Gateshead Post from Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, England • 13

THE GATESHEAD POST NOVEMBER 28 1996 Page 1 3 The runaway train went over the hill entre man atched by ACTION: Metn tape then it got stuck Burglary charge A RYTON man charged with burglary with intent to steal was sent for trial at Newcastle Crown Court by Gateshead Magistrates on Monday Steven Bates 23 of Wearnside Walk was bailed on the conditions that he does not communicate with prosecution witnesses lives at his home address and does not go within half a mile of Stargate roundabout in Ryton He will face trial by jury on January 6 Man remanded A MAN was remanded in custody by Gateshead Magistrates on Monday after being arrested The warrant was issued for Anthony Paul Johnson 24 of Askew Road in Gateshead when he failed to attend court to answer charges of criminal damage He was remanded in custody until December 16 Payment warning A GATESHEAD man was given a 14 day suspended prison sentence by the Magistrates on Monday for nonpayment of fines John Nordenfelt of Marian Court was warned by the bench that he will serve the sentence if payments are not forthcoming Care for teenager A 16-year-old youth appeared before Gateshead magistrates on Friday to face a charge of burglary The teenager from Felling was remanded into the care of the local authority until November 29 Case adjourned A WINLATON woman had her case adjourned for two weeks when it came before Gateshead Magistrates on Friday Hazel Jackson 55 from Briar Close did not appear in court to face the charge of owning a dog not under proper control Unconditional bail was granted until December 6 Did not appear DRIVING offences against a Winlaton man were adjourned until December 13 by Gateshead Magistrates on Friday Scott Rowland 19 of Naylor Avenue did not appear in court to face the charge of careless and inconsiderate driving Unconditional bail was granted for three weeks until December 13 Learn new tricks CRAZY games toys and puzzles demonstrated at the MetroCentre next week could provide inspiration for distraught Christmas shoppers The Really Useful Games Roadshow will be' at the MetroCentre from December 2-8 from 9am to 9pm on Saturday from 9am to 7pm and from 11am to 5pm on Sunday A magician will also be present to teach children tricks to impress their friends Have you lost a bird? A COUPLE of high-flying pigeons have been found in the area A with 95 on its leg ring was found in Wrekenton the other with 94 was round near old Askew Road The owner should phone 0191 491 4592 WHEN a test-ride of newest attraction ran out of steam VIPs had no choice but to roll with it Guests trying out fastest indoor rollercoaster at the New MetroLand were left stranded 25 feet up in the air when the ride came to a halt and started to roll backwards on approach to the second climb New MetroLand bosses Arlington Leisure later admitted that the weight of the passengers had put too much strain on the maiden voyage of the new improved ride Firefighters were called as staff launch the new ride on Friday to coincide with Children in Need fundraising events taking place in MetroLand but the ride only earned its name as a showstopper when many teen bands were forced to delay their performances as the rescue was carried out John Bryson MetroCentre general manager who was the first person to ride the rollercoaster when it was built in 1988 also the button to launch the revamped ride Arlington Leisure Group new tenants of MetroLand have organised a whole programme of improvements to put their stamp of individuality on the Europe's largest indoor theme park The New Rollercoaster has been closed while a new tunnel and special effects are Boxes of launched a rescue operation using a hydraulic picker' lift to bring the 24 guests to safety an hour later Arlington Leisure had chosen to added More travellers are boost war refugees taking to the Metro Talking crime off our streets PEOPLE living in the west of the borough including Birtley Whickham Blaydon Swalwell and Rowlands Gill are to be given a final say on how their area should be policed Senior officers will be on hand at a public meeting where local people will be able to voice their concerns about crime The meeting will be chaired by Coun George Gill leader of Gateshead Council as well as Supt Jon Scott west area commander Anyone not able to attend the meeting can still hear the plan by calling FreeCall 0500 818999 The meeting which will be held at Kibblesworth Club The Square Kibblesworth on December 2 will start at 7pm cheer will organisers of the appeal for St Mark's said: "We are hoping to send as many boxes as we possibly can to Kosovo We are also intending to send a parcel of things like blankets and baby clothes as would also be nice if people could put a photograph or short message in their box so the person receiving the present knows who it is from" she added Anyone who is willing to donate a box to the appeal can drop it off at St Mark's Methodist Church on Shipeote Terrace in Gateshead The closing date for collections is Sunday December 8- CHURCHGOERS in Gateshead are doing their bit to ensure the refugees in the trouble-hit former Yugoslavia have a happier Christmas St Mark's Methodist Church has organised shoe boxes to be filled with essential goods such as soap and toothpaste as well as things such as small toys and games for youngsters The boxes will be categorised into six areas education children hygiene play baby and odds and ends before being shipped out to Kosovo in the former Yugoslavia Loma Harland one of the the Metro said: "1 am delighted with these figures: we are now bucking the trend I believe that our success is due to a range of major improvements" He said these include better reliability punctuality more sensitive timetabling stronger marketing campaigns cleaner stations and higher levels of security He added: "Above all our success is due to a good workforce committed to providing a better service for its customers The next challenge is to keep the trend upwards until the end of the financial year and AFTER ten years of falling custom Metro bosses claim to have reversed the trend The claim comes after figures tor the last six months show that more people travelled on the Metro than for the same period last year Bosses say the achievement is all the more remarkable in that it was brought about at a time when the number of people using other forms of public transport is declining The rise has occurred despite a substantial increase in Metro fares Mike Parker Director General of Nexust who operate 4-.