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.
Investigations continue into whether Wirral is the site of historic Viking battle
An independent report published this week will be a key milestone in establishing that Wirral could be the site of one of the most important battles in English history.
The Battle of Brunanburh was fought in 937 by Æthelstan, King of England against an alliance of Viking and Celtic armies.
It is often stated by historians to be the most important battle on British soil prior to 1066 as it preserved the unity of England and led to the birth of the country as we know it today.
More schools join ‘School Streets’ pupil safety pilot scheme
Two more schools, one in Birkenhead and the other in Wallasey, have officially launched their School Streets scheme to help improve safety and air quality around the school gates.
A School Street is a is a stretch of road outside a school that is temporarily closed to traffic during drop-off and pick-up times. Some vehicles are exempt to the restrictions, but the aim of the project is to reduce the build-up of traffic outside the school gates and create a predominantly car-free zone to improve safety and air quality by encouraging walking, scooting or cycling.
Christ Church CE launched their School Street on 28 February, with Liscard Primary following on 2 March. Both these primary schools join Greenleas (Wallasey), who started the project in November 2021.
Merseyrail crowned Best Performing Regional Rail Operator for fourth consecutive year
Merseyrail has been crowned the best performing regional rail operator for the fourth year running at this year’s Golden Whistle Awards.
Cementing its reputation as the most punctual rail operator in the country, Merseyrail was given the accolade at the awards ceremony in London which is organised by Modern Railways and the Chartered Institution of Railway Operators. The awards are based on operational performance statistics.
Zoe Hands, Chief Operating Officer at Merseyrail, said, “To win this award for a fourth consecutive year is not only testament to a fantastic team who deliver the best train service in Britain, it’s a real point of pride for our part of the country.
Ukraine fundraiser gig to be held in Birkenhead
Birkenhead live music venue Future Yard is hosting a Ukraine Solidarity Fundraiser gig on Wednesday 16 March.
Merseyside mega-star Zuzu headlines the evening, supported by Belarusian-born, Liverpool-based, rapper Russell and nostalgic-pop duo Dreampark.
A statement issued by the venue reads: “Supporting our community through live music is at the heart of what we do at Future Yard, and we are always grateful for the opportunity to share this passion with you all. Music, and the arts in general, can only thrive in free nations, so seeing communities in other parts of the world struggling for peace is affecting us deeply.”
Birkenhead 2040 Framework approved signalling biggest regeneration of town since ‘1947 Plan’
Councillors have approved plans which will underpin the once in a lifetime transformation of Birkenhead and the surrounding area.
The Birkenhead 2040 Framework represents one of the most aspirational regeneration programmes in the country and will see the town given a new lease of life.
Now members of the council’s Economy, Regeneration and Development Committee (Wednesday 9 March) have approved the Framework which will also be a key document supporting Wirral’s emerging Local Plan
Boris Johnson in Birkenhead – but will the Navy’s ships be built here?
Mick Whitley, MP for Birkenhead, has greeted the announcement of the government’s National Ship Building Strategy (NSS) with some serious concerns.
He warned that behind the fancy phrases uttered by the Prime Minister during his visit to Cammell Laird in Birkenhead that the strategy lacked detail or real guarantees.
Mick Whitley said, “It is all very well having shipbuilding ‘in our blood’ as Johnson said, but jobs, apprenticeships, skills and investment in the sector are all guaranteed by full order books for ships not lofty rhetoric.”
Petition to twin Birkenhead Park with New York’s Central Park
Birkenhead Park is 175 years old next year and was the inspiration for the design of Central Park in New York. birkenhead.news has started a petition to commemorate the links between the two.
Birkenhead Park in the centre of Birkenhead, Wirral, was designed by Joseph Paxton and opened on 5 April 1847. It is generally acknowledged as the first publicly funded civic park in the world.
The design of Central Park in New York was laid out by Frederick Law Olmsted who was inspired by his 1850 visit to Birkenhead Park, meaning that links between the two urban parks have been there since the beginning.
Litter themed poster competition launched
Many of us think it’s time we do something to sort out litter in our communities and Wirral Deen Centre in Birkenhead has organised a poster design competition to help raise awareness of the issue.
The aim of the competition is to reinforce the ‘no littering’ message. Piara Miah, Outreach Co-ordinator at Wirral Deen Centre, said, “The competition is open to everyone, but we’d particularly like schools to join in.”
The idea was inspired by the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who said, “There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.”
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From West Kirby to Westminster: Student wins prestigious national science awards at parliamentary event
Gor Piliposyan, a PhD student at the University of Liverpool, enjoyed success at the 2022 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) for BRITAIN awards which took place in Parliament this week.
Gor, who lives in West Kirby, won both the STEM for Britain Engineering Gold Award and the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Communications Prize.
STEM for BRITAIN is a major scientific poster competition and exhibition which has been held in Parliament each year since 1997. It is organised by the Parliamentary & Scientific Committee and aims to give members of both Houses of Parliament an insight into the outstanding research work being undertaken in UK universities by early-career researchers.
Wirral community gather for grand opening of Hythe
Special guests from across Wirral and the wider Liverpool City Region on Friday 11 March attended the official opening of Hythe, Peel L&P’s high-tech business hub at Wirral Waters.
The event was an opportunity for all those involved in Hythe’s construction to celebrate the successful delivery of the transformational project, which has used innovative low-carbon construction techniques and will act as a catalyst for economic growth in Birkenhead.
Representatives from Wirral Council, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Merseyside Pension Fund and Wirral Met College, attended the event to officially open the ‘next generation’ office building, located in the Four Bridges neighbourhood at Wirral Waters.
81-year-old’s Everest trek in memory of niece
1-year-old Alan McKie from Helsby hopes to raise £20,000 for Claire House by taking part in the Everest Base Camp trek in memory of his beloved niece, Isabel (Izzy) McEgan, who died of cancer aged 19.
Claire House supported Izzy, and the money raised will ensure it can continue to support other seriously ill children and teenagers.
The climb was originally scheduled for March last year, however, due to COVID-19 restrictions, it was delayed until March 12, 2022.
Wirral to bestow its highest honour on the 97th victim of the Hillsborough Disaster
The 97th victim of the Hillsborough Disaster, Andrew Devine, will be posthumously awarded the Freedom of Wirral at a special meeting of the Council on Monday 21 March, 2022.
Andrew sadly passed away, aged 55, in July last year due to complications resulting from the life-changing injuries he received at the Hillsborough stadium disaster in April 1989.
His name will join the other 96 victims of the tragedy, who were posthumously awarded the Freedom of the Borough on 15 September 2017.
Tranmere clinch win over Mansfield with added time goal
In a nail-biting game that was decided in the final moments of added time, Tranmere returned to their winning ways last night at Prenton Park.
Elliott Nevitt was the evening’s saviour as his two late goals secured victory against League 2 rivals Mansfield.
In what was a dream start for Tranmere, skipper Peter Clarke found the back of Mansfield’s net inside five minutes. Clarke headed a powerful goal from six yards, set up by a Calum MacDonald nod on.
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