The first chapters of Frank Riley’s "The Life of Riley" features later in this issue. I sent Frank some scans of photographs we have of his former home, the lock cottage at Widnes, which he was very pleased to receive. I also told him that the picture I was sending out as our Season’s Greetings was of the Widnes Transporter Bridge. He asked if I’d send him a scan of that - relating that he and his brother used to hang beneath the gondola for a free trip across the Mersey, jumping off as it crossed the wall of the Ship Canal, in which they would go for a swim!

The observant will have spotted from the cover of CUTTINGS that our website address has changed, as has the Chairman’s email address. This reflects a development in our presence on the Internet - we now have our own "domain". This enables all Society emailings to be routed through a single mailbox, and allows us to offer a facility to our Members - an on-line email address for those accessing the Internet through third-party servers (at work, college, school, library, cybercafe, etc.).
Register with us at: webmaster@scars.org.uk and you will receive an address (e.g.: fred.bloggs@scars.org.uk) which you can use to pick up your email anywhere in the world. If you already have email access through an ISP (Internet Service Provider) you might still find it useful to register as the facility enables you to send email from any access point without having to arrange forwarding with your ISP.

The site itself was greatly expanded in December by the addition of several Galleries of Archive Photographs. Since doing this the number of "hits", or visits by people visiting the site has quadrupled. One of our Galleries features the shots taken by the Editor of the IWA’s "Waterways" magazine, Harry Arnold, who looked up the site to see how we’d used his pictures. This is his response:

>In message Harry Arnold harry@waterwayimages.freeserve.co.uk writes
>Dear David
>Absolutely excellent; As is the whole site presentation.
>Many thanks. All the very best, Harry

He subsequently emailed the following:

David
Further to our conversation. I was interested to read the reference to Sutton Brook being called 'Stinky Brook' in the latest Canal Cuttings. As I think you know, my mother came from Sankey Bridges and for some years her brothers and sisters lived there. I never remember them and my cousins ever calling the Sankey Brook anything else but 'Stinking Brook' (no 'the') Sometimes the kids referred to 'playing by the Stinky' - which they were not supposed to do, under the threat of a 'good hiding'. In fact I didn't know it was called the Sankey Brook until I was old enough to learn more about the geography of Warrington.

My Uncle Len (Walmsley) had a greengrocer's shop in Sankey Bridges; but he also kept pigs on a piece of land that backed on to the brook. As far as I remember they always looked most healthy. But perhaps they had a more organic smell of their own to combat that from the brook.
All the best
Harry

Editor’s Note - it appears that the Sankey may have changed its Sunday name as it flowed towards the Mersey, but couldn’t shake off its reputation.

Our site is linked to as many related sites as possible. One of these is Warrington Worldwide - an on-line daily newspaper for the town.
This has proved a very useful link, not only drawing visitors to our site from among its readers around the world, but also enabling us very quick access for our Press Releases and news stories. Items can be sent as emails to their editorial offices and can appear on-line very shortly afterwards.