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.
Find the pumpkins in the birkenhead.news ‘Pumpkin Trail’ Halloween Competition 2021
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.
West Kirby RNLI rescue skittish dog that is afraid of men
West Kirby RNLI volunteer crew were tasked following a request by HM Coastguard and quickly launched onto West Kirby beach.
The member of the public who contacted HM Coastguard had also advised the casualties, who had come ashore and were stood on the lake wall of West Kirby Marine Lake, not to return to the beach due to the potentially treacherous muddy conditions.
The casualties informed the volunteer crew that the dog was a skittish rescue dog and afraid of men. Fortunately, one of the newest volunteer crew members, Ella Marston, is a very experienced dog handler and was transferred onto the crew who then proceeded to the moorings, where the dog had last been sighted.
Wirral author explains why the Liverpool Boat of Hope naming ceremony will stir up powerful emotions for her
Wirral children’s author Natalie Reeves Billing is counting down to the Boat of Hope naming ceremony, which took place at Liverpool’s Maritime Museum on 26 October.
Natalie is the Early Years Ambassador for Bernie Hollywood’s Boat of Hope challenge, for which he’ll row 3,000 nautical miles alone to raise £1 million for mental health charities.
The Boat of Hope naming ceremony will be attended by Bernie Hollywood and a host of high-profile figures including Metro Mayor, Steve Rotheram; Mayor of Liverpool, Joanne Anderson, and Liverpool’s Lord Mayor, Mary Rasmussen, and Natalie anticipates that it will be an emotional event for her.
Putting children first, Wirral’s Youth Justice Service plans to get even better
A 12-month plan, that sets out how partners in Wirral will continue to improve the lives of children at risk of offending or re-offending, was approved last week.
At a full meeting of Wirral Council, the borough’s Youth Justice Strategic Plan 2021-22 received final approval.
A ‘Children First’ vision is at the heart of the plan; in recognising young people as children first and offenders second, the Youth Justice Service seeks to identify and work with children’s individual strengths and needs.
More libraries and services reopen
More of Wirral’s residents can get access to books, IT facilities and the reference Library as four more libraries reopen this week and other services resume at the central sites.
Irby, Pensby, St James and Wallasey Village will reopen their doors to readers from Thursday and Friday on 28 and 29 October.
Opening hours of the libraries will look a little different from previously. These will be:
• Irby and St James – Monday and Thursday, 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm, and 9am to 1pm on every other Saturday
• Pensby and Wallasey Village – Tuesday and Friday, 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm and 9am to 1pm on every other Saturday
New Wirral website ‘Zillo’ for young people, by young people
A brand-new website, built for the borough’s young people, by young people, launches this week.
ZILLO, which replaces the Council’s former site for young people ‘Teen Wirral’, is a cutting-edge platform designed by computing students at Wirral Met College, with modern features including; a fully interactive events map, news page, links to professional wellbeing, advice and support pages plus opportunities for young budding writers to submit their own articles.
Supported by staff in the council’s Youth Matters team, young people will be empowered to take control of and shape the site, while sharing and contributing on the topics that matter to them.
Tap or click to like birkenhead.news on Facebook
Tap or click to follow birkenhead.news on Twitter Woodside regeneration takes another step forward with new landing stage and U-boat plans
The regeneration of the Woodside area of Birkenhead has taken another step forward with Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram announcing the expected appointment of designers for an all-new Mersey Ferries landing stage as well as an exciting future for the popular U-Boat Story attraction.
The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority will be appointing designers to complete initial plans for a new landing stage at Woodside ferry terminal. The new design will replace the existing stage which is reaching the end of its operational life.
Subject to funding being secured, the new landing stage will help maintain cross-river services running from Woodside as part of the long-term vision for the Mersey Ferries.
Free entry to Carols on the Kop at Prenton Park
Tranmere Rovers are hosting their annual Christmas carol service at Prenton Park – Carols on the Kop! It will take place after the Club’s home game against Leyton Orient on Saturday 18 December at 6pm.
The service will take place on the Argyle Satellite Taxis Kop, returning for another year of festivity and fun.
Join Tranmere Rovers Football Club and celebrate the festive season. Entry is free, with food and drink available to purchase during the event.
Birkenhead Sixth Form College Maths building renamed in honour of teacher
Birkenhead Sixth Form College has renamed its Maths building in honour of teacher and Head of Maths Paul Birken, who passed away in 2020.
A hugely popular figure at the College, Paul is remembered both as a friend and a colleague, and the department that he cared so passionately for and worked tirelessly toward is now emblazoned with his name.
The Paul Birken Building, formerly known as the ‘N’ rooms at the College, will now hold the title of the ‘PB’ rooms, as tribute to the enormous impact that Paul had on both those that he worked with and those he taught.
Birkenhead’s Sally Nugent announced as new BBC Breakfast presenter
Born in Birkenhead, Sally Nugent started her career at BBC Radio Merseyside and has previously worked at BBC North West Tonight and BBC News.
Sally is to be the new regular BBC Breakfast presenter from Monday to Wednesday, taking up the role alongside Dan Walker, Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt with immediate effect.
Sally has been part of the BBC Breakfast team for almost a decade as a sports presenter and has been a journalist for 25 years.
Mick Whitley MP – ‘Birkenhead is bouncing back’
Mick Whitley, Birkenhead’s Member of Parliament, welcomed the news that the town’s ferry terminal at Woodside is to get a total overhaul.
The site is already enjoying a revival with its attractive food court and the pop-up stalls that Independent Wirral and the Chamber of Commerce have been running. And visitor numbers are up.
But much more can be done to make the most of this historic site. Instead of the U-Boat simply being a stand-alone monument, Liverpool City Region has partnered with Big Heritage and plans to establish a Battle of the Atlantic Experience.
Wirral Council awarded £19.6m for Birkenhead waterfront from Government’s Levelling Up Fund
The regeneration of Birkenhead has taken another step forward with the announcement that Wirral Council has been awarded £19.6m from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund.
The funding will be used to transform the waterfront at Woodside, supporting projects aimed at creating a thriving visitor destination and making significant improvements to transport infrastructure.
This latest funding announcement is another major milestone in the multi-million-pound regeneration plans for Wirral and will help unlock the potential of Woodside at the heart of the Left Bank.
Wirral Kayak Challenge presents cheques to Claire House and Merseyside and Cheshire Blood Bikes
On Saturday 23 October, the organiser of the Wirral Kayak Challenge, Mike Dudley, presented cheques totalling nearly £12.5k to John and Kirk from Merseyside and Cheshire Blood Bikes, and Mark Pearson and Mandy Reeves from Claire House Children’s Hospice at an event at The Railway pub at Meols.
The cheques were able to be presented through sponsorship that each of the 148 participants raised.
The 8th Annual Wirral Kayak Challenge event took place on Sunday 18 of July. There were 148 participants, with 122 kayaking and a further 26 paddleboarding their way around the Wirral coast.
WorldSkills UK success for Wirral Met tutors
Staff members at Wirral Met College have successfully completed a 12-week WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence Educator’s programme, bolstering the college’s status as a member of the WorldSkills UK Centre of Excellence, in partnership with NCFE.
WorldSkills UK supports young people to engage in competitions-based training, assessment and benchmarking, with members’ national teams ultimately testing their ability to achieve world-class standards in the biennial ‘Skills Olympics’.
Wirral Met has been a member of the WorldSkills Centre of Excellence since 2020 and is one of only four member colleges in the North West. Through its membership, tutors working with hundreds of employers from their respective industries supercharge the quality and delivery of technical and vocational training to help students develop employability skills for their future careers.
National Grid COP26 Champion cycles London to Glasgow via Capenhurst
David Welling, a COP26 Champion who works in Data Centre Network & Security at National Grid, is cycling over 1000km across seven days from London to Glasgow ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26).
On Wednesday 27 October, David stopped off for a breather and a chat with birkenhead.news at the National Grid Capenhurst Substation.
Starting his journey on Monday 25 October, David will visit key sites along the route which are making a significant contribution to the UK’s climate ambitions. These projects demonstrate how National Grid is getting the energy system to net zero. He’ll arrive in Glasgow on 31 October, just as world leaders gather for the global summit.
Young entrepreneurs set to narrow disadvantage gap on Wirral
Drive and determination to run their own businesses has set a group of young, disadvantaged entrepreneurs on the road to an economic upturn for Wirral.
As the first graduates of the new Young Entrepreneurs Academy, 11 young people, all facing a multitude of personal barriers, have now achieved their business start-up goals – only a dream for them at the start of the project a year ago.
This new generation of business owners, spurred on by practical help and advice from existing business leaders and local entrepreneurs – those who have “been there and done it” to show them the realities of running a successful company – are today creating their own livelihoods in a variety of different business sectors.
Community firework displays return to Wirral’s parks this year
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:
- Lingham Park, Moreton
- Mayer Park, Bebington
- Woodchurch Leisure Centre, Woodchurch
- Mersey Park, Birkenhead
- Leasowe Adventure Playground, Leasowe
On Saturday 6 November, displays will start from 6.30pm at:
- Birkenhead Park, Birkenhead
- Central Park, Wallasey
Final four designs revealed for 2022/23 TRFC home shirt
Tranmere Rovers has launched the final round of their competition for a fan-designed first team shirt for the 2022/23 season.
The final four designs have been shortlisted and professionally produced by our kit manufacturer, Mills Sport and like last year Tranmere will be sticking with the Club’s traditional multi-coloured crest.
The four finalists will each receive a framed copy of their design in recognition of getting this far. But it is now up to you to decide who will be the overall winner and therefore get to see their shirt put into commercial production.
Latest news