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.
Connor Chapman sentenced to minimum of 48 years for murder of Elle Edwards
Connor Chapman has been sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court to 48 years for the murder of Elle Edwards in Wallasey last Christmas Eve. Chapman will be 71 years old before he will be able to apply for parole.
Mr Justice Goose said in his sentencing remarks: “What you did, Connor Chapman, was as wicked as it was shocking.”
“You murdered Elle, bringing an end to her life, and caused serious injury and wounded others.”
“You didn’t care who else was killed … you are a highly dangerous man.”
Chapman’s accomplice, Thomas Waring, was sentenced to nine years.
See also: Connor Chapman found guilty of murder of Elle Edwards
Elle’s family statements read in court
Tim Edwards, Elle was ‘most caring and beautiful, happy person’
Elle’s brother’s heartbreaking statement read out in court
Elle’s grandmother, ‘I miss my Angel Princess so much it hurts’
MP, Council Leader, and deputy deliver letter to Downing Street urging protection of Wirral green belt
Margaret Greenwood MP, Cllr Paul Stuart and Cllr Jean Robinson have delivered a letter to 10 Downing Street calling on the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his government to protect the green belt in Wirral.
The letter also calls on the Prime Minister to instruct the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to recover a series of planning appeals by Leverhulme Estates.
The Wirral West MP along with the Leader and Deputy Leader of Wirral Council made the visit as they continued their campaign to get the government to step in and recover the appeals which have been the subject of a public inquiry.
Join Birkenhead News on Facebook
Keep up to date with all the latest Wirral news by liking our Facebook page.
£6m investment to improve roads, pavements, and bridges in Wirral
Roads, pavements and bridges in Wirral are set to benefit from nearly £6 million of improvements over the coming year as part of the council’s annual Highway Structural Maintenance Programme.
The funding, provided through the Liverpool City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement, will be used to carry out essential works on the highways infrastructure in Wirral to ensure that residents and visitors can continue to travel safely.
Resurfacing work is now under way and much of the programme takes place over the summer months when the days are longer and the weather generally kinder. These works may mean there is some disruption to road users while these essential works take place.
Hoylake woman recognized as ‘Sewing Hero’ for community support through sewing
A woman from Hoylake has dedicated herself to teaching sewing skills to young adults with learning disabilities through her club called ‘Quilt Stitch Social’.
Nicola Daniels sources sewing machines, thread, fabric, and any necessary supplies from various places, doing whatever it takes to support her students.
In recognition of her outstanding efforts in empowering her local community through sewing, she has been honoured as one of the three UK Sewing Heroes.
West Kirby flood wall project nears completion as flood gates set to be installed
Visitors to West Kirby are being asked to respect any fenced-off areas as complementary works for the new flood wall project are continuing for the next couple of weeks.
Though most of the works to South Parade and the promenade are now complete and fully accessible, there are still a number of outstanding jobs to be completed which mean there will periods when small sections of the highway and/or promenade will have access restricted for a short period of time.
In most of those areas, there will be a safe diversion route around the fences – there is no need for anyone to climb over the wall structure or over the fencing.
Council prepares to sell off unneeded assets
From industrial estates to cafes, shops and offices and even former town halls – over many years Wirral Council has become the owner of numerous different properties around the borough.
Now a list of assets has been drawn up to help ensure the council only owns properties which it needs to – and those which are not required are among the ones being prepared for proposed sale.
The current list of assets are properties which are now being recommended to be declared surplus to the council’s needs and a report on the Strategic Asset Disposals Programme to the Policy and Resources (P&R) Committee recommends the authority sell these unneeded assets for the best possible price.
Project empowers parents to lobby MPs for change
Adam Ravenscroft is a pupil at Calday Grange Grammar School in West Kirby. As part of his work placement with Birkenhead News, he documented his visit to parliament to lobby MPs.
Changing Realities, a nationwide project operated by the Child Poverty Action Group and York University, had the chance to lobby parliament.
Changing Realities (Originally Covid Realities) is a campaign project, with low-income parents being tasked to write monthly journal entries about their experiences throughout the cost-of-living crisis. It is run by York University in conjunction with the Child Poverty Action Group.
Liverpool pop band Stealing Sheep to headline celebration of North Birkenhead community
North Birkenhead based community programme, Cradle to Career is celebrating its North Birkenhead residents and partners with a free, family-fun, festival extravaganza at Birkenhead Park on Saturday 15 July, from 11am.
Dubbed as a ‘North Birkenhead Celebration’ and featuring Liverpool-based electric pop trio, Stealing Sheep, the event will include creative workshops and folk dancing, the Glam-A-Ram-Bam Marching Band, a procession of performances from local artists and residents, DJs, and plenty of food on offer.
In the lead up to the event, a number of closed creative workshops are also being run by Stealing Sheep for young people from local primary schools and community centres who have benefited from Cradle to Career, including flag making, arts and crafts, and musical rehearsals, which will all be on display in the procession.
New Merseyrail Managing Director appointed
Neil Grabham has been named as the new Managing Director of Merseyrail.
Currently the Customer Services Director for East Midlands Railway, Neil brings a wealth of experience both from the rail sector and beyond, having previously undertaken senior leadership roles for Greater Anglia, Signet Jewellers, and Lidl.
Neil replaces Andy Heath, who left Merseyrail earlier this summer and Jane English who has been Acting Managing Director for the last ten months.
Wirral MP hosts Great School Libraries event with former Children’s Laureate, Michael Rosen
Margaret Greenwood MP has hosted an event in parliament on behalf of the Great School Libraries campaign with children’s author and former Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen.
The event aimed to highlight the importance of school libraries.
It was part of a series of activities being led by the Great School Libraries campaign which is calling on UK governments to ensure that schools have access to adequate funding to maintain school library provision.
Hoylake prom memorial benches to be temporarily removed for refurbishment during the Open Golf Championship
Memorial benches on the promenade at Hoylake are being removed temporarily to be cleaned and refurbished and allow for park and ride service to The Open.
The Open Golf Championship returns to the Royal Liverpool Golf Club from July 16 to 23 and the event will attract large numbers of visitors to Hoylake.
The council is working to ensure the event runs as smoothly as possible for residents, local businesses and visitors.
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