Controversy and tragedy, celebration and hope: the Wigan news review of 2023 July to December

The second half of it saw headlines which covered political unrest, economic setbacks and heinous crimes, but also ones which give hope both for individuals and the borough.

JULY

An exclusive Wigan Today article revealed that Wigan hospital chiefs spent nearly £162,000 on international flights last year in a bid to recruit overseas nurses and doctors after the Covid-19 pandemic led to a record number of staff vacancies.

The figure for 2022 dwarfed previous amounts spent on air flights by Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (WWL) since records began to be compiled.

It was revealed in a Freedom of Information request on how much the trust spent on business class flights over the past 10 years.

An inquest jury stopped short of saying a Wigan man who died after a citizens’ arrest was "lawfully” restrained.

Jordan Higham, 25, went into cardiac arrest after being detained by two members of the public who suspected he was trying car door handles on their street in 2017.

Jurors in the end delivered a narative conclusion as to how Mr Higham died, but ruled out a finding of unlawful restraint too.

The number of attacks by out-of-control dogs has been soaring across the borough, with dozens of bite incidents treated in hospitals in Wigan last year, latest figures showed.

There have been several attacks in recent months, with dad-of-five Jonathan Hogg, 37, suffering fatal injuries when he was mauled by a dog at a property on Westleigh Lane, Leigh in May; and two people received “serious and potentially life-changing injuries” after being attacked by a dog on Thomas Street, in Hindley Green, just days earlier.

GMP received 169 reports of dogs being out of control and injuring either a person or an assistance dog in its Wigan division during 2022: up 62.5 per cent from 104 incidents in 2019 and up 33.1 per cent from 127 in 2021.

AUGUST

It was announced that Wigan’s gigantic old Debenhams department store was to be given a new lease of life as what is thought to be the country’s biggest charity shop.

Some predicted the vast anchor unit to the Grand Arcade, which last welcomed customers in May 2021 when the retailer went bust, would never be filled again.

Naysayers were proved wrong with the arrival of Rebuild With Hope to launch a flagship outlet selling famous high street names’ surplus clothing, homeware, accessories and gifts at discounts of up to 70 per cent.

A former couple who plotted the “brutal and cold-blooded murder” of a Wigan dad of two were jailed for life.

Electrician Liam Smith was shot in the face and then covered in acid after being lured outside his home in Shevintgton on November 24 last year.

Rachel Fulstow, who had met Mr Smith through dating app Tinder three years earlier, was convicted of his murder, as well as a charge of perverting the course of justice. Michael Hillier, 39, who had been in a relationship with Fulstow since 2021, was also found guilty of the murder, having admitted manslaughter.

Protests and counter-demonstrations were held, petitions signed and representations made to the Home Secretary after Wigan Today revealed that the Macdonald Kilhey Court Hotel was to be turned into Standish’s second asylum accommodation centre.

Many objected that it was in completely the wrong place for such a purpose, being so far from amenities, and that Standish’s infrastructure would not be able to cope, given the housing boom in the area.

And only a few weeks after it had opened, the Government announced that the hotel would soon close to refugees March as it moved away from the costly policy of using hotels for such accommodation.

SEPTEMBER

Health chiefs unveiled plans for a major new operating theatre at Wrightington Hospital, saying it will help to cut patient waiting times and further enhance its world class reputation.

The brand new facility was forecast to cut surgery delays and reinforce the centre’s status as a regional orthopaedic hub.

The ambition is for around 1,200 high-volume, low complexity orthopaedic procedures per year to be carried out at the new facility.

Family and friends of Nicholas Youle feared he was going to die after being horrifically injured in an accident involving his own pallet truck while working at the Ingersoll-Rand engineering works at Hindley Green.

The 35-year-old sustained facial fractures, six broken ribs, a fractured arm, completely crushed pelvis, shattered knee and brain injuries after he was run over and impaled against a wall by the vehicle on August 15.

But the following month his mum Catherine was already organising a fund-raiser to generate donatations for Royal Salford Hospital’s intensive care and trauma unit which had been instrumental in the dad of one’s remarkable recovery.

Formed between public and private organisations, a new partnership board was established to spearhead the a £6.6m Levelling Up boost to Ashton-in-Makerfield.

Plans include improving the historic market site for a range of uses including events, pop ups and community space, a shopfront grant fund which will help reduce vacant and under-used space, and investment to make the streets more attractive, greener and safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

The plan was one of 16 areas unveiled as part of the Government’s 2023 budget.

OCTOBER

The arts organisation The Old Courts admitted that it was in dire financial straits after botched renovation works at its Crawford Street HQ put two of its main money-making venues out of commission.

As a result it was forced to shelve the renovation of the Royal Court Theatre on King Street, close its cafe and let staff go while it concentrated on getting the venues up and running again – hoped for by the coming spring – while trying to get the contractors’ insurers to pay up.

There were concerns that the Arts Council might stop its payments to The Old Courts, but they have since provided evidence to satisfy the funding body and so the money has continued to come in. Organisers are hoping for a much brighter 2024.

A Wigan borough mum whose life changed when she had a stroke at the age of 20 shared her experiences to highlight that younger people can suffer from the condition.

Louise Grimes suffered the stroke in 2016 but it was not diagnosed for three days and it had been caused by a hole in her heart which was later repaired.

She spoke out about the life-changing episode to make it known both to the public and the medical profession that strokes can affect younger people.

It was revealed that a Wigan mum who promised to fulfil her daughter’s dying wish has helped to change the lives of hundreds of children in her memory.

Ali Colley works with therapy dogs to provide emotional and mental health support for pupils at primary and high schools.

She set up her business, named Hope’s Therapy Dogs, after her nine-year-old daughter Hope died from a brain tumour on February 6, 2018. When the youngster could no longer be with her own beloved pet Pippa she asked that she be trained to help other children and the enterprise developed from there.

NOVEMBER

A major investigation was launched by police in California following the violent deaths of a Wigan couple.

Carl and Kathy Ashcroft both suffered fatal gunshot wounds following an incident in Rancho Mirage.

Detectives later announced that they were working on the theory that Mr Ashcroft, the owner of Pemberton Taxis, had shot his wife and then turned the gun on himself.

Peter Hurst provided one of the most heartwarming and amazing stories of the year by confounding doctors who only gave him a few months to live three years ago.

He had an aggressive form of lung cancer which spread to his brain, but pioneering treatment got rid of the brain tumour altogether and has managed to keep the rest of the disease at bay.

This has meant the 76-year-old is still enjoying a good quality of life, which includes going fishing and supporting a fund-raising appeal by The Christie NHS Foundation Trust for research which could help other patients with cancer in future.

Green-fingered children who won two prestigious awards for their work on an allotment were forced to hang up their trowels and leave the site.

Hindley Green Junior Volunteers, a group of children aged six to 16, had been working on a plot at Brunswick Recreation Ground since February 2022. They were learning about growing fruit, vegetables and flowers, creating eye-catching displays and cooking tasty meals with their produce. And their work even impressed judges in the RHS North West in Bloom competition, where they won awards in 2022 and 2023.

But the children have now been left without an allotment, after the recreation ground’s executive announced it would not renew the tenancy when it ends in March. No explanation was given

DECEMBER

A new era of A-list music has been emerging towards the end of this year.

First of all it was announced that the Wigan-born former Verve front man Richard Ashcroft was going to perform a gig in his home town for the first time in 25 years next summer.

And then promoters announced that he will not be the only star gracing Robin Park Arena in July, with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Jake Bugg, Brooke Combe, James Arthur and Wigan’s own The Lathums all appearing within days of each other. A second Ashcroft gig was also announced because his first was a sell-out.

Residents of Beech Hill said they are living in fear of their lives after a terrifying series of arson and vandal attacks.

Cars and a home were firebombed and a number of business and vehicle windows smashed in a spate of violence that has shaken the community.

Locals called for a stepping-up of security while it has been suggested that at least some of the attacks are the responsibility of a lone pedal cyclist seen masked on the streets.

The World Pie-Eating Championships were back in their regular pre-Christmas spot at Harry’s Bar in Wigan town centre.

The tournament sees competitors attempt to prove that they are the upper crust in speed-eating for a chance to get their hands on the Poulet Surprise trophy.

And it went to Ian Coulton from Orrell who claimed the title for a second time, having first won it a decade earlier. But it took a “pie-off” with five-times champ Martin Appleton-Clare to decide the victor.