A PROGRAMME has been launched to help prevent mental health problems in children who also suffer from autism.

The sessions will provide parents and carers of children with autism with information and skills to support their children.

Up to 71 per cent of children with autism also suffer from mental health problems and the sessions aim to try and pre-empt and prevent a large number of these problems.

The Early Bird Centre will train and license autism professionals to offer the programme to local families. 

The sessions will help parents and carers to understand mental health issues and give them strategies to support their children to build self-esteem, increase confidence, reduce anxiety and develop resistance.

Jo Stevens, Director of the NAS Early Bird Centre, said: “Far too many children with autism struggle with mental health conditions across the UK. This is deeply saddening, especially when these issues are often preventable.

“We’ve already been inundated with requests from parents looking for advice on how to help their children and are hoping to support families a year through our professional licensed training programme.”

The programme was launched last Monday at the EarlyBird Centre on Barnsley Road, Dodworth.

A GROUP of dedicated walkers have completed a 17-mile sponsored walk in aid of The Brain Tumour Charity.

Twenty five people pulled on their walking shoes in memory of Tony Clarkson, 37, from Grimethorpe and Leah Pearson, 18, of Brierley, who both died of a brain tumour.

Leah died in June this year and Tony died in June 2012.

On Friday the group walked from Barnsley Football Club to Xscape in Castleford.

Leah's cousin Gaby, 19, said she wanted to raise money for brain tumour research in memory of her uncle Tony.

Following Leah's death she said it made her, family and friends even more determined to reach their target of £1,000 by completing the walk.

Among the dedicated walkers were Leah's brother Corey, sister Shelby, mum Haley and grandparents Sharon and Arthur.

Gaby has raised £500 and says they hope to have £2,000 once sponsorship is collected.

THE family of a young man with leukaemia are desperately trying to extend his life long enough for him to receive potentially lifesaving treatment.

Daniel Moxon, 23, of Swanee Road, Kendray, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia - cancer of the white blood cells - three years ago and underwent a bone marrow transplant.

Although he was not given the 'all-clear', he had responded well to the treatment and was told relapse was unlikely.

However, earlier this year, he noticed bruising on his body which was later identified as a sign of the disease had returned.

He was initially placed on a new drug but, after this resulted in nerve damage, underwent chemotherapy.

While this eased the spread of the disease, it did not eradicate it and Daniel was told last week nothing further could be done.

He has now been given between a couple of weeks and a couple of months to live and his family say they are now 'frantically' doing everything they can to find alternative treatments and raise the cash to pay for them.

His aunt Melanie Torley, 43, of The Poplars, Kendray, said they had been told of treatment at the Royal Marsden, a specialist cancer hospital in London, that may be able to cure Daniel or at least extend his life but that the funding may not be available on the NHS.

She said: "Last Tuesday, the doctor said that was it, it was time to stop fighting but Daniel's view was it was time to fight harder than before.

"We've been given so much help from people telling us where to go and we were looking at a place in Texas this week but just a consultation would cost $34,100 (about £22,337).

"By the time we raise enough money for that it might be too late but, if Royal Marsden can't cure him, they could give him life-prolonging treatment that would allow us to get to Texas."

She added the family had been helped by Barclays bank in setting up an account for the Daniel Moxon Chance for Life Appeal and would be holding several fundraising events. She added any surplus cash raised would be donated to the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust and the Teenage Cancer Trust.

A benefit concert will be held at Barnsley Central WMC on July 30 at 7.30pm, which will also include bingo and a raffle.

A BARNSLEY man who works for a care-at-home organisation has won a top national award for his inspirational work.

Darryl Hand, who works for Direct Health, was given the accolade at this year’s Great British Home Care Awards.

He scooped the care trainer award for his innovative approach to training staff and challenging negative perceptions of social care.

Darryl said: “I was overwhelmed to have been nominated for and win the regionals but to have won the nationals is my biggest achievement to date.

“My commitment to change people’s negative perceptions of care will continue with the added motivation that the passion I have has been recognised.”

Direct Health, part of the not-for profit-organisation the Accord Group, is one of the UK’s leading providers of social and personal care services to people in their own homes.

FOR more than a century, Slazenger tennis balls used at Wimbledon made the journey from the company's Barnsley factory to SW19. Now, the balls travel over 50,000 miles.

"It's one of the longest journeys I have seen for a product," said Dr Mark Johnson, associate professor of operations management at Warwick Business School.

Dr Johnson has looked into the supply chain of the Wimbledon tennis ball and unearthed the surprisingly long and complex journey to one of the world’s biggest sporting events.

"On the face of it, travelling more than 50,000 miles to make a tennis ball does seem fairly ludicrous, but it just shows the global nature of production these days, and in the end, this will be the most cost-effective way of making tennis balls."

The parts which make up the official Wimbledon ball flies between 11 countries and across four continents before being manufactured in the Philippines and then travelling the final 6,660 miles to London.

A complex supply chain sees clay shipped from South Carolina in the USA, silica from Greece, magnesium carbonate from Japan, zinc oxide from Thailand, sulphur from South Korea and rubber from Malaysia to the Philippines where the rubber is vulcanised - a chemical process for making the rubber more durable.

Wool is then shipped from New Zealand to Stroud in Gloucestershire, where it's turned into felt and then sent back to the Philippines.

Meanwhile, petroleum naphthalene from Zibo in China and glue from Basilan in the Philippines are brought to the Philippines where Slazenger manufacture the ball.

Finally tins are shipped in from Indonesia and once the balls have been packaged they're sent to Wimbledon.

Dr Johnson said: “Slazenger shut down the factory in Barnsley in the early 2000s.

"They still get the felt from Stroud, as it requires a bit more technical expertise. Shipping wool from New Zealand to Stroud and then sending the felt back to the Philippines adds a lot of miles, but they obviously want to use the best wool for the Wimbledon balls."

Police investigating an alleged attack that left a 49-year-old Barnsley man in a 'critical’ condition in hospital are appealing for a couple to come forward.

Dean Armitage remains at Sheffield’s Royal Hallamshire Hospital with head injuries following an incident at around 3.15am on Sunday, 21 July, at Skiers View Road, Hoyland.

Detectives believe that around ten to 15 minutes before the alleged assault, a couple walked past the scene – and they are now anxious to trace them.

The man and woman were arguing as they walked along Skiers View Road and into the estate.

The man is described as white, slim, aged around 18 years, with short, wavy, fair hair, wearing light blue shorts and no top. He had a Barnsley accent. The woman also had a local accent.

Officers want the couple, or anyone who knows them, to contact South Yorkshire Police on: 101, quoting incident number 298 of 21 July, or ring Crimestoppers anonymously on: 0800 555111.

David Sindall, 33, of Selborne Street, Eastwood, Rotherham, has since been charged with burglary and grievous bodily harm in relation to this alleged incident.

He appeared at Barnsley Magistrates’ Court on Saturday and has been remanded to appear at Sheffield Crown Court on Friday, 9 August.

SOME of the biggest names is professional darts are set to compete in a tournament at the Metrodome.

World champions Raymond van Barneveld and Dennis Priestley will join seven-time PDC winner James Wade, reigning European Champion Simon Whitlock and reigning World Grand Prix Champion Michael van Gerwen.

The line-up is completed by Belgian ace Kim Huybrechts and two more Yorkshire men - Dean Winstanley, who has been a finalist at both the World Championship and World Masters, and Huddersfield’s James Wilson.

Last year's Grand Slam of Darts winner van Barneveld is excited at the prospect of appearing in front of a big Barnsley crowd.

He said: “It's a fantastic line-up and it will be great to play in front the fans there. We play Pro Tour events at the Metrodome but they're behind closed doors so it's brilliant to be able to play in front of a crowd.

“I have met a few people when I’ve been in Barnsley and I know that they're passionate about darts. The Sheffield Premier League is one of my favourites in terms of the crowd so I’m really looking forward to this event.

“A few of the players will be aiming for local pride but we're all very competitive and will be out to win, which makes for a great show.”

The players have been assembled for the inaugural ‘Over The Top’ event on September 27.

KIRK Balk Community College may be down to its last £100,000 by the start of the new financial year in April 2014.

A report by governors states the expenditure for this year has been greater than the income, and the situation cannot be sustained.

The school currently has £272,000 in reserves - but that has fallen from £448,000 the previous year.

Chairman of governors at Kirk Balk, Michael Sanderson, says the college isn't in a crisis but is in an uncomfortable situation and governors are doing their best to resolve it.

Mr Sanderson said: "There are a number of reasons for this. We have been working hard over the last three years and we have planned ahead financially.

"There are strains on the budget and the money hasn't risen to keep pace with the costs, but the expectations are that it will eventually get better and we will do whatever is necessary to run with the budget."

In the last 12 months the college has spent £6.67million - but only had an income of £6.49million.

An issue affecting the budget is the number of students who move up to Kirk Balk each year has steadily decreased but is expected to increase again when the college changes to academy status.

Mr Sanderson said: "We have been dealing with issues like these for a very long time. So much depends on student numbers and we are expecting them to rise.

"Resources were carefully accumulated, it's not an easy time for any secondary school in Barnsley."

Governors' reports were sent out to parents last month informing them about the resources and what is planned to be done, but Mr Sanderson has said, despite the school being under very great pressure, it is keeping its head above water.

A BARNSLEY business was one of two firms fined £4,000 and ordered to pay £8,600 costs after a man caught his hand in a saw in a recycling plant.

The 33-year-old worker was operating the saw at the Barnsley-based Jamestown Industries lead recycling plant in Ebbw Vale, Wales.

A magistrates' court was told the saw was cutting lengths of lead into smaller pieces in February last year, when one piece became jammed.

The man tried to dislodge the lead believing the saw was fully retracted and out of reach. However, his right hand made contact with the blade, severing his third finger, which had to be amputated above the second knuckle.

The Health and Safety Executive brought the prosecution against battery recycling firm Envirowales Ltd, of Victoria Street, St Albans, and Jamestown Industries Ltd, of Stocks Lane. Both pleaded guilty to safety failings.

Neither company were available for comment.

A DAD is all set to get muddy in a challenge inspired by his two-year-old daughter.

Adam Bailey, 29, from Elsecar, is taking part with a team in the Tough Mudder event in North Yorkshire on September 7. The 'Mudder' is a gruelling 12-mile obstacle course designed by the Special Forces.

Adam was driven to do the course and raise money for Barnsley Hospital children's ward by his daughter Lola, who suffers from reflex anoxic seizures. The condition means she has episodes where she cannot breathe. This results in her face turning blue before she goes into seizure.

"My wife Gemma and I have been in and out of hospital with Lola since she was three months old," said Adam. "It's been traumatic to say the very least. We wanted to help and make a real difference to our community."

Adam has already been involved in two fundraising events - a five-mile obstacle course in April and a midnight golf event in Elsecar Park - and has raised more than £400 so far. He's now planning a John O'Groats to Lands End rowing machine event in July.

A MAN who lost almost half his body weight through gastric surgery says he could never have taken part in a sponsored bike ride beforehand.

Warren Cusworth, 36, of Station Road, Wombwell, will be cycling more than 50 miles along the Trans Pennine Trail from Morrisons at Cortonwood to Wakefield and back in memory of friend Andrew Binks, who died of cancer on July 18 last year.

Warren had gastric sleeve surgery two years ago, since which he has gone from being 31.5 stones to just over 18 stones.

He said he was so happy he had been able to lose the weight as the bike ride would have been 'impossible' before.

He said: "This is the first time I've done anything like this because I've never actually been able to do it before.

"Losing the weight after gastric sleeve surgery is a two-year process and I thought, to keep my mind active and keep the weight off, I would do something to aid the people I've loved through Cancer Research UK because my auntie also died of cancer."

He is also being supported by Andrew's three-year-old son, Sam, who has also raised money for Macmillan Cancer Care at his nursery sports day on July 4.

Warren will be setting off from Morrisons at 9am on August 17.

A GROUP of staff at Barnsley College are gearing up for a 215-mile coast to coast charity bike ride.

The group, consisting of Garry Lyon, Stuart Robinson, Mia Wesson, Kerrie Ownsworth, Simon Andrews, Paul Skelland, Darren Spreight, Moz Khokhar and Tim Walsh, will cycle to entire Trans Pennine Trail from Southport to Hornsea between August 1-3.

They will be raising money for Barnsley Hospice and Macmillan Cancer Support.

Kerrie, a member of the college's support staff, said: "I think we're all a mixture of nerves and excitment.

"We've all been doing our own individual training though a couple of us went out on our bikes at the weekend and came off them, so we've had thrills and spills."

Kerrie said they'd always done something to raise money for charity every year, but never done a challenge of this magnitude.

Stuart, a helpdesk officer, said: “We know it isn’t going to be easy for any of us, however we're all really excited and determined and will all be putting a lot of time and effort into completing the challenge.”

For more information, click here.

SIX Barnsley Cadets beat off stiff competition from more than 1,500 others to be placed in the top 100 of a rifle competition.

CSM Jessica Snaith, Sgt Aman Aryaeipour, Cdt Gage Cherryholme, Cdt Kirran Lee, Cpl Luke Pointon and Cpl Joe Taylor, all aged 16 and 17, are members of the Barnsley Army Cadets Force Yorkshire Regiment.

They took part in the Cadet 100 small bore rifle competition.

Sgt Aryaeipour finished highest in 13th place. Detachment rifle coach Major (Retd) Barry Johnson said he believed it was a county record.

He added: "We take part every year but we've not been as successful as this for a year or two. They are a good group of kids and the really enjoyed it, especially when they won. I'm very proud of them."

A team also won The Duke of Wellington Cup for the fourth consecutive year.

It consisted of Cpl Joe Taylor, Sgt Aryaeipour, Cpl Cherryholme and Cpl Pointon.

Because they were shooting so well, the detachment entered the Commonwealth UK Fennell .22 rifle match and won.

Sgt Aryaeipour will compete in the world's largest target rifle shooting event, the Imperial Meeting at Bisley, this month.

He has also been selected as a member of the UK Cadet Rifle Team and will take part in the Channel Islands Jersey Tour in August.

Major Johnson was also the winner of the Territorial Army Rifle Association competition for retired members.

A BARNSLEY College student is set to spend her birthday helping to build a playground in Africa.

Sarah Hogarth, 19, has spent the last few months fundraising for the charity East African Playgrounds so that she can visit Jinja, Uganda, with 11 other students.

The students, from different colleges and universities, will build a playground designed by the community and made from locally sourced products, as well as teaching the local children sports, arts and crafts.

Sarah, who is studying art and design, has had to pay for her own flights and living accommodation and raise a minimum of £700 for the charity to take the trip.

The trip to Africa takes place between August and September.

Sarah, from Doncaster, said: “I am really looking forward to new experiences and seeing how people in East Africa live. I am very proud to be a part of this journey and cannot describe how excited I am to go to Uganda and start work.”

For more information, click here.

WOMBWELL residents have reacted to proposals for what would be the largest housing development in years.

Persimmon Homes has set out plans to build 239 houses on a stretch of land off the White Rose roundabout, between Barnsley Road and the Mitchells Way bypass, which is currently agricultural land used for growing wheat.

The land has been classed as greenbelt and unsuitable for building but, in the council's draft local development framework (LDF) published last year, it was identified as a possible housing site.

Jeff Stuart, 69, of Barnsley Road said: "I'm against the proposals altogether but traffic problems on Barnsley Road concern me most.

"When you're coming up from the White Rose roundabout towards Wombwell, you'd have only just straightened up when you would be hitting the first access road - and vision for anyone coming up the hill out of there is going to be very poor.

"There's going to be an accident. I know it's supposed to be 30 miles per hour on there but people routinely break the limit."

Cllr Dick Wraith said he welcomed more housing in Wombwell but shared residents' concerns about traffic on Barnsley Road.

He said: "It's on the bend and it's not going to be a good access point. It's bad enough at the moment with people parking either side and, if there's a bus coming through, you've to let it get by before you can go through.

"It's very tight and Wombwell members aren't happy with the current proposals."

However he added they were only proposals and Persimon had not yet submitted a planning application to the council.

Other issues which may arise from a housing development of that size include the strain on the area's infrastructure.  

Cllr Wraith said: "It's good for Wombwell to have more houses built but it will put pressure on schools. Netherwood would be able to cope with the extra pupils but primary schools are already full."

THE public could be at serious risk from offenders should the government privatise part of the probation service, Barnsley workers have claimed.

Staff are fighting national plans to privatise 70 per cent of the service, which would split the workload between the public and private sector.

Barnsley members of the National Association of Probation Officers set up a campaign group and protested in the town centre to make people aware of the future they are facing.

They are encouraging the public to sign a petition that will challenge the government over the proposed changes, which they say will see a 'payment by results' policy brought in.

A Barnsley NAPO representative said workers want to get the message across that payment by results will put the public at risk from low and medium risk offenders who would be managed by the private sector under the new arrangements.

He said this could include child protection cases, violence against the person and domestic violence cases, offenders with vulnerabilities and mental health problems, sex offenders and offenders at high risk of re-offending, such as prolific burglars and drug users.

He said part privatisation will not only pose huge risks but also end the effective local community partnerships probation has built up, and put staff at risk of redundancy.

"The secretary of state for justice Chris Grayling's cunning plan is to separate the whole of the probation work, retaining a public sector to deal with high risk individuals and the court work, and the remaining medium and low risk cases will be competed out to voluntary and private sectors, on a payments by results basis.

"No-one knows how this is going to work and Mr Grayling wants to do it in 12 months.

"We have considerable issues with the plan given the medium risk cases will include domestic, physical and sexual abuse offenders. These are potentially dangerous people who will be handed over to security firms who will have no experience with managing people in the community."

ONE of the last surviving Lancaster Bomber pilots of World War II features in a new book about the RAF bombing of Nazi Germany.

Dick Starkey, 90, was shot down on March 30, 1944 when 795 aircraft set course for Nuremberg.

Nearly 100 aircraft and 700 men did not return.

His story of the fateful night appears in The Red Line, by former RAF flight lieutenant, John Nichol, whose Tornado bomber shot down over Iraq during the first Gulf War in 1991.

Dick, of Ashley Croft, Royston, flew 22 missions before his treasured 'Queenie' aircraft succumbed to German fighter ace Martin Becker.

"The tracers flashed passed the cockpit window," he said.

"The whole wing set alight, there was no way I was going to save it so I gave the order to bail out."

He met the Messerschmitt pilot years later and even has parts of the Lancaster, salvaged from the crash site.

Dick was blown out of the aircraft and desperately grabbed hold of his parachute when he regained consciousness, falling back to earth.

But he faced further misery as a prisoner of war in the infamous Stalag Luft III POW camp known to millions through Hollywood blockbuster The Great Escape.

He was then repatriated and has penned a book himself, telling his amazing tale.

THE husband of a woman who died from an asbestos-related cancer is asking her former colleagues to get in touch as they may hold vital information about how and why she came into contact with the hazardous dust.

Mary Theresa Duffin, of Silkstone, died aged 63 on February 13 last year after enduring a 15-month battle with mesothelioma.

Before she died, Mary told her husband Alan she believed she remembered working around asbestos during her time at W M Monks Ltd builders’ merchants, based on Queens Road in Sheffield.

Mary was a receptionist at the firm between 1971 and 1974 and recalls walking through the firm’s yard every day where builders and tradesmen were working with and cutting asbestos sheets. The firm has since closed.

Alan, 65, has now instructed lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to appeal to Mary’s colleagues to come forward to help piece together information about the working conditions at the firm.

Alan said: “We were absolutely devastated when doctors said Mary was suffering from mesothelioma and that she might not have long left.

"Mary was aware of the terminal diagnosis as she knew the husband of a friend who had died from the same disease, so it was a frightening time for her.

"Even though we were both aware of the prognosis, I don’t think I’ll ever get over losing her in such a terrible way - we were both looking forward to enjoying our future together."

Mary, who was known as Maura O’Donovan by her colleagues, first started to show symptoms of mesothelioma in September 2010 when she had trouble breathing while on holiday in Tuscany with Alan.

She visited the accident and emergency department at Barnsley Hospital when she returned home and tests and scans revealed she had fluid on her lungs.

She was diagnosed with mesothelioma in October 2010 and endured two rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, followed by palliative care at Weston Park Hospital.

Anyone with any information about the working conditions at W M Monks Ltd in the 1970s should contact Martyn Hayward on 0114 274 4615.

A WORSBROUGH Common man accused of possession of cocaine, producing cannabis and having about £3,000 through the sale of drugs has been committed to Sheffield Crown Court.

Lee Moxon, 33, of California Street, will make his first appearance on July 30.

He made no pleas and was granted unconditional bail at Barnsley Magistrates' Court.

RSPB Old Moor has upgraded its playground thanks to a £50,000 grant.

The grant, from WREN, has enabled the centre to install new climbing frames and a new heritage game trail has also been introduced, with traditional playground games such as hopscotch and leapfrog leading visitors around the area. WREN is a not-for-profit business which awards grants to community, conservation and heritage projects that are based near landfill sites.

A family hide has felt the benefit of the grant too, with more activities and games to be found inside to get children engaged in learning about nature.

Liane Holdsworth, RSPB visitor experience officer, said: "We've listened to what our visitors have told us and have created a place which will hopefully inspire generations to come.

'All our games and activities are designed to inspire and excite families, and encourage children to spend more time outdoors with nature.

We have something for families whatever the weather here at Old Moor this summer."

TWO Barnsley women risked arrest by rowing across the English Channel.

Linda Jackson, 47, of Silkstone, and Verene Farrell, 44, of Royston, took on the choppy waters of one of the world's busiest shipping lanes to raise money for Meningitis UK and the Children's Heart Federation.

They were part of a team of seven women but it wasn't plain sailing for the ladies who were told they wouldn't be allowed to land on the French coast once they had crossed the channel.

Linda said they were told by the French coastguard that a ban was in place on all man-powered vessels.

"We had a nightmare on whether to cross," said Linda.

"It was a case of do we do it and risk getting arrested, which would have meant more publicity, but the fact we would be fined individually upwards of £1,000 made us decide. We said we would row until we were stopped and then row the 24 miles back.

"When we did leave Dover it was a beautiful sunny morning and we rowed the first 12 miles laughing, singing and in time.

"Then at the half way point we had word from the support boat we were in French waters so we all took time for a toilet break then rowed back.

"We had seen two groups of dolphins and a nosey seal on the way and that helped keep us going as exhaustion, and, in one case, severe sea sickness, kicked in."

Linda said she and her pals are proud of what they achieved and sponsorship for the challenge has helped them raise more than £30,000 for charity.

A WOMAN who struck a police officer has been ordered to do 80 hours of unpaid work.

Katie Harris, 25, had been pointing and gesticulating after her boyfriend had been fighting with another man, Barnsley Magistrates' Court was told.

Harris struck PC Sarah Chesters on the face once, said Julie Grant, prosecuting. She said the incident happened at 4am on Wellington Street.

Sean Fritchley, defending, said Harris, of Sackup Lane, Darton, did not deliberately strike the officer.

"She caught PC Chesters in the face," he said.

Harris admitted assaulting a police officer, being drunk and disorderly and possessing a small amount of MCAT.

She was fined £50, ordered to pay £50 in compensation, costs of £100, a £60 victim surcharge and to spend five sessions at a project for women.

A man has been arrested following a confrontation in Hoyland at the weekend which left a 49-year-old man with serious head injuries.

A 33-year-old Rotherham man was arrested on suspicion of burglary and grievous bodily harm.

The 49-year-old man is still in hospital, where his condition is described as life threatening.

At around 3.15am on Sunday, 21 July, officers believe that the injured man confronted an unknown male on Skiers View Road in Hoyland.

It is thought that the unknown male may have been attempting to break into the 49-year-old man's car.

Police would still like to encourage anyone with information about the incident, or anyone who saw any suspicious activity in the area, to contact South Yorkshire Police in 101, quoting incident number 298 of 21 July. Alternatively to report information about a crime anonymously, contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111

A CHILDREN'S centre has maintained its 'good' rating in its latest Ofsted report.

Darfield Children's Centre was last assessed by the inspection body in 2011 and the latest report, published last week, said the centre had maintained its high standards.

The report notes the centre's staff are aware of the needs of children in the village and focus teaching for the very youngest children on communication, language and personal development.

Props are frequently used to enhance language development and 'Makaton' symbols are used to help children not yet competent in language or whose first language is not English.

Children with special needs were also described as making rapid progress due to staff's early intervention.

Children were said to be independent in their exploration of activities and resources at the centre, as well as 'happy and settled' and staff shared progress feedback with parents on a daily basis.

Staff were described as being 'very good' role models, which in turn meant children built relationships with each other based on mutual respect. They were also able to make choices about the food they ate encouraging their understanding of healthy lifestyles.

Children's safety was described as being given a high priority and staff were encouraged to evaluate their own performance, as well as attending weekly meetings and regular appraisals.

The centre was described as not yet being 'outstanding' - the highest achievable rating - as open-ended questions and planned activities were sometimes inconsistent. It was also noted there was scope to improve relationships with parents by making it more clear who to go to with complaints.

A MOTHER spent six hours locked up when police tried to seize her son's off-road bike.

Karen Todd, 46, was arrested for being 'hostile' to two officers and it was only established later that her teenage son could not have ridden the bike illegally, as suspected, Barnsley Magistrates' Court was told.

Todd's solicitor Alan Greaves said a showdown between Todd and the officers in the garden of her home at Windsor Avenue, Kexborough, could have been avoided if there had been a more thorough police investigation.

Mr Greaves said police tried to seize the bike after receiving reports from the public who suspected Todd's son had been riding it illegally.

He explained: "The boy had earlier fallen off the bike and damaged it while on a track where it could be legally ridden. His mum was being protective of her son and protesting about the bike being taken away.

"One of the officers would not listen. All he was interested in was taking the bike away.

"I can just - but only just - accept the officers were acting in the execution of their duty. But the police should have made more enquiries.

"Instead, things got a bit heated. Mrs Todd should have received a caution. She was arrested, spent six hours in police custody and has ended up in court."

Jayne Ormrod, prosecuting, said Todd, who works at a frozen food shop, gave the officers an angry reception when they came for the bike.

She said: "Mrs Todd was hostile and aggressive. She said that the officers were picking on her son.

"She swore and told the officers to go away and get a search warrant. She grabbed hold of the bike's handlebar and would not let go.

"There was a big dog in the garden. She shouted at the dog to 'get them'."

Todd admitted resisting the officers and was given an absolute discharge and excused from paying costs of the case.

FOUR cyclists crossed the 230-mile Trans Pennine Trail and raised more than £2,000 for Barnsley Hospice.

The four cyclists, all in their 30s, are Richard Leaver, James Boothroyd, Tim Bertram and Steven Horne. The three-day ride was a fundraiser for the hospice that cared for James's sister.

Richard said the route started at Hornsea and finished with a champagne reception in Southport.

The group had printed shirts - made to publicise their cause - and took collection buckets along the way.

"The first stage alone was 92 miles - I think my legs are just recovering," said Richard.

GOLDTHORPE businesswoman Cheryl Rose says that she is scared her stock would be stolen if she was to remove metal shutters from her shop front.

Barnsley Council has approached shop owners on Barnsley Road with a view to them removing the rolling metal shutters they use to protect their shops in the evening to improve the look of the high street and to encourage more window shopping.

Officers claim this would go hand-in-hand with the regeneration of the area but Cheryl, who runs 'Posh Frocks', a dress shop that provides customers with bespoke dresses, believes the idea is ridiculous due to the temptation it would provide.

"Nobody would consider taking their shutters down around here. I've got thousands of pounds worth of dresses and I think they would all be gone after the first night," she said.

"I don't want to have a go at Goldthorpe because I have never been broken into here but we have not got a manned police station nearby so alarms would not help either. It would just be a smash and grab and everything would be gone."

The argument that sales would be boosted by window shopping when shut was also rubbished by Cheryl: "Nobody walks these streets during closed hours."

Cllr Ralph Sixsmith cites the Arcade in Barnsley as another area that gives off a bad vibe at night time. He described it as "a steel tunnel".

The council would also look to foot some of the bill if internal shutters were installed in the shops on the stretch of Barnsley Road which is just up from where the town's main redevelopment is taking place.

"We could put internal ones in, I know there's a cost behind it but we did propose to offset some of it through different entities," he said.

"That image is one we're trying to get rid of as well as the approach to the town."

There is nothing to suggest crime figures are down in the area, say the police, and they would only support a regeneration of shutters.

ONLOOKERS watching the birth of a calf at Cannon Hall Farm got more than they bargained for when he had to be delivered by emergency Caesarean section.

The little calf, who has not yet been named, could not be delivered normally because he was too big.

His mother, four-year-old Kate, had to be restrained during the procedure and almost broke free as her baby was delivered.

"It was quite dramatic and exciting - it's quite a rare thing," farm manager Robert Nicholson said. "There were a couple of hundred people watching but they're both fine, thankfully.

"The mother is just establishing a bond. The first day she was a bit unsure - whether it's because he wasn't born the conventional way, I don't know, but now she's licking him and doing well."

It was only the second Caesarean section in the farm's 50-year history.

Robert added: "It was a massive calf. I think he had been enjoying the spring grass a bit too much - Kate had put all her energy into the calf instead of herself."

Robert said he was open to suggestions for the calf's name.

BARNSLEY MP Dan Jarvis has visited the sewage works in Lundwood - after complaints from nearby residents.

They had contacted him about 'unacceptable' levels of smell and flies coming from the Yorkshire Water treatment works.

Mr Jarvis visited the site on Monday with Coun Steve Green.

He said: "I recently met with a number of residents from neighbouring Lang Avenue to listen to their concerns and I was keen to discuss these matters direct with Yorkshire Water.

“We had a productive visit and I will now be holding a further meeting with the Yorkshire Water chief executive Richard Flint to discuss these matters."

Mr Jarvis said the pair would also discuss flooding.

NEW Reds chairman Maurice Watkins has played down talk of a takeover.

Numerous parties have expressed an interest in buying the football club in recent months but Watkins said: "Every club in the Premier League and the Football League is for sale but that's only if the right person comes along."

Watkins, a Manchester-based lawyer who has made his name representing sports stars and celebrities, was a director at Manchester United for 28 years.

He has so far been involved in the Reds' signings this summer and personally handled acquiring Dale Jennings from Bayern Munich.

"For Dale Jennings, I rang Bayern and spoke to them as I knew the club from being at a number of their games in the past.

"I can't claim he was my signing but I made the call."

Watkins also spoke of his excitement for the upcoming season and labelled a 'new era' for the club.

A 93-YEAR-OLD woman who lives in sheltered housing is crusading for action after the bus services she and her friends use were cut from three to one an hour.

Vera Padgett, who lives alongside other elderly people at Ashby Court, off Racecommon Road, says they now have to either struggle up and down steep Racecommon Road - or stay in, leading to isolation as well as inconvenience.

The number 21 bus now operates via Dodworth Road, not Racecommon Road, leaving just one bus an hour.

Mrs Padgett raised the matter with Kingstone councillor Tom Sheard and organised a petition with about 40 names calling for buses to be reinstated. It has since been passed to South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive and Stagecoach, which made a "commercial decision" to cut the 21 service.

Mrs Padgett said: "Many people who used that service are 80 or 90 years old and some are in wheelchairs. Even if they aren't, it's too hilly to walk up Racecommon Road.

"If you miss the bus you have to wait an hour or get a taxi and we can't afford taxis all the time. I used to go into town nearly every day because I like to buy fresh food but now I only go twice a week."

A South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive spokesman said: "Racecommon Road still has an hourly service 23/24 operated by Tates Travel, which is funded by the Passenger Transport Executive.

"It does mean the number of buses has reduced per hour, from three to one, but the SYPTE-funded Tates service does ensure residents aren't without a service."

Rupert Cox, commercial director, Stagecoach Yorkshire, said: “We made changes to services in April to improve the reliability and punctuality of services between Silkstone, Penistone and Barnsley as well as provide a quicker journey time into Barnsley.

"Racecommon Road is served by SYTPE-funded services 23/23A/24 which provide a bus every hour and serve Barnsley and Gilroyd.

"We have been in touch with the residents and suggested the alternative travel options with them.”

WORK to build a skate park in Barnsley town centre could start in autumn following completion of the Experience Barnsley museum.

The £100,000 skatepark plan came about after years of demands to Barnsley Council from youngsters who said they would like one built in or close to the town centre.

A number of sites were identified in September 2011 but the one considered the most suitable by the council was within Dearne Valley Park, Hoyle Mill.

It was chosen as the best site because it's less than a mile from the town centre and close to the communities of Oakwell, Old Mill, Monk Bretton, Lundwood and Stairfoot.

Cllr Margaret Bruff, a former youth worker, has been at the forefront project.

She said: "This is something we have been promised for several years. It should have been started this summer but with all the work taking place at the Town Hall, the workforce has been directed up there, which has again put a delay on it."

She said the Dearne Valley Park location was the best because it was still in the central ward meaning kids from across Barnsley could use it and it was accessible by foot and by road.

Cllr Bruff said work should start sometime in Autumn, adding: "We're keeping our fingers crossed."

YOUNG people at Horizon Community College have been showing their support for their more elderly neighbours.

The 11 and 12-year-olds have been giving up their lunch times and spare time to work on a community project to assist the older citizens in Barnsley, particularly those in residential care.

Their efforts have been rewarded with a video which demonstrates how a few seated exercises can improve the wellbeing of senior citzens.

Paul Powell explained: "Whilst mentored and funded by the Rotary Club of Barnsley, Horizon Community College has allowed the students, who underwent rigorous selection for the Community Enterprise project, to develop an initiative that they felt was unique.

"It is the youth supporting the elderly."

A MOTHER-OF-THREE has been given a suspended jail term after claiming about £24,000 in benefits over six years while working part-time.

Lisa Long, 35, claimed income support, housing benefit and jobseekers' allowance between 2004 and 2010 and had part-time jobs at a golf course and a security firm, Barnsley Magistrates' Court was told.

She was given a 32-week jail sentence, suspended for a year and a 16-week curfew.

Anne Wroe, prosecuting, said Long, of Probert Avenue, Goldthorpe, never told the Department of Work and Pensions that she was working.

She said: "This goes back to 2004. She claimed about £34,000 which is a substantial amount.

"Miss Long accepted she signed on for a variety of benefits every two weeks and never said her circumstances had changed.

"It seems impossible to believe she did not know she should not have continued claiming the benefits she did."

Morgan Hogarth, defending, said Long would have been entitled to reduced benefits when she started working part-time.

He said she had been confused about her benefits entitlement and there had been a misunderstanding.

Long admitted four charges of benefit fraud. She was ordered to attend 25 sessions at a project for women.

MORE than £1,000 was raised at a fashion show for a charity formed in memory of a little girl who died of a rare brain tumour.

Pippa Jones was two when she was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

She underwent 14 operations in eight days followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy but she died on March 15, 2010, a few days before her fourth birthday.

The fashion show was organised to raise money for The Pippa Jones Little Treasure Trust, which supports ten children's cancer units and charities.

Pippa's mother and founder of the charity, Louise, of Haverdale Rise, Gawber, said the evening was a huge success and more than 125 people attended.

Models Julie Peet, Lorna Green, Katie Jenkinson, Sammi Eades Vikki and Ellie Cawthorne, Sam Bharath, and Natasha Briscoe all volunteered for he event.

The charity is now in its third year and has raised more than £120,000.

ONE of a couple jailed for having oral sex in Barnsley Interchange has appeared at Barnsley Magistrates' Court after admitting assault.

Jacqueline Holden, 37, and Sam Rowan, 22, were freed and given suspended sentences at an appeal after originally being sentenced to serve 10 weeks behind bars.

Holden, of Oxford Street, and Anna Mary Shaw, 22, of Racecommon Road, Barnsley, attacked Amy O'Neill following a row about drink.

Philip Howard, defending, said the assault happened at a 'get together and chat' attended by Mr Rowan.

He said things turned sour, there was a heated argument and Holden and Shaw attacked Miss O'Neill.

Mr Howard added that the incident had happened after Holden was 'all at sea' after splitting up with another man.

He said: "Miss Holden went out to find new friends. She fell into the company of undesirables and her behaviour deteriorated. She has since cut off contact with those friends and is determined to behave herself.

"She admitted outraging public decency. She and Sam Rowan were seen having oral sex at Barnsley Interchange and they were jailed for 10 weeks.

"Miss Holden and Mr Rowan were released after two weeks in jail on appeal. She found prison a salutary experience and does not want to go back. She suffers from a depressive illness."

Brian Bushell, for Shaw, said his client's part in the attack was limited.

Julie Grant, prosecuting, said each defendant gave different versions of their involvement. She said Miss O'Neill suffered a black eye.

Holden and Shaw, who also admitted assault, were each ordered to do 100 hours of unpaid work and to pay Miss O'Neill £75 in compensation. They were also ordered to pay a £60 victim surcharge and £35 in costs.

Deputy District Judge Richard Manning said he would have thought seriously about jailing the women if he had been in on the case from the start.

He said: "Your behaviour was disgraceful and drinking is no excuse. This girl must have been petrified. To some extent, each of you blame the other.

"Depression is no excuse for avoiding doing unpaid work. It is time you put something back into the community.

"If you do not do the unpaid work, I or someone else will be waiting for you."