Welcome to “Sunday Snippets” a weekly feature from birkenhead.news. It is a round-up of important local news stories from the last seven days. Click or tap on each story to read the full article.
Wellbeing walk steps up to tackle social isolation in Wirral
Wirral Sea Angling Academy (WSAA) CIC and Supporting the Peeps Wirral CIC have organised a well-being walk for Thursday 14 July.
Ben Koba from WSAA told birkenhead.news, “It’s to help tackle social isolation and hopefully improve people’s mental health.”
Anyone wishing to attend is asked to meet at the steps of Wallasey Town Hall at noon. Ben said, “We’ll break up into smaller groups and have a stroll around for an hour, make some new friends, talk about whatever is bothering you, whatever is on your mind.”
Plans announced for £12m development at Birkenhead Docks
Peel Ports Group has announced plans for a commercial development at Birkenhead Docks, in collaboration with specialist manufacturer, Finsa UK.
The joint venture, worth more than £12million, will see the creation of contemporary logistics space at a new quayside terminal on the West Float, which will encourage further investment into the local area.
Plans for the 6.5-acre development will facilitate Finsa UK’s business growth and enable it to centralise its UK operations to the site, creating a new headquarters for the firm.
Britain’s Got Talent’s Mel Day headlines ‘The Story of Soul’ at Floral Pavilion
Hotfoot from performing Soul Man, I Feel Good, Land of 1,000 Dances and Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag on his journey towards the finals of this year’s Britain’s Got Talent, the hugely-talented Mel Day has joined the cast of The Story of Soul as the evening’s special guest.
Mel’s vocals grace the latest hit show from Entertainers – the producers responsible for the success of two of the country’s most popular touring concert shows – The Magic of Motown and Lost in Music. Entertainers are telling theatregoers to “get ready as Mel and the cast take audiences on a journey of sweet soul music.”
Hitting the Floral Pavilion, New Brighton, on 15 July, The Story of Soul will feature Mel in all performances. Producer James Taylor advises local theatregoers to “prepare to be taken on a journey of ‘Sweet Soul Music’ hits”.
Snakes alive! Birkenhead woman finds corn snake slithering across drainpipe
A snake which shocked a Wirral woman when it slithered across a drainpipe at her home is now in safe hands thanks to the help of the RSPCA.
The corn snake was on the loose at a property in Bidston Avenue in Birkenhead on Saturday, 2 July, prompting a call to Merseyside Police before RSPCA Inspector Anthony Joynes offered the roaming reptile a bed for the night.
Anthony maintains a vivarium at his home and is well kitted out to meet the needs of exotics, but he fears that rising living costs could persuade owners to consider abandoning their pets.
Controversial Wirral Conservative councillor deselected by party
In an email seen by birkenhead.news, Councllor David Burgess-Joyce has responded to his deselection by the Conservative Party.
Mr Burgess-Joyce currently represents the Greasby, Frankby and Irby ward. However, his deselection will mean that he will not stand for reelection as a Conservative councillor in the next local elections.
The email reads, “Good evening all. I wanted to tell you first before the gloaters did that I was not selected this evening. I have known for some time that this would happen, not least having a fellow councillor on the panel who I had challenged for the leadership of the group (who is also up for re-selection!) together with an ex-colleague who never wanted me as the GFI candidate all the way back in 2015. At least there won’t be any competition for the group leadership now.
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Wirral bids for Levelling Up cash to regenerate Liscard town centre
More investment could be coming to Liscard as Wirral Council plans to make a bid for £12 million from the government’s Levelling Up fund.
The application will be submitted to develop a new community hub and help regenerate the town centre, in particular the shopping area.
Proposals include improving shop fronts on Liscard Way and making Mother Redcap Place more user-friendly. There are also plans to reconfigure the Wallasey Road and Seaview Road junction to improve traffic flows and allow safer cycling and pedestrian travel, and to encourage high-quality residential development at the Seaview Road Car Park site by creating new links to the town centre.
Wirral Libraries challenge children to get reading this summer
Children across Wirral are invited to take part in this year’s Summer Reading Challenge.
The challenge is aimed at children aged two to eleven and is delivered by Wirral’s Libraries Service in partnership with national charity The Reading Agency and the Science Museums Group.
This year’s theme involves six fictional characters, the Gadgeteers. The characters – brought to life by children’s writer and illustrator Julian Beresford – use their curiosity and wonder to understand the science behind a whole range of interests, from fashion and technology to cooking and music.
Knife Angel event highlights anti-violence campaign
On Friday 8 July, a launch event was held at the Grand Entrance to Birkenhead Park, signalling a month-long county-wide knife amnesty and ongoing education campaign which aims to reduce the number of weapons on the streets of Merseyside.
The Wirral Rock Choir opened the proceedings with a moving performance of the Robbie Williams song ‘Angels’ under the Knife Angel statue.
There were speeches by Clive Knowles, whose firm built the Knife Angel, Merseyside Police Deputy Cheif Constable Ian Critchley, Merseyside Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell, Mark Cambourne from Wirral Council, and an emotional speech by Mandy Jamieson on the effect that knife crime had on her family after her son Daniel was killed in a knife attack.
Wirral MPs respond as Johnson quits
Boris Johnson has resigned as leader of the Conservative Party but will remain as Prime Minister until the autumn.
He officially announced his resignation at a press conference outside number 10 Downing Street.
A Conservative leadership race will take place over the summer and a new Prime Minister will be in place in time for the Tory party conference in October. This means the UK is now heading for the fourth Prime Minister in just six years.
Wirral awarded £3 million to help vulnerable residents this summer
Wirral Council has secured more than £3 million to provide school meal replacements and help residents facing severe financial difficulties this summer.
The funding is from an extension to the Government’s Household Support Fund and will be targeted at the borough’s most vulnerable residents, with a third ring-fenced to support families with children, and a further third allocated to help pensioners (age 65+).
Wirral Council’s director of resources, Shaer Halewood, said, “Cost of living increases are making it increasingly difficult for people to make ends meet, so this £3 million of extra support is very welcome. The new funding will be targeted at the most vulnerable people in our community, with the majority being used to help with essential food and fuel costs.
Cat’s brush with death after vets find 80 per cent of stomach full of hair bobbles
A Siamese cat had a brush with death after swallowing a pile of hair bobbles.
Marley’s owners hadn’t even noticed he’d been eating the bands until he fell ill but X-rays revealed the three-year-old feline had a huge mass, over 30, in his stomach.
Staff at Acorn Veterinary practice in West Kirby decided the best thing to do was to operate.
Wirral Police weekly news round-up
This is the birkenhead.news weekly round-up of police activity in and around Wirral during the previous seven days.
What’s On? Guide
Visit our “What’s On?” guide for Wirral and the surrounding areas in the coming weeks.
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