New Mayor faces protesters
Angry parents and pupils gave Wigan's latest Mayor an uncomfortable welcome during his first official engagement.
Metro new first citizen Mark Aldred found protesters picketing the event at Atherton Parish Church as the row over possible school closures intensified.
He arrived for the annual Mayor Inauguration Service to find more than 60 people outside, from teenagers to governors, demonstrating against the Metro's proposals to axe Hesketh Fletcher High School because of falling rolls.
Coun Aldred, whose own son Martin is a pupil who will be affected by the changes, was criticised by borough Respect Party organiser Stephen Hall at the protest.
The public show of anger was organised in advance and was even, claim organisers, announced during the school assembly on Friday.
Protesters used the opportunity to collect signatures for their anti-closure petition and expect to be out in force garnering more support at the Atherton Tesco supermarket this Saturday between 10am and 2pm.
A Local Education Authority organised public consultation last Wednesday confirmed that under the 257m Building Schools for the Future programme, it was proposed to close Hesketh Fletcher and for pupils to go to the expanded Westleigh, Fred Longworth and Bedford High. The Hesketh Fletcher site itself would be redesignated as a 14 to 19-year-old vocational college.
The announcement ends many months of rumour and conjecture that the school was facing the axe because not enough parents were supporting it.
Atherton Independent Coun Norman Bradbury said: "The demonstration was organised by the governors and parents and also involved the oldest children at Hesketh Fletcher.
"There must have been 40 pupils and 20 or so parents. While the church service was on they were going around collecting names for the petition and they also went into the Tesco car park and put leaflets on all the cars.
"People are now getting really worked up so I'm not surprised that they are starting to make a move against it.
"My position remains that we need a high school in Atherton itself because, for a township this size, there is no way that they should have to go to Tyldesley or Westleigh."
Email to a friend
Print this page Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Local pages
Looking for a...
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Wigan
Thursday 02 September 2010
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 8 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 9 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South east
