Daily Post

Traditional Virtues Keep Butcher Busy ; Farm & Country Issues

WHEN he was a slip of a lad Richard Poynton's butcher grandfather equipped him with some sage business advice: "Live above your shop, not above your means," he intoned gravely. So here he is, 50 years later, living with his family above his butchers shop in Abergele Road, Old Colwyn. And though business is brisk - booming even - he is determined to abide by a motto which, in this age of debt and borrowings, seems strangely anachronistic.

Cruise Control

Pre-season style bargains Cognac is back

City Is 'Against Gay Adoption', Claims Mp ; Benton Says Government Initiative Will Offend Liverpool's Catholic Community

MERSEYSIDERS overwhelmingly want churches to be exempt from new rules giving gay couples equal rights to adopt children, an MP has claimed. Joe Benton, Labour MP for Bootle, said his postbag had been full of letters backing the Catholic Church's fight against the plans which have split Tony Blair's Cabinet. Urging the Prime Minister to grant the exemption, Mr Benton said: "The conscience factor must always remain paramount.

Thief Spared Jail After Reid's Order

A RE-OFFENDING shoplifter was yesterday spared jail by Liverpool magistrates -just hours after Home Secretary John Reid called on the courts to imprison only the most dangerous and persistent criminals. Drug addict Stephen Fowler was sentenced for taking over pounds 200 of goods from a John Lewis store in the city

We Should Not Squander Taxpayers' Money On Less Serious Offenders

IN A statement to judges and magistrates, the Home Secretary John Reid, the Attorney General and the Lord Chancellor, outlined how the increase in the number of people in prison can be addressed. In a separate statement yesterday, Mr Reid said: "It is necessary to a civilised society that those who are a danger to our society are put away. "The public have a right to expect protection from violent and dangerous offenders.

In Brife: Lonely Hearts Message in a Bottle

A GROUP of lonely dairy farmers have put their photographs on milk bottles in a desperate bid to find a date. Five single Welsh farmers have advertised their lonely hearts on bottles of Calon Wen organic milk.

In Brife: Chancellor Is Top Scot

CHANCELLOR Gordon Brown was named yesterday as the most inspirational Scot of the past year. Fellow countrymen put the Fife MP top in a list of 2006's most outstanding Scots.

In Brife: Rn 'Threat'

In Brife: Pups Dumped

This Is Bigotry, Claim Gay Couple Who Hope to Adopt One Day

SHAUN JOHNSON, 36, married partner Mark Johnson, 37, last year in one of the region's first gay civil marriages. Both believe they would make good parents and hope to adopt at some stage.

Christian Adoption Workers Fought Off Sacking Threat

SEFTON council threatened workers with the sack in 2003 over their religious opposition to gay adoption. Officers told social workers Dawn Jackson and Norah Ellis hey could be forced to leave their jobs because they spoke out against plans to allow gay and lesbian couples to adopt.

In Brief: Police Win Extra Time in Terror Inquiry

DETECTIVES were last night granted more time to question two men arrested yesterday under the Terrorism Act, said Scotland Yard. Officers now have until Tuesday, January 30, to hold the pair, aged 25 and 29, who were arrested in Halifax, West Yorkshire.

In Brief: Aircraft Jobs Must Go

In Brief: Vaccine Hope

In Brief: Union Protest

In Brief: Pounds 9 Dvd Player

College to Be First to Ditch a-Levels for Baccalaureate

LIVERPOOL College last night announced it hopes to be the first independent school in the city to ditch A-levels in favour of the International Baccalaureate, the Daily Post can reveal. Parents were last night told the college, under headmaster Brian Christian, has applied for accreditation to teach the international qualification to its sixth form students.

Lawyer Loses Hospital Claim

A SOLICITOR who claimed she was permanently disabled, after ageing hospital equipment collapsed during the birth of her daughter, yesterday lost her High Court claim for compensation from the Countess of Chester hospital. Christine Morley, 36, of Flint Drive, Neston, Wirral, claimed stirrup equipment fell apart during the birth of her daughter, Rebecca, in February, 2002, damaging her back. This was denied by hospital staff.

Screening Plan in Superbug Battle

LIVERPOOL'S elderly are to be screened for MRSA to keep the superbug out of hospitals. The sweep will be the first of its kind in the country, and will include tests on other groups considered at risk.

'Sweetener' Row Over Parish Cash

A DONATION of pounds 10,000 to three Cheshire villages, from the organisers of the Creamfields event, was last night described as a "sweetener". Creamfields founder James Barton has given the money from a special trust fund that uses part of the profits for good causes.