The year in review

What made the news in the Weston & Somerset Mercury in 2007

JANUARY

• Anne’s Weston connection: Coronation Street’s Anne Kirkbride took an emotional journey into her family’s past just a month after her father died and ended up on Weston’s pier. The actress, who plays Deidre in the ITV soap, took a stroll along The Grand Pier with local historian Brian Austin to discover more about her ancestors and their jobs.

• New Satanic workshop: A lecturer who has been running occult classes in Worle said he was fed up with being made out to be a villain. Scott Jones decided not to offer a free introductory session for his Satanic workshops like he did with his occult classes last year because of the ‘vulgar amount of sightseers who came along last time’.

• Family escapes as tree crashes through roof: A family in Blagdon had a lucky escape when an ancient tree crashed into its home during gale force winds. Michelle Mason and her sons Billy, aged 15, and Jack, aged 12, were out, along with her partner Luke, but Henry the family dog was left trapped inside the stricken building. The canine survived but never looked at the tree in the same way again.

• For better or hearse: A Gothic couple who got married at Wookey Hole Caves offered invites to members of the public on eBay. Leigh Ashworth, aged 38 and Rosalind Smith, aged 29, (pictured above) asked the two highest bidders to be fans of ‘Goth rock and metal, hearses, black and caves’.

FEBRUARY

• Police hope to catch flasher on film: Police community support officers gave disposable cameras to women dog walkers to catch a flasher in Highbridge. One of the officers, Claire Chambers, said: “He is usually on a yellow bike and wears a long coat. He coughs to get the women’s attention, flashes, and then rides off.”

• Kirsty gets a boob job: A mum created a piece of artwork using her own breasts - and TV stars Trinny and Susannah - as inspiration. Weston College student Kirsty Appelby’s ‘Boobs in a Barrow’ featured more than 40 pink plaster breasts piled in a pink wheelbarrow. The 34-year-old mum-of-three wanted to raise awareness of women who wear prosthesis after having a masectomy due to breast cancer.

• Children took a step back in time to learn about the Stone Age at Cheddar Caves and Gorge. They learnt how to survive as cavemen by making flint spears and building fires.

• Village goes knitty for Anne: Princess Anne visited Wedmore and met with schoolchildren and staff at a shop. HRH stopped off to meet staff at Mary Davis knitwear store in Church Street. She also met with pupils at Wedmore First School, who presented her with a card and some flowers.

• Boy racers want a safe place to meet: Car fans in Weston were desperately looking for a spot to meet without being moved on by police. The youngsters claimed they had nowhere to go and appealed for help in finding somewhere safe they could hang about and chat about their motors instead of using car parks at Blockbuster and McDonald’s.

MARCH

• Mercury helps save Barcode: Weston’s nationally acclaimed youth cafe was saved from the brink of closure thanks to the combined efforts of the town’s young people, Liberal Democrat and Labour town councillors and the Weston & Somerset Mercury.

• Just inches from death: A husband and wife from St Georges said they thought a bomb had gone off when lightning struck and left them with a gaping hole in the side of their house. Jon and Vanessa Hurdle were sleeping soundly in their bed in the early hours when they were woken by a huge bang - and realised their home had been hit.

• Four-year-olds to ponder life’s ultimate questions: Children as young as four should take time out at North Somerset schools to ‘consider spiritual and moral issues’. North Somerset Council guidelines stated that children should take part in collective worship ‘to give both body and mind time to breathe’ and help pupils ‘ponder on the many ultimate questions life presents’, according to the council’s standing advisory council on religious education.

• All year dog ban on town’s beach: Dogs were banned from Weston’s beach amid fears children might be exposed to harmful diseases found in dog faeces. The controversial move by North Somerset Council was later reversed by the new Conservative administration after local elections in May.

APRIL

• Lorry crashes into sleeping couples home: A retired couple in Hewish narrowly escaped death when a lorry crashed into their home on the A370. The truck struck just after 4.30am, just inches from where John Noke and Elaine Hamilton slept. The lorry driver and his passenger were treated for shock and minor injuries after the truck landed on its side further down the road.

• Dream meeting with Sir Alex: A football mad youngsters from Worle went for a birthday helicopter trip, only to bump into Sir Alex Ferguson. The Manchester United manager signed a leaflet he was carrying in his bag for eight-year-old Kaine Catterall at Bristol International Airport.

• Record numbers of tourists flocked to Weston beach  over the bank holiday weekend for sun, sea, sand .... and ice cream.

• Stab victim’s boss found hanged: The boss of a young woman stabbed in Worle was found hanged in his home just days after a frenzied High Street knife attack. Roger Line was discovered at his home in Brompton Road on the Oldmixon Estate. Just four days earlier he had rushed to help 29-year-old stab victim Kelly Parker when she was attacked near the Golden Lion pub.

• Tributes for council leader: Council leader Alan Hockridge died aged 62, while campaigning for elections in North Worle. Tributes flooded into the Mercury describing Alan as ‘warm and sincere’ and ‘one of life’s doers’. The retired bank manager was well-known in sporting circles and a keen rugby and cricket fan.

MAY

•  Eye eye for hotel staff: A chambermaid got an eye full when cleaning a room in The Webbington Hotel. A glass eye was the unusual object left behind by a guest at the hotel near Axbridge. A hotel spokesman said he was surprised the owner wasn’t missing it.

• Beware naked jumpers: Naked base jumpers could put the lives of tourists at risk in Cheddar Gorge. The hobby involves jumping off a large structure and pulling a parachute. Rangers patrol the gorge to try and prevent the trespassers from jumping.

•  An aircraft enthusiast from Wedmore landed a fighter plane in an eBay auction. Nail Banwell sneaked the plane into the village on two lorries in the dead of night.

• Election day landslide: Councillors were singing the blues when the May elections saw the Conservatives gain power in North Somerset. The party won dozens of seats while the Liberal Democrats lost a staggering 17 seats. In Sedgemoor the Conservatives stayed on top but the Liberal Democrats gained three more seats.

• Weston-super-Seaside: The Severn Barrage went closer to becoming reality when a Government White Paper was put before Parliament. If built, the structure from Brean Down to Wales could mean thousands of jobs, blue seas on Weston seafront and a surge in house prices.

JUNE

 • Teachers rated by pupils on-line: Pupils bullied teachers on internet website ratemyteachers. Youngsters in North Somerset and Sedgemoor dubbed their teachers ignorant, immature, manipulative and rude. The American-run website also came under fire in Scotland and Cornwall.

• Inspired teenagers on Weston’s estates get together to form a youth group and come up with ways of improving where they live.

• Barcode’s big lottery win: Weston’s hugely successful youth café, which was saved from closure just a few months before, has a £358,066 cash boost. The cash from the Big Lottery Fund helped to secure the under 18s venue’s long term future.

• Fortnightly rubbish gets the green light: Plans to start two weekly collections of rubbish were approved in Sedgemoor. Residents were told the news their household rubbish will be collected fortnightly and their recyclables and food waste weekly.

• Accident boy’s family slams driver’s sentence a joke: The family of 11-year-old Brendon Ford, who was left fighting for his life when he was knocked down by a speeding driver in Weston, said the community sentence the driver received was a joke. Brendon is still in hospital and unable to live a normal life. The driver was ordered to do 150 hours unpaid work, disqualified from driving for two years, fined £200 and ordered to pay £60 costs.

JULY

• Her Royal Highness is welcomed: The Queen returned to Weston for the first time in 30 years. Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh were greeted by cheering crowds when she arrived at Yatton train station and travelled around the area visiting the Winter Gardens, Knightstone Island, the For All Healthy Living Centre and Ashcombe Children’s Centre.

• Gun robber drama: An armed robber brought the High Street to a standstill when they held up Nationwide. Shopkeepers and customers were ordered to stay inside and keep the doors locked as armed police officers sealed off the area. The man escaped but was finally caught and brought before a Taunton court.

• Dead sheep throwing shocks guests: A dead sheep was thrown into a school playground by an angry Somerset farmer. District councillor John Denbee threw the animal at crowds at Weare First School who had gathered for a fireworks display. The Ashton farmer said the noise had worried the sheep and it had fallen in a rhyne and died. The school tried to pass the incident off as a countryside tradition to calm the visitors.

• Cheers for the party: T4 ON The Beach hit the sands with top pop acts entertaining more than 30,000 revellers. The line-up for the event, which came to town for the third year running, included Dizee Rascal, Kate Nash, Sophie Ellis-Bexter and Super Furry Animals.

AUGUST

• Memorial to Jill: The Jill Dando Centre was unveiled as part of Weston’s first university-style campus. The building was part of a multi-million pound development in Loxton Road which houses all the sixth form of Weston College.

•  Torrent the otter who had to learn to swim at Secret World.

• The cash shovels in: An entrepreneurial 13-year-old from Cheddar raised more than £2,000 selling poo over the internet. Steve Sayer began bagging up horse manure from his dad’s livery yard and delivering it to customers all over Somerset.

• Porn shock for voters: Hundreds of Sedgemoor residents got a shock when logging on to the electoral roll online and ended up looking at a pornographic website. The Register by Internet site, set up to enable people to register to vote online, had been added to a pornographic website called Wild Girls.

• Smoking ban fines begin: A businessman from Cheddar becomes one of the first in the country to be fined for smoking indoors since the ban came in in July. Chris Elliot, aged 30, claimed he would rather go to jail than give up smoking in his company vehicle and in pubs. He has since organised numerous protest marches around the area.

SEPTEMBER

• Pots of cash unspent: An internal investigation revealed North Somerset Council had a massive £16million in its bank account meant for spending across the community. The cash was collected as part of 106 planning agreements with developers but was not being spent.

• Midnight success for hospice: More than 1,000 women walked along Weston seafront for Weston Hospicecare’s first Midnight Beach Walk supported by the Weston & Somerset Mercury. The Orphans band entertained the fund-raisers who crowded to Uphill some wearing pink fluffy bunny ears, fancy dress and even pyjamas.

• Weston landmark sold: Dolphin Square was sold to commercial developer the Kilmartin Group. All but two freehold properties came under the control of the regeneration specialist and grand plans for new shops, offices and homes started to take shape.

• Ledge top charity challenge: Daring fund-raiser Adam Young spent a week suspended 300ft up Cheddar Gorge for charity. The 22-year-old camped out on a ledge with only a tent, portable loo, small cooker and a book for company in memory of his sister who died of cancer.

OCTOBER

• School bullies being brought to book: Bullies at a Somerset school were made to face their victims and see the hurt they may cause. Fairlands Middle School in Cheddar took part in a national scheme to make youngsters understand the consequences of bullying. As part of it they had to sit down with a teacher or parent and explain their actions.

• It stinks!: The letters of outrage flooded in after it was revealed North Somerset Councillors were considering fortnightly rubbish collections. Before the May election, Conservative councillors distributed leaflets saying ‘No to Fortnightly Collections’. This was part of the options being considered in the hope of increasing recycling rates.

•  Theatrical pupils from Churchill Community School put on a performance of Jekyll and Hyde. The performing arts team of drama, dance and music joined forces to create the show.

• Explosion - sons tell exclusive story: Following an explosion at a house in Axbridge, the Weston & Somerset Mercury spoke to the family of Wilfred and Wendy Bastin who died in the incident. Post-mortem results revealed Wendy had died from multiple stab wounds. Their sons Mark and John spoke of fond memories of their parents.

• Christmas lights will go up - official: It could have been a rather dull Christmas in the centre of Weston, after reports that North Somerset Council was considering banning decorations from being put on lampposts and buildings. However, a meeting of the town council concluded with the decision that they would go up after all.

NOVEMBER

• End of road for lifeline bus?: Two community transport operators in North Somerset were warned they may not get enough funding for them to carry on. Weston Dial-a-Ride and Weston District Community Transport were advised to merge by a North Somerset Council officer. They were told it could increase the chances of getting funding, but this was then proven wrong.

• The images for the proposed development at the Tropicana site on Weston’s seafront were revealed before public consultations took place. The initial proposals for the £30million development included a water park, cinema, bowling alley and numerous restaurants.

• Hot dog trader wins court battle against council: A court case saw Christopher O’Hara win against North Somerset Council after it decided to sue him for £50 for trespassing. He was moved on from the Italian Gardens after only one day of trading, despite him having a licence. He issued a £23,000 counter claim against the council for a breach of contract.

• Lenny’s life lessons: One of the nation’s best loved comedians visited Weston to look at the town’s new multi-million pound college campus, off Loxton Road. During his visit Lenny Henry gave a talk to students about his experiences of education.

• Otter finds a secret home - after dinner!: A plucky otter was caught tucking into the pond life at a hotel near Axbridge. The unlikely guest at The Webbington Hotel munched his way through the entire stock of goldfish during his feast. The otter was taken to Secret World Wildlife Rescue in East Huntspill.

DECEMBER

• Birnbeck...  a pier into the future: Images from six architectural designs were revealed as proposals for the development of the Birnbeck Pier site in Weston. The six designs were short-listed in a competition put on by Urban Splash, which owns the site. The ideas were displayed in more detail during public consultations.

• Trio jailed for life - guilty of murder: Three men accused of murdering a man in a Weston bedsit were given 14-year prison sentences. John Dunn was attacked with broken bottles and a shard of mirror in January 2007. Terence Townsend, Andrew Fuge and Richard Evans were found guilty of his murder, and Wayne Jones, who was deemed unfit for trial, was found to have been involved.

• Dawn spree of violence... but traders vow to beat the bullies: Business owners in Cheddar declared business as usual, despite thousands of pounds worth of damage being caused and a haul of goods being stolen. Victims of the run of break-ins said the incidents could not dampen their festive spirit.

• Faith school pupils lose free transport: Families campaigning against North Somerset Council’s plans to phase out free transport to faith schools lost their battle. Councillors voted unanimously for the move as part of its strategy to plug a £17million funding gap in its budget for the next two years.

•  Father Christmas set up a helpline for anyone who wanted him and his elf helpers to pay them a visit on the big day. Families across Claverham and Cleeve have been visited by the lovable character for 40 years and 2007 was no different.