Kyle Dempsey is set to make his Fleetwood Town debut in tonight’s Checkatrade Trophy opener against Blackburn Under-23s at Highbury (7.45pm).
The 20-year-old midfielder has signed on loan from Huddersfield for the rest of the season and is anxious for action, having not played competitively since April.
The Cumbrian said of his move: “I’m absolutely delighted. Obviously it hasn’t panned out the way I thought it would this season – I haven’t really been involved in the squad. Hopefully at Fleetwood I’ll get the game-time which is important to me.
“In my first season at Carlisle I played virtually every game. At Huddersfield I knew I wasn’t going to get the same game-time but it was a stepping stone. It was vital I got those games in the Championship.
“I don’t see coming into League One as a step down. I see it as a step up because I’ve mainly played in League Two.
“I’ve seen the way Fleetwood play and it’ a great opportunity for me to come in and show what I’m all about.
“The gaffer has shown me the way the team plays and the facilities, and it looks such a good team and a really good club for me.
“I’ll bring a lot of energy. I’m non-stop all the time and hopefully I’ll get back to scoring ways and set up a few as well.”
Fellow midfielder Martyn Woolford, who came off the bench in Saturday’s win at Southend, is set for his full debut tonight.
Striker Ash Hunter is another set to be involved as he stakes his claim for a starting place after scoring three goals off the bench this season.

Fleetwood new boy Dempsey hungry for debut


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As the pound continues to go in the dollars favour 42% of Americans say they are more likely to visit the UK for a holiday, according to new data* from Hotels.com™.
London topped the list of destinations Americans would most like to visit (88%), with Cambridge (41%) and Liverpool (39%) closely vying for second place for statesiders looking for a cultural fix. The unexpected winner, however, was Grimsby with more respondents keen on visiting the northern fishing town than the majestic Snowdonia.
The Royal Family still has huge appeal for visitors from the States with Buckingham Palace the attraction they'd most like to visit (76%) with the home of the crown jewels (the Tower of London, 65%) and royal wedding venue, Westminster Abbey, (52%) also in the top five attractions. Finishing off the royal fever, Kate Middleton was the number one celebrity Americans would most like to meet, closely followed by Her Majesty the Queen. In a girl power worthy line up, the top five famous faces respondents would most like to meet were all women:
1.Kate Middleton (46%)
2.The Queen (45%)
3.JK Rowling (31%)
4.Adele (30%)
5.Kate Winslet (27%)
It seems Britain's culinary kudos isn't as poor as it once was with 68% of Americans keen to try the cornerstone British cuisine – the humble fish and chips. However, sweet treats rounded out the top five with apple crumble (44%), cream tea (43%) and a traditional afternoon tea (39%) just behind a full English (48%).
When quizzed on their perceptions of Britain as a nation many stereotypes rung true with a third of Americans believing Brits loved their pubs and that it always rains (only during a great British summer of course). Yet it seems Americans love our chit chat, as almost three quarters state their favourite thing about Brits is our accents and over a third love our sense of humour.
Simon Matthews, Senior PR Manager of Hotels.com Brand comments, “The fact that some Americans want to visit Grimsby on their next trip proves they must be really savvy about where to get the best British grub, as we all know Grimsby is famous for its Fish and Chips! The rising interest from our American cousins is likely more to do with the strong dollar than the draw of our culinary delights, however it would be a welcome boom for the UK travel industry.”
*2,000 adults from the U.S. were polled by One Poll, commissioned by Hotels.com in July 2016

Americans flock to the UK thanks to Kate Middleton and Fish & Chips


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If you just can’t wait another week or so to see the Illuminations then Ride The Lights is once again giving people a chance to get a sneak peek next Tuesday.
Between 7pm and 10pm, the Promenade will be fully closed to vehicles other than bicycles for the event, which has become something of a yearly tradition for cyclists.
This year for the first time ever, riders will have the opportunity to detour through the Blackpool Pleasure Beach via North Gate, to be greeted by live DJ sets and characters.
The free event, which is attended by thousands of people every year, will have entertainment in the form of Radio Wave presenters Ged Mills and Hayley Kay, who will be hosting the main stage of live music and fun at Blackpool Tower Headlands.
Coun Gillian Campbell, Deputy Leader of Blackpool Council, said: “Ride the Lights is always extremely popular and is now a firm fixture on Blackpool’s calendar.
“It will be a great night of cycling, fun and entertainment and I hope everyone will have a fantastic time.”
For those wishing to get involved The route runs from Starr Gate, South Shore all the way through to Red Bank Road, Bispham with riders able to go in either direction or join the ride at any point on the promenade.
Riders can cycle as much or as little of the course as they choose.


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Tributes have poured in for a teenager who died after taking drugs at a music festival.
Friends and family of Lewis Haunch, 17, took to social media to say goodbye to the “kind and innocent” teenager following his death at the weekend.
The teenager, from Leigh, was rushed to hospital after collapsing at Leeds Festival at around 4.45pm on Saturday and died a short time later.
West Yorkshire Police have said it appears Lewis, a former Lowton High School pupil, had taken an unknown substance just before he collapsed.
Erica Mcguinness said: “This morning my life changed forever; finding out that my best friend has passed away has to be one of the hardest, if not the hardest things I’ve ever had to deal with.
“Words can’t describe how much I’m missing you already and the hurt I’m experiencing trying to take it all in. Couldn’t ask for a better best friend and I’m just devastated it got cut too short.
“Nobody will ever replace you, I hope you look down on me and your other friends and be proud.”
Joe Heaton added: “Just in absolute shock and speechless and can’t stop crying. My cousin Lewis died last night far too young.
“At just 17 years old, he was taken far too early from us all.
“What a kind innocent young man, who would never cause any harm to anybody.”
Charlie Heaton wrote: “Absolutely devastated that my cousin, one of the most harmless, nicest lads I know has been taken, can’t begin to describe the feeling.
“RIP Lewis, everyone is gonna miss you pal.”
Thomas Wright said: “Never expected anything like this too happen, you’re about too be missed by loads bro, missing you already lad sadly missed.
“RIP Lewis Haunch. Love you loads bro.”
Lewis was taken to St James’ Hospital by ambulance in a critical condition after collapsing at the festival. Despite receiving emergency treatment, he was pronounced dead shortly after midnight.
Police enquiries into his death and how he obtained the substance he took are ongoing but two males, both aged 17, have been arrested in the Greater Manchester area on suspicion of drugs offences. Both have since been released on police bail.
Leeds Festival’s Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Keith Gilert said, “Our thoughts are naturally with the family of the young man at this time.
“They were made aware of the incident by officers as soon as possible and were assisted to attend the hospital as quickly as possible. We will continue to support them through this difficult time. We are currently investigating the death and how he obtained the substance he took.
“At this time the indications are that the man consumed drugs immediately before he collapsed.
“I would though like to take this opportunity to remind anyone attending the Festival that there is no safe way to take drugs.
“Taking any illegal drug carries a risk to health and we would always advise people against it, but I would ask that people are particularly conscious of the risks following this young man’s death.”

Tributes paid to teenager after festival drugs death


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A pervert who molested a 10-year-old boy at his flat in Thornton told police ‘age is just a number’.
Richard Stuchfield, 26, has been jailed for two years after pleading guilty to two counts of sexually assaulting the little boy.
Preston Crown Court heard the child, who can not be named for legal reasons, was asleep at Stuchfield’s flat when he woke to find the defendant touching him.
He told his attacker to stop and went back to sleep, but woke again to find Stuchfield continuing to grope him.
The boy told his mum when she came to collect him from the flat in Briarwood Close, and she immediately phoned Stuchfield to confront him.
Stuchfield denied he had molested the boy and said he had just cuddled him.
He eventually pleaded guilty three days before he was due to stand trial at Preston Crown Court.
In a victim statement, the boy said he had felt anger which he had kept inside and he had been worried about having to give evidence at court.
His school work was affected and he had lost a year of his life when he should have been enjoying life with his friends.
The court heard Stuchfield was questioned by police about what he considered to be an appropriate relationship between an adult and a child, to which he replied: “Age is just a number,”
He could not accept that he could have caused any harm or upset to the child he abused.
Judge James Adkin, sentencing, said: “You have little empathy or understanding of what you did or how harmful it can be to a child to commit a sexual offence against them.
“I do not accept you crept into bed with this child because you felt sorry for him and you accidentally touched him.”
He made Stuchfield the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and placed him on the barred list prohibiting him from working with children or vulnerable adults upon his release from prison.


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European Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke has selected Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Thomas Pieters as his three wild cards for next month’s defence of the trophy at Hazeltine.
And that means there is no place in the team for Scotland’s world number 20 Russell Knox, who finished 10th in qualifying, just 0.04 points ahead of Pieters.
With rookies filling five of the nine automatic qualifying places - albeit one of them being Masters champion Danny Willett - Clarke had made no secret of the fact that he wanted to “balance the team” with experienced players.
Westwood and Kaymer had long been favourites to be selected and finished 13th and 14th on the world points list respectively, with Westwood securing a 10th consecutive appearance in the event.
The 43-year-old’s last victory came in Indonesia in April 2015, but he was joint second behind Willett at Augusta National and has recorded four other top-15 finishes from a limited schedule.
Kaymer’s most recent win came when he claimed his second major title in the 2014 US Open, but six top-10s in his last 12 events - including sixth in the final event in Denmark - is coupled with experience of Europe’s last three Ryder Cup wins, including securing the point which retained the trophy at Medinah.
Knox would have qualified if he had been a European Tour member when he won the WGC-HSBC Champions last November and boosted his case by adding the Travelers Championship earlier this month.
But Pieters’ recent form proved irresistible after he finished fourth in the Olympics and second in the defence of his Czech Masters title the following week, before winning in Denmark on Sunday. The 24-year-old had carded opening rounds of 62 and 71 while playing alongside Clarke.


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TWO years on from when George Osborne first unveiled his vision of a ‘Northern Powerhouse’, Manchester is pushing ahead with plans to devolve NHS funding and have an elected mayor with similar powers to London’s mayor.
Liverpool is forging ahead with a £300m extension project for its port area.
Meanwhile Lancashire is still wrangling over the creation of a combined authority, which has now been agreed by all Lancashire authorities apart from Wyre Council, but still needs to be presented to the government for approval.
Now with a new Prime Minister who has outlined a new vision for the powerhouse, there are opportunities for Lancashire – but only if it can put aside infighting and move ahead with firm plans.
Frank McKenna, head of the networking group Downtown in Business said: “It has been a concern to me for some time that Lancashire is being sidelined by the Northern Powerhouse agenda, with the regions two major cities dominating the agenda.
“The county needs to accelerate its plans to get the Combined Authority motoring and demonstrate to the new Prime Minister that we are ready to be handed the type of powers, responsibility and resources that are city neighbours are benefitting from.”
Mr McKenna said he felt Ms May would try to introduce similar packages outside of the big cities, making devolution more inclusive.
Babs Murphy, Chief Executive of the North and Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce said: “Our fixation with the big cities needs to change.
“Lancashire needs to define the economy it wants to become and shape its own destination. The challenges ahead require innovation and new forms of partnership which will create opportunities for everyone. A combined authority is going to happen and it’s up to each and every one of us to make it succeed.”
Jennifer Mein, Leader of Lancashire County Council, said: “It’s essential we are proactive and engaged in discussions with the Government and regional partners about economic growth, and I’m determined that will remain the case. Progress with creating a combined authority is only one measure, and we’re on a positive path with that, despite the complexity of Lancashire’s local government landscape.
“There’s no doubt Liverpool and Manchester city regions are important neighbours to us, but we’re important to them too.”
Blackpool Council leader Coun Simon Blackburn will work with 15 individual council leaders across the county towards setting up the new combined authority next year.
Minister for the Northern Powerhouse, Andrew Percy said: “The economic potential of the North of England is huge. Investors around the world can already see that for themselves, with foreign direct investment in the area more than doubling over the past two years.”

Warning - Lancashire is ‘missing the boat on the Northern Powerhouse’


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“The Gruffalo said that no gruffalo should ever set foot in the deep dark wood.”
But on a not so wild and windy afternoon in Manchester, the Gruffalo’s Child ignored her father’s warning and tiptoed out into the snow to bring Julia Donaldson’s acclaimed book to life in magical fashion.
The story, which, like its predecessor The Gruffalo, has been brought to the stage by Tall Stories and is currently thrilling little ones - and many older ones - at The Lowry Theatre until September 4.
Songs, laughs and scary fun ensures for children aged three and up as the titular hero goes off in search for the Big Bad Mouse.
On route, the wide-eyed protagonist encounters a rather sassy dancing snake, a wheeler-dealer fox and a jocular owl before her twilight showdown with the mighty mouse.
The whole show is performed cleverly with just three cast members. Sophie Alice takes on the title role with wide-eyed innocence, while Catriona Mackenzie keeps the show moving as both the narrator and the mouse.
But it is the multi-talented Andrew Mudie who steals the show with comedic turns as the Gruffalo, snake, owl and fox.
It is a great show and at just under an hour it’s just the right length for the younger children, like my enthralled three-year-old. Fans of the book and newcomers alike will be enchanted.
There are two showings a day and afterwards there is plenty to do around the theatre to make a day of it.
We headed over to the Lowry’s canal-side Pier Eight Restaurant, where kids each free with every paying adult this summer. The kids menu includes starters of garlic bread, tomato soup, or salad and mains of sausages and mash, tomato pasta and fish fingers and chips. For dessert they can choose from yoghurt and apple slices, jam sponge and custard or ice cream.
My own Gruffalo’s Child chowed down on the garlic bread, fish fingers and ice cream, while I opted for smoky tomato soup served elegantly table-side over chorizo and creme fraiche, followed by trout, baby fennel, gnocchi and mussels in a watercress sauce for the main course.
Gruffalo’s Wife across the table went for chicken and roasted pepper terrine to start and roast chicken, dauphinnoise potatoes and baby leeks in a morell sauce for her main course. A classy meal for a day out with the kids, certainly.
Then we soaked up the atmosphere around the complex with a superhero workshop in the upstairs gallery before trying our hand our own Lowry masterpieces in the The Lookout, a dedicated space for children to test their drawing skills.
There is plenty going on for children young and old. Find out more or book tickets online at www.thelowry.com.
Gruffalo’s Child
The Lowry, Salford
Tickets £15.50 - £52.00


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Uwe Rosler wished his Fleetwood side had given him a less nervous afternoon by sealing their 2-0 win at Southend earlier than they did – but the head coach was otherwise delighted with Town’s first away win of the season.
It wasn’t until Ash Hunter scored his third goal of the campaign after 77 minutes, doubling the lead provided by fellow striker Chris Long’s first goal for the club in the first half, that Rosler could begin to breathe easily.
But this was a dominant display to secure Town’s first-ever win over the Shrimpers and Rosler was rightly overjoyed.
He said: “We should have killed the game off earlier to give me a little bit of rest with my heart.
“I think in this league, even at 2-0, anything can happen but I was delighted at how we stood up to the challenges and how organised we were.
“I think we have a good mix, both with and without the ball, and a great work ethic. It was a game we deserved to win.”
Town had the lion’s share of the chances and no-one was unluckier than Devante Cole, who twice had goals disallowed as he waits for his first of the season.
Rosler added: “We used the gaps they left between the midfield and the defence. We came into the pockets, and we turned and ran at them.
“We created numerous chances and I am just delighted that the players are getting the rewards for their hard work.”
The Town boss hailed his substitutes as midielder Martyn Woolford came on for a second-half debut.
But none of the replacements made a bigger impact than Hunter, who scored just four minutes after replacing Long.
“Our players from the bench made a big impact,” said Rosler. “Ash came on and scored a fantastic goal.”
This second League One win has left Town in eighth spot, and Rosler believes the teams to have taken points off Fleetwood so far are destined to be among the high-flyers.
He added: “Southend are a team who are experts at finishing in the top six.
“Bolton (the only team to have beaten Town in the League so far) will finish in the top six and Scunthorpe (who drew at Highbury) should be in the top six too with their budget.
“We have played them all and gave each of those teams a big run for their money.”

Rosler’s relief after classy Fleetwood win


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Madrid reject Blues bid?
Daily Mirror: Real Madrid have turned down a Chelsea bid for James Rodriguez – but would be open to a £60m deal.
Daily Express: Manchester United could miss out on Fabinho with the Brazil defender likelier to remain with Monaco.
Daily Star: West Bromwich Albion are close to signing Malaga midfielder Ignacio Camacho for a fee of more than £15m.
Daily Telegraph: Albion have also agreed a £13m deal for Spurs’ winger Nacer Chadli.
Daily Mail: German side Schalke want Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma.
Daily Mirror: Crystal Palace are keen to sign Everton midfielder James McCarthy.
The Sun: Liverpool have told Lazar Markovic he can leave on loan amid interest from AC Milan.
Daily Mail: Aston Villa’s Joleon Lescott will decide between a free transfer move to Italian side Pescara and Greek club AEK Athens.

Monday’s transfer news from at home and abroad


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Furious residents staged a blockade at the Queen’s Park flats demolition site, after learning that one householder was given an £8,000 pay out by the firm overseeing the project.
People living in the Devonshire House flats at Laycock Gate blocked the entrance to the site demanding to speak to Bruce Lister, the regeneration manager for the company Lovell.
Lesley Froggatt from Addison Crescent
They said the family, which was given the payout so that they would move out of the area for the day so demolition could take place, lived further away from the site than they did and therefore did not have to, like them, put up with trucks going to and fro daily as well as noise, vibration and dust.
They were demanding the same treatment or at least something from the company to improve their quality of life during the work
Families from Addison Crescent, where the family who got the payout live, were also furious with the situation saying that it was not fair that one should get the cash while everyone was inconvenienced by the July 31 demolition and subsequent work.
They also complained about ongoing noise and vibration from the £22m project and added that a clean-up following the actual demolition of the three tower blocks had missed debris and dust in many gardens and gutters in the area.
It is not right that they have got all this money and we have not been offered a penny
The Gazette reported yesterday, {http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/our-region/blackpool/family-offered-8k-for-moving-out-on-flats-demolition-day-1-8094904 |read the article here}, that Lovell made the £8,000 ex-gratia payment to the Addison Crescent resident for “ongoing disturbance” and for agreeing to move out on the day of the demolition. If the family had not moved out on the day it is unclear whether the demolition could have gone ahead.
A letter seen by The Gazette from Bruce Lister, stated: “I would confirm that Lovell is prepared to make an ex-gratia payment to you in recognition of the disturbance you have experienced and more particularly in lieu of your confirmed willingness to vacate your home at Addison Crescent throughout the operation of the temporary demolition
“Specifically it is hereby agreed that Lovell will pay you the sum of £8,000 in two instalments; £4,000 on receipt of receiving your signed acknowledgement and acceptance of the terms set out in this letter, and the balance of £4,000 to be paid immediately after the event.
“The terms set out in this letter are confidential between ourselves and you undertake to us not to disclose any of these terms to any third party.”
William Hunter, from Devonshire House, said: “People are furious. We are right on top of the site, the person who got the money is nowhere near as close to it all as we are.
“It is not right that they have got all this money and we have not been offered a penny.
“We have to put up with the trucks going in and out all day, the noise the dust the racket.
“I spoke to the site manager this morning and told him how appalled we were to hear about this.
“We feel we have been treated badly by Lovell.
“People were saying this morning that they wanted to go out and stop the work until they get some sort of explanation or a good will gesture.”
Margaret Cetinkaya, from Devonshire House, said: “We are not letting any lorries in or out until Lovell speak to us about this.
“It is because of that £8,000 payment. It is not fair for one family to get this.
“We should all have got the same treatment. We want to talk to Bruce Lister.”
Deanna Grundy, from Addison Crescent, said people felt angry that they were having to put up with noise and vibrations from the building site and only one person had been given this money.
She said: “When I got home from work the other day there was constant banging from the digging.
“We have been given no aftercare over this.
“They gave the windows a quick clean on the Monday after the demolition and that was it.
“People have debris and dust everywhere. People’s gutters are blocked.
“It is wrong that one person on this street has got a payout. We have all suffered as much as them and some more. There are disabled people living here who had to evacuate their homes.”
Lesley Froggatt, from Addison Crescent, said: “Most people here have tried to co-operate during the demolition. It is a good thing, it is progress.
“But when we found out someone had got £8,000, it was a kick in the teeth. People feel we have been treated badly by Lovell.
“We were promised the earth before the demolition.
“We were told we would get a structural engineer to come out, noise monitors, vibration monitors and a proper clean up afterwards, but they have not done this.”
Kenneth Lister, from Addison Crescent, said: “My wife is severely disabled and had to be evacuated to a care home for the day. We were not given any help at all. People are furious.
“I think these people should give the money back or otherwise everyone should be given a pay out.”
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The area where twenty-three storey Walter Robinson Court and 16-storey Elizabeth and Churchill Courts stood, will be used for 99 new homes which should be completed by Spring 2018 – the final part of the £22m regeneration project.
A spokesman for Lovell today said: “We are currently breaking up the foundations from the demolished blocks - this is inevitably noisy and we will complete this process as quickly as possible.
“As most of this material is being recycled as hardcore for the new development, there are only limited numbers of vehicles going to and from the site and those vehicle movements are subject to strict operating hours.
“Dust suppression sprays and road sweeping equipment are being used to reduce and clean up dust from the work.
“Where residents are experiencing problems with dust, we would ask them to please get in touch with our site team so that these can be addressed.”

Neighbours’ anger over £8,000 demolition deal


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Police are appealing for witnesses after a young girl was grabbed from her bike and dragged into a wooded area in Marsh Green.
The nine-year-old was riding her bike along a footpath between Lancaster Road and Challenge Way on Monday (August 22).
This incident left the young girl feeling absolutely petrified and we are now trying to support her at this distressing time. Det Con Faye Johnson
She was then approached from the side and grabbed.
The offender forcefully dragged her into a nearby wooded area but ran off when the girl screamed.
It is not known if the offender was male or female.
Det Con Faye Johnson, of Wigan CID, said: “This incident left the young girl feeling absolutely petrified and we are now trying to support her at this distressing time.
“We are treating this as an attempted abduction and would ask that anybody who believes they might have information to please come forward.
“Although we believe this to be an isolated incident, I would urge people in the area to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to police.”
Anybody with information should contact Wigan CID on 0161 856 7770 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Police hunt stranger who dragged girl, 9, into wooded area


As we look back on Team GB’s 27 gold medals at the Rio Olympics with fond memories, it is easy to forget some sports have fallen by the wayside.
Team Great Britain made history at the London 2012 Olympics by fielding a handball team for first time in the history of the games - but the legacy couldn’t continue in Rio due to loss of funding.
Handballs Lionel Messi equivalent: Nikola Karabati a French two-time Olympic gold medallist, is one of the faces of Adidas in France and commands a 12.5m euros a year salary.
Chris McDermott was part of that 14-man squad and he joined Lytham Town FC first team and myself at Fylde Handball Club for a taster session.
Despite being played by 39 million people in 159 different nations, its popularity hasn’t been replicated in Great Britain, something Chris, in his role as National Academy Boys Head Coach, is looking to change.
At six foot eight inches tall, 27-year-old Chris epitomises a typical handball player and is currently Great Britain handball team’s most capped player.
He’s played in teams in Slovenia, Denmark and Germany but currently plays for Warrington Wolves.
Contact sport
And Chris explains he’s been playing the game since he was 11 years old.
“I grew up around Liverpool and there were some facilities there so I started to play,” he said. “At 16 I moved to Romania to attend an academy and that’s where we started training regularly and moved into teams across Europe. I absolutely love the game and in European countries there’s as many handball courts as there is football pitches in England.
It was brilliant to be part of Team GB in 2012, but unfortunately if you weren’t expected to get a medal in 2016, your funding was stripped, especially in teams sports.
“Now we’re training young people in handball and hopefully we can get the funding to get us back into the Olympics.”
Reporter Mark White visits Fylde Handball Club to try out the sport following the Rio Olympics 2016.
Chris then started us off with some basic drills as one team tried to pass the ball without being intercepted by the other team.
And after explaining the basic rules put the 12 of us into a game.
The game itself is easy to pick up and play. Face-paced and end to end, the game requires good fitness, hand-eye co-ordination and an eye for goal.
There are definitely similarities to football in terms of the strategy but the game will appeal to most sportsmen and women with elements of most sports incorporated.
Getting into the action
And although there aren’t hundreds of teams in the country, Fylde Handball Club boasts some of the best facilities in the north following the refurbishment of Carr Hill School’s Sports Dome in Kirkham.
With the sport open to anyone over the age of 16, the club train every Thursday from 5.30pm until 6.30pm.
The club is always looking for new members and after trying it out...and giving handball a go is something I’d thoroughly recommend.
The rules of the game
The ball: Team handball is played with a 32-panel leather ball. For women, the ball is 54 to 56 centimetres and 325 to 400 grams. For men, it is 58 to 60 centimetres and 425 to 475 grams.
Number of players: There are seven players on each team (six court players and one goalie). A maximum of 12 players may dress and participate in a game for each team. Substitutes may enter the game at any time as long as the player they are replacing has left the court.
Getting instructions
Duration of the game: For players 18 years and over, the game consists of two, 30-minute halves with 10-minute half-time. For tournament and youth games two, 15-minute or two, 20- minute halves. Overtime consists of two, five-minute periods.
Passive play: It is illegal to keep the ball in a team’s possession without making a recognisable attempt to attack and to try to score. In other words, a team cannot stall free-throw awarded to the other team.
Throw-off: A throw-off is taken by the team that wins the coin toss and chooses to start the game with the ball. Each team must be in its own half of the court with the defence three meters away from the ball. Following a whistle, the ball is passed from centre court to a teammate and play begins. Throw-off is repeated after every goal scored and after half-time.
Scoring: A goal is scored when the entire ball crosses the goal line inside the goal. A goal may be scored from any throw - free-throw, throw-in, throw-off, goal-throw.
A player is allowed: To run with the ball for three steps, to hold the ball for three seconds, unlimited dribble with three steps allowed before and after dribbling but no double-dribbling.
A player is not allowed to: To endanger an opponent with the ball.
To pull, hit or punch the ball out of the hands of an opponent.
To contact the ball below the knee.
To dive on the floor for a rolling or stationary ball.
Reporter Mark White visits Fylde Handball Club to try out the sport following the Rio Olympics 2016.

You have to hand it to these rising stars who are on Olympic trail


Fleetwood chairman Andy Pilley says Ash Hunter has similar qualities to Jamie Vardy and is backing him to play at a higher level.
Hunter penned a new three-year deal last week and Pilley says the club is keen to help the 20-year-old develop.
Pilley said of Hunter: “He is a player we have really high hopes for. He has clearly got something.
“I think he has a special talent to score goals. He is a remarkably good finisher and we think he has a great future in the game.
“We think he will inevitably go on to a higher level than League One because he has such good movement. His future is whatever he decides to make it.
“We will work very hard with him. We have a fantastic base, fantastic facilities, and a head coach (Uwe Rosler) who was a forward himself and will make him a much better player.
“He scored a super goal against Leeds United, a top Championship team, and I am convinced the more we work with him the better he will get because he has a God-given talent to score goals.”
Hunter scored his second goal of the season in last week’s win over Oxford and Pilley added: “The more he does that the more game-time he will get and I am certain he will be a regular starter, not just someone who comes off the bench.
“His goals per minute ratio is exceptional. I’d be very surprised if anyone in League One has a better ratio over the last 18 months.
“He has a goal every 110 minutes, which is fantastic.
“We are keen for him to stay here. We want to develop him into the finished article.
“We think he has Vardy-esque talents. He plays a very similar game – he is fearless.
“He is not just scoring goals, he is creating as well and we are delighted to have him tied committed to Fleetwood Town.
“Hopefully he can get to the Championship with us; if not, I think it is inevitable he will move on to a bigger club.
“He is someone who gets the crowd on the edge of their seats. He is a fan favourite and that is why we are delighted he has committed himself for such a significant period of time to the club.
“Equally, we have committed ourselves to him. We will look after him.
“He has obviously got him a better package and we can make him a better player. We can get him playing at a level above.”

Fleetwood chief backs Hunter for high-flying future


Rose-Marie, the Irish singer, who now lives in Blackpool, has been presented with a platinum disc for sales of her new album My Gift of Love For You.
Sapphire Records gave the prestigious award to her for selling over 500,000 discs.
I’m absolutely delighted and thrilled to bits
The 60-year-old songstress performs on the last Friday of every month at Viva Blackpool and of the disc she said: “I’m absolutely delighted and thrilled to bits.
“I spent nearly eight months making that album and it is quite different from anything else I have attempted. It’s really up to date and there’s a Sam Smith track on there as well as an Adele song.”
Rose-Marie’s next performance at Viva Blackpool will be on Friday, September 30 and she’ll be joined by producer Andy Mudd, the first time she’s linked up with him on stage.
She added: “Andy is a life long friend and knows how to get the best out of me, it’s a marriage made in heaven.”


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The Coasters maintained their unbeaten start as the league’s top scorer moved into double figures and Steve Williams scored Fylde’s other goal with a deft flick.
Dave Challinor made just one change to the side that won Saturday’s top of the table clash against FC Halifax Town, with Matty Hughes coming in for the injured Sam Finley.
Only the woodwork prevented Bradford winger Ben McKenna from opening the scoring early on as he lifted a delicate cross into the box from the right that landed on the crossbar and bounced behind to safety.
James Hardy hit back with a chance for the visitors, drilling a low strike narrowly wide of the left-hand post from 20 yards.
The play swung straight back in the other direction and striker Chris Sharp was close with a half volley from the angle that could only find the side-netting.
Hardy was looking a threat early on and was again just off target when he cut inside from the left and fired over the bar.
After a lull in play, the visitors took the lead shortly after the half-hour mark. Bohan Dixon nicked in down the left, raced down to the byline and crossed for Rowe to tap home from six yards.
The frontman continued his fine form in front of goal and doubled the Coasters’ lead on the stroke of half-time.
The 28-year-old was brought down 25 yards out and dusted himself off to curl a free-kick into the bottom left hand corner.
However just seconds later Bradford were back in the game. McKenna delivered an inviting ball across goal and Sharp had the simple task of tapping home from point blank range at the far post.
Rowe was close to bagging a second hat-trick of the season after the restart but debutant goalkeeper Joe Cracknall got down well to his low left-footed strike.
Fylde did however stretch their advantage a minute later when Caspar Hughes chipped the ball into the box from 30 yards and Steve Williams flicked the ball over Cracknall at the first time of asking.
The Coasters had a firm grip on the game and could have gone further ahead just before the hour mark when Dixon slipped two markers before firing straight at the goalkeeper. Full-back Kennedy went closer still when his looping cross evaded everyone and crashed back off the bar.
Hardy should have put the match to bed when he was played in by Dixon but he cut back on to his right gave the keeper a chance to adjust and save his eventual strike.
The Coasters were out of sight with 15 minutes to play and it was another for star striker Rowe.
The hitman beat his man on the edge of the box and slotted into the bottom right hand corner to seal his hat-trick.
The fifth goal looked to be coming and some fantastic play from Hardy almost brought it about, turning two markers before playing in Matt Blinkhorn, but no one could get on the end of the striker’s cross.
Bradford thought that had a late consolation in the dying seconds when McKenna turned home Liam Dickinson’s cross but the attacker was deemed offside.
Blinkhorn was close to adding his name to the scoresheet seconds before the final whistle but his long-range curling effort was just wide.
Tough taskmaster Dave Challinor wasn’t entirely satisfield by his AFC Fylde side’s display in Bradford.
The Coasters boss said: “I wasn’t overly happy with how we started the game because I wanted us to play high up the pitch from the off.
“We got ourselves two goals ahead and the game is dead but we switched off and let them back in, so from a position of the game being over at half-time they are suddenly back in it.
“It was important we started the second half well. Thankfully we did that and got a slightly fortuitous third goal.
“The fourth goal has killed it and we just had to see the game out, which we did very professionally. The result was more than justified. The only slight disappointment is that we have conceded a poor goal again but that’s just me being super-critical because we played well overall.
But Challinor is well aware of the positives, adding: “We have a lot of goals in the side. Rowey has got 30 goals for two seasons running now and he has started this season really well, and I think there is still more to come from him.
“It’s been a great weekend for us – to take six points from the two games is massive.
“In that time we have got our first win at Mill Farm and kept our unbeaten run going, so long may that continue.
“We will have a couple of days off now after a very busy weekend and make sure we are ready for games on Saturday and Tuesday.”
DANIEL AGNEW
AFC Fylde: Thompson, Holmes, Langley (Collins 69), Williams, Kennedy, C. Hughes, Bond, Dixon (Baker 75), Hardy, M. Hughes, Rowe (Blinkhorn 80); not used: Finley, Newell.
Bradford PA: Cracknell, Toulson (Boshell 61), McWilliams, Dean, Coates, Kearns, McKenna, Wroe (Monaghan 71), Sharp, Payne, Davie; Not used: Osborne, Ryan.

Bradford PA 1 AFC Fylde 4: Match report and reaction


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Willy Wonka star Gene Wilder has died aged 83.
The Hollywood actor, known for roles in comedy classics such as Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles, has been hailed a “comic genius” and one of the “great talents” of his generation.
Wilder’s nephew said he died earlier this month in Stamford, Connecticut, having suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, the Associated Press reported.
His friend Mel Brooks, who directed The Producers, the classic comedy in which Wilder starred, said on Twitter: “Gene Wilder-One of the truly great talents of our time. He blessed every film we did with his magic & he blessed me with his friendship.”
Comedian and presenter Dara O Briain tweeted: “Gene Wilder has died. Sad news, but such a life well lived. For me, Young Frankenstein just pips Wonka, but so many wonderful performances.
“Expecting to hear people were fans of Blazing Saddles, Producers and Stir Crazy, but amazing number going for See No Evil, Hear No Evil.”
Stephen Fry tweeted: “Farewell #GeneWilder, comic genius. Thank you for all those happy happy hours.”
One of Wilder’s best known films is Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, in which he plays Roald Dahl’s enchanting candy man.


Fleetwood Town have signed Huddersfield Town midfielder Kyle Dempsey on loan for the rest of the season.
The 20-year-old could make his debut in tomorrow’s opening Checkatrade Trophy group game against Blackburn Under-23s at Highbury.
Dempsey joined Huddersfield from Carlisle United on a three-year-contact last summer and made 24 appearances for the Terriers last season, 21 of them in the Championship.
Town say that they beat off interest from rival League One clubs to secure Dempsey’s signature and head coach Uwe Rosler is pleased to have boosted his midfield resources.
Rosler said: “We are delighted to have Kyle on board. He is a very talented player, who arrives with experience of playing in the Championship last season and superbly in League Two before that.
“I’m delighted David Wagner (Huddersfield head coach) has trusted us with one of his top young talents.
“Kyle is an ambitious and tough player, who has the right mentality for what we are trying to achieve here.
“He will give us lots of energy, a goal threat and real quality from set-pieces.
“We feel his ambition will not only drive his own career forward but also our club.”
Cumbrian Dempsey, who turns 21 next month, made his League debut for Carlisle in January 2014 and made 51 appearances, scoring 11 goals, before his £300,000 move to West Yorkshire.
Dempsey, whose last competitive game was in April, tweeted: “Delighted to have signed for @ftfc. Looks a great club and team.Cannot wait to get the shirt on and get back playing football.”

Fleetwood sign Huddersfield midfielder Dempsey


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The grieving parents of a domestic violence victim say they are expecting a call they dread “any day now”.
Trevor and Sheila Fairhurst are bracing themselves for news of killer Darren Pilkington’s parole hearing, which could see him back on the streets within weeks.
Carly Fairhurst
A decade ago Pilkington, who was then dating their 19-year-old daughter Carly, pushed her downstairs at a house they were minding and left her for dead.
The critically injured Hindley teenager was on a life support system for several days before losing her battle for life.
Pilkington, now, 33, became one of the first people in British legal history to admit to two separate cases of manslaughter. He was serving a jail term for his part in the death of Hindley man Paul Akister when he first became close to Carly.
He has already served many years over his original minimum tariff, and could in fact have already been released had there not been an incident at an open prison when he was not found to be in his cell.
He was thereafter returned to a higher category jail and the system decrees that he will not return to a lower category one before release.
Mr and Mrs Fairhurst have been waiting for months to discover when the all-important parole hearing will be, when a panel will decide whether he needs to stay behind bars longer or be released on licence.
Mr Fairhurst said: “It has been an anxious wait. It’s odd because no news is good news – the longer he stays behind bars the better. But we are also waiting for the news of the hearing and it can’t be long now.
“I imagine that during the summer break it is difficult to get everyone together for consultation on his fitness to be released. You need the prison governor, a senior probation official, a representative of the Secretary of State and police.
“He is past his tariff and, since that incident at the open prison, he seems to have played the system so he could well be released. It is a worry.”
If Pilkington is allowed out there will be very strict licence terms imposed. These are likely to include not entering Greater Manchester for at least 10 years. He will also be in a hostel where he will be tested for drugs and alcohol every evening and, of course, he must make no attempt to contact the Fairhursts.
Any breach of these conditions and he will find himself back behind bars.

Family’s dread over killer’s release bid


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Time is running out for Lancashire residents to have their say on how the county is policed by taking part in Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw’s survey.
Feedback from the online poll will be used to shape the Commissioner’s new police and crime plan, which sets out how police and community safety partners work together to keep Lancashire safe.
I am delighted so many people have taken this chance to have their say on policing in Lancashire but if you haven’t, there is still time
Hundreds of people have so far taken part in the Let’s Talk Policing consultation, meeting the Commissioner out and about in towns across the county or via the online survey.
Anyone who has yet to do so has until Sunday September 4 to make their voice heard.
Mr Grunshaw said: “I am delighted so many people have taken this chance to have their say on policing in Lancashire but if you haven’t, there is still time.
“It is my job to be your voice, as the public of Lancashire, on policing matters. It is important my new police and crime plan reflects your views and needs.
“This is plan is at the heart of everything we do and will set the policing priorities for the next four years as well as determining how I delegate resources to the Chief Constable. This is an important chance to make sure your views are heard.”
For details about the consultation and to take part in the online survey, visit http://lancashire-pcc.gov.uk/lets-talk-policing/


Here is a list of five popular bookshops in the county
Ebb & Flo, Chorley
Broadhurst's in Southport
Ebb & Flo bookshop is an independent bookshop in Gillibrand Street, Chorley.
Alongside more recognisable titles, its book selection offers something quirky to customers. With a children’s den area, there are activities and sessions for young learners.
The store stocks a wide range of French Djeco crafts, as well as handmade crafts by Darcey Fleur.
The shop also boasts an upstairs gallery, where local artists and photographers can exhibit their work. Prints and artwork are often for sale. The room is also available for hire.
Broadhurst’s Bookshop, Southport
Broadhurst’s Bookshop in Market Street, Southport has four floors of hidden treasures.
The ground floor houses the new bookshop, with fiction and non-fiction. Other floors include an extensive new children’s book department, two rare book rooms specialising in 19th and 20th century literature, modern first editions, private press books and a wide and interesting selection of antiquarian titles. There is also eight second-hand book rooms containing upwards of 50,000 titles on all subjects and a varied selection of 18th, 19th and 20th century prints and maps.
Halewood and Sons, Preston
Halewood and Sons is a family business established in 1867 by William Halewood. It has a vast stock of rare, interesting and collectable books, maps and prints in all subject areas.
Located in 37 Friargate, there is ample choice to browse around for the perfect second hand and antiquarian book. The five-generational store is particularly strong in travel, exploration, local history, Arthur Conan Doyle, and natural history.
For more information and a book search, email dhalewood@aol.com
Book, Bean and Ice Cream, Kirkham
Book, Bean and Ice Cream, run by Elaine Silverwood, is at the site of the former SilverDell bookshop, in Poulton Street, Kirkham. The shop relaunched with a new name, linking with Silverwood Events, to provide cultural and literary activities in a cafe and book shop setting.
Carnforth Bookshop, Carnforth
Carnforth Bookshop, in Market Street, is an independent, family run bookshop, established in 1977.
Situated over three floors, it stocks a wide variety of products, including new, second hand and antiquarian books, as well as a large selection of maps, gifts, cards, toys, stationery and art materials.


Fleetwood Town boss Uwe Rosler has confirmed his wish to sign one more central midfielder before the transfer window closes on Wednesday.
Martyn Woolford, who arrived a week ago from Sheffield United, is set to make his debut at Southend tomorrow but the Town boss is seeking further reinforcements.
The ending of the emergency loan system means that after Wednesday clubs cannot bring in any more players until January.
Rosler said: “I think I would like to have every position doubled up in the middle of the pitch.
“We don’t have that in every department in our team but I think it’s very important in the middle, where the players have to go through a lot of running, a lot of intensity and a lot of work with and without the ball.
“From that point we’re definitely looking to bring in one more player and that would take us to six for three positions.
“We’re as close as we can get days before the window closes.”
Woolford played in a 2-0 friendly defeat to Oldham Athletic’s reserves on Wednesday afternoon, when Brad Kay and Brendan Glackin were on target for the Latics.
Rosler said the 30-year-old Woolford has qualities which will boost his squad.
“Martin got a good 65 minutes under his belt,” he said. “I saw a lot in those 65 minutes – that he can play in the positions we got him in for.
“He’s a very experienced player, who has very good game management, and I’m very happy to have such a versatile player.
“We haven’t many left-footed players who can step in when Amari’i Bell is ill or something.
“We needed someone with experience, with know- how, with the characteristics of the player we’re looking for.
“Martyn showed on Wednesday that he’s on the way to regaining match fitness.”
Another player hoping to catch Rosler’s eye is striker Devante Cole.
The striker is yet to find the net this season as David Ball leads Town’s goalscoring charts with three.
Cole said: “I feel good. I’ve been playing well and all I’ve been missing is a goal.
“I do need to get one soon but once I do get one I’ll carry on.
“I think the way he (Rosler) plays is better than how we used to play. I think everyone is enjoying it.”

Rosler’s race to sign midfielder for Fleetwood


Police in Lancashire have issued a fresh safety alert after the county was named as the worst in England and Wales for crimes related to the gaming craze Pokemon Go.
Lancashire Constabulary dealt with 39 reports of Pokemon-related crimes during July – the highest of 29 forces in England and Wales.
People should avoid potentially dangerous locations that could make you vulnerable to injury, or become a victim of crime
And the figures have prompted senior officers to warn gamers out hunting Pokemon characters about the dangers they could be facing.
“People should avoid potentially dangerous locations that could make you vulnerable to injury, or become a victim of crime,” said a spokesman at the Constabulary’s headquarters in Hutton.
The game, which is played on mobile phones using satellite navigation, was only officially launched in the UK in July. Yet in its first month it was involved in at least 290 police incidents including robbery, assault, trespass and motoring offences. Players use their cameras, overlayed with graphics, to catch digital creatures.
Of the 29 police forces who responded to a Freedom of Information request, Lancashire had the highest number of crimes.
No details were released of of offences committed or arrests made. But police across the country say Pokemon Go players have not only been victims, but also perpetrators of crime or anti-social behaviour.
In Surrey police say they were called out to a brawl involving 30 people on a Pokemon hunt. In North Wales a man was reported for inviting children into his home saying he had “lots of Pokemons” in the house.
In London and Greater Manchester robbers set up traps to lure players into an area to rob them of their phones.
Drivers in various parts of the country have been caught playing the game at the wheel, while British Transport Police reported at least two cases of children trespassing on the railway looking for the digital characters.
The Lancashire Police spokesman advised players not to trespass or put themselves in any risk while using the game.
“Never enter any water. Pokemon do not appear beyond the safety of the shoreline.
“ And don’t enter derelict structures, unlit footpaths or alleyways,” he said. “Please remember to be safe and alert at all times, don’t drive and play, and respect the locations you visit.”

Lancashire Pokemon hunters warned over crimes


There aren’t many hotels that boast a two-Michelin star restaurant, but this delightful haven in Devon has just that.
Set on the doorstep of Dartmoor National Park, near Chagford, stunning Gidleigh Park ticks all the boxes for a five-star weekend of food heaven.
Standing proudly on a bank within more than 100 acres of private woodlands, its location is wild and dramatic, with the immaculate gardens a vision of beauty.
Refined, traditional and classic are just three words to describe the stunning Tudor building, which also boasts an immensely stylish interior.
Before check-in, ensure to stretch your legs with a stroll around the beautiful estate, which is a lovely way of soaking up the fantastic green surroundings.
A circular route takes you past the picturesque water gardens, tennis courts, croquet lawn and Bluebell Copse wood.
Also make time for a spot of golf on the large lush putting green, with 18 testing holes featuring various water hazards and narrow slopes.
Inside is everything you’d expect from a country house hotel – antique furniture, stone fireplaces and elegant bouquets of flowers – all very sophisticated and ideally suited to the quiet atmosphere.
Our beautifully-decorated room, one of the hotel’s luxury suites, included a roll-top bath, his and hers sinks and the biggest walk-in shower you may ever see.
If you book the Manaton room, you’ll get a private rooftop hot tub where you can bask under the stars and top-of-the-range Dartmeet houses a marble bath, sauna and steam room.
Sipping drinks on the terrace is a great way to admire the stunning panoramic views and the lounge is an area where you can make yourself feel at home.
There’s also a well-stocked bar, conservatory and self-service pantry stocked with teas, coffee and biscuits.
Dinner is a gastronomic experience of a lifetime, with chef Michael Wignall a food genius who will take you on a food journey you will never forget.
His exquisite seven-course tasting menu was a culinary carnival which was simply the best meal I have ever had the pleasure of eating.
From the elegant dainty canapes through to the rich malt and yeast frozen cream dessert, the flavours in each dish complemented each other perfectly, leaving your palette purring.
Torched eel, loin of rabbit, baked smoked carrots and St Austell bay mussels were just a few of the delights on offer.
There’s an informative aspect to the meal as well, with restaurant staff explaining in detail the flavours of each dish and how they were prepared.
For breakfast, there’s the more traditional menu, featuring full English, Eggs Benedict, kippers and porridge.
No words will do this place justice unless you go and experience it for yourself, for this was an experience that has left memories we will treasure forever.
Hotel facts:
Overnight stays at Gidleigh Park start from £250 for a double room, or £125pp, on a bed and breakfast basis.
Lunch is £40 for three courses Monday to Thursday, or £50 Friday – Sunday.
A seven-course tasting menu, available at lunch or dinner, costs £110, while a ten-course tasting menu, available for dinner only, is £130.
Afternoon tea is served every day between 3.30 and 5pm and costs £37.50 per person, or £50 including a glass of champagne.
For further information or to book visit www.gidleigh.co.uk or call 01647 432367.
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Gastronomy at its finest - Daniel Bailey enjoys a star-studded stay at a Devon country house hotel


The transfer stories from at home and abroad on deadline day
Daily Mail: Chelsea will pay £32m to bring back defender David Luiz from Paris St Germain.
Daily Mirror: Crystal Palace will sign Jack Wilshere from Arsenal on a season-long loan.
The Sun: On the other hand, AC Milan would like Wilshere on loan for the season with the option of a £30m deal.
Daily Telegraph: Stoke City are targeting a move for Manchester City striker Wilfried Bony.
Daily Mirror: West Brom will use the sale of Saido Berahino to Stoke City to bid £32m for Watford striker Odion Ighalo.
Daily Mail: Hull City and Lyon will compete to sign AFC Bournemouth winger Max Gradel.
The Sun: David Moyes will bid £6.5m for St Etienne’s Florentin Pogba, brother of Paul.
Daily Telegraph: Spurs are eyeing a move for Newcastle midfielder Moussa Sissoko.


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REVIEW: Danny the Chamion of the World, Lytham Hall
A full house of 600 at Lytham Hall enjoyed the very best that open air theatre can offer in this accomplished performance from Illyria.
Roald Dahl’s story has considerable poignancy. Tom Myles and Peter Swales, wonderfully contrasting in their heights, are first class as Danny and his dad, both coming to terms in their own way with the death of mum. They fall foul of obnoxious local landowner Victor Hazell, played in a superbly over-the-top style by Nick Taylor who quickly and deliberately provoked the ranks of children at the front to storms of booing with his every appearance.
Illyria’s artistic director Oliver Gray, celebrating 25 years on the road, knows every trick of the trade - fourfold set, complete with an elevated forest of blue trees, delightful mechanical hens, comical toy cars and evocative music.
David Sayers was all Hello Hello Hello as the affable Sergeant Samways, Jennifer Shakesby a forthright Dr. Spencer and the experienced Ffion Glyn produced an excitable and wickedly Welsh vicar’s wife Mrs. Clipstone, her pram much more than it seems.
The littluns just shrieked as pheasants rained down on them in a high-octane second half, but Tom Myles had the skill to quieten the audience as in the finale he put across the strong moral point which characterises each of Dahl’s works. Glorious sunshine and a gloriously effective performance.
TOBY STIRLING

A show that proved just Champion to end season


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There is a landmark in store as preparations are finalised for fourth and final play in Lytham Hall’s current open air theatre season takes place this weekend.
Danny Champion of the World, being staged by the Illyria company on Sunday at 4pm, looks set to take the total attendances for the 27 outdoor performance at the Hall since 2010 over the 10,000 mark.
The three plays staged so far this summer – Chapterhouse’s Wuthering Heights in mid-June, and Illyria’s Midsummer Night’s Dream and Ruddigore in July – have together attracted some 1,200 theatre enthusiasts, a 10 per cent increase on last summer’s attendance figures.
The performances have also raised thousands of pounds over the years for the Lytham Hall Restoration Appeal Fund, including £3,500 last year – and Hall officials have asked for public support as they continue to come to terms with the shock blow of a £1.7m grant for restoration work at the venue being withdrawn by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Tickets have been selling well for Sunday’s performance of Roald Dahl’s family play and season organiser Julian Wilde is looking forward to an eye-catching finale to a successful summer.
He said: “It will be a real Bank Holiday weekend treat for families and with our numbers and our ticket prices comparing favourably with other venues, we are delighted to be welcoming visitors from all over Lancashire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside.”
Illyria’s artistic director Oliver Gray feels that Danny has proved to be one his most appealing family shows. “It has some very poignant moments in a strong storyline and our 95-day tour to 84 different venues has seen attendances consistently high,” he said.
Gates will be open from 2pm for picnickers, with the show finishing at 6pm. The audience should bring their own low-backed seating and suitable clothing. A special area will be reserved for children to sit on the grass in front of the stage.
Tickets, at £13 for adults, £10 for seniors and students, £6.50 for schoolchildren and £3 for pre-school youngsters aged from three, are available from www.illyria.uk.com and as well as from Lytham Hall (01253 736652), Plackitt and Booth Booksellers, Lytham (01253 796958), Lowther Pavilion Box Office (01253 794221), Stringers Homelife, Lytham (01253 740700), Storytellers Inc, St. Annes (01253 781690), Bennetts Bakery, Ansdell (01253 736318).


Fylde MP Mark Menzies has called on the Government to ensure an investigation into a Lancashire water crisis remains on track.
The Tory MP has written to the Secretary of State at the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs, the Rt Hon Andrea Leadsom MP, to ask her to intervene after long delays in seeing the results of the Drinking Water Inspectorate’s inquiry following last summer’s cryptosporidium outbreak.
How we reported the outbreak last August
More than 300,000 homes and businesses in Lancashire were first warned to boil all drinking water to protect against the nasty parasite in August last year.
It took 30 days for all supplies to return to normal, leading to compensation payments of between £50 and £60 to all domestic consumers and much more to businesses affected by the alert.
But despite fresh demands for answers, the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has still not revealed the source of the problem.
It comes after Mr Menzies contacted the organisation to find out the status of the investigation – but was rebuffed by officers.
He said: “This situation has gone on for long enough and people are unhappy at being left in the dark about a situation which caused untold inconvenience last summer.
“When I contacted the Drinking Water Inspectorate for some information I received a rather blunt response that they would publish their findings when they are good and ready.
“I’m afraid that’s just not good enough. This process needs to be open and transparent to give people the confidence they can trust their suppliers and the regulators put in place to protect their interests.
“With that in mind, I have written to the Secretary of State to ask her to intervene. While I understand the investigation must be carried out thoroughly and correctly, I think people deserve to know that is happening and be given some kind of timescales as to when they can expect answers.
“Without those assurances, then it is difficult to know whether the Drinking Water Inspectorate is working effectively and whether it is fit for purpose.”

‘Rebuffed’ Fylde MP demanding answers in Lancashire water probe


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Seven Fylde coast libraries and 14 children’s centres have been earmarked for closure as Lancashire County Council bids to save £200m by 2020.
The bombshell recommendation were made in a 1,468-page document released by county officials at shortly before 8pm on the Friday before a Bank Holiday Weekend – a move that has seen the authority accused of tryuing to ‘bury bad news’.
County Coun Geoff Driver, leader of the Conservatives at LCC, said: “It’s unfortunate they published it as late as they did. Coupled with that, the report is more than 900 pages long with more than 500 pages in an appendix. They do not know what they are doing and the people of Lancashire are paying the price.”
And former MP Ken Hind said: “It would appear Lancashire County Council sneaked out the news following a consultation ending on August 14, just before the holiday weekend when the nation’s thoughts were on holidays.
“A good day to bury bad news – a report 1,469 pages long which is a confusing labyrinth for members of the public to negotiate.”
The county council’s cabinet will be asked to agree the revised plans to save millions of pounds, by reducing the number of buildings the council owns and rents, after seeking people’s views.
Feedback from 7,700 responses has been taken into account in forming the proposals to bring services together to form a network of multi-functional buildings known as Neighbourhood Centres, which would provide a base for a range of different services in one place.
The plans propose changes to where some services including libraries, children’s services, children’s centres, young people’s centres, youth offending teams, older people’s daytime support services, adult disability day services and registrars are delivered in the future.
More than 100 buildings would no longer be used for county council services and the number of places at which some services are available would reduce.
The cabinet will also be asked to agree to explore proposals made by a number of groups to take on responsibility for running some of the affected buildings and services.
The changes are in response to Lancashire County Council’s need to save £200m by 2020/21 as a result of ongoing government cuts.
County Coun Liz Oades, from Kirkham, said: “The report got later and later but I know it’s been a big job.
“It is not as bad as it seems in Kirkham. If we look at it in a positive way, we are having meetings about taking over the library and it may be that we end up better off with more services in the building, and the facility for a new scout group as well.”
County Coun David Borrow, deputy leader of Lancashire County Council and portfolio holder for finance, said: “We’d like to thank everyone who took the time to respond to the consultation – their feedback has been invaluable in helping to shape the final proposals.
“Our aim is to find a solution that still gives everyone in Lancashire good access to good services, despite the pressures on the council’s budget. We have done a lot of work to assess where services should be located in future, taking account of things such as geographic spread, accessibility and the needs of different communities. Some of the changes to the proposals reflect what people have told us about the way they access these services.
“We’re also keen to continue exploring the potential for other groups and organisations to take on responsibility for some of the affected buildings and services The report acknowledges more work will be needed to assess the business cases put forward.”
A package of help is proposed to help establish any community-run library, including £5,000 to cover set-up costs, shelving, an initial supply of books from the county’s store, and advice from a dedicated community library development officer.
Fylde and Wyre sites to be affected
The Fylde centres earmarked for being sold off are: Ansdell Library, Freckleton Library, Kirkham Library, Kirkham Young People’s Centre, Lower Lane Young People’s Centre, Lytham Children’s Centre, Lytham Library and Registration Office, Orchard Children’s Centre (Freckleton) (designated), Pear Tree Children’s Centre (Kirkham) (designated). The Wyre centres earmarked for disposal are:
Cleveleys Library and Children’s Centre, Fleetwood Children’s Centre (designated), Garstang Young People’s Centre, Northfleet Library, Over Wyre Children’s Centre (Hambleton satellite), Over Wyre Children’s Centre (Preesall satellite), Poulton Children’s Centre, Preesall Young People’s Centre, Rural Wyre Children’s Centre (Garstang) (designated), Thornton Library, Thornton Young People’s Centre, and Thornton Youth Offending Team (Marsh Mill)

More than 100 sites to go in county sell-off


Police are appealing for witnesses after a fatal crash closed a large stretch of the motorway.
Emergency services were called at about 3.10am this morning after an HGV travelling north on the M61 motorway left the carriageway and collided with wooden fencing.
The incident happened about a mile north of the Rivington Services between junction 6, Horwich, and junction 8, Chorley,
The driver, the sole occupant of the HGV, was found by passing workmen. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The stretch was closed for almost six hours and accident investigation and recovery work is now complete.
Two lanes of the of the M61 northbound are now open although delays are still to be expected.
Anyone with information should contact police on 101 quoting log number 0172 of Friday, August 26.

Motorway reopens after fatal crash as police appeal for witnesses


Here is a list of fun events coming up this weekend.
FREE AND PAID: Blackpool Illuminations Switch On and Slimefest, September 2 to 4
Dame Barbara Windsor will switch the lights on at the Tower Festival Headland on Friday, following a party led by Ashley Banjo, and dance group Diversity. Other stars include The Vamps, Fleur East, Fatman Scoop and Club MTV. Free entry by wristband only. Celebrations continue across the weekend, as Jordan Banjo and Perri Kiely host Nickelodeon’s first UK Slimfest at the Empress Ballroom. Tickets, at £27.50, available from http://www.visitblackpool.com/slime. Slimfest also features a free outdoor experience including character appearances and family activities on the Tower Festival Headland.
PAID: Survival Skills and Crafty Creative, Preston, September 2 to 4
As part of Brockholes Nature Reserve’s Wild Families series, it hosts Survival Skills on Friday September 2, from 2pm until 4pm. Participants will camouflage up before heading out to follow a tracking trail and have a go at shelter building, fire lighting and cooking. Tickets are from £5. Family ticket is £18. On Saturday and Sunday, there are drop-in craft sessions from 10am until 4pm. Entry is £3.Located off M6, junction 31.
FREE AND PAID: Morecambe Vintage By the Sea Festival, September 3 and 4
A celebration of 20th century design, fashion, vehicles and entertainment on the Prom, with a flypast by a Lancaster Bomber; a Spitfire; and a Hurricane as part of an RAF Battle of Britain Memorial. There will be a Routemaster Bus Bar and vintage car show, a Vintage Roadshow, live music, wandering street performance, and workshops. Visit http://www.vintagefestival.co.uk.
FREE AND PAID: Tractor Road Run, Chipping, Sunday September 4
Families are invited to gather around Chipping to watch as an entourage of tractors drive around the village.
Tractors will set off from Green Lane Showground at 10am.
It costs £15 to enter a tractor, including a two-course lunch.
Spectators can stand and watch for free.
All money raised will go towards Rosemere Cancer Foundation.
PAID: Blackburn and East Lancs Model Railway Exhibition, September 3 and 4
A Model Railway Exhibition will be held at Hyndburn Leisure Centre, Henry Street, Accrington, from 10am until 5pm.
There will be layouts in various scales, specialist traders and demonstrators from across the UK and refreshments are available. Adult entry is £7, with children free. Parking is also free. The exhibition is organised by Blackburn and East Lancs Model Railway Society.
FREE AND PAID: Wigan 10k, September 4
Wigan’s annual 10k race, organised by charity Joining Jack, starts at 10am at the town centre. There will be live entertainment, a European Market, and a fun fair. Starsailor frontman James Walsh will close the music festival. Meanwhile, the day before, there is a Fun Run for children at Robin Park, from 11am until 5pm. Free entry. For registration times visit http://www.wiganeventsguide.com/event/wigan-fun-runs/
PAID: Proms in the Park, Wigan, Saturday September 3
Families are invited to bring a picnic and something to sit on whilst enjoying an evening with music at Mesnes Park, Wigan.
Gates open at 6pm and the musical concert starts at 7.45pm.
The event ends at 10pm.
Tickets are £10 for adults, £7 for children and concessions.
A family ticket is £28.
PAID: HAPPA Grand Open Day, Saturday September 3
Families are invited to Horse and Pony Protection Association’s annual open day extravaganza at Shores Hey Farm, off Halifax Road, Briercliffe, Burnley, from noon until 4pm.
There will be stalls, games, cake, scarecrow and produce competitions, horse riding displays and live music. There will also be handling sessions from Cooper’s Critters. Admission is £1 per person.
FREE: Parbold Street Festival, September 3 to 4
A total of 14 venues throughout the village offer a showcase in arts, education, entertainment and music, from noon on Saturday. There will be music from local bands and singers on the Big Stage by the Railway pub; a market place with more than 40 stalls; barges dressed in lights for the Festival of Light; a duck race; theatre; fairground; Kids Zone; workshops; horse demonstrations; and family fun.

Top 10 things to do in Lancashire at the weekend


Motorists experienced greater delays on the roads as journey times increased during the second quarter of 2016, according to data from the Department For Transport.
An average delay of nine seconds per mile on the strategic road network (SRN) was a 1.3 per cent increase on the figures for the year up to the end of March 2016.
Average speed on the SRN - the motorways and ‘A’ roads managed by Highways England - also fell. Between July 2015 and June 2016, the average speed was 59.2mph, a 0.2 per cent decrease on the previous figures.
The reliability of travel times on the SRN also fell, with 68 per cent more time needed to ensure on time arrival - a 2 per cent increase on the previous quarter.
The average delay on local ‘A’ roads in England in the year ending June 2016 saw a year-on-year increase of 3.8 per cent to 45.2 seconds per vehicle per mile, with average speed consequently down 1.5 per cent on the year ending June 2015.

Average road journey delay time increases


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Brian House Children’s Hospice is getting a new range of musical garden equipment thanks to the generosity of The Toy Trust.
Representatives from Halsall Toys Europe (HTI), based in Fleetwood, went to the Bispham hospice to hand over a cheque for £6,500.
HTI Executive Director, Colin Houlihan said: “HTI is honoured to be a member of the Toy Trust – the British Toy & Hobby Association’s charity which raises money, predominantly from the UK toy industry, in order to help disadvantaged and disabled children within the UK and abroad.
“Brian House is a fantastic local charity that does an incredible job in providing care for children, young people and their families from the Fylde coast.”
Linzi Young, head of fundraising at Trinity Hospice and Brian House said: “This is such a generous gift and will add a lot of interest and excitement to our gardens. The children will love the new equipment.”

£6,500 gift for hospice musical garden equipment


With Great Britain enjoying a gold rush at the Rio Olympics it seems long time since the 1968 games when the nation collected just 13 medals. Among the few success stories of the Mexico games was Lancastrian Bob Braithwaite. Louise Busfield reports.
There are not many Olympic champions who can celebrate striking gold without any formal training in their sport.
Bob Braithwaite could. Although born in Cumbria, Braithwaite moved to Lancashire as a child and spent the rest of his life in the Red Rose county.
A veterinary surgeon by profession, despite his amateur standing he first began competing on a professional level in trap shooting events in 1956.
In 1964 he qualified for the summer Tokyo Olympic games as part of the British shooting team where he was placed seventh in the trap shooting event.
But it was the 1968 summer Olympic Games in Mexico where Braithwaite’s talents truly captivated the nation.
Bob Braithwaite takes aim at the 1968 Oympics
At the games the trap shooting took place over two days. There were 200 targets to hit across eight stages and on the first day of competition Braithwaite, then aged 43, missed only two shots, the fifth and the 13th clay pigeons, ending day one in seventh place.
The following day he successfully shot every clay pigeon fired on the Campo Militaire range making his final score 198 out of 200, a then Olympic record. Such was the high standard of the competition his margin of victory was just two points over the shooters who finished in silver, bronze and fourth places from a field of 55 competitors.
His achievement was even more remarkable as many of his opponents were either members of their nation’s Armed Forces or enjoyed commercial sponsorship.
But he was not one for basking in his golden glory immediately telling reporters he was heading home to Scorton the next day, “No sense hanging around now. The job’s done, I might as well get back home.”
Olympic champion Bob Braithwaite
Braithwaite told the Evening Post: “Although I hadn’t done too much shooting this year I had the feeling that things would go right for me. Once you run into good form you usually maintain it and I did. It was as simple as that.
“I missed one shot in my first round because of the visibility, but the next one I missed was a real bad ‘un. I thought to myself ‘that’s it chum’, but I just kept firing away, and hitting them. I enjoyed it and had a bit of luck.
“I never really got tensed up. I’ve been far more nervous before. But 198 out of 200, not bad, I suppose.”
He added: “I didn’t look at the scores of the other competitors and it wasn’t until the last but one shot that I thought I had a chance of winning.”
His family had been gathered around radio listening to his efforts but it was a family friend who phoned through news of his victory shortly after 11.30pm on October 19.
Fellow Olympic shooter Colin Sephton, who finished 26th in the mixed skeet, had a closer view.
He said: “The tension was unbearable. None of us dared speak to Bob lest we upset his concentration. To shoot 25 birds four times in a row in one session as he did, phew, that was fantastic. We sat through it until the last round then we couldn’t look. One hundred straight off. Bloody hell!”
Bob’s achievements were made even more impressive as he earned success while holding down a demanding job and had undertaken no formal training programme for the tournament.
In 1947 he qualified as a vet initially working in Lancaster but by the 1968 games he was running his own veterinary surgery at Castle View on Bridge Street, in Garstang.
The practice took up a lot of his time and the nearest trap shooting grounds available were in Hull and Bournemouth, too far to practice while working.
The only logical thing for Braithwaite to do was to build his own practice ground on his family’s farm in Quernmore.
Evening Post sports reporter Alan Hubbard, who was out in Mexico, explained: “Bob bought a hand-operated trap and with Tom Ibison of Shepherd’s Farm, Garstang, he carried on practising – far from the limelight and bally-boo at his father’s farm, Askew Hill Farm.”
It was reported that a local priest volunteered to operate the trap for his twice weekly training sessions.
Over breakfast the following morning after winning gold Braithwaite told Hubbard, “Perhaps now someone will be stirred into doing something for us Cinderella men.
“There are about 4,000 clay pigeon men in Britain although only about 30 shoot the Olympic trench and what we need is a central point where we can practice. If this gold medal gets near to achieving that I’ll be over the moon.”
The event Braithwaite entered was the more difficult of two clay pigeon competitions with the sportsmen stood 45 yards from a trench in which three traps are set at different heights and angles.
The chalk and pitch “pigeon” was four and a quarter inches in diameter and was released on the word “pull” but by the first syllable it was winging away at up to 120mph.
It was an astonishing performance not only in the eye of experts but in those of his family and local supporters who could not believe one of their own had been so successful, one local commented telling the Post: “It is unbelievable. But he’s done it, he’s got an Olympic gold. It’s a marvellous achievement.”
Bob returned home to Preston railway station to a fanfare of fans, friends and newsmen and then boarded a Rolls Royce laid on by Scorton Parish Council for the final stretch of his journey home and a celebratory fireworks display.
Earlier he had landed at Heathrow after a 15 hour flight to discover his suitcase had been lost in transit containing a silver trophy he won in Mexico before the games began.
Thankfully his gold medal was safely around his neck at the time and he later recovered the rest of his belongings.
Later that year the man the Evening Post dubbed Bashful Bob due to his modest manner was awarded the MBE.
Braithwaite died on February 26 last year aged 89 and at the time of his death he lived in Capernwray, near Carnforth.

Olympic great conquered the world from a farm in Lancashire


Visit now for the Blackpool nostalgia news and features from The Gazette


AD/DC, Metallica, The Rolling Stones, Oasis, Fleetwood Mac. What do all these bands have in common?
They’ve all played Reading Festival and now a young Blackpool band are going to be added to that list of legendary musicians this weekend.
Fans at the main stage at Leeds Festival
For a lot of bands, playing Reading (and now the twinned Leeds) Festival is the pinnacle of their career but for Fighting Caravans, this achievement has come in the group’s infant stages.
An alternative rock quintet, who describe their sound as “A tacky disco meets a last-mile wake”, Fighting Caravans won the annual Futuresound competition to get their slot at the festival. Josh Hogan, the band’s 21-year-old drummer, from South Shore, spoke about the band’s excitement.
He said: “It was nuts, it took a long time to actually sink in but its a great feeling, definitely a bucket-list level achievement.
“I’ve been a few times and to now be playing on one of those stages is just amazing,
It was nuts, it took a long time to actually sink in but its a great feeling, definitely a bucket-list level achievement
“Its come around so quickly and we are very excited, we can’t wait!”
Josh also talked about the competition and thanked everyone who voted for the band, adding: “We entered the Futuresound competition and were fortunate enough to get chosen to participate in the live heats along side 39 other bands, so to come out on top was just crazy.
“We are extremely grateful, firstly to Futuresound for the opportunity, but mainly to everyone who bought a ticket, came down, partied and voted for us, we wouldn’t be in the position without those guys!”
Joining Josh in the band are singer Daniel Clark, 28, guitarists Ross Day and Alex Fletcher, 22 and 20, and bassist Simeon Lees, 22.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
The festival appearance marks a meteoric rise for the band, who have only been touring with their current line-up since July last year.
They’re influenced mainly by American Blues but also by contemporary rock music likening their sound to Queens of the Stone Age, Nick Cave and Radiohead, with subtle country, jazz and psychedelic overtones.
In 2015, Fighting Caravans released their debut EP, Beasts Of England and during September will be embarking on a tour of the UK and the rest of Europe with dates in The Netherlands, Germany and Czech Republic.
Speaking about the European tour, Josh said: “Having the chance to play our music in different countries is second to none.
“We went out to Ireland, Belgium and the Netherlands last October and that was amazing, everyone was so welcoming and the hospitality we were shown was ace.”
Reading Festival is the oldest music festival still in existence and it’s best known for booking rock, indie, metal and punk bands. Since 1999, it has also run parallel in Leeds.
This year’s event will be headlined by Foals, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Biffy Clyro.


Visit now for the latest music news - direct from The Gazette in Blackpool


Uwe Rosler has hailed his Fleetwood Town players for their speed in getting to grips with his footballing beliefs.
Having been brought in to replace Steven Pressley days before the new League One season, Rosler takes his team to Southend United this afternoon looking for their second victory in five league matches.
Their only league defeat came this time last week with a 2-1 loss at Bolton Wanderers, leaving them 12th at this early stage of the season.
“In three weeks I think we have come a long way,” Rosler said.
“We are at least par with our opponents if not the better team but this is just the beginning.
“We are far from being where I want to be; the players have responded and tried to give it their best shot and that’s why we’re competitive in every game so far.
“For me, we have some good work on the training ground so we’ll go to Southend and be competitive.
“When we are our qualities will shine through and we have a chance to win the game.”
One lesson Rosler has been on keen on transmitting to his players is the need for collective work.
Winning as one and losing as one is a message every manager tries to get across to his players.
Rosler, however, takes that further when it comes to matters at both ends of the pitch.
“I think, for me, scoring goals or conceding goals is always a team effort,” he said.
“We want to attack with 11 players, including the goalkeeper, who is always the first point of attack.
“We want to defend with 11 players and that starts with the number nine up front; I see that as the whole picture.
“As a team we want to continue to score goals, create more chances and, collectively, everybody should know they have a responsibility of getting clean sheets.”
That message is one put across at the club’s Poolfoot Farm training facility.
Having played and managed at clubs higher up the footballing pyramid, Rosler is happy in his new surroundings.
“Brilliant facilities,” he said of his side’s training base.
“Every morning I have time to go through the next game, the next formation and my next team.
“I’ll pick out what we do in training so, when we come here, everything is more or less set up in my head.
“My staff is very positive and very willing to work with me.
“Working in a facility like this, it’s not a lot of League One clubs that say they have similar facilities.”


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A Blackpool woman is preparing to premier her first short film having made the stop from in front of to behind the camera.
And Lindsay Bennett has chosen her home town to provide the backdrop and talent for short film Lions, Tigers and Bears which is set to feature as part of the Other World’s Festival later this year.
Scenes from Lions, Tigers and Bears, by Lindsay Bennett
Actor Lindsay sunk her own cash into the production, which is up for consideration to be screened at 55 other festivals around the world.
The drama short about the fear of being forgotten and the consequences of wanting to be remembered and follows Alfie, a successful but ageing rock star and his manager Juliette who has dedicated her life and career to his success. When Alfie explains that he wants to quit while people still know who he is, Juliette has a bigger plan to make sure his name will always be remembered.
The film was shot at Berlin Studios in Bispham and at Bootleg Social in Topping Street.
And Linsday, 36, a former Greenlands High School Pupil, was keen to get local talent involved.
It’s my first film so I’ve financed it myself which was a big step given I’m due to get married
Blackpool band Sound of Superstring provided the soundtrack with Paul Horrocks from the band taking the role of Alfie.
Lindsay said: “I’d written a couple of solo theatre shows, it seemed a logical progression from acting.
“I’ve been involved in a few independent films and I wanted to see if I could make the jump from in front of to behind the camera.
“It’s my first film so I’ve financed it myself which was a big step given I’m due to get married.
“But I wanted to do it and I had a very clear vision.
“I knew I wanted Paul Horrocks for the part.
“We wanted to use local talent.”
A production company from Bolton, which Lindsay had worked with previously as an actor, shot the film with the first-time director adamant everybody should be paid industry rates.
“It was a big undertaking,” said Lindsay.
“But I’m glad we did it.
“It’s a film which deals with some quite serious themes.
“I hope it will be well received.” Executive producer on the film was Rick Thompson, the man behind Blackpool’s Other World’s Festival.
And he was keen to have Linsday’s film screened as part of the event.
Lions, Tigers and Bears will be shown at the Regal Cinema in Church Street during the festival which runs from October 13 to October 16.
Lindsay, who also co-stars in the short, is hoping her work will be seen in wider circles to.
She said: “It’s been submitted for 55 festivals around the world.
“You never know with those but hopefully we’ll be able to show off what Blackpool has to offer on some international screens.”

Lindsay creates a film sure to be remembered


Television and film news, reviews and features - from The Gazette in Blackpool


Left-armer Mark Footitt’s best figures of the season helped Surrey to the brink of a deserved Specsavers County Championship win over Lancashire
On a flat pitch at the Kia Oval, the former Derbyshire seamer bent his back to take five for 49 - including three for three in 28 balls during the final session - as Surrey’s attack continued to cause headaches aplenty for the Red Rose middle order.
By the close Lancashire had toppled to 203 for eight, a paltry lead of 10 after losing six wickets in the day’s final session. The visitors will need a batting miracle or a fourth-day deluge in order to deny Surrey their fourth win of their Division One campaign.
Batting again by 1.45pm and after conceding a first-innings deficit of 193, Lancashire had made a bright enough start under occasionally cloudy skies.
Luke Procter and Haseeb Hameed posted 49 before Hameed, on 17, fended at one going across him from Footitt to edge behind to wicketkeeper Ben Foakes.
Liam Livingstone then received a snorting lifter from Stuart Meaker that struck the right-hander’s gloves and flew to slip, where Steven Davies took a sharp, low chance.
Procter, who negated Meaker’s quick bouncers by crouching low in the crease, moved to a well-deserved 85-ball fifty with nine fours just before rain arrived to force a slightly early tea interval.
Procter, with his score on 65, could have gone soon after the resumption but Davies, this time at third slip, downed a tough chance diving toward the vacant berth at second slip.
The third-wicket pair marched on with Alviro Petersen posting a 57-ball half-century with seven fours and a six but, with Surrey’s lead cut to 26 runs, Petersen aimed an over-ambitious drive against Footitt to pick out Dominic Sibley at extra cover.
Without addition to the score, and in Footitt’s next over, Steven Croft followed a leg-cutter to edge to Kumar Sangakkara diving forward at slip to make it 167 for four.
Procter blotted his copybook by walking across his stumps to miss a leg-side flick and depart lbw to Footitt, then Batty was rewarded for his tight stint at the Vauxhall End, with two wickets in five balls. Rob Jones misjudged the line to fall lbw, then Jordan Clark was hoodwinked by a quicker ball that pegged back off stump.
Footitt claimed his fifth when Arron Lilley nicked an expansive drive to slip, but Lancashire survived the last four overs without further alarm to take the match into its final day.
The third day had started with heartbreak for Surrey’s star 18-year-old all-rounder Sam Curran who missed out on his maiden first-class century by four runs, as the hosts elected to bat on until after lunch in adding a further 126 to their eventual total.
Curran’s brother Tom departed in the early exchanges when his miscued sweep against Lancashire off-spinner Lilley and was caught on the run at square leg by Jones.
Sam remained to post a 75-ball fifty and move smoothly to 96 by clipping a Lilley long-hop into the green seats of the lower Westminster Terrace.
But, in attempting another trademark leg-side clip two deliveries later, Curran found a leading edge to loop a return catch to the bowler. Not surprisingly, the teenager moped off having hit 13 fours and three sixes in his eye-catching 127-ball knock.
Batty followed soon after, prodding forward as he missed a Simon Kerrigan arm ball to give Lancashire’s other frontline spinner his sole wicket of a 30-over stint.
After an early lunch for bad light and drizzle, Surrey were finally dismissed when Lilley turned one sharply past the lunge of Footitt to peg back middle and leg and finish with figures of five for 130.


Visit now for the latest Blackpool and Lancashire cricket news and reports - direct from The Gazette


A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a woman fell from a block of flats in Preston.
Emergency services were called to Sandown Court in Avenham shortly before 8am on Friday, after a 25-year-old woman suffered serious injuries after falling from an 8th floor apartment.
She was taken by ambulance to the Royal Preston Hospital where her condition was described as critical.
The incident is currently being treated as unexplained, and police have launched an investigation.
A 29-year-old man from Preston has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and was in custody on Friday.
Extra police patrols were in the area to act as reassurance.
Enquiries are continuing.

Man arrested after woman falls from block of flats


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An unlikely star has been born, with Rusty the donkey giving quite an ass-ured performance!
He posed for the cameras when he visited patients at Trinity Hospice and Brian House yesterday.
Doreen Hadgraft has her day made by a visit from Rusty.
The 17-year-old jack, from the Manchester Donkey Sanctuary, was brought into the hospice to “put a smile on people’s faces.”
Janet Atkins, Corporate Fundraiser for the hospice, said: “Rusty came into Brian House to see the children who were in there.
“He’s been doing this for quite a long time and he’s very chilled out, he liked to pose for the camera a little bit as well.”
Janet added that it wasn’t just the children who wanted to get a picture with Rusty.
Rusty came into Brian House to see the children who were in there
“We went through to our adult unit and there was quite a number of patients who wanted him to visit them in their rooms.
“And then we went up to our day unit where the patients in there all crowded round to have photos.
“It definitely put a smile on people’s faces.”
Patients and staff at Trinity Hospice and Brian House in Bispham had an unusual visitor today in the shape of Rusty the donkey.
Elizabeth Welsh goes head-to-head with Rusty

Rusty the donkey trots to Bispham hospice