MESSAGE FROM THE CHAMPION’S MD For the past eighteen years I have been proud to work alongside the Champion team and I am delighted to have this opportunity to thank them for their loyalty and hard work. A special thanks to our unsung heroes and heroines who brave all weathers and conditions to deliver your Champion. And fi nally, a sincere thank you to our readers, advertisers and suppliers for their help and support.
Where it all began
Champion Newspapers · www.champnews.comClare House, 166 Lord Street. Southport PR9 0QA · Tel 01704 392392
The surprise launch of the Champion 18 years ago was in defi ance of the Southport Globe being sold to a rival publisher, closed down and the loyal staff being made redundant.
So, in true Champion spirit, the staff decided to launch their own title. Within four days of losing their jobs the fi rst edition of the Champion hit the streets!
Rival publishing groups scoffed and claimed it would never last. But, with each edition the Champion grew stronger and despite several attempts to thwart its progress it proved unstoppable. Readers and advertisers were quick to support the new title and their encouragement was a key factor in the title’s success.
Eighteen years later there are seven titles in the group with a
combined circulation of just over 166,000 copies. It has become the largest weekly newspaper group in the area.
In this special supplement we refl ect on that fi rst edition and look at some of the exciting stories and events we have covered over the years. We focus on local businesses with their own success stories.
Today we employ almost 50 people at our head offi ce and distribution centre in Southport and over 740 people earn a steady income every week as Champion distributors.
SPECIAL REPORTby David Simister
THE CHAMPION AWARD-WINNING EDITORIAL TEAM
Part of today’s Champion team
The Champion may not have had an auspicious start, it’s fi rst edition was produced with sales staff working out of the Scarisbrick Hotel, the editorial team gathered the news from the editor’s home and the administration and accounts were based in a garden shed.
The newspaper itself was put together on B & Q paste tables and the staff had a whip-round to pay the printer up front.
It may not have been the most auspicious
launch but it was certainly the most exciting. It is still just as exciting and perhaps even more so as we, like most other businesses, fi nd ways to succeed in today’s market.
We are proud of our publishing history and the contribution we make to the communities we serve.
We still believe in the power and the integrity of local newspapers and the vital role they play in supporting the local economy.
2 • Visit us @ www.ChampNews.com Champion Birthday Supplement The Champion • Wednesday 7 March 2012
TAKE a stroll along Southport’s seafront today and it’s hard not to notice the impact this story had on the resort.The announcement of a £4.4m grant to create a new sea wall along Marine Drive paved the way for a series of projects which helped revive the resort in time for the 21st century, with extensive investment in the Pleasureland amusement park, a revamp of Southport’s historic pier and the creation of the Ocean Plaza site following the seawall’s construction.
Two ministers from John Major’s government - Environment Secretary John Gummer and Heritage Secretary Virginia Bottomley - visited the resort to announce the investment, which Sefton Council chief executive Graham Haywood hailed as being a great Christmas present for the resort.A Christmas present we were only too happy to share with Champion readers.
IT WAS a sombre occasion which everybody can remember - the sad day when the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, was announced.When the lady fondly referred to as The People’s Princess was killed in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997 newspapers across the nation helped refl ect the grief of millions by paying tribute to her - and that week’s Champion was no exception.In Formby tributes were led by then MP Clare Curtis-Thomas, who said Diana was “a very human person to
whom ordinary people could relate, and yet she had a most extraordinary appeal” and was truly a People’s Princess.Many Champion readers had particularly fond memories of Diana, as she had paid a visit to Queenscourt Hospice in Southport just a few years earlier.The following week, Formby joined towns across the country by holding its own memorial serivce at St Peter’s Church.
December
1996
September
1997
• The Champion launched a successful campaign for a permenant memorial to Southport’s fi ve Victoria Cross recipients to be set up in the resort.
• Ormskirk shoppers got the chance to head to a major new supermarket in the town, after a newly-constructed Safeway store opened its doors for the fi rst time. Although the name has now disappeared from Britain’s high streets, the supermarket itself trades to this day as a Morrison’s store.
• Champion reporter Andrew Capper interviewed Donny X, the leader of a Southport and Formby-based underground group whose members had predicted the end of the world. The apocalypse they foretold, which was predicted to happen in 2006, still hasn’t happened yet.
• Tourists in Southport could check out an unusual new attraction, in the form of the resort’s model railway village. The creators of the Promenade-based attraction, which features a minature rail system, say the site was inspired by real-life buildings from across the region.
• The Liberal Democrats regained the Southport seat at that year’s General Election, which saw Ronnie Fearn defeat Tory incumbent Matthew Banks. Nationally, Tony Blair became Labour’s fi rst Prime Minister in 18 years after the party won a landslide victory.
• The Champion called for a fair and open inquiry into calls to change Sefton’s boundaries after it was alleged that a senior council offi cer had inside information from the Local Government Commission.
• Our newspaper gained a high profi le fan - Her Majesty The Queen! We sent a copy of The Champion to Buckingham Palace as a birthday present, which a Lady-in-Waiting said the Queen was “most interested” to read.
• A campaign to create a memorial for Southport’s Victoria Cross heroes fi nally paid off, with veterans invited to a grand opening of a memorial stone at the Centotaph that year.
• Two people were killed in July when the engine on their Bulldog training airplane failed shortly after taking off from RAF Woodvale. A subsequent investigation by the Ministry of Defence revealed a fault with the aircraft’s fuel gauge.
more Champion stories
from 1996
more Champion stories
from 1997
Story File YEAR
1996REPORTER
Martin HovdenLOCATION
Southport town centre and seafrontTHE STORY:
Government ministers arrive in the resort to announce a multi-million pound grant to help create a vital new seawall for Southport
Story File YEAR
1997REPORTER
Jane HudsonLOCATION
St Peter’s Church, FormbyTHE STORY:
Formby residents unite in grief with the rest of the world to mourn the death of Princess Diana.
S t a t i o n e r y O f f i c e F u r n i t u r eD e s i g n , P l a n n i n g & I n s t a l l a t i o n
Martland Mill Mart Lane Burscough L40 0SDT: 01704 891155 F: 01704 891156
Your Local Offi ce Furniture & Stationery Suppliers
1106891
The Champion • Wednesday 7 March 2012 Champion Birthday Supplement Visit us @ www.ChampNews.com • 3
The company’s owners Nigel Mansley and Ian Barker pride themselves on offering a friendly, discreet and relaxed service. The team at Formby are experts in manufacturing and fitting removable dental appliances and have been creating perfect smiles since opening the Denture Studios directly to the public in 2011. Ian along with fellow Clinical Dental Technician Kevin Armstrong have years of experience in the manufacturing of dentures and can offer patients their technical knowledge of what can be achieved and ensure that the new appliance will be both functional and aesthetically pleasing. Kevin said: "Patients are involved in the decision making throughout the manufacturing process to ensure that they are completely satisfied that they have been advised of all treatment options available to them and that they are happy with their dental appliance."We can also be more flexible in timescale where new dentures are required very quickly."
The services they provide include new dentures, valplast dentures, implant retained dentures, emergency denture repairs, They reline existing dentures and are a supplier of Smile Again Denture Cleaner & Valclean.Kevin added: "A Clinical Dental Technician can work independently of other members of the dental team to manufacture new dentures or adjust/repair existing dentures privately and direct to the public. "They will see the patient at their Studio/Laboratory and work closely to achieve the expectations of the patient via consultations and discussions throughout the manufacture of the appliance. "Any concerns can be conveyed and resolved before the final process to ensure that each patient is completely satisfied with their final appliance." The Clinical Dental Technicians also liaise with local dentists to ensure all patients who require referrals receive the best possible care. Kevin explained: "Referrals from a dentist can be arranged here at
The Denture Studios. Your CDT & Dentist will together discuss and agree the options available to you. "They will consider any prior treatment required to prepare the mouth to receive a new partial denture, any findings from X-Rays, your previous dental history and any possible complications that might require more treatment in the future. "By your CDT working with your Dentist we can ensure that you will receive the highest possible dental care."A Denturist will go through all treatment options available to you so that you can make an informed choice before continuing with any treatment."The Denture studios are open from Monday to Friday and can be flexible with appointment times. For more information visit www.thedenturestudios.co.uk
Our clinical dental technicians have been manufacturing dentures for over 20 years and can now make dentures direct to their local residents.
Eat, Smile, Talk with Confi denceComplete dentures made directly to patients by an Experienced Clinical Dental Technician, whose attention to detail creates outstanding natural results
Call for a FREE Consultation 08455 230 230The Denture Studios 40 Liverpool Road, Formby L37 6BZ
Receive 10%
Discounton production of
this advert
• Also at Milnthorpe and Blackpool www.thedenturestudios.co.uk e: [email protected]
1106889
4 • Visit us @ www.ChampNews.com Champion Birthday Supplement The Champion • Wednesday 7 March 2012
SUPPORTERS of Southport FC would have been greeted by the famous twin towers at the original Wembley stadium when they travelled to the capital to see their team play.The Haig Avenue team were given a heroes’ welcome to the stadium on May 17, 1998 after securing themselves a place in the FA Umbro Trophy - and we were all too happy to report that the town’s residents had gone “Wembley crazy”.Southport FC’s then manager Paul Futcher told The Champ: “I’m absolutely delighted to get through to Wembley - for the players, for the club, and for the town.”
The team bagged themselves the place at the world famous London stadium after scoring a 2-1 victory over rivals Slough Town, at a game packed with proud supporters.Although Southport’s game under the shadow of the twin towers ended in defeat, losing 1-0 to Cheltenham, supporters still regard the Wembley game as one of the proudest moment’s in the club’s history.
THE HEADLINE said it all. After Mitchell Quy admitted killing and dismembering his wife it was how the region’s residents wanted to describe him - an evil man.At The Champion we reported on the many twists and turns to fi nd 21-year-old Lynsey Quy, who had not been seen since 1999. It was 18 months later that police made a grim discovery which brought the search to an end - offi cers found her remains on wasteland near the Pleasureland amusement park.Mitchell Quy, a former casion croupier, was jailed for life after admitting murdering his
wife, cutting up her body and then dumping her remains at locations around Southport.In the same edition we explored the Birkdale resident’s “cold and calculating” double life, using every opportunity - including an appearance on This Morning with Richard and Judy - to give the impression his wife had walked out on him.The truth, as the region’s residents later discovered, was far more shocking.
April
1998
January
2001
• Traders in towns across Sefton and West Lancashire angrily complained about plans to open a “retail super centre” in Dumplington, Greater Manchester which they feared would harm businesses across the north west - but in the end The Trafford Centre opened as planned.
• In Skelmersdale plans were unveiled to regenerate the town centre, with proposed attractions including a new cinema. As of 2012 plans to regnerate the town centre have yet to go ahead.
• Maghull and Lydiate residents railed against plans to create a Greater Liverpool Council, arguing that the plans would leave the area at a disadvantage. The scheme, which attracted criticism from the area’s then MP George Howarth.
• Southport’s seawall fi nally opened for the fi rst time in May, helping to revive tourist interest in the resort’s seafront.
• Another development which also didn’t go ahead were plans to create a new “Waterworld” swimming complex on the Ocean Plaza in Southport. The land proposed for the site, at the front of the development, was never built on.
• With regular fi refi ghters on strike emergencies across the region - including a major arson at a Southport scrapyard - were attended by reserve crews in Green Goddesses.
• Thousands of residents turned on their TV sets and watched in horror as a series of terrorist attacks hit American targets on September 11th.
• Strong results in the region helped Labour to secure a second landslide victory at the 2001 General Election, with West Lancashire’s Colin Pickthall and Sefton East’s George Howarth both holding onto their seats. Southport was held onto by the Liberal Democrats but saw current MP John Pugh take over from Ronnie Fearn.
• In March Lydiate pig farmer Simon Edwards told The Champion he was “hoping and praying” for the future of his business, after a nationwide outbreak of Foot and Mouth disease closed farms across Sefton and West Lancashire.
• A bid to bring Christmas lights to Formby Village was launched for the fi rst time - a campaign The Champion still backs to this day.
more Champion stories
from 1998
more Champion stories
from 2001
Story File YEAR
1998REPORTER
Ron EllisLOCATION
Haig Avenue, Southport and Wembley StadiumTHE STORY:
Southport FC score an historic victory by earning themselves a place at the FA Umbro Trophy at the Wembley Stadium
Story File YEAR
2001REPORTERS
Lynda Roughley and Sam ThomasLOCATION
Liverpool Crown CourtTHE STORY:
A former casino croupier from Southport is jailed for life after admitting brutal murder
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904
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904
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904
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The Champion • Wednesday 7 March 2012 Champion Birthday Supplement Visit us @ www.ChampNews.com • 5
Creative Joinery, based on Lyons Lane, manufacture and fit many full ranges of professional sliding door wardrobes, and traditional hinged opening door wardrobes, together with matching furniture, and have on-site separate showrooms to display full size examples of each type of these products.
'We have the most varied displays of types of sliding door wardrobes in the North West. You can actually see and feel what you are buying in full working units. Our sliding doors are all made to measure, and come in a wide variety of colours and finishes.
We are particularly proud of our "Swan Systems" aluminium reinforced MDF sliding doors,
which set a precedent in both colour choices and quality,' the company told The Champion.
'As a Company with a considerable manufacturing base we are able to provide a bespoke service in all our products. We can make and produce products for whatever the customer desires. Most suppliers will offer a product range - we offer a product for each individual client.
Our pricing lists are most competitive, as we deal directly with the customer. You pay for the product, not for the "salesman's commission. We give the advantage of product displays without retailing charges being incurred.'
The company has one of the
most varied selection of sliding door wardrobes which you are likely to see in the whole North West. There is no substitute for "on site" working displays. We currently show nine separate full size complete sliding door wardrobe systems, plus numerous other part and display items.
Creative Joinery can cater for inexpensive examples in bedroom design, right up the ranges to very high quality vinyl finishes.
The Retail Outlet is open 10am to 4pm Monday to Saturday, and 10:30amuntil 2pm on Sunday. For more information visit the company's website at www.creativejoinery.net
Company Fact File
BUSINESS TYPE
Manufacturer and fi tterof Sliding DoorsOWNER/MANAGER
John & David SwarbrickESTABLISHED
1992ADDRESS
192 Lyons LaneChorley PR6 0PPTELEPHONE
0800 587 4487FAX
01257 233331WEBSITE
www.creativejoinery.net
Creative Joinery (Chorley) Ltd
OPEN your doors to a Chorley-based company who offer one of the biggest choices of wardrobes anywhere in the north west.
6 • Visit us @ www.ChampNews.com Champion Birthday Supplement The Champion • Wednesday 7 March 20126 • Visit us @ www.ChampNews.com Champion Supplement The Champion • Wednesday 7 March 2012
SOMETIMES a striking picture is the heart of a big story - and The Champion managed to capture these dramatic images when a blaze took hold at a Southport nightspot.The Kingsway, on The Promenade, had been a popular nightclub and venue in the town since the 1960s, and gained nationwide attention after The Beatles played a series of concerts there.When we ran the pictures of the nightclub fi re on the front of that week’s Southport Champion they were
accompanied by a suitably snappy headline.The Kingsway, which had been known as Bliss for several years, had closed its doors for the last time in 2006. It was built in 1931 and is believed to be the venue where The Beatles' drummer Ringo Starr took over from Pete Best and fi rst performed for the band. Other celebrities to have performed there include Tom Jones and Cilla Black.
SCORES of you took to the streets last year to celebrate Kate and Wills tie the knot - and Champion photographers recorded the patriotic scenes.Roads in Southport, Skelmersdale, Maghull, Crosby, and many other towns and villages across the region were decked out in bunting and Union fl ags to commemorate the Royal Wedding on April 29, a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey watched by millions across the globe.Our coverage including a piece on a street party in Birkdale,
claimed to the biggest taking place anywhere in the north of England,and pictures from across Sefton and West Lancashire of the parties you took part in.More street parties are being planned for June this year as the region prepares to join in the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations - and if you’d like The Champion to come along and take a few pictures, give us a call.
September
2010
April
2011
• Residents in Formby, Maghull and the surrounding areas became part of the new Sefton Central constituency, and voted in Labour’s Bill Esterson as their fi rst MP in the General Election in May.
• Snow gripped the region both at the beginning and the end of the year, leaving council gritting teams struggling to cope, as two severe winters in succession hit northern Britain.
• Holidaymakers were hit hard by the largest shutdown of British airspace since the Second World War, after the erruption of the Eyjafjallajˆkull volcano in Iceland fi lled the skies over Europe with ash clouds.
• Champion reporter David Raven’s story about a bus being given a parking penalty as it allowed a group of disabled World
War Two veterans to disembark in Southport won an award from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ).
• The Champion launches a new edition in Crosby - and helps residents opposed to controversial plans to build a supermarket to get their views across.
• The Champion won the Scoop of the Year prize at the O2 North West Media awards, after our exclusive report on a bungled cruise ship rescue captured by a Burscough couple caught the attention of the national and international media.
• Sefton residents protested against a number of controversial spending cuts agreed by councillors, as part of efforts to trim £44m from Sefton Council’s spending.
• Liverpool FC star Jamie Carragher teamed up with Bootle MP Joe Benton to help us launch our seventh edition - The Bootle Champion, launched last September.
• The media came under intense scrutiny after it emerged the News of the World
was involved in illegal phone hacking, a scandal which led to the tabloid’s closure. The Champion, you’ll be pleased to know, has never resorted to the controversial practice!
• Liverpool was one of several English cities affected by public disorder and looting in August, with Bootle residents among those arrested during subsequent police investigations.
more Champion stories
from 2010
more Champion stories
from 2011
Story File YEAR
2010REPORTER
Henry JamesLOCATION
The Promenade,SouthportTHE STORY:
The Kingsway nightclub, where the Beatles famously played in the 1960s, is destroyed by fi re
Story File YEAR
2011REPORTERS
Henry James, Natasha Young, Stephanie O’Connor and David RavenLOCATION
Street parties where you liveTHE STORY:
Hundreds across the region hold patriotic street parties as Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the knot
CONGRATULATIONS THE CHAMPION ON THEIR 18TH BIRTHDAY
1106
893
Mechanical Repairs & Servicing to all makes & models of cars and light Commercials
The Champion • Wednesday 7 March 2012 Champion Birthday Supplement Visit us @ www.ChampNews.com • 7
So rock solid in fact, that the team at Granite House regularly travel as far as Brazil, India and even Madagascar to make sure their imported materials are of the finest quality.
Granite House is based in Banks, near Southport, and sells a wide range of limestone, marble, granite, quartz, sandstone, onyx and travertine and have grown as a business year on year over the last 10 years.
They manufacture worktops for the finest showrooms in the UK and have installed worktops in prestigious projects as far a field as Jersey, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
But it is not just their versatility that the company are proud of, they are one of the only importers of natural stone and worktop manufacturers to be a member of the Ethical Trading Initiative.
The team at Granite House often visit the source of their material around the globe to ensure that there is a social responsibility in their supply chain and the best interests and health and safety of the workforce are always a primary concern. Granite House have also helped out on the set of Channel 4's Television Programme "The Restoration Man" a number of times.
Customer Service Manager Brian Johnstone Says" We are not just a worktop company, We are a UK-wide business that covers almost everything to do with natural stone. But it's not just worktops, floors or paving, we like to attempt the impossible that other companies dare not try because we are a business that likes a challenge" Brian quotes a recent restaurant fitted with onyx and 2 marble lions carved from solid blocks of marble as an example.
For more information on the company visit www.granitehouse.co.uk or call 01704 228574.
Company Fact File
Business Type
Granite Bespoke worktops, natural stone tiles and stone pavingManager
Brian JohnstoneesTaBlished
2001address
Unit 2The Old Laundry(Off Aveling Drive)Greaves HallBanksSouthport PR9 8BJTelephone
01704 228574weBsiTe
www.granitehouse.co.uk
Granite House by Stonemasters
M ANY businesses might be crumbling because of the recession but customers looking to buy from Granite House can be rest assured -as their foundations are rock solid.
SILESTONE APPROVED FABRICATOR
1107
022
Stone Paving Bespoke Worktops Natural Stone Tiles
8 • Visit us @ www.ChampNews.com Champion Birthday Supplement The Champion • Wednesday 7 March 2012
CLINICALLY PROVENIndependent clinical studies have shown I-Lipo to be, in some cases, comparable to the results achieved by liposuction. Ultrasound imagery shows up to 30% reduction in the fat layer depth after just one treatment. Addictional treatments improve results further. Results can be seen immediately after each treatment as the fat cell contents are released. Light exercise post treatment can accelerate the removal of the released fat.
AFFORDABLE TREATMENTCompared to surgical liposuction and other ultrasound or laser techniques i-Lipo is much more affordable with similar results.
SAFE AND PAINLESSi-Lipo uses low levels of visible red laser light to create a safe and painless bio simulation effect in the targeted fat tissue. I-Lipo does not produce any abnormal effects in the body or damage body tissue such as cells, blood vessels or neighbouring nerves or vital organs. The treatment can be performed on all skin types and body areas where unwanted fat is stored and you can return to normal activity immediately after treatment.
IMMEDIATE RESULTSResults can be seen immediately after treatment. Typically a 2-4 cm loss in abdomen circumference can be achieved with every treatment. A course of 8 treatments is recommended over 4 weeks with 2 treatments per week.
TARGETED FAT REDUCTIONi-Lipo can target fat reduction in specifi c problem area. By positioning the laser pads on the target area such as chin, upper arms, abdomen, thighs, knees and ankles, fat can be broken down and removed specifi cally from that area. This is a big advantage over diet and exercise which can reduce overall body fat but not shape individual areas.
ULTRA CELLULITE REJUNEVATIONThe new ultra incorporates vacuum massage and infra red skin tightening to target more stubborn fatty deposits, enhance lymphatic drainage and promote skin renewal. The vacuum massage action of the Ultra enhances the removal of released fat cell contents and by its suction action optimises absorption of infra red laser in the dermis to promote collagen growth and enhance blood circulation in the area. The result is a slimmer tighter and smoother looking skin.
Company Fact File
BUSINESS TYPE
Non-invasive liposuctionOWNER/MANAGER
Rachel WrightADDRESS
87 Liverpool Road SouthMaghull L31 7ADTELEPHONE
07912 204 962WEBSITE
www.i-shape.co
i-shapeWhy i-Lipo?The i-Lipo system has many advantages over other similar systems. Here are just a few.
1106875
• The only 8 treatment pad machine in Liverpool• Complementary use of the exercise suite post
treatment• Free consultation• Friendly and welcoming clinic• Treatments available for men and women• Fully trained staff• Gift vouchers available• New Fusion 3D Face Lift coming soon
