A HARD-HITTING campaign about the dangers of Shisha won Luton Borough Council an Admedia award.

The poster campaign used an image by Gingernut Creative of a shisha pipe packed with 200 cigarrette butts, representing the equivalent of an hour’s pipe puffing.

It appeared across the town to promote the message that shisha contains tobacco and is not harmless, and received a Highly Commended Creative award from Admedia.

Councillor Aslam Khan, tobacco control chamption for Luton, said: “The Tobacco Free Luton partnership is delighted to receive this award for our powerful shisha poster campaign. Shisha smoke contains chemicals known to cause lung cancer and heart disease and can affect the health and development of unborn babies and children.

“There is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke so any exposure is harmful, even to second hand smoke. Yet a quick informal survey of young people in Luton suggested most of them had no idea about the potential risks of shisha smoking, such as carbon monoxide poisoning.”

Three shisha cafes were closed last year after health and safety and trading standards officers found they were not operating legally.

For more information see {http://www.healthandsafetyluton.gov.uk|Healthandsafety|healthandsafety} or call 01582 510330.

If you are already running or thinking about starting a shisha business, please see {http://www.everythingregulation.org.uk|everythingregulation|everythingregulation}

THREE people arrested for attempted murder and grievous bodily harm after an incident on Tuesday have been released without charge.

Two men remain in custody, and detectives were granted an extension to custody time for them by Luton Magistrates Court today.

The five were arrested when a man was found with serious head injuries in a Stockwood Crescent property on August 7.

DI Iain Morgan who is leading the investigation said: “The victim is believed to be 51 years of age and Polish. Members of his family living in Bedfordshire have been traced and are receiving support from dedicated Family Liaison Officers at this time.

“I am keen to trace anyone who was in the Stockwood Crescent area at around the time of this incident. It is possible members of the public could have heard or seen something unusual but they may not have linked this information to this incident. The information they may have could help piece together exactly what happened to this man and I would urge them to come forward and speak to officers.”

Police were called to the house just after 8.30pm and administered first aid to the victim before he was taken to Luton and Dunstable Hospital by paramedics where he remains in a critical condition.

Four men and a woman were arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder and grievous bodily harm.

Next-door neighbour James Ingle, 61, said: “I heard two or three thumps a while before the police came, but I always hear things like that so I didn’t take much notice. They were big crashes, like something had been dropped.

“It’s a group of Polish lads that live there, they’re all in their 30s and they are very noisy. They’ve thrown a chair through the window before.”

Mr Ingle said he has lived in the street around 30 years and believes the house where the incident took place has been rented out for eight or nine years.

He said: “I think some Polish people own it and rent it out to other Poles. You see a few faces for a couple of months then they go again, they just come in dribs and drabs. I’ve never had any problems before but this lot have been very noisy. I’ve had to tell them a few times.”

Anyone with information about this investigation can call Beds Police anonymously on 101 or text information to 07786 200011.

Alternatively you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

A BENEFITS cheat who stole over £29,000 was given a suspended prison sentence at Luton Magistrates Court.

Susan Brown, 47, of 9 Venetia Road in Luton, pleaded guilty to a charge of dishonestly failing to notify a change in her circumstances while receiving housing and council tax benefit.

The Court heard how Brown had claimed benefits from the Council as a single person, but failed to declare she was living with a partner who was supporting her financially.

Brown fraudulently claimed benefits totalling £29,453 and is now having to repay it all to the Council. She received 12 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, plus a 12 month Community Order with a three month curfew. Call the hotline on 0500 500 777 or email fraud@luton.gov.uk to report fraud.

Action on Hearing Loss is issuing a warning to Olympic athletes and spectators that they’re at risk of permanently damaging their hearing from the noise in the stadiums.

Olympic officials have admitted that noise levels in the stadia have regularly been over 100 decibels, with the boxing arena hitting 113.7db during a fight involving Irish boxer Katie Taylor.

Exposure to loud noise above 85 decibels over time can cause permanent hearing damage and with the closing ceremony fast approaching, the decibel level is sure to be much higher.

The charity is urging Games revellers to pack earplugs, which can protect your hearing by keeping loud noises out without shutting out other ambient noises.

Action on Hearing Loss audiologist Gemma Twitchen said: “With crowds going wild for Team GB, noise has been recorded at levels in excess of 100db, which is much louder than a jet engine taking off, in fact, it’s 10,000,000,000 times louder than the smallest sound your ears can hear!

“A night in a noisy crowd could cause temporary tinnitus – ringing, whistling, humming or buzzing in your head or ears – or permanent hearing damage. This is not something you’d want to take home as an everlasting memory from the Games.

“You wouldn’t think twice about standing close to a jet engine without hearing protection, so we’re urging people going to the closing ceremony or any of the events in the Olympics and Paralympics to take the very simple step of using earplugs.’

Action on Hearing Loss runs a campaign which encourages people who enjoy music or loud environments to wear hearing protection. Log onto www.loudmusic.org.uk where you can also buy earplugs suitable for the Olympics and music.

NEARLY 100 animals have been mutilated and killed in Bedfordshire in the past four years.

A Freedom Of Information request has revealed the extent of mutilation crimes against animals dealt with by the police across the country.

In once case children attacked birds with a catapult and in another somebody used an axe to kill five pet chickens and a cockerel.

A 2010 incident saw an intruder break into the back garden of a house and disemboweled the family pet rabbit, and in 2008 the mane and tail were cut from a horse by thugs.

A spokesman for the RSPCA said: “Generally many of the calls we get purporting to be mutilation do turn out to have a more usual explanation, so thankfully such instances are extremely rare.

“The RSPCA would urge anyone who cannot look after a pet to rehome it to a suitable home, either an animal charity, rehoming centre or to ask friends or family who have suitable facilities to look after it.”

He added: “There is no excuse for dumping or harming an animal and if found guilty you could face a £20,000 fine or a possible six months imprisonment.

“There are cases sadly where people do harm animals, either by beating, kicking or drowning animals and in those cases the RSPCA will be involved in bringing such cruelty cases to court.”

In 2010 former chef Mohammed Miah caused outrage in Bedford when he choked a swan to death on The Embankment and just last week Bedfordshire Police issued an appeal after a rabbit was found drowned in the River Great Ouse still in its hutch.

The RSPCA says anyone who suspects crime has been committed against an animal should contact Beds Police.

TWO men charged with grievous bodily harm are appearing at Luton Magistrates Court this morning (August 10).

Janusz Przystanski, 48, and Konrad Kaczysky, 30, of Stockwood Crescent, Luton, were charged yesterday following an incident at their home on Tuesday night when another man was found with serious head injuries.

Three other people arrested on Tuesday night have been released without charge.

The victim, believed to be a 51-year-old Polish man, is currently critically ill at the Lister Hospital.

THE family of a blind Dunstable toddler who has been given a chance to see with a pioneering operation have been overwhelmed by the response to their fundraising appeal.

Two-year-old Brooke Chilton, of Norfolk Road, has optic nerve hyperplasia, and her only chance of being able to see is with stem cell treatment currently only available in China.

The family raised £926 at Asda in Bletchley, Milton Keynes, at the weekend.

This takes the total they have raised to nearly £7,000.

Brooke’s grandmother Dee Turner, of Woburn Road, Hockliffe, said: “We want to say a big thank you to everyone who donated.”

The family are currently looking for people to take part in a golf day on September 22 at Caddington Golf Club. Tickets are £45 and include breakfast, golf and a presentation meal at The Highwayman pub in Dunstable – contact Dee on 07940 580139.

An online donation site has now been set up at www.gofundme.com/zy0do

Or cheques made out to Brooke Chilton can be sent to Sally Murrer, MK Citizen, Auckland Park, Bletchley MK1 1BU

Popular BBC2 antiques programme Flog It! presented by Paul Martin, is coming to Ashridge House on this month.

The programme regularly attracts an audience of two million viewers each weekday and a valuation day is taking place on Friday, August 31.

The public are invited to bring along up to three antiques and collectables they might be interested in selling. Once valued, the owner and a team of experts decide whether an item should go forward for auction.

If the item is chosen it is sold a few weeks later – often with the owner making a tidy sum. Everyone who goes along to the Valuation Day will receive a free valuation – even if their antiques are not chosen to go forward for auction.

Previous programmes have seen a small cream jug sold at auction for £1,300; a ceramic bowl, bought for £4 at a car boot sale, achieving £1,500; and a lady in Aberdeen sold a Shelley tea set for a huge £3,400! More recently the show surprised a man who brought in a ceremonial cup; it later sold for £44,000!

Heidi Ellert, series producer said: “Paul Martin and the entire Flog It! team are really looking forward to bringing the show to Hertfordshire. Ashridge House and the beautiful grounds are a stunning location. Ashridge will provide the perfect setting for our valuation day event. We all hope you will join us for a free valuation, if you’ve ever wondered how much your boot sale bargains or clutter in the loft might be worth, now is your chance to find out.”

Anna Brown, hospitality director at Ashridge House, added: “Ashridge has a magical and colourful past that dates back over 700 years. Ashridge House, as it stands today, is a grade I listed 19th century neo-gothic mansion set within one of England’s most beautiful and historically significant gardens. We have a duty to preserve our spectacular house and garden for the nations benefit, and look forward to providing an inspiring backdrop for Flog It! fans as Paul Martin and the team unearth treasures on the Valuation Day.”

Flog It! will be at Ashridge from 9.30am until 4pm. The items selected at the valuation day will be sold at Tring Market Auctions, Brook Street, Tring, on September 28.

IT’S been one of those weeks. You know what I mean – first you think it’s going quite well and then something happens that you hadn’t bargained for.

My something was falling out of bed. Before you make the obvious remark, no I hadn’t had one drink too many, in fact only coffee had passed my lips all that day.

There I was fast asleep and dreaming when smack I was awake and holding my head. I made contact with the bedside cabinet and received not one but three blows to my bonce.

I have decided that it must have been the new memory mattress that was to blame. Perhaps it forgot my name or something.

Later in the day (on our second walk) I was stopped by a little lad who couldn’t have been more than eight who asked me for a light!

My look must have alerted him because he saw fit to explain that he and his mate were building a ‘camp’ and “we need fire”.

I couldn’t give him a light but remembering my own camp-building exploits as a child, I had to smile.

I have told you about my cycling-mad neighbour Tony haven’t I?

Well although he still likes Victoria Pendleton (well done Vicky at the Olympics by the way), he has now embarked on growing sideburns in a somewhat vain effort to emulate a certain Mr Wiggins.

It would help if Tony had at least a little hair on the rest of his head methinks but I don’t want to hurt his feelings so I’m saying nothing.

I am planning a visit to Manchester to catch up with my daughter and her family and have been considering the train versus the coach because I don’t fancy driving long distances anymore.

What I bind it is to find out times and prices! It’s a complete mystery to me just how prices can differ so throughout the day, Manchester is still the same distance from my home!

I am considering hitch-hiking but with my bruised face and my legs the way they are I wouldn’t have much of a chance of a lift!

IT turns out that us Brits are actually capable of being positive and organised when throwing a party for the whole world to enjoy.

The sun even shone for most of my day out at Olympic Park on Monday.

Saving us out-of-towners the (minimal) fuss of calculating an Underground route to Stratford, we were greeted at St Pancras with a 140mph, air-conditioned ‘Javelin’ train service that got us there in seven minutes.

Kitted out with more Union Jack flags than a VE Day street party, my default setting of ‘British pessimism’ turned to ‘gobsmacked awe’ as I surveyed the sporting Mecca around me.

Enveloped by a host of spectacular temples to athletics, cycling and basketball, and drowned in a crowd decorated with colours of every nation, it was clear I was in the Disneyland of sport.

Queues were manageable, food was expensive, but not un-affordable, and the gamesmakers volunteers were as high-spirited as they were helpful.

Approaching the Olympic Stadium clammy-palmed with excitement, I clutched my golden ticket tight, like Charlie Bucket in Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory.

The architecture of the stadium is exceptional, with two tiers of seats cascading towards the running track – a bad view of the action seems impossible – creating the acoustics that allow for an awesome atmosphere.

The night’s highlight was the eruption of noise when Jamaican Usain Bolt lept onto the podium to receive his gold medal for his dominant 9.63secs display in the previous night’s 100m final – directly in front of our seats!

Our athletics hopefuls Holly Bleasdale and Dai Greene were unsuccessful in the pole vault and 400m hurdles respectively, but Greene’s conqueror and gold medallist Felix Sanchez won the hearts of the 80,000-strong crowd with an emotional podium showing.

The 34-year-old Dominican bravely fought back tears during his country’s national anthem, before weeping passionately to the enthusiastic appreciation of the watching world.

Add to that the applause that met successful pole vault attempts by every competitor (including the Germans) and the friendly vibe created by all nationalities (including the Aussies), the whole world was certainly welcomed to London’s greatest show on Earth.

It bodes well for the future that we have so many new venues to blood the next generation of athletes – and excelling in less-accessible sports like sailing and show-jumping will be a realistic goal for many encouraged by our inspirational Olympians.

LUTON’S child of courage, Shamiam Arif, is facing a ground-breaking 12-hour operation to insert a titanium plate in her head.

But it has been deferred until she has four baby teeth removed because of the danger of infection.

The Foxdell Junior pupil suffered life-threatening injuries when a candle fell into her cot when she was a baby. Her skull was burned down to the lining of her brain and she lost both hands.

Last week she underwent three days of intensive investigations covering all aspects of her head and neck.

Now a trio of eminent surgeons, backed by a specialist team, are poised to carry out the complex and difficult procedure at London’s world famous Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Consultant craniofacial surgeon Jonathan Britto said they had two choices when considering her future.

They could either take bone from another part of her head, split it in two and layer it over the gap, or perform a cranioplasty which involves screwing a metal plate into place covered with muscle taken from the patient’s back and artificial skin.

Mr Britto said: “There’s quite a lot of bone missing from her head so we decided on the cranioplasty.

“This will not only reduce the overall level of surgery but if there are problems when she is older, we will still have the option of using her own bone.”

The award-winning surgeon will be joined by Shamiam’s beloved ‘Uncle Doctor’ - renowned plastic and reconstructive surgeon Peter Dziewulski – and GOSH’S lead consultant paediatric neurosurgeon Owase Jeelani, hailed by The Times as one of Britain’s top surgeons.

Shamiam faces many more operations including nose and ear reconstruction.

But she makes light of her disabilities with her huge zest for life.

> The Herald&Post has led the appeal to help cover her medical costs. Help us help her by sending a cheque to United for the Needy (Shamiam Arif Appeal), 146 Gregory Boulevard, Nottingham NG7 5JE.

here’s something to chill the blood, because nothing is quite so unsettling as a couple who want to make sure the whole world knows just how blissfully happy they are.

The couple concerned go by the names of Lisa Grant and Alex Pelling, and they’re planning to get married.

Good for them, but what’s that got to do with us?

Precious little, as it happens. I’m at a time in my life when weddings don’t come up as often as they once did. There were a couple of summers long ago when every weekend seemed to be taken up with matrimony – Mrs Dee and I got hitched in freezing February for some reason lost in the mists of time, but there were plenty of friends getting hitched and hoping we’d be there and reserving something pricey on the department store list they’d thoughtfully set up.

Nowadays on the rare occasions I find myself at a wedding I usually have little knowledge of either party – mostly it seems to be work colleagues of the other half on second or third time around matches, so at least the list tends to be much less demanding, thank goodness.

But back to Alex and Lisa. Weddings are, as we know, full of stress and expense. Nobody in their right mind would want to do it more than once if they could help it.

Not these two – they’re travelling around the world in a camper van, and in every country they visit they get hitched according to local custom.

I say get hitched, but each ceremony is more like a dress rehearsal. They won’t officially become man and wife until their two year odyssey is over and they’ve decided which of the 30-odd ceremonies was their favourite, at which point they will go back and do it for real.

They reckon the whole grand tour will set them back something like £50,000, which compared to many weddings is a bit of a bargain and at least all that money is being spent on the happy couple, rather than assorted second cousins intent on doing serious damage to the free bar.

So far they’ve worked their way up and down the Americas, with ceremonies as varied as a drive-through affair in Las Vegas, a vampire-themed wedding in Hollywood, and ‘I do’ dates according to local culture and costume in places as far afield as Costa Rica, Colombia, Puerto Rica and Peru. Still on the timetable are India, China, South Africa, Morocco, and Tahiti.

They are together 24 hours a day, seven days a week and live in the van. They arrange the weddings together, share the driving, and take it in turns to make each other breakfast in bed every day. Yes, think about it, think about your partner, if you have one, and then – be honest – shudder.

You have to hand it to them – if they’re still a couple when they get to the end of their marriage marathon they are clearly meant to be together, although I hope their next project does not involve starting a family in as many different countries as they can, to test the childbirth cultures of the nations of the world. Particularly if they stay with the camper van concept.

And I also really hope that I never find myself round at their place when the wedding albums come out – let’s face it, it could take a while.

A murder investigation is underway after a man who was assaulted at his home in Stockwood Crescent died in hospital on Tuesday.

The 51-year-old Polish man was found with serious head injuries on August 7, and died at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital a week later.

Janusz Przystanski, 48, and Konrad Kaczysky, 30, both of Stockwood Crescent, Luton, were initially charged with grievous bodily harm and appeared at Luton Magistrates Court on August 10 where they were remanded in custody.

They will now appear at Luton Crown Court on August 21 charged with murder.

The victim has not yet been formally identified.

Nonsensical and patriotic to a ridiculous degree, BATTLESHIP (12: Universal) is a special effects extravaganza that makes up the rules as it goes along.

After Transformers and GI Joe, this is the third Hasbro toy-to-film franchise and it doesn’t mess with a winning format.

Essentially, it’s Transformers at sea with rebellious no-hoper Lt Alex Hopper (Taylor Kitsch), keen to win the respect of his girlfriend’s father, turned into a naval hero who must fight off alien invaders.

These creatures are snake-eyed cyborgs who pilot ocean-hopping spacecraft, armed with giant yo-yo weaponry.

Once he’s got the soap opera out of the way, director Peter (Hancock) Berg delivers grand-scale wanton destruction that’s dumb fun personified.

When in doubt, Berg defaults to disaster mode with CGI vistas nabbed from blockbusters like Titanic, 2012 and Pearl Harbor.

Highlights include the title game replicated as a grid map based on tsunami-warning buoy positions and war veterans wheeled into action to help bomb the aliens’ transmitter.

Alexander Skarsgard and Liam Neeson head the cast, but despite her much-touted appearance, singer Rihanna barely registers as a gung-ho gunner.

> Still on the water, fast-paced futuristic thriller LOCKOUT (15: Entertainment In Video) sees violent inmates take over an experimental prison ship orbiting the Earth.

They hold the US president’s humanitarian-worker daughter (Maggie Grace) among their hostages, so maverick government agent Snow (Guy Pearce), below left, who’s been falsely convicted of espionage and has been offered a pardon, blasts off on a rescue mission.

But have the powers-that-be given him the full picture and what’s really going on in the jail?

All this, on paper, might look like a bog-standard ‘Escape From New York in space’, but the film quickly establishes its own character, thanks mainly to Pearce’s charismatic wisecracking hero and a couple of genuinely chilling adversaries in Vincent Regan and Joseph Gilgun.

Tension is kept at boiling point with a series of bloody, deftly staged shocks, which help to cover up occasional incredulities in the plot.

> More than 30 years have passed since reggae superstar Bob Marley died of cancer, aged 36, but the legend lives on through his music and iconic image.

After several false starts with other directors, the Marley family approved Kevin Macdonald’s approach as MARLEY (15: Universal), above, traces the story using carefully selected archive footage and interviews.

With a running time of nearly two-and-a-half hours, it’s a leisurely look at the Jamaican musician and celebrity who could quell riots by his very presence.

Designed for fans and the uninitiated alike, there’s no scandal here. Any controversy, such as why his wife, Rita, seems not to have minded his many girlfriends and illegitimate children, is simply shoved aside.

Although this feel-good offering is sure to bring Marley’s music to a new audience, a more informative and critical look at his life would have appealed to those wishing to delve a bit deeper.

> Comedy of manners DAMSELS IN DISTRESS (12: Sony) is an amiably daffy affair in which a group of females at an Ivy League college take it upon themselves to save their fellow students from depression and falling standards of decorum.

Setting the agenda is the domineering Violet (rising star Greta Gerwig), whose forthright opinions are far from conventional.

But does she have the right to organise everyone else’s love lives when her own relationships are far from perfect?

With its ever-so-elegant dialogue and squeaky-clean surroundings, this is light years away from the usual raunchy frat-house frolics.

RESIDENTS submitted a 738-signature-petition against Barnfield College’s plans to build on open space to Luton Town Hall yesterday.

The protestors object to plans to build an 80-bed care home, a new primary school and up to 39 houses on playing fields in New Bedford Road.

Councillor Martin Pantling said: “The number of signatures on the petition and the group here today clearly shows the amount of strong feeling in the area about the plans and I sincerely hope Barnfield will think again.”

The college will also build new sports facilities, but residents fear these will not be paid-for and will not be as accessible as the current open space.

Barnfield Estates Director John Corbett said: “We will be creating better sporting facilities for use by all. There is no intention of using the sports fields to create revenue, other than to cover maintenance costs. The consultation period is still on going and we are committed to listening to and taking on board the opinions of our local residents.

“The proposed development will bring better, more modern and efficient facilities to both those who study and work at the College as well as the local community. The improvements to the sports facilities are in response to predetermined Sport England guidelines and will remain very much open and accessible to the public. We take very seriously the opinion of our local community and will respond with positive actions to the issues raised.”

Residents say all they want is the open space left as it is for the local community to use as they wish.

Alison Moore-Gwyn, CEO, Fields in Trust said: “The sale of school and community playing fields and outdoor spaces jeopardises Britain’s longer-term sporting success and the health and enjoyment of people of all ages. It is crucial that we take this moment to safeguard our own and our children’s sporting future and wellbeing. We hope that councils will be able to look long term and see the need to act now to provide our children with somewhere to nurture the Olympic dreams sparked off by these wonderful 2012 Games: this can be done by ensuring that where development takes place, it always includes provision for recreation, sport and children’s play, as recommended by Fields in Trust’s advisory standards.”

The Barnfield Action Group are also opposed to the plans on grounds of increased traffic congestion, road safety concerns, stress on local infrastructure and intrusive light pollution, among other things.

The group’s next public meeting is at 7pm on August 23 at Bushmead Community Centre in Hancock Drive.

Visit www.barnfieldactiongroup.co.uk for more details.

Proud Leagrave mum Rita Arnold claims her television was “red hot” on Sunday night as she watched the Olympic closing ceremony extravaganza partially devised by her award-winning musical director son David.

The sassy 75-year-old was desperate to hear the stirring anthem he’d composed for the athletes’ arrival in the stadium.

“But it was drowned out by BBC commentators Huw Edwards and Hazel Irvine,” she laughed. “I was shouting at them to shut up so I could listen.

“David wrote about 20 minutes of original music – it doesn’t sound much but that’s a lot of notes!”

She was slightly nervous as the grand finale started to unfold but admitted: “As it went on I could see it all falling into place.

“I didn’t think I’d like the Spice Girls but I did.

“I also loved John Lennon’s Imagine and the few bars of John Barry at the end when the Olympic flames were dying down reduced me to tears.”

The mother-of-three and grandmother-of-seven added:` “I’m proud . . . very proud. I really enjoyed it and it’s amazing to think of that worldwide audience.

“David’s worked so hard and the last 18 months have been really intense.”

When Rita spoke to the former Challney High pupil afterwards, she said his over-riding emotion was one of relief: “He was just glad it had all gone well.”

The Arnolds have been inundated with congratulatory messages from family and friends all over the world.

“There’s lots on Facebook and loads of messages from our relations in Dublin,” she said

David, 50 – a Grammy award-winning composer best known for his Bond scores - is also musical director for the Paralymics closing ceremony. He is currently working on a musical version of Made in Dagenham.

He told a Sunday newspaper that growing up, his home had always been full of music and that his first proper guitar – a 1949 Gibson E50 – came courtesy of his parents’ hard graft and belief in his talent: ”It’s one of the things I’d save from a burning house.”
He described the Olympics as a “joyous, once-in-a-liftime experience.”

Rita’s only sadness is that David’s late father – Irish international boxer George Arnold, himself a gifted musician – wasn’t there to share his son’s triumph.

“I’d have had to tie him down,” she smiled.

A new sports facility that councillors hope will inspire a new generation of Olympians and combat obesity in the town is ready to open its doors.

The Luton News was given a sneak peak of the town’s new multi-million pound Inspire Sports Village yesterday morning.

While Stratford’s Olympic Aquatic Centre lies empty – until the Paralympics starting on August 29 at least – the village, complete with world class diving facilities, will open its doors to the public for the first time on Monday (August 20).

The centre, which has taken 22 months to complete, features a competition standard 50m pool, a 10m diving facility of the same standard to that which Tom Daley somersaulted his way to a bronze medal in London last Saturday, a dry diving facility, large sports hall, 100 station gym and dance and aerobic studios.

Perhaps inadvertantly given that it was originally supposed to open last month, the opening of the £26 million centre comes with the country on the crest of an Olympic wave with sports fans young and old seemingly eager to get involved and get fit.

And it has been billed as Luton’s very own Olympic ‘legacy’ with Active Luton already inundated with people interested in using the facilities and several national competitions already booked in at Inspire.

> For the full story pick up a copy of this week’s Luton News on sale now

The mother of a toddler born with a rare form of childhood cancer is urging fundraisers to join her in taking part in this year’s Relay For Life event to raise awareness of the condition suffered by her son.

Brave Claire Ball, of Daimler Drive in Dunstable, was heartbroken when she learned that her son Michael was suffering from neuroblastoma aged just 17 days in 2009.

The devastating news came after endless tests at different hospitals with doctors attempting to find out why little Michael was born with an extremely enlarged liver.

Claire told the H&P: “He was four days old and we were taken into a room and told that we were going to lose him.

“They didn’t know what was wrong with him, his liver just kept growing.”

But Claire’s relief at a diagnosis finally being made quickly turned to despair when it dawned on her that her youngest child had a form of cancer.

She said: “I sat in the waiting room in the hospital and I noticed the number of children who had no hair and were on chemotherapy drips.

“You don’t think that a baby can be born with cancer.”

Three-and-a-bit years on, Michael’s cancer is now inactive, but for mum Claire every day is a battle against the illness as it could return again at any time throughout the now three-year-old’s childhood.

Claire said: “Michael’s doing brilliantly now, he’s such a lovely little boy. But we’re under no illusion that everything can turn in a heartbeat. Cancer doesn’t care about your skin colour, sex or age.”

As well as Michael’s battle with cancer, Claire also lost both her parents to the illness.

So her, Michael and her elder son Stephen, who she says has been ‘incredible’ throughout Michael’s illness, are taking part in this year’s Relay for Life in aid of Cancer Research at Stockwood Park. The event sees teams of eight to 15 people take part in an overnight relay on September 8 and 9.

Team members take it in turns to walk around the park’s athletics track for 24 hours while everyone else enjoys a wide range of fun activities on offer or catches up on some rest.

Claire said: “This is the first year that we’ve done the event because the first couple of years it was still very raw.

“This isn’t going to go away for us and now is the time to give something back.”

For more information on how to enter Relay For Life, visit www.relay.cancerresearchuk.org or call 08716 41 26 02.

A legal firm based in Luton is celebrating after receiving the highest possible accolade from the Law Society.

Pictons Solicitors, based in Dunstable Road, has been awarded the Lexcel Practice Management Standard and use of the Lexel Quality Mark, which denotes that the firm is managed to a high standard and provides excellent client service.

Out of 11,000 solicitors practices in England and Wales, Pictons is among only 10 per cent to have achieved the Lexcel Practice Management Standard.

Sukh Saini, Managing Partner of Pictons, said: “I would like to particularly thank all of our staff who were interviewed during the assessment. Our assessor noted our many strengths as an organisation but those that were particularly noteworthy were in relation to our excellent HR policies and procedures, our employees career development, our Associate Mentoring Scheme, our Corporate and Social Responsibility activities, which include our charity work and involvement in the local communities where we have offices, and our pro-active use of social media to engage with the public. The Lexcel award is a great accolade for us.”

Lexcel accredited practices undergo rigorous independent assessment every year to ensure they meet required standards of excellence in areas such as client care, case management and risk management.

Accredited practices get fewer complaints and claims against them than other practices.

A LUTON lunch club has launched a range of education, employment and health related programmes after securing lottery funding.

The Annand Luncheon Club, based in Bury Park, is offering a range of courses including basic computer courses and ESOL (English Speaking for Other Languages).

In addition the club will be offering, advice and guidance on healthy eating and health living supported by light exercise classes.

Annand is running assessments, advice and guidance on healthy living by a registered doctor, light exercise including yoga and traditional Indian dance for fitness, basic computer courses and day trips to religious sites, parks and museums.

Limited places are available. For more information and to book a place contact Nishi Vyas on 07714089665 or log onto www.annandclub.org.uk. The Annand Club is also looking for local businesses to offer financial support for its Luncheon Club which runs between 11am and 3pm every Monday at the Beech Hill Conservative Club in Dunstable Road. If you can help contact Nishi Vyas.