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Giant foxglove is
a record breaker!
by Gary Skentelbery
A WORLD record-breaking flower is growing in a Lymm pensioner's country garden much to the amazement
of his friends and family.
Bill Leake, 81, of Agden Park Lane, Agden, is stunned that the wild foxglove, with beautiful
mauve flowers, has reached a height of 12 feet. Usually the plant only grows to five feet.
"I didn't plant the flower, my 'visitors' of rabbits and birds must have brought in the seeds,"
he said.
"My family are astonished by it they cannot believe how it has grown. Everyone asks me what
I feed it on, but I don't give it anything," he added.
Bill, who has two sons a daughter and six grandchildren, lost his wife Eileen several years
ago. She was a keen gardener and he keeps the garden tended in her honour.
He said his family are regular visitors and those who live nearby help with the garden. He
is a regular at the nearby Wheatsheaf pub and says his friends are amazed by the foxglove.
Bill, who ran an engineering company in Burtonwood before retirement, has worked hard in the
garden over the past 45 years. He still spends a couple of hours each day working on it.
"It is a three-quarter acre paradise and there are regularly ducks and rabbits visiting. I
have got to be constantly working on it, as if it gets out of hand I'm sunk. Still it keeps
me fit," he said.
He has built up the garden during his time there, and planted more than 20 trees. He previously
had a kitchen garden, but said that he could not get rid of all the produce.
He has now converted it to an orchard and is growing greengages, damsons, apples and black
cherries. Bill said that this year he hopes to have enough fruit for a jar of jam.
"I hope that people will take seed cuttings from the foxglove," he said. "I cannot stake it,
because it is too high and I don't want to climb 12-feet up a ladder as it would be a bit
wobbly."
The previous world record for the Tallest Foxglove
was in 1997, by Lydia Foy grew a foxglove that reached a total height of 3.29 m (10 ft 10 in) in her garden in Athy,
County Kildare, Ireland.
Freemason's provide TLC
teddies to hospital
by staff reporter
LYMM based Freemasons have raised nearly £3,000 for local good causes,
including a donation of special TLC (tender loving care) teddies for
Warrington Hospital.
Freemason Derek Brook from the Domville Masonic Lodge which meets at the Spread Eagle Hotel,
Lymm, presented the 144 TLC teddies to Warrington General Hospital's
A&E Paediatric Department.
Donations have also been made to St Rocco's Hospice (£400), St. Mary's Lymm Building Fund
(£400), Lymm Scout Group (£500), Clatterbridge Cancer Campaign (£500), The Adventure Farm Trust (£500).
and £144 to purchase the TLC Teddy Bears.
The bears are for particularly distressed children and are intended to offer some comfort.
The Hospital were presented their first batch of teddies in December 2004 and have
been handing them out to deserving children ever since. The Paramedics are also getting in on the act
and Teddies are now part of their kit.
Derek is pictured presenting the 144 TLC teddies to the Warrington General Hospital's
A&E Paediatric Department.
Musicians hit
a high note
by staff reporter
STUDENTS from Lymm High School's Music Department displayed their talent during the final of the competition to
find the School's Young Musicians of the Year, at an event sponsored by the Rotary Club of Lymm.
Stephen Ferrelly, Head of Department, said 40 students had auditioned and all the heats had been closely contested.
The finalists were presented with the opportunity to perform solo pieces of their choice, in front of an audience and
a panel of judges. Rachel Jones, the event organiser, acted as compere throughout the competition, which was divided
between the Juniors, years 7 to 9, and the Seniors, years 10 to 12.
Roger Lounds, Head Teacher of Lymm High, chaired the judges, alongside Emma Price, Head of Music at Mold Alun School
and Gayle Coleman, of the RNCM. In announcing the winners Roger expressed the sentiments of the audience when he
observed that the standard achieved was "equal to some professional performances he had attended".
The audience was particularly moved by Rob Julian's interpretation, on violin, of the "Theme from Schindler's List".
After lengthy deliberation the winners for each section of the competition were : Junior Musicians - Kevin Yang, piano;
Amy Johnston, woodwind; Rachel McAvoy, brass; Rebecca and Anna Jones, joint winners, strings.
Senior Musicians - Kylie Yang, piano; Helen Crumpton, woodwind; Naomi Hamnett, brass; Laura McAvoy, strings.
To conclude the evening, John Beard, President of Lymm Rotary, presented the trophy for Junior Young Musician of the
Year to Amy Johnston and the trophy for Senior Musician of the Year to Kylie Yang.
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