Police officer saves Heysham pensioner from fire

A local police officer has been praised for his brave actions after saving a Heysham pensioner from a house fire.

Lancashire Constabulary received a call from Lancaster City Council at 6.20pm on 1st March, stating an elderly resident’s 'Lifeline' - a device which automatically calls a monitoring centre at the touch of a button in an emergency - had been activated at an address in Maple Avenue, Heysham.

PC Jamie Illingworth went to the address and found plumes of smoke filling the entire flat. Inside, the kitchen stove was ablaze, but Jamie was able to extinguish the fire

He then then tried to locate the home owner through the thick smoke, finding the 89-year-old resident  lying on the floor in a corridor, unable to get up.

PC Illingworth helped him to safety and, when an ambuanc arrived, the elderly resident was given oxygen before being taken to hospital.

Inspector Guy Hamlett, Lancaster police, said: “PC Illingworth went into the address without fear for his own safety and his actions no doubt stopped the fire from spreading and saved this gentleman’s life.”

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Appeal after fatal collision in Pilling

Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward after a motorcyclist died in a collision at Pilling on Sunday (March 4th).

The accident happened at shortly before 12.45pm at the junction of Lancaster Road and Gulf Lane.

It is believed the Suzuki motorcycle was travelling along Lancaster Road, towards the town, when it collided with a VW Passat turning into Gulf Lane.

The motorcyclist, a 47 year old man from Thornton, was thrown from his bike and sustained fatal injuries.

Sergeant Jon Allwright, of the Force Road Policing Unit said: “Our thoughts are with the families of the motorcyclist and those others involved. We are asking for anyone who may have seen the accident and didn’t stop at the scene to contact the police.”

Anyone with information should call police on the non emergency number 101 and quote log number LC-20120304-0760

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Lancaster Real-ale prize pub seeks new champions

An award-winning Lancaster pub, famous for its wide selection of cask ales and a friendly atmosphere, is on the hunt for a food-loving Lancashire couple to safeguard its future as a cask-ale mecca.

Situated on St. George's Quay by the River Lune the George and Dragon is seeking an enthusiastic entrepreneurial individual or couple to take over from successful outgoing licensees Kye and Ian Lloyd, who are relocating for family reasons.

The popular community local, owned by the pub group Admiral Taverns, was awarded the first ever Most Improved Pub Award (MIPA) last year by the Lunesdale Branch of CAMRA (The Campaign for Real Ale). The award is given to pubs that have demonstrated dramatic improvement in areas such as facilities, drinking environment, atmosphere and ale quality.

Real ale is currently the fastest-growing drinks category in pubs and is becoming increasingly popular with women and young drinkers. Despite some well-known challenges in the pub industry, real ale pubs are thriving. Figures from CAMRA showed that in 2006, only 37 per cent of drinkers nationally had tried real ale. That figure now stands at 52 pr cent.

Admiral Taverns is hopeful that the George and Dragon’s reputation as the premier real ale destination for the people of Lancaster will ensure it is able to attract a high-calibre tenant to drive it forward.

“The George and Dragon is a remarkable pub which has a strong local following," enthuses Admiral’s business development manager Stuart Watt. "It has a friendly atmosphere and attracts a wide range of people; accountants, students, builders, and everyone socialises and gets on together.

“We are looking for an ambitious individual or couple who have experience of food and cask-ale and who are familiar with the local area.

“The George and Dragon is a success story and we want someone to come on board who shares Admiral’s vision for the pub which is to ensure it remains the heartbeat of the Lancaster real ale movement.”

“Everyone at CAMRA is very sorry to lose Kye and Ian and we wish them every success in the future," says Julian Holt from Lunesdale CAMR. "The George & Dragon offers a wonderful opportunity to an incoming tenant thanks to what has already been achieved there. It is a real community local in an attractive location, with a loyal clientele.

“People drink there because the beer is consistently good and there is a great atmosphere. It was the natural choice for the branch's Most Improved Pub Award.”

• Those who are interested in taking on the George and Dragon can contact Kelly Dunne, part of the Admiral recruitment team, on 01244 505491

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Mother and children found safe and well

Police can confirm that the missing Cumbrian mum and her two children have been found safe and well in the Lancashire Area.

Cumbria Police would like to thank Lancashire Police and especially  the media and members of the public for their assistance and support.

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Fukushima Anniversary bike ride planned

On Saturday 10th March Heysham Anti Nuclear Alliance, families and community members will undertake a seven-mile bicycle ride from Lancaster to Heysham Nuclear Power Station Nature Reserve to mark the one year anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

The event has been organised to highlight ongoing concern over the safety and environmental impact of nuclear power.

Assembling at Lancaster Priory at 11.00am, the bicycle ride will follow the path of Lancaster Greenway to Morecambe. From here the cyclists will continue along the promenade and on to the Heysham Nuclear Power Station Nature Reserve for a community picnic. The picnic is set to start at 1.00pm and is a second meeting point for those coming by other modes of transport.

Also planned are talks, a workshop about the lack of a solution for nuclear waste, and a walk around part of the perimeter of the station.

The event will end at around 3.00pm.

"One year on from the catastrophic nuclear meltdown at Fukushima, the reactors are still not under control," notes 25-year-old Morecambe resident Rory Walker. "There's still a 12 mile exclusion zone and the costs of stabilising the plant and salvaging the area are set to be as much as £37 billion just for the first two years.

"Against this back drop, Germany and Italy have said 'No' to new nuclear. Yet Britain is pushing ahead despite this being a tried, tested and failed technology. Investment in the planned 18 new nuclear reactors is likely to exceed £60 billion.

"This vast sum of money would be much better spent investing in the renewable power sector and providing finance for energy saving projects."

The event is taking place at the same time as a national mobilisation at Hinkley Nuclear Power Station in Somerset. Anti-nuclear campaigners and local residents will be blockading the existing power station at Hinkley in protest against plans to build the first new nuclear power station in the UK for 25 years.

Nicky Johnson, 36 of Heysham said "Recent changes to national planning law mean that once the Hinkley power station has been given permission, there is no way that a new nuclear power station at Heysham could be stopped. Therefore, although the diggers are not yet on our doorstep, now is the time to act against new nuclear.

"I'll be attending the event at Heysham as it is a good opportunity to express my ongoing concerns about new nuclear power on my doorstep as well as across the UK."

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