MNL
Mersey News Live FROM THE HEART OF THE CITY
Powered by LJMU journalists
February 16-22 2022
THE SONG THAT’S HELPING PEOPLE WITH DEMENTIA
POLICING STUDENTS MARK CRIME SCENE
WE’RE OFF TO REVIEW THE WIZARD ...
VILLAGE STORE AT COMMUNITY’S HEART THIS WEEK
ARTS
LIFESTYLE
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CONTENTS THIS WEEK 3 4 5
Pg 6&7
Pg 3
Len plays it by the book Policing students’ crime scene What to do over half-term
LIFE & ARTS 6&7 Wirral’s famous fruit and veg shop 8 Recycling and the war on waste 9 Women’s Wednesday 10&11 The Hair Hero! A new hairdresser
Pg 15 Pg 10&11
starting his own business
12&13
The Turtle Song: How music can
help with dementia
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Wizard of Oz casts its panto magic Open Eye gallery: Tree Project
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The war on waste ignites!
his week in the Mersey News Live magazine, Jack McGahan went to Waterstones to see former trade union leader Len McCluskey talk about his most recent book. Emma went to visit a mock crime scene set up to help LJMU policing students, while Sophie explains how to get help if you’re struggling with childcare over halfterm.
Our reporter Ellie visited a famous fruit and veg shop on Wirral, being welcomed into the community. I talk you through how recycling in the university is helping us reach our net-zero target. Meanwhile, Catrin met up with a hairdresser who is building his new business one snip at a time. Harry Hughes talks you through how music can help people suffering
with dementia, while Oli Johnson took a walk down the yellow brick road to St. Helens to review the new production of a Wizard of Oz. Finally, Amna walks you through the new Tree Project from the Open Eye Gallery. Check our Mersey News Live website to see all of our stories for this week! Luke Pollitt, Lifestyle Reporter
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THIS WEEK
THIS WEEK
RED LEN’S BIG READ
Len McCluskey, former General Secretary of Unite the Union, tells his story, from north Liverpool to the docks to leading the 1.4m members of his union. By JACK MCGAHAN
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en McCluskey, born in Kirkdale. He worked on the docks to then go on and become General Secretary of Unite the Union for over decade. Unite is the largest associate and major donor to the Labour Party. Many would say Len stands head and shoulders above the rest as the stand-out trade unionist of his era. ‘Always Red’ details the memoirs of McCluskey in a chronological fashion. He discusses his early years at Cardinal Godfrey Catholic School to then working as an elected shop steward on the docks for “eleven years of happiness”. His story then delves into the workers’ strikes of the 1980’s at the height of Thatcher and the tory party. The bulk of the latter end of ‘Always Red’ reflects his admiration for Jeremy Corbyn, Leader of the Labour Party from 2015-20 and how he was ultimately betrayed and stabbed in the back by those closest to him. The book itself is dedicated to none other than the city where it all began for the former General Secretary of Unite. Why? “Liverpool would stand up. Liverpool would fight for itself despite all the adversity. Liverpool stood together as a community, and still does.” “The city is unique, that forever challenges the establishment. Liverpool never bends the knee.” McCluskey, as a Liverpool fan was deeply affected by the Hillsborough
disaster as so many others were. He stresses though: “No other supporters could have achieved what they did. Completely rejecting the outside forces who entirely failed the 97 and their families.” Some may argue that Liverpool may bare some similarities with Glasgow and East London. Some may argue that there is a spirit or energy is shared between these places, maybe because of the docks. Maybe otherwise. What is clear, is that ‘The Pool’ has and always will “spit right back in the face of adversity”. During his years at Godfrey’s, Len developed into quite the poker player amongst other attributes which would later serve him in his position at the head of the Union. He does tell a story whereby him and his pals began running the school tuck shop and introduced the ‘buy one get one free’ scheme before any major retailer. Len explains that his superiors were a huge advocate of the scheme as “nothing keeps the Catholic Church happier than money”. This was until they realised Len and company were later advertising the offer as “buy one and get a picnic” demonstrating that he would have been a “crap capitalist”. The 1970s and 80s saw widespread workers’ strikes across the nation under the Thatcher regime. Liverpool as a city experienced a period of devastation. The Uprisings of ’81 paired with the unemployment crippled the city.
Len McCluskey speaking at his book reading. It wasn’t until the strikes of the 1990s that Len was more heavily involved. Len was now a prominent figure in the Transport and General Workers’ Union (T&G). The Liverpool Dockers Dispute between 1995-98 saw 500 dockers strike in Liverpool over unfair payment. A t the time, the New Labour government overlooked anti-union trade legislation ratified by the previous Conservative government. It was the longest disputes in labour history. The support the dockers received was widespread. It was global. 130 ports in 30 different countries took action, the New York docks included, yet disappointingly the T&G did not. “It was most extraordinary, unbelievable. How can ports worldwide stand up yet these dockers own union turn its back?”
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eneral Secretary at the time, Bill Morris, met with Len to discuss the dispute: “When the General Secretary starts mentioning that we need to maintain the ‘fabric’ of the union, it immediately points toward a sell-out. A sell-out was in the air and the union betrayed those men.” In that moment, McCluskey swore he would never ever allow workers to struggle again: “If a union cannot stand shoulder to shoulder with its members than what is the point?” Moving on to the 2010’s, Len is an enormous advocate of Jeremy Corbyn. During his tenure as General Secretary of ‘Unite the Union’ (formed after T&G merged with Amicus in 2007), he felt frustration while dealing with Labour Leader Ed Miliband. “Miliband wanted to bring Labour away from the unions. He was right wing. A union of nearly 1 million
Len McCluskey speaking at the Labour Party Conference 2016 3
Photo: Luke Pollitt
members…can you imagine? He wanted to halve the affiliation numbers. He was disgraceful.” “After him we had Andy Burnham come along. Who thought he had secured the hard left, but then try to scoop the soft left and soft right as well. Andy bit off more than he could chew.” Then there was Corbyn. Len describes Corbyn as a phenomenon. One we will likely never see again. “He united the Labour party. Young people believed in him. Crowds of young people cheering for a man who they believed in.” Supporters say that he isn’t wrong. In the 2017 general election, Corbyn achieved a bigger . In doing so, Labour had won 40% of the vote. “Jeremy was 2,227 votes away from winning by minority. May went on to form a government.” “There are no words for what happened to Corbyn” following the election” says Len. “He was just absolutely attacked by our own side. How many times did you see Labour MPs rushing to the Sun and the Daily Mail to absolutely castigate him. It was outrageous.” Len said that it is the role of good people, “good working-class people”, to always remember 2017. That year proved ordinary people will vote for a radical program, he said. “You can imagine the real establishment sitting in their clubs with a brandy and a cigar saying ‘how the f**k did we allow this Corbyn to get so close to power. “Never again will we allow that to happen. And now they are being well aided by the current Leader of the Labour Party. We need to remember 2017. “There is hope.” • Len McCluskey ‘Always Red’ is published by OR Books, £16.99.
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THIS WEEK
Crime scene is safe space for students to solve cases EMMA DUKES reports on policing, diversity and Liverpool Jonhn Moores’ model crime scene
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taff and students at Liverpool John Moores University may not know it but they have a crime scene under their noses ... but no one’s worried. It is all in a day’s work for the policing department. The university has created an extensive model crime scene set, which is available to all LJMU policing and forensics students. It is easily movable and changeable, allowing for a lot of different exercises and activities. The set is run by Dr Heather Panter, a retired US Detective and the Programme Leader of the Policing and Criminal Investigation department. After joining Liverpool John Moores, in 2015, Dr Panter had the idea of creating a space for students, to improve their learning. She told MNL: ‘‘In 2015, I went to
the then Vice Chancellor and pleaded to use the vacant area in the attic in the John Foster Building at Mount Pleasant, and so that became our space. “I wanted to give students a safe space to do practicals and crime scene exercises - you learn more from doing than sitting and listening to lectures.” The crime scene has recently moved to the Aquinas building, on Maryland Street, and will be receiving further investment. Dr Panter said: “When I initially started the set up in the attic I received a grant of £4000. “The new area had been vacant and the ‘higher ups’ noticed the crime scene exercises were very popular with students and thought, we’re not using this area, so let’s get you somewhere else temporarily and then
Dr Heather Panter, Programme Leader MSc in Policing and Criminal Investigations. Image via LJMU.
into an even better place. “A lot of the equipment has been donated or the university was getting rid of it, so the initial start-up was £4000 and to keep things going, like ordering crime scene suits and gloves, it’ll be roughly £1000 a year.” Dr Panter explained the different crime scenes: “Right now we have a nursery crime scene, for students to learn about sudden infant deaths or suspicious infant deaths. “We also have a mother’s room and a bachelor’s room. “The students can go through drawers, look for evidence, look under furniture. “We’re setting up our bar room, which is going to be a glassing crime scene. “And another room, which is nowhere near completed, but it will be a post-blast bomb scene.” The latest investment, the bomb scene, was decided by students, using a poll and is especially important for their learning, following the recent bombing at Liverpool Women’s Hospital. LJMU teaching staff are often retired or active professionals in their field, and Dr Panter expressed why this is so important: “One thing that makes us unique is that we have staff members who were actually police officers, walking through the crime scene with students, going through each piece of evidence.” “No book in the world can get you ready for the world of policing.”
Image by David Von Diemar via Unsplash.
Image by Phil Nash via Wikimedia Commons.
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Dr Panter has also published research about policing in the US and UK, with a focus on gender bias, diversity and social perceptions of LGBT+ individuals. As a Detective in Atlanta for 13 years, she experienced the lack of diversity first-hand and for a period of time, she was the only white female in her team. She said that witnesses and victims were more likely to open up to her because they could relate to her. Dr Panter told MNL that Serena Kennedy’s appointment as Chief Constable of Merseyside Police is a huge step forward: “Only a foolish person would say there’s no problems with policing, but we’re making tremendous strides. “Bias is a deep-rooted issue in the UK and US police forces, in terms of diversity. “Representation is critical for advancement to policing and Serena Kennedy is an approachable female and has blasted through the glass ceiling in policing. “There are very few females in high-ranking positions because it is still dominated by the male hetero-normative rhetoric but we are making strides.” • For more information about Serena Kennedy’s appointment as Chief Constable and her plan for Merseyside Police, visit our sister website merseynewslive. co.uk
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Focus on fun for hard-pressed families in half term holiday With February half term fast approaching, families across Liverpool can receive support from organisations. However, some will be left struggling. SOPHIE MOORE reports
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or many families across Merseyside, finding suitable childcare and food for children during Half Term, can be a challenging task. Many parents rely on free school meals and after school clubs to give their children hot food and care during the week. This February half term – which for most local schools runs from Monday-Friday next week - families are not alone, as organisations across Liverpool are offering support. Greenbank Sports Academy is hosting ‘Fab Feb’ - a free programme for children aged 12-16 who receive free school meals.
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related free school meals.” There will be a range of activities available including football, basketball, badminton, table tennis, boccia, wheelchair sports, cycling, walking, keep fit, activity bingo, gaming, art and crafts and healthy eating. All children will receive a free lunch and snacks on the days they attend. To take part, children must be eligible to receive free school meals. There are also limited paid places at a cost of £20 for those who do not meet the criteria. Tracey Lowe, a single parent from Norris Green, explained the importance of support during half term holidays.
a little bit. The 34 year old mother added: “Childcare is also a huge issue. “If you work you obviously need to find childcare, but the expense of childcare makes working seem pointless.”
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lthough some organisations across Liverpool are doing all they can to support families during half term, many children may still not get the support they need. Around 4.3m British children are currently living in poverty. Poorer families are struggling more than ever as food prices surge, and things are expected to get considerably tougher in April when energy bills soar by 54%. In what is considered to be the world's fifth richest economy, welfare benefits will only increase by 3.1 percent in April. Nearly two million school children in Britain get free school meals but fears are growing for children who do not qualify. According to a study, up to 1.45 million children in the UK who are ineligible for free school meals are at risk of going hungry unless the rules are changed to reflect the rising cost of living. Get tickets for ‘Fab Feb’ events at Greenbank sports academy here:
The expense of childcare makes working seem pointless
Activities will run from Monday 21, Wednesday 23 & Friday 25 February from 9.30am-3.30 pm. The Academy said: “We are offering free school holiday activities during the February Half Term for children aged 12-16 or up to 25 for SEND young people who receive benefits-
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“I work yet I still find it increasingly harder each day to put food on the table. “The kids have Free school meals when they’re at school, so by offering support to myself and other parents in similar positions during half term and holidays it takes the pressure off me
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What is there to do in Liverpool this half Term?
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ere are five things to keep you and the young ones entertained:
1. THE MONKEY WITH NO BUM (Epstein Theatre)- Asa Murphy’s children’s story is coming to life at the Epstein Theatre on Hanover Street on February 20. 2. VISIT GIANT INFLATABLE SCULPTURES- Liverpool art centre the Bluecoat will be home to 3 inflatable sculptures from February 18, to represent mental health. 3. FAMILY ART WORKSHOPDesanna Watson, will be leading two workshops teaching you to create wonderful artworks using maps and fabric at : Victoria Gallery & Museum on February 23. 4. GET UP AND GLOW - World Museum- Discover the world of bioluminescence at the World Museum aquarium from 9 February to 25 February. 5. POTTERSPOOL WIZARD EVENT- A wizard and witch event inspired by Harry Potter is coming to Otterspool on February 19 to 27.
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Wirral high street heroes still going strong Images: Ellie Rochell All images were taken in and of K&N store. Second from top, left hand side: Karim Azare.
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K&N is a fresh fruits and vegetables shop on Oxton Road, Birkenhead. Opened by Kazem Kohnechi and run by Karim Azare, in 2006 and the shop has been going strong ever since. In 2020, the store was voted as one of the best shops on the Wirral during the ‘High Street Heroes’ campaign. Wirral Council organised the campaign but the final decisions were down to public vote. K&N received an overwhelming amount of support, following their service to the community during the pandemic. Karim, Kurdish from Iran, 42, said: “We basically serve the community, we have a really, really good support from the people and the community, it’s very strong.” During the pandemic, the pair delivered fresh vegetables to those shielding from Covid-19 and offered a ‘click and collect’ service so locals didn’t have to leave their car to get their produce. However, Karim told Merseynewslive that the masses of support started long before Covid hit, with customers travelling from across Merseyside to visit K&N and support the business. Karim said: “Especially now people are trying to support local businesses because as you see, they all go one day. The market down the street just closed down after 60 years but he didn’t have any chance.” When driving or walking down Oxton Road, you wouldn’t be able to miss K&N and their bright display of fresh produce. The store is well-known amongst locals for selling a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, often stocking rare and obscure Asian vegetables. Customers often visit K&N to get produce
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How a local fruit and vegetable store has been supporting the community with their family-friendly attitude since 2006
they wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else. Karim spoke of the most popular, and obscure, items they stock:
It’s very rare, which is fruit like the kumquat, dragon food, star fruit, these types of things that you can hardly find and if they’re online it’s very expensive.
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efore the pair began business back in the early 2000’s, the store was an empty unit, only to be transformed by the fruit and vegetable store. Merseynewslive spoke to Karim about the early days of K&N. He was initially parttime at the store, taking deliveries- which are still going today! Shortly after, he became full-time at the shop and in August of 2021, Kazem retired, leaving Karim with ownership of K&N. Since then, Karim has continued working six days a week to support K&N,waking up at
5:30am to collect varied fruits and vegetables to stock the store. K&N is known locally as a family store, often seeing as children grow up. Karim said: “I used to give them an apple as kids and now they come in with a pram with their own children.” The store welcomes families and children, Karim also said: “I’ve got kids so I know the feeling and I’m getting exactly the same feeling for the children when they come in here and I give them free fruit, whichever they choose.” Sustainability is also at the forefront of K&N’s priorities, using as little plastic as possible, reusing cardboard boxes and sourcing their produce from locals wherever possible. Karim said: “Then you know, it comes to the environment. So we want to help the environment as well as everything else.” In recent years, the store started a Facebook page, now with almost 1,000 followers keeping their eye out for posts about their most recent product additions.
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thriving family fruit and veg business which puts the community at the heart of all it does is reaping the benefits.
Words: ELLIE ROCHELL
Visit their Facebook Page for stock updates, special buys and obsure produce!
- K & N Fresh Vegetables & Fruit Birkenhead Oxton Rd, Birkenhead
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ALL NEWS EVERY WEEK MerseySport Live is the home of all things sport featuring the main articles and features from Liverpool and beyond!
Featuring live news, videos and podcasts for all your sporting needs
www.merseynewslive.co.uk
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LIFE
Photos © Luke Pollitt
LIFE
The Student Life building - new bins are to be brought into the building to make it easier to recycle
Focus on recycling to win the war on waste
LUKE POLLITT examines how waste at Liverpool John Moores University is recycled, and the efforts of the Student Union to reach their sustainability targets
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ecycling is a huge part of ensuring that sectors reach their net zero targets. According to the Office for National Statistics, UK households throw away 23 million metric tonnes of waste per year. 43.2% of this waste can be recycled. However, recycling waste can become contaminated, meaning It can no longer be re-used. This occurs when people put the wrong items or items that haven’t been washed out properly in their recycling bins. Food contamination being the biggest factor in contamination. Last week it was noticed that in the new LJMU Student Life building at Copperas Hill, both general waste and recycling was being disposed of into the same bin bag, even though each bin was marked separately. That meant a large part of the buildings recycled waste could be getting contaminated. Tudor Williams is the Director of Campus Services at the university. He told MNL: “There has been one bag in the bins as a temporary measure. “The ‘General Waste’ is still separated by the waste company at their facility.” The University uses B&M Waste Services for our waste management,
David Carter is the Senior Customer Service Relations Executive for B&M, he told MNL: “We always encourage recycling on site for customers but appreciate it’s not always possible. All waste collected from JMU would be taken to our Material Recovery Facility and will be sorted any waste we can’t recover is sent to a Refuse Derived Fuel plant. “The waste is incinerated, and conversion will take place into clean energy, please see attached.”
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&M Waste Services provided MNL with information of how our waste is treated after students use bins. 54% of the waste is used to become Refuse Derived Fuel with another 46% being able to be recycled. The university aims to make it more clear to students where to dispose of their waste and encourage greater recycling across campus. Mr. Williams added: “New bins will be arriving shortly which will either be for recycling or general waste. In the meantime, two bags will again be used in each unit. “Both the recycling waste and general waste will still be picked up by the same wagon and again separated by the company. “The new bins will hopefully be a lot clearer for both students and staff.”
Bins that collect both general waste and recycling in the same bag
Student Union aims for net zero Last December, the government released polices for the country to ‘Build Back Greener” and meet the target of net zero emissions by 2050. This means that all sectors of the UK economy will have to decarbonise. LJSU declared a state of emergency in relation to the climate crisis in 2020. In consultation with students, the union released a Sustainability Action Plan detailing how they will take action on the climate over the next three years. This includes pledges like reducing the entire carbon footprint by 50% over the next two years and a reduction in single use waste in relation to student lunches. The union also received planning permission from Liverpool City Region’s Community Environment Fund to start work on The Growing Project. A community garden that will be open for all to enjoy, grow foods and learn new skills.
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Hail the hair hero CATRIN JONES
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ard work, long hours – and having understanding clients – has helped barber Lewis Ellison become a cut above the rest. Lewis, known as Lew, is a prime example of where working towards your own business can take you. The 21-year-old from St Helens started his career in barbering at a hair salon in his local town, before setting up his own business at home. “I’ve been a barber for three and a half years now; started in September 2018. I worked in a barber, and it was good cause it was busy, but I only did it to boost up my clients because I always wanted to go on my own.” Alongside his busy schedule at the St Helens salon, the self-employed hairstylist admitted that to pursue his dream career of offering his own service, he needed to put the time and effort into his side hustle. “I used to do home cuts on the side at work so I used to go to work and do a 9 till 6 but then I’d come home and do another two or three maybe but that would have been my own money then. It was hard sometimes because I would be cutting hair till about 9 or 10 o’clock at night and then starting at 9am but it is worth it- it’s definitely paid off.” He explained how his home services allow his clients to feel comfortable whilst receiving their usual haircuts. “Lads prefer to get their hair cut on a one-
on-one basis, rather than having loads of other people around. It’s just me and them and then you get to know them and then they start becoming your mate. I’ve got a couple of mates now I know just from cutting their hair and some are now my favourite people.” Despite reaching his professional goal, Lew stressed the reality of self-employment and the extra work needed to build up a clientele. “At the start you hardly have any clients, but you just have to grow them, and then they start becoming regulars. I’ve had people come to me now for three years, when I was learning on some of them and probably not giving them the best haircut, they stuck with me and by now, I’m giving them better haircuts.” Lew also emphasised the impact of social media on his business as it was a great way for potential clients to get in touch. “I’ve got quite a lot of regulars now, you just pick it up and then with new ones it’s mainly Instagram, they just message me or it’s word of mouth. My mates will come with their mates.” The mobile hairdresser is known for his skin fades, a popular style that cuts closely down to the skin and becomes gradually longer towards the top of the head, as it becomes his most requested haircut and with that comes a repetitive day-to-day routine. “My most requested haircut is definitely a skin fade. It does get a bit repetitive sometimes because I like doing other haircuts as
well, but I don’t have many clients with long hair- it’s mainly is skin fade after skin fade after skin fade.” He currently has his own set up at home to where he carries out most of his appointments; however, he also travels to his clients’ houses if needed. “I do go to people’s houses but it’s easier for them to come here as it takes a long time to pack up all my stuff, drive there, set it all up, and then pack it all away. I do go to people’s houses if they’re struggling for example, one of my customers had a baby and he couldn’t come here so I went out to his. I’ve got a nice setup coming along and it makes life easier as well.” A year has passed since the barber set up his own business and he’s never looked back. For many wishing to kickstart their own business, Lew’s message was one to keep in mind for motivation during a period of initial graft. “You just got to keep working at it- from me, you’ve got to be doing something on the side as a job. I know it was easier for me because mine linked with it. “I think if I hadn’t done them home cuts after work people wouldn’t know as much that I do it because that’s where a lot of my regulars started to come from. I did them even on my days off sometimes, I’d do five days a week in the shop and then do a day at home.”
Social media has been a great way for Lew to source new clintelle
Entrepeneur: Lew Ellison
Photo: @lew_the_barber
Photo: @lew_the_barber
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Steady does it
Photo: Lewis Ellison
Barbering: Lew set up his own work station at home Photo: Lewis Ellison
Welcome to Lew’s Transformation Station
Photo: @lew_the_barber
From a head full of hair to a stylish fade, barber Lew can work miracles at his setup salon
... and after
Before ...
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How the ‘Turtle Song’ helps
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By HARRY HUGHES usic and memory have always maintained a curious relationship. Simply hearing a snippet from a favourite song can instantly whisk listeners back to a time or place they didn’t even know they could remember. But what can music do for those living with memory-affecting disorders? Production company Turtle Key Arts have been holding musical events since 2008 for people living with dementia, and it has arrived in Liverpool for the first time. The ‘Turtle Song’ project brings music to people living with dementia by meeting once a week to work with professional musicians and students to compose and write lyrics for their own songs. By the end of the free tenweek course, participants and their carers or companions will perform
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their own concert for friends and family. On average, three events take place around the country each year. Along with Turtle Key Arts, the project is run by the English Touring Opera and the Royal College of Music. Charlotte Cunningham, Artistic Director for Turtle Key, said: “The isolation is so immense when you’ve had a [dementia] diagnosis. Being able to get out and feel like you’re able to be creative and that you’re making something is incredibly empowering.” “There’s something of you going into each song, whether it’s a couple of words, an idea, a name or a story.” For the Liverpool event running from February to April 2022, the focus of the songs will revolve around an ‘across the Mersey’ theme. On Friday last week, participants shared their stories with each other at the first session of the event.
A previous Turtle Song session.
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escribing an average session, Charlotte said: “Usually, we’ll have a bit of a warm-up in the beginning, Getting people’s voices and bodies warmed up. Then we’ll do some singing. As the weeks go on, we’ll sing some of the songs we’ve already written and then you’ll have part of the session where you’ll actually develop new ideas and new music for another song, culminating in a full song cycle at the end of
Being able to get out and feel like you’re able to be creative and that you’re making something is incredibly empowering.
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Participants singing during the concert at the end of the programme.
Image: Shaun Dawson the project.” Dementia is a term encompassing different brain disorders that trigger a loss of brain function. According to the Alzheimer’s Society, more than 920,000 people are living with Dementia in the UK, and that figure is expected to rise to over a million by 2024. In recent years, researchers have found that music can have numerous positive effects on people living with memory loss. A 2010 study
Image: Shaun Dawson
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folk living with memory loss by researcher Brandon Ally found that music has the power to help people with Alzheimer’s learn new information and a similar study in 2013 discovered that people who have suffered traumatic brain injuries experienced the return of autobiographical memories through the use of music. Charlotte spoke about one participant in this year’s Turtle Song project. “When I picked him up, he was very quiet and concerned about the whole thing. I thought maybe he’ll struggle to take part and be involved. He didn’t at all. He almost woke up and was able to do the exercises and told us about the things he enjoyed. He was amazing. By the end, he was all chatty.” Turtle Key Arts formed as a production company in 1989 and, since then, they have worked to create more inclusive participation in the arts for disabled, disadvantaged and socially excluded people. In addition to Turtle Song, the organisation runs many projects, including Key Words, which sees playwrights work alongside young people living with dyslexia to develop their own play, as well as Turtle Opera, The Key Club and Musical Portraits for young people on the Autism Spectrum. If you’re interested in taking part in the Turtle Song event, it’s not too late to get involved. Head over to the Turtle Key Arts website to apply now.
A Turtle Song rehearsal.
Image: Shaun Dawson
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There’s something of you going into each song, whether it’s a couple of words, an idea, a name or a story.
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The song cycles include movement and dance.
Image: Shaun Dawson
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Magical panto continues to cast its colourful spell MNL REVIEW By OLI JOHNSON
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The Wizard of Oz St Helens Theatre Royal anto is back! Great half-term entertainment for families around Merseyside. After the record-breaking run of Goldilocks and the Three Bears last year, Regal Entertainments have returned with another classic pantomime. Wizard of Oz is one of the most iconic stories in film and stage, and at the Theatre Royal cast and crew have used the story to produce a great pantomime. This panto is an excellent choice for half-term entertainment - the production team have done a first-class job of making sure there are things to grab the younger children’s attention and keep them entertained. It is a great choice if you want to treat your kids during their week off. The crowd interaction is a highlight and is just the right amount, but some of the interactions need the right people in the audience for them to work. You suspect if they had picked the wrong person it might not have gone down as well. The experienced Reece Sibbald (Scarecrow) was
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Humour and entertainment for the whole family
good at picking out the right participants on most occasions - although there was one moment where he stole a crutch from a member of the audience seated near the front and took it backstage. Although it was a funny moment and the person did get their crutch back later, it felt slightly out of place and left this audience member at least feeling slightly uneasy. That said, with something for everybody and humour and entertainment for the whole family to enjoy, this has to be one of the most entertaining pantomimes that has been put on at the Theatre Royal in years. For anybody who hasn’t seen The Wizard of Oz and isn’t familiar with the story, a young girl called Dorothy and her dog Toto who live on a farm in the middle of Kansas get transported to the magical land of Oz when a twister comes through her town. Dorothy’s house lands in Oz, crushing and killing the Wicked Witch of the East. Dorothy is met by Glinda, the witch of the south, who is kind to everyone. She tells Dorothy that in order to get home, she must follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City and visit the great and powerful Wizard of Oz. On her journey she meets Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the cowardly Lion, who each help her on her journey and also want help from the wizard. Dorothy’s journey is met with adversity from the Wicked Witch of the West, who wants revenge for her sister’s death, and tries to stop Dorothy at every opportunity. One of my favourite things about the performance is a tiny detail which adds to the show’s sparkle - in the first part, before the twister strikes, the set is dark and gloomy and there is no colour in any of the backdrop or the costumes. Suddenly
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in Oz there is lots of colour and Dorothy’s costume is now blue and white. This mirrors the way the original 1939 film - starring Judy Garland - is shot in sepia tones until Dorothy arrives in Oz, when there is an oversaturation of bright colours. A quick costume change from Mia Molloy as Dorothy during the twister sequence and she is wearing the recognizable blue and white dress the moment as she arrives in Munchkinland. The stand-out performers are Reece Sibbald as the Scarecrow, whose humour will be the highlight of the show for the adults in the audience, and Scott Gallagher as the Lion. A lot of Scarecrow’s jokes went over the kids’ heads but had the grown-ups laughing. As the panto went on, however, some of the more adult jokes became a bit less subtle and didn’t land as well as the others. The show remains an enchanting and thrilling recreation of a much-loved childhood fantasy. • The Wizard of Oz runs at St Helens Theatre Royal until Sunday February 20.
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Green campaign aims to get to the root of climate change
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MNL reporter AMNA AKRAM meets the people behind the tree-friendly project
pen Eye Gallery’s latest interactive project tells the history of Liverpool City region through its trees in order to help tackle the climate emergency on Merseyside. The gallery has received a National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £70,822 to increase the size of the project and is being supported by Liverpool City Council. The charity will be partnering with Mersey Forest and independent gallery dot-art to deliver free sessions to local communities and schools. The schools are Egremont Primary School, LIPA Primary School, Rainhill High School, and Wirral Hospitals’ School in Birkenhead. The initial idea of the project came about in 2020, when the organisation invited a diverse section of people - including historians, tree professionals and family members - to share a story about their favourite tree in Liverpool, explaining why it is important to them. Afterwards, eight short stories were selected by Open Eye photographer Andy Yates, who was commissioned to produce images of these tree for the website, to provide insight into their historical importance which has shaped the city’s wealth over the past 1,000 years. This drew a positive response from the general public and resulted in the lottery funding bid being made. Andy has continued working on the different aspects of the project as one of the directors. The team will provide information to local communities and the schools about why
green and open spaces are important to tackle environmental issues, as well as acting on this knowledge by planting trees with them and going on trips to the Merseyside forests and Sefton Park to produce the images. Andy said: “It’s about increasing people’s awareness of the trees, I think photography is a great tool to explore nature and it helps you to focus on the preservation of green and open spaces closely. “Using it as a medium can bring people’s attention to highlight the historical importance of the trees.” Lucy Byrne, founder of dot-art, will also be involved in manging the project and co-ordinating all the different activities. Lucy said: “We believe that doing this kind of work has lots of different benefits both in terms of health and well-being, experiencing nature, and all the benefits that it can bring in terms for the environment.” She added: “We’ll be taking schoolchildren to the forest to do some sessions in green spaces, which is going to be really exciting in getting them thinking about their natural heritage and the natural environment around them, to protect it and feel that they are part of it.” The programme is expected to come to an end in the summer, resulting in the photos and stories being displayed in the photo biennial this year. There will also be an exhibition, touring space and a digital map containing the short stories that have been created since the beginning of the pandemic, which is expected to be completed in the next year or two.
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We believe that doing this kind of work has lots of different benefits both in terms of health and wellbeing and for the environment
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Bluecoat Gallery trees © Andy Yates
Short story by a Liverpool student © Andy Yates
Contact us: @: info@merseynewslive.co.uk Follow us: Mersey News Live magazine @MerseyNewsLive
Mersey Maritime Museum © Luke Pollitt
