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.
Birkenhead Park celebrates 50th anniversary of 5-mile race
In 1972, the sport of running was not as common or popular as it is today. Whilst you may have seen school kids taking part in a cross-country run as a part of their sports lesson, or a group of runners from a local athletics club on a training run, it was rare to see joggers on the streets.
Fast forward 50 years and joggers are a ubiquitous sight and parkrun at Birkenhead Park regularly sees up to 500 participants take part in a 5k run on Saturday mornings. But, before parkrun was established at Birkenhead Park, there was the annual 5-mile race that takes place there each July.
Oxton man, Peter Humphreys (pictured), established the Birkenhead Park 5-mile event in 1972 when he was Secretary of Wirral Athletic Club.
‘Colours’ initiative helps with life’s struggles
‘Colours’ is an initiative of Birkenhead’s ‘Open Door’ charity which provides support and guidance whilst helping people to build resilience so they can tackle the various struggles life may throw up.
Colours is a stress management programme and intends to capture issues at the stage where support at an early opportunity will be beneficial for moving forwards in a positive way.
Lydia Tweed is the Colours Lead for the Open Door charity. She told birkenhead.news, “I think everyone has different interpretations of why we named it ‘Colours’, but some might have said that we bring colour into people’s world when all they see is black and white.”
Free summer holiday activities for kids across Wirral
There is still time to register for a free place at one of Wirral’s summer activity clubs for children.
Places are available at the 78 clubs across the peninsula for children aged 5 to 16 who are eligible for free school meals.
As well as enjoying the activities, which include sports camps, family day trips, swimming, yoga, dance and drama, all those taking part will also receive a nutritious meal each day, which has been funded through Wirral’s Household Support Fund from the Department for Work and Pensions.
Police and HM Coastguard warn dangers of searching New Brighton coast for Haydn Griffiths
Merseyside Police is working with HM Coastguard to urge people not to take matters into their own hands, following concerns raised about a community search for a missing man in New Brighton.
Both emergency services have received calls from members of the public indicating a desire to carry out a water search for a man named Haydn Griffiths missing from New Brighton since Tuesday (19 July 2022).
Haydn was last seen in the water at the Derby Pool, New Brighton, wearing dark-coloured swimming shorts and attempting to swim towards the windmills in the area.
Boat owners encouraged to claim their boats from Heswall Shore
Owners of boats at Heswall shore are being encouraged to come forward and identify their property to help with making safety improvements to the area.
More than 100 mostly unused boats, dinghies, trailers and other marine-related items have been at Banks Road slipway and foreshore for a number of years.
Some of the boats are in serious disrepair and have the potential to cause safety and environmental hazards. The Dee Estuary is designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) and Site of Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its important habitat and bird populations.
Join birkenhead.news on Facebook
Keep up to date with all the latest Wirral news by liking our Facebook page.
Upton mum takes on fundraising challenge in memory of husband
The wife of dad-of-three, Dean Mollard, who died in May 2021, is training for the endurance obstacle challenge Tough Mudder, to raise funds for two charities in Dean’s memory.
Dean died last year, aged 33, from a ruptured aortic valve, having been given the all-clear from prostate cancer just eight days earlier. He had also previously beaten testicular cancer before his second diagnosis.
Dean’s wife, Sam, said, “We had been together since we were 16 years old, and have three amazing little girls together.”
Wirral Council ‘highly commended’ in major national awards
Wirral Council has been ‘highly commended’ at a prestigious national awards ceremony acknowledging its massive programme for regenerating Birkenhead.
“The Future is Birkenhead” – the council’s award application – outlined the vast programme of transformational regeneration across Wirral’s Left Bank area.
It has now been recognised in the LGC Awards 2022 after being highly commended within the Economic Support category. According to the LGC, 2022 saw a record number of entries across all categories.
West Kirby visitors urged to use public transport if possible
With the school summer holidays getting underway, people looking to visit West Kirby in the coming months are being reminded that public transport is the best way to get to the resort this summer.
That is, in part, due to a significant number of public car parking spaces being unavailable because of the ongoing work to construct a new flood defence barrier along South Parade – the promenade – in West Kirby.
The public car park at Dee Lane is closed for the duration of the project as it is being used by the council’s construction partner, VolkerStevin, as their works compound. In addition, large stretches of South Parade, where people had previously been able to park their car before the works started, will also not be accessible.
New urban village in Hind Street area of Birkenhead moves one step closer
A new low-carbon urban village on the Hind Street regeneration area close to Birkenhead Town Centre is moving forward.
Set on a substantial brownfield site of approximately twelve hectares, the development partners hope to bring up to 1,400 new homes, supporting Wirral Council’s 2021-2037 Local Plan.
Wirral Council has appointed Ion Developments to work with them to progress the current concept proposals for the area towards delivery and a Development Management Agreement has been signed for the project.
Under 18s music event raises awareness about fast fashion
Performers at Future Yard’s inaugural New Noise Club <18 wore upcycled outfits designed by Wirral students to help raise awareness about the environmental and social impacts of fast fashion.
The show on Saturday 16 July included sets by Birkenhead’s Zuzu, fresh from the release of her debut album Queensway Tunnel, West Kirby’s The Room and Wirral-based Astles and the Balloon Moon Orchestra. Each wore dramatic outfits designed as part of the TexPop project, in which local students were asked to design upcycled outfits for their favourite bands.
Cllr Liz Grey, Chair of the Environment, Climate Emergency and Transport Committee for Wirral Council, said, “Fashion and music are such key elements of youth culture, so combining the two is a great way of getting the message across about the dangers of fast fashion. It’s estimated that the textile industry produces 10% of global carbon emissions, and are a large source of microplastics, so it’s really important we try to change clothing habits by encouraging people to use preloved textiles”.
Tranmere Rovers launch Nate’s Tickets
Tranmere Rovers Football Club’s Community Tickets scheme has officially been renamed in honour of Nate Gidman, a five-year-old supporter who sadly passed away earlier this season following a battle with brain cancer.
The scheme will now be known as Nate’s Tickets and will continue to provide a football experience through organised charities and groups to families who would otherwise not have the opportunity due to financial or other circumstances.
Since launching the scheme seven years ago, the club has welcomed 23,500 people to Prenton Park.
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