Post by Norah on Dec 30, 2015 14:36:49 GMT
Review of the year 2015 – from January to June
By Burton Mail | Posted: December 30, 2015
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Review of the year 2015 – from January to June
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A LONG-RUNNING saga spilled into the start of 2015 as the fate of the planned new Tesco store was finally revealed.
After a fall in profits nationwide, bosses at the supermarket chain decided to pull the plug on the Hawkins Lane site and put it up for sale. The news led to much speculation about what could be placed on the site, the most popular suggestion being a bowling alley.
The demise of a once-popular beer, Draught Burton Ale, after owner Carlsberg decided to axe the brand caused uproar in the home of brewing. A Mail campaign to save the ale was a success, with a new brew by Burton Bridge Brewery being produced and being such a hit that it remains on sale.
Police chiefs took an unusual step in January by releasing the image of convicted sex attacker Marvin Denham after he was jailed for his role in incidents involving four separate women.
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The Branston Road resident was jailed for six years for his crimes.
It was a historic month for Burton after it was announced that the national football centre, St George's Park, was to hold the prestigious UEFA Under-17 tournament in 2018 in yet another pat on the back for the £105 million centre.
Molson Coors decided to sell its Shobnall Maltings operation to a French firm in a move that secured jobs and production for the next 10 years.
Finally, Prime Minister David Cameron gave the green light for a funding deal that would help the ongoing effort to build a bypass in Walton-on-Trent. The move is still expected to go ahead and will create hundreds of jobs and ease congestion across the area.
THERE was a sad start to the month as the mother of murdered Burton woman Lisa Bennett pleaded for help in laying her daughter to rest.
Janet Bennett spoke to the Mail to mark 12 months since her tear-filled appeal to the media in a bid to try to find the person responsible for the death of the 39-year-old who disappeared in 2013.
The beaming face of Lara Hensley, from Church Gresley, filled a page of the paper as she told the remarkable tale of how she recovered from a heart condition to battle back and live a full and fulfilling life – including playing netball.
People may love it or hate it, but one man who featured in the Mail revealed he could not live a day without Burton-made Marmite. John Pearson, from Etwall, is such a fussy eater he only eats 10 items and one of these is the spread made by Unilever, in Wellington Road, Burton.
A murder from all the way back in 1971 featured on the front page of the Mail as officers from Staffordshire Police reignited the bid to try to find out who was behind the death of a man found dead off Newton Road, in Winshill.
The Mail also launched a campaign this month to try to build a garden for the family of a little girl, Charlie-May, who was battling leukaemia. A builder came forward to help out and so did dozens of members of the public and generous firms, and created a stunning garden in Midway.
The month ended on a sombre note as prominent councillor Frank Bather passed away. The sad occasion, however, became controversial after the then leader of East Staffordshire Borough Council, Julian Mott, used an expletive in a caption on his online blog to refer to Mr Bather.
AN historic Burton motif was saved this month as bosses at Magnet Kitchens shelved plans to pull down the images of the cooper and barrels from its Union Street building after a massive public outcry.
This month also marked the end of an era as work began on tearing down Burton Fire Station, in Moor Street, before a brand new hub will be built and opened in 2016.
The Mail launched its 'Come on you Brewers' campaign as part of a bid to ensure the whole town was behind Burton Albion as the team tried to make it to League One. (Spoiler alert – they did!).
Visitors to the Brewhouse Arts Centre, in Burton, were shocked during a show by comic Jeremy Hardy after two women got into a fight – because one was laughing too loudly.
The Budget saw brewers raise a glass after a 1p cut in beer duty meant that the country had seen a hat-trick in duty cuts.
Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling took time out from telling the nation the latest football scores to promote a brand new scheme with Burton-based Punch Taverns.
Hatton Beauty queen Felicia Vundla helped round off the month by aiming to take on the world after being crowned Miss Derbyshire.
THE Mail joined forces with pubs and brewers across Burton and South Derbyshire to support Community Pubs Month in a move that saw hundreds more people head to their local.
A Burton police officer was sacked this month after he was found guilty of eight misconduct charges.
Dozens of people came out in support of Samantha Bannister and her family after the Mail launched an appeal to build her a new garden earlier in the year. Samantha and her young children now enjoy a brand new garden thanks to the kindness of Mail readers.
The biggest news of the month was that Burton Albion secured a historic promotion to League One as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's men secured top spot and promotion away at Morecambe.
It was also a momentous month for the Mail as the paper launched its Pennies for our Heroes campaign, which asked the public to hand over their pennies to help create memorial woodlands in Burton and South Derbyshire for soldiers past and present.
The month ended on a sour note for the people of Newhall after they had to come out fighting and defend where they live after a judge in a court case told a defendant: 'you can take the boy out of Newhall but you can't take Newhall out of the boy'. IT was party time in May as thousands of people crammed into the Pirelli Stadium to see Burton Albion handed the League Two trophy and be crowned champions. Staff and players toured the pitch with the trophy before fans swarmed the pitch to get up close and personal with their heroes.
Murder cops from Australia headed to Burton and South Derbyshire as part of probe into the death of a woman in Melbourne who had links to this area.
Blue was the colour yet again as all of the area's MPs retained their seats in the General Election. Burton, South Derbyshire, North West Leicestershire and Lichfield remained under Tory control, with all seats increasing their majority.
Families across the area also turned the clocks back as they celebrated the 70th anniversary of the end of the Second World War with street parties and a raft of events.
South Derbyshire giant Roger Bullivant secured the future of its 400-plus staff after announcing a deal to move from Drakelow to the former Sandvik site, in Hearthcote Road, Swadlincote.
Schooling issues came to the forefront at the end of the month as council chiefs gave the green light to plans for a new £30 million school which would cater for more than 1,800 pupils on a site in Tatenhill. While the move has not been universally accepted, the plans look set to progress as we head into 2016.
May also saw the launch of the Burton Mail Community Champion campaign. This shined a light on people of all ages from across the community and allowed readers to put forward people they knew for a range of awards.
THE month of June was dominated by a story which made headlines across the globe. Five people were seriously injured following a crash involving The Smiler rollercoaster at Alton Towers.
Two of the victims, Leah Washington and Vicky Balch, had to have limbs amputated due to the severity of their injuries.
The park remained closed for weeks and The Smiler is not set to reopen before early next year.
The former leader of East Staffordshire Borough Council, Julian Mott, apologised for an online gaffe made regarding former councillor Frank Bather following his death earlier in the year.
The publication of a new version of smash-hit book 50 Shades of Grey went down well in Burton as copies of Grey were flying off the shelves in Waterstone's, in Coopers Square shopping centre, so fast that the small branch was outselling the firm's main store in London.
The month ended with a Swadlincote couple telling of their horror after being in Tunisia just minutes away from terror attacks which left dozens dead at the hands of a terrorist gunman.
Read more: www.burtonmail.co.uk/Review-year-2015-ndash-January-June/story-28436456-detail/story.html#ixzz3voYdD2Pt
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