Borough Life Autum 2006: Dale’s on the right track
Dale's Progress: Dale gets stuck in, watched by dad Nathan and Wigan Council's Cath Lomas
WHEN Dale Doran had a brush with the law it could have been the start of a descent into more serious problems.
He was caught riding someone else’s motorbike on open land, the bike turned out to be stolen…. and you can guess the rest.
The 15 year-old from Springfield had never been in trouble with the police before and, if there is such a thing as a typical troublemaker, he wasn’t it.
It all came as a shock to Dale’s dad Nathan, who admits that for a while, he feared the worst.
“I did worry whether this was the start of Dale getting into more serious trouble with the police,” says Nathan. “He’s a quiet lad and while he works hard at school he’s more practically-minded than academic so if he was getting disillusioned I really began to have fears about where it may lead.”
In fact, it led all the way to London and a guest of honour appearance at a star-studded awards ceremony for a young man who has turned his life around.
Dale was ordered to complete a community-based penalty. He and dad had to sit before a community panel who decided it would be best for him to go to work putting something back into the community.
Dale was ordered to do nine hours reparation work under the guidance of Wigan Council’s youth offending team.
Reparation co-ordinator Cath Lomas is no stranger to working with young people who need that push to get them back on the straight and narrow, and most of it comes from something as old fashioned as teaching them the benefits of a hard day’s work.
Cath and her team of volunteers are experts when it comes to environmental improvements. They and the young people they work with have been responsible for bringing acres of derelict, overgrown land all over the borough – from Dam House to Haigh Hall - back into public use.
Dale started work on a major project to rejuvenate a piece of open land on Leigh’s Trees Estate. After the initial settling in period, he was soon hacking back undergrowth and laying new paths.
“I didn’t know what I would make of it at first,” says Dale. “It took me a little while to get into, but I thought it was great. It was brilliant to be outside, learning new skills and doing something that would make other people happy.”
He was so taken with the outdoor life that, even though he was only ordered to do nine hours work, up to now he’s completed 30 and is still going strong! Dale has helped to create a 170 metre long path and clear an open space that has become a field for community events.
When Cath and the reparation team were nominated for a top Green Heroes award for all their hard work, it was easy to choose who should go the glitzy ceremony.
Famous botanist David Bellamy hosted the awards at the swish Kensington Roof Gardens.
“It was a great day,” says Dale. “The ceremony was brilliant and Mr Bellamy told me to keep up the good work.”
Cath adds: “Dale’s become a real member of the team and has given up his own time and even his holidays to see this project through.
“We see time and again that with a bit of care and attention young people are capable of wonderful things.”