Book Review: Bridget Jones - Mad About the Boy

Helena Fielding’s third and final Bridget Jones book shows a different side of the quintessential comic heroine 15 years on from the last novel

Bridget Jones is arguably the first true modern comic heroine. With the first novel, Bridget Jones’s Diary being realised back in 1996, author Helena Fielding is one of a select brand who has created a character of whom the very thought of makes you smile.

The previous books were giant international bestsellers, selling over 15m copies across 40 countries and were turned into two hit films. With Bridget capturing the hearts of our female nation, the new novel, Mad About the Boy has been one of the most anticipated books of the year.

In the new book, Fielding has revived Bridget nearly two decades on to explore a different phase in the heroine’s life. In Mad About the Boy, Bridget, now 51 is still struggling with her unhealthy obsessions with her weight, alcohol units and romantic calamities. To this list of issues she now has the social media world playing a part in her everyday lifestyle.

Fielding has written in the same girlish style that she perfected in the first novel, using Bridget’s famous made up phrases such as, ‘singletons, smug marrieds and emotional f***wits’, making her the same young Bridget underneath the 51 year old age label. However, a lot has changed since we bided farewell to Bridget at the end of ‘Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason’ who we left after she found love and happiness with dreamy human rights lawyer, Mark Darcy. The latest novel is set four years on from when Mark tragically died in a land-mine accident in Sudan, leaving poor Bridget a widow with two children. The novel shows Bridget emerging from the raw shock and grief of losing Mark to engage on the dating scene again- and this dating scene couldn’t be more different.

Despite Mark’s death being such a huge shock to fans, there may be some sense behind Fielding’s logic as she has somehow pulled off the neat trick of holding Bridget to her initial premise of a single woman searching for romance while allowing her to grow into someone funnier and more interesting than before. Who knew being middle aged could be so eventful?

In the world of the 90’s single Bridget there was no twitter, Facebook or online dating and when you hit past your peak you were doomed to ‘ die fat and alone...and be found three weeks later, half-eaten by wild dogs.’ In this novel Fielding is very playful with the fact that Bridget is a bit of a late starter with technology who constantly forgets passwords and tends to push buttons that cause multiple screens to go blank. When it comes to Bridget’s renowned slapstick comedy, there are some brilliant scenarios based on her embarrassingly bad misunderstandings – usually revolved around running into her son’s ruggedly attractive teacher.

The older, but not necessarily wiser Bridget’s problems in the book have hilarious parts that different ages of women can relate to. From worrying about the number of head lice she finds in her children’s hair to the percentage of the day she checks her phone for messages off her toy boy. (“Texts from Roxster 0,” she writes of one boyfriend. “Number of times checked for texts from Roxster 4,567.”)

As if to compensate for Bridget’s massive blow, the male focal point of this novel is a young toy boy teacher, Mr. Wallaker who Bridget wins over by not striving to be the ideal woman, but being her gawky imperfect self.

The heroine may be criticized for being unrealistic in terms of landing these gorgeous successful men, but the novel is fiction and something to make all the women with insecurities realise that it’s OK to be imperfect as there is a man out there who’ll love you, as Mark Darcy said it, ‘ just the way you are’.

You would have a heart of ice if you didn’t shed a tear at the end of this novel as it captures the real highs and lows of Bridget’s life. Miss Jones really is a British legacy and Fielding's fabulous tiro of diaries

[caption id="attachment_506" align="alignnone" width="300"] Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy in stores now[/caption]

have made us realise that long lasting love isn’t guaranteed, your life doesn’t become dull in your 50’s and wearing giant panties that reduce your body fat percentage are completely acceptable.

Rather than a piece of perfected literature, Mad About the Boy is more of an inviting comfort blanket for all of the readers who were captured by Bridget before and are intrigued to find out what she has become.

Rating ****

Man takes on machine in new Volkswagen advert

WHAT'S MORE POWERFUL? Fifteen members of the University of Chester men’s rugby team, or a Volkswagen Golf?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME1ZiB6ypA4

To commemorate the arrival of the World Rally Championship in Wales, the two went head-to-bumper in a game of petrol-fuelled rugby. The challenge was set out by German film company Black Pearl Film and was launched on the opening day of the race.

The advert sees the men’s rugby team get the upper hand before a misplaced pass puts the German engineered car in control. Some silky driving skills left the team with mud on their face and cursing the four-wheel drive technology.

The sparring session with the men’s rugby team obviously did Volkswagen some favours, as they were crowned World Rally Champion 2013. The video has seen great success on YouTube, already clocking in 140,000 views within just under two weeks of being launched.

Gordon Reay, Manager of Student Sports Development, Performance and Coaching described taking part in the video as an event the team will never forget.

He said: “The whole day was a fantastic experience for all involved. Even though it was bitterly cold everyone was so enthusiastic and warm hearted about the project. From watching the director at work and sell his vision to seeing the end product is such a thrill.

[caption id="attachment_485" align="alignright" width="300"] It's fifteen men against one car, but there can only be one winner. Photo: Volkswagen[/caption]

“This is an experience that all of the rugby team will remember for all their lives and they have video evidence to remind them too.

“Thanks has to be given to all who made this possible especially Cheshire West and Chester Council which allowed us to use the pitch.”

Whilst it was a loss for the men’s rugby team on the day, they’ll be looking to get back on the winning track this Wednesday when they travel to Manchester to face arch-rivals Manchester Metropolitan University.

 

Related articles

• University of Chester's Men's Rugby Team Profile


• Rally the World Volkswagen

Curry worker sex offence case

Accused sex offended appeared in court yesterday (Thursday) to hear details of the next step in the trail against him.

Former curry house worker, Ramsey Ramsey, 78, spoke only to confirm his name and address at Chester Magistrates.

Ramsey was told his case would be dealt with at the Chester Crown court with the preliminary hearing being held on December, 9. His current unconditional bail was altered to conditional bail and meaning he is not permitted to have any unsupervised contact with any person under the age of 16.

Ramsey, from Newton, Chester, is charged with 21 offences between 1989 and 2000 on the girls aged between 12 and 15 at the time.

A Public Service Announcement from a Cyclist

[caption id="attachment_416" align="alignright" width="300"] Motorists and bike riders in Chester are caught in a vicious cycle. Photo credit: Budby[/caption]

I’M A CYCLIST.

Now this fact may not cause any need for alarm with most of you, but a slim minority of you will be balking at the thought. Or that’s the way it seems. Yesterday, for example, I was cycling down Hoole Way when a driver unceremoniously sped through a red light and almost gave me a knock.

So consider this a public service announcement on behalf of all cyclists. We know we look silly in our fluorescent jackets and questionably tight lycra, but we can assure you it isn’t the latest fashion craze. Although as a current employee of Topman, I’m not so sure those days aren’t that far off.

Regardless, I can assure you that we aren’t trying to make it more difficult for drivers to get to where they need to be. I – as well as many cyclists – have a full driving license. We know it can be frustrating to lower your speed and drive around us, but can we ask for a little decorum here? All we ask is for a little sympathy for the guy surrounded by high speed moving slabs of metal and glass.

The common argument from drivers is that cyclists should be on the pavements, one that I must offer my opinion on. It’s currently illegal to do this in the UK, and would in fact create more problems, as pedestrians would then be a factor in this dispute as well.

It’s coming up to Christmas and as a result, it’s getting darker outside earlier and vision can sometimes be impaired. We’ll promise to wear the aforementioned ridiculous rave party get ups, if you promise to keep an eye out for us.

I must apologise if this article sounds slightly jaded in some respects, but a year ago, I was knocked off my bicycle by a driver who wasn’t paying attention to the road. Fortunately I was alright, but on another day the results could have been much worse. If I could offer one word of advice to motorists it would be this. Be predictable. This can also be applied to cyclists as well. It can be difficult for motorists to predict how cyclists are going to behave which can lead to stressful encounters. By everyone acting in a predictable, logical manner, we should all be safe from each other.

There are very different groups of cyclists, just as there are different groups of motorists, so I understand that cyclists can also be as much a part of the problem as well. Unfortunately the big issue is that roads aren’t designed to accommodate both motorists and cyclists. My hope is that by reading this article, a small seed of consideration will be planted in the heads of many, so that we can all be more careful this holiday season.

 

Related articles

• The Chester City Cycling Campaign


• Cycle Chester


• A list of cycling and mountain biking trails in Cheshire

 

Album Review: Dave Hause - 'Devour'

‘DEVOUR’ IS THE SECOND SOLO ALBUM from Dave Hause – vocalist of the once-iconic punk rock band The Loved Ones –  released through Rise Records, and with it he seems to have taken a full band approach, rather than the soulful acoustic style he took on 2011’s ‘Resolutions’.

The central focus of 'Devour' lies in Dave Hause's experiences growing up in a blue-collar, working class neighborhood, the loss of youthful innocence in a rapidly changing world and unfulfilled promises made by the Reagan administration.

He takes a rather mournful approach to his song-writing; mostly nostalgia-driven, Dave Hause combines classic self-reflexive Springsteen-esque lyrics with that classic, blue-collar rock ‘n’ roll vibe that brings to mind archetypal images of classic Americana - leather jackets, cigarettes, jukeboxes, ‘50’s diners and classic cars.



Although the full-band intensity of ‘Devour’ is great, and compliments Hause’s vocals perfectly, it does just feel as though The Loved Ones which should’ve been on the cover has just been replaced by Dave Hause.

In some respects, it feels as though Hause is trying to cling on to the last remnants of The Loved Ones  former glory, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, he still evidently has the brilliant song writing ability which made The Loved Ones such a great band, and with the events of the last four years (the petering out of The Loved Ones, his construction company going under with the economy in 2009 and a divorce) he’s obviously found a new source of inspiration, and the angst of The Loved Ones has been replaced with a much more mature, world-weary melancholia.

Combine this world-weariness with a ‘classic rock ‘n’ roll’ vibe, spread it over 12 near-perfectly formed tracks and there’s a recipe for success. ‘Devour’ easily outshines Dave Hause’s last record, and even comes close to outshining his efforts as part of The Loved Ones, and with a label like Rise Records behind him there’s no limit to how far he could take his career as a solo artist.

Dave Hause will be on tour in the UK in December and ‘Devour’ is available to buy now on CD, vinyl or digitally.

UK Tour Dates:

December 05 – Southampton (Joiners)
December 06 – London (The Garage)
December 07 – Kingston-Upon-Thames (Banquet Records in-store)
December 07 – Nottingham (Bodega)
December 08 – Newcastle-Upon-Tyne (The Cluny)

Gig Review: Down & Outs/Caves/Salem Rages/Worriers/River Caves at Maguire's Pizza Bar, Liverpool

SATURDAY, November 9, saw the backroom of Maguire’s Pizza Bar on Renshaw Street in Liverpool taken over by Down And Outs for the record release show of their fourth full-length.

A short walk from Liverpool Central, Maguire’s often plays host to various hardcore and punk gigs, and with Liverpool’s very own Down And Outs at the top of the bill, it was a busy night. Before the doors were even open, the front room was packed wall-to-wall with beer-swilling, pizza-eating punk rockers, and soon everyone was ushered into the back room, which doubles as a gig space.

Opening the night was the first of a number of homegrown acts, River Caves. Playing melodic punk reminiscent of 80’s and 90’s punk bands such as Jawbreaker, combined with a modern pop punk edge, similar to bands like Latterman, they received a few polite claps after their songs and were generally well accepted but certainly didn’t raise the roof.

Next up, all the way from New York City, were Worriers. Having just released a new full length, and on tour with Caves at the time, the female-fronted act played a brand of punk that combined the classic Long Island sound with The Loved Ones folk-sensibilities, playing songs covering anarcho-feminism, to interpretations of passages from books. Again, generally well accepted, despite most of the crowd not seeming too familiar with them, there were however a few people hovering around their merch table after their set, maybe an indication they made a few new fans.

After Worriers dismantled their backline, another local band, Salem Rages, took to the floor to play certainly the most stand-out set of the night. Dressed entirely in black, and accompanied by an big old bell in place of one of the cymbals on the drumset, they swiftly kicked off their twenty minute set of what they referred to as “doom punk”, combining elements of 80’s gothic rock, classic punk and New York hardcore, for a ferociously dark set. They certainly had the biggest stage presence of the night, with the guitarist/vocalist frequently making his way into the crowd, seemingly for no purpose whatsoever. Despite receiving a few raised eyebrows and comments along the lines of “Are they for real?”, they managed to win a few people over but a few others they seemed to leave feeling alienated and confused.

Penultimately, Bristol’s Caves took to the floor. The second touring band of the night, they received one of the best responses. You could sense the anticipation in the room as they tuned their instruments and prepared to blaze into a half-hour set of shouty sing-a-long pop punk. They tore through a set combining fan favourites, new material off their recent full length ‘Betterment’, and even a few songs from guitarist/vocalist Lou’s old band Flamingo 50, to which a man who looked like he was in his 50’s, wearing a Flamingo 50 shirt, did a bit of a dance to.

By the time Caves/Flamingo 50 finished up, it was nearing time to shut it down and call it a night, but Down & Outs stepped onto the floor to play their part to celebrate the tenth anniversary since their first show, aswell as the release of their new album, ‘Lifeline’. Blasting into a blend of classic street and ‘oi!’ punk and modern pop punk, with the melodic roar filling the crammed 70-capacity room. The hometown crowd had certainly been waiting all night for this moment and the response was incredible, seeing a band in a 1,000 capacity venue and hearing maybe 100 people around shouting the words along with the band is special, but stood in the back room of a pizza bar in Liverpool, the smell of pizza dough drifting in through from the kitchen, and hearing all 70 people shouting along is an experience unlike any other.

Overall, this was a fantastic night and was living proof that punk is definitely not dead in Liverpool.

Christmas, Victorian Style

CHESTER'S GROSVENOR MUSEUM invites visitors to experience a Victorian-era Christmas this December.

[caption id="attachment_396" align="alignright" width="300"] Photo Credit: Tabatha Lewis[/caption]

The historical entertainment company 'Blast from the Past' is hosting the special event on Wednesday, December 11, at the museum.

They encourage anyone to come and join the musicians and actors for carols, including festive favourites as well as more obscure carols from the 19th-century.

There will also be a Christmas tale from the court of King Arthur, featuring damsels in distress, chivalry, an epic quest and a happy ending.

The event will take place in the museum's atmospheric Victorian theatre, doors are open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start.

Admission is £8 which includes a drink and mince pie. Tickets can be bought in advance by contacting kelsallfolk@gmail.com or 07528277419.

Major Conference In Chester

[caption id="attachment_394" align="alignright" width="300"] Photo Credit: Tabatha Lewis[/caption]

MEMBERS of local government descended on Chester this week for the annual County Councils Network (CCN).

Councillors and chief executives were joined by policy-makers for the major conference hosted this year by Cheshire West and Chester council at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Monday and Tuesday.

The CCN represents 36 county and unitary councils and seeks opportunities to influence government decisions.

Amongst the key speakers were former Deputy Prime Minister Lord Heseltine and Minister for Communities, Eric Pickles.

Review: The Pied Bull

If you are looking for a place to stay in Chester for a cosy winter weekend or simply fancy somewhere to enjoy a refreshing pint, The Pied Bull, the oldest licensed building in Chester is something a little special from the rest.

The Pied Bull is situated in the heart of the city centre along side the roman walls and is full of history as it dates all the way back to 1155.

From the outside of the pub the brickwork remains almost untouched, with the inside reflecting its distinctive heritage with deep wooden open fires, broad oak beams and original paintings.

Apart from the Bull’s rustic appearance what makes the place somewhat more novel than the average Cheshire pub that fact that it has its own brewery, which is the only one within the city walls. The brewery serves an award winning range of quality ales that combine the best of brewing tradition with contemporary styles.

As well as the brewery, The Bull serves top quality food sourced from local farmers in Cheshire. On the menu are a variety of traditional English dishes from fresh fish & chips to delicious roast dinners serving meat from local butchers in Hoole.

The Bull is a popular place with both tourists and locals for its authentic appeal and colourful history. For the more superstitious guest, The Pied Bull is famous for having its fair share of ghosts, including a haunted cellar man and chambermaid who haunted two rooms in the 19^th century. If ghost stories do not phase you, the Pied Bull has a selection of comfy, traditionally decorated bedrooms to stay the night in.

[caption id="attachment_384" align="alignnone" width="225"] Outside The Pied Bull, Chester[/caption]

With a building steeped in history, filled with the finest of local foods and award winning ales the Pied Bull is the must to go during the festive period to enjoy a quite drink or stay after doing your christmas shopping.

Rating ****

By Rebecca Jones

Student Makes More Than £2,000 a Month

A 21-YEAR-OLD Psychology major spends only three hours a day on Twitter and makes as much money as a full-time worker.

University of Chester student Cara Evans, simply tweets advertisement links for five companies and gets paid about one pence per click.

With her seven Twitter accounts of nearly one million followers each, one link usually generates £20.

Cara searched the web two months ago for jobs in social media after her temporary job at a call centre came to an end. The marketing advertisements sparked an idea and she contacted organisations to see if they needed a freelance advertiser.

“I’ve always had a passion for social media websites, so I thought I’d see if I could make any money out of it,” Cara said.

Little did she expect to earn so much by tweeting only two or three sponsored link a day.

“I didn’t expect to make much. Maybe £10 a week,” she said.

Her first pay was £600 in the first week. But she hasn’t blown her earnings and has put it into a savings account.

“I know some other people who do this job too and it isn’t guaranteed forever. I’m trying to be sensible. I hope to be a Psychologist in the future,” Cara added.

The job isn’t time consuming and she can focus on assignment deadlines and studying for exams more than she could with her previous job, which paid less and involved more hours.

Chester Intelligencer reporter, Amy Poole

Man robbed and attacked in Cheshire after pulling over for fake policecar

A MAN was attacked and robbed in his car today after pulling over for what he thought to be an unmarked police vehicle near Northwich.

Police are appealing for any information on a white transit van.
Photo: kenjonro, Flickr

Cheshire Constabulary have appealed for information after a man from London driving a silver BMW on the A556 was robbed and attacked with a screwdriver by three men in a white van.

In an incident akin to many Facebook and social media hoaxes that warn not to pull over for any unmarked police car, the police have confirmed that it is very rare for an unmarked vehicle to stop drivers.

The offenders, driving a white Mercedes Sprinter van stole the victim’s personal belongings, including his phone and jewellery and attacked him before leaving. The victim, who is in his forties, was treated at Macclesfield Hospital for minor injuries.

The resonant social media scare campaign details a fake police car, with a convicted criminal driving, and warns to never pull over for an unmarked vehicle unless in a lit public space.

The Facebook post, which has been circulating the internet for a few years, has been proved to be disingenuous on a number of occasions but still erroneously convinces thousands of users of the dangers of pulling over for police vehicles.

The online frequently asked questions database, Ask the Police (www.askthe.police.uk) informs the public that you should never stop for any car if you are unsure if it is an authentic police vehicle.

It has since been confirmed that drivers should acknowledge police vehicles and pull over as long as they feel safe. Cheshire Constabulary advised for any drivers to stay inside their locked car and wait for an officer to show formal identification from behind the window.

Furthermore, any constables stopping vehicles on the road must be in full police uniform for the stop to be legal.

Anyone who might have seen the two vehicles on the layby on the A556 near Northwich should contact Detective Constable Craig Lindfield, at Wilmslow CID or call the non-emergency police number, 101.

Man robbed and attacked in Cheshire after pulling over for a fake police car

A MAN was attacked and robbed in his car today after pulling over for what he thought to be an unmarked police vehicle near Northwich.

Cheshire Constabulary have appealed for information after a man from London driving a silver BMW on the A556 was robbed and attacked with a screwdriver by three men in a white van.

In an incident akin to many Facebook and social media hoaxes that warn not to pull over for any unmarked police car, the police have confirmed that it is very rare for an unmarked vehicle to stop drivers.

The offenders, driving a white Mercedes Sprinter van stole the victim’s personal belongings, including his phone and jewellery and attacked him before leaving. The victim, who is in his forties, was treated at Macclesfield Hospital for minor injuries.

The resonant social media scare campaign details a fake police car, with a convicted criminal driving, and warns to never pull over for an unmarked vehicle unless in a lit public space.

The Facebook post, which has been circulating the internet for a few years, has been proved to be disingenuous on a number of occasions but still erroneously convinces thousands of users of the dangers of pulling over for police vehicles.

The online frequently asked questions database, Ask the Police (www.askthe.police.uk) informs the public that you should never stop for any car if you are unsure if it is an authentic police vehicle.

It has since been confirmed that drivers should acknowledge police vehicles and pull over as long as they feel safe. Cheshire Constabulary advised for any drivers to stay inside their locked car and wait for an officer to show formal identification from behind the window.

Furthermore, any constables stopping vehicles on the road must be in full police uniform for the stop to be legal.

Anyone who might have seen the two vehicles on the layby on the A556 near Northwich should contact Detective Constable Craig Lindfield, at Wilmslow CID or call the non-emergency police number, 101.

Winter Wonderland Woes

[caption id="attachment_354" align="alignright" width="300"] An inside look at the Winter Wonderland, one that not all were able to see. Photo: Tabatha Lewis[/caption]

LAST NIGHT the Winter Wonderland launched at Chester Racecourse, but unfortunately at the end of the night large groups of visitors were left saying, “Let us go, let us go, let us go”. 

Coinciding with the official launch of Christmas festivities in Chester, the Winter Wonderland opened alongside the Christmas Market and the Parade of Light. For one night only the Winter Wonderland offered free entry to visitors, before reverting to the regular admission price of £5 for the rest of the season.

Unfortunately, as a result of the popularity of the event, many patrons were left out in the cold and refused entry. In many cases, families were turned away despite having queued for up to half an hour.

Chay Hawes of Handbridge was one such member of the public. Speaking to Mr. Hawes following the event, he told us, “We were walking into town with our three-year-old son to watch the Christmas light switch-on parade, where we saw various groups dancing down the street and parading their paper lanterns. Our son was very happy to see Father Christmas waving from his float. It was when we made our way to the racecourse to the Winter Wonderland that things went wrong.”

“Heaving with spectators, we were stuck with dozens of others on a stairwell with nobody making any progress in either direction. We were essentially trapped on the stairs, the parade had long since passed by that stage.”

“Once out of the city walls everyone piles towards the racecourse entrances. After queuing for a while, someone yells, ‘They’ve closed the gates!’ Nobody in our queue is willing to believe them at this stage. More and more people head towards us and confirm the gates have been closed.”

“People start to climb under the racecourse barriers and make a dash across the grass, as a pair of very young and anxious looking teenage helpers plead with people not to jump the barriers. I guess this is what happens when the organisers are woefully under prepared for the numbers of people that will attend.”

Chester Race Company has since posted a statement on the issue, claiming the number of visitors as “unprecedented”.

They wrote: “As a live, free event, it is always hard to anticipate in advance how many people will attend an event, last year’s switch on was attended by around a thousand people. The site experience pinch points when the parade arrived at the racecourse and people were inconvenienced and we apologise if you were affected.”

“Decisions to close the gates were taken for safety reasons as crowds were being closely monitored on CCTV to ensure additional exit routes could be opened to ease congestion. Again if you were one of those we offer our apologies.”

An Exclusive Interview with S**t Chester

[caption id="attachment_339" align="alignright" width="300"] A common example of the material you'll find published on S**t Chester's Twitter account.[/caption]

IN THE MODERN DAY AND AGE, it’s important for cities not only to represent themselves socially and culturally, but also to carry an online presence with them as well.

For Chester, anonymous Twitter account “S**t Chester” stands at the forefront of that, whether people like it or not. Boasting almost 5,000 followers, it’s estimated that one in 24 people in Chester follow the account’s traditional blend of humour, news and campaigns. Coming under flak this week from Councillor Mike Jones, we sat down with the anonymous microblogger to shed a little more light on his identity.

Disclaimer: The views presented in this interview are solely the views and opinions of “S**t Chester”, and do not reflect the views carried by the Chester Intelligencer and/or any of its staff.

For any of our readers who might not have Twitter or be aware of you, tell us a little about yourself.

S**t Chester is a fun ironic look at Chester that has a positive message at its heart, we aim to promote Chester in a tongue in cheek way. We have been described as "Chester’s cultural revolution leader", and "the most postmodern thing to happen to Chester since Beyoncé stayed the night at the Grosvenor Hotel". We launched in March and have built up over 4,600 followers since then.

What would be your ‘mission statement’ for S**t Chester?

The mission statement is varied. The title "S**t Chester" refers to "s**t in Chester" and by "s**t" we just mean, "stuff”. From a single flower in the middle of a derelict building site, some graffiti on a toilet wall, a sunset, or a street entertainer, whatever. And then on another level we act as a free marketing tool for local businesses and events to promote things that are happening in Chester. At its heart it’s a very positive account and if people read my tweets they will see that.

I try to find things that are surreal or strange, things that have a deeper meaning that may appear mundane or boring on the first glance. It’s about looking deeper beneath the appearance or name. I have a love of photography and I combine this with my dry sense of humour. I try to make it multi layered with music or pop culture references. So it’s quite a wide field, we're a forum for Chester people to air views and criticisms, good and bad points, places to go, everything really.

So why the name? Would you call Chester ‘s**t’?

The name was a joke really. My close friend who founded the account just intended it to be a bit of fun for our close circle. We were both amazed by getting so many followers and all the support we received. I had started to see weird things around town, including the "we need more s**t" graffiti painted on a wall in Frodsham Street (by the way the council still haven't removed it after six months). It was a kind of spiritual awakening and I wanted to share my findings with Chester and the wider world.

Anyway, my friend has a young family so I run it alone now. We never set out to say Chester was s**t, we accept its problems and we love it despite its shortcomings. We often have followers tweeting problems or issues, like for instance, the lack of a cinema, empty shops or the recent bus shelter debacle. We got swept away by the support; it’s a bit surreal to see that Huey Morgan from the Fun Loving Criminals is following you, or Luke Anderson, winner of Big Brother 2012. 

You’ve used your Twitter exposure to report on crimes, post pictures of discovered alien babies and call out council members on transgressions. Any stories on the good your profile has done?

It has personally opened my eyes to how much happens in Chester. We have no cinema, but there is the Tip Top Theatre, which I’ve discovered, is brilliant. I've seen two shows there and promoted it heavily. This week I saw Bouncers. That evening I had an exchange with a follower who said he didn't even know it existed and that he was going to take his little brother to the Christmas panto.

I have been to so many events since launching the account including life drawing with Dr. Sketchy at the Chester Music Theatre, I’ve got to know many local shop owners, been photographed next to Les Dennis in London with a “follow @s**tchester” t-shirt on and I was even mentioned in a council meeting about the bus shelters.

I like to visit new places that are opening and in turn promoting business within Chester. I work full time but I spend most of my days off working on this account and letting people know what’s going on. It’s been an emotional journey too, as I was there for the last showing at Cineworld and the opening night at the Live Rooms.

In stranger terms we've had bizarre stories like ‘Snailgate’ when the Leader ran with the headline: "Man threw snail at car in street row" and the "Beaky" saga in which a resident put signs and a memorial up along the canal in honour of a murdered duck. I'm fond of throwing in song lyrics and as Morrissey said, "the sanest days are mad, why don't you find out for yourself?"

Some of our followers are ex-Cestrians and former students who all say they can catch up with what’s going on here by following us. We have raised awareness of the heritage graffiti vandal known as "Daka”, he hasn't been caught yet, but I hope we have helped the police as it wasn't being discussed anywhere else.

We have had tweets about old friends getting back in touch after seeing each other on the account. However I think the most positive thing is just being able to make someone smile, laugh or strike an emotional chord with a nice sunset picture, or a bunch of abandoned flowers floating down the canal. It’s a beautiful crazy world and we're reflecting upon that. 

So let’s say you’ve been elected Lord Mayor of Chester. What would you do?

Lord Mayor? I don't think I'd be up for elected office; I am far too shy for that! I am proud of my city and at this stage I'm happy to just be involved anonymously, gathering feedback, giving residents a voice and bringing people together. I have no political agenda. I may have opinions on things but I try to remain neutral where possible and encourage others to speak up. I was opposed to the planned student village on the green belt; we actually had some great exchanges on the account from both sides of the argument, and from students and residents of the Garden Quarter. As far as I know there are no other Twitter accounts or forums that offer this outlet for Chester citizens.

This week your account came under attack from Councillor Mike Jones. Would you care to elaborate a bit more on that?

The tweets seemed to come out of nowhere. I saw a tweet by Mr. Jones in which he attacked negative forces driving people away from Chester. I replied, asking what he meant by this and the row escalated from there. I wrote a tweet saying I loved Chester. He replied, "With the title you have that is an unbelievable statement and it only serves to send the wrong messages to investors". He then told me I should be ashamed of myself and recommended I change the name of the account. His final tweet was to allege that I might have been part of Labour or Lib Dem that did damage to Chester in the past. Obviously I'm not.

It was quite bizarre to be blamed for Chester's problems, all we do is reflect not create and even then most of the items I’m tweeting about these days is very positive. We have struck a chord with Cestrians who maybe feel they are being represented by an out of touch council. It felt like Mr. Jones was trying to silence me and any criticism of the Cheshire West and Chester Council. I was baffled. I run this account as a hobby and I've had no negative comments from any followers. It gives them a voice. To be accused of running down the city is just ridiculous! 

What would you see as Chester’s biggest problems?

I want a cinema back, and an end to paralysis over the Northgate Development. If it’s not happening we need to move on. A lot of the time no one seems to know what is going on in Chester. It took years to replace the access stairs to the walls. The bus shelters, the council admits they made a mess of it but doesn't look like there’s much they are going to do about it. A lot of the council seem out of touch. Really out of touch and apparently unaccountable to the people. I’m not a politician so who knows how we can change things? I just hope that my account brings people together.

What are your plans for the future? Do you plan to stay in Chester?

I do intend to stay in Chester, I love running the account and I have a passion for it now. Last time I went on holiday to London I was still tweeting my thoughts and images from my reserve. We do have some plans for a website but the workload is pretty intense at the moment, and as I said earlier I do work full time so its a big job.

I would love to do a book of quirky and funny photographs that I have accumulated (S**t London have published two books and there’s a also a S**t New York one out as well). Hopefully more people will buy our T-shirts – available from Tri Active on Rufus Court. There are lots of things going on in Chester; I used to be a cynic. We are missing our heart with no cinema or main theatre. Cities like York are comparable and do all right. York has two city centre cinemas. Why can't we be like that? But along the fringes there is plenty going on and there is a thriving creative scene. I'm proud to be a Cestrian and I'm proud of @s**tchester.

You can follow S**t Chester over at @s**tchester.

Review: Road To Warped Tour UK

ON THEIR FINAL DATE of the Road To Warped Tour; Chiodos, The Colour Morale and Cytota rocked Manchester Academy Three before they hit up London for Warped Tour UK.

Escape The Fate cancelled their co-headline UK tour with Chiodos and their appearance at Warped Tour UK due to frontman Craig Mabbitt deciding to stay at home with his longterm  girlfriend while she was overdue to give birth. Read the full statement from the band, here.

Despite this hitch the tour still continued, with some disappointed fans the crowd in Manchester was on the small side, with talk of Escape The Fate not being there on everyone’s mind.

A shaky performance from Cytota kicked off the night with the band accidentally unplugging each other’s equipment during their set. Until Color Morale burst onto the stage in a powerful performance of ‘Nerve Endings’.

The lead singer of the American metalcore band, Garret Rapp threw everything he had into his performance literally, by throwing the microphone into the audience and letting his fans scream the lyrics.

With only a tenth of the venues capacity full it was certainly a personal gig, Garret Rapp’s encouraging speeches in-between songs lifted the mood and got everyone jumping around. He said: ‘What are you afraid of? This is your night? Make it your own, be yourself don’t be scared to let go!’

Then headliners Chiodos took to the stage with ‘The Undertaker’s Thirst For Revenge Is Unquenchable’. They gave fans a live preview of ‘Behvis Bullock’ a song from their new album that they have been recording and have a 2014 release planned. Their last album released was in 2010 with ‘Illuminaudio’.

This will be the bands first album with lead singer and songwriter Craig Owens since he got kicked out in 2009 because of his drug related issues.

Despite Escape The Fate not appearing, the frustration of the fans was soon forgotten as they left the Academy Three buzzing with excitement of Warped tour UK!

[gallery type="slideshow" link="none" ids="490,496,489,494,495,491"]

 

Chester Intelligencer reporter, Tabatha Lewis

Homelessness in Chester: what is being done?

ACCORDING to a report from Cheshire West and Chester Council in 2009, Chester had the second highest number of rough sleepers outside of London. In 2008 and 2009, 51 per cent of accepted homeless cases were from Chester. Alexandra Murdey investigates what is being done to tackle the problem.

[caption id="attachment_433" align="alignright" width="300"] Homelessness is a problem that needs to be addressed in Britain. Photo: Flickr/dennoir[/caption]

In recent months the prospect of Richmond Court in Boughton being turned into a residency for the homeless has caused a great deal of controversy. The revelation that the opening will be postponed until January 2014 due to the demand for CCTV raises questions about what will be done in the meantime to help the homeless.

Chester Aid to the Homeless (CATH) aims to provide support and services for the homeless community through the Harold Tomlins Centre, by offering advice, food and drink, showers, education and many others. Robert Bisset, Chief Executive said: ‘‘It is the only centre of its type in Cheshire.’’

They rely heavily on support and donations from the local community and they cannot offer all the desired services due to financial restrictions. He said: ‘‘We haven’t got the necessary financial resources, so the more people get behind us the greater the services we can offer…we have to prioritise and use and maximise our limited resources to the best effect.’’

CATH is hosting its 22^nd Big Sleep Out this December, which is more needed than ever before as a result of lack of funding. People bring their own sleeping provisions and sleep through the night until 6am. Robert said: ‘‘It does have an effect on the support we get for the charity…we have been so well looked after by the people of Chester.’’

On the subject of Richmond Court, Robert said: ‘‘It is the local authority’s new project, I think that they felt if they moved people away from the city centre it would be more beneficial for the city. Unfortunately they chose a place that was highly residential and as such has become highly controversial…I’m sure it will be an excellent facility…and an excellent resource.

The reality of that hostel is that it may be a newer facility but it’s actually being put in place at the cost of cutting beds…when that hostel is open two will be shut with a total of 66 beds, whereas that hostel will have 36 beds.’’

A homeless man who did not wished to be named, 38, uses the Harold Tomlins Centre for support. He has been on and off the streets for 15 years as a result of struggling with budgeting, but is now in a shared house run by CATH. He said: ‘‘I spent eight or nine months on the street this time.’’

He commented on Richmond Court in which FENW (Foundation Enterprises North West) won the bid: ‘‘When this place was opening up there was opposition against it…so FENW knew…they were going to have all these consultations…they knew it was going to take maybe 12 or 18 months over the deadline that people were meant to be in this building but they put no plan B in operation for the people that are on the streets.’’

He added: ‘‘My opinion on Richmond Court is you are going to be a selected clientele. I was a drug user at one time, I’ve been clean for 12 months now…they have turned around and said you have to work with us…whatever they ask you to do you have to take part in that if you don’t take part then you can’t be part of the residency at Richmond Court.

They are dangling a carrot in front of you, saying you can come and live here but you have got to take part in this before we agree to let you live here.

The likes of people who have got drink problems, class A problems, I don’t think they are going to be taking them up there…FENW don’t want to bring in our type up there because they think we are trouble.’’

He also commented on the postponed opening: ‘‘They keep putting it back but they haven’t got anything in place for the lads that are suffering now.’’

An attempt was made to contact FENW  but they did not respond in time.

When asked about whether enough was being done to tackle homelessness in Chester he said: ‘‘No not at all, a lot more could be done. For instance finding something for the homeless to do in the day.’’

Looking to the future, he hopes to keep a roof over his head permanently.

Cllr David Robinson said that 99 per cent of residents surrounding Richmond Court wanted CCTV put into place in time for the homeless moving in.

His group felt the provision should be kept in the city centre due to better access to services. He said: ‘‘My job as the ward councillor is to ensure that the character of the area stays as similar as possible to what it was before…and to ensure that the homeless hub is managed and operated in the safest and the most efficient way possible, both for the homeless residents and the local people who live around the provision.’’

The Big Sleep Out will provide people with an insight into the harsh winter the homeless will be facing, and the reality of spending Christmas in a doorway. With the postponed opening of Richmond House and the closure of two other residencies, the homeless have a long winter ahead.

If you would like more  information about CATH you can go to http://www.cath.org.uk

Chester Intelligencer reporter, Alexandra Murdey

Breaking down cultural barriers: Chester meets Zaragoza

A UNIVERSITY graduate has been rewarded for her efforts in the Chester community.

Isabel Arbones, a recent award winning graduate from the University of Chester, has exceeded expectations both within the university and in the Chester area by volunteering for almost 900 hours, and setting up her own community project involving school children.

Isabel, originally from Zaragoza Spain and a resident in Chester for several years, initially signed up to a school mentoring scheme in her first year of university. She said: ‘‘It got me buzzing about education and I decided to continue to pursue my chances in that area and then in second and third year I looked for further opportunities.’’

She has since set up Project Earth involving school children from Chester and Zaragoza aged 11-12, aiming to get people to think more broadly about the world. Children who participated from Spain were selected based on academic merit, sporting achievements and their contribution to the school.

In April this year, 29 Spanish children stayed in Chester with host families, and since then about 50 per cent have kept in touch. Isabel said: ‘‘English people saw a little bit more than Spain being toros, flamenco and holidays.’’

She added: ‘‘I noticed that what is around us, our community, is extremely important…so I was very keen to enable both the local community and my home community in Spain to mingle together…and enrich each other in whichever ways I could manage.’’

Isabel had a Santander Scholarship Grant to help fund her project, to be able to provide experiences for the children which was her main objective. She said: ‘‘I had to work to the budget that the people in Spain had given me, whilst trying to get as many experiences in Chester as I could afford.’’ She added that language learning was not the main objective; it was more about the experiences, but she said: ‘‘I was hoping one of the outcomes would be for children of the families to be keener to take up languages.’’

The next project will take place in May 2014, involving the same high school she has links with, as well as a primary school to get the children involved in activities with year six. She said the activities will be similar, relating to nature, sites, and community and sporting events, but also a trip to the university will take place to encourage children to aim high. She added that 80 per cent of families that got involved in April want to do the same in 2014, and she will have new families from the primary school participating.

She said: ‘‘It has snowballed into something amazing.

A long term achievement for the community was the idea that two different countries can come together and find more that brings them together than pulls them apart.’’

If you would like to get involved with volunteering in Chester visit http://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/residents/jobs/volunteering_in_west_cheshire.aspx

Review: Chez Jules

[caption id="attachment_850" align="alignnone" width="300"] Photography by Budby (Flickr)[/caption]

The outside appearance was both inviting and traditionally in keeping with the general Chester Tudor architectural style including large bay windows and a rustic appearance from both inside and out.

It is decorated simply and with the elaborateness of rural France, as well as, a slight Italian tinge within the interior look of the restaurant.

Straight away the service was speedy and friendly which was pleasant but perhaps a little too speedy for a relaxed Sunday lunch dinner with friends. One thing that one of my friends noticed to do with the menu layout was that there were no prices displayed. Despite this there was a nice selection and good deals to accompany it. The restaurant appeared French in style and presentation, and boasting a good choice of main dishes in particular.

A thoughtful touch was the offering of bread and olives before our entree’s and main meal as well as there being some great special meal deals.

When the entree arrived it was in a nice portion size (small) and presented well with a delicate garnish of grated beetroot and watercress salad on the side. The simplicity of this duck dish was pleasing and made quite appealing in presentation. As well as there being a fine array of complimenting and contrasting flavours.

The mains were outstanding in presentation and taste as they were very flavourful, fantastic quality, delicious and exquisite in appearance. My main was a Vegetable dish that was colourful in presentation and tasted divine. My friends even commented that they wished they had discovered this unique place sooner.

The ambience was satisfactory with modern acoustic music playing in the background and distinct artistic paintings scattered across the restaurant.

Overall the experience at the restaurant for my first time there was extremely pleasant and comfortable.

Rating: 4

Chester Intelligencer reporter, Beatrice Covill

Category: Entertainment

Student dances for Window on Warrington project

[caption id="attachment_1044" align="alignright" width="363"]

The Window on Warrington project logo was printed on to t shirts for the participants. Photo: Alexandra Murdey[/caption]

A UNIVERSITY student danced for Rugby League World Cup fans in Warrington.

Kerry Louise Upton, 19, a student at Edgehill University, danced on the pitch at half time during the Samoa vs Fiji quarter final match last weekend at the Halliwell Jones Stadium.

Miss Upton of Hayfield Road, Bredbury, in Stockport, was representing her university, performing alongside fellow students as part of the Window on Warrington dance performance project.

She said before the performance: ‘‘The dance we are doing symbolises Samoan and Warrington heritage.’’

As well as performing during half time, she danced in Warrington centre as part of a pre match warm up called march to the match.



She said after the event: ‘‘I felt it was really amazing because everyone was watching, and we got to watch the match which made it a whole day event. Also because there was a group energy and so many people were involved there was a really great atmosphere.’’

Window on Warrington is a project related to Warrington and Samoan culture, the team Warrington hosted for the Rugby League World Cup. The project was set up through Warrington Borough Council, after it bid to host a country. Participants in the performance included the young and old, ranging from three to 87 years old.

To find out more about the Window on Warrington project, visit http://www.culturewarrington.org/about-us/get-involved/window-on-warrington/

Chester Intelligencer reporter, Alexandra Murdey

New Chester Cathedral tour launches

A climb of 216 steps up spiral staircases leading to panoramic views of the cathedral and the city is a main feature of a new tour open to the public.

The new guided tour has never before been open to the public to experience the cathedral that includes access to some of the cathedral’s ‘secret spaces’ including the old bell ringing chamber and elevated walkways.

The central tower of the cathedral is the highest accessible view point of the city and measures at 125ft in height.

The vision of this tour is that it is anticipated to run up to 13 times a day with each tour consisting of 12 people in each group.

The tour provides a look into the ‘secret spaces’ inside the cathedral, ten areas that are not visible from ground floor level. This aspect of the cathedral has not been accessed by the general public for more than 1000 years.

Cathedral at height tour is lead by an expert guide who takes the public on an hour long tour; the tour allows the public to view both the interior and exterior of the cathedral.

Visible landmarks can be identified from the view in the central tower, including land marks such as: Chester racecourse, Chester town hall, two of the cathedrals in Liverpool, as well as, Beeston hill, Peckforton Castle and Moel Famau.

Detailed features to the tour include:

• Walk the galleries - the tour allows the visitors to walk along the cathedrals very own triforiums (shallow arched galleries).


• Marvel at the cathedrals crown of stone - allowing visitors to peer at a close up level of the intersecting arches made out of stone. This feature is particularly unique among UK cathedral features.


• Experience the bells - experience within the bell ringing space.


• Remember the Romans  - the tour includes a glimpse into original roman column thats haven been restored by builders from the eleventh century.


• Look down upon – the exclusive tour includes a rare glimpse into the organs interior and rare quire stalls can be traced back to the fourteenth century.

Chester Intelligencer, Beatrice Covill

[caption id="attachment_816" align="alignnone" width="300"] Photography by Valerie Hamil at Chester Cathedral[/caption]

Opinion: Britain's foreign aid isn't viable in this economic climate

THIS week saw the return of Children in Need, and all of its money raising schemes to help children in need across the globe.

[caption id="attachment_193" align="alignright" width="500"] The British government is wasting billions on aid that could be used to improve services in it's own country. Flickr/bobspicturebox[/caption]

The British public have responded to both with staggering generosity. Children in Need raised £31million on the night, surpassing last year’s total of £26million, whilst the UK government has currently given £50million to help those affected in the Philippines and says it will match whatever the public give. On a whole, the British public is one of the most generous in the world in giving to private charity and its government is similar in its generosity.

As of September this year, the British government’s aid budget was £12billion. It has risen by 35 per cent across this government’s tenure whilst cuts are implemented in nearly every other department. Of all the countries in the G8, we give the most to other countries around the world. For example, in June this year Prime Minister David Cameron pledged an extra £375m to help feed the world’s hungriest children. He then followed this up by giving £400m to Syria.

We are in the midst of one of the worst economic downturns the country has ever suffered, whilst government cuts are rife across the board, and we are sending money to help foreign countries. It rankles even more when you consider some of the countries we give money to. Another example is India, who recently launched its own space programme, yet we gave them £292m in aid in 2012. Imagine what the NHS could do with that kind of money.

Even worse, according to reports, less than 10 per cent of Britain’s aid budget goes into humanitarian or emergency aid. Essentially, billions of pounds that could be spent on improving standards of medicine, policing, education and other needy departments in the UK, is being thrown into a black hole never to be seen again. It is hardly a secret that most of the aid we are sending does not go to the improvement of the people either. In fact, most of it ends up lining the treasuries of their corrupt governments or being needlessly wasted by charities.

Meanwhile, in our own country, many have been forced to visit food banks as the recession has hit hard. For many, Christmas this year will be a hardship they cannot afford. Rising energy prices have hardly made things easier either. Everywhere the average British citizen is being taxed more, paying more for services and in increasing levels of debt, yet our government is determined on helping those in other countries.

That is not to say that we should simply stop giving money to aid foreign development. We as a country could not simply sit back and watch as those in the Philippines, Syria, Haiti or wherever it may be, are left devastated.  We are too far along to simply withdraw foreign aid completely, nor would I advocate such a thing, as charity is needed across the world.

It is also obvious that charity does indeed help, as reports show it helps to eradicate preventable illnesses and educate children in the world’s poorest areas whilst improving all sorts of different factors in countries. However, how can we help these people in need if their own government does not help them first? Alongside that, how can we continue to ignore, and in some cases make harder, the lives of those who are needy in our own country whilst helping those across the globe?

The old saying is that charity starts at home. Though it is not as clear cut as helping others whilst ignoring our own, surely it is the job of our government to help its own people first, and then worry about achieving the 0.7 per cent of GDP the UN says every country should aim for to help other across the globe.  It is worth highlighting that Germany, who we are constantly reminded are doing rather well of late, gives less that 0.4 per cent, whilst the US only gives 0.2 per cent. We may certainly have the moral ground, but is this level of donation economically viable? It is a question worth pondering. Get your own house in order first Mr Cameron, then worry about saving the world.

[polldaddy poll=7583828]

Related articles

• UK's Philippines appeal raises £13m (bbc.co.uk)


• UK charities launch typhoon appeal (bbc.co.uk)


• Kind-hearted Britons donate more than £55million to the Philippines crisis appeal (dailymail.co.uk)


• UK planes take aid to Philippines (bbc.co.uk)


• HMS Daring arriving in Philippines (standard.co.uk)


• Generous Britons raise incredible £23 million in 48 hours for Philippines typhoon appeal (express.co.uk)


• Britain's helping hand to families devastated by typhoon touches our aids minister (express.co.uk)


• Typhoon Haiyan shows Britain cares - but we must choose deserving cases (mirror.co.uk)


• Autumn statement promises increase (theguardian.com)

Match Report: Hereford United 2 Chester FC 2

A fine goalkeeping display earned Chester a point against 19^th placed Hereford at Edgar Street. 

[caption id="attachment_106" align="alignright" width="500"] Gareth Seddon, seen here in action against Braintree, scored Chester's second. Photo:Flickr/leaderlivesport[/caption]

Blues keeper’ Joe Danby was the hero as he denied the home side time and time again to win his side a vital point away from home.

Both sides started the game nervously, and though the away side looked the more comfortable in the early exchanges it would be the home side who would take the lead.

After an excellent break down the right by Hereford, Ross Dyer, currently on loan from Mansfield Town, found himself at the end of a cross to head home for the hosts.

That goal sparked a crazy four minutes that saw the Blues rapidly equalise and then take the lead when Bull’s goalkeeper Daniel Lloyd-Weston dropped a seemingly harmless cross in his six yard box, allowing Craig Lindfield to poke home.

A minute later and Chester were in the lead. Lloyd-Weston rushed out to clear the ball only for his clearance to find Gareth Seddon, who duly fired in to an empty net from 30 yards. That second gave Chester confidence, though the hosts were not lying down without a fight as Damon Lathorpe saw an effort fizz past the post from 25 yards and Captain O’Keefe saw his effort saved.

The equaliser would come in the 36^th minute when Frankie Artus curled a free kick towards Dyer and he headed the ball into the far corner to draw both sides level at the break.

The hosts started the second half the better, and would dominate the following 45 minutes. A Danny Leadbitter cross found Dyer, who fired it towards goal but goalkeeper Danby was equal to the effort as Hereford began to dominate using target man Michael Rankine as a focal point for attacks.

Danby was called upon again on 65minutes as he denied Walker from a free kick before denying Rankine twice and then Captain O’Keefe. Hereford would have the ball in the back of the net once more before the end, though referee Brett Huxtable ruled out the goal for a foul on Danby and the Blues held on for a point.

Chester Intelligencer reporter, Sean Lunt

Children in Need fundraising across Cheshire

CHILDREN IN NEED returned with a bang this year, smashing previous records to raise £31million on the night with residents across Chester playing their part of a very successful night.

[caption id="attachment_200" align="alignright" width="500"] Pudsey, the Children in Need mascot, has been out in full force across the country. Picture:Flickr/markyharky[/caption]

Staff at MBNA in Chester raised more than £2,000 by taking part in a ‘Great British Bake-Off’ style contest, with 58 year-old Steve Taylor being crowned the best baker.

Youngsters at Tinies@Stanlaw Abbey Nursery in Stanney Grange, Ellesmere Port, raised money by carrying out a sponsored walk wearing their pyjamas, with parents and carers joining in too.

Meanwhile children of St Martin’s Academy in Hoole came to school dressed as their favourite super-heroes and took part in Pudsey inspired activities throughout the day in order to raise money for the charity.

Girls and staff at The Queen’s School raised more than a thousand pounds by dressing up in neon for the day. In the senior school, girls and teachers dressed as iconic women from history as part of their fundraising ideas.

Chester Intelligencer reporter, Sean Lunt

Related articles

• Family get Pudsey Bear tattoos for Children in Need charity bid (dailyrecord.co.uk)


• Fundraisers to cycle across UK to raise money for children with cancer (chesterrecord.wordpress.com)


• Norham pupils create giant Pudsey out of coins for Children in Need (berwick-advertiser.co.uk)


• Reading gets busy fundraising for Children in Need (getreading.co.uk)

Award winning trio for Cheshire West

CHESHIRE WEST AND CHESTER COUNCIL have been awarded a trio of awards at the North West finals of the Great British Care Awards.

[caption id="attachment_129" align="alignright" width="450"] The team celebrate their success at the Great British Care Awards. Photo:Cheshire West and Cheshire[/caption]

The Learning Disabilities team won the ‘Putting People First Award’ and were finalists in the ‘Team Care Award’ whilst the Workforce Development Team scooped the ‘Care Trainer’ category.  Care Training Co-ordinator Angela Davies won ‘The outstanding Individual Contribution to Social Care’ to round off the evening.

The categories for the awards recognised ‘the abilities of a team to demonstrate a shared vision and agreed goals’ whilst demonstrating ‘positive and measurable outcomes for people through innovation and a clear personalised approach’.

Councillor Brenda Dowding, Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Health shared her congratulations. She said: “I would like to send my warmest congratulations to the individuals and teams on their successes.”

“Together with their colleagues, they make a positive impact on the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in our borough and I am delighted that their hard work and dedication has been recognised in this way.”

The winners of these awards in each region will next year contest for similar awards at the National Great British Care Awards next year.

Chester Intelligencer reporter, Sean Lunt

Match Report: Hyde FC 1 Chester FC 2

CHESTER lifted themselves up to 21^st in the table after a priceless win over bottom side Hyde FC.

[caption id="attachment_108" align="alignright" width="500"] Craig Lindfield, seen here against Cambridge, scored Chester's equaliser. Photo: Flickr/leaderliversport[/caption]

In a less than classic game, Hyde took the lead  after just three minutes when Louis Almond controlled a long pass and curled his shot past goalkeeper John Danby from the edge of the area.

The home team should have doubled their lead 26 minutes later when Scott Spencer seized on a defensive mistake to go one on one with keeper Danby only to fire his shot wide of the right post.

Almond then wasted his chance for a second when he wasted a chance on 35 minutes, firing wide from 10 yards out.

Those missed chances would prove pivotal as the Blues levelled four minutes before half times thanks to Craig Lindfield. Craig Mahon whipped in a cross from the left touchline and found Lindfield who headed past opposition keeper Vigouroux for his first goal of the season.

It would be provider turned goal scorer as Mahon then turned up with the winner two minutes into the second half. Chester broke down the right, and the winger found himself with time and space on the edge of the area before firing the ball into the net.

Chester were now full on confidence and had chances to add to their lead with an effort from Lindfield leading to a chance for Lewis Turner whose drive went over.

Hyde however would not give up without a fight, but failed to carve out any real openings with Spencer’s poor free kick in a promising area being lashed out of the ground. Chester goalkeeper Danby was also forced into saves from Adam Griffin when the home side pressed for an equaliser.

Blues boss Young decided changes were needed and replaced Wilkinson with Gareth Seddon and Mahon with Joe Heath. Striker Almond would have another chance on 78 minutes but was again denied by Danby, as was Griffin with a curling free kick.

The last chance of the game fell to Chester as Chris Lester had a chance to seal the win for the Blues on 89 minutes but his shot was blocked. However, unlike against Aldershot the week before, the three points would be going to Chester.

Chester Intelligencer reporter, Sean Lunt

Related articles

• Hyde v Chester report (nonleaguereview.wordpress.com)

Elfed Morris funeral details released

THE details for the funeral of former Chester City striker Elfed Morris have been released to the public. 

[caption id="attachment_110" align="alignright" width="500"] Elfed Morris alongside his other 'Famous Five' members. Photo:Flickr/Dale Miles[/caption]

The service will take place on Thursday November 14, where the coffin will be taken to Colwyn Bay FC ground at 2pm with Rev Phillip Atack in attendance. It will then leave the ground at 2:15pm and head to Colwyn Bay crematorium for the service at 2:45pm. Afterwards there will be a buffet at the club lounge.

A member of the “Famous Five” forward line, Morris made 168 appearances for the club in a six year period from 1962 to 1968.

He started his career at Colwyn Bay before joining in Wrexham in 1960, the former club of his uncle Billy Morris. He then joined Chester for £750 two years later, where he spent the majority of professional career.

Over the next six years he went on to score sixty nine goals for the club, twenty of them coming in the 1964-65 season where he, Jimmy Hughes, Mike Metcalf, Hugh Ryden and Gary Talbot all managed at least twenty goals in league and cup games, earning them their “Famous Five” title. This tally would leave him fourth in the clubs all-time top scorers list.

During this campaign, his most impressive displays included a hat trick against Aldershot in a 6-2 victory and a goal in the 6-1 derby victory over rivals Wrexham.

Morris scored the same amount the following season, leading to rumours of a move to a bigger club, notably Birmingham City and Sheffield United. Such a move was not to appear however and he later joined Halifax Town.

He would only make nine appearances for Halifax, scoring two goals, before returning to North Wales as player manager of Caernarvon Town. He also played for Bethesda Athletic, Llandudno Borough, and Colwyn Bay, later managing the latter for a short period in the 1970s. He remained a close follower of his home-town club and later acted as grounds man.

Outside of football Elfed was a keen bowler and follower of former club Chester FC. One of his last appearances at the Deva Stadium came in 2011 when the “Famous Five” were reunited before the game against Bamber Bridge.

Chester Intelligencer reporter, Sean Lunt

Stinky situation nothing to be sniffed at for Sealand Road residents

[caption id="attachment_181" align="alignright" width="300"] Ungerer Ltd. have come out smelling like a rose. Photo credit - Rept0n1x[/caption]

AN INVESTIGATION carried out by the Cheshire West and Chester Council has discovered that there are no signs of ‘odour nuisance’ emanating from Ungerer Limited on Sealand Road.

Up to a dozen residents of the presiding area – 1.9 per cent of homes within 250 metres of Ungerer’s building – have filed complaints leading to the investigation of the plant. But it has been established this week that smells coming from the plant do not result in a legal nuisance.

The report states: ‘Some complainants have maintained that they are subject to smells ‘all day’ or ‘all night’, however this is not the experience of officers who have made responsive visits, including out of hours, when such assertions have been made.’

Council officers investigated the problem by conducting ‘intensive sniff tests’ at various locations surrounding the plant and within the housing estate where the complaints were filed.

Environmental Health Officers have worked with the company in the past to try and reduce any smells stemming from the plant. In 2010, Ungerer Ltd took a bold step by stopping production of liquid reaction flavours, which were found to produce the strongest smells across the Sealand Basin.

Councillor Lynn Riley, Executive Member for Localities, said: “Since we began our investigation into alleged odour nuisance from Ungerer Limited, we have worked with the company and it has subsequently either changed its method of working or brought in odour reduction equipment to tackle the smells.

“However it must be taken into account that production at Ungerer can never be odour free but it is worth noting that no very strong or extremely strong odours were found by our officers during the ‘sniff test’ investigation. This found that smells were mildly and moderately pleasant – which should be expected near such a plant.

“Indeed such smells may be found in anyone’s home irrespective of where they live because they are contained in many household products. Please rest assured that we will keep working with Ungerer and the Council will regularly review further ways of suppressing odour emissions.”

Nothing better than a free meal

PRIMARY and special school children were offered a free school meal as part the National School Meals scheme.

[caption id="attachment_125" align="alignright" width="500"] Pupils at Dee Point Primary in Blacon enjoy their free school meal with Chester MP Stephen Mosley. Photo:Flickr/Cheshire West and Chester[/caption]

The ‘Great Free School Lunch’ initiative aimed to get as many school children as possible to try school lunches during the week.

The Cheshire West and Chester Council School Meals service normally provides 12,000 primary meals per day but 23,000 school meals were served on Thursday November 7 as part of the initiative.

Cheshire West and Chester Council was the first in the country to sign up to the scheme and Chester MP Stephen Mosley joined students at Dee Point Primary School in Blacon for their lunch.

He said: “I am delighted that Cheshire West and Chester Council is offering free school meals to pupils during this year’s National School Meals Week.”

“I am looking forward to visiting Dee Point Primary School and seeing for myself the great school dinner that are available to our children at lunchtimes.”

The menu on offer was Chicken Korma, Vinegar infused Fish Goujon or Pasta in Tomato and Mascarpone followed by Golden Crunch Cookie, Fruit Jelly or Fresh Fruit Platter. The dishes were specifically chosen to ensure there  was something for everyone.

Councillor Mark Stocks, Executive Member for Education and Children said: “Our School Meals Service offers excellent nutritional value for money. I hope the children involved enjoy their free meal and that it results in more children signing up for school meals.”

As part of the event Cheshire West and Chester Council also ran a Twitter Day, reporting from Dee Point primary school in Blacon.

The tweets included information about the nutritional values of school meals, photographs of the food being prepared and final meal, information about school meals week and other activities that happened during the day.

Speaking before the event, Councillor Mark Stocks said: “Our latest Twitter day report will provide a fascinating look behind the scenes at what’s involved in preparing 23,000 school meals.”

If you wish to follow the action on Twitter, you can follow @go_cheshirewest or use the hashtag #cwaclive. For those not on Twitter, all message will be featured on the Council’s website at www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk

Chester Intelligencer reporter, Sean Lunt

[gallery columns="5" type="slideshow" ids="283,292,280,251,273,259,260,125,294,264,267,278"]

Related articles

• There is no better way of ensuring children are fit to learn than healthy school meals (mirror.co.uk)


• School dinners stuck in Catch-22 situation (yorkpress.co.uk)


• Free school meal pupils outnumbered 4:1 by privately educated at grammars (theguardian.com)


• Nick Clegg's free school meals cash 'should be spent on children living in poverty' (mirror.co.uk)


• Will Universal Free School Meals for everyone improve educational attainment? (oxfordhomeschooling.co.uk)


• Free school meals pupils make healthier choices than those who have to pay for it (mirror.co.uk)

All My Friends Are In Bar Bands...And They Have 5,034 Likes On Facebook

CHESTER'S Above The Underground talk to James Walker about the lack of a music scene in Chester, and the importance of social media to up and coming bands.



Having a strong social media presence has become almost as important to the success of a band as being able to write a good song.

More and more bands are gaining followers, and even record contracts, all due to social media.

Above The Underground, made up of Will Kirkman, Al Kirkman, Nick Barlow and Brandon Icely, have been on Facebook pretty much since their formation in 2009.

“It's never been easier to be in a band or interested in music in general, and that is all down to social media. We owe a lot to it in terms of contacts we've made over the years and just networking in general,” said Will Kirkman, vocalist for the band.

And in an area as void of ‘alternative’ music as Chester, and neighbouring town Wrexham, it’s not hard to wonder why ‘underground’ music and unsigned bands have made their way on to the internet.

Will said:

“We're fortunate enough to come from a region where almost every town has a decent scene going on, so we never felt like we were at a disadvantage. Warrington, Manchester, Liverpool, Wigan etcetera all have awesome scenes and are right on our doorstep so we spent a lot of time playing in those towns when we were starting out.”

“When we play here [Chester] most of the people that come down are from out of town, normally the areas surrounding Chester or towns like Middlewich and Winsford. It's weird. You'd think with it being a college town there would be an endless supply of people who are interested in live music, but half the shows I see the venues are empty. It's a shame.”

“In recent years it's grown and there are some cool new bands coming out of the city now, and people seem to be taking more of an interest in music outside of going to watch cover bands at Alexander’s every now and then, which didn't seem to be the case before.”

And with the recent rebranding of comedy club The Laugh Inn as The Live Rooms, the possibility for a rise in Chester’s live music scene is more apparent than ever.

“I've seen photos from shows and it seems that it's taking off. Promoters in the area's only real option in the past has basically just been The Compass so I think people looking to put on shows are probably breathing a sigh of relief that there's a semi decent venue in town now. It was something we were desperately lacking.”

When asked what role social media had to play for their band, he said:

“I think that most of our fan base has come from playing shows and touring, but there's definitely quite a lot of people who would have no idea who we are if it wasn't for sites like Facebook and Youtube. It's a great way to keep people updated with what's going on.”

Receiving messages from strangers reading “Hey! I saw you liked this band, please could you check out my band!” or invites to shows are commonplace. The power of ‘sharing’ on Facebook has the ability to bring a track by a band with only 100 fans, or ‘Likes’ on Facebook, to the attention of hundreds, sometimes thousands, of people just by two or three people ‘sharing’ it and subsequently sky rocketing them to fame.

A few miles across the Welsh border is Wrexham. A town that only really has the one music venue, Central Station, under the same management as The Compass in Chester, and not much in terms of a local music scene. But despite this, a local pop punk band, Neck Deep, have recently blown their way on to the iPods of people across the globe, recently signing to Hopeless Records - who have worked with bands like All Time Low, Enter Shikari and Taking Back Sunday - and they’ve only been a band since April last year.

Their current Facebook stats:  41,412 ‘likes’, and 7,699 ‘talking’ about them.

They’ve recently just finished up a nationwide tour with American pop-punk icons, The Wonder Years, performed at Warped Tour UK at Alexandra Palace in London, are currently on a headline tour of Australia and are scheduled for a huge headline tour of America in the new year in support of their debut record.

How? Social media. Not long after their formation, people were receiving Facebook messages from vocalist Ben Barlow asking them to ‘check out’ his band. Within months, Tumblr and Facebook were ablaze with people talking about Neck Deep. With only a handful of recorded songs, they had still amassed a vast fan base before their first three shows in December last year.

Above The Underground on the other hand have always favoured self-promotion through a live presence rather than online, having played over 200 shows in their four years, including two mainland European tours and a two-month long American tour.

Will said:

“People always say hard work builds character and I think that applies to groups as well as individuals. Touring in a shitty van and being broke as fuck, playing countless shows to no one before people started to take interest has moulded us into the band we are today.”

“We would be entirely different if we had gotten big overnight,” he continued, but added  “As long as a group of people are writing music and having fun together then that's all that matters."

With the rise of the sheer necessity of social media to not just bands, but promoters, record labels, fans, making the scene less and less personal, there has come a call from ‘purists’ for a return to the days when you would be approached by band members on the street or outside gigs, offering flyers or demo CDs, which would more than often end up in the bin or on the floor as soon as their backs were turned, over Facebook messages and invites.

“They're both exactly the same thing, the only difference is if someone hands me a flyer in the street and doesn't look crazy, I might pay attention to it and end up going to the show or checking the band out or whatever. I, like everybody else, get loads of Facebook invites everyday for shows hundreds of miles away from me that I would never go to so I just ignore them. But I mean it's the same thing, it's just promotion, and both can be effective if they're used right.”

It is clear that the ‘personal touch’ is lacking in today’s music scene in favour of faceless social media sites being inundated with ‘flavour of the week’ bands, but why shouldn’t such an important tool in today’s world be used to their advantage?

“People think that the scene is like this fragile thing that needs to be defended, but hype bands have always been around in various forms and there have always been bands that have got big overnight. At the end of the day bands like that are just doing what they love,” said Will.

If it wasn’t for social media, it would be much harder for bands from areas like Chester or Wrexham to even get a first show, let alone tours in different countries. While it may seem that social media is another step towards the complete commercialization of ‘alternative’ music, but it also allows bands from areas, like Chester, which don’t have the strongest of scenes to seek and take opportunities which might otherwise be denied to them.

For better or worse, this is the way the music industry has begun to operate, and for some it could mean the opportunity of a lifetime, all because of social media.

Photo credit - Andrew Barlow

Listen to Above The Underground's EP 'Autumns' below:

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=888579724 size=medium bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5]