GIFTED and talented pupils from all corners of Warrington are to take part in 2 special challenges during the school summer holidays. The 'Summer Challenges' will see gifted Year 6 and 7 pupils from schools across the borough taking part in the two events - which aim to stretch their abilities with a series of challenging projects.

The pupils have been nominated to take part by high and primary schools across the borough. The scheme is being provided free of charge to all the young people with funding from the government standards grant, which every LEA in the country receives.

Being held between 25 and 29 July, the first challenge will take place at Great Sankey High School. Called 'Crime and Punishment', the challenge will involve around 60 pupils in court and exploring the links between geography, crime and a famous historical crime.

The 2nd challenge will be held at Lymm High School between August 3 and August 12. The 'Modern Foreign Language' challenge will involve around 30 pupils exploring various languages in novel ways.

Cllr Colin Froggatt, Executive Member for Children's Services, said:- "We have some incredibly talented young people in our schools and the Summer Challenges are the perfect projects to find new ways to stretch their minds, enhance their learning and develop their skills. We hope that many of these youngsters will take a lot of positives from this experience." 

Warning over new 'get rich quick' scam

GIFTED and talented pupils from all corners of Warrington are to take part in 2 special challenges during the school summer holidays. The 'Summer Challenges' will see gifted Year 6 and 7 pupils from schools across the borough taking part in the two events - which aim to stretch their abilities with a series of challenging projects.

The pupils have been nominated to take part by high and primary schools across the borough. The scheme is being provided free of charge to all the young people with funding from the government standards grant, which every LEA in the country receives.

Being held between 25 and 29 July, the first challenge will take place at Great Sankey High School. Called 'Crime and Punishment', the challenge will involve around 60 pupils in court and exploring the links between geography, crime and a famous historical crime.  ...continued...

RESEARCH reveals half region's youth are regular illegal drinkers. A MAJOR crackdown on underage drinking in Warrington gets underway today as new research reveals that 53% of local 14-17 year olds illegally drink alcohol each week.

The 2-month enforcement campaign is being driven locally by Warrington Trading Standards and Cheshire Police officers and will see anyone who looks under 21 challenged to prove their age when buying alcohol. Retailers and licensees who fail to make the checks - which replace the traditional practice of checking the age of customers who look under 18 - will lose the defence of having taken reasonable steps to prevent underage sales.

The move has been prompted by a survey of nearly 13,000 teenagers across the North West, which shows that 40% of underage drinkers buy their own alcohol - most often from off licenses, pubs and clubs. The results in Warrington show that 53% of under 18s drink alcohol at least once a week, 26% 1 to 2 times a month, 13% drink it only once every 2 to 12 months and just 8% never drink alcohol. The survey also shows that 33% of young people in Warrington claim to buy their own alcohol.

Cllr Pat Wright, Executive Member for Community Services, said:- "Alcohol abuse is putting young lives at risk. Not only is their health at risk, very often they can become involved in trouble in our communities. Often their behaviour when drinking can plague decent, hardworking families. We are working hard in Warrington, alongside Cheshire Police, to stamp out underage sales of alcohol. This drive will only help us to reinforce that message."

Paul Draycott, Deputy Force Licensing Officer, said:- "Underage drinking is a big problem in Warrington and often leads to incidents of anti-social behaviour which officers then have to deal with. Trading Standards, with the assistance of Cheshire Police, will be carrying out a series of test purchases to identify those licensees who are contributing to the problem by illegally selling alcohol to under 18s. We are also working closely with licensees and their staff to provide advice and training. By making sure the correct procedures are in place to prevent underage sales of alcohol from occurring, licensees can play their part in tackling the issue."

The North West's deputy director of crime reduction, Gail Porter, said:- "Curbing underage drinking and clamping down on the illegal sale of alcohol to children is a priority for the Government. As this campaign shows, we will not tolerate the nuisance, violence and antisocial behaviour that stems from irresponsible licensees and retailers selling alcohol to children."

Penalties have already been introduced to try and curb underage alcohol sales. Retailers face being fined up to £1,000 if caught selling alcohol to minors and having their alcohol license revoked. Young people caught drinking alcohol cold be issued with a fixed £50 fine. 

The campaign comes as the first results are published from the North West's most comprehensive survey of underage drinking activities. Among the shock findings to emerge across the North West are that:-

* 53% of children aged 14 to 17 say they drink alcohol at least once a week, compared with just 12% who say they never drink

* 40% of young people claim they buy their own alcohol, despite the fact that it is illegal

* Of those buying their own alcohol, 70% say they get it from off licenses, 58% from pubs and 40% from nightclubs. 1 in 3 claim they have been illegally sold alcohol by supermarkets.

* 45% of young people say they spend up to £10 on alcohol each week, and 16% say they spend more than £11.

* The most popular place for young people to drink is on the streets or in parks (29%), followed by pubs (26%) and nightclubs (16%)

The decision to introduce a blanket policy of introducing ID checks for those trying to buy alcohol who look younger than 21 has been made as the North West's second alcohol misuse enforcement campaign begins. It has been timed to coincide with the start of the school holidays when enforcement agencies expect the number of alcohol related incidents involving under-18s to rise.