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NIGHTINGALE HALL FARM TO CLOSE
29/1/06: Nightingale Hall Farm, Lancaster's controversial rendering plant, is to close following the recent fire which severely damaged the premises. 35 people will be made redundant after owners Glenfarm Holdings, the Belfast firm which owns Fats & Proteins, decided not to reopen the plant following the recent fire.
Local people and councillors are delighted by the news of the closure, although the loss of jobs was not celebrated.
"The Nightingale Hall farm closure announcement today is fantastic news," councillor John Whitelegg told Virtual-Lancaster, "and is a fitting conclusion to 40 years of hard work by community campaigners.
"This closure is not just about the fire and it's no coincidence that a residents action group has been gearing up to legal action and other remedies to stop the stink. There will be thousands of delighted residents in the area affected by stinky farm today and it is excellent news also for the local schools (such as Ridge County Primary and Christ Church Primary) who have had to put up with this stink for many years.
"I am, however, bothered about the 35 job losses and I have today asked the City Council's economic development department to set up a project to assist these people."
Councillor leader Ian Barker also voiced concern at the job losses "but the fact is, that this is a plant that should never have been sited so close to a residential area," he feels. It will end a long-standing nuisance to local residents.
"Residents of the Ridge, Freehold and much of east Lancaster will be delighted that the plant is to close," he says. "The plant has emitted smells that have made it impossible for local people to enjoy their homes and gardens in the summer for many years, and which have disrupted the education of children in local schools. Despite the many improvements there have been over the years, due to persistent campaigning by local people and pressure from the City Council, they have never been able to run the plant without periodic outbreaks of disgusting smells. In addition there have been two serious fires in recent years."
Recent changes in rendering regulation which have led to increased costs may also to be blame for the Farm's unexpected closure, after rumours of expansion followed the fire. The Scotsman and other media recently reported that the British Government's unwillingness to join 22 other European Union states in allowing the continued use of tallow as a fuel could add an estimated £5 a head to beef processing costs.
Essentially fat from rendered animal carcases, tallow had, until the end of last year, been used as a source of cheap, recycled fuel in slaughterhouses.
"The owners blame two both the recent fire and changes affecting the UK rendering industry for the closure," says Ian Barker. "It's clear to me that that means that they were having difficulty meeting the new higher standards for pollution control at the plant. At the time of the fire last October their application for a licence under the new IPPC regulations had not yet been granted. They were still negotiating with the City Council over many details of the equipment and management of the plant. Clearly they have decided that they cannot afford to rebuild the plant to meet the higher standards that are quite rightly being demanded of them."

NORTHERN OR NOTHING
29/1/06: Lancaster City Council Leader Ian Barker has issued a strong warning that the choice of route for the Heysham M6 Link Road is "Northern or Nothing".
In a letter to the Transport Solutions for Lancaster and Morecambe campaigners against the Northern Link, he says he is strongly of the view that if a Heysham M6 Link to be built "It will be 'Northern or Nothing'.
"I know many people believe that a western route in either its "Green" or "Blue" variants is still a possibility," he says. "I believe this to be an illusion."
Barker says Counsel's advice on the Environmental Impact Assessment was that to choose the western route would "lacking in logic and [a choice] that no reasonable planning authority properly directing itself could come to." That must rule it out as a practical proposition in the foreseeable future.
He also says that a Heysham M6 Link is vital for the prosperity of the district and the regeneration of Morecambe:
"An M6 Link would significantly improve access to Port of Heysham from the motorway. An M6 Link will also improve access to employment sites in the Heysham peninsula and more generally in the district. I believe this to be vital if we are to encourage new jobs in Morecambe and Heysham and give better life chances to people living in some of the most deprived parts of the district."
Councillor Barker also said that there was now more chance of getting a Link Road than at any previous time because of the strong regional support for it. The North West Development Agency had included it in the Regional Economic Strategy and said they now support the northern route. The North West Regional Assembly had included it in the Regional Spatial Strategy and in the Regional Transport Plan. This is a strong indicator of regional support and regional significance. It was an opportunity the district cannot afford to lose.
Virtual-Lancaster still finds it incredible that so many people who dismissed the northern link road as a bypass for Lancaster in favour of the Western as a bad idea for many years, now see it as a great idea. That's politics...

MARKING CHINESE NEW YEAR
29/1/06: The Lancaster and Morecambe Bay Chinese Community Association (LMBCCA) in liaison with the St Martin's College Equality and Diversity Committee are holding a Chinese New Year Celebration on Sunday 5 February from 12noon to 4 pm, in the Princess Margaretha Hall on the Lancaster Campus of St Martin's College.
The event is open to all, families are welcome and admission is £5 for adults and £3 for child. LMBCCA are providing food for this event, partly funded by local Chinese restaurants and takeaways, and funds raised on the day will be going to the Chinese Sunday School, which currently teaches Chinese to over 30 people from different cultural backgrounds. St Martin's College are providing their facilities free of charge to support the event.
The Mayor of Lancaster, Joyce Taylor, Geraldine Smith MP (Morecambe and Lonsdale) and Ben Wallace MP (Lancaster and Wyre) will be in attendance, joining members of the association and the wider community.
There will be several stalls on the day. People will be able to pay to have their name written in Chinese symbols, as well as play traditional games. Entertainment will include both Chinese and English people singing and performing Lion Dancing. Chinese food will be available throughout the event. Many attending will be wearing traditional Chinese costume.
Kim Leong. Chairman of the Association and St Martin's Senior Lecturer, says: "Lunar Chinese new Year is a very important time for the Chinese Community. It celebrates change, out with the old and in with the new. We want this to be a fun and inclusive event for the whole community, not just Chinese people but everyone else too. Not only will we be celebrating Chinese New Year but we also hope to raise money for the Chinese Sunday school. Year 2006 will be the "Year of the Dog," and the Chinese will welcome in this new Lunar Year on January 29, 2006. The dog is a symbol of cleverness, loyalty, staying calm in crisis, sincerity and being intuitive."

MURDER AND MAYHEM AT THE GRAND
29/1/06: From Feb 20th -- 22nd 2006 After Dark Theatre Company in association with Fag Ash Productions will be presenting the award winning radio play - The Case of the.... Live on stage.
The play is written by Lancaster resident Ben Muir, who recently made his Grand Theatre debut by a series of strange coincidences in the 2005 Pantomime -- Sleeping Beauty.
"It was quite by chance I got involved in the Pantomime" says Ben, I was talking to David Ash, owner of Drama Factory who was playing the Dame, and he told me that someone had dropped out from the cast so I just said that if they could find no-one else then I'd do it -- next thing you know, there I am at rehearsals! It was quite fortunate really, because we had already booked The Case of the... In to be performed and being in the pantomime gave me a chance to see how the theatre ran and to meet the wonderful people involved with it."
The Case of the... is a whole different kettle of fish to pantomime.... Or is it? In the last 14 years that I have been involved in theatre and performing the two areas I have worked in most are pantomime and murder mysteries -- so it is only natural that some of the madcap humour of pantomime would slip over into my other works.....

And the cross dressing?

"Well, you'll just have to wait and see won't you!"

All sound very intriguing? Well the judges of the Woolwich Radio Play of the year thought so, placing Ben in the winning top ten out of thousands of entries received. It was originally a radio play about a radio play, I think I struck a chord with the judges as most of them worked in professional radio and I"m sure at some time or other they have wanted nothing more than to see some pretentious actor end up dead and I was happy to oblige!" Since its first incarnation the show has progressed from a half-hour radio show to a full theatrical production with song, dance, and Barry Manilow added to full comic effect.
So if it's an evening of Murder, Mystery and Manilow You're after then The Case of the... runs from Feb 20th -- 22nd at the Grand Theatre and tickets can be obtained at the Box Office. £7.00 full and £5.00 concession.

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR?
24/1/06: Lancaster's Volunteer Centre Lancaster & CVS wishes to celebrate volunteering with a special awards ceremony at Lancaster Town Hall in March 2006. You can download a nomination form from here (PDF format), which needs to be completed and returned by 5.00pm, Friday, 10th February 2006 to Volunteer Achievement Awards, Volunteer Centre, 4 Sir Simon’s Arcade, Lancaster, LA1 1JL or by email to j.atkins@volunteer-information-centre.org
All nominated volunteers will receive a certificate. From all the individual nominees, one exceptional or unique individual chosen by a panel of judges will receive the top accolade of Volunteer Of The Year 2006.
If an organisation feels unable to single out any individual over and above any other, then collective nominations on behalf of whole volunteer teams will be welcomed. (Collective nominations will not be considered for Volunteer Of The Year)
Volunteers cannot complete the forms themselves and need to be nominated by a colleague/manager/co-ordinator. Those nominated in 2005 can be nominated again for 2006 but the Colunteert Service is hoping to encourage new nominees where possible. 
• Click here for a PDF vrsion of the nomination form
• Virtual-Lancaster is compiled entirely by volunteers: if you would like to contribute please contact ed@virtual-lancaster.net

THE GREENS WANT YOU!
24/1/06: Lancaster & District Green Party is looking for people who would consider standing as Green Party candidates for election to the City Council in 2007.
All 60 seats on Lancaster City Council (covering Lancaster, Morecambe and the surrounding rural areas) are up for re-election in May 2007.
"Becoming a Green Councillor is an opportunity to develop a huge range of useful skills, do something positive for your community, and be part of a vital world-wide movement for social and ecological justice," says Green Group leader Coun Chris Coates. "The Green Party has a radical vision for transforming the local economy so that it meets the needs of people and the planet. For example, our policies would create many more jobs (including in social enterprises and co-operatives) in sectors such as energy efficiency, renewable energy technologies, sustainable transport, recycling and organic farming. We also want to protect local public services, including health, education and community facilities. We need more community champions to get involved and make this vision a reality."
A meeting and supper will be held on Tuesday 31 January to give potential candidates an opportunity to meet the current group of seven Green councillors and find out more about what the job involves. Expressions of interest from young people and minority groups who are under-represented in the Council will be especially welcome. For further information please contact Chris on 840530.

MORECAMBE PUPILS TAKE TO THE AIR
24/1/06: Pupils from both Heysham High School and Morecambe High School will have the chance of a helicopter flight on Wednesday (25 January).
The chance arises during a visit by The Royal Navy's 849B Naval Air Squadron - based in Cornwall - using its Sea King MK7 helicopter that will give up to a dozen pupils from each school, the opportunity to take a ten-minute familiarisation flight of the local area.
The helicopter is due to land at Heysham High School on Limes Avenue, Morecambe at 9.30 a.m., with the pupils' flight following at 10.15 a.m., before flying to Morecambe High School on Dallam Avenue, Morecambe at 11.00 a.m. where it is scheduled to land at 1.00 p.m. with the pupil flight following at 1.45 p.m.
The visit will provide an opportunity for former pupils of both schools to visit and raise awareness of careers in the military and military aviation. On the day former Heysham High School pupil Lt Craig Whitson-Fay, working for Royal Navy careers, will act as Liaison Officer.
"The Royal Navy offers a wide variety of exciting and challenging careers and these visits allow us a chance to show the boys and girls that it's not all just about life at sea." he explains. "The Royal Navy also has a Fleet Air Arm which operates aircraft from both Royal Navy vessels and shore bases at home and abroad and we're currently looking for more pilots and observers to join the service.
"It's a great opportunity for the youngsters to find out more about what life is like with the Royal Navy and the many opportunities it can offer."

RECYCLING RATES UP
24/1/06: Recycling and composting rates in the North West made one of the biggest leaps in the country during 2004/05. The latest figures, published by Defra this week, show that people in the region are continuing to recycle ever higher levels of household waste such as paper, glass, cans, kitchen and garden waste.
Lancaster City Council is continue uing to roll out its own recycling prgramme, with many householders now using the 'green bin' scheme.
Almost a fifth (20%) of household waste was recycled or composted, compared with only 14.5 per cent in 2003/04.
The recent increases mean that England is on course to reach its target to put a quarter of the contents of our bins to better use by 2005/06.

RIDGE TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES BEGUN
24/1/06: The Lancashire Highways Partnership has begun traffic calming works on the Ridge Estate to support the introduction of the 20mph speed limit restriction.
Highway works were due to start yesterday (Monday 23rd January) and are expected to take approximately 4-6 weeks to complete, it is expected that there will be some minor disruption to traffic and parking in the area for the duration of the work.

COUN CIL SEEKS TENNANT VOLUNTEERS
24/1/06: Lancaster City Council is looking for tenants to become involved in how its Housing Services work.
The brand new project will enable tenants to audit and inspect Council Housing Services. We want to involve as wide a range of people as possible. Be in at the start!
The aim of the project is to develop ways in which tenants can conduct hands on and detailed assessments about how Lancaster City Council’s Housing Services looks after its customers.
Tenant Support Worker Juliet Grant said: "We are looking for tenants who want to get involved in how council housing is managed, without having to attend lots of meetings.
"Tenants will be able to find out what is happening in housing throughout the district and influence change to improve services."
Anyone who expresses an interest in getting involved in the project can choose the areas they wish to work on. Training will be provided for all volunteers.
This project will incorporate "hands-on" tasks, including looking at the following in 2006:
• Inspection of reception area
• Spot checking the standard of empty properties on different estates before they are let
• Attending estate walkabouts on estates other than your own to compare standards
Tenant Support Worker Juliet Grant said: "And we want your ideas for what else you would like to get involved in.
"This is your chance to participate in a brand new project and with your help and commitment we can make it a huge success."
• For further information or to apply please contact Juliet Grant, Tenants Support Worker on 01524 582587 or write to Tenant Auditors and Inspectors Project, 38 Cable Street, Lancaster, LA1 1HH. The Council will pay reasonable expenses.

LINK UP FOR LOCAL AND GOVERNMENT WEB SITES
23/1/06: A new, hopefully easy-to-use national website which links people to Lancaster City Council's on-line services has just been launched, which it's hoped will encourage more people to go online to find out about local services.
The Local Directgov Programme aims to simplify customers access to all government services -- both local and Central, taking web users straight from the Directgov website to the specific Lancaster City Council service page they require.
The Council hopes it will not only increase the number people visiting their website but also encourage more people to take-up its vast array of on-line services which include everything from paying your council tax to checking out about housing benefit, viewing the latest planning applications to applying for a job.
Commenting, Cabinet member with responsibility for e-Government, Coun Alex Stone, said: "At Lancaster we've been continually improving our website because we recognise that more and more people want to do things on line at times that suit them. We've been working hard to increase amount of information on our website and make it easier than ever to do business with us. We welcome the new national Direct Gov initiative which joins our website with all the good things which are going on nationally such as renewing car tax online and booking driving tests online."
• To find out more about Local Directgov, visit www.direct.gov.uk or alternatively visit Lancaster City Council's website at www.lancaster.gov.uk

TWO ARRESTED AFTER SKERTON DEATH
20/1/06: Two peoplle have been arrested after the death of a 38-year-old Skerton resident man. The death is being treated as suspicious after he was found dead at his home on Noel Road on Wednesday night.
BBC News reports that police said a post-mortem examination was due to be carried out and inquiries are continuing.

NEW NUCLEAR STATIONS A GIFT TO TERRORISTS
20/6/06: Building new nuclear power stations -- such as a new reactor at Heysham -- will dramatically increase the risk of a catastrophic terrorist attack, which could claim millions of lives, Greenpeace warned this week.

A shocking dossier of expert evidence released by the environmental group shows how a terrorist strike, targeting dangerous radioactive waste held at the Sellafield nuclear facility in Cumbria, could kill over two million people. UK nuclear sites are not built to withstand a deliberate crash by a jumbo jet full of highly explosive aviation fuel, and an attack on Sellafield could dwarf the consequences of the Chernobyl accident in 1986.
The dossier is joined by a Greenpeace film, also released today via the internet. The short film, directed by Andy Morahan, shows a family enjoying a day on a beach, filmed for posterity by the father. An ever-louder roar breaks the tranquillity, and the hand-held camera pans to the sky to track a jumbo jet heading directly towards a nuclear facility just a few hundred metres away.
"The conclusions of the dossier apply equally to Lancashire's nuclear installations at Heysham & Springfields," said Lancashire Green Party County Councillor Chris Coates." The consequences to the district of a terrorist attack on Heysham power station are almost beyond belief."
"I've been concerned for some time that the County Emergency Planning Risk register only lists such an incident as
low risk," Chris added. "Clearly that view needs reconsidering in the light of this dossier."

TOWN HALL CLOCK STRIKES AGAIN
19/1/06: Like an old friend much missed, Lancaster Town Hall clock is once more striking over the city.  The major repair works to the clock tower, which began in July, are now virtually complete - and the Council says they were well within the budget of £363,000.  
Both internal and external works have been carried out and were required to prevent rainwater getting into the structure.
The Town Hall is a Grade II* listed building and was opened in 1909.  Over the years the clock tower has been exposed to the extremities of the weather, particularly on its south and west sides.

Maintenance work has been carried out previously and the structure has been re-pointed on a number of occasions.  This has provided a solution -- for a period of time -- but gradually the corrosion has been getting worse and whilst there was no danger of collapse there was an increasingly urgent need to address the problem.
Externally the tower has been spruced up with re-pointing and extensive lead works, and internally a cathodic protection system has now been installed to stop the corrosion of the clock tower’s steel frame.  Corrosion causes steel to expand and contract which loosens the pointing, allowing more and more rainwater into the structure increasing the corrosion and deterioration.
This has now been resolved and with the newly glazed clock faces the clock and tower are now ready to withstand the wind and rain for many years to come.
No significant structural problems were discovered during the renovation, although some extra work to the masonry and additional leadwork was required -- particularly at the higher levels --providing a waterproof membrane to areas that previously haven't been covered.  This caused a delay to the completion date, originally scheduled for early December.  
Following completion of the works, one of the last jobs was to unwrap and rebuild the clock mechanism that had been dismantled and covered for protection during the course of the work. Some fine-tuning may be required over the next few days to ensure accuracy.  Tests are now being carried out to determine the best method of internally illuminating the clock faces.
Guided tours have regularly been taken up the clock tower and visitors have inspected the clock and bells and enjoyed the panoramic views over the city from the viewing galleries.  It is hoped that an additional series of tours up to the Town Hall Clock will be possible in the coming months.
Coun Alex Stone, Cabinet member with responsibility for Internal Affairs, said: "It's great to see the Town Hall Clock back in working order after so many months. It's lovely to see this local landmark fully working again and I am certain that it further enhances civic pride within the district."

SMITH CHALLENGES GOVERNMENT ON NUCLEAR POWER
18/1/06: Morecambe MP Geraldine Smith took part in a Commons debate on civil nuclear power yesterday, urging Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks to visit Heysham Power Station during the course of the Government’s Energy Review and talk to trade union representatives.
Ms Smith also expressed concern at delays to a review of energy policy. “Energy reviews have been conducted throughout my eight years in Parliament,” she said.
Wicks would not commit to visiting Heysham but promised that he would meet “so-called stakeholders in every region of the country. “I am developing a programme of more public events,” he revealed. “... My challenge to hon. Members is to lead the debate rationally in their own constituencies. Opening the debate, Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker pointed out that the general public still had yet to be convinced about the safety of nuclear power. Referring to a new poll, told MPs “a narrow, wafer-thin majority of people have said that, under certain circumstances and if it dealt with climate change, they would reluctantly embrace nuclear power.” However, Baker also pointed out that 80 per cent of those polled thought that renewable technologies and energy efficiency were better ways of tackling global warming. “That poll and the one from the BBC last year, which showed overwhelming opposition to nuclear power, show that the country understands these issues very well indeed,” he argued. (The Scottish Sunday Herald also ran a oll this week which saw 65 per cent opposing nuclear power and only 35 per cent in favour of new stations).
Heysham Power Station has been beset with operating problems over past months, and there are concerns locally that the station may ultimately close, which would see the loss of a highly-skilled workforce from the area. One alternative proposal from business advisors for retaining workers has been for the development of a “green technology” site in the Heysham area, to develop new recyling technologies.
Norman Baker, who also detailed the problems of nuclear power waste and security, also pointed out that the Commons had just passed the Energy Act 2004, which has written off a bill of £48 billion -- subsequently revised upwards, to £56 billion -- owed by the nuclear power industry. “About £933 for every man, woman and child in the country is needed to deal with the existing mess,” said Mr Baker. “The nuclear industry is effectively bankrupt, or it would be if it were not for state subsidy.”
• Read the debate: Click Here

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