Welcome to “Sunday Snippets” a weekly feature from birkenhead.news. It is a round-up of our most popular good news stories from the last seven days. Click on each story to read the full article.
Wirral woman walks 5,200 miles in honour of brother
A Wirral woman has walked 5,200 miles in twelve months in honour of her brother Spencer Atkinson, former Project Director at Cammell Laird Shipyard, who died last year aged 52 of cancer. In doing so, Gina Alsopp has so far raised over £7,000 for Wirral Holistic Care Services.
Gina said that the money will be spent on garden furniture for patients using the centre and on art therapy classes in Spencer’s name. Something he found very therapeutic and used a lot to help those with PTSD.
LCR Pride Foundation’s MarchOnline returns for 2021
LCR Pride Foundation has today announced that its MarchOnline will return on Saturday 31 July and that registrations are now open.
The virtual march will once again take place on what would have been the day of the city region’s Pride celebrations – the March with Pride and Pride in Liverpool. The organisation’s physical Pride celebrations were cancelled earlier in the year, due to ongoing uncertainty and risks around mass public gatherings and the COVID-19 roadmap.
The foundation will once again invite individuals, groups and businesses to join the MarchOnline by submitting videos and images, this year calling on those participating to also make specific pledges to enact change ‘From Now On’, in line with the organisation’s 2021/22 theme .
Peace for Palestine rally held at Birkenhead Central Library
A ‘Peace for Palestine’ rally was held outside Birkenhead Central Library from 2pm yesterday afternoon. Around 200 people gathered to listen to speakers talk about the issues surrounding Palestinian peoples’ plight.
Piara Miah, Outreach Co-ordinator at Wirral Deen Centre, said, “Our collective vision for our community is to help it flourish based on strong friendship between people of all backgrounds and faiths. We pray that this could also happen between people of all faiths in the holy lands of Palestine and Israel and put an end to this long standing problem.”
Residents to vote on new mural for North Birkenhead
A community mural competition has been launched by the C2C group, which is appealing for residents in North Birkenhead to vote for one of three local heroes who will be painted as a 30-foot mural in the heart of the town.
Liverpool City Region Artist of the Year, Paul Curtis, best known for his striking turquoise “wings” mural in Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle, will complete the project having been selected during an open commissioning process.
The nominees for the mural are Everton FC, Tranmere FC and England great Dixie Dean, country music legend and Birkenhead son Charlie Landsborough, and the town’s first female mayor Mary Ann Mercer. In the coming weeks, all residents of North Birkenhead will receive a postcard via Royal Mail and have the opportunity to choose who they would like to honour in the town.
School’s new flower bed celebrates NHS staff and key workers
Earlier in the year, South Wirral High School in Eastham was successful in applying for a grant from Wirral Council to help rejuvenate a flower bed at the front of the school.
With help from staff from Gordale Garden Centre, teachers Mr Stewart and Mr Dougan drew up a list of plants and flowers that will – over the course of the year – showcase the school’s traditional colours of red, teal and purple along with the additional house colours of lilac, yellow, green, and blue.
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Tap or click to follow birkenhead.news on Twitter New Brighton RNLI volunteers recognised for challenging rescue
New Brighton RNLI volunteers have been recognised by the charity’s Chief Executive for their part in a difficult rescue of two teenagers cut off by the tide near Fort Perch Rock in July 2020.
RNLI volunteer crew member Mike Stannard has been awarded a Framed Letter of Thanks signed by the charity’s Chairman for his courageous actions in entering the water and helping both casualties swim to the safety of the lifeboat in difficult conditions.
For their individual courage, collective teamwork, and determination to rescue those in danger, a collective Framed Letter of Appreciation signed by the Chief Executive was awarded to the helm Mark Harding, crew members Emily Craven and Thomas McGinn, as well as volunteer Tractor Driver Michael Jones.
Renewed focus on regeneration to “tackle inequalities” in Wirral
Community Wealth Building is set to be “at the heart” of Wirral’s future plans as the borough looks to bounce back from the economic impact of COVID-19.
Wirral’s council leader, Cllr Janette Williamson, made the pledge ahead of a report on the Community Wealth Building programme being presented at the council’s Policy and Resources Committee.
Wirral carers treated to afternoon tea
Around 250 carers across Merseyside have been treated to afternoon tea today as part of a ‘thank you’ from local organisations for their efforts during the pandemic.
The project, which coincides with National Carers Week, follows a similar initiative in December which saw deliveries of traditional Christmas day lunch to around 100 older people in Wirral.
In New Ferry, at the Windsor Close Community Centre, Age UK Wirral teamed up with Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS), to deliver afternoon teas provided by Liverpool Football Club to carers around Wirral. birkenhead.news went along to find out more.
Wallasey firm funds mentoring programme at The Hive Youth Zone
Bridging Finance Solutions has thrown its weight behind The Hive, funding their vital Mentoring Programme which supports some of the most vulnerable and at-risk children across the Wirral.
Due to widespread funding cuts, The Hive Youth Zone in Birkenhead is looking for external support to help fund some of their projects.
Birkenhead branch opens HSBC’s 1000th bank account for people who are homeless
The HSBC UK Birkenhead branch at The Pyramids on Grange Road has opened the 1000th bank account for individuals experiencing homelessness or housing issues, as part of HSBC UK’s No Fixed Address service.
Launched in December 2019, the service is available in over 115 branches and provides people with access to a basic bank account without the need for photo ID or proof of address – documents that many people who are homeless do not have or find difficult to keep safe. Having a bank account makes it easier for people to claim benefits, receive wages and pay rent.
Individuals supported by Shelter or one of the other 100 charities working with HSBC UK can open an account in branch when supported by a caseworker from the organisation who can verify their identity.
Tranmere sign trio of new players ahead of 2021/22 season
Tranmere Rovers has announced three new signings ahead of the 2021/22 season. Defender Tom Davies joins the squad on a one-year contract, midfielder Chris Merrie joins from League One side Wigan Athletic for an undisclosed fee and defender Nat Knight-Percival signed a one-year contract
Wirral’s Youth Hub guides the way to careers for young people
Earlier this week, Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram announced eight new education, training, and employment youth hubs across the city region. Birkenhead’s Merseyside Community Training (MCT) is one of the existing organisations with a strong track record of supporting young people where the new youth hubs will be. birkenhead.news went along to find out more.
During our visit, there was a range of activities happening from mentoring for young entrepreneurs to forklift truck training. Oliver Sumner, Chief Executive at MCT, told us, “We officially launched MCT in October of last year and with regards to the new youth hub, we’re funded by the DWP through the Combined Authority and Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram’s initiative.
Leasowe swimming pool and gym set to reopen
Leisure facilities at Leasowe Recreation Centre are continuing to reopen on a phased basis, with the swimming pool set to welcome customers again from Monday 14 June.
The centre’s well-equipped gym will reopen on Monday 21 June, which is also when indoor exercise classes will recommence. Outdoor football and exercise classes are already taking place and will continue.
Swimming sessions are available to book now and can be made five days prior to the session time. Gym and class bookings will be available to book from 9am on Wednesday 16 June.
Round Britain paddleboarder reaches Wirral
A stand-up paddleboarder on a quest to achieve a world-first has successfully made his way around the Welsh coast in just 14 days. Travelling from Combe Martin on the North Devon coast to West Kirby in Wirral, Brendon Prince covered an impressive 538.5km.
Brendon, 48, originally set off from Torbay on April 27 to attempt a world first of circumnavigating mainland Britain on a stand-up paddleboard (SUP). He would also be the first to paddle Land’s End to John o’Groats via the coast and would have completed the longest-ever SUP journey.
Liverpool City Region leaders call on Government for vaccine surge
Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram, the Mayor of Liverpool and the Leaders of Halton, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral Councils have issued a joint call on the Government to accelerate COVID-19 vaccination across the Liverpool City Region.
In a letter to Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi, the political leaders say that rising rates in the areas surrounding the Liverpool City Region increases the likelihood of higher infection rates locally – as was seen over Christmas and the New Year.
The Leaders write to the Vaccines Minister on 21 May but have not yet received a response. Since then, the situation has continued to deteriorate in neighbouring areas, meaning that there is an urgent need to act now to achieve maximum vaccine coverage amongst vulnerable communities.
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