Review of the Year ... The news from your Wirral News, January to June 2010

Dec 22 2010 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

JANUARY

PLANS for a music festival in west Wirral came under threat from a court challenge. The two-day Sunset Festival was given a licence to take place in Thurstaston but an appeal against the decision was lodged at Wirral Magistrates Court.

WIRRAL pupils again beat the national average for GCSE results – but Rock Ferry and Park High Schools both ranked in the country’s bottom 200, based on the percentage of candidates achieving at least five A* to C grades, in subjects including English and Maths.

WIRRALIANS dedicated to healthcare, the arts and law enforcement were recognised in the New Year Honours list. Awards went to Noel Ormrod, Angus Tilston, Lilian Baker, Brian Fleet, Bill McWilliam, Helen Morris, Jean Atkinson and Dorothy Parker.

A ROAD in Caldy was named as the most expensive place to live in Merseyside.

According to research from the Halifax, Mereworth, adjacent to Caldy golf course, had an average house price of £647,954, based on data from the Land Registry and Royal Mail between September 2005 and September 2009.

A WIRRAL chef was named as one of the top 10 expected to dominate British cooking in the next decade. Marc Wilkinson, of Fraiche in Oxton was among 10 top cooks featured in the 2010 Good Food Guide.

FEBRUARY

HOYLAKE’S Royal Liverpool Golf Club was announced as the venue for the prestigious 2012 Ricoh British Women’s Open, the first time the club has hosted the competition.

IT emerged a grassroots regeneration group’s dreams of establishing a market in Hoylake could be scuppered by a 750-year-old law. Since 1253, and the granting of Birkenhead’s Royal Charter, British law has stipulated that markets must be further than six and two third miles apart.

BIRKENHEAD-born Keeping Up Appearances actress Patricia Routledge returned to her hometown for two charity appearances. She was guest of honour as the St James Centre in Laird Street celebrated its fifth birthday and visited a new wing at Age Concern Wirral’s Devonshire Centre, which caters for younger dementia sufferers. Ms Routledge said her visit was “full of memories”.

GUINEA Gap Baths was given a reprieve by councillors. The Seacombe swimming baths had been one of the council assets under threat following the Strategic Asset Review.

COMMUTERS using Leasowe Station slammed traffic wardens who ticketed their cars even though faded markings were due to be re-painted. Drivers stepped off the train from Liverpool to find a row of cars in the station car park slapped with £60 fines for parking outside marked bays.

THE redevelopment of New Brighton was given a boost with a £3.9m grant. The money from the North West Development Agency (NWDA) was earmarked for preparatory works and developers said it would pay for a new model boating lake, car parking, a promenade, and a new seawall.

MERSEYTRAVEL agreed to continue a freeze of tunnel tolls for another year. A bid by Wirral Conservative councillors to reduce them further was voted down.

2010 was declared Wirral’s Year of Food. Restaurants and food producers teamed up with Wirral Council to launch the 12-month celebration of the borough’s food sector. In the same week Wirral News announced the return of our competition to find Wirral’s top chef, Wirral Chefs Shine.

A HOME Watch style security scheme was launched to protect Wirral allotments from theft and vandalism.

THE News went pothole potty and asked readers to name the worst road surfaces in the borough. Many of the potholes were caused by road surfaces deteriorating in icy conditions in January. We passed the list on to Wirral Council.