Atherton Online

Police have issued images of two men they want to speak to after a group of teenagers were robbed while waiting for parents to pick them up.

At around 8.40pm on Wednesday 25 January 2012, a group of five teenagers were standing in the Asda car park, off Ladies Lane, Hindley, waiting for their parents to arrive.

The two offenders walked up to them and asked them to hand over their cash. When they refused, the robbers punched and kicked of the victims, a 13-year-old boy, before searching his pockets and stealing his mobile phone.

Police are trying to trace relatives of a Leigh man who recently died.

John Wood, 66, died on 19 January 2012, after being found at his home on Bond Street in Leigh.

There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding his death, but one of John's daughter says there may be more relatives who ought to be traced, including children from a different relationship and a sister.

John has always lived in Leigh or Lowton.

As many of you will know, recently Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke announced plans to ban convicted criminals from claiming under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act (CICA). Alongside this Clarke is planning on blocking claims for minor injuries and cutting overall reward amounts.

Get down to St Richards Parish Center Thursday 9th February to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Atherton’s Women’s Institute! Because of this special occasion we will be celebrating our big birthday bash with dinner and dancing.

The Women’s Institute (WI) is the largest voluntary organization for women in the UK with over 21,000 members. Offering help, friendship or a place to voice your opinions and improve our community Atherton WI meets on the second Thursday of every month at 7:30pm. Every meeting we have the pleasure of a different guest speaker ranging from Historians to Belly Dancers so there is certainly something to suit everyone’s taste.

Money and cigarettes were stolen during a robbery in Wigan.

At 9.25pm on Monday 23 January 2012, three men walked into the Co-op store on Gadfield Grove, Atherton. One of them was carrying a hammer.

They demanded two staff members lay on the floor before they put a large amount of cigarettes in bed sheets.

Money was taken from the tills and all three left in a grey Ford Focus with the registration X668. The number plates and been stolen from the Leigh area the previous night.

A New Age Kurling festival was held on Friday the 27th January 2012 as part of Atherton Primary Sports Association (APSA) commitment to the Get Set Network of schools supporting The Olympics. The popular target sport of New Age Kurling is a form of the original curling game. It has been adapted so that it can be played indoors on any smooth, flat surface such as a sports hall, rather than on ice. Importantly, the game can be played by both able-bodied and disabled people of all ages.

Police are appealing for the public’s help to trace the next of kin of a Wigan woman.

Winnifred Senior (born 12/02/1937), died on 12 January 2012.

At the time of her death she lived at Acorns Care Centre in Hindley.

There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding her death.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Police Coroners Officer on 0161 856 7962

A boy has been attacked and robbed in Astley.

On the evening of the 16th January 2012, the 17-year-old was walking along Merlewood Drive when he was approached from behind by a group of men. The boy was then hit by one of the men causing him to fall to the floor where he was hit again.

The offenders demanded the boy's mobile phone and stole his headphones.

The victim was not badly injured, but has been left very shaken.

Detonators have been stolen by thieves who broke into a building site on Bolton Road in Atherton.

The unknown offenders stole three mobile phones and six bright, yellow rail detonators between the evening of Tuesday 24th January 2012 and early Wednesday morning.

Two women kicked another woman to the floor in a violent robbery in Golborne, Wigan.

On the evening of Saturday 21st January 2012, the 20-year-old woman was walking home from

work along Lowton Road when she was kicked to the floor from behind.

Two women then launched into an attack on her trying to rob her handbag while punching and
kicking her.

The victim managed to fend the attackers off and protect the bag.

Police were checking vehicles for stolen metal in the Platt Bridge, Hindley on Saturday 21st January.

Police arrested a 32-year-old man from Hindley on suspicion of abduction, and a 49-year-old man from Platt Bridge on suspicion of a public order offence and possession of a Class B drug.

The checks were part of Operation Alloy, Greater Manchester Police's crackdown on metal theft. The operation was also aimed at combating road traffic offences, and police issued two endorsable fixed penalty notices to motorists for having defective tyres and using a mobile phone while driving.

Plans for Atherton Community School continue to progress and Chapel St - the sponsor of the new school - have now announced the appointment of Elizabeth Haddock as the Principal Designate of the new school, which is due to open this September.

Elizabeth will soon be taking up her post, in order to get fully immersed in the plans and preparations for the school and will be attending Chapel St’s next community consultation meeting at 7.30 pm on 1st February 2012, for local parents and carers. (Venue: Jubilee Hall Function Room, St Richard Parish Centre, Stanley Street, Atherton).

Elizabeth has considerable experience in successfully raising attainment and aspirations in education as well as having the track record of successfully opening two academies.

Her teaching experience began in Mexborough, a South Yorkshire mining village where her interest in working alongside communities began. She has had almost 30 years of teaching in a range of schools both in Britain and overseas, at all levels of seniority.

Thieves stole thousands of pounds worth of jewellery in Leigh.

At around 10.20pm on Wednesday 4 January 2012, thieves broke into a jewellers on Silk Street, Leigh and smashed a display cabinet.

They took a number of watches before leaving.

The watches are described as being of high value and included a Citizen limited edition Red Arrow, DKNY, Fossil, Armani and Thomas Sabo.

Detective Constable Sheena Maerevoet from Wigan CID said: "The watches are collectively worth a lot of money and it is highly likely those responsible will try to sell them. I would urge anyone who is approached to buy watches in a suspicious manner to contact us as soon as possible.

"There are not many Thomas Sabo watches sold in the area so if you are asked to buy one, please get in touch."

An elderly man was conned out of several hundred pounds by bogus workmen in Astley.

Sometime between 12pm and 1pm on Thursday 22 December 2011, a 76-year-old man answered a knock at the door of his home on Ennerdale Road, Astley.

A man offered to repair some of his roof for money and returned later that day with two other men and materials.

The victim was then asked for a further payment and convinced him further work needed to be done to the rear of the property.

Conmen stole £200 from a woman after distracting her at a cashpoint with a charity scam.

It happened at the Lloyds TSB automated telling machine on Ellesmere Street in Leigh at about 12.30pm on 23 December 2011.

The woman, 38, put her card into the machine and entered her pin number, at which point she was approached by a man who showed her some sort of sponsorship form and acted as if he was deaf and dumb.

While distracted refusing to sign the petition, a second man snuck up and withdrew £200 from the machine. He then handed the woman the card claiming she had dropped it.