FORMER boxing world
champion Frank Bruno, a long-term guest at Champneys health farm in Tring, has
shockingly revealed that he used cocaine for six months.
Speaking to a
national newspaper Bruno said his cocaine use plunged him into a 'black hole
with no ending' and may have contributed to the mental illness for which he was
sectioned under the Mental Health Act in 2003. He also admitted using a strong
version of cannabis known as skunk.
Bruno, 43, has been staying at the
exclusive resort on and off for the past six months following a torrid time in
his personal life.
Prior to him being sectioned he was divorced from his wife
and mother of his three children in 2001.
He moved into the £100 a night
Champneys in April this year.
"It's a horrible, very, very false world that
it [cocaine] puts you under,"he said. "I felt great when actually things weren't
so great."
Reaching for the
sky
THOUSANDS of
balloons were released in Tring last Thursday (October 6) by school students
hoping to win a luxury hot air balloon trip.
Students from Tring School
eagerly rushed out onto the school field during the last lesson of the day to
set their balloons off on a journey. More than 3,500 balloons were released,
each with a numbered ticket and return address.
The owner of the balloon that
travels the furthest and has its ticket returned to the school will win a hot
air balloon trip for two in radio station Mix 96's Hot Air Balloon.
Kim
Baiden, vice-chair of Friends Of Tring School, the group that organised the
event, said: "It was absolutely fantastic. We had the whole school out on the
football pitch.
"It was really spectacular. The Friends of Tring School were
delighted with the response from the students and staff and we were particularly
grateful to the 6th form students who had the onerous task of blowing up all the
balloons."
Students at the school bought balloon race tickets for £1, raising
about £3,000.
The cash will go towards resources for Tring Learning Centre,
which is being officially opened today (Wednesday, October 12).
For the race
students competed to see which school house could sell the most tickets.
Halton House won selling 1,155 balloons, which means they claim the school?s
Challenge Cup for the year.
The new learning centre has been designed for the
whole community to enjoy with computer and library facilities and as part of the
launch there will be a special evening celebration where guests, including the
Mayor of Tring and the Mayor of Dacorum, will discover more about what the
centre will mean for the community and the school?s students.
During the day
school students and staff will be planting a tree and burying a time capsule
containing items relating to health, school life, local living and technology,
to commemorate the launch.
Mast disguised as tree to get
chop
PLANS for an O2
phone mast disguised as a dead wood tree in an Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty have been recommended for refusal by Tring Town Council.
Proposals for
the mast in Park Hill Farm, Northfield Road, Tring, is equipped with two
antennae and three equipment cabinets.
Tring Town Council's planning
committee received six letters of objection to the plans from local residents
and a petition.
During a planning meeting on October 3, Councillor Olive
Conway said: "The mast can be seen for miles around, it is so high and it is in
an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
"I think the whole thing is just
getting out of hand and should be refused."
Tring Town Council
decided to
recommend the application for refusal on the grounds of its location.
A
final decision will be made about the application by Dacorum Borough
Council.
Spooky way to raise
cash
A HALLOWEEN
fundraiser is brewing at Dundale School to raise funds for a new computer suite.
On Saturday, October 15 there will be some spooky goings-on at the school
with a Halloween costume competition, games and prizes.
Youngsters will be
able to make Halloween bracelets, get a temporary tattoo and try their luck in
the school's raffle.
This is the school's first big event to raise cash for a
new computer suite. During the year staff hope to raise £15,000. The fundraising
afternoon, which runs from midday to 2.30pm is best suited for children aged up
to 11 and all children should be accompanied by an adult.
For more
information contact Dundale School in Silk Mill Way, Tring, on 01442
822421.
Funeral held for
'Chucky'
THE FUNERAL of Nick
Wood, who died following a road crash in Ivinghoe, was held yesterday (Tuesday,
October 11) at St Martha's Church in Tring. It was followed by a private
cremation at Amersham Crematorium.
His parents, Gill and John, have paid
tribute to their popular son, a fitness instructor, who was known to his friends
as 'Chucky'. They have requested that any donations should be made to The
Scoliosis Association UK, c/o R. Metcalfe, High Street,
Tring.
Twenty-one-year-old Nick died on Sunday, September 25, after the blue
Ford Fiesta he was driving along Beacon Road, towards the B489, was involved in
a crash with a black Peugeot 406 travelling in the opposite direction at about
2.30pm.
Police are still appealing for witnesses to the accident. Contact
investigating officer, PC Jerry Davies, of Aylesbury Roads Policing on 08458 505
505 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Do you know
champagne shoplifters?
POLICE are appealing
for help in identifying these two men relating to a shoplifting incident
in Tring.
The incident took place in Unwins in Miswell Lane in Tring at
8.50pm on Friday September 2. The two men entered the store and while one
offender went to the counter the other man stole a number of bottles of
champagne.
The first man then also stole a bottle of champagne before
they both left.
Both men got into a silver Peugeot 306 and made off along
Miswell Lane towards Icknield Way.
Police are appealing for anyone who
recognises either of these men or has information on their whereabouts to
contact the Western Area Crime Desk on 01442 271035 or email westerncrimedesk@herts.pnn.police.uk.
Design a card and win a
meal
YOUNGSTERS are being
invited to design their own Christmas cards for a festive competition being held
by The Crows Nest in Tring.
The winning design will be made into Christmas
cards, which will be sold across 157 Beefeater restaurants throughout country.
The winner will be treated to a free meal for up to four people at their
local Beefeater and given 50 of their Christmas cards to send to family and
friends.
The lucky child will also receive £1,000 to donate to
charity.
To enter the competition, which is open to children aged 12 and
under, pick up an entry form from the restaurant on Tring Hill.
The
competition closes on Friday, November 4 and the winner will be announced on
Friday, November 11.
Balloons and
reindeers
SANTA'S reindeers
will be well fed in Long Marston this Christmas thanks to the special Reindeer
Food Stall at this year's village school fair.
This festive stall alone made
£29 during the Long Marston School Fair on Saturday and was among other popular
stalls including bric-a-brac and home-made cakes.
Youngsters will put the
reindeer food outside their homes on Christmas Eve to help Santa?s reindeers on
their way delivering presents to homes.
The fair, held at the Station Road
school started at 2pm and raised about £1,600.
The cash will go towards
paying for the school's new laptop computer suite.
Head teacher at Long
Marston School, Peter Dickenson said: "It went very well.
"It has certainly
helped towards our laptop computer fund."The school now plans to raise another
£8,000 through various fundraising methods to go
towards the computer
fund.
