Tragic Jay Slater news confirmed by Spanish authorities
Major boosts for key venues and Green Flag Awards showered on county's parks
Hello and welcome to today’s edition of The Lancashire Lead. We begin with the news that seemed as inevitable as it was feared, the discovery of Jay Slater’s body in Spain.
Weeks of searching were brought to a tragic end on Monday when a body was found alongside some of Jay’s possessions. Yesterday, an autopsy confirmed it was indeed the 19-year-old from Oswaldtwistle.
A statement from the high court of justice in the Canary Islands said: “We have a positive identification and more data, fingerprint tests show that the body is [that] of Jay Slater and that the death was caused by trauma consistent with a fall in a rocky area.”
Jay’s mum Debbie Duncan described the discovery as “the worst news”, adding “I just can’t believe this could happen to my beautiful boy.” In the circus that follows high profile incidents like this, it’s all too easy to lost sight of exactly what is at the centre of it - a young man losing his life in the blink of an eye and a family suffering the kind of loss that is simply too painful to imagine.
When the cameras move on and attention turns elsewhere, that family will spend their lives dealing with this loss and it is the community around them who will try to offer some kind of support. A vigil was held in Jay’s home town yesterday, with those who knew him invited to pay tribute and others turning out to offer their support.
Reverend Matt Smith said: "Our thoughts and our prayers are with them. We're here and supporting them for when they need us."
Yesterday, both LancsLive and the Lancashire Post used editorials to call out some of the despicable social media commentary, conspiracies and outright trolling of a family suffering a desperate time. Among the most shocking examples were fake hostage videos and ransom demands sent to the family.
The twisted people responsible for such heinous behaviour aren’t going to listen to any reason but I hope there is a pause for reflection on much of what has been published over the past month - both on social media and in the news media - and what effects it really had.
There is little to no evidence that any lessons have been learned from the responses to Nicola Bulley’s disappearance and I'm left without much cause for optimism that they will be this time around either.
Preston City Council featured in this newsletter recently when Blog Preston revealed the closed down Guild Hall had cost it almost £1m per year since 2020. Well there’s some good news on that front with the same title reporting that part of it is set to reopen to the public.
While the main Grand Hall and Charter Theatre await RAAC inspections, the foyer will be opened as the newly created ‘Guild Lounge’ with a capacity of around 500. A six month programme of music, comedy, children’s entertainment and more is planned in the Guild Lounge starting from early October this year.
“This is a step towards getting the venues back operating and we know how important that is for the city and the businesses in the city centre.
“We want this [the Guild Lounge] to become a venue in its own right and be part of the live music and arts scene in the city centre which has some great things already happening.”
Preston City Council deputy leader Martyn Rawlinson
In another boost for Preston, and Lancashire more generally, the University of Central Lancashire has been announced as the host for next year’s Convention of the North. The event will bring political, businesses, community and academic leaders and the choice of Preston has been heralded locally.
With the devolution debate still raging away, the placement of a major regional event in Lancashire is seen as a significant show of confidence.
Over on the coast in Morecambe, another key venue has received a boost of its own. This week, a team of four project staff started work at the Winter Gardens as part of a two-year project with the aim of increasing volunteer and audience engagement.
The recruitment follows the awarding of £2.78m from the Cultural Development Fund last year, with the funding also used for capital improvements which so far include the restoration of the Victorian ceramic floor and other lost architectural features.
The new team, who each have different duties, will run the second phase of the grant delivery.
“This is a very exciting time at the Winter Gardens. Our new project team is raring to go and will provide invaluable support to the trust, as we move our restoration plans forward.”
Prof Vanessa Toulmin, Chair of the Morecambe Winter Gardens Preservation Trust
More positive news for Lancashire’s tourist reputation - and for its residents - was the healthy distribution of Green Flag Awards this week. Around 50 parks across the county received the prestigious award which recognises and rewards well managed parks and green spaces.
A special mention goes to Worden Park in Leyland as it is just one of four across the country which was recognised in the first awards 28 years ago and on every single occasion since then. The Canal & River Trust also earned a Green Heritage Site Accreditation for its management of Lancaster Canal.
To achieve Green Heritage Site Accreditation, winners have to understand and take action to conserve the heritage value of their site. They also need to help people to understand and enjoy its unique history.
The final place to get a mention is Wyre where the council is celebrating after receiving Green Flag Awards for an impressive five of its parks. Poulton's Vicarage Park, Hawthorne Park and Wyre Estuary Country Park in Thornton, Memorial Park and The Mount in Fleetwood all received the recognition.
“We have many beautiful parks and open spaces in Wyre and to gain five Green Flag Awards in one borough is a terrific achievement. Our staff and amazing volunteers work hard all year round to keep our parks looking their best and provide a place for our residents and visitors to spend time outside in nature. These awards are testament to their hard work and dedication and are very well deserved.
Councillor Simon Bridge, portfolio holder for street scene, parks and open spaces
It’s over to a different but equally picturesque part of Lancashire for the final good news story. The Lytham Festival saw huge crowds flock to the seaside last week as big name acts performed to sold out crowds - while a very different offering created its own excitement.
Community choir Local Vocals’ flash mob saw two hundred singers performing James’ classic ‘Sit Down’ in the town centre. The choir was founded four years ago by Laura Bennett, LIPA graduate, and meets weekly for rehearsals.
They perform regularly across seven Local Vocals choirs from Blackpool, Chorley, Preston, Blackburn, Wigan, Lancaster and Burnley and to date, have raised over twenty-three thousand pounds for local charities including Northwest Blood Bikes and Lancashire Mind.
Founder Laura Bennett said’ ‘Witnessing so many different people from so many walks of life share the collective joy of singing together is something that will never get old. Singing is for everybody and we are so proud to offer this experience to our communities.’
You can check the video out here and if you fancy giving it a go, no previous experience is required so sign up for a free taster here.
Before finishing on the news digest, allow me to push in you in the direction of The Lead’s other titles in the county. The Blackpool Lead and Hyndburn Lead are both sent out each Thursday with in depth features on important and under-reported issues affecting the county.
There’s strong stuff in each edition coming this week, including another newly elected MP writing exclusively for The Lead. Sign up below to make sure you don’t miss out.
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🍻 Villagers in the Lune Valley have launched a bid to save the only remaining pub by bringing it into community ownership (Lancaster Guardian).
⌛ Repair work on the broken sea gate at troubled Glasson Dock could run into 2026 (LancsLive).
🏗️ Plans to build nearly 150 homes in Blackburn have been submitted. The majority of the proposed homes are to be classed as ‘affordable’ (Insider Media) ↪️ Meanwhile a proposal to build 600 homes on the outskirts of the town has been recommended for approval (Lancashire Telegraph).
🌞 A new tool allowing residents to check air quality air in the Lancaster district has been launched (Lancaster Guardian).
🚧 More road changes are on the way in Preston with a key route out of the city potentially getting an extra lane to help reduce rush hour delays. The plans also include bus and cycling improvements (Lancashire Post). ↪️ In nearby South Ribble, a congested road could have traffic lights added to ease rush hour problems (Lancashire Post). The road was among the issues discussed at our elections hustings.
👩🎓 A university student who spent a month fighting for her life in a coma after contracting Covid-19 has graduated with a first class degree (LancsLive).
Thank you for reading today’s edition of The Lancashire Lead. If you enjoy reading this newsletter, please consider taking out a paid subscription to help support my work and gain access to the full archive and exclusive features. I’ll be back on Sunday evening with the next issue.
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