Wirral's independent local news website
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.
birkenhead.news is running a spooky Halloween competition, giving readers the chance to win a £20 Gift Card from Waterstones bookshop.
All readers have to do is find six cartoon pumpkins like the one at the top of this article and email us the titles of the six articles which have pumpkins at the top. The competition closes on Friday 5 November.
The articles that the pumpkins appear in will be published between Thursday 21 October 2021 and Sunday 31 October 2021 and the winner will be drawn at random from the correct entries.
Read more …
The Royal British Legion Riders Branch is a National branch of the RBL with over 6000 members and is for anyone who has a passion for motorcycling and a willingness and desire to support the aims and charitable efforts of The Royal British Legion.
As Branch members, the group’s main aims are to raise funds and awareness for the Poppy Appeal and to offer support and help whenever we can to our service personal, past and present, and their families. The Riders Branch is keen to attract motorcyclists and supporters from throughout the UK and abroad.
A spokesperson for the Riders Branch said, “We are now into our second decade of activity, attending community repatriation ceremonies and funerals for veterans who otherwise would have no mourners, we try to make sure all our heroes are given the sendoff they deserve.”
Five incredible schools from the Wirral have been shortlisted for this year’s Educate Awards.
The awards showcase the work of schools and colleges which are delivering outstanding education and helping students achieve their full potential. With over 21 categories, the shortlist recognises inspiring teachers, dedicated support staff and strategic leadership teams.
One of the most exciting children’s authors in the UK, Natalie Reeves Billing has released her latest book, ‘Bernie & Boatie’ with all proceeds going to mental health charities in a bid to tackle the crisis facing young people as a result of the pandemic.
‘Bernie and Boatie’ is Natalie’s fifth independent offering and follows the magical journey of Bernie and his faithful vessel, Boatie, as they set sail on their sometimes perilous but ultimately epic adventure across the Atlantic.
All proceeds from the new book will go to the national Boat of Hope campaign, which will see Liverpool charity guru and adventurer, Bernie Hollywood OBE embark on a 90-day solo sail from the Canaries to Antigua in 2022 to raise £1m for various causes. ‘Bernie and Boatie’ will be released on the same day that Boat of Hope has its national launch at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London.
Last Friday, West Derby MP, Ian Byrne, presented a cheque for £250,000 to Claire House Children’s Hospice on behalf of the 64 Trust. The donation is the first instalment of a £1 million pledge made by the Trust that will help the charity reach more severely and terminally ill children in Merseyside and take the next steps to develop its site in Liverpool.
The funds will be spent on developing facilities at the charity’s site in West Derby, Liverpool and providing vital support across both hospice sites in the Wirral and Liverpool for children and families who have been pushed to their limits during the pandemic.
“This was a great opportunity for our West Deby MP to see the difference the 64 Trust’s donation is going to make to families in Merseyside who rely on the vital services offered by the hospice. Our staff explained how the pandemic made a difficult job even harder and how vital the funds will be in helping the charity prepare for the future in unpredictable times. They also explained our plan to develop facilities at the Liverpool site and hopefully to one day build a second hospice,” said David Pastor, CEO at Claire House.
A trial project starts next month that aims to help make the school run safer, healthier and happier for children, families and the wider community.
Wirral Council is working with three schools to trial the new ‘School Street’ scheme, which will see surrounding roads temporarily closed to traffic during drop-off and pick-up times.
Some vehicles will be exempt, but the aim of the scheme 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.
The three schools to be trialled will be:
• Greenleas Primary School, Wallasey • Christchurch Primary School, Birkenhead• Liscard Primary School, Liscard
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The latest milestone in the refurbishment of Seacombe Ferry Terminal was hit last week as the new passenger linkspan bridges to the landing stage were successfully installed.
This phase of work has seen the existing linkspan bridges, which were over 130 years old and at the end of their operational life, removed and replaced and the landing stage undergo a major refurbishment, including upgrading the mooring bollards and installing new powered gangways.
Carried out over a four-day period, the new north and south linkspan bridges and refurbished north and south boom were installed using a specialist Lara 1 Crane Ship after being transported up the river from Garston via a barge.
The first houses have arrived at Wirral Waters this week, as House by Urban Splash delivers its factory-built homes to East Float in partnership with Peel L&P.
The first batch of new homes have been delivered this week, including the first ever Row House homes, a striking new product coming first to Merseyside. A homegrown product designed by Liverpool-based architects shedkm, the brightly coloured Row House will feature a distinct red cladding and is a tribute to the Victorian mews.
The homes are available in three sizes, a two-bedroom, two-storey home, a three-bedroom, two-and-a-half storey home, with the luxury of a roof terrace, and the largest, a four-bedroom, three-storey home. Residents will also benefit from private terraces as well as spacious communal gardens for their use.
“There are no easy answers” to close the budget gap this year, the leader of Wirral Council said today.
Wirral Council is moving ahead with setting a budget for the next financial year, 2022-23, as the borough continues to battle the impact of COVID-19.
But the authority faces a potential gap in excess of £30m, under the latest prudent forecast, between funding (from council tax, fees and grants) and the cost of providing services at the current level.
Oxton Art Fair is returning this November for a one-day event after a hiatus during 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions being in place.
Carol Emmas, of Oxton Art Fair, said, “It’s been an eventful time, to say the least, since our last Oxton Art Fair back in 2019. So, we are very glad to say we are back and happy to be exhibiting at our much valued Williamson Art Gallery and Museum once again.
“We are also (post-lockdown) easing back into the public consciousness over a condensed one-day event (Sunday 7 November) instead of the usual two.”
In a landmark deal for the borough, investment and pension fund, Canada Life Asset Management has agreed to forward fund the development of Wirral Growth Company’s two new Grade-A office schemes in Birkenhead for £75 million.
Totalling 150,000 sq ft, the flagship office buildings are the first phase of Wirral Growth Company’s regeneration masterplan for Birkenhead town centre, which will see a transformational, vibrant new mixed-use commercial quarter developed, creating modern and attractive workspace together with a new market, leisure, food and drink, alongside event spaces and public realm. The plans also include much needed new homes in the town centre.
Wirral Growth Company is a 50:50 joint venture partnership between Wirral Council and national urban regeneration specialist, Muse Developments.
Wirral Council is appealing for the support of an army of volunteers as it looks to plant more than 10,000 new trees this winter.
Since declaring a climate emergency in 2019, the council has committed to planting more trees – lots of them.By 2030, the council will have supported the planting of 210,000 trees, or 21,000 per year across the borough, doubling the borough’s tree canopy.
New Brighton based Rockpoint Leisure’s Dan Davies has been presented with the National Pubwatch Award of Merit.
He was nominated for the top accolade by David Lucas, chair of the Nottingham City Pubwatch.
Dan is the chairman of the Institute of Licensing and director of pub chain Rockpoint Leisure.
Merseyrail is celebrating 50 years of the Merseyrail brand this month as the brand was first seen on trains in October 1971.
It was then that the name ‘Merseyrail’ started to be applied to the Wirral line trains with the Northern line roll-out following the year after along with station entrance signage, timetables, posters and more.
Pupils from schools across the Liverpool City Region have celebrated this anniversary by designing birthday cards for the rail operator, congratulating them on 50 years of service to local people and visitors alike.
The name ‘Merseyrail’ was created by the British Rail Liverpool Division following the creation of The Mersey Railways Extensions Act, and it was decided that a new name was needed due to the local nature of how our rail systems were operated.
Nine intrepid members from Wirral’s Hive Youth Zone took part in an unforgettable boat trip that included shooting stars, dolphins and seasickness.
The youngsters are all aged between 14-16 and sailed from Falmouth to Liverpool via the Isle of Man as part of the NHS Cadets programme.
The trip was organised with help from Merseyside Adventure Sailing Trust (MAST).
Teenagers will ‘dribble’ with delight as free football sessions have been announced, taking place at the Oval Leisure Centre.
From 22nd October, free football will be held every Friday evening from 5.30pm-7.30pm at The Oval Leisure Centre in Bebington.
Qualified and experienced sports coaches from Wirral Sports and Development will lead the sessions and provide young people with football skills and the chance to have fun and meet other teenagers.
Residents will be able to enjoy free community fireworks across the borough as the council’s parks and countryside service prepare to light up the sky on bonfire night weekend.
Firework displays this year will be across two nights, Friday 5 November and Saturday 6 November.
On Friday 5 November, displays will start from 6.30pm at:
On Saturday 6 November, displays will start from 6.30pm at:
The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre has been rated one of the top six hospitals in England by patients who took part in the CQC’s latest National Inpatient Survey.
In the 2020 inpatient survey, Clatterbridge was one of just six hospitals nationally – and the only hospital in Cheshire and Merseyside – to achieve the ‘Much better than expected’ ranking.
The survey covered inpatient services at both Liverpool and Wirral, prior to the new flagship hospital opening in Liverpool in June 2020. The survey involved 137 hospitals in England and patients who had spent at least one night in hospital were asked to take part.