Tuesday, February 8, 2022 www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk

BLACKPOOL GAZETTE

Tuesday, February 8, 2022

NEWS

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Help is
needed
at Mount
project

Gill Booth, Bernard Johnson of Clifton Arms, Lytham, Roger Franklin Chair of Windmill, Terry Hodkinson, of Blackpool Carers Centre and Paul Dobie

Young carers
shall go to ball
By Tim Gavell

tim.gavell@jpimedia.co.uk
@The_Gazette

Young people in Blackpool
caringforpoorlyfamilymembers are set to have a ball – a
charity ball fit for Cinderella
herself.
Blackpool Victoria Hospital medical secretary Gill
Booth is organising her secondCinderellaBalltosupport
Blackpool Carers Centre, the
organisation which supports
young people across the Fylde.
Gill was inspired to help
by the 2017 DIY SOS TV
programme which helped
transform the charity’s headquartersBeaverbrooksHouse
in Newton Drive.
She arranged her first
charity ball for 2018, which

raised £4k, for the carers and
was all set to do another when
coronavirus hit.
But now she’s back with a
glittering event planned at the
Clifton Arms Hotel in Lytham
for Saturday, March 26
with entertainment
from Paul Dobie
and Tony Benedict.
The event,
which is sponsored by the
WindmillCommunity Benefit
Society Limited,
will feature a glass
of fairy-tale fizz to
start at 7pm followed by
dinerat8pmalongwithraffles
and auctions.
Gill said: “I was completely inspired following the DIY
SOS programme on TV a few
years ago and decided that my

friendsandIcouldprobablydo
something to help and that is
where it generated from.
“Last time we did the ball
it was a huge success and everybody had a wonderful time.
“ U n f o r t u n a t e l y,
though we said we
would repeat it
we couldn’t due
to Covid. I am
doing it again
just because
I b e l ieve i n
the charity so
much and really feel for these
Young Carers. My
aimistoraiseawareness of what they do and
to send them on some sort of
break where they can be children again. Some young carers are just eight and are fully
responsible for looking after
someone much older.”

2018
First
Cinderella
ball held

‘Delighted’
A spokesman for Blackpool
Carers said: “We are delighted
to be supported in our work
by The Windmill Community
Benefit Society.
“Proceeds from the Cinderella
Ball event will provide vital
funding to help us to continue
to support young carers, some
as young as five years old.
“Young carers provide care
for a loved one due to illness,
disability, mental ill health or
substance misuse. The toll on
childhood that a caring role
can take can be enormous, but
with the right help and support
families can thrive.”
Tickets at £55 each, can be
had from Gill Booth on 07717
222456 or gillian157booth@
aol.co.uk.

Social care staff will get two rises in pay
EmployeesatBlackpool social
careservicesaretoreceivetwo
payriseswithinthreemonths.
National adult health &
social care charity Making
Space has announced it will
pay all employees a minimum
of £9.90 per hour from April
2022.

The figure has been calculated as the voluntary ‘real
living wage’ recommended by
the Living Wage Foundation.
The increase will see full-time
supportworkersearnanadditional £1,700 each year.
Services the charity operates across the region include

Fylde and Wyre Employment
Development, which supports people living with mental health conditions into
employment and Blackpool
Fylde and Wyre Supported
Housing which helps people
living with mental health conditions, learning disabilities,

or dementia with their housing needs.
This is to be the second pay
rise for the essential workers
thisyear,withthecharityhaving already started to pay the
new UK statutory national living wage from January, three
months ahead of schedule.

An appeal has been made
forvolunteerstohelpanew
venture at a Lancashire
landmark.
Wyre Council is on the
lookout for people to help
a project at Fleetwood’s
Mount Pavilion.
Members of the public
and the Civic Society will
be invited to meet once per
weekforapproximatelysix
weeks, to gather and produce information boards
to go on display in the restoredpavilionforvisitors.
Volunteers will be invited to meet inside The
Mount Pavilion on Fridays
throughout February and
March 2022 between 1pm
and 4pm to help develop
the interpretation of the
information.
The first session is
scheduled for February 11
and will include refreshments.
To register your interest, contact Kate Baird at
kate.baird@wyre.gov.uk

3

News in brief
Crown court
date set
A Blackpool man
charged with robbery
has been remanded
in custody following a
hearing at Blackpool
Magistrates Court.
Scott Lee, 30, of Webster
Avenue, South Shore, is
also charged with possessing a knife in public.
District Judge Jane
Goodwin remanded him
in custody until March
9 when he will be due
to appear at Preston
Crown Court.

Man admits
drug charge
A 30-year-old Blackpool
man accused of having
Class A drugs with intent to supply has been
bailed. Jordan Willinson, of Reads Avenue,
admitted possessing
crack cocaine and heroin when he appeared before magistrates. He will
be sentenced on April 8 .

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