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.
Gallantry medal awarded to New Brighton RNLI volunteer
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has awarded a Bronze gallantry medal and Framed Letters of Appreciation to RNLI New Brighton volunteers in recognition of the skill, determination and courage demonstrated in a rescue which saved the life of a man and a dog.
New Brighton RNLI helm, Michael Stannard was presented with the charity’s Bronze gallantry medal at St James’ Palace, London by HRH the Duke of Kent at the RNLI President’s Lunch on Friday 27 May.
Michael Stannard was presented the prestigious award in recognition of his boat handling skills, seamanship and courage during the demanding service in July 2020.
Ticket ballot for Hoylake 2023 Open Golf Championship to open later this month
The R&A has announced that the ballot for tickets for The 151st Open at Royal Liverpool will open this month and run until after the conclusion of this year’s Championship at St Andrews.
Following the success of the ballot for The 150th Open, The R&A decided to retain the process to try to ensure as many fans as possible have the chance to attend when the Championship returns to the historic Wirral links from 16-23 July 2023.
The ballot will open for one month from Tuesday, 21 June and will close on Wednesday, 20 July with the results being announced by the end of September. It will only be open to members of The One Club, the free-to-join membership programme. Fans can sign up to The One Club any time and will be among the first to be notified when the ballot is open.
Jubilee Beacon lit at ceremony at Birkenhead Park
At a ceremony at the Grand Entrance to Birkenhead Park on 2 June, the Jubilee Beacon was lit by Mayor Cllr Jeff Green.
The Wirral beacon is one of more than 3,500 beacons across the UK and Commonwealth.
A crowd of around 150 braved the rain to witness the lighting of the beacon in a ceremony that started at 9:35pm with a piper playing a medley, including Diu Regnare. This unique tune has been specially written for the Jubilee by Piper Stuart Liddell, 2020 Glenfiddich Champion and Pipe Major of the World Champion Pipe Band, Inveraray and District.
St John Plessington student struts into the final of a major fashion competition
A talented art student from St John Plessington Catholic College, Bebington, has secured a place in the final of the nationwide ‘Junk Kouture’ competition.
Year 10 student, Giuliana has spent many hours after school for the last six months perfecting her final design for the sustainable fashion contest.
Junk Kouture is a fashion competition where participants design, create and model fashion, made from recycled items. The final is due to take place this autumn at Hackney Empire, London, where a group of students from across the country will unveil their sustainable fashion creations to celebrity judges Laura Whitmore, Fabio Piras and Mehreen Baig.
Knife Angel sculpture set for Birkenhead
A 27-foot-high sculpture of an angel is set to come to Wirral in July as part of a nationwide campaign tour highlighting the reality of knife and other violent crime.
The Knife Angel will be visiting Birkenhead between 1 and 31 July 2022 as part of its National Anti-Violence Tour. It will be located at the Grand Entrance to Birkenhead Park.
The Knife Angel is a huge, stunning contemporary sculpture of an angel made out of 100,000 confiscated knives received from 43 Police Forces across the UK. It weighs in at a hefty 3.5 tonnes.
Wirral Open Studios 2022 – 12 Years in the Making
This year’s Wirral Open Studio Tour returns with a weekend of creativity and colour on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 June.
Now in its 12th year of celebrating visual arts across the peninsula, this free event will see 60 artists and makers open the doors to their homes or studios.
The Tour gives visitors an exciting opportunity to access creative spaces not usually open to the public, chat to artists about their processes, and view their work in the environment in which it is created.
Leverhulme submits seven planning applications on greenfield sites
Leverhulme has submitted seven planning applications to Wirral Council to deliver a wide range of homes in what they call “beautiful and sustainable communities.”
The applications would provide up to 788 new, environmentally friendly homes across the seven sites, providing much-needed affordable housing, and directly meeting local needs.
The submission of the applications follows a consultation process with feedback citing several key requirements. They include the need for a broad mix of new affordable and market housing, ranging from two-bedroom homes through to larger family homes.
Volunteers’ Week 2022: ‘Volunteering gives me a sense of satisfaction’
To mark Volunteers’ Week, Estelle Condliff explains why she volunteers for her local children’s hospice and the difference it makes.
Estelle, 62, has been making a difference at Claire House since the 90s, when she worked as a Producer at BBC Radio Merseyside. During this time, she would broadcast “how wonderful volunteering was”, and eventually became a volunteer herself when she had the chance.
Estelle, who lives in Birkenhead, originally started by fundraising with her mum Pat, and sister Lesley. The three of them would organise events at Pat’s caravan park in Wales. Estelle’s inspiration came from watching one of the hospice’s first fundraisers, Hilary, speak on the Roger Phillips Programme. “I felt touched by everything said about the hopes and dreams of Claire’s family, after whom the hospice is named”, she says.
£2 single adult fare proposed for all bus services in the region
Bus journeys across the Liverpool City Region could soon cost as little as £2 under proposals announced by Mayor Steve Rotheram.
If agreed, some passengers would see a saving of up to 13% in the cost of a single journey regardless of which service they use, taking away the hassle and confusion of the region’s complex ticketing system.
The Mayor has also said that young people should to continue to benefit from all day unlimited travel on bus by freezing the MyTicket at £2.20 until 2025.
New exhibition at Williamson Art Gallery & Museum relives the heyday of live entertainment
The Williamson Art Gallery & Museum will host an exhibition about the Argyle Theatre of Varieties starting this month.
Opened in Birkenhead in 1868, the Argyle Theatre in Birkenhead entertained thousands of people and featured artistes who became household names nationally and internationally.
Stars who were already famous such as Marie Lloyd, Vesta Tilley, Harry Houdini, Arthur Lloyd and more appeared at the Argyle. It also hosted performers at the start of their careers including Charlie Chaplin, Billie Burke, George Formby, and later a young Betty Driver and Pat Kirkwood.
Classic yachts return to the Mersey
Royal Mersey Yacht Club (RMYC) launched its fleet of classic yachts this spring and one of the important yachts to be launched this year is “Mersey” hull no 1, built in 1935 for Lord Derby whose forefather was the first Commodore of the Club in 1844.
Cliff Renshaw, a past Vice Commodore of the club, has spent the past 12 months restoring “Mersey” and she now looks resplendent in her red white and blue livery.
When he heard that his Great Grandfathers yacht had been restored the current Lord Derby said, “I am delighted the 17th Earl’s classic yacht “Mersey” which he had built in 1935 has been fully refurbished and am sure my Great Grandfather would be pleased to know his yacht will once again be sailing on the river Mersey under the flag of the Royal Mersey Yacht Club.”
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 and Twitter? You can also send story ideas to news@birkenhead.news
Sign up for our FREE newsletter using this form:
Facebook comments