Welcome to “Sunday Snippets” a weekly feature from birkenhead.news. It is a round-up of our most popular good news stories from the last seven days. Click on each story to read the full article.
Wirral remembers Srebrenica 26 years on

The Srebrenica massacre took place in 1995 during the Bosnian war. More than 8000 unarmed Bosnian Muslims sheltering in a UN ‘safe area’ were slaughtered: the biggest civilian atrocity in Europe since WWII.
At the Wirral Deen Centre in Birkenhead, to mark the annual 11 July UK National Srebrenica Memorial Day, people of all faiths and backgrounds came together for a coffee morning and to inform, educate, and learn, in remembrance of those who died during the genocide.
Wirral autism charity launches pet photo competition

Everybody knows their pet is the cutest in the world, but now they have the chance to prove it…
Wirral charity Autism Together launched its Pet Photo Competition on 12 July, open to all pets, with three entry categories and the chance to win up to £55 in shopping vouchers.
The competition is part of the build-up to the charity’s annual Summer Fun Day, which this year will again be virtual and held entirely online.
Arriva UK Bus and its passengers donate over £260,000 to NHS Charities Together Scheme

Arriva UK Bus has been able to make a donation of over £260,000 to NHS Charities Together, following a Covid-related exact fare policy on board buses which was introduced in April 2020.
The scheme was part of the stringent safety measures introduced last year, which encouraged customers to use contactless card or app payments and when paying in cash, to use the exact fare, which meant any hand to hand contact between drivers and customers was minimised.
Pilgrim Street Arts Centre boosted by Accelerator Grant

In July 2020 Wirral Council secured £1 million from the Towns Fund to help support projects that make a real difference to Birkenhead. Nearly half was allocated to organisations and businesses in the Argyle Street area, to help boost its cultural and creative offer as well as increasing employment opportunities.
Pilgrim Street Arts Centre received £100,000 which they used to create a dramatic new exterior of their building.
£10,000 funding pots launched to host monthly events for young people

Community organisations across Wirral are being encouraged to collaborate and apply for up to £10,000 of funding to host monthly events for young people.
‘Wirral Youth Weekenders’ is a new initiative, part of the council’s enhanced offer of support for young people.
Funding will be split across nine neighbourhoods in the borough to fund 10 monthly event weekends (approximately £1,000 per weekend).
Tranmere Rovers to host open day at Prenton Park

Tranmere Rovers are to hold an activity-packed Open Day on Sunday 25 July from noon until 4pm at Prenton Park
Supporters will be able to have a tour of the ground including a chance to see some of the work that has been done during lockdown. This includes the refurbishment of the Johnny King stand – incorporating a mural of the great man himself and some fascinating displays about the history of the club and some of its most loved players – as well as a chance to see close up some of the latest Paul Curtis murals.
Wirral’s COVID-19 bus brings vaccinations into the community

The NHS COVID-19 vaccination bus was at Victoria Park, Rock Ferry this morning, offering walk-in vaccinations to Wirral residents.
The bus, which is fully accessible, will also be at Turner Street car park, Birkenhead on 14 and 15 July, between 9.30am-6pm, and offers a safe, self-contained, clean location for people to have their vaccine.
The idea behind having mobile units is to give access to vaccinations to people who may not be registered with a GP, or due to work and home commitments may not be able to keep a scheduled appointment, or simply find themselves with a bit of spare time so they can pop in and get their first or second jab.
Williamson Art Gallery to reopen after completion of ventilation works

The Williamson Art Gallery & Museum will reopen to the public after temporarily closing its doors for a week for emergency engineering works.
The gallery will welcome back visitors from Wednesday 14 July following the completion of some essential maintenance repairs.
Wirral charities benefit from firm’s commitment to fundraising

Many Wirral based charities have been hit hard during the pandemic, but have benefited from a series of charitable events organised by a Knowsley based company.
The Forshaw Group, a property restoration company, aims to engage in charitable events through team or individual activity at least once a month. This has included taking part in bespoke challenges all over the world to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity, through to fundraising initiatives much closer to home.
Birkenhead library to host live music gig

n collaboration with Get It Loud In Libraries, Thomas Headon is bringing his unique sounds and thought-provoking lyrics to Birkenhead Central Library for a special matinee performance on 8 August, 2021.
Get It Loud’s matinee format brings emerging class acts to local libraries on Sunday afternoons for gigs that are accessible and delightful to all ages.
New Brighton RNLI Crew member completes Lands End to John O’Groats cycle challenge

Volunteer crew member Mark Daly completes Lands End to John O’Groats cycle challenge in 12 days.
On Tuesday 13 July, volunteer Lifeboat Crew member Mark Daly completed the Lands End to John O’Groats cycle challenge.
The challenge has taken him 12 days in total and has seen him cover over 1100 miles and stop at numerous lifeboat stations in the process.
£2million for Wirral children and families this summer

Thousands of children and young people will get the chance to enjoy new activities and learn new skills this summer thanks to a network of 54 holiday clubs that will be operating through schools, charities and community groups across Wirral over the school break.
Up to 6000 places are available in the huge programme of activities, which includes music, dance, drama, art, sport and cooking. The scheme is being coordinated by education services provider Edsential – a community interest company owned by Wirral and Cheshire West & Chester Councils – and their local partner Neo Community. A nutritious meal will be provided each day to all those taking part in the holiday clubs.
National Grid helps Wirral Barn Owl Trust welcome three new barn owl chicks

Three new-born barn owls have been busy feathering their nest following successful hatchings at a National Grid electricity substation near Chester
National Grid has been supporting the Wirral Barn Owl Trust by allowing nesting boxes to be installed in secure locations at Capenhurst Substation near Chester. The substation has been offering a safe location for nesting barn owls and other birds including kestrels, away from predators and the elements since 1999.
Calday Grammar receives Green Flag Award

Over the past 4 years, Calday Grange Grammar School has been working towards the prestigious ‘Green Flag Award’ as part of an international scheme run by Eco-Schools.
Since 2017, the Eco Council, Premises Team, Mrs Storey (Director of Student Services) and the Senior Leadership Team have worked tirelessly to make the school more environmentally friendly – and now they have reached a significant milestone in our fight for green.
On Tuesday, it was confirmed that the Caldy school’s Green Flag Application had been successful, meaning that it is now officially a Green Flag School.
£5m green development loan for homes at Wirral Waters

As it continues its work creating more new homes the modern housebuilder House by Urban Splash, working in joint venture partnership with Peel L&P, has secured the support of Lloyds Bank on its newest neighbourhood at Wirral Waters.
Signalling its support for sustainable new projects, Lloyds has agreed to provide an initial £5million green development loan to support the delivery of 30 modular homes within the JV’s East Float quarter – part of the Northbank neighbourhood at Wirral Waters, between Birkenhead and Wallasey.
Metro Mayor’s ambitious £500m publicly-owned Merseyrail vision

Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram’s ambition to create a ‘Merseyrail for All’ has taken a major step forward with the successful testing of new battery-powered trains in the Liverpool City Region.
My vision for the future of the Merseyrail network – made possible by our near £500m investment in new publicly-owned trains. I want to expand the network to make sure no community is left behind, connecting more people with opportunity and each other.
The game-changing technology could allow the Merseyrail network to extend across all six city region boroughs to places like Rainhill in St Helens, Woodchurch in Wirral and Widnes in Halton.
Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region
It could also allow the new fleet to operate as far afield as Skelmersdale, Wrexham, Warrington and Runcorn.
In the run-up to May’s elections, the Mayor pledged to deliver ‘Merseyrail for All’, a commitment to connecting under-served communities to the Merseyrail network.
Birkenhead’s future is bright thanks to £25m grant

The inspirational regeneration plans for Birkenhead have been given a further boost with a £25m grant from the Government.
The award has been announced as part of the Town Deal scheme and will support a number of major capital projects across Birkenhead. With a focus on skills and enterprise infrastructure, culture and improved public realm, the plans build on Birkenhead’s heritage, its unparalleled position on the River Mersey and a commitment to innovate.
Byrne Avenue Baths launches recruitment drive ahead of September opening

Residents are being invited to apply for a host of new jobs at Byrne Avenue Baths.
The Rock Ferry community resource is planning to open its doors in September – after years of closure and following recent renovation work.
A sports hall and community room will be ready to use from this autumn – with a cafe to follow.
South Wirral High School students raise £5,800 with Race for Life

On 1 and 14 July 2021, students from all year groups at South Wirral High School, Eastham, came together to run, jog, or walk five kilometres. The events took place in aid of Race for Life for Cancer Research, raising money for the cause.
All students took to the field with gusto, completing 12 laps of the school field. Some students also dressed up in pink and adorned glittered shirts, getting fully involved in Cancer Research’s trademark pink theme.
Liscard by-election: Who would want to be a councillor in Wirral?

It’s early evening on a balmy summer’s day in Liscard. There is a group of people standing in the middle of the Cherry Tree car park, with clipboards, rucksacks, and a stack of leaflets to hand out. This is canvassing season in Liscard and birkenhead.news tagged along to see what it was all about.
Next Thursday, 22 July, is polling day in Liscard, following the resignation of the incumbent councillor, Sarah Spoor earlier this year. This means that the ward is one councillor short and this triggered the by-election that is taking place.
Hoylake Rugby Club smash Guinness World Record for touch rugby

On 6 June last year, 43-year-old Wirral-born husband and father of three, Dan Miller, died suddenly from a massive heart attack devastating his young family, his four brothers, and teammates at Hoylake Rugby Club.
A year on from his death, a committed group of Dan’s teammates at Hoylake Rugby Club have set a new Guinness World Record for playing touch rugby. The team played continuously from 8am on Friday 16 July until just after 5:30pm on Saturday 17 July.
The record was equalled a short time after 2pm on the 17th, when the timer showed 30 hours, 3 minutes and 11 seconds had elapsed since the start of the game. A little over 3½ hours later at 5:33pm (plus 33 seconds!) the team’s target time was achieved, smashing the previous record.
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