstoke.gov.uk/searches

FOOD hygiene standardsthroughout the city are beingmonitored closely in a new“Scores on the Doors”initiative. All premises servingor selling food will be given acertificate and window sticker,showing their score as eitherexcellent, good, satisfactory,poor or very poor.

Restaurants, takeaways andschools are coming under themicroscope in the scheme, runby the city council and theFood Standards Agency.

Councillor Joan Bell, CouncilPortfolio Holder for PublicSafety, said:“Our officers areoften asked which restaurants,pubs or cafes are clean placesto eat. This scheme allowspeople to see for themselveswhat we find behind thescenes, so they can make aninformed choice aboutwhether or not they want toeat there.”

Businesses don’t have to

display the certificate orsticker, but they are beingencouraged to do so. If theyaren’t displayed, customerscan check if they have beenscored by visiting the council’swebsite at www.stoke.gov.uk

At each inspection thebusiness is given a score basedon the standard of structure,hygiene and confidence inmanagement. Businesses thatdon’t comply will be subject tonormal enforcement action.

By allowing customers tosee any issues with food safetythe city council hopesbusinesses will be encouragedto improve and maintainstandards.

The initiative is beingintroduced gradually andscores are only given after afull routine inspection. Foodbusinesses in Meir, Blurtonand Longton are first in line,with Hanley and Stoke tofollow.

Food outlets markedon hygiene standards

Volunteer Chef Vince Whitehead serves up a meal topatient Ryan Worth at the dining room of the DonnaLouise Trust Treetops Hospice, Trentham. The foodoutlet received the highest “Scores on the Doors”rating – excellent.

Employers urged totake up free service

Engineering apprentice Josh Rawlins, right, receives on-the-job training from RichardGoldstraw of Goldstraw Engineering Services who recruited Josh through the NorthStaffordshire Construction Employment Centre.

Safer rail stationsPASSENGERS using Longport and Longtonrailway stations have welcomed improvedsecurity including CCTV and better lighting.A city council survey shows that an averageof 87 per cent of passengers who use thestations now felt safer than before.

Best to use councilproperty searches

Our City p11 1/5/08 16:37 Page 1


AMULTI-MILLIONpound scheme has

transformedSandon High School intoa first-class 21st centurycentre for learning.

The specialised Businessand Enterprise school is nowbased in a brand new,state-of-the-art complex just astone’s throw from theoriginal 1930s structure onSandon Road, Meir.

It is the first in the city tobe transformed as part of the£200 million BuildingSchools for the Futureprogramme.

The new building featuresthe latest in classrooms,including interactive whiteboards, and there is Wi-Fiaccess throughout the school.

A learning resource centrehas replaced the old libraryand the school now boasts arecording studio and abusiness and enterprise suite.

It also features a five-courtsports hall partly funded by

the Big Lottery Fund, tocomplement the school’sstatus as a regional centre ofexcellence for cricket.

Pupils and teachers movedinto the new building earlierthis year. Work is nowprogressing to demolish theold building, landscape thearea and install multi-usegaming areas and car parking.

When the work is finishedin August it will complete thetwo-year £16 million projectto totally transform theschool.

Steve Vitta, Sandon HighSchool Project Manager said:“The transformation of thisschool is the shape of thingsto come throughout the city.The pupils and teachers cannow benefit from the verylatest learning resources and araft of facilities.”

Thousands of people inStoke-on-Trent had their sayon the future of secondaryand special schools as part ofthe Building Schools for theFuture programme.

Hundreds of parents, staff,governors and schoolstakeholders were consultedin one of the most extensivesurveys ever undertaken inthe city. The aim is that every

student in Stoke-on-Trentwill have access to the mostmodern learning, technologyand specialist facilities toequip them for the jobs andskills of the future.

School transformed forfirst-class learning

Pupil Alexandra Donaldson and teacher AndrewHowsley in the new learning resource centre which hasreplaced the old library.

RELAXING routes to learningand skills are on offer atActive Mind, Healthy Body – an event being stagedduring this year’s AdultLearners Week.

Free head and foot massagesare on offer at the King’s Hall, Stoke,between 2pm and 4pm on Wednesday May21. As well as free prize draws and games,there’s an opportunity to find out what ‘MeTime’ really is, take a close look at junk foodand explore new pathways to learning andwork. Entry is free.

For more information call 292776 or [email protected]

A SHOP and clean service is available forpeople aged over 50 with a welfare need.

Age Concern employ caring, trained stafffor the paid for service and anyone canmake a referral.

Further information from Age Concern,Unit 9T, Moorland Road, Burslem, ortelephone 827923.

COMPANIES and retailers inStoke-on-Trent are being urgedto support food producersthroughout the world by signingup to the city’s Fairtradeinitiative.

Dozens of shops, offices and cafes aretaking part in the project by serving andselling Fairtrade products which providebetter prices, decent working conditions,local sustainability, and fair terms of trade forfarmers and workers in the developingworld.

Replacing just two products like tea orcoffee in a staff canteen with their Fairtradeequivalent is enough to be accredited as aFairtrade supporter... while helping make adifference to millions of small suppliers.

City councillor Peter Kent-Bagguley said:“It’s so easy to be involved as individuals ororganisations and to make a difference.

“In our shopping routine we can makesure we buy goods carrying the Fairtradelogo. They are often cheaper than the bigbrands and are available across the city.

“We can encourage relatives, friends andwork colleagues, churches, youth clubs andcommunity centres to buy Fairtrade. We canalso support our local Fairtrade groups withtheir campaigns.”

The city council and North StaffordshireChamber of Commerce have already madetheir commitment to supplying Fairtradeproducts.

Fairtrade Fortnight included a Fairtradelunch, a launch event at the city museum, ascreening of a special Fairtrade documentaryBLACK GOLD and an exhibition of Fairtradeproducts. The Fairtrade Fortnight doubledecker bus made a stop in Hanley as part ofits national tour and 200 people packedStoke’s Jubilee Hall for the Lord Mayor’sannual Fairtrade Civic Reception.

For more information visit www.stokefairtrade.org.uk

Fairtrade initiativegains momentumafter city campaign

Help for over 50sA SUPERCOOL scheme tokeep a lifesaving message in abottle in elderly andvulnerable people’s fridges hasbeen relaunched in Stoke-on-Trent.

Stickers at the front doorand fridge door point anyemergency services arriving at

a home to the special datalinkcontainer.

The special bottles containinformation about a person’smedical history andmedication which could provevital at a critical time. Morethan 20,000 datalink packagesare being handed out free at

fire stations and council localcentres throughout the city,along with the forms andstickers needed.

For information about thenearest distribution point or toorder larger quantities forgroups or associations, pleasetelephone 207200.

THE SHAPE OFTHINGS TO COME...

pupils Jonathan Lawand Grace Petrovic

outside the newschool complex.

Message in a bottle scheme can be a lifesaver

Free head and footmassages on offer

Our City p12 1/5/08 16:41 Page 1


MALCOLM Barber will be forevergrateful for the way in which theExpert Patient Programme helpedto put his life back on track.

The 61-year-old was diagnosedwith a not-severe type of diabetes in1996, but six years later thecondition worsened and hismedication was increased. On hisdiabetes nurse’s recommendation hejoined the EPP’s six-week course.

Malcolm said: “I was stressed outand having terrible trouble keepingto my controlled diet, but aftertaking the course the results wereout of this world. I was guided bytutors on issues like food intake,exercise, panic attacks, depressionand stress.

“I was also helped tocommunicate about my conditionwith my doctor in a concise way andon how to keep a diary about detailssuch as my condition and anyadverse reactions to medication.

“The programme also taught mehow to set goals. For instance I nowhave a brisk 40-minute walk everyday which helps to keep my bloodsugar level down. The EPP has madea huge difference not only to me butto my long-suffering wife Veronicaand the rest of my family. Afterbeing so stressed out, it put my lifeback together again.”

Malcolm, who retired last yearafter running his Burslem Oatcakesshop for 20 years, is now one of theEPP’s unpaid volunteer tutors inStoke-on-Trent helping others withlong-term conditions such asstrokes, chronic obstructivepulmonary disease (COPD), heartproblems and multiple sclerosis.

He said: “It is personally veryrewarding to be able to pass on thebenefits of the Expert PatientProgramme after it did so much tomake life better for me and myfamily.”

Expert Patient Programmeput my life back together

Learning to managelong-term illness PEOPLE in the city

with long-termhealth conditions

can help themselves to abetter quality of life byjoining a free self-management coursecalled the ExpertPatient Programme(EPP).

There is no need to be putoff by the title – it just meansthey can become experts bylearning ways to self-managetheir condition and takecontrol of their lives. So oftenan illness can control howpeople live their lives, and ofcourse that affects those weshare our lives with.

The nationwide NHSprogramme is delivered infriendly and supportive groupsfor two and a half hours perweek over six weeks by peoplewho have a long-term healthcondition and thereforeunderstand the problems ofadjusting to changes caused

by a long term illness.Everyone receives a freecourse book.

The course helps people tofind ways to break the viciouscycle in which they can feeltrapped. It is possible to breakthis cycle by building on skillspeople have and learning newones.

EmotionsIt helps people to see it is

not just the illness, but howthey deal with pain,breathlessness, fatigue, stressand anxiety, as well as some ofthe difficult emotions causedby having to accept and adjustto what can be a profoundchange.

The EPP looks at how theway we think can affect theway we feel, how even thesmallest amount of physicalactivity can make us feelbetter, how healthy eating canhelp and how to work withprofessionals.

Those who care for people

with long-term conditions canalso benefit from the EPPcourse for carers calledLooking After Me. This is alsofree.

Pauline Ibbotson, one of theEPP Trainers for Staffordshireand Shropshire, said:“Research has shown peopletrained in self-managementtend to be more confident andless anxious. They make fewervisits to the doctor, cancommunicate better withhealth professionals, take lesstime off work, and are lesslikely to suffer acute episodesrequiring admission tohospital.”

Courses for people who livein Stoke-on-Trent are plannedthroughout the year indifferent areas, and people canobtain more information fromStoke-on-Trent Primary CareTrust on 298090.

Courses will also beadvertised in GP practices,Outpatient departments andpharmacies.

Volunteer TutorMalcolm Barberguides Alma Fordthrough the ExpertPatient Programmeduring a course held atthe Haymarket HealthCentre, Tunstall.

A CAMPAIGN to stop adults buyingalcohol for under-18s is being stepped upafter the emergence of a worrying newtrend. City council officers have beenmade aware of parents purchasing boozefor their children and then driving them tomeet up with friends.

Community Officer Claire Davis said:“Buying alcohol for under-18s is treatedseriously, with fines of up to £1,000 for the

young person concerned and up to £5,000for the adult. It is worrying that someparents seem to encourage their childrento drink by buying it for them and thentaking them to see their friends.

“The campaign has been ongoing for awhile, but we’ve produced a newinformation leaflet and a hard hittingposter, which have been sent to alllicensed premises.”

Bid to stop adults buying alcohol for under-18s

Learning to managelong-term illness

We value diversity in our workforce and positivelyencourage applications from all sections of the community

Looking for a new part-timeLooking for a new part-timejob supporting our schools?job supporting our schools?Looking for a new part-timejob supporting our schools?

As the biggest employer in theAs the biggest employer in thearea we have a whole range ofarea we have a whole range ofexciting and challenging jobs just waitingexciting and challenging jobs just waitingfor you in our school support services. for you in our school support services. From Catering to Cashier, Cleaners toFrom Catering to Cashier, Cleaners toSchool Crossing Patrol Wardens, –School Crossing Patrol Wardens, –we have them all, hours are variablewe have them all, hours are variableand wages starts at £6 per hour.and wages starts at £6 per hour.

To view our latest jobs and see what’sTo view our latest jobs and see what’son offer, visit our new website at:on offer, visit our new website at:www.stoke.gov.uk/jobswww.stoke.gov.uk/jobsOr telephone Or telephone 01782 23820401782 238204for further information.for further information.

As the biggest employer in thearea we have a whole range ofexciting and challenging jobs just waitingfor you in our school support services. From Catering to Cashier, Cleaners toSchool Crossing Patrol Wardens, –we have them all, hours are variableand wages starts at £6 per hour.

To view our latest jobs and see what’son offer, visit our new website at:www.stoke.gov.uk/jobsOr telephone 01782 238204for further information.

Transformation.Teamwork.Talent.

Our City p13 1/5/08 16:43 Page 1


Earnersurged toback newcreditunionEARNERS are being urgedto pledge support for acredit union to help citypeople save and borrowmoney without resortingto loan sharks.

The city council islaunching a NorthStaffordshire creditunion, which will functionas a “not for profit”financial co-operativeowned by its members.

Credit UnionDevelopment OfficerKevin Waters said:“Creditunions are uniquelybased on trust whichmeans they are able tomake loans to peopleother lenders may noteven consider.

“They are run bymembers for members,and offer flexible savingsby Paypoint, direct debitor by payroll deductionto suit everyone's needs.”

Members makedeposits and build upsavings known as“shares”. At the end ofeach financial yearinterest in the form of a“dividend” can be paid toall members.

Community

Credit unions areregulated by theFinancial ServicesAuthority in the sameway as banks andbuilding societies.

Credit unions helppeople all over the worldwin higher returns onsavings and lowerinterest rates on loans,and members make up aquarter of people in theUSA and half of Ireland.

Kevin said:“A creditunion will eliminate doorstep loans offeringextortionately high ratesof interest – often inexcess of 200 per cent –to some of the mostvulnerable people in thecommunity.”

The credit union isexpected to begintrading by the summer.

You can pledgesupport for a credit unionin the area, withoutcommitting to join it, bycalling 232344 oremailing [email protected], or findout more atwww.nscu.co.uk

SATELLITES are peeringdown on the streetlights ofStoke-on-Trent in a“cutting edge” scheme thatis a national first.Residents can view theoverhead images of the cityon a website and click onparticular streets to reportlamps that have failed tolight up.

Each of the city’s 38,000streetlights and lit trafficsigns are mapped out onthe site and a team ofrepairers can take actionthe instant a light isreported. Users can alsotype in the names of theirstreets and view up-to-datereports on the replacementwork being done in theirneighbourhoods.

The pioneering systemset up for the council bySEC Lighting Services will

supplement regularinspections of publiclighting in the city.

The company’s RegionalDirector, Mark Williams,said: “The Stoke-on-Trentstreet lighting project is atthe cutting edge in termsof the equipment andtechnology used.”

Cllr Joan Bell, CouncilPortfolio Holder for PublicSafety, said: “Well lit streetsare safer streets – andmodern streetlights are alsovery environmentallyfriendly.”

Anyone wanting toreport a faulty streetlightcan log ontolightsoninstoke.co.uk.

Those without internetaccess can still reportfaulty lamps on the freephone number 08003287709.

WORK has started on an£11 million University

Quarter project that willprovide 21st centurylearning facilities while alsorestoring one of the area’shistoric landmarks.

Centrepiece of the developmentwill be a new Care Centre ofVocational Excellence (CoVE) thatwill transform the Cauldoncampus of Stoke on Trent College.

The stunning new building –due to open its doors for the startof the summer 2009 term – willhouse a complete range of worldclass facilities for the Caring andService Industries sectors.

It forms the first phase of amajor construction programmethat will completely revitalise thecampus, which will share facilitieswith Staffordshire University andthe City of Stoke-on-Trent SixthForm College.

The CoVE will be home tocourses for child care, health andsocial care, counselling andhealth-related programmes, as wellas for catering, hairdressing andbeauty and holistic therapystudents.

Part of the new building willextend into the adjacent CauldonSmall Park at Shelton, a publicopen space that has fallen intodisrepair.

Under a 99-year lease negotiatedwith the city council, the Collegewill be responsible for maintainingthe park and aims to restore thecommunity green space to itsformer Victorian glory.

Architects have drawn updesigns that ensure a faithfulreproduction of the original parkterrace – complete with itsterracotta balustrade.

As part of a plannedmulti-million pound developmentprogramme at both the College’sCauldon and Burslem campuses, itis proposed to build a Businessand Professional Services CoVE

close to the new Caring CoVEblock.

With the existing ConstructionCoVE at Burslem, the College willprovide three prestigious centres ofexcellence that will play a majorrole in the regeneration of the cityand complement Stoke-on-Trent’sextensive school rebuildingprogramme.

College Principal Graham

Moore said: “Our learners needand deserve new and inspiringlearning facilities that are fit forpurpose and which positionStoke-on-Trent amongst theleading providers of skills traininglocally, regionally and nationally.

“The campus developmentsoffer both the learning and widercommunities once in a lifetimeopportunities for all.”

Work starts on £11m‘Uni Quarter’ project

An artist’s impression of how the Care Centre of Vocational Excellence will look with, in theforeground, the reproduction of the Victorian terracotta balustrade of the Cauldon Small Park.

Viewing the website map of streetlights and lit traffic signs are Elected MayorMark Meredith and Cllr Joan Bell, Portfolio Holder for Public Safety.

Hi-tech monitoringof city streetlights

Our City p14 1/5/08 16:45 Page 1

LOCALMATTERS


Western Edition

YOUR COUNCILLORS

Burslem South

DEBRA GRATTON (Lab)(01782) [email protected]

JAVID IQBAL NAJMI (Lab)07846 [email protected]

MOHAMMED PERVEZ(Lab)07919 917632mohammed. [email protected]

Northwood and Birches Head

DAVE SUTTON(Lib Dem)(01782) 542 998

JEAN BOWERS (Lib Dem)(01782) [email protected]

KIERAN CLARKE (Lib Dem)(01782) [email protected]

Hanley West and Shelton

ZULFIQAR ALI (Lib Dem)07838 [email protected]

MOHAMMAD IQBAL (Lab) (01782) [email protected]

ALAN JOYNSON (Lab)(01782) [email protected]

Pupils helpcreate ‘tree’ASCULPTURE designed

in partnership with localschoolchildren marks a

new, more accessible pedestrianentrance to Central Forest Park,Hanley.

Pupils at Sneyd Green Primary andForest Park Primary took part inworkshops and came up withsuggestions for the art work welcomingvisitors to the former coal mine site –one of the biggest examples of landreclamation in the country.

The students explored Central ForestPark’s past, including the history ofmining and the transformation fromspoil heaps to rolling hills, lake and playareas.

They sketched ideas including mining

tools, fossils found in the coal, insectsand animals from the park, as well asthe many activities now provided onsite.

Designers came up with a large metalsculpture, called Tree Stories, and thechildren’s sketches were turned intomotifs which were fastened to itsbranches.

The new entrance was opened with acelebratory event, which also recognisedother improvements made to the parkthrough the Greening for Growthprogramme.

A safari-themed play area and theskate plaza were also funded under thescheme, which is supported byAdvantage West Midlands and theEuropean Regional DevelopmentAgency.

BRANCHING OUT... the imaginative steel sculpture welcoming visitors toCentral Forest Park, Hanley.

Students link upwith Cop Shop

Celebratinglibrary records

STUDENTS are beingencouraged to build up arapport with their local policeofficers in a new initiative calledCop Shop.

The fortnightly surgeries atBirches Head High School arethe brainchild of PC RuthBarlow and PCSO MichelleChadwick.

PC Barlow, of the WesternNeighbourhood Policing Unit,said: “We were keen to meet thestudents in a more informalsetting.

“We want to break downbarriers and encourage thestudents to talk to us about anyissues they may have.

“We have worked closely withthe teachers at the school forsome time and this is anotherway of continuing that work.”

STOKE-on-Trent’s libraries arecelebrating after breaking tworecords in one day.

Dr Who day at the CityCentral Library, Hanley, drew acrowd of over 4,000 people -the biggest turnout ever. Andanother record was smashedwhen 250 people joined up tobecome library members onthe same day.

The new records havedelighted library staff. PrincipalLibrarian Anne Mackey said:“Feedback from the public wasfantastic.”

FIREFIGHTERS got ontheir bikes to drive downthe number ofdeliberately-lit fires.

The scheme was initiallyrun as a pilot in the ChellHeath and Middleportareas during last year’ssummer holidays.

And the initiative wassuch a success it wasrolled out across the cityat Easter and will returnduring the six-weeksummer break.

Firefighters, whooperate in pairs, usecycles to patrol areasthat aren’t accessible tofire engines.

Feedback from thecommunities at ChellHeath and Middleport wasextremely positive andresults spoke forthemselves.

During the pilot, there was an 84 percent reduction in deliberately-lit fires inthe areas where it operated.

Cycle patrols reduce deliberately-lit fires

ON THEIR BIKES... Firefighters Jim Cooke(front) and Paul Spender saddle up to goon patrol from Burslem Fire Station.


LOCALMATTERS


Western Edition

Youngsters helpedback into learningAHANLEY-based charity

has joined forces withthe city council and

other organisations toencourage hard-to-reachyoungsters back intoeducation.

The North Staffordshire African-Caribbean Association (NORSACA)is running courses aimed at youngpeople on the fringes of society.

The initiative is part of theNeighbourhood Learning DeprivedCommunities (NLDC) programme,aimed at people who are not inemployment, education or training.

Courses cover subjects includingthe criminal justice system, business,role models, and basic health andfitness. The centre, based at theLindsay Annexe, Cannon Place,Hanley, runs various facilities for thecommunity, including the People ofthe World Youth Club on Tuesday andThursday evenings, and a twice-weekly luncheon club on Wednesdaysand Fridays.

The project is run in conjunctionwith the the city council, theWedgwood Memorial Centre inBarlaston, The COG Centre, and theLearning and Skills Council.

NORSACA Project Manager

Hughie Lawrence said: “Each of theorganisations taking part in thisinitiative was aiming at a specificgroup of society which is particularlyhard to reach.

“We wanted to attract people whohave not had the access to educationthey deserved.

“These could be the disabled,ethnic minorities or lone parents –basically anyone who experiencesissues which could be a barrier toeffective learning, for instance lackingan active role model.”

Further details are available fromthe NORSACA office on 267888, orvia email at [email protected].

NORSACA Project Manager Hughie Lawrence andthe team who are providing courses aimed at peoplewho are not in employment, education or training.

The work may includethe installation of a

combination boiler, upto five radiators and allvalves and pipework.We may also repairyour existing heatingsystem with the grant

money.

Do you qualify for a £2,700 granttowards a new heating system inyour home?If you own your own home or rentit from a private landlord youmay be able to claim a grant ofup to £2,700 under the warmfront scheme.A warm front grant will paytowards gas, electric or oilcentral heating in your home.

Apply now for a grant to make you home warmer, healthier,more energy efficient and reduce fuel bills too!

✓ Working Tax Credit

✓ Child Tax Credit

✓ Attendance Allowance

✓ Disability Living Allowance

✓ Income Support

✓ Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance

✓ Housing Benefit

✓ Council Tax Benefit

✓ War Disablement Pension

✓ Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit

✓ Pension Credit

You may be able to claim if you receiveone or more of the following:

To find out more call our national office free between9am and 4.30pm Monday-Friday. Call BGC FREE ON:

0800 043 0345 5 Furlong Parade, Burslem,Stoke-on-Trent, ST6 3AX

Are you Fighting Fit or Fit for Nothing? Whatever your fitnesslevels, we’ll have to the equipment to help you. Call us, come toour showroom or visit us online at www.inspire-fitness.co.ukto see what we can do for you.

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Our City is published by a partnership of Stoke-on-Trent

City Council, Stoke-on-Trent Primary Care Trust, Staffordshire Police

and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue.

Contact us by mail at FREEPOST Our City or by email at [email protected] or telephone 01782 232900


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Our City Issue 04