The Nifty 250: News of the day in so many words

A CRANE CRASH DRIVER WILL NEVER WALK AGAIN following the accident at Chandler’s Wharf apartment block last July. Father-of-four Iain Gillham is now in a wheelchair, paralysed from the waist down, after he was thrown from the crane cab. Mr Gillham has been in hospital since the accident and is likely to remain there until next September.

THE HILLSBOROUGH MEMORIAL CHARITY, which is aiming to replace a monument wrecked by vandals, has passed its halfway mark. The Portland stonework of the memorial garden in Port Sunlight Village will cost £26,500 to repair but £15,000 has already been raised.

Port Sunlight Garden Centre will host a Halloween special on Saturday 31 October from 6pm to 9pm, with admission of £5 per child, for the cause. It is hoped the money will be raised by Christmas so work can begin in the new year.

A LIVERPOOL PRIMARY SCHOOL IS CELEBRATING being Spanish School of the Year. Arnot St Mary CofE primary in Walton was awarded the accolade by special guests, including a member of the Spanish Consulate and the Spanish secretary for education. Teacher Teresa Miller, who comes from the northern Basque Country and who has led the school’s Spanish programme, said she was thrilled with the award.

A CROSBY MP HAS ACCUSED THE PM OF LACKING LEADERSHIP in the revived expenses row. Crosby MP Claire Curtis-Thomas blamed Gordon Brown for refusing to stand up for MPs who are having their reputations “trashed” and said he has “cowered and diminished” amid the furore.