We’ve had plenty of news to bring you from Preston over the past week.

In a week where the government announced mandatory vaccines for care workers, and with the NHS urgently asking for more coronavirus vaccination centre volunteers, there’s been lots going on.

Here are five stories you may have missed from the last week.

Preston youngster completes Captain Tom’s 100 Challenge to raise funds for hospital where she stayed after surgery

Abi, aged 12 from Preston, has completed the Captain Tom 100 Challenge to raise much-needed funds for Alder Hey Family House Trust at Ronald McDonald House in Liverpool.

Abi was born with cerebral palsy, which affects her ability to walk. In 2018 Abi had surgery meaning she could walk independently for the first time.

During her recovery, Abi’s Mum Helen stayed at Ronald McDonald House, and the family has been supporting the charity ever since.

Read the full story here.

Former Baffito’s restaurant pulled down to make way for care home

The former Baffito’s restaurant has been pulled down six months after plans were approved for the site to become a care home.

The home is designed for residents with dementia and will have a wellness suite and lounge, quiet rooms, cafes, a hairdressers, a shop and reception area.

The former restaurant had been empty since a fire in 2020 which badly damaged the roof.

Read the full story here.

Charlie’s Convoy gets wheels in motion for Lancashire Teaching Hospital Charity’s Children’s Appeal 

A tractor run, dedicated to the memory of a five-year-old boy who lost a long fought battle with a brain tumour in the spring, has set the fundraising wheels of Lancashire Teaching Hospital Charity’s Children’s Appeal in motion with a donation of £6,900.

The second Lancashire Tractor Run, which was renamed Charlie’s Convoy in honour of Charlie Robinson, who was diagnosed with a Grade 3 ependymoma at just two, also raised £24,375 for the Brain Tumour Charity.

The run, which followed a circular route from Inskip that went past the home Charlie shared with parents John and Nici and brothers Jack and Harry as it trundled through Catforth, Treales, Roseacre, Elswick and Great Eccleston, had 326 vehicles – a mix of tractors, diggers, wagons, vintage and military vehicles.

Read the full story here.

Mayor of South Ribble thanks Towngate fire heroes in low-key ceremony

The Mayor of South Ribble played host to the now-famous Towngate fire heroes on Wednesday 9 June.

Meeting them in the new dementia-friendly Peace Garden in the grounds of the council’s Civic Centre in Leyland, Councillor Jane Bell, the Mayor, thanked the three brave citizens for their dramatic heroic intervention after they entered a burning set of flats on Towngate in Leyland on Thursday, 20 May to raise the alarm and get residents out of the building safely.

Kim Almond, 23, along with Zach Douglas, 20, and their friend Shania Somerville were driving towards McDonald’s in Leyland close to midnight when they saw the fire, which had already engulfed much of the building, and intervened to help those inside get to safety.

Read the full story here.

Preston BID release statement urging government to help businesses survive the extra month of restrictions 

Preston BID have released a statement about the impact delaying restrictions easing will have on businesses across Preston.

Monday, 14 June Boris Johnson announced that current restrictions would remain in place until 19 July, which means mask wearing and social distancing will still be required.

This means many businesses are left disappointed with many in financial difficulty.

Preston BID released a statement urging the government to help businesses.

Read the full story here.

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