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.
Elizabeth II: 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022
Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history, has died peacefully at Balmoral, the palace has announced.
King Charles III made a statement in which he said, “The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family.
“We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.
“During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held.”
Remembering Her Majesty The Queen
The people of Wirral are greatly saddened to hear of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Our borough, along with the rest of the nation and Commonwealth, is now in a period of mourning which will continue until the end of the day of the State Funeral on Monday 19 September.
Flags at Birkenhead and Wallasey Town Halls as well as other civic buildings are now being flown at half-mast as a mark of respect. Both Town Halls and the Gardens at Hamilton Square will also be illuminated purple each evening during the period of mourning.
Mega abseil event in aid of Arrowe Park Neonatal Unit
The much-loved Arrowe Park Abseil returns to the hospital this September WUTH Charity’s Tiny Stars Neonatal Appeal benefitting from the donations raised.
Participants will take on the challenge of abseiling down the side of Arrowe Park Hospital’s building during the event which will run for two days from Thursday 22 September until Friday 23 September. Anyone over the age of 12 years is invited to take part and brave the three-storey drop.
Last year’s abseil was a great success with 130 fundraisers taking part, raising £31,000 for the incredible neonatal unit at Wirral University Teaching Hospital (WUTH) which specialises in the care of ill or premature new-born infants.
Work gets underway on New Ferry Community Clubhouse
Work to transform a run-down youth club in New Ferry into a state-of-the-art community clubhouse is underway after building contractors took over the site earlier this week (Monday 5 September).
The idea of redeveloping Bebington Youth Club into a modern clubhouse dates back to 2016 when elected representatives and members of the community met to discuss the future of the under-used centre and identify how it could be used to support the local residents.
At that time the youth club only opened for nine hours per week – three hours on three evenings each week – and only for young people aged 13-19.
Join birkenhead.news on Facebook
Keep up to date with all the latest Wirral news by liking our Facebook page.
Pulp front man to host Q&A in aid of Oxton’s ‘Ron’s Place’
Jarvis Cocker from the band Pulp will be appearing at the Liverpool Playhouse on Friday 30 September for a question and answer night looking at some memorable stories and items from his time leading the britpop outfit.
All proceeds from the show will be going towards ‘Ron’s Place’ in Oxton; a unique British example of what is often called ‘outsider art’.
Jarvis Cocker is patron of Ron’s Place and talked about his interest in the unusual venue, “I think that’s one of the things that attracts me to outsider art: you feel like you’re seeing art in a purer, more primal form. An environment takes it to a different level.
New ITV prime-time comedy filmed in Wirral
Filming has just wrapped on the latest production to receive vital investment from Liverpool Film Office’s Film and TV Production Fund.
The Family Pile is a brand new ITV prime-time comedy set in Liverpool and tells the story of four sisters who have lost their parents and are packing up the family home to sell.
Filmed across the Liverpool City Region, the producers created a full-size family home interior set inside the now-empty Pensby High School for Boys in Wirral. Other locations included exteriors in Crosby and Bebington.
Fender Lane Bridge set for closures for inspection work and structural investigations
Drivers in Wirral are being advised that the Fender Lane Bridge along the A553 is set for a series of closures this month to allow for investigations and inspections.
National Highways needs to close the bridge from Monday 12 September to Thursday 15 September and again on Monday 19 September to Friday 23 September 2022 to carry out intrusive investigations work.
National Highways and design consultant Amey will carry out structural investigations as well as stress testing, tendon breakouts and concrete material testing.
Parents reflect on ‘life-changing’ Birkenhead SEND summer club as the new school year begins
Livingstone Street Play & Community Centre, located in Birkenhead were praised this week for their “life-changing” summer club that provided free sessions for families with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
Due to cuts in funding, the community centre was forced to close its doors and families were left with nowhere to go, causing distress to many local people who relied on it.
Equilibrium North West, a Birkenhead based community interest company, recognised the need for the centre and applied for a grant to support its summer club from local housing association, One Vision Housing.
New art gallery to open in West Kirby
An exciting new art gallery is set to open its doors at the end of September.
The Lake Gallery, located on Grange Road in the heart of West Kirby, will showcase a selection of fine art and contemporary craft from established and emerging artists.
An independent, artist-led venture, the gallery is the vision of three Wirral-based creatives; glass artist Helen Smith, painter Clare Flinn and mixed media artist Marianthi Lainas.
Seacombe Ferry Terminal project shortlisted for engineering award
The refurbishment of Seacombe Ferry Terminal is one of six innovative engineering projects that have been unveiled as voting opens for the 2022 Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) People’s Choice Award.
The People’s Choice Award showcases the best of civil engineering, recognising projects that have a positive impact on the local economy, while highlighting the positive benefits civil engineering has on communities.
The shortlisted projects range from a new container port in Nigeria to the restoration of a peat bog on the English-Welsh border.
Wirral cinemas to ‘live relay’ Royal Opera House Cinema Season
The Royal Opera House has announced that it will commence its 2022/23 Cinema Season with Madama Butterfly, broadcast live on Tuesday 27 September 2022 to over 850 cinemas in 26 countries around the world.
Local cinemas taking part include Vue at Birkenhead and Cheshire Oaks, The Light at New Brighton, and the Odeon at Bromborough.
Madama Butterfly has been performed by The Royal Opera over 420 times, making it the ninth most performed work in the Company’s repertoire. From its first outing at Covent Garden in 1905, a year after its premiere at La Scala in Milan, Puccini’s enduring tale has captivated audiences.
Keeping it local at Royden’s revamped Courtyard Cafe
A unique partnership involving a number of council teams and a service provider is serving up refreshments, training and carbon reduction at one of Wirral’s best-loved parks.
The Courtyard café at Royden Park, Frankby, was officially reopened by Wirral’s Mayor, Cllr Jeff Green, this week and is now fully operational again after being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although overseen by the council’s Theatre, Catering and Hospitality team, the café is being largely staffed by service users supported by Wirral Council’s Adult Social Services team and Wirral Evolutions, the council’s day centre services provider.
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.
Why not follow birkenhead.news on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter? You can also send story ideas to news@birkenhead.news
Sign up for our FREE newsletter using this form:
Facebook comments