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Blackpool Gazette
  • 14/03/2025
A round-up of the top stories from across Lancashire.
Transcript
00:00Hello, my name is Luke Patrick, I'm a reporter for the Lancashire Post and the Blackpool Gazette.
00:04Here is the Daily Bulletin.
00:07Paedophile who worked at Blackpool Asda jailed after paedohunters swooped on Grange Park.
00:15A Blackpool paedophile who used to work at Asda has been jailed.
00:20Mark Barnfather, 47, was exposed by vigilante paedophile hunters who swooped on his home
00:26in Mildhill Road, Grange Park last year.
00:29The sting was streamed live on Facebook and Barnfather was accused of sexually grooming
00:34a 14-year-old girl online and attempting to meet her.
00:38You can watch the sting in our video player.
00:43The 47-year-old was not aware the child was actually a decoy
00:46and that he had been communicating with an adult.
00:50Paedophile hunters were aware of his predatory activities online and their decoy angel was
00:57able to gather enough evidence to expose Barnfather.
01:01Blackpool rooftop standoff sees Lancashire Police close Preston Old Road near Morrison's
01:05Daylid.
01:08Emergency services were involved in a rooftop standoff with a young man in Blackpool this
01:13afternoon.
01:14Police, fire and ambulance crews were called to the scene of Preston Old Road across the
01:19road from the Mearpark pub after the man climbed onto the roof of a house at around 11am.
01:27Three fire engines attended along with two ambulances and the road was closed while police
01:33officers helped the man.
01:36Lancashire Police said the incident was a concern for safety and was resolved safely.
01:42The closed section of Preston Old Road has since reopened.
01:46A Mouse Preston charity shop is set to open tomorrow at former Debenhams at Fishergate
01:51Shopping Centre.
01:53A huge 120,000 square feet charity department store will open its doors tomorrow morning
01:59in Preston.
02:01Hundreds of people are expected to attend the opening of a Mouse department store which
02:06will be one of the largest charity stores in the UK, located at the old Debenhams at
02:12Fishergate Shopping Centre.
02:15Shoppers will find a wide range of quality pre-loved furniture and fashion as well as
02:19new items including kitchen appliances, leather sofas and beds.
02:24All goods on sale will raise the vital funds needed to sustain the Mouse community's
02:30homes in Lancashire.
02:32A Mouse Preston is a charity that provides a home, tailored support and work opportunities
02:38to people who have experienced homelessness.
02:42People supported by the charity will be able to gain skills and work experience within
02:46the new Mouse department store, helping them to progress in their lives.
02:50The store will open at 11am on Friday with Quincemaster J Flynn MBE cutting the ribbon.
02:56I visited Lancashire's poshest village and I can see why homes here are so expensive
03:01and in demand.
03:03After this Lancashire village was named as one of the Telegraph's poshest for the second
03:09year running, I decided to pay it a visit.
03:12Having earned the distinctive honour of being named with the Telegraph's list of the 48
03:17poshest villages in the country, Whistwell was Lancashire's only entry to make the grade,
03:23meaning that I couldn't resist a visit to the quaint location causing such a splash.
03:28With a population of around 1,000 people, the settlement is small but extremely charming.
03:33If a little quiet, and while most of the residents will have surely been at work during my visit,
03:38the whole place had a friendly air of sleepiness to it.
03:43Boasting an award-winning pub and restaurant called the Freemasons Arms, itself consistently
03:49ranks in the top 50 gastro pubs in the country.
03:52Whistwell is teeming with interesting homes and views of the surrounding rolling countryside.