Council lead by example to tackle carbon emissions

ACTIONS must be taken by all communities to achieve the government’s target to make the borough as Carbon Neutral as possible.

Cheshire West and Chester (CWAC) have issued a report set out to accomplish the commitment to reduce carbon emission targets set in the Climate Cha

[caption id="attachment_584" align="alignright" width="300"] Oil refinery at Ellesmere Port producing carbon emissions in the Cheshire borough (Pic - Lisa Jones)[/caption]

nge Act 2008.

The 62 page report looks in detail at energy efficiency, housing and development, resource management and waste, transport and accessibility, and climate adaption.

The council will lead by example to ensure that all services are being delivered with the most efficient resources with minimal environmental impact through its carbon management plan.

The future strategies consist of solar panels installed in 34 primary schools, transformation of recycling and refuse collection service, working with groundwork Cheshire regarding businesses CO2 emissions and waste, the launch of this year’s cycling strategy and working with bus companies where the voluntary quality partnership has been created.

Council leader Councillor Mike Jones writes in the foreword to the report:  “The Council needs to work with our partners, local organisations, businesses and the wider community to make the transition to a sustainable and resilient future for Cheshire West and Chester.”

The report provides a clear direction to ensure that carbon footprint is reduced in the area. Its main purpose is to build on existing work and to provide a long term action plan with an aim to strengthen the increasing impact on the Borough.

Councillor Keith Board, Chairman of the Sustainability Commission writes in the Executive Summary: “It needs to be acknowledged that across the Borough, the Council and its partners are already very active delivering sustainability and climate change initiatives and not lose sight of the fact that they have been doing so over a number of years.”

Chester Intelligencer reporter, Lisa Jones

Dangerous weather warnings close Winter Wonderland attraction

SEVERE weather warnings have led to the closure of Chester's Winter Wonderland attraction today 5 December.

Flooding has affected the whole of Chester with the River Dee breaking its banks earlier this afternoon just after 12.30pm. Sandbags have been placed along the Grosvenor bridge to help prevent rainwater from further affecting the racecourse.

Residents from the surrounding areas are being warned to prepare themselves and their properties as the weather worsens.

[caption id="attachment_593" align="alignright" width="225"] The River Dee breaks its banks earlier today.
© Chloe Donley[/caption]

A message was put up on the Winter Wonderland website earlier explaining that the forecast of 45mph winds has meant that the site is 'unsafe for visitors' and will re-open tomorrow 6 December at 4pm.

Chester has been put on high alert for flooding with the Environment Agency issuing an Amber warning to the city and its surrounding areas.

For further updates on the weather and information regarding Winter Wonderland please visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/ and http://www.winterwonderlandchester.co.uk.

Police to target drink-drivers

CHESHIRE POLICE WILL BE making efforts to crack down on drink driving this Christmas.

The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), launched it’s new national anti-drink and drug driving campaign at the end of November and Cheshire Police will be delivering messages through a variety of initiatives across the county.

Last winter there were 3,273 people breathalysed, a rise from 2011 where 3,089 were tested, although in 2012 there was a lower number of positive tests.

ACPO national roads policing lead, Deputy Chief Constable Suzette Davenport, said: “Drink driving is entirely avoidable, there is no excuse and no good reason. If you choose to drink and drive, you face a £5,000 fine, a 12 month driving ban and a criminal record – and that’s if your drive home was incident-free. There are obviously far greater consequences too.”

“Those who think they are fit to take the risk of driving while intoxicated are amongst the most selfish in our society – they spare no thought for themselves and, even more they spare no thought for the lives that they are capable of destroying in the blink of an eye.”

Assistant Chief Constable, Ruth Purdie said: “Our message to all drivers is, if you know you have to drive, don’t drink and if the thought of going out and not drinking is too much to bear, don’t drive. If you are driving under the influence of drink or drugs, we will be watching out for you, we will catch you and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Cheshire Police will be running their own campaign to highlight the dangers of drink driving by displaying the ‘Think’ car around the county. The car was donated to the emergency services by the family of a 21-year-old man who died in a drink related accident two years ago.

The dates and locations of the ‘Think’ car can be found on the Cheshire Police website.

Album Review: Simple Plan - 'Get Your Heart On - The Second Coming' EP

SIMPLE PLAN are still a band apparently!

The Canadian quintet, that should’ve given up the ghost a long long time ago, are back with a new EP, which collects cuts from their previous album, in preparation for their fifth(?!) full length album.

Released digitally, these are 7 tracks of the cheesiest of all pop ‘rock’. They could give McFly or Busted a run for their money in the cheese department.

Opening with ‘Ordinary Life’, which isn’t the worst on the EP (it gets much, MUCH worse…), a song about, you guessed it, feeling ordinary. Lyrics like “One two three four five, another week goes by” are incredibly intelligent and life affirming…if you’re a small child learning how to count the weekdays.

It gets much worse with track number two, which sounds like really terrible ‘crunk’ (it was a thing in 2006…look up brokeNCYDE), and is further evidence that Simple Plan are way, way, WAY past it.

If only it got better…but it doesn’t. These are 7 tracks of the most out-dated pop music, and that’s also the most redeeming feature, it was only 7. If you like McFly, Busted, All Time Low, or other out-dated pop rock, then maybe you’ll get a nostalgia trip out of this. If you don’t, avoid it, like the plague.

Album Review: Self Defense Family - 'Try Me'

SELF DEFENSE FAMILY ARE CURRENTLY one of the most talked about bands in the punk and alternative scene.

Having formed and released music for a number of years under the name End Of A Year, they changed names to Self Defense Family to include all the session and touring musicians they had worked with up to this point, and ‘reformatted’ the band so that instead of having a consistent line up, they would record and tour with whoever was available at the time.

Having spent the past few years releasing a plethora of EPs, a single series recorded on different islands (‘I’m Going Through Some Shit’ recorded at Tuff Gong Studios in Jamaica, and ‘Self Immolation Family’ recorded in Iceland) and splits, they’re a band who aim to keep things interesting, pushing their style to it’s limits, combining everything from shoegaze, emo, post-punk and hardcore to create a style that is none of these things, and all of them at the same time.

‘Try Me’ is their first full length as Self Defense Family.



Their lyrics typically revolve around other people as a way for vocalist and songwriter Patrick Kindlon to talk about himself, meaning that their songs usually lack the direct, introspective nature that a lot of their peers have, but then this is all part of what makes Self Defense Family so unique in today’s scene.

‘Try Me’ emphasises heavily on repetition and rhythm, which shows its obvious post-punk influences from bands like Fugazi, and 80’s DC hardcore and emo influences such as Rites of Spring and Embrace.

There are also two twenty minute interview tracks with a woman who is identified as only ‘Angelique’. In the booklet for the album, Kindlon gives more information on this woman, revealing that she is in fact an ex-pornstar he was infatuated with, and having found her picture on an album cover called ‘So Sexist’ by an 80’s act, The Chemical People, he decided to recreate the album art for ‘Try Me’.  The story behind their correspondence is definitely an interesting touch to the album, and the booklet features erotic photographs of Angelique (or as she was known, Jeanna).

Once again, Self Defense Family prove just how (here’s that word again) interesting they are. ‘Try Me’ is a record that will put you on edge in the best possible way – their sound, tense yet epic and intense, heavy yet soft, beautiful yet flawed, crushing yet up-lifting, will leave you enlightened, bewildered and more than anything, wanting more.

‘Try Me’ is out in January via Deathwish Inc., on vinyl, CD or digitally. The record is streaming in full on Spotify. Catch Self Defense Family on tour with Touché Amoré and Dad Punchers, playing at The Roadhouse, Manchester, December 12.

[spotify id="spotify:album:3HauutzbJyq0zP3l1TPfbM" width="300" height="380" /]

Music News: Manchester's Nai Harvest announce new EP, new label and new song

MANCHESTER-BASED Nai Harvest announced the release of a new EP, titled ‘Hold Open My Head’, due out next year.

The band are still riding a wave of popularity generated by their debut full-length, ‘Whatever’, released earlier this year.

To mark the announcement they released a new track, the title-track from the EP.

The two-piece have certainly taken a shift away from their previous sound, characterised by jangly, ‘twinkle’ guitar riffs influenced by iconic 90's math rock/emo band Cap’n Jazz and more recently Algernon Cadwallader, along with shouted vocals, the new track sees them take a more indie-rock inspired route, focusing on more regular guitar riffs and rhythms paired with softer sung vocals.

This is certainly a step in the right direction for the duo, those who enjoyed their previous work are definitely going to feel alienated, but those who couldn’t get behind the math-rock rhythms might want to give Nai Harvest another go.

‘Hold Open My Head’ has a more mature sound both lyrically and musically than their previous efforts, and with a honed and polished sound, the pair sound ambitious and ready to make a massive breakthrough in 2014.

The EP will be released via Dog Knights Productions in the UK, and in America via Topshelf Records, the new home of classic emo legends Braid in January.

You can stream the new track exclusively at NME.com.

Nai Harvest are also about to embark on a UK tour with Cornish punk-rockers Gnarwolves, the dates are:

December 9 – Devizes @ The Corn Exchange

December 10 – Plymouth @ White Rabbit

December 11 – Bristol @ Exchange

December 12 – London @ Old Blue Last

December 13 – Cambridge @ Portland Arms

December 14 – Leeds @ Cockpit

December 15 – Glasgow @ Audio

December 16 – Nottingham @ Red Rooms

December 17 – Lincoln @ The Scene

December 18 – Brighton @ The Haunt

Rare Antiquity Returns To Chester

A UNIQUE PIECE of Chester’s heritage has gone on display at the Grosvenor Museum.

[caption id="attachment_890" align="alignright" width="300"] Clive Pointon of the Tyrer Trust and Councillor Stuart Parker with the Cholmondeley Bowl. Photograph courtesy of Cheshire West and Chester Council.[/caption]

An extremely rare 18^th-century punch bowl has been placed on long-term loan to the museum by Chester-based trust, the Tyrer Charitable Trust.

The massive porcelain punch bowl, also known as the Cholmondeley Bowl, named after the family for whom it was made, is one of only a tiny number that were made in the Chinese city of Canton, or as it is now known, Guangzhou.

The bowl, made for Thomas Cholmondeley (1767 – 1855), the exterior features the Cholmondeley family’s coat of arms, the monogram of Thomas Cholmondeley, and is inscribed ‘Prosperity to the county of Cheshire’, and ‘Success to the Plough and Sail’. The interior features a 9-tier Chinese pagoda and landscape.

Councillor Stuart Parker, Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Executive Member for Culture and Economy, said: “I am enormously grateful to the Tyrer Charitable Trust for the loan of the Cholmondeley Bowl. It makes a splendid contribution to the displays in the Georgian Drawing Room at the Grosvenor Museum, where it is shown alongside fine furniture and paintings from this elegant era.”

Clive Pointon, Chairman of the Tyrer Charitable Trust, said: “As a Chester-based trust, we are delighted to have been able to help our local museum. It is extremely pleasing that this unique piece of Cheshire’s heritage can now been seen and enjoyed by everyone.”

The museum is open Monday to Saturday, 10.30am to 5pm, and Sunday, 1pm to 4pm, admission is free.