St Matthew’s Primary School’s Discovery Day was a big hit with parents and the mayor on Thursday, June 5.

Visitors were invited on a tour around the school to view the family centre, classrooms, exhibitions and sport facilities.

Assistant headteacher, Adam Bell, said: “Our Discovery Day was a huge success with many people coming to see our unique learning community in action.”

A visitor to the school said: “St. Matthew’s Primary is a wonderful, exciting and inspiring place for the children to come to learn. The staff here are engaged and motivated to help all children of High Town and Luton succeed.”

Councillor Mohammed Farooq, Mayor of Luton said: “This was the first school I have visited since becoming Mayor and I thoroughly enjoyed the event.

“I particularly liked meeting parents, pupils and staff of St Matthew’s Primary and hearing about all the wonderful things that makes this school so special.

“There was a fantastic atmosphere and you could clearly see that the children really enjoyed coming here and were very proud of their school.”

Police are appealing for witnesses after a 50-year-old man was found seriously injured in a car park in Upper George street West on Saturday, June 14.

He is in Addenbrooke’s hospital where he remains in a serious condition. If you have any information call 101.

Police are appealing for witnesses after an alleged hit and run on Thursday.

A 24 year old pedestrian was hit by a car on Radnor Road, Luton, at around 11pm which carried him towards St Dominic’s Square where the car stopped and the man fell to the ground.

The car driver allegedly left the scene in a black car.The victim attended the hospital the following day with bruising.

DS Juston Dipper said: “A 25 year old man has been arrested in connection to this incident and he has been released on police bail pending further investigation. We know that there were several people in the area at the time of the collision.”

Contact DS Dipper, in confidence, at Luton Police Station, on 01582 394281.

A Luton mother-of-two and cancer survivor has been honoured with a national award by Cancer Research UK.

Elizabeth Bailey has been announced as the charity’s Ambassador of the Year at this year’s Cancer Research UK Flame of Hope Awards, which recognise outstanding contribution to the organisation.

Elizabeth, who is researching the culture of the media and political participation on social media at the University of Bedfordshire, is one of hundreds of ambassadors across the country, whose key aim is to persuade decision-makers in their areas to bring in new laws and investment in cancer services that will ultimately save lives.

She took up the role after having breast cancer in 2010.

“Following finding a lump in my left breast, I had 10 months of radiotherapy. I was in my 40s and being a mum of two young children it was quite a traumatic time. It’s a big, big life changer; I decided to leave my job at the civil service and I wanted to give something back to help others and to promote a charity.

“I have worked in communications for many years, so I wanted to work in some way which would help spread knowledge further, to make people conscious that they need to be body aware and check themselves regularly.

“I have always been interested in politics and it links in with my research at university, so I took up the Ambassador role and today I have a close relationship with Luton’s MPs as I campaign to further improve the healthcare for cancer patients.”

Campaigns Elizabeth has worked on include ‘Voice for Radiotherapy’. The campaign resulted in the government making millions of pounds worth of extra provision for radiotherapy services.

Of recent she has also been very involved in the standardised packaging for cigarettes campaign, where she has visited Westminster to speak to MPs and Lords directly.

Elizabeth added: “I was honoured to receive the award. It was great just to be at the event, I was amazed by the range of volunteers, from children to nonagenarians.”

It really is a great charity supported by really enthusiastic volunteers.”

Dr Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK Chief Executive, said: “Cancer Research UK has made enormous progress in the fight against cancer and has ambitious plans to make even further progress over the next 20 years.

“However, progress is only made possible thanks to the dedication and commitment of our volunteers and supporters without whom we would not be able to fund outstanding scientists, doctors and nurses.

“Our Flame of Hope Awards give us the opportunity to celebrate and say thank you to these enormously generous volunteers and supporters for the fantastic work they do.”

Luton Streets Festival is coming to St George’s Square on Saturday, June 21, from 12pm till 6pm.

There will be a variety of performances throughout the day, including the circus acrobatics group, Upswing, and stilt-walkers, the Jurassic Jockeys.

The UK Centre for Carnival Arts is the only dedicated National body representing Carnival arts throughout the United Kingdom.

Clary Salandy, associate artistic director, said: “If you think Luton International Carnival was great, Luton Streets Festival will be another fantastic day for all of the family, with loads of exciting things to do for children.

“There will be incredible acrobatics on the street, dinosaurs roaming and the opportunity to experience the Serengeti brought to life. Come and be part of the fun.”

Other activities on the day include circus skills, animal mask-making and street arts at the free drop-in workshops.

Visitors are encouraged to join in with the activities and dance all day long, a DJ will be playing music for the entirety.

Luton schools will be visiting the centre on Friday, June 20, to take part in workshops for £5 per child.

Activities available are, circus skills, African drumming, Capoeira Brazilian martial arts, Soca dancing and Bhangra dancing.

If you would like to book a group into one of the workshops, call Maggie Yarde on 01582 437138.

The UK Centre for Carnival Arts is supported by Arts Council England, London Luton Airport and Luton Borough Council.

Attention, world. On behalf of fathers everywhere, it’s time to set the record straight – because if what went down on Sunday is anything to go by, you don’t know us. You don’t know us at all.

I blame the media, of course – according to every ad campaign, sitcom and family drama you see, dads are just figures of fun.

Of course that is always preferable to being a secret serial killer, which seems to be the only alternative, but the pathetic pa is the default description for any man who has somehow managed to reproduce while making a mess of just about everything else.

According to the sorry stereotypes we see all around us, dads can’t do anything around the house, are obsessed with their cars, are never happier than when they have been allowed to sneak off to the pub to watch hours of live football, and for some reason find golf completely irresistible.

What other truths do we know about dads? Well, they are really tricky to please when it comes to presents, apparently, but can always be fobbed off with comedy socks, three packs of pants or a beer glass emblazoned with a comedy drunk and the slogan World’s Best Dad.

I must stress here that I no longer speak from personal experience, because the fruit of my loins are only too aware of my present preferences.

The handy list posted, unspoken, on the fridge in advance of any major anniversary has helped over the years, of course, but it’s only supposed to be a fallback – if they can pick up on those pointers and seek out something similar, but unexpected, then bully for them.

But other masters of the house I’ve spoken to since that annual second best celebration that we call Father’s Day have suffered – they have between them enough socks, car wash mitts, novelty bar sets, golf putting games and amusing sets of cufflinks to start their own shop full of dad-themed tat.

And that’s not even taking into account the tide of tragic mistakes – ties that light up, books about the Second World War, DVDs about hairy men trekking to remote parts of the planet and the like.

I appreciate that it’s a lot harder to go wrong with the ladies – a nice bunch of flowers and a box of chocs is a safe bet in anyone’s language.

But here’s a word of advice to the children of the world. You don’t have to toe the line and join in with the artificial calendar date chosen by commercial interests – just a hug for the old stag in your life, some sort of reassurance that you do quite appreciate them and aren’t just waiting for them to shuffle off so you can sell the house, is all you need.

And let’s be honest, lads – if you do play it safe and buy socks or pants, you know you’ll only end up ‘borrowing’ them in the very near future – and you wouldn’t do that to your mum, would you?

A man who was found seriously injured in a public car park in George Street West, Luton, on Saturday afternoon has died.

The 50-year-old Polish national had been found unconscious by a concerned member of the public at approximately 4pm and taken to Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge, where he was found to have suffered a bleed to the brain.

He died yesterday at around 6pm.

His death has been referred to Her Majesty’s Coroner and a post mortem will be carried out later this week to establish the cause of his death.

Detective Sergeant Steve Facer, investigating, is keen to trace members of the public who saw the man on Saturday afternoon and may be able to piece together the circumstances surrounding the injury.

DS Facer said: “We know who this person is, a Polish national living in Luton, but we are still trying to trace his next of kin.

“We also need to trace anyone who may have seen him in the George Street West area on Saturday afternoon and may be able to help piece together exactly how he came by this injury.

“He was wearing a black padded jacket, a black waist coat and red/white/blue training shoes.”

Anyone with information relating to this incident can contact DS Facer, in confidence, at Luton Police Station on 01582 394066, or Bedfordshire Police on 101, or text information to 07786 200011.

Alternatively you can contact the independent crime fighting charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800

Residents are being given the chance to have their say on proposed expansion plans on two Luton primary schools.

Luton Borough Council have launched a public consultation on plans to expand Wigmore Primary school and develop a new second site for Richmond Hill primary school.

The expansion of Wigmore Primary school will accommdate 90 pupils at reception year intakes from September 2016.

A second site for Richmond Hill Primary school located on the extra ground of Wigmore Primary will provide an additional 110 primary special school places.

The public can come and view the plans and talk to members of the project team at a public exhibition at Wigmore Primary School on Saturday, June 21, from 10am till 12.30pm and on Tuesday, June 24, from 3pm till 7pm.

The consultation will remain open until Monday 7 July 2014 before a planning application is submitted to Luton Borough Council in August 2014.

This week’s big new release is a boy meets girl story with a tearjerking twist – the twee twosome fall for each other at a cancer support group, so you know the changes of happy ever after are somewhat slim.

The Fault In Our Stars, something of a Love Story for the Twilight generation, is based on a staggeringly successful ‘young fiction’ novel by John Green and, apart from stretching a simple story over two hours, has much to recommend it.

Shailene Woodley, best known as one of George Clooney’s daughters in The Descendants, is the 16-year-old saddled with an oxygen tank and no illusions, while Ansel Agort – pretty much a new face, although both had roles in the recent dystopian teen drama Divergent – is the fellow-sufferer who catches her eye. Willem Dafoe and Laura Dern lend grown-up support in a clear-eyed tale that’s sure to spark tears galore in the stalls.

With the recent surge of stars with senior citizen status flexing their muscles in geriaction adventures, who can deny increasingly creased Kevin Costner the chance to do a Liam Neeson? After all, Kev’s not even 60 yet!

A word of warning, though – 3 Days To Kill is directed by the preposterous McG and it’s billed as a high-octane thriller, so take your earplugs and check your brain at the door.

The story is standard guff about a spy who wants out but is forced to take on one last mission while babysitting his teenager daughter. In Paris. Did someone say sounds like Taken? Well, Luc Besson cranked out the story, so what do you think?

A new academy for employers is being launched today (June 19) at The Disability Resource Centre in Poynters Road, Dunstable.

It is being supported by leading regional law firm Pictons.

DRC spokesperson Sandie Copp said: “Employers will learn how to transform the culture and skills mix of their businesses and how to recruit and retain people with disabilities through a range of activities, including free seminars and other networking events.”

Pictons partner Aye Limbin Glassey said: “Our role is often to legally clarify and educate local businesses . Our workshops will will cover topics ranging from employment law to human resources.”

Armed police officers were called to Birdsfoot Lane, Luton, after a schoolboy attempted to stab a teen with a knife.

The school age victim was walking home at 4pm last Thursday when he was approached by two other school age offenders, one of whom has produced a knife and attempted to stab him in the thigh but missed and slashed his trousers instead.

The same offender then punched him in the nose before the second offender threatened him verbally.

All males involved were black and aged between 14 and 17.

There were several calls to this incident at the time, prompting armed officers to attend but the offenders had already made off.

PC Dermot Dunne, investigating the incident knows the road was busy at the time and plenty of people probably saw what happened.

He said: “This was a frightening experience for the victim who narrowly missed more serious injury.

“As there were a lot of school children around I would hope that there was witnesses to this and I am appealing to them to come forward to assist our enquiries.

“I know people are sometimes reluctant to get involved but any information you pass on will be treated in strictest confidence.”

If you have information relating to this incident, contact PC Dunne, in confidence on 01582 394116, the non-

emergency 101 number, or text information to 07786 200011.

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

Luton’s innovative Bikes for Schools scheme has given cycle training to more than 6,000 primary school pupils.

There will be a special ceremony at Downside Primary School tomorrow (June 20) to mark the delivery of the 2,000th loan bike in Luton.

The project has been running since October 2011, enabling students to take part in cycling proficiency for the 21st Century, known as Bikeability. It’s aimed primarily at Years Five and Six pupils, aged from nine to 11.

The scheme is provided by the council’s road safety team national standard cycle instructors and funded by the Travel Luton initiative, with bicycles provided and maintained by sustainable transport charity Sustrans.

Sustrans spokesman Chris Wilkinson said they had decided to buy the cycles when it was discovered that many local children had no access to this form of transport.

He added: “Nationally, this is one of the only schemes to manage a fleet of bikes for cycle training successfully, and this is largely down to the teamwork between Luton Borough Council and Sustrans.”

> For more information email chris.wilkinson@sustrans.org.uk

Denbigh Pre-school has been presented with the council’s Communication Friendly Setting award.

They have been awarded for creating an environment that encourages and supports children in their efforts to communicate effectively.

The special educational needs service at the council developed the award to encourage children’s centres, pre-schools and nurseries to reflect on how the physical environment they provide and the the quality of their interaction with children, impacts on their learning and development of communication skills.

Ansar Husain, owner of Denbigh Pre-school, said: “My staff have worked very effectively as a team and we are all really proud of what we have achieved.

“Children and parents, and outside agencies such as the Special Educational Needs Service and the Early Years Teams have helped us to improve our practice and we will continue to fully support all our children in the development of their communication skills.”

The Denbigh road pre-school is the second early years setting in Luton to achieve this award.

The National Zippers Bowling Association has donated £3,000 to the Luton &Dunstable Hospital’s Cardiac Centre.

Zippers are so called because of the large scar in the middle of their chest following open-heart surgery.

The cheque was presented by Terry Evans, of Beechwood Court, Dunstable.

The money will enable the cardiac team at the L&D to buy two heart monitors, which will measure abnormalities in the heart rhythm and rate.

These monitors can be taken home by patients so they can stay monitored in the comfort of their own home rather than having to remain in hospital overnight.

Mr Evans, making the presentation on behalf of the NZBA, has been a cardiac patient at the L&D for more than 30 years.

He said: “They have always looked after me and never let me down.

“Everyone there has always been lovely to me and saved my life on various occasions. This is my way of saying thank you.”

Membership of the NZBA is open to anyone who has undergone invasive heartsurgery, which includes key-hole surgery, stent or valve replacement or pace-maker fitting.

They play bowls both inside and outside as part of friendly fundraising competitions to help raise money for local cardiac hospitals, coronary care units and rehabilitation centres.

A 96-year-old Luton woman was knocked to the floor by a distraction burglar, as OAPs continue to be targeted across the county.

Since April conmen have struck 18 times– with 15 of the burglaries occuring in Luton, Dunstable, Houghton Regis, Barton Le Clay and Harlington.

The 96-year-old victim was burgled at approximately 3pm on Monday at her home in Icknield Way, Luton.

A man knocked on the resident’s door and told her he was testing the water.

He instructed the nonagenarian to run a tap and on entry the man knocked the pensioner to the ground before searching the home.

The man is described as white, in his 20s, with short fair hair and a fringe.

He spoke with a Luton accent and wore a light-coloured anorak.

Det Insp Zara Brown said: “This type of criminal often works with others to dupe their way in to a victim’s home or distract them while others commit the burglary.

“Every care should be taken to keep them out.”

If you have information on the incident call Beds Police on 101.

Former Chelsea, England and Luton Town footballer Kerry Dixon has been charged with possession of cocaine.

The 52 year-old striker was arrested on suspicion of dealing the drug last month and released on bail.

Mr Dixon, of Dunstable, was charged on Wednesday with possession of a Class A drug.

Kim White, 46, of the same address, was charged with the same count and they were both bailed to appear at Luton Magistrates’ Court on 14 August.

Mr Dixon played for Southampton, Luton Town and Watford.

He is Chelsea’s third-highest goalscorer of all time and won eight England caps.

He frequently appears on Chelsea’s own TV station as a pundit on a freelance basis.

He is also booked for regular appearances in matchday hospitality lounges, where he entertains guests with stories from the Eighties.

Four children aged 12 and under have been arrested on suspicion of arson after a home was set ablaze.

Officers from Beds Fire and Rescue were able to extinguish the fire on Sherd Close, Luton, at 4.15pm on Sunday June 15, but not before extensive damage was caused to the wall of the property.

Two girls, aged 12, and two boys, aged 10, were arrested on suspicion of committing arson by officers close to the scene.

All four have been released on police bail while fire and police investigators continue their inquiries.

Police continue to look for witnesses to the incident, as well as to another fire which saw more than 30 firefighters sent to Leagrave High Street on Wednesday,

The fire at Westlea, a former residential care home, was first reported at 10.15pm after 17 separate 999 calls were made.

Two fire crews from Dunstable arrived at the scene within minutes to find that a quarter of the roof of the unoccupied two-storey building was already well alight.

Two further fire appliances from Luton Fire Station were sent to assist.

The aerial platform from Luton and the incident command unit from Leighton Buzzard were also sent to the scene, as well as a water carrier from Toddington, to supply additional water for the fire crews tackling the blaze.

Firefighters in breathing apparatus used three jets to fight the fire, using a monitor from the aerial platform to assist from above the building.

The fire was declared under control at 2.12am on Thursday morning.

Half of the roof space was destroyed by the fire and the whole building was affected by heat, smoke and water damage.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway.

In October 2012 the two acre site was placed on the market by the council for £1.5m.

Both fires are not thought to be linked, but Beds Police is seeking for witnesses to both incidents,

Detective Constable Jabbar Khan said: “Although there have been arrests in connection with (the June 15) incident I would like to urge anyone who saw or heard anything suspicious in the Sherd Close or Leagrave High Street area to contact the police.

“Luckily on both occasions no one was hurt but these fires could have caused structural damage to the buildings and put members of the public, neighbouring properties and members of the emergency services at great risk.”

Leading local homebuilder David Wilson Homes South Midlands is helping to protect the British honey bee by planting bee friendly plants at its Bedfordshire developments.

Teaming up with leading bee charity, the British Beekeepers’ Association (BBKA), the developer is also installing bee hotels, in which the insects can shelter, at each of its Bedfordshire developments and is giving away packs of bee-friendly plant seeds and a fridge magnet to all new homebuyers.

Honey bee numbers have been in decline for a number of years and scientists believe this could have serious implications, since many plants rely on bees and other insects to transfer their pollen and continue their reproductive cycle.

Jackie Day, Sales Director for David Wilson Homes South Midlands, said, “We want to help boost bee numbers and raise awareness of the insects’ plight.

“We are planting bee friendly plants such as roses and poppies, and installing a bee hotel at each of our developments in Bedfordshire, and we are also giving away special bee-friendly gifts to customers as part of their welcome pack.”

Bee friendly plants bloom from early spring through to late autumn, and include roses, clematis, geraniums, buddleia, fuschias, poppies, pansies and fruit trees. One in three mouthfuls of food consumed by humans is reliant upon pollination, including strawberries, apples, pears, chocolate, sweet peppers, chilies, margarine, mustard and herbs.

Jane Moseley, Operations Director at the BBKA, said, “Unfortunately honey bees are rare in the wild due to the threats of disease and lack of forage diversity. We don’t all have to be beekeepers to become keepers of bees. By providing plants that are in bloom from February right through to October, we are providing plentiful sources of pollen and nectar for honey bees and other pollinators.”

David Wilson Homes currently has a number of prestigious developments in Bedfordshire, including Bedford Meadows and Woodlands in Kempston, The Fairways in Great Denham and Marston Park in Marston Moretaine.

A well-established homebuilder, David Wilson Homes prides itself on creating exceptional homes in the finest locations and recently achieved the maximum five star rating in a customer satisfaction survey ran by the Home Builders Federation.

For more information about David Wilson Homes, or to register your interest, please call 0844 811 4477 or log on to the website at www.dwh.co.uk

For more information on the BBKA please visit www.bbka.org.uk

“My job is to hunt terrorists. I don’t negotiate. Within three days, I will find you. You can start counting.”

Meet Ethan Renner (Kevin ‘Man Of Steel’ Costner) – a grizzled, wrinkly CIA hit man who is one of the best out there despite his grey hair.

The black ops and ‘wet work’ for his country have taken their toll on his family life, though – his estranged wife Christine (Connie ‘Gladiator’ Nielsen) has virtually given up on him and his teenage daughter Zooey (Hailee ‘Enders Game’ Steinfeld) can no longer bring herself to call him ‘dad’.

What’s a man to do? Well, when diagnosed with terminal brain cancer Renner decides to put the killing behind him and try to make up with his family.

Alas, ultra vixen CIA operative Vivi Delay (Amber ‘All The Boys Love Mandy Lane’ Heard) has other ideas and tempts him to take a final assignment – to kill an arms dealing scumbag known as The Wolf in exchange for an experimental drug that might just extend his life…

That’s all you need to know about the plot, because even before the opening credits 3 Days To Kill has delivered a superb gun fight, some nasty kills and a botched ‘happy birthday’ phone call.

And the action doesn’t really let up thanks to this coming from the team behind Taken and being written by Luc ‘Leon: The Professional’ Besson.

Director McG isn’t known for bringing sensitive fare to the screen but he surprises here. This is his first non Hollywood flick and he manages to blend the disparate elements of family drama and brutal torture and killing effectively.

The glue that holds the car chasing, beating and shooting together with the adjusting to help a teen daughter with her social life is a sharp vein of dark humour.

Costner is good value in the lead – the dangerous dad role suits him even more than it did Neeson in Taken – and the bad guys include a rent-a-psycho albino (Tómas Lemarquis) and of course The Wolf (Richard ‘Casino Royale’ Samuel) along with many disposable henchmen which it is fun watching Costner stylishly dispatch.

Then of course there is Amber Heard, who sizzles every time she’s on screen, and Steinfeld who gives good teenage angst.

3 Days To Kill delivers a fun, action packed cinematic thrill ride – it’s perfect Friday night is movie night material.

The future of a Luton pub hangs in the balance as rumours are afoot that it could be turned into a supermarket.

Ashcroft Arms, on Ashcroft Road, was closed last month after the landlord of the pub was served notice by owner Punch Taverns.

A deal is reportedly in place to sell the pub to supermarket chain Morrisons, with a Punch Taverns spokesperson telling Luton News: “We are currently in negotiations with a potential leaseholder.”

Morrisons could not confirm whether a deal had been struck for the Ashcroft Arms, but revealed an interest in opening a store in the town.

A spokesperson said: “We’re always on the lookout for new opportunities where we can bring a Morrisons M local to.

“We’re looking at a number of sites in Luton and the surrounding area and look forward to sharing our plans with the community should any of these progress.”

Roy Chatto, chairman of South Beds Campaign for Real Ale, told Luton News: “280 pubs have been turned into supermarkets since January 2012.

CAMRA research has shown there is a loophole which means there doesn’t need to be planning permission when turning pubs into supermarkets.”

Wigmore councillor Alan Skepelhorn added his dissatisfaction at the rumoured deal.

He said: “Given that just 50 yards across the road from the site there are the LoCo and Onestop supermarkets, just a bit further up the road at the junction of Ashcroft Road and Turners Road is the Nisa supermarket and on Wigmore lane there is the Co-Op I wonder if another supermarket is really needed in the area.

“I would also be concerned that if the new shop was owned by any of the big four chains, that would use their national pricing policies to try and rid themselves of the local competition and in the end we will lose the local shops.”