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.
Councillors recommended to bestow highest honour on Paul O’Grady
Since the sad passing of legendary Birkenhead entertainer – and national treasure – Paul O’Grady in March, there have been many calls for Wirral Council to officially honour his legacy.
The council acknowledged at the time that it would be looking at a number of ways to do this and it was the then Council leader, Cllr Janette Williamson, who put forward the motion asking councillors to posthumously bestow the highest honour it has – the Freedom of the Borough.
This motion will be recommended for approval to members of the Regulatory and General Purposes Committee at their next meeting on Wednesday 7 June.
Petition to ban gillnet fishing as more sharks wash up on beach
People in Wirral are petitioning to ban a type of fishing as more and more sharks wash up on the beaches in the area.
Mick Preston, who lives in Meols, was walking along Leasowe Beach when he counted 25 sharks along a small stretch of sand. He said since May 17, he has continued to see more and more wash up on the beach.
Recent photos taken in the area have shown a shark cut in half as well as buckets full of cockles – even though fishing for cockles is now banned in Wirral.
Wirral University Teaching Hospital Raises Pride Flag
Wirral University Teaching Hospital (WUTH) celebrated Pride Month by raising the Progress Pride flag at its Arrowe Park Hospital site.
This is the second time the Trust has raised the flag as an emblem of its support for the LGBTQ+ community, whether they are staff, patients or visitors.
WUTH employs around 6,000 staff and has a richly diverse workforce. It has set up a Rainbow Staff Alliance Network which allows members of staff to meet fellow colleagues, share experiences, offer and receive support, and learn more about the LGBTQ+ community. The Network holds regular meetings that are open to all staff.
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Oxton artist encourages others to follow their dreams
Oxton based artist, Dave Turner is about to graduate in Real Estate and says that taking the sensible path made him see the direction he really wanted to go in.
Dave first discovered his love of painting whilst attending St. Anselms College, where he studied art at both GCSE and A-Level.
However, when it came to university he let his head rule his heart and informed by family links, he decided to study Real Estate. Despite taking what he thought was the pragmatic path, Dave couldn’t just stop creating art and in 2019 he made sure he took all his equipment with him to halls.
Dog walkers cut off by tide at Leasowe Beach
Hoylake RNLI hovercraft, ‘Hurley Spirit’, and her volunteer crew were diverted from training on Wednesday evening when tasked at 7.21pm to reports of two people and a dog cut off by the flooding tide on Leasowe Beach.
Merseyside Police were already on scene and couldn’t reach the casualties through the rapidly filling channel. Wirral Coastguard Rescue Team (CRT) were also tasked.
Already afloat north of Hilbre Island, the hovercraft immediately headed to the casualties just offshore from Leasowe Lighthouse as the tide was quickly rising.
The birds and the bees (and other arthropods) thriving at Hoylake beach
Over the last few centuries, and from probably long before, immense volumes of sand have been arriving on North Wirral.
The Hyle Sand, a colossal sandbank that in the 1600s was above the water on all but the biggest spring tides and stretched from near Colwyn Bay, broke up and started coming ashore.
The beach at Hoylake has received so much of that sand that the Hyle Lake was lost in the late 1800, the mudflats have become sandflats and a band of land closest to the promenade is now so far above sea level that it is dry land.
Wirral Open Studio Tour returns with its biggest event yet
Wirral Open Studio Tour returns on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 June with its biggest event yet.
This year, there are 83 artists taking part in 51 studios the length and breadth of the Wirral peninsula, so there will be plenty to see.
The Wirral Open Studio Tour is now in its 13th year of celebrating visual arts across the peninsula and the free event sees artists and makers opening the doors to their homes or studios for one weekend each June.
Step into the narrative with Harold Hewitt’s exhibition at Williamson Art Gallery
Birkenhead’s Williamson Art Gallery is hosting an exhibition by Harold Hewitt, who creates life-scale immersive pictures of the world we’re all familiar with.
His images are of local scenes, but sometimes a narrative emerges that he didn’t expect – perhaps referencing history, religion, poetry, art history, mythology or even present-day issues.
What began as a familiar local scene becomes a stage for a drama, or sometimes a metaphor for a bigger message.
Runners gear up for 10th Port Sunlight road race
Port Sunlight Road Race returns next weekend and almost 1,000 runners have already signed up to take part in the 5K and 10K races – including a team of 80 from headline sponsor Unilever.
The race returned last year after a three-year break due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The 2023 gathering marks the 10th staging of the event.
First staged in 2012, the Port Sunlight Road Race is well-established in the region’s race calendar. It is also the most significant event in the Port Sunlight calendar, attracting thousands of runners and spectators to enjoy the stunning setting.
Birkenhead Park go seven in a row with statement win at Lytham
Birkenhead Park CC 1st XI have won their seventh game in a row in all competitions, after a commanding 119-run victory over Lytham on Saturday, thanks to 73 and 5 for 57 from Satyajeet Bachhav and 61 from captain Stephen Hird.
Winning the toss on a baking hot day in Lytham, Park skipper Hird won the toss and elected to bat. However early inroads from Lytham, including three wickets for overseas slow left-armer Avinash Yadav left Park 42 for 4.
Bachhav combined with Sam Beadsworth to provide temporary respite for Park with a stand of 49 for the fourth wicket, before Yadav caught the edge of Beadsworth’s bat for 17, leaving the score 91 for 5.
Neil Danns speaks on returning to Tranmere as assistant manager
The first part of Ian Dawes’ backroom staff was announced in early May, with the arrival of former player and vastly experienced midfielder Neil Danns.
Danns joined Tranmere from Bury in 2019, and although his spell was brief, he was taken to by the people of Tranmere, so a return to a club he felt a connection with was fast for the 40-year-old.
“I’m just really happy to be back,” explained Danns.
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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