The Women’s World Day of Prayer, an annual event, was celebrated in Luton on Friday March 7.

More than 170 women, from different Christian denominations, took part in the three services, held at Blenheim Baptist Church in the morning, Stopsley Baptist Church in the afternoon and The Holy Cross Anglican Church in the evening.

The service each year is prepared by women from a different country and then celebrated by Christian women across the world. This year it was women from Egypt, who had prepared a dramatisation of the longest recorded conversation in the Bible of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well.

Luton women attended a day in January to prepare for this occasion, when they took part in a Bible Study, learnt a dance and also heard about life in Egypt from a locally resident Egyptian.

This annual service is greatly valued by Christian women every year.

Staff of Paul Simon will lose their jobs, after the company went into administration on Friday.

The home furnishings retailer will close both the Luton and Dunstable stores over the next three weeks.

The affected stores employ 137 members of staff, Luton will lose five employees and Dunstable will lose eight.

Lee Manning and Nick Edwards were appointed joint administrators of Paul Simon (London) Limited on Wednesday, April 2.

Following a review of the business’ financial position, 17 of the 50 outlets will close.

Last week, they made 28 members of staff redundant in the head office, warehouse and factory.

Lee Manning, said: “As part of the review of Paul Simon’s financial position, we have analysed the store portfolio and identified 17 loss making stores for closure. This step has been taken to enhance the prospect of securing a sale of all or part of the remaining business as a going concern.

“We have received strong support from staff at Paul Simon and the joint administrators are very grateful for their continuing commitment during this difficult period.”

There will be a sale in affected stores, with large discounts.

Human waste, 20 lorry loads of rubbish and thousands of pounds worth of damage has been left after a large group of travellers descended on Toddington for a “huge drinking party”.

After first being spotted at Harlington Station, a group of travellers encamped on the football pitches by the Poplars roundabout, Harlington Road, on Wednesday.

The following day police officers served a section 61 notice, ordering departure within 24 hours.

Travellers next broke into The Glebe Recreation Ground, with more than 30 vehicles arriving throughout Thursday evening.

During a “huge drinking party” fires were set off and cars were driven around the field, tearing up football pitches used by Toddington Rovers FC- which was forced to cancel its weekend fixtures.

It is believed that travellers arrived in the village prior to a wedding last Saturday, the location of which is not known.

Following departure from the site, travellers have left Toddington Parish Council with a cleaning and decontamination bill of between £3,000-£4000.

Council assistant clerk Andrew Whiting said: “There is a lot of frustration and despair in the village that this has happened.

“It really is quite disgusting what has been left. Human waste, broken glass and waste which may contain asbestos.

“The only positive side to this is how the community came together and offered to help with the clear up.

“Unfortunately due to the nature of the mess we need professional help. We also now have the cost of secure barriers to think about.”

A Luton-born footballer is one of six players from Preston North End FC to be arrested in connection with a spot fixing investigation.

Former Luton Town star Keith Keane was arrested on Thursday along with teammates John Welsh, Bailey Wright, David Buchanan, Ben Davies and Graham Cummins.

All six were bailed and have told the club that they are innocent.

Spot fixing is where a player corruptly agrees to rig a specific detail of a match, for example the timing of a yellow card or free-kick.

A Preston North End spokesman said: ”Having had time to meet with all the individuals concerned we reiterate our position that all players will remain available for selection by the manager and that until or unless the current situation changes it will be business as usual.”

Six other men separately arrested and bailed in connection with spot fixing in December were also re-arrested on Thursday.

The Sport and Recreation Alliance has said that the crime is “one of the biggest threats facing the integrity of sport”.

Following his arrest Keane was named as a substitute in Preston’s 1-1 draw against Bristol City on Saturday.

The 27-year-old was a Luton Town academy product who featured 237 times for the Hatters, before joining Preston North End in June 2012.

A vigil to mark the 40th birthday of Leon Briggs proved to be a “meloncholy” experience, according to one of its organisers.

Family, friends and supporters of the Justice 4 Leon campaign held the event outside Luton police station on Saturday, commemorating the life of the fatherof two.

Leon Briggs, of Ashburnham Road, died at the station on November 4 after being detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act.

Despite outcry and an IPCC investigation into the incident, members of the J4L campaign organised the vigil as a peaceful event intended for the community.

More than 60 turned out as 40 balloons were released into the sky and rapper Si Phili performed the J4L campaign song.

Close friend Cyril Mitchell also remembered Leon in a speech, wishing him a happy birthday.

In attendance were Caddington villagers Patrick and Christine Smith, who in August received £13,249 after suing Beds Police for assault, false imprisonment and trespass following a three year legal battle.

J4L spokeswoman Liberty Louise admitted the vigil was a “meloncholy” experience for Leon’s family.

She said: “It was difficult as it was a celebration of Leon’s life but also mourning of his passing.

“Leon’s family will never be able to rest until they know what happened in full.”

She added: “It was a nice community spirited event and there were no problems at all with the police.

“Patrick and Christine Smith also came out of the blue to lend their support.”

Luton, Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard joined together on Saturday night to raise over £3,000 for a Good Samaritan.

Keely Adams, 47, of Leighton Buzzard, lost her leg and was confined to a wheelchair, when she was hit by a HGV lorry in November.

The mum-of-two and her partner, Matthew Shaw, went to the aid of a couple trapped in a crashed car in Stanbridge Road.

While Matthew tended to the couple, Keely tried to warn oncoming traffic of the dangers but was clipped by a lorry which ran over her leg.

Her leg was too badly injured for doctors to save and she had to have it amputated.

The lorry driver has not been found and Keely is now not working as a result of her injuries.

The event was at the Conservative club, Dunstable and organisers received more than 50 raffle prizes from local businesses and donations from organisations.

Luton councillor Tom Shaw, Matthew’s father, said: “It was a very good night, I can’t thank the manager and staff at the Conservative club enough, they gave us the hall and the DJ for nothing, they really were fantastic in everything they did for us.

“The amount of people that turned up was overwhelming, you couldn’t have fitted another person in there, you had people from Leighton Buzzard, Luton and Dunstable.

“It was really nice to see so many people there, supporting Keely, it was a real community event.

“Keely is doing really well, she is a strong girl and she is grateful for all the money raised on Saturday.

“The money raised will help her with general things and we hope to fit equipment in the house to make things easier for her.”

“She is going to get the fitting for her prosthetic leg this week,” he said.

These are tense times in the Dee household, let me tell you.

It’s never easy living with someone who is battling to overcome their demons, and it doesn’t much matter where that particular demon lurks.

I should count my blessings that Mrs Dee, an estimable woman in many ways, is not in thrall to any of the self-destructive addictions which bedevil modern life.

She’s never smoked, has never been tempted by any sort of illicit substance or even doctor-approved happy pill, she’ll quaff a dry white wine with the best of them but has never been moved to secrete bottles of vodka about the house a la Lost Weekend.

Nor has she ever been lured in by the temptations of 21st century consumerism – handbags too small to contain anything meaningful, high-heeled shoes designed to cripple after five minutes and other high fashion tosh leave her cold.

But everyone has their Achilles heel, and it is my duty to stand by her as she battles to put her particular penchant behind her.

For us, it’s not one day at a time but one year at a time.

And with strength, determination and support from those who care about her, 2014 is going to be the year in which she is Easter egg free.

Loyal readers may recall that I have grumbled in the past that the other half, a generous woman to a fault, has over many years made it her business to provide Easter eggs for all her young nieces and nephews, sundry other relations, the children of her pals and pretty much everyone she ever worked with – the list kept on getting longer, even though many of these kids had now reached adulthood and some even had offspring of their own.

We have the same problem with selection boxes come Christmas time, but in recent years she has come to realise that you have to draw the line somewhere.

The problem is that, as well as being Lady Bountiful, she also loves a bargain.

So while we have in the past made a solemn undertaking that the Easter egg extravaganza should be brought to an end, once the big supermarkets kick in with a seasonal price war on foil-covered chocolate she’s as helpless as a junkie offered free samples on a street corner.

Her mouth goes dry, her fingers start to twitch, and she caves – which usually leads to repeated trips through the checkouts, as these deals are often restricted to half a dozen per customer and her list is much, much longer than that.

So far she has been strong, and I have been careful not to place temptation in her way.

But with Easter so late this year, it doesn’t make it easy.

Any day I could return to Dee Towers to find her shamed and surrounded by chocolate and cardboard.

It’s not easy to break this cycle, but together we will crack it,

Local groups and projects that help the armed forces are being invited to apply for grants ranging from £100 to £250,000 through the Community Coventant Grant Scheme, established by the Ministry of Defence.

Luton’s Community Covenant was signed last year to support the town’s armed services personnel – past and present – and promote awareness of the issues affecting them.

The funding – the second in the grant programme – is being launched at Wardown Museum today (April 9) at 12.45pm.

To be eligible, applicants must be able to demonstrate a connection with the armed forces and an understanding of the sacrifices they have made.

Council veterans’ champion Cllr Don Worlding said: “We want Luton to be a town that is a shining example to others for the way we treat and respect our returning heroes.

“I encourage people to come along to discuss practical ways in which we can show our appreciation and support.”

> For more information call 01582 548777.

More than half the people interviewed for a review of GP services in Luton said they could not get an appointment when they needed one, while a third had difficulty getting through to the surgery on the phone.

The review was conducted by Healthwatch Luton, supported by volunteers and local organisations.

They completed 962 patient surveys while Healthwatch staff visited and assessed all 39 doctor surgeries in the town.

The results also showed that 26 practices do not have easy access for wheelchair users and 28 do not have a hearing loop system in place.

Only four were judged to have sufficient privacy in the reception area and all but seven kept patients waiting more than 15 minutes after their appointment time.

On the plus side, a significant 88 percent said staff were helpful and understanding and 89 percent had confidence and trust in their doctor.

More than 90 percent said that, overall, they were happy with the quality of care, service and treatment they received although only 80 percent would recommend their surgery to other people.

Healthwatch Luton boss Beth Gregson said: “It shows the importance of identifying and understanding what good patient satisfaction looks like.

“We recognise the increasing pressures and demands on surgeries. However we will continue to struggle to attract quality staff if we cannot narrow the gap between the best rated and the worst.”

Healthwatch Luton manager Nisar Mohammed said: “We have identified a total of 680 recommendations across the board and many of these have already been implemented.

“We hope the results of this review will encourage local people to become actively involved in representing the patient voice within their local surgery.”

The organisation has created individual reports and recommendations for each GP surgery, together with timescales for implementation and aresponse from the surgery.

> For a copy of individual and overall surgery reports, call 01582 817060 or access them online at http://www.healthwatchluton.co.uk/gp-report

The family of murdered father Paul Foster have admitted “the despair is greater” a year after his death, with police no closer to finding his killer.

The married 46-year-old was gunned down after leaving a friend’s home in Brunel Road, Lewsey Farm, on April 9 2013– with the shooter and weapon yet to be found.

Over the last 12 months police have arrested three people on suspicion of murder, but all have been released after questioning.

Detectives have pulled together intelligence but believe that a ‘no snitching’ culture has prevented witnesses from coming forward to help with enquiries, despite police protection and a £10,000 reward for information still on offer.

Paul’s family have urged witnesses to follow the example of those who helped investigations into the murder of Lewsey Farm teen Delaney Brown, whose killer Kyle Beckford was convicted in May and will serve a minimum of 24 years in jail.

Paul’s wife Mandy said: “The family are of the opinion that there are several people within this community who are aware of what happened to Paul that night but have chosen not speak to the police because of the no snitching culture.

“I plead that you consider Paul’s family, especially his children. Think of their anguish, the heartache and pain, the unanswered questions and indescribable grief, without knowing why this has happened.”

“Paul’s children, family, friends and community desperately need the perpetrators of this horrendous crime to be held accountable for what they have done.”

At the time of Paul’s death a number of people were “in and around” the Brunel Road address and the 46-year-old was taken to hospital by men described as “friends or associates”.

Last year detective superintendent Jeff Hill said these people “must have been told exactly what had occurred and been provided with details of who was responsible”.

Yesterday detective inspector Sam Khanna added that those who do not come forward should “know it is your lack of action that prevents your community from being a safer place.”

Delaney Brown Snr, uncle of Delaney Jnr and step father of Mandy, admitted the “the despair is greater” as the killer has not been brought to justice.

He said: “There are several people in the community who know who pulled the trigger so we are appealing directly to them. They do not have to be in fear of reprisals as their identity will not come out.”

“We are very close but then very far from the truth being disclosed. We know the cycle can be broken as it did with Kyle Beckford.”

Mr Brown remembered Paul as “someone who had a past with the police”, but turned his life around after moving to Luton in 2003.

He said: “Paul became a Christian, got married and moved to Luton to start a new life. He was a man who loved working with young people, he had a studio and would take young men off the street and try to get them recording contracts.

“He had also just registered a new building company and was going to make a real go of his talent agency. He was cut down in his prime.

“Paul had three brilliant children who are coping. We are encouraging his 21-year-old son to continue his legacy.”

If you have any information you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or Beds Police on 101.

A council street cleanser has issued his surprise after being punched twice in an unprovoked attack while he was cleaning Vicarage Street car park.

Paul Cox, 52, was struck with no warning by a man at approximately 4.15am on March 28- an attack which left Mr Cox with marks on his cheek and above his ear.

He said: “A man came over to me and asked me what I was doing. I told him and then he said ‘what is your problem?’

“I told him I didn’t have a problem but then he smacked me across the ear and then in the face.”

At that point another man joined the attacker and Mr Cox backed off, running across to Park Street.

The attack was caught on CCTV and police officers arrived at the scene, giving chase to the men.

No arrests have been made.

Both men are believed to be in their late teens to early 20s, with one described to have been wearing a blue jacket with red arms.

They were spotted running towards the University of Bedforshire campus following the attack.

Mr Cox has cleaned the streets of Luton for 17 years and performed ‘door patrol’-working in areas known for prevalence of drug dealers and prostitutes- but says he has never previously been attacked.

He admitted: “I’ve been around picking up syringes and condoms around places known for trouble but i’ve never had anything like this before.

“At first I was really shocked as it came out of the blue so I backed off and tried to make peace.”

The attack occurred on Mr Cox’s last night shift clearing the car park, as his working pattern has been changed.

“It is typical that it was the last time I worked there but I wouldn’t have been put off going back.”

Paul’s daughter Rachel added that the incident had caused anguish for his family.

She said: “He was just doing his job and he gets attacked. It was a totally unprovoked incident. It is outrageous that this has happened.”

Luton Borough Council issued its concern over the incident.

A spokeswoman said: “The safety and welfare of all our staff is paramount and we are appalled by this alleged unprovoked attack on one of our employees.

“This is now an ongoing police enquiry, therefore we are unable to comment further at this stage.”

Did you see anything at the time of the incident?

If you have information call 101 and quote the crime reference number C11/711/2014.

A Luton man is warning others to stay wary of a con which saw scammers take control of his computer and request cash for bogus services.

The 61-year-old, who wished not to be named, was contacted by an individual claiming to be a Microsoft engineer, who told him he needed to upgrade his security software.

After calling back on an 0800 number the 61-year-old unwittingly handed over control of his computer– which was then used by scammers for 30 minutes.

The Lutonian was next asked to make a payment of £79.60, which he refused to do after becoming suspicious .

He now needs his computer fixed to reverse changes made by conmen.

After spotting a report in last week’s Herald and Post on the conviction of Mohammed Khalid Jamil, who ran a ‘Microsoft scam’ company, the 61-year-old came forward to warn others.

He said: “This type of thing is happening and other people who are not computer literate need to take care. I had sleepless nights over it all.”

“It sounded like the men were from India, though the one I spoke to gave his name as ‘Sylvester Wilson’.

With the kids on holiday and family-friendly fare normally to the fore, it’s an odd time for The Raid 2 to batter its way on to our screens.

Fans of the original cult Indonesian martial arts thriller, directed on a shoestring by Welshman Gareth Evans, won’t need any introduction to the full-on combat thrills that also feature in the follow-up.

There’s a slightly larger stage as the action spreads beyond the tight tower block location of the original, but otherwise it’s violent, visceral business as usual.

A much safer bet for an Easter family outing is Rio 2, which provides another helping of animated adventure for a city bird out of his depth in the deepest jungle.

Star names galore crop up in the voice cast, and it’s a reliable if unremarkable way to pass the time if the kids are clamouring for a cinema trip and they’ve already done The Lego Movie and Muppets Most Wanted.

If you feel moved towards something with a religious theme for Easter, check out comedy thriller Calvary in which the always watchable Brendan Gleeson heads a cast of familiar Irish faces as a priest warned in the confessional that he’s going to be killed and trying to work out who wants to rub him out.

It’s a bit Father Ted and a bit In Bruges, in which Gleeson also excelled, and that can’t be a bad thing.

Also on the horizon is The Quiet Ones, an unexceptional horror offer in which a professor conjures up a poltergeist and quickly regrets it.

It’s based on a real-life incident – aren’t they all? – and it’s another attempt by famous name Hammer Films to join the 21st century.

Elderly residents of a Luton high-rise say their lives have been made ‘hell’ after faults with smoke alarms has seen fire engines sent out 63 times in three weeks.

Retirement and social housing complex Acworth Court, off Acworth Crescent, Hockwell Ring, has been plagued by false alarms, which automatically alerts crews from Beds Fire and Rescue.

Residents of the council-owned 15-floor block have seen fire engines arrive outside the building upwards of four times a day.

The problem has caused call-outs at random times in the day and night for three weeks.

Ralph Pollard, 73, said: “It has been very annoying with it happening so often, especially when most of the residents here are in their 70s and 80s.

“It’s three or four times a day the sirens are going off and it is a worry that if there was a real incident here it might have been considered differently.

“It has also kept fire engines away from real problems elsewhere in the county, they have better things to do than come out here several times a day.”

Luton Borough Council said a combination of the age of smoke detectors and a dust build-up from recent works may have caused the recurring problem.

Contractors have been instructed to replace every smoke detector in the highrise over four days, with the work expected to be completed by Thursday.

A council spokesperson said: “Initially, engineers from the warden call maintenance company attended and rectified any faulty detectors and checked the call system, however, despite our best efforts to resolve the problem, false alarms continued to activate. Acworth Court has undergone

major refurbishment works over the last 12 months including boiler replacements in all flats, lift modernisation and ground floor refurbishment works to the common rooms (causing the dust build up).”

Over a space of three weeks fire crews had been sent out to false alarms at Acworth Court 63 times.

These callouts continued until contractors began to replace the detectors.

Beds Fire and Rescue does not calculate the cost of each call it responds to, though the Department for Communities and Local Government puts the average cost of responding to an incident at £1,970- potentially leaving the fire service with a six-figure bill for the error.

Assistant chief fire officer Simon Barker revealed that the service scaled down its level of response after false alarms continued to persist.

He said: “In view of the large number of calls we have been getting to Acworth Court, we decided to downscale our initial response to automatic fire alarms for this premises, with scope to send more resources should anything turn out to be a genuine fire call.

“We have been constantly reviewing our arrangements, and our fire cover for the rest of the county has not been affected by these calls.”

He added: “Although we are aware that other Fire and Rescue Services have made changes to their policies for responding to automatic fire alarms, we are satisfied with our approach at the present time.

“However, our policy is under constant review and open to change, if we were satisfied that in our professional judgement it was the right thing to do.”

Residents can now nominate Luton’s unsung heroes for Volunteer Awards.

The ceremony gives people the chance to thank and celebrate those who freely give up their own time and do unpaid work for the benefit of Luton.

Councillor Khtija Malik, portfolio holder for community development, said: “Every year Luton residents give up tens of thousands of hours of their own time for the benefit of the community.

“The Luton Volunteer Awards 2014 are a great opportunity to recognise, appreciate and thank volunteers for all of the good that they do in Luton.

“Whether it’s a volunteer who has made a huge difference, someone that has dedicated part of their life to volunteering or a person or team that helps others on a regular basis, make sure they get the credit they deserve by nominating them for an award.

“I’m sure it will be a very memorable occasion.”

Local organisations and companies are supporting the awards evening on Thursday, June 5.

A People’s Choice award will be voted by attendees on the night.

For more information, a list of categories and to nominate visit www.luton.gov.uk/volunteering.

Nominations close on Friday, May 2.

More than 1,500 penalty notices were handed out to Luton parents for non school attendance, a government report has uncovered.

Statistics from the Department for Education revealed that in the 2012-2013 academic year as many as 1,592 notices were given by the council to parents whose children were unlawfully absent from school.

Under section 444 of The Education Act 1996 Luton Borough Council is allowed to issue charges of £60 for those who pay within 21 days and £120 for those who pay within 28 days.

More serious cases can lead to prosecution and a fine of up to £2,500 or a period of imprisonment.

Neighbouring local education authorities imposed fewer notices than Luton Borough Council, with just 80 penalties given across Central Beds.

Just under 40 per cent of these notices were withdrawn by the council.

Of the 1,512 notices given in Luton, 12 per cent were withdrawn and just under a third went unpaid.

Figures also revealed that 5.4 per cent of secondary school students were classed as ‘persistent absentees’.

A Luton Borough Council spokesperson said: “Luton’s tough line on school absences is having a positive effect, resulting in the highest level of overall pupil attendance in the eastern region.

“Our secondary schools are performing exceptionally well with a number of schools reducing absences at an even more a significant rate than nationally – schools can be rightly proud of the progress that has been made in improving school attendance, ” they added.

A brothel in Luton was closed down this morning after residents repeatedly complained of anti-social behaviour.

Paradise Sauna & Health Club, Wellington Street, was visited by officers executing a warrant at 1.40am

Three women – aged 29, 34 and 37 - were arrested on suspicion of managing a brothel while a number of males at the location were given “police advice” before being told to leave the location.

Sgt Melissa Cunningham, from the Local Policing Team, said: “My team had received numerous complaints about the activity taking place at the location and as a result we were able to obtain a warrant from the Magistrates court which allowed us to enter the brothel while a closing down order was also issued by the Chief Superintendent.

“Following the initial warrant and closure notice – which was valid for 48 hours - we have been back to court to obtain an order which will keep the premises closed for a further three months.

“Some people may think that as the people involved are consenting adults then there shouldn’t be an issue but residents should not have to suffer Anti-Social Behaviour and have their lives blighted by the patrons or employees of such an establishment.

“We can take positive action against people making life a misery for others.”

Anyone with information on similar problems can contact Bedfordshire Police on the 101 number, or text information to 07786 200011.

Alternatively you can contact independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111, or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.

Andrew Selous has welcomed a new tax cut for hardworking people in South West Bedfordshire.

The personal allowance rose to £10,000 from April 6, taking 4,692 people in South West Bedfordshire out of income tax. Taxes have been cut for more than 26 million people across the country, with over three million now taken out of paying income tax altogether.

Because of tax cuts since 2010 the typical taxpayer is now paying £705 less in income tax than they were.

Taxes will be cut even further next year when the personal allowance is set to rise again to £10,500, as announced in the 2014 Budget.

Andrew Selous said: “This tax cut is excellent news for hardworking people in South West Bedfordshire.

“This is the third time this Government has cut income tax, benefitting 42,799 people here in South West Bedfordshire, with 4,692 people now taken out of income tax altogether.

“Cutting taxes is a key part of the Government’s long-term economic plan to build a better future for Britain. These cuts mean 42,799 people are keeping more of the money they’ve worked hard to earn, giving them and their families more financial security for the future.”

A man in his 50s had to be rescued by emergency services after suffering severe leg injuries in a fall from a fence in central Luton on April 2 at around 10.50pm.

He was taken to Luton and Dunstable Hospital where he is said to be in a stable condition.

An 82-year-old man narrowly avoided being burgled by a woman who talked her way inside his home on Tuesday.

The incident happened at 3.50pm at a property in Highbury Road after the OAP answered a knock at his front door.

A woman told the resident that she was from ‘home help’ and talked her way in, before having a drink and asking the victim for some personal details.

The 82-year-old became suspicious of the woman and asked her to leave. On leaving the property the woman tried to hug the victim and remove his wallet from his pocket but was stopped.

The woman is described as a white woman in her early 30s, 5’ to 5’2” tall. She spoke with an Irish accent and wore a pink top, grey trousers and carried a coat.

DC Helen Toms said: “Often people who commit this type of burglary visit other homes in the area and target elderly people within our communities. I would urge anyone who has received a similar visit to their home or anyone who saw two suspicious people in the area recently to come forward and assist with this investigation.”