Luton’s Shared Learning Trust is celebrating after a strong set of GCSE results from itsacademies with some pleasing improvements seen at the South and West Academies.

The South Academy, on Rotherham Avenue in Luton, saw top grades in Physics and Chemistry up by 15 percent and in Media Studies the number gaining A*-C grades rose 27% on last year.

South Academy Principal, Cathy Barr, said: “I am incredibly proud of our GCSE students. They have worked so hard throughout the year and many have given up their weekends and holidays for extra work and revision. Examinations are undoubtedly getting more challenging, but this year’s students have shown that hard work and determination really do pay dividends”.

It was also good news all round at the West Academy, on Leagrave High Street in Luton, where the number of students gaining the top grades increased. The achievement of students in Maths and English was particularly strong, with progress higher than last year’s national average and 80 percent gaining A* - C grades in English, an increase of 5 percent on last year.

Andy Hardy, Principal of the West Academy, commented “Students and staff have worked tirelessly throughout the year and today the rewards have been reaped in the results gained. I look forward to welcoming students back to our sixth form in September. I am extremely proud of all our students and their achievements.”

The Chief Executive of The Shared Learning Trust, Andrew Cooper, said: “These results reflect the hard work and determination being put in by teachers and students in all our academies. I’m incredibly proud of all that they’ve achieved”.

The family of the woman struck by a train at Leagrave station yesterday have been informed of her death

The tragedy took place at around 9.25am at Leagrave station, as the woman was hit by an East Midlands train.

Staff immediately ordered rail users out of the station and hours of delays followed to services between Bedford and St Pancras.

By 10.50am two of the four lines had been reopened at Leagrave, but disruptions continued until the evening.

Today, a British Transport Police (BTP) spokesman said: “We can confirm that the person struck by a train on Wednesday, 19 August, at Leagrave station has been identified as a 44-year-old woman, from Toddington.

“Her family has been informed. The incident is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.”

Hard work has paid off for Putteridge High School students again this year, as many of them celebrated outstanding GCSE results.

Helen Beauchamp, Headteacher, explained that “The goal posts have changed yet again this year and gaining a C or above has become more and more difficult. I am extremely proud of our students for pulling out all the stops and working hard. The students’ performance also reflects the dedication of the staff who have given so much of their own time to prepare students for these important exams.”

Many students exceeded their high targets to achieve outstanding levels of progress and others overcame personal difficulties and showed great resilience to make sure they got the grades that they needed.

Aarbaz Zakir was commended at the presentation evening in June for his outstanding work ethic and this was rewarded with 11 GCSE passes at grade C and above, including 3Bs and 2 As, he is now going off to study A levels with medical Science.

Head Girl, Lucy Whittall and House Captain Fleur Harris achieved a clean sweep of 11 top grades; while Kyle Grizzell, Bethan Green and Head Girls, Neha Sharma and Kyra Spratley achieved at least 8 A/A* grades.

Fraser Strachan achieved the A and B grades that he needed to gain a Rugby Scholarship to Bedford School, where he will study A levels.

Billy Noades is delighted that he can begin his Level three electrical apprenticeship and Megan Esser has started an exciting career with the Royal Navy, based in Portsmouth.

The levels of progress achieved by students demonstrate that parents can be confident in making Putteridge High School the first choice for a successful future.

Students at Cardinal Newman are once again celebrating some outstanding results!

Thanks to the tireless efforts of students and staff, the school has seen a further improvement in performance with students across the school making more progress across more of their subjects.   

Achievements of particular note include: Alex Fry, Sohan Ratajczak, Liam Sweeney, Jemma Balendra, Francesca Carroll, Precious Getopa and Thea O’brien.  Each one of these students achieved an amazing 10A/A* grades (or more!) across a range of challenging GCSEs.

 Celebrating her success, Aimee Panepinto student commented: ”I was so pleased to gain such a good grade in RE as this is a subject I was keen to take forward to A Level!”  Shannon Caldwell added, “The support of staff has helped me to reach my potential and I am looking forward to starting my A Level courses in Health and Social Care and Sociology in September – and then onto university!”

Headteacher, Mr Joe Richardson, commented: “Cardinal Newman is committed to helping students achieve a range of qualifications that will support progression to high quality courses in further education.  We have high expectations and standards at and I am delighted these are reflected in the students’ success.  The combined effort of students, staff and parents has seen our students thrive, and I am grateful to all for their support.”

As Shrek The Musical comes to Milton Keynes Theatre this week, reporters Bev Creagh and Stewart Carr went along yesterday to give their verdict.


CREAGH SAYS .... Confession time. I’ve never seen Shrek the Movie so I came to Shrek the Musical as an innocent – unlike my colleague Stewart Carr.

Of course I vaguely knew the story – good-natured jolly green ogre, fights off evil, wins fair princess and proves that true beauty comes from within. So far so saccharine

But I hadn’t realised that a) Shrek was Scottish, nor that b) Lord Farquaad would be such a raunchy little royal. The way he was portrayed as a malevolent mini megalomaniac was nothing short of magical.

The production is peppered with fairy tale characters such as the Big Bad Wolf in floral dressing gown and sporting a cigar as well as a grumpy Pinocchio with telescopic nose and hinged wooden legs. There were also cameos from Peter Pan, the Three Bears and the Sugar Plum Fairy alongside many others.

It’s slick and fast moving with colourful costumes, extravagant sets, energetic dance routines and a spectacular dragon that’s surely had not a little help from those War Horse wizards.

And there’s humour - much of it above the heads of the largely young and enthusiastic audience who were obviously familiar with the story and roared their approval throughout.

Donkey, played by Idriss Kargbo, was a particular delight – a larger-than-life ass who was the perfect sidekick for Shrek (Dean Chisnall).

Word on the street has it that the production is almost fully booked so ring the Box Office now if you want to have a chance of seeing this entertaining show.

CARR SAYS...I adored Shrek the movie, being one of those early naughties schoolkids who made the obligatory trip to the cinema when it first came out.

But when it comes to musicals, I tend to growl a little bit like Shrek to be honest – unless they are really something else.

However, not a single scene in this stage production ended without a roar of excited clapping and cheering from a sold-out audience.

It’s true, this music fest has all the ingredients of a fun, family panto with awesome production values.

Dean Chisnall stars as the soul-searching ogre forced on a mission to rescue a princess by the diminutive Lord Farquaad, played brilliantly by Gerard Carey.

Sporting tiny legs, and a troupe of elegant backing dancers dressed as not-so-brave knights, the little lord is the perfect pantomime villain that you just love to hate.

And Bronte Barbe is the beautiful princess Fiona, gracing the stage and sassing the audience wearing her almost iconic emerald green dress.

And as for Shrek, he is rather more in touch with his feelings than the film, more likely to burst into a sensitive ballad than rock out with ‘Bad Reputation’ while bathing in a pool of mud.

So, this isn’t quite like the movie, but it’s sweet and charming all the same... and the kids absolutely loved it,

Shrek The Musical plays at Milton Keynes Theatre until September 6. Tickets are available here.

Lealands High School students have achieved fantastic results in this year’s GCSE examinations.

A spokesman for the school said: “Our students and staff worked incredibly hard over the past academic year and this has paid off with many outstanding individual achievements and significant improvement for the school. We would like to congratulate all of our students who achieved excellent GCSE grades and wish them every success in the future.”

Very special congratulations to:

• Kate Cheng who achieved 11 A/A* grades

• Kamil Bajwoluk, Sophie Begley and Rachel Collier who achieved 10 A*/A grades and Jack Hollis, Dean Greene, Zac Robinson and James Ford all achieving 9 A*/A grades.

• Shiveni Radia, Dillan Jethwa and Vinujan Maheswaran who have made exceptional progress across the board during their time at the school.

John Burridge, Headteacher, said: “Our students deserve to be praised for their incredible achievements, having worked so hard to gain their qualifications. We are proud and pleased by these results and wish the very best for our students in the future.”

Police are appealing for witnesses after a man was robbed in Luton yesterday (Thursday).

A man was approached by three men in Sworder Close at around 5pm as he got out of his car. He was grabbed by the offenders as they demanded his watch and threatened him with a knife.

The group of men were described as black, aged between 18 and 25-years-old, over 6ft and skinny build. They were all wearing hooded tops with the hoods up. The top worn by the offender with the knife was a black with blue on the sleeve.

The stolen watch was a gold and silver Rolex with a mother of pearl face and diamonds on each hour of the dial. It is worth approximately £9,000.

DC Joanne Merry investigating said: “This was a terrifying incident that left the victim very shaken. The watch was of high value and it is likely the offenders have tried to sell it on. We are asking anyone that has been approached to buy a watch matching this description or who has any information that could assist our investigation to come forward.”

Anyone with information is asked to call DC Merry on 101, text 07786 200 011, or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

A Luton man is due to appear at Westminister Magistrates court tomorrow charged with murder.

Denny de Silva aged 22 of Trowbridge Gardens, Luton was charged today by detectives from the Met’s Homicide and Major Crime Command (HMCC) investigating the murder of Romario Green.

He is charged with murder, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and possession of a prohibited weapon.

Romario Green, 20, was shot in Sudbury Town and died at the scene shortly after midnight on Thursday, 2 July.

A European Arrest Warrant was issued for De Silva. He was arrested in Spain on 10 August and, on his return to the UK on 21 August, arrested by officers from the HMCC.

Luton Library Theatre has a new look and a new mission.

Its bar has been redecorated, there are plans for a roof top terrace and it’s being promoted as the place where audiences – and stars – of the future will be created and encouraged.

Launching an Autumn season packed with shows to appeal to aspiring youngsters, Luton Culture creative producer Ellen Waghorn said: “Children are key to our venue.

“They’re our next generation of theatre-goers and performers. There’s lots of talent in Luton and we have this wonderful space where we can help artists develop.

“We want to bring literature to life - and what better place than a theatre situated in a library?”

She added: “This marks the start of a new future – we want to share our ideas and passion and get everyone talking about Luton Library Theatre and its potential.”

In addition to a great line-up of productions, the theatre will also host Script Lab, a competition for up-and-coming playwrights.

> Visit www.lutonculture.com/luton-library-theatre/

A Studham concert to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee was such a success it’s turned into an annual event supporting children’s cancer charity CLIC Sargent.

Guitarist Ian Milne of the group Common People explained: “Studhambury has become an institution in the village. It’s a nice vibe and people are really, really keen to volunteer and take part.”

The 2015 event takes place in the Red Lion car park from 2pm on Saturday, September 12 and features the Common People as well as Toffees, Crowjayne SC, Flynn Laban, Bad Bones and The Alternative Rhythm & Sound Experience. There will also be a number of surprise guests.

Ian said: “The charity is close to villagers’ hearts because a local teenager, Heston Harris, has really benefitted from CLIC Sargent’s exceptional care.

“We’ve raised more than £8,000 at previous events and hope this year will be even better.”

He added: “It’s a fun way to spend a late summer Saturday afternoon and evening and a great opportunity to help CLIC Sargent.”
Red Lion landlord Gary Ellis agreed: “Everyone is welcome to come and listen to our great home-grown local talent.”

A former athlete who devoted eight decades of his life to Bedfordshire Athletics Association – an organisation started by his father – celebrates his centenary on August 28.

Ken Abbott of Pope’s Meadow has two plaques on his window sill - one commemorating his retirement as president of Beds AA after 84 years of service and the other in recognition and appreciation of 60 years of service to the South of England Athletics Associaton.

The great grandfather is very modest about his achievements and did his running back in the day when athletes competed on cinder tracks wearing spikes. He was a county champion and his only regret is not taking part in the Olympics.

Ken left school at 14. “I grew up in the depression,” he said. “My father was unemployed and life was hard. I had lots of different jobs but finished up at Skefco where I spent 42 years.”

He was with the RAF during the war where he met his late wife, Pat. The couple’s son Mick is organising a centenary celebration.

Active Luton has received some top scores in a customer satisfaction survey.

It has also taken suggestions on board and made a number of improvements as a result.

These include additional customer service training for front-of-house teams, improvements to online booking facilities and adjusted summer restaurant hours.

A whacking 90 percent of golfers at Stockwood Park said they’d be ‘likely’ or ‘extremely likely’ to recommend Active Luton to family and friends, while 82 per cent of Lewsey Sports Park users said the same thing.

There was a total of 75 percent for lessons across all swim and dive facilities at Lea Manor Recreation Centre, Inspire Sports Village and Lewsey Sports Park and Pool.

Active Luton chief executive Helen Barnett said: “We value feedback and our staff work very hard to provide an enjoyable and satisfying experience for all users of our facilities. Although we scored high we’re not complacent and have taken on board all the comments that were raised.”

> Visit www.activeluton.co.uk

Luton-born pop art star Lhouette – real name Ciaran Robinson – joined the Royal Navy instead of going to art college so he could “see the world and get inspiration from other cultures.”

Five years and 21 countries later, he’s being hailed as one of the most exciting talents on the contemporary scene.

The Fine Art Trade Guild billed the 29-year-old as ‘Best Up and Coming Artist’ in 2014, his work has been showcased alongside Picasso’s at the Houses of Parliament and his debut solo exhibtion in St Albans was a sell-out.

The former Queensbury High pupil has a studio in Bletchley and is preparing for a massive show next year involving four galleries and 50 piece of innovative art.

He describes his work as ‘post urban glamour’ and says his psuedonym Lhouette is a contraction of the ‘silhouette’ style he employed when he started his career and wanted to remain anonymous.

If your community group has a great idea to make your area a better place to grow, live, work and age – but doesn’t have the cash to turn it into reality – help is at hand.

The People’s Health Trust, funded by the Health Lottery, is inviting applications for funding from its Active Communities programme.

It’s aimed at not-for-profit groups with an income of less than £350,000 a year, seeking between £5,000 and £50,000 for projects lasting up to two years.

Projects could be almost anything – designed and run by local people – that encourages strong connections and helps them improve their communities.

> To apply, visit www.peopleshealthtrust.org.uk before 1pm on Wednesday, September 16.

Comensura is pleased to announce it has been awarded a place on the Crown Commercial Services framework for the supply of non-medical, non-clinical, temporary and fixed term staff.

The Capability Green based recruitment service will give the NHS control of expenditure on temporary staff.

This framework agreement will allow NHS organisations to directly call Comensura to manage the supply of temporary staff, interims and contractors in any white or blue collar role from the most junior to the most senior roles.

It will meet the temporary staffing needs of NHS organisations through effective contract management and using a supply chain of specialist recruitment agencies.

Jamie Horton, managing director of Comensura, said: “We’re delighted to join the Crown Commercial Services (CCS) framework.

“We have proven experience of managing the supply of temporary staff to public sector organisations to give them a cost effective flexible workforce.

“The NHS relies heavily on the non-medical workforce to help run the hospitals and support doctors and nursing teams to deliver first rate care to patients.”

CCS works with both departments and organisations across the whole of the public sector to ensure maximum value is extracted from every commercial relationship and improve the quality of service delivery.

The framework provides healthcare organisations with a compliant and cost-effective route to their temporary or permanent staffing requirements.

Police are appealing for information after a driver was killed in a crash on the M1 on Saturday night.

The driver, a man in his 30s from Croydon, died after the blue X-Type Jaguar he was driving left the road and collided with the crash barriers between junctions 12 and 11 at about 11.55pm.

The passenger in the car suffered slight injuries and was treated at Luton and Dunstable Hospital.

PC Martin Longley said: “I would appeal to anyone who saw the crash, or the vehicle prior to it, to call police.”

Anyone with any information should call the Road Policing Unit on 101.

A pedestrian was killed in a collision with a car on Dunstable Road, Luton, last night.

The male victim suffered fatal injuries after being struck by a red Vauxhall Tigra on Dunstable Road near to its junction with Hayhurst Road at 8.30pm.

The driver of the car, a 27-year-old man from Luton, was arrested on suspicion of driving while uninsured and is currently in custody at Luton Police Station.

PC David Clarke said: “I would urge anyone who witnessed the collision, or either the car or the pedestrian prior to it, to call police.”

Anyone with any information should call the Road Policing Unit on 101.

A robber who stole Christmas parcels from a Yodel delivery driver in Luton was jailed for 16 months today.

Maurice Hughes, 26, jumped into the Vauxhall Astra in Albert Road and drove off, despite the driver trying to stop him.

He handed them over to his partner Natasha McDonald, 27, who advertised them for sale on Facebook, Luton Crown Court heard.

Hughes, of Wigmore Lane, Luton, pleaded guilty to robbery on 10 December and McDonald pleaded guilty to possessing criminal property at an earlier hearing.

For Hughes, Dan Hart said he had used minimal force. He was out with his brother looking for scrap metal when he came across the driver.

Hughes came from a travelling background and had difficulties with literacy and numeracy, he said.

Stephen Moore, for McDonald, said she had a health condition and three young children. He said she had played a minimal role.

Judge Richard Foster told Hughes he had committed a “despicable” offence on a vulnerable worker who was out on his own. He passed a 1 year Community Order on McDonald.

Beds Fire and Rescue has warned of the dangers of field fires after three incidents at the weekend.

At 5.45pm on Friday firefighters were called to a field fire in Whitehaven, Luton. Eight hectares of a standing crop were alight and two fire engines from Luton Community Fire Station attended supported by the multi-role vehicle from Shefford, and rural water carriers from Toddington and Biggleswade. Firefighters used high pressure lances, backpack sprayers and beaters to contain and extinguish the fire which was out by 6.30pm.

At 1.32am on Saturday firefighters were called to another field fire in Barton Road, Streatley where six hectares of standing crop and 600mts of environmental hedgerow were involved in a fire. Two fire engines from Luton attended supported further fire engines from Stopsley, Toddington, Dunstable and Hitchin as well as the water carrier from Kempston and the Harrold multi-role vehicle. During the incident a combine harvester overheated and was cooled down using a fire hose.

At 11pm on Saturday firefighters were called to another rural fire after 70 tonnes of baled straw caught fire in Mill Road, Eggington. The farmer used a mechanical digger to spread out the burning material while firefighters used hoses to keep the machine cool and to extinguish the burning straw.

Every year, fire destroys thousands of acres of countryside and wildlife habitats. Some fires are started deliberately, but most are due to carelessness. Follow these tips to reduce the chance of a wildfire in the countryside:

>Extinguish cigarettes properly and don’t throw cigarette ends on the ground.

>Never throw cigarette ends out of car windows.

>Don’t leave bottles or glass in woodland – sunlight shining through glass can start fires.

>Take your litter home.

>Only use barbecues in a suitable and safe area and never leave them unattended.

>Avoid using open fires in the countryside. Always have them in safe designated areas.

>f you see a fire in the countryside, report it to the fire and rescue service immediately.

>Don’t attempt to tackle fires that can’t be put out with a bucket of water – leave the area as quickly as possible.

>If you can, prepare for the arrival of the fire and rescue service at the pre-arranged meeting point, by unlocking gates, etc.

Police have issued CCTV images of men they would like to speak to in connection with an affray which took place in Luton.

The incident happened at approximately 5am on Saturday (15 August) in King Street.

Investigating officer Thomas Hamilton said: “This was a violent incident in which people could’ve been hurt, so it’s important we get as much information as possible about what happened. If you witnessed the incident, or if you could help us identify the people in the CCTV images, then please contact us immediately.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, email thomas.hamilton@bedfordshire.pnn.police.uk, text 07786 200 011, or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.