Cheshire Neighbourhood Watch Association Week Ending 18Th July 2021 Cheshire News & Appeals
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Cheshire Neighbourhood Watch Association Week ending 18th July 2021 Cheshire News & Appeals Latest Cheshire News Fundraising Detective Inspector getting in gear to help others affected by suicide A DI at Cheshire Constabulary has vowed to cycle 500 miles in five consecutive days to help prevent other families from being left devastated by a suicide. DI Deborah Morgan, of the force’s Strategic Public Protection department, blamed herself when her beloved brother Ross took his own life at the age of 31 two years ago. She had received suicide prevention training the previous year as part of her job, but did not see any signs of her brother needing help. DI Morgan is now determined to help others with mental health issues. All the money raised from her daunting charity challenge will go to Mind, the mental health charity. The 42-year-old mother of two adult children said: “I will be doing the challenge from Wednesday 4 August with my 52-year-old friend Nikki Morley, who is a beauty therapist and a mum of four adult children. Starting from Winsford, where we both live, we plan to cycle to Anglesey in North Wales on the first day and cycle back on the second. Days three and four will consist of cycling trips to Blackpool and Ellesmere in Shropshire. The last day of the challenge will be a circular Cheshire ride to hit the magic 500-mile mark. We are both keen cyclists, but we are no spring chickens anymore. However, we are determined to complete the challenge to raise funds for Mind and help to stop others from being left devastated by a suicide. I lost my brother Ross to suicide, and Nikki lost a family friend who took his own life at the age of 20.” Statistics show that men are more likely to suffer in silence than women. They are also less likely to seek help. Three times as many men as women die by suicide, and it is the biggest killer of men under the age of 45. DI Morgan, who has been a police officer for 15 years, added: “The circumstances of Ross’ death hit me hard. I’d had suicide training through work around a year before he died, but I never spotted the signs with him. This led to me blaming myself and feeling guilty for not doing more to help Ross. Those who know me will know I am usually a very resilient person, but the experience knocked me sideways. It was only through the professional help of an occupational health counsellor at Cheshire Constabulary that I was able to understand what was happening inside my head and get myself back on track. Woman are more likely to talk to friends, family members or professionals about mental health issues, but unfortunately men seem to see this as a sign of weakness. With the turmoil caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever to look after our mental health and seek help and support when we need it. I urge any man who is struggling mentally to reach out for that support. It’s okay to not be okay.” A crowdfunding page with a £3,000 target has been set up for the fundraising challenge. DI Morgan said: “I got into cycling less than a year ago. Before that I used to just go to the gym and a jujitsu club, but the pandemic forced me to seek a different way to stay in shape. I turned to cycling and began to ride regularly with Winsford Wheelers Cycling Club, and I recently joined Weaver Valley Cycling Club. I usually ride around 30 miles three times a week. The requirements of the fundraising challenge are obviously a lot more than that. It will push me and Nikki to our absolute limits, both physically and mentally, but we have been training hard for it and are both adamant that nothing will stop us from completing the challenge.” Mind offers information and advice to people with mental health problems and lobbies the Government and local authorities on their behalf. To make a donation for the charity challenge visit the JustGiving fundraising page. DI Morgan added: “All donations will be much appreciated and will be put to very good use by the Mind charity.” Three people charged following armed robberies in Runcorn and Helsby Detectives investigating a series of armed robberies in Runcorn and Helsby have charged three people. Daniel Hayes (30), of Clifton Crescent, Frodsham; Amy Jody Burns (30), of Stenhills Crescent, Runcorn, and Samuel Oultran (23), of Churchill Mansions, Cooper Street, Runcorn, have all been charged three counts of robbery. Hayes has also been charged with three counts of possession of a knife in a public place. Both Hayes and Burns have been remanded in custody and will appear at Warrington Magistrates’ Court today (Friday 16 July). Oultran appeared at Warrington Magistrates’ Court yesterday (Thursday 15 July) where he was remanded in custody; he is next set to appear at Chester Crown Court on Thursday 12 August. The charges relates to armed robberies at Runcorn Expressway Service Station (10/7/21), Spar in Palacefields (11/7/21) and the One Stop shop, Helsby (12/7/21). Football tournament organised by Runcorn LPU an 'overwhelming success' The first community football tournament organised by Runcorn Local Policing Unit for 40 years has been hailed an ‘overwhelming success’. The free KOPS ‘n’ Kids event at Runcorn Linnets’ pitches in Stockham Lane, Murdishaw, saw 1,293 children having football fun and getting to know local police officers and PCSOs over two consecutive weekends. Teams from Runcorn, Widnes, Ellesmere Port, Warrington and Liverpool took part in a total of 306 small- sided games. There were boys, girls and mixed teams showcasing their football skills, with competitions held for every age group from under sevens up to and including under 14s. A total of 508 goals were scored during the tournament, and more than 20 of the players were scouted by professional clubs such as Liverpool, Everton, Manchester United, Manchester City, Burnley and Blackburn Rovers. Coaches from the Liverpool FC Foundation and Everton in the Community delivered training sessions to children at the tournament. Former professional football player and manager Brian Horton and British auto racing driver and Celebrity Gogglebox star Paul O’Neill were among those who attended to support the event and hand out trophies to the winning teams. Others were the High Sheriff of Cheshire Robert Mee and Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire John Dwyer. CI Leeroy Moss, of Runcorn Local Policing Unit (LPU), said: “The tournament was an overwhelming success. The Covid-19 pandemic has severely limited the amount of football that children have been able to play in recent times. It was great seeing them having so much fun emulating their heroes competing at this year’s Euros. Football fever gripped the nation this summer as a result of the Euros, and the first community football tournament organised by Runcorn LPU for four decades certainly added to the increased passion for the sport locally. We have had a lot of great feedback on the event from the teams, players and parents involved and can’t thank the team at Runcorn Linnets Junior Football Club enough for agreeing to host the event for free. The same goes for the Steve Morgan Foundation for paying all the other costs involved with hosting a football tournament, such as the referee fees, trophies for the winning teams and the medals that each participating player received, and for Halton Speak Out for securing the funding on our behalf. I would also like to thank everyone who attended to support the event and hand out trophies, and the coaches at Liverpool FC Foundation and Everton in the Community for coming along to give professional training to any children who wanted to take part, as well as fellow partners Onward Homes and Merseyflow for the support that they gave us for the tournament. “In addition, I would like to thank professional freestyler Mr Silky Skills for entertaining everyone at the tournament with his unbelievable ability with a football and for arranging for some of his famous friends to send us good luck video messages regarding the event, including former England international football star John Barnes and former Commonwealth Games 800 metres champion Diane Modahl. We posted the videos on our Runcorn Police Facebook account over the course of the tournament.” Taking place on the Saturdays and Sundays of 3, 4, 10 and 11 July, the tournament was the first KOPS ‘n’ Kids event held this year, due to restrictions imposed by the Government in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Chief Inspector Moss added: “KOPS ‘n’ Kids is a free sport-based activity scheme that our officers and PCSOs run with support from partner agencies to help children stay active and healthy and have fun. It also strengthens relationships and builds trust between young people and the police. The tournament at Runcorn Linnets’ pitches in Murdishaw is one of many successful KOPS ‘n’ Kids events that have been held in Runcorn in recent years, and the scheme is now being rolled out to other areas of Cheshire.” PCC John Dwyer said: “I had the pleasure of joining Runcorn LPU for their KOPS ‘n’ Kids football tournament. Building a positive relationship between local policing and communities is so important. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who made the event a success and well done to all the teams that took part.” Runcorn man arrested in connection with online hate crime following England football match Officers have arrested a man from Runcorn as part of an investigation into a racist social media message, which was posted after the Euro 2020 final.