Liverpool Life 6:6 07022018 by Steve Harrison

NEWS FROM THE HEART OF THE CITY

ISSUE 6 FEB 7 - FEB 20

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Liverpool Life

PROM PERFECTION...

THE WONDER OF THE WARRIORS

LOCKING FOR LOVE

Liverpool Life

contents Vol 6 Issue 6 FEBRUARY 7 - 20 2018

Terracotta Warriors come to Liverpool

Get ready to celebrate the Year of the Dog

10-11

Your Guide to What’s On in Liverpool

Prepare for the most romantic day of the year

14-15

16-17

Boycott Valentine’s Day!

Tranmere Rovers striker speaks to Liverpool Life

We talk to LJMU graduate Claire Bynoe

“We mean business”

20-21 Meccano Liverbird

LL Production: Anisah Arif, Becky Jones, Chloe George, Danny Moxon, Matthew Skelly, Sara O’Hagan, Shaniece Thompson, Shaun Keenan, Shelby Hamilton, Tim Spencer Tanfield, Tom Sutton, Matty Davies, Olivia Friett, Alex Amadeo, Jack Butler, Meg Dodds, Marcello Dotolo, Oli Fell, Ross Hilton-Inkpin, Gem Jones, Emily Kinsella, Abby Nicholson, Evan Fyfe, Danielle Thomas, Hannah Wilkinson, Sam O’Hara

Cover photograph: Love Locks, Albert Dock © Marcello Dotolo

NEWS

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Liverpool’s fight to be crowned best city destination for visitors By DANIELLE THOMAS Liverpool is battling some of Europe’s greatest cities to be crowned the Best City Destination for Groups at a prestigious travel awards ceremony. The European Group Travel Awards (EGTA) is a celebration of the finest European destinations in the travel industry and rewards those cities that deliver the best accommodation, the best attractions and the best amenities. Liverpool has been nominated for two out of the 18 categories up for grabs: Best City Destination for Groups and Best Visitor Attraction for the Albert Dock. Joe Keggin, Communications Manager for Visit Liverpool, told Liverpool Life: “The reason Liverpool is so popular with visitors within the UK and around the world is because it is a city which has a really strong identity. “It has a good mix which suits a

lot of different palates and whatever people are looking for from a city destination, they can find it here. Whether that is food or drink, history and culture, sport or ideally a combination of all elements, Liverpool has it.” This year marks the anniversary of the fourth annual gala awards dinner and Liverpool could not be more thrilled to be a part of the experience. Mr Keggin said: “It is always nice to be nominated for awards but I think particularly when you look at the calibre of the other cities which were shortlisted, it does feel rewarding to be recognised. “At the same time I think it is fully justified. If you look at the satisfaction of the visitors we have, it’s not too surprising that it is nominated in the same breath as these other ones.” Winning either of these awards would be a great achievement for Liverpool and its increase of

NOMINATED: Historic Albert Dock tourists. Mr Keggin said: “Our first reaction was one of delight, just to be shortlisted for it. “It is something that is well respected in the travel industry so to be a city nominated in two categories alongside the most famous tourist attractions in Europe was just a reaction of joy.” Competing against some of the world’s most famous attractions is Liverpool’s Albert Dock. The Albert Dock is one of the city’s most visited attractions and is at the

Hip, hip, hooray for Baltic Triangle

heart of the historical waterfront. It is the perfect place for tourists to relax, eat, drink and stay. The awards, co-hosted by Hotel Planner and London Travel Publications, will take place on March 8th in the Intercontinental Hotel in Berlin. Tim Hentschel, Co-Founder and CEO of HotelPlanner.com said: “We look forward to a great night of recognition for the hundreds of suppliers and organizations that continue to excel in the European group travel marketplace.”

More delays for Royal

By EMILY KINSELLA

By SAM O’HARA

Liverpool’s Baltic Triangle has recently been placed at number three in Britain’s 20 hippest places to live. The area has been up-andcoming in the last few years and is now a hive of activity with an eclectic mix of tech companies, artists and bars. Russell Gannon, communications director with Liverpool Baltic Triangle, said: “It’s always a pleasure to get recognition from outside the city and something the community can take pride in as an independent area. “This is the second time we have been named as one of the coolest or hippest neighbourhoods in the UK, firstly by the Times in 2017 and now by Travel Supermarket. “The Baltic Triangle has also been covered by airlines such as EasyJet and Blue Air who have included our community within their inflight magazines - so we realise that we’re creating something really special.” The Baltic Triangle houses a thriving social scene with venues such as Camp and Furnace and The Baltic Market.

There will be further delays to the opening of the new Royal Liverpool Hospital, despite the original target handover date being 2017. Following the collapse of construction giants Carillion, the project has been delayed further and will now not be completed until 2019, potentially two years later than first anticipated. Aidan Kehoe, the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust chief executive, this week released an update on the status of the new Royal. Mr Kehoe said: “The liquidation of Carillion was obviously a very distressing time for everybody involved and we feel very much for the sub-contractors and the staff of Carillion. At this stage the preferred option is to work with the existing sub-contractors and Carillion staff who have been working on the scheme to ensure continuity in the completion of the hospital.” It is expected that the discussions will take some time, Therefore, there will be a significant delay to the completion of the new hospital.

Baltic Triangle is the third hippest place in the UK The area also hosts a variety of festivals throughout the year such as the disco festival and sound city. once a quiet warehouse district, is now giving places such as Manchester’s Northern Quarter a run for its money.

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Store closure for town centre By MARCELLO DOTOLO Marks and Spencer is the latest big name to close in the Birkenhead’s Pyramid shopping centre. The store is one of six nationwide due to close, as part of major brand redevelopment aimed to modernise the multinational retailer. Questions have been raised about the timing of the closure, considering Birkenhead council have announced £1 billion redevelopment plans for the area. Birkenhead MP Frank Field is demanding an urgent meeting with M&S senior management over what he has called “hugely concerning news.” He said: “I will be seeking a meeting, along with Wirral’s other MPs, in the hope of persuading

M&S to rethink their position. “To begin with, we will be asking M&S to set out more fully why they are doing this and the cost basis for doing so, as opposed to the goodwill they will lose.” Following the closures of Topshop and Living, residents are fearful that other major retailers may soon follow suite. Susan Berry, 67, Birkenhead said: “It’s absolutely disgusting, we get nothing round here, it all goes to Liverpool 1 and the old town gets neglected. There’s no soul in these massive shopping centres.” Uncertainty within the company has resulted in uncertainty in the stock exchange with basic earnings per share dropping nearly 70% from last year.

Mark & Spencer at Birkenhead’s Pyramids shopping centre Not all shared the same passion for the closure of the store with many younger shoppers excited with the prospect of The Range filling the void left by M&S. The Birkenhead branch is due

Never fear, Comic Con will still come here

to close in April this year, with no official announcement on what will take its place. The stores in Liverpool 1 and Cheshire Oaks will remain open for the near future.

To drink or not to drink - that is the question

By JADE CULVER

By GEM JONES

News that renowned MCM Company were withdrawing comic con in Liverpool late last year, left many sci-fi, cosplay and comic fans severely disappointed. However, not long after the devastating blow, it was announced that a new independent comic convention will take place at Liverpool’s Exhibition Centre. The event is set to take place on the weekend of March 10th. The new Comic-Con organisers said they are thrilled to be holding their event in Liverpool and have plans to continue and expand over the next few years. Andrew Kleek, founder of the convention said: “I feel very passionate about making this one of the biggest comic con events in the country and have signed up to work with The ACC Liverpool Group and grow the event over the next three years.” Several guests have been announced for the event, ranging from cast members of the BBC hit show Dr Who and multi-million movie franchise Star Wars. The Star Wars cast announced so far are as follows: Jeremy Bulloch (Bobba Fett), Joonas Suotamo (Chewbacca) and Spencer Wilding known for his role of Darth Vader in Rogue One.

A Shakespearean-themed micro-pub named The Bard is due to open in Prescot. A soft opening will happen on February 12th, where the Lord Mayor will be in attendance. The micro-pub will then open to the public on February 14th, where there will be special guests. 57 High Street will become home to the first Prescotian micro-pub, which will be reminiscent of a traditional alehouse. Owned by husband and wife, John and Julie Marsden, of Melwood Beer, the micro-pub will serve great cask ales, craft beer, spirits, wine and bar snacks. Mrs Marsden told Liverpool Life: “There was a gap in the market. There were no micro-pubs in Prescot at all. “We will bring in beer that currently the other pubs in Prescot cannot sell - something completely different to what the others are offering.” It will not serve mainstream lager or alcopops. There will also be no TV, gaming machines or amplified music. The once empty unit will have a limited capacity of 4050 people.

Comic Con 2018 poster, right, and comic fans all dressed up, below

Familiar faces from the Dr Who television show that has well over 839 episodes are Paul McGann (the eigth doctor), Ian McNeice (Winston Churchill) and Sophie Aldred (Ace) Other attendees include cosplayer Taker U.K, wrestling stars Gail Kim and Edge, Austin Powers star Verne Troyer, Hulk actor Lou Ferrigno, Dirk Benedict from The A-Team, Jorgito Vargas Jr. from Power Rangers and Hattie Hayridge from Red Dwarf.

NEWS

Second chance for Josh’s ‘gay cure’ petition

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By AMY HARDING A petition started by LJMU graduate Josh Parry opposing so-called ‘gay cures’ is getting a second chance in Parliament. . The petition, aimed at banning gay therapy ‘cures’, was discussed in parliament late last year after John’s petition gathered over 10,000 signatures, but the Government decided that they were already dealing with the problem. However, the Petitions Committee – a group of MPs who oversee the petitions system - ruled that the outcome was not adequate. Last year, the Department of Health had said: “There is no evidence that this sort of treatment is beneficial, and indeed it may well cause significant harm to

some patients that is why we have already worked with the main registration and accreditation bodies. “This Government has already taken the necessary steps to prevent the practice of gay conversion therapy in the UK.” The Petitions Committee has now written to the Government to ask for a full response explaining why they do not believe that creating a new criminal offence is the right way forward. Josh Parry, the LJMU Journalism graduate who started the petition, said: “I’m delighted that the petitions committee has seen through the empty response given by the Department of Health. “The response did not address

Josh campaigning for his petition the concerns and sadly stopped the campaign, which has been going so well, in its tracks. “It’s time that these horrendous ‘therapies’ are consigned to history – from health professionals to religious leaders – nobody should be offering them. They are harmful and do not work.” As part of his investigation, Josh visited the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries in Anfield with a hidden microphone and

Delight as decades-long wait for community ﬁre station comes to an end By GEMMA JONES A new Community Police and Fire Station has opened in Prescot the first time since 1946 that the area has had a fire station. The building, which is located at a two-acre site at the junction of Manchester Road and Cables Way, will accommodate both firefighters and police officers. The purpose of a community station is to be an accessible, visible centre in busy neighbourhood hubs, with facilities that are modern and fit for purpose and the new centre aims to decrease costs and increase efficiency, while enabling officers and firefighters to work in closer partnership. Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service Chief Fire Officer Dan Stephens said: “Prescot Community Fire and Police Station is now operational. “We have fire crew working from the station, with more staff set to move in. “The station is equipped with modern facilities and located to provide the best possible response to incidents in South Knowsley.” The facility hosts three fire engine bays, modern training

found people were being offered the chance to “cure” themselves of homosexuality through methods such as praying and starvation. The Committee, and Josh, are concerned that the response from the Government only talks about work that the Government is doing with health professionals and not what they are doing when these ‘therapies’ are offered by other people, such as the one described in the petition.

Vote for teenagers welcomed By AMY HARDING

facilities and two rooms, available free of charge, for use by community groups. It includes a kitchen, dining area and a gym, which will be shared by the emergency services. The site, which used to be an industrial site, was secured from Knowsley MBC and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government assisted with a £1.7m grant for the building. Once a week, the fire station will open to enable the local policing team to meet members of the community and address their Chief Fire Officer Dan Stephens concerns.

A young politician in Liverpool has welcomed the decision of the Welsh Labour government to give the vote in council elections to 16 and 17-year-olds in Wales and hopes it will encourage young people in Liverpool to engage in politics. Mun Wu, Liverpool’s UK Youth Parliament member, said: “Hopefully this will increase the existing political curiosity of young people in Liverpool and increase their desire to get involved in local political issues within their communities more. “I think it’s amazing news for Welsh 16/17-year-olds to be acknowledged. The move is believed to have the potential to put pressure on Theresa May to give this right to the rest of the teenagers in the UK. Sofia Stenson-Jones, 17 from North Wales, said: “It will give us an opportunity to have a say and hopefully this change will happen all over the UK.”

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Charity funds fire crews’ health check safety visits BY JORDAN REAIS Merseyside firefighters will be offering blood pressure tests and advice on how to combat it as a part of their community safety visits. The tests will become part of the ‘Safe and Well’ visits that the Fire Service have been carrying out for over ten years in a bid to reduce the communities risk from fire and to provide them with advice on actions to take in the event of one. The British Heart Foundation will now fund and provide suitable training to the Fire crews, to allow them to deliver the tests and give appropriate advice to people with high blood pressure. Visits will begin on a threemonth trial in mid-January across Merseyside in a bid to help improve local health and offer support of specially trained professionals. The initiative comes after new stats revealed an estimated 160,000 people in Merseyside are living with undiagnosed high blood pressure. High blood pressure can increase a person’s chance of a heart attack or stroke considerably. With 16 million diagnosed in the

Bold Street Coffee crew outside their shop

Support as coffee shop shuts doors BY DAISY SCOTT

One of the Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service buildings involved in the ‘Safe and Well’ Scheme UK and many more who are yet to find out there is a need to address the situation. John McKevitt Station Manager at Formby Fire and Rescue Service said: “I think it’s great that we now have the ability to offer blood pressure tests. The ‘Safe and Well’ visits have had a greatresponse and we have a relationship with older more vulnerable members of the

community. “I believe it will help a lot of people and have a positive impact of their health.” The BHP has supplied Merseyside Fire and Rescue with the correct training and blood pressure monitors and will begin by offering the tests to all residents over 65, they hope to engage with over 10,000 homes in the first year.

Bold Street Coffee has pledged to reopen soon after being shut due to unforeseen circumstances. The independent coffee shop sent out a statement on social media apologising and asking people to bear with them. It said that the coffee shop closed down due to “reasons beyond our control” until further notice. The news prompted an outpouring of support for Bold Street Coffee and other independent coffee shops in Liverpool, with some commentators stating that, “coffee shops and independent shops fabricate our society”.

Outrage over Formby chestnut tree removal BY SUZY SANKEY Formby residents are protesting against a recent decision by Sefton Council to remove five horse chestnut trees from the area. Local people gathered on Chapel Lane in the town centre late last month surrounding trees outside Waterfields Bakery, which were feared to be the first to be removed by the council. Although the protests delayed the work, it did not completely stop it - when most people had left, one tree was removed later in the afternoon. Sefton Council said: “The condition of the five large horse chestnut trees has declined significantly over the past few years. “The trees will not recover and it is for this reason and their proximity to such a busy public area that we have decided to remove them before they pose a more significant risk to the public.” The council have also committed

Three out of five Formby Chestnut trees and protesters to planting seven more before the end of March 2018 to replace them. They said: “We intend to plant a mixture of species but hope to replace some of the horse

chestnut trees with a non-fruiting horse chestnut that will flower but not produce conkers.” Some protestors were unhappy with the way in which the council

announced the news of the remove all of the trees. Dr Dominic Dickson, from Formby, said: “They’ve very quickly made this decision. Instead of having a discussion about the trees in Formby village and discussing a long term plan, the council have suddenly decided they might be dangerous and to chop them all down.” Many of the local people gathered for the protest felt unhappy that no alternative had been proposed, and they had been neglected from the decision making. Anne Duncan, from Formby said: “It’s sad. These trees have been here for so long and they make up part of this village. I don’t think they’re dangerous, we’ve been shown no proof for that.” Sefton Council are continuing with their plans to remove the trees, but no formal meeting to discuss the plan with locals has been arranged yet.

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Homeless volunteers working to keep our city’s streets clean By DAISY SCOTT

Homeless people are volunteering to help to clean the city’s streets in a new venture backed by Liverpool hotel and property company Signature Living. The group of 15 people, who are staying at a temporary shelter in Kingsway House, Hatton Garden, owned by Signature Living, began their first clean up last month and will be continuing in February. The idea came from Daniel Bolshaw, who approached Signature Living boss Lawrence Kenwright to say that some of the guests at the shelter wanted to get together to help to keep the area clean. The group, who can be identified by their high vis “Signature Living Shelter” tabards, then began to

target different areas across the city. Lawrence Kenwright said: “This was an idea by one of our homeless guests who genuinely wanted to go out into the community and put something back by helping to clean up the streets in the city. “He, and many others at the shelter, wanted to pay something back now that they have a shelter to stay in and are not on the streets.” He continued; “If you give a homeless person shelter, a roof over their head and an opportunity to work and get clean from substance abuse, then we are halfway there. This not only restores that person’s dignity and pride but gives them a sense of purpose and a reason to reintegrate back into society.

“We want to work hand in hand with the local councils, outreach services and agencies to tackle homelessness and its wider social issues.” An estimated 307,000 people are homeless in the UK with key cities such as Liverpool, Birmingham and Manchester amongst some of the worst affected outside of London. The Signature Living Kingsway House Shelter opened its doors on December 8th and will remain open until the end of February. Mr Kenwright added: “By providing homeless shelters across the city this will help take our homeless people off the streets and in turn reduce the wider problem of associated litter waste from the homeless.”

Photos Courtesy of: Tyra Leeming Signature Living

TV date boosts funds for canine carers By EVAN FYFE

A Liverpool charity which looks after pet dogs belonging to homeless people has been given a welcome boost after featuring on TV. Caring for the Paw was set up two years ago when Jan Hughes was walking her five dogs in Liverpool on a winter’s night. She couldn’t help but feel for the humans and their canine companions on the streets, and so set to work on establishing the charity. They were recently featured on the BBC programme Inside Out, which has dramatically helped boost donations and publicity. Jan said: “We’ve been manic since then, in a good way. We’ve had so many people getting in

touch and a lot of donations, particularly cash donations which are very important as we can use it to buy veterinary supplies.” The safety and wellbeing of these dogs is a problem that is often overlooked. Temperatures have regularly dropped into minus figures over the winter months, and unfortunately, veterinary care can be too expensive for owners. Rapidly growing into two outreach teams, volunteers for the charity meet every other Saturday at the Basement Advisory Centre on Parr Street, offering supplies and veterinary services for those who can’t afford it. Ahead of their first outreach night of the new year, Jan told Liverpool Life: “On a Saturday

night, we start at the Basement from 7.30pm, where we have a storeroom and where donations can be left. Many of the homeless call in to see the vet or get some supplies, but there are many who don’t want to come in. Therefore, we head out to the streets around 8.30pm, bringing plenty of supplies. You name it, we provide it.” Jan believes the amount of dogs needing help is rising and has plans to expand around the North West to deal with this. She said: “We really can’t put a figure on how many people, or how many dogs are on the street. Every week, we will probably see about half a dozen dogs we know, but we will also see a lot of new faces. We’re therefore thinking of

starting a couple of other branches and I’ve had a lot of queries from as far away as Plymouth.” Danielle Greenberg is one of the two vets who help the charity. She told Liverpool Life: “My role is to go with the teams giving out food and treats. When dogs come into the basement, I can run a mini-clinic and do a check-up. Now, we have veterinary students, who are a great help.” Donations for the charity can be left at the Basement Advisory Centre, from 7.30pm on the first and third Saturday of every month. They also welcome cash and PayPal donations, which are used to buy medical supplies. Visit their website www.careforthepaw.co.uk.

JMU Journalismâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s alumni magazine is out now at www.issuu.com

GOING OUT

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Happy New Year! ...Get ready to celebrate the Year of the Dog By ED BALDWIN

iverpool is getting ready for one of the biggest nights in its calendar. Unlike our end of year festivities, celebrated on the same year every year with a midnight countdown, Chinese New Year is a movable celebration – that takes place on a different day each year. Chinese New Year is celebrated across many countries around the world, with Liverpool holding a huge celebration due to its heavily populated Chinese community. The city is home to the largest Chinese population in Europe, with the show set to showcase the city’s cultural heritage and future

What is planned for this year’s celebrations?

The city will celebrate the Year of the Dog with a series of culture, art, sights and sounds. A three-day celebration will take place across Chinatown, an area of Liverpool adorned by an iconic Chinese Arch, that was gifted to the city in 2010 by twin city, Shanghai. Ryan Turnbull from organisers, Culture Liverpool, told Liverpool Life: “We will be lighting up the Chinese Arch, the Black-E and The Arch, there will be projections, music and lighting, that together will tell the story of Liverpool’s incredible Chinese history and culture.” Starting from the very beginning, when many Chinese sailors came to Liverpool as part of a

new shipping line company, the displays will take spectators on a journey through to present day and beyond to the ambitious future of Liverpool’s Chinese cultural ties. What are the typical Chinese New Year traditions? Traditions and celebrations differ, but the main message of Chinese New Year is to bring families together and wish each other peace and prosperity for the year ahead. On Chinese New Year’s Eve, families will gather for the ‘family reunion dinner’ and gifts are exchanged. Throughout the Chinese New Year celebrations the colour red, a symbol of good luck and prosperity, plays an important part. Red decorations and lanterns are prominent in the streets, homes and offices.

So when is Chinese New Year 2018?

The next Chinese New Year falls on Friday, February 16 - with celebrations set to take place in Liverpool for the entire weekend.

Why do the festivities fall on a different day each year?

Chinese New Year is dependent on the lunar calendar - just like Easter and Pancake Tuesday. It can fall either any time between January 21 and February 20. This year’s celebrations are set to be the most spectacular yet. Further details are yet to be announced, and with it being one of the city’s most popular events then it is sure to have many surprises in store.

Chinese New Year, Liverpool What Chinese zodiac animal will it be?

On February 16, 2018, the dog will take over the rooster. Those born in the year of the dog (born after Chinese New Year in 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994 and 2006) are said to be honest, friendly, faithful, loyal, and smart - with a strong sense of responsibility.

What is the story behind Chinese New Year?

The Chinese New Year has been associated with the Chinese Zodiac since the Spring Autumn Period (771 to 476 BC). The Chinese Zodiac runs on a cycle of 12 years, with each year being named after an animal. The 12 animals are as follows: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. People are said to hold similar personality traits to the animal named after the year they were born.

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The Warriors

Alexandra Amadeo reports on the biggest cultural event of the year

he Chinese Warriors have invaded Liverpool. After many months of preparation and planning the World Museum is hosting one of the biggest exhibitions it has ever displayed. China’s First Emperor and the Terracotta Warriors exhibition is a collection of 180 artefacts from the East which will be on display until October 28th at the museum in William Brown Street. With Liverpool being home to what is said to be the oldest Chinese community in Europe, the city is the ideal setting for the exhibition which is set to attract hundreds of thousands of people to Liverpool. As well as seeing some of the world’s greatest archaeological discoveries, visitors can expect

A warrior pictured in China

to be taken on a magical journey through China’s history and be immersed in the world of the Terracotta Warriors. Karen Bradley, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said: “The Terracotta Army represents one of the most significant archaeological excavations of the 20th Century and I am delighted that a selection of the warriors will be coming to Liverpool.” More than half of the items will have never been seen in the UK before, with the 10 warriors making up the centerpiece of the display being just a fraction of the 180 artefacts that will be on show. David Fleming, Director of National Museums Liverpool, said: “The past ten years have been an absolute triumph for culture in Liverpool, and we are overjoyed to be able to mark this milestone year with our biggest exhibition yet; one that can’t be seen anywhere else in Europe. “World Museum is one of the jewels in Liverpool’s cultural crown. It’s been in its current location since 1860 and welcomes almost 700,000 visitors every year. The Terracotta Warriors exhibition is surely one of the most important exhibitions we have ever held here. We cannot wait to share this spectacular show with the city’s people and welcome visitors from across the UK to witness this unmissable opportunity to see some of the Terracotta Army up close.” Sharon Granville, Executive Director of Collections and Estate at National Museums Liverpool, said: “The team has been working very closely with our museum colleagues in China to bring this collection of Warriors and many other significant discoveries to the

STUNNING: One of the figures on display in China UK. We’re so looking forward to opening the doors, and we thank our partners in this endeavour, especially the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Tianjin Airlines, Wendy Wu Tours, The Swire Charitable Trust, Unilever and The Foyle Foundation. I urge everyone to attend this ‘must see’ show - the highlight of Liverpool’s 10th anniversary celebrations as European Capital of Culture in 2018.” Having travelled 5,000 miles to

be in the city, ten life-size figures - including a terracotta cavalry horse - will be on display as part of a collection of more than 180 spectacular artefacts from Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s vast burial complex, covering an area of 56 square kilometres in Shaanxi Province, North West China. Visitors to the exhibition will be able to come face to face with Warriors from the site and witness a vast range of other exquisite objects from the Qin and Han dynasties;

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are here All photos © Hannah Wilkinson

some of which have never been displayed in the UK before. Hannah Wilkinson, 20, from the Wirral went to see the terracotta warriors in their home country of China, she said: “I was lucky enough to have a talk with a local Xi’an tour guide who told the story of how the Emperor built each warrior too look like members of his actual army, which is why each face is different.

alking into the pits and just seeing how many there are, and how perfectly detailed they are, was amazing. We saw three pits, but they believe that there are miles more to be discovered. “They are waiting for a development in technology to allow them to uncover them without changing the colour. “We also got to meet the farmer who originally discovered the warriors back in the ‘70s, which was interesting, but also sad, as he has been imprisoned ever since by the government to stay and spend every day at the gift shop on site.” Shaanxi Province in North West China was home to the First Qin Emperor and his ancestors. Since the Warriors were first discovered by chance in 1974 archaeologists working near Xi’an, the ancient capital of China, have uncovered three large pits of life-size Terracotta Warriors to the east of the Emperor’s mausoleum, each with their own individual clothing, hair and facial features, along with horses and war chariots. 2,000 figures have been uncovered but there are estimated to be around 8,000 figures in total. The exhibition in Liverpool will boost tourism in the city, attracting visitors from across the UK and Europe, as well as strength-

How part of the exhibition looked on display in China ening the UK-China cultural relationship. An exciting programme of activities for schools and a public events programme throughout the duration of its run will also accompany it. Tickets for the event are priced at £14.50 for adults, with children under the age of five being allowed to view the exhibition for free. There are alos discounts for sseniors and students, while members of the Nationa Museums Liverpool are also able to attend the display free of charge. Tickets are available from National Museums Liverpool official website.

“Walking into the pits and just seeing how many there are, and how perfectly detailed they are, was amazing”

Cast during rehearsals

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Stage show that's pitch perfect T

he history of Goodison Park will be celebrated at the Epstein theatre in a new production this year. The iconic stadium has been the home of Everton football club for over 125 years and the production will tell the story of some of the biggest moments in Goodison’s history. The story will be set around the Everton Lock-up, the tower that has been on the club’s crest since 1938 and will feature Ronnie Goodlass, a former Everton player and current BBC Merseyside match day summariser who will play a radio presenter throughout the show’s run. Titled From the Heart of Everton’s Badge to The Grand Old Lady, the stage play tells the story of two Evertonians, Jamie and Robbo, who lock themselves in the Everton Lock-up in protest of the anticipated move to Bramley Moore Dock. Once inside, the two decide to try to find the gold of Prince Rupert to renovate their belov-

ed Goodison Park. As the show unfolds, the pair are visited by the ghosts of Everton’s past. The ghosts depicted are Dixie Dean, Molly Bushell, Prince Rupert and Bessie Braddock, who have all been immortalized in Everton’s history. Poems throughout the show have been written by Everton fan and writer Bobby Parry, with the play’s theme song, The Grand Old Lady, being written by both Parry and Kenny O’Connell. Rebekah Pichilingi, the Theatre manager of the Epstein Theatre, said: “We are very excited to have this show on stage at The Epstein Theatre. “Everton FC and Goodison Park are such an iconic fixture for the city so to be able to celebrate its history told through this wonderful stage show is going to make for a fantastic performance.” Tickets will cost £14 for the performance from August 22nd to 25th. More information on the stage play will be on www. epsteinliverpool.co.uk.

'This wonderful show is going to make for a fantastic performance'

The cast during rehearsals © Episen Liverpool

Tom Swift reports on a forthcoming play celebrating the history of the city's famous Goodison Park

ARTS

Still a success after 25 years

By SARA O’HAGAN

Rating:

t has been 25 years since Her Benny first graced the stage ... and it is still as popular as ever. Originally a novel by Silas K. Hocking, producer Anne Dalton felt compelled to turn into a musical when it was suggested to her nearly 30 years ago. Anne told Liverpool Life: “I knew the book as a child. A local lady Mary Jackson read about me in the newspaper and suggested Her Benny, her favourite book, would make a great musical. I reread it and could picture it on stage.” With more than 800,000 people having seen the musical, which has returned to the Royal Court until Saturday, February 10th, the audience is engrossed from the moment it begins.

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Her Benny at the Royal Court © ABD Productions

Set in Victorian times, it tells the story of two young Liverpool street children, Benny and Nell. Although act one ends quite tragically, the numerous musical numbers provides an uplifting feeling throughout. Sniffer played by Georgia Chadwick kept the audience laughing and Joe Wragg played by Peter Brindle proved to be an amazing vocalist and a character that won over the hearts of everyone. Anne found it hard to choose a part of the play that she loved the best. She said: “I can’t choose, there is so many different facets. I think my favourite part is seeing the audience reactions.” The play ends on happy note. Benny’s luck begins to change after his release from jail and

he completes his education at night school. When he returns to Liverpool he is re-united with old friends and now, for the first time. Is hopeful for the future. Anne decided to have the script revamped, re-orchestrated and re-choreographed to mark the 25th anniversary. Watching the show it is clear that the cast work endlessly to perfect their performances and Anne highly commends them for it. She told Liverpool Life: “I am tremendously proud of the goodwill and hard work of everyone on and off stage which makes the production as successful as it is.” It is uplifting, full of laughs and maybe even a few tears. It’s a great show for everyone to enjoy.

Talent on show to celebrate independents By ALEXANDRA AMADEO

ndependent Venue Week celebrated its fifth birthday in Liverpool with a range of live shows featuring up and coming talent across the city. Music promoters EVOL collaborated with Skeleton Key Records to celebrate small gig venues across the country that help nurture music talent and the people who work and play in them. Musicians such as the Peach Fuzz, The Mysterines and Ty Freeman played a set each as part of a promotion of local talent for Liverpool. Frontwoman of The Mysterines, Lia Metcalfe said: “Playing tonight was incredible, the venue was fully packed out and the audience was amazing to perform in front of.

“Independent Venue Week is good for putting bands like mine under the spotlight and getting people to keep going to gigs and supporting local talent. I think people forget about gigs, which is a shame because some bands in Liverpool are really talented and they are only lying down the road from you.” The Independent Venue Week organisation has been recording a select few of the live shows with support from OpenLIVE, and hopes to produce a Live album with VDC Group in time for Record Store Day UK. Independent Venue Week said: “The most enormous thank you ALL for your help and support in making Independent Venue Week’s fifth birthday such an ENORMOUS success.

The Mysterines © Alex Amadeo “They say don’t meet your heroes. We have spent all week meeting ours - the effervescent, the maverick, the tireless, the cheeky, the extremely funny, the passionate and the most ardent music supporters you will ever wish to meet. Here’s to you, all of the venue owners and operators who are part of our Independent Venue Week family “Every year, IVW gets bigger and takes longer to pull together. Once, again it’s been over a year to organise and it was every bit as good as we hoped it would be.”

THE GUIDE What’s On

ussian State Ballet of Siberia, Febuary 7th, Liverpool Empire Theatre

Formed in 1981, the Russian State Ballet of Siberia has quickly established itself as one of Russia’s leading ballet companies and has built an international reputation for delivering performances of outstanding quality and unusual depth. They will be performing Snow Maiden, Cinderella and Swan Lake. Box Office - 0844 871 7660

ircus of Horrors, Febuary 8th, Liverpool Empire Theatre

This spectacular features an amazing amalgamation of bizarre & fantastic circus acts, all woven into a sensational shock / horror story and the darkest of magic – taking the show to a whole new level. It’s driven by a mainly original soundscape & performed with a forked tongue firmly in each cheek, you’ll certainly Die Laughing. Box Office - 0844 871 7660

apid Response Unit, Febuary 28th - November 30th, St Johns Market

Each day, week or fortnight from the end of February to December, commissioned artists and performers, paired with some of the city’s most innovative and acclaimed arts and cultural organisations, will produce challenging new work based on, and inspired by, a key story or topic that is in the headlines.

mperor and the Terracotta Warriors, Febuary 9th - October 28th, Museum of Liverpool Figures from China’s famous Terracotta Army are going on show in a UK museum outside London for the first time in more than 30 years. The must-see exhibition at Liverpool’s World Museum will reveal almost 1,000 years of China’s history and coincides with the China Dream season of cultural commissions. See Pages 10-11 for more details. Telephone- 0151 478 4545

THE GUIDE What’s On

astlove Speed Dating, February 9th, 7:30pm till 12, Revolution St peters square

Come to a Fastlove event and you’ll be talking to and meeting up to 25 fun dates in one night, each lasting three minutes. Three minutes might not seem like much but you’d be surprised how easy it is to see if there’s any chemistry with each of the people you meet. Telephone - 0151 709 8462

andeys Circus, February 9th - 12th 2018, Aintree racecourse

The UK’s biggest and most spectacular Big Top show, GANDEYS – YOUR CIRCUS is coming back with an all new action-packed star-studded production for all the family. Raising the bar sky-high and smashing expectations to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the creation of circus, THE GREATEST SHOWMEN will be staged in the fully-heated 1,500- seat Big Top, equipped with theatre-standard lighting and sound. Telephone - 0151 523 2600

iverpool Comedy Club, 8-10pm, The Bentley

The Liverpool Comedy Club at The Bentley is Liverpool’s new home of live stand-up comedy offering a complete night out for you and your friends to enjoy with food, laughter and music all in the one place. This comedy night features Geoff Boyz and Sam Avery, Compered by Brendan Riley Telephone - 0151 236 4001

llesmere Port Comic-con 2018, February 10th, Ellesmere Port Civic Hall

We will be bringing you all some amazing comic-con fun. Super celebrity guests, interactive games and stage show, the UK’s finest traders, a fantastic cosplay competition, and interactive prop displays will all be jostling for your attention. We aim to please all members of the family, both young and old. Telephone - 0151 356 6890

LL VALENTINES

Whether you’re a love or a fighter, singl

Jasmine Hewitt and Manuel Hay

The Science behind BY ABBY NICHOLSON

ith Valentine’s Day just around the corner, you are being bombarded with the best places to take your date - but have you ever wondered how your relationships actually work? Understanding why you are so smitten and obsessed with your significant other could help maintain intimacy and keep the spark alive.The ability to form a stable relationship begins in infancy, when a caregiver meets their needs of food, care, protection and contact. A study by Hatfield and Rapson in 1993 conclude that there are two types of love, Passionate and Companionate. If you describe yourself as feeling ‘lovesick’ or ‘obsessed’ with your partner, then this is known as passionate love, and is when you have an intense amount of emotion towards your partner. If you feel comfortable, intimate and trust your partner then you’re in ‘Companionate Love’. This is a love which is defined by emotional attachment and feelings towards

your lover. Liam Duffy, 20, head of the LJMU Psychology Society, said: “Depending on different personality traits, many people can be matched according to their separate traits.” A recent study by Montoya and Horton concludes that there are also two dimensions involved in interpersonal attraction, which are capacity and willingness. Capacity is basically a pros-and-cons assessment of a partner, including the competencies and resources they have. Willingness, on the other hand, is an evaluation of their partner’s motivation to make time for their lover’s individual’s goals and needs. This is an assessment of the partner’s likelihood of sharing their competencies and resources, including their morality and cooperation in an interdependent relationship. Although there are decades of theories and research surrounding love in psychology, the question of how to define ‘love’ is still an unanswered question. There is, however a ‘triangular’ theory of love proposed by Robert Sternberg of the

University of Wyoming. The triangle represents love’s three main dimensions: intimacy, passion and commitment. Sternberg’s model predicts that as you get further into your relationship, passionate love turns into companionate love and, if you’re lucky, the flames of passion remain.

University of Wyoming Robert Sternberg Triangle of Love.

...................................................................................................................................................................

Where art thou, Scouse Romeo and Juliet?

BY ED BALDWIN

alling all star-crossed lovers … a Liverpool theatre is desperate to find you! The Epstein Theatre will be holding auditions to find the lovers for an immersive new production of Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare’s play is regarded as the greatest love story of all time, telling the tale of a young couple caught up in the middle of feuding families with tragic consequences. Heartache and love are at the very essence of the production. The play, which will be appearing at The

Epstein Theatre alongside Shakespeare’s comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream, now needs northern-based actors for the roles. Producer Daniel Taylor, from Liverpool, said: “Liverpool is a hotbed for amazing acting talent and I have no doubt we will find our perfect Romeo and Juliet to lead this exciting production. We are delighted to be back at the Epstein Theatre in April and to bring two of Shakespeare’s greatest classics will be such a joy. “Auditions are from February 12th to the 19th, so hopefully some of the aspiring cast can bring some Valentine’s Day romance to

their audition!” Males for the role of Romeo must be aged between 17-30 with a playing age of 17-21, and females for Juliet must be between 16-30 with a playing age of 14-17. Those chosen for will also be cast in the alternating production.

taken, here’s the perfect guide to Valentine’s Day

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Romance? There’s an app for that...

t’s that time of year again where all the couples come out in force and you’re reminded that you are in fact Single. Well have no fear, there is a dating app to match all types, literally. Like your date to be on the taller side? Visit Tall Friends. Need someone who understands your Star Trek obsession? Head to Trek Passions. Love Bacon? Sizzl will match you with other baconlovers too. Hannah Wilkinson spoke to two app creators on how they got their unique dating app of the ground and what they think about modernised dating. What started as a joke a few years ago for bearded man, John Kershaw, 31 from Manchester, has turned Bristlr into one of the biggest dating apps in the country, having even been dubbed ‘Tinder for Beards.’ “There was a lot of interest very early on, and I rode that wave. People seemed to really enjoy the idea, and there was a lot of growth via word of mouth,” John told Liverpool Life. Bristlr is a dating app connecting those with beards to those who want to stroke beards, and has become a massive hit after appearing and winning the backing of Nick Jenkins and Peter Jone’s on BBC’s Dragons Den for £80,000 to expand their App business. This has helped create many new and interesting dating apps for people looking for specific features in a partner. In the age of social media, online dating has never been easier, but is it still a serious tool

for meeting ‘The One’? “It’s a common misconception that dating apps are simply for casual relationships. Bristlr’s created a bunch of marriages, and even a few babies! “I can’t imagine a better way to find the right people to date than via an app or dating service. Why go to a bar where you have a choice of a few, and a generally crap experience, when you can use an app to do the hard work? It saves time and gives a far better experience for everyone involved.” With a record breaking 150,000 people subscribing to Veganuary this January 2018 it cannot be denied that veganism is more popular now, than ever before, which is how Lauren Williams, 26 from Wirral, came up with her unique dating idea. After watching John and Bristlr on Dragons Den, Lauren began to question why there were no popular, effective vegan apps-in particular vegan dating apps when veganism is the fastest growing movement worldwide. So in August 2017, Lauren and M14 Industries funded, developed and launched ‘Veganeyes Dating.’ Despite rumours that veganism is female-dominated, the Veganeyes community has almost equal numbers of male to female users (and of course a gender -neutral option). Users can edit their dating preferences and location distance to allow matches to suit them. After only being live for five months the app already has over 1500 vegan users from all

MIKE ABEGUNDE-STOKES spoke to the public to find out their plans ...

This Valentine’s Day, I will be alone but my perfect valentine’s day would be spent with my mum and ideally going to the theatre.

Lauren Williams © over the world. “Some vegans are very committed to their lifestyle choice which can cause friction on dates with non-vegans, meeting another vegan saves a lot of explaining on a first date and definitely makes matters easier when deciding on where to eat,” Lauren told Liverpool Life. Using social media, Lauren was able to reach her target audience with just a few hashtags about veganism, and hopes that with more exposure on social media the app can exceed its average 60 sign ups per week. “I am very thankful for the experiences I have had from using dating apps and I do wonder what life would be like without them. I fear without dating apps, my love-life would be non-existent as men do not ever approach me in real life. I know many couples who have met and some who are even now married, from meeting online.”

................................................................................................................................................................... So, What are YOU doing on Valentine’s Day? OXANA JHUKOV, 22, MEG EDWARDS, 30, WIRRAL

Give your courtship a revamp with some ultimate alternative dating ideas – watch a gig, go chocolate tasting, secret cinema, visit a street food market, take a cooking class, pottery, dine and the dark, six-legged brunch (for dog lovers), boating and a night in the museum. Valentine’s day traditions vary for different people. We asked members of the public what they are doing for Valentine’s Day and how they will describe an ideal valentine’s day.

VIVINA QUIGLEY, 25, STRABANE This valentine’s day, I am going to be working but my ideal plan will be sitting at home with dominos and a few beers.

LEON SPREILIS & EVE O’SULLIVAN, 25 & 23, LIVERPOOL We both have the day off work, so our plans will be to have breakfast together in the morning and ideally do some activities during the day, like going to the cinema or a mini golf and at night a lovely meal in our favourite restaurant.

STAFFORDSHIRE Me and my boyfriend can’t afford to go out for a fancy meal but we are thinking of a night in just making food, he makes the main, I make the dessert.

NADINE GARDNER, 21, KIRKDALE On valentine’s day, my plans are to work and my ideal plan will be to be sat on a hot beach with a sexy boy.

LL VALENTINES

Love is not in the air.... By DANIELLE THOMAS

Kayleigh Curtis, above and right

earts all over the world may be bursting with joy in celebration of Valentine’s Day. However, for the unlucky few destined to face the loved-up day alone, it is just another reminder that their heart is left out in the cold. Kayleigh Curtis is no stranger to this feeling. For the past five years, the 28-year-old yoga teacher has had to confront the gooey love period as a single woman. But this year, she has had a stroke of genius. Instead of sitting in, drowning in chocolate and misery, Kayleigh has decided to host a Boycott Valentine’s Day party for all her single friends. Speaking to Liverpool Life on her initial decision to do this, Kayleigh said: “Valentine’s Day for me

has always been the day of dread. All the heart-shaped balloons and public displays of affections make me feel queasy. I don’t want to waste my time and energy hating this day but something about it has always unnerved me.” It hit her like a ton of bricks that this negative mentally was unhealthy, which was when Kayleigh decided to put her hate for Valentine’s Day behind her and finally jump on board the celebration train: “I had an epiphany. Instead of slugging around feeling bad for myself and wallowing in my own self-pity, I decided that this year I wanted to celebrate friendships and self-love and give all those other people fronting the day alone a chance to actually have fun and laugh.”

Hosted at the Function Room, in St Helens, the love-strong teacher hopes to plan a party which intends to boost the spirits of singletons and show people how to turn this feared day in to one of excitement. It will include everything from anti Valentine’s Day drinks, such as ‘Love on the Rocks’ and ‘Cupid’s Broken Arrow’, sweet treats for guests to indulge in and a round of games to kick start the mood. “I have a designed a round of pin the knife in the heart. It sounds dramatic and slightly cynical, but I think it will be hilarious watching people trying to stab the giant-sized heart blindfolded and will give people that stress relief they need.” Kayleigh has invited all her sin-

gle family and friends to join her on shunning this iconic day and said: “Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to be depressed facing this day as a lone wolf, I want to dive in head first with those closest to me. “That is why I am hosting a party. This day is not about being sad anymore, it is about having fun regardless.” An idea as original as this poses none of the problems usually associated with this iconic day. It does not put people under increasing amounts of pressure to spend lots of money and display their affection for their loved one. Kayleigh said: “I don’t agree with the principle of it. If you truly love someone, tell them every day not on a singular day dedicated to the pressures of expressing love.”

The complete guide to Anti-Valentine’s Day

oved-up couples, Valentine’s Day dinners and a billion red roses in every shop – February can be a diﬃcult month if you’re single. But, with Singles Awareness Day falling the day after Valentine’s Day and ‘Galentine’s Day’ the day before (yes, this is a ﬁctional holiday from Parks and Recreation but it still counts), couples might have the 14th but singles have the whole week! So, if you don’t happen to be in a relationship this year don’t wallow in self-pity, get up, get out and do something. Burn your ex – Saturday 17th – Camp and Furnace Camp and Furnace are throwing a get-over-it disco for anyone still hung up on an ex. Bill Price, who created the

event, said: “I wanted to hold an event for Valentine’s Day, but not your usual, run of the mill, dinner and wine aﬀair. At Camp and Furnace we pride ourselves on thinking outside of the box, so the Valentine’s event had to follow suit.” Resident DJs will play empowering break-up songs like, ‘Waterfalls’, ‘Shout To My Ex’ and, of course, ‘Single Ladies’. The pièce de résistance, however, is the fully functioning Edwardian furnace the venue has on site. At ‘Burn Your Ex’, as the name suggests, you can throw picture of an ex-partner into the furnace during a burning ceremony. Bill said: “It might seem a bit much to some people, but it’s just about having a bit of fun with friends, hearing some great music and having a laugh… and

forgetting some former ﬂames if you want.” Mbox Karaoke What better way to forget about Valentine’s Day than getting the crew together and singing your heart out to some power ballads? I’m sure you won’t end up crying in a group hug singing ‘Beautiful’ by Christina Aguilera. Liverpool Arts Society – Friday 16th - EBGBS Following on from their hugely successful nights ‘Prohibit’ and ‘Homecoming’, Liverpool Arts Society are throwing ‘Date Night’. All held in EBGBS Basement, there will be speed dating, drinking games, even blind dates. And if you don’t meet your Prince Charming, at least you’ll be drunk!

Speed dating– Revolution – February 9th Once thought of as rock bottom, speed dating has become a fun night out with your friends with the possibility of romance. It’s all in good fun and each date only lasts three minutes – what have you got to lose? Signature Living - All The Single Ladies package, all month. Got a friend that’s just been dumped? Gather up your besties for a we-don’t-need-no-man getaway. At £59 per person, this is the big gun. It comes with an overnight stay in a party suite in a Liverpool hotel, Prosecco, a pamper hamper and breakfast the next day.

by Jessica Hughes

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PromPerfect

Jade Culver reports on a charity which donates outﬁts to young people who can’t afford the expenses of the end-of-year prom

he end-of-year high school prom is an event that most young students look forward to - there’s the lavish gowns and smart suits, the fancy cars and posh venue. It’s an excuse for students to party with friends, to enjoy their final night of school and for parents to splash the cash. However, for some, prom can be quite daunting, as not all parents are able to afford the expense which prom has grown to be. But now help is at hand. Ally Elouise, 23, a recent Law graduate from Liverpool John Moores University, is trying her best to help those who cannot afford to buy prom dresses to, nevertheless, enjoy the occasion. After being inspired by a television programme which focused on the lives of child poverty, Ally set up her charitable cause ‘Prom Ally’. Speaking to Liverpool Life, Ally said: “There was a young girl on a TV programme, who wasn’t looking forward to her school prom as her parents couldn’t afford to buy

her a dress. She had to scour a charity shop while all her friends shopped for expensive dresses. “I thought that there must be a way to stop young people from feeling left out like this, and so the idea came about.” So far Ally has had 700 dresses donated to her cause, a massive feat which has been helped by local businesses, shops and various charities such as the ‘Make a Wish Foundation’ who sent four big boxes full of dresses. Ally said: “I love so many of the dresses I’ve received, they’re all gorgeous but my favourite was probably off a young girl called Cerys. It’s a beautiful golden, puffy dress with a sequinned bust.” Ally has been collecting prom dresses for the past three years, working constantly to grow her collection “Helping others is such a rewarding thing to do. I’ve always enjoyed taking part in charity events and volunteering. It gives you a buzz that you cannot achieve any other way. “Knowing that I am helping

Prom Ally’s dress collection. Photo credit by © Ally Elouise young people who are less fortunate than others attend such an important event of their school lives is the most rewarding feeling in the world. “No teenager should feel left out or isolated due to theirs or their parents’ financial situation, and that’s what Prom Ally is here to help with.” As well as dresses, Ally hopes to expand her cause to accommodate the males. “So far, Prom Ally has helped

over 50 young girls now, and I have now opened it up for boys clothing too. I’m hoping to help some young boys this year as well as even more girls.” Ally added: “If you’re passionate about an issue or want to make an impact and help others, don’t keep talking about it. Just do it.” You can help Ally and her cause by either visiting her site www.promally.co.uk or you can email promally@yahoo.com.

“Don’t keep talking about it. Just do it.”

Ally’s favourite gold dress. Photo credit by © Ally Elouise

Dress parcels to be sent out. Photo credit by © Ally Elouise

We mean

20 LL PEOPLE

ill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Tory Burch, they have all done it. They all had one idea and ran with it, becoming their own bosses and inspiring young people across the globe to follow in their footsteps. Liverpool is a city full of young talent. Independent Liverpool was to be the “last scheme” for two 26-year-old Liverpool born best friends David Williams and Oliver Press. Before joining the real world after finishing their degrees they had a lightbulb moment. The idea was inspired after a fourth Costa Coffee opened up in a one square mile radius of their L18 address in less than year, they worried Liverpool was going to be a commercial city. “We envisaged Liverpool turning into a scene out of Scooby Doo where everything was the same,” David told Liverpool Life. They started by making a presence on social media and creating the website on which they would create profiles for local businesses. Their first review was The Interesting Eating Co, to review their American-style pancakes and bacon. The next few months were a mix of trying to grow the social media and give people profiles to read. “We started visiting all the restaurants that are now on our website and card months before we even knew we were going to bring out a membership card so

we’d met them organically and everyone knew we had passion and were doing it for the right things. It then just organically became a thing all restaurants knew about and want to be a part of, which is wonderful.” Independent Liverpool became the perfect escape for David, who had suffered his first panic attack while working in an Albert Dock warehouse pulling staples out of paper for 10 hours a day. “I didn’t know what the feeling was so I left work, didn’t tell any of my managers and never really looked back. The next few months I had so much time to think and to myself that Independent Liverpool became the perfect escape.” With Independent Liverpool growing, the lads’ ambition grew too and the Baltic Market was created. As Liverpool’s first street food market based in the iconic Cains Brewery and buzzing Baltic Triangle, Baltic Market has quickly become the must-visit place in Liverpool since its opening in June last year. “We accidentally fell into doing events after a friend asked us to help promote his garden party in Constellations. I think 90 people turned up and we just got the biggest buzz we’ve ever had and knew we had to do more.” They started by doing cinema nights, quiz nights and eventually food and drink festivals, in a warehouse not unlike the Baltic

Independent Liverpool © Independent Liverpool Website

Hannah Wilkinson talks to Merseyside young entrepreneurs who are doing things their way

Squiddly Diddly founder Broagn Ellis- Rimmer © Squiddly Diddly Market, where they invited the best of Liverpool to come and trade for one weekend. hey would invite eight – ten different restaurants and artists that offered something different but kept the concept the same. “Every single one we did sold out but we knew we couldn’t charge people an entry fee forever so we took the plunge on the market.” As Liverpool’s youngest food trader, Brogan Ellis-Rimmer, 18, has started quite the following for his crispy squid and sweet potato combos. After working at the Izakaya stand at the Liverpool Food and Drink Festival in September 2016, Brogan noticed there was a space in the market for a crispy squid stall. Saving up his money, he was able to pay for equipment and a pitch at the April festival. “When the food festival actually came around it went down a storm people waited up to 45 minutes just to get a taste of Squidly Diddly!” While attending West Derby High School, Brogan grew a keen interest for business and began working at the age of 11 doing odd jobs to get himself some money.

“I would say I’ve always been interested in running my own business. From a young age I have always wanted my own deli and wanted to work for myself.” After appearing in an Independent Liverpool article, Brogan was aproached by the owners to appear in The Baltic Market. Due to work commitments, Brogan declined, but after being asked again the opportunity was too good to pass up. Squidly Diddly will now be featured at the Baltic Market for the next three weeks. For someone of such a young age, Brogan is determined to continue to grow his business “I have a lot of plans for the future but by the end of this year I hope to have a couple of properties in my name. Before I am 20/21 I also hope to have my own deli restaurant by then. If you want something in life, believe and you will get it.” For Ben Holden, from Wallasey, health and fitness was what got his passion for business rolling. Partnering in Totum, a leading, sports fitness clothing brand delivering gym and lifestyle apparel, fitness and sports clothing and accessories, Ben works every day

business

PEOPLE

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Totum (left to right) Ben Holden, Sam Waite and Sam Hunt © Totum Ben Holden

“Burn the boat. Learn to swim on your own, you will move forward leaps and bounds as it becomes sink or swim.” with his two best friends. “Totum came about as a concept in my best friend and now business partner’s bedroom in 2015 when we decided we wanted to do something with our passion for fitness. We had always been into training and bodybuilding from a young age but had slowly started to veer into Crossfit and functional training.”

s well as Totum apparel, the team created the MyCoach programme to link back to the Totum ethos of functional fitness. “I found a lot of people, including myself, solely trained to look

better, and of course this is important, but it becomes boring and stagnant as you miss the purpose of health and fitness, to actually enjoy it!” With so many fitness programmes out there, MyCoach needed to be different. Rather than being a personal training program, it is an online coaching service that is there for the client not just an hour per week, but every day, every hour. The program looks in depth at each individual and then sets people programs on a Monday to Sunday basis and chooses the time frame dependent on people’s goals. “This is the future of fitness

coaching and is the most results-driven body transformation service I have ever put together and seen out there, full stop. I noticed that nobody else was really breaking the mould and doing something different to help impact as many people as possible, so we saw an opportunity and grabbed it with both hands ” Having spent his childhood with the desire to join the police, Ben went to university and worked voluntarily for three years to make himself a better candidate for the force, and never thought about running his own business. However, he could not suppress his passion for helping people improve

their health, body composition and most of all self-confidence. “As long as I had that safety net of the police I was never going to truly better my business and myself as I was ever committed and invested within it. My advice to anyone thinking of doing their own business would be, burn the boat. Learn to swim on your own, you will move forward in leaps and bounds as it becomes sink or swim.” Ben, and his partners Sam Hunt and Sam Waite, are planning the biggest event of their lives by appearing at the biggest fitness event on the planet, Body Power in May.

22 LL PEOPLE

The rise of the

NASTY WOMEN Meg Dodds speaks to Lo Green, project manager of the Liverpool branch of Nasty Women UK

feminist art movement that began its journey in New York City has gone global and is now on its way to Liverpool. The name ‘Nasty Women’ was coined from a comment made by Donald Trump about Hillary Clinton. The president interrupted Clinton during a televised debated to mumble the insult. The term was instantly reclaimed by women across the world and has since become a rallying call for all those who stand for gender equality. The Nasty Women movement has raised money for a number of charities across the globe, including non-profit organisation Planned Parenthood, through displaying and auctioning the work of female-identifying artists. Now, Nasty Women UK is aiming to bring together people of all genders, races, faiths and LGBTQIA identities, through the platform of the arts and seeks to demonstrate solidarity between people in the face of threats to roll back women’s rights. A Liverpool branch of the organisation has been formed and will host an art exhibition on March 9th in the heart of Liverpool’s creative

“I honestly believe it’s because Liverpool is such an open, amazing city with incredible people and this is a celebration of the superhuman women that Liverpool has’’ quarter, The Baltic Triangle. Taking place at Constellations, the exhibition aims to raise funds for a Merseyside-based women and children’s refuge. Lo Green, the project manager for the Liverpool branch of the organisation, told Liverpool Life: “I am so proud of this city, the arts and culture in Liverpool is fantastic so I wanted to take it upon myself to set up Nasty Women Liverpool. “I am inspired by feminism within my work. I noticed on the [Nasty Women] website Liverpool was not involved, I live in Southport and I was so surprised that Liverpool had not got involved.” The project manager predicts that the event will be a success due to the enthusiasm the city has already shown for the movement.

She said: “I honestly believe it’s because Liverpool is such an open, amazing city with incredible people and this is a celebration of the superhuman women that Liverpool has.” The exhibition will serve to support organisations defending gender equality and will be a platform for resistance, but Lo said: “This is an incredible opportunity, as Nasty Women Liverpool doesn’t just end at the exhibition!” Plans for events such as poetry nights and workshops for International Women’s Day are already in motion. Nasty Women Liverpool are currently searching for female-identifying artists to exhibit fine art, illustration, graphics, photography, film and more. To get involved with the exhibition, email nastywomenliverpool@ gmail.com for more information.

PEOPLE

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Steve puts best foot forward for Cameron

Jack Butler spoke to Steven Hesp about his big goal...

Liverpool man is set to run the London Marathon to continue raising money for a young terminally ill

football fan. Steven Hesp, from Arrowe Park, is aiming to raise money for 11-year-old Cameron Rowley, who is suffering from an incurable and rare form of cancer. Cameron, from Ellesmere Port, was diagnosed with Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumour (DSRCT) in 2015 – a disease that affects as few as two or three people in every 500,000. Steven has been a friend of the Rowley family for many years after he served in the Royal Navy with Cameron’s uncle – he has raised money for the football mad youngster in the past and is doing

“

It’s been backed by some high proﬁle people like Wayne Rooney, Jamie Carragher, Tony Bellew and Pixie Lott

so again in London this year. Steven said: “I’ve known Cameron’s uncle since we were 18 – I’m 33 now. We served in the forces together and were both out in Iraq when the conflict was happening there. I was running a lot at the time he was diagnosed, so I decided I’d try to make some money for him. “I raised around £1,000 and I’m aiming to do the same this time around. There has been a lot of fundraising for him more recently – there was a football tournament, the Cameron Cup, which saw 60 teams enter. It’s been backed by some high profile people like Wayne Rooney, Jamie Carragher, Tony Bellew and Pixie Lott.” Cameron was on a family holiday in 2015 when he fell ill and

after going to the hospital when he got home, he was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer. After treatment, it was discovered that despite Cameron beating several tumours, he was rediagnosed with the illness, and doctors found it to be incurable. Cameron’s mother, Jacqueline Rowley, has had to deal with her son’s illness whilst fighting her own too – the 26-year-old was diagnosed with a brain tumour, which is also terminal, with her expecting to live between 10 and 14 years. Steven, being friends with Cameron’s dad and uncle, has said he struggles to imagine how difficult it must be, and hopes that in raising the money through fundraising events, Cameron will

be able to enjoy the time doing whatever he wishes. He said: “This is my fifth time applying to run the London Marathon and this year is the first time I’ve been offered a place. “It’s been very tough for them, with them both having to deal with the illness. If I can raise around £1,000, it will all go directly to Cameron so he can spend it on what he wants, even if he uses it for some quality time with his three brothers, who are all football mad like him.” Steven will run the famous marathon in the capital on Sunday 22 April 2018, and you can donate to help raise money for Cameron on his GoFundMe page at: https://www.gofundme.com/ r6-for-cameron .

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Willpower... or won’t bother?

Jo Cunliffe takes a look at why we just can’t seem to stick to our New Year’s resolutions

ew Year’s resolutions have been around for centuries. Over 4,000 years ago, Babylonians vowed to return borrowed items, with the belief that if they didn’t they would fall out of favour with the Gods and the Romans started January by making a vow to the God Janus, which is where the month gets its name from. Now, we tend to think New Year means new you and a host of resolutions. According to search data by American marketing company Hitwise, people started planning their resolutions for 2018 as far back as last October. So why is it so hard for people to commit to them? Peter Kinderman, Professor of Clinical Psychology at The University of Liverpool, found that 78% of people failed to stick their New Year’s resolutions. He said: “About half of us apparently make New Year’s resolutions each year. These usually concern things such as weight loss, exercise, quitting smoking, excessive spending or working towards a qualification. “Unfortunately it’s pretty likely that most of us will fail to stick to our resolutions – at least if failure is judged in an absolute sense. “One problem with New Year’s resolutions is that they’re at New Year. It’s hard to change, so it’s tempting to use an external factor – the turn of the year – as a focus for our desire to change.” Now we are in February, it may be even harder to keep up with those promises. The most commonly broken New Year’s resolutions include:

Learning a new skill or language, fitness, dieting, saving money, quitting smoking or drinking, spending more time with family, travelling to new places, managing stress and volunteering. Kerry Roberts, from Birkenhead, admits she was reluctant to make resolutions this year. She told Liverpool Life: “I have failed every year I have tried to have a resolution, last year being to lose weight and, well, I think I’ve actually put more on, so I was unsure about bothering this year. “It is harder than you may think, especially when you’re out with friends and they’re having a glass of rosé or a nice juicy burger. “I am determined to continue with my resolution this time round. It may not have started well but I am not going to order any more takeaways for the next six months and I can only have a maximum of two glasses of wine a week, even though I might have already had a pizza this week.”

ne of the most common resolutions is to lose weight. According to research done by YouGov for The Times back in 2014, the majority (61%) said they would not be setting personal goals for the New Year, but a third (30%) said they would. Of those who planned on setting goals, 51% said they intend to do more exercise and the second and third most popular resolutions were losing weight at 47%, with 41% saying they wanted to improve their diet. Hannah Arthur, a 23-year-old hairdresser from Ellesmere Port, has just started the gym. She told Liverpool Life: “I started after Christmas like most people do,

“I have failed every year I have tried to have a resolution”

Popular New Year’s resolutions include exercise, quitting smoking or alcohol, eating more healthy and more. All Pictures © Wikimedia Commons but I want to carry on. “It makes me feel a lot better in myself. It spurred me on when people told me I’d quit at the end of January so I’m determined to get that summer body and show them all!” Along with dieting, gym memberships can be ineffective. Humphrey Cobbold, chief executive of Britain’s largest gym chain Pure Gym, said: “Intent typically takes seven to 14 days to turn into reality.” Pure Gym expects soon to reach one million members, with part of its appeal, unlike traditional gyms, being that members are not bound by a long contract. Jake Mathews, 24, is a personal trainer from Chester. He told Liv-

erpool Life: “I do get quite busy with training in January which is good right after Christmas, but it does definitely get quieter after that. “I’ll see someone pretty much every week through January and then I may never see them again.” January is one of the busiest periods for personal trainers, with them even having their own Personal Trainer Awareness Day, highlighting how much chance you can have to sticking to your weight loss resolution. Jake says: “Fitness can really change some people’s lives, they’ve just got to be persistent with it and give exercise a go.” New Year’s resolutions don’t need to be scary, you just need to

Peaky actor launches underwear brand An actor who starred in The Peaky Blinders, as well as other TV favourites, has launched his own underwear brand with another actor from the show. Chris Bragan, from the Wirral, has gone into business with his co-star Geoff Holland creating the brand “CG Men”. The pair played prominent gang members in the popular BBC show and have featured in a number of other roles too, both playing parts in ‘Emmerdale’ and the reboot of the sitcom, ‘Porridge’.

They decided that they would benefit from having a sideline of work in between roles, coming together and discussing the idea as the filming for Series four ended. Chris told JMU Journalism: “I have always been creative and had a good eye for fashion and business, as well as always wanting to be my own boss, and I also think it’s important to fulfil your life’s ambitions as best you can.” Being a business owner has always been a dream for Chris due to the unreliable nature of

the acting business. The actor is excited about the future for the brand and explained that he is thoroughly enjoying the experience, he said: “It became my baby really, working with our web developers to develop and create a logo with masculine style that men would like, which we have now achieved.” There are 30 new designs of CG Men underwear ready to be made for 2018/2019, alongside launching fitness ranges and the possibility of hitting the catwalks. It promises to be an exciting year.

The highly anticipated, Lennon’s Banjo, makes its world stage premiere at Liverpool’s Epstein Theatre in April. The cast includes Eric Potts, Mark Moraghan, Jake Abraham, Lynn Francis, Stephanie Dooley, Alan Stocks, and Roy Carruthers. It was also recently an-

Creating connections Oli the elephant

The head of a Liverpool internet organisation has pledged to provide local businesses with the fastest broadband speeds in the city with a promise of a 10GB connection in the city. Chairman of IX Liverpool, a non-for-profit internet exchange company, Professor Matt Wilson said: “We haven’t received a penny of public money from the Government or the EU but we’ve had great support from the digital business community and we’re going from strength to strength. “Hopefully we can help to attract more digital companies to come to Merseyside and create

more jobs and investment in our future. “Already, lots of businesses have been in touch and it’d be great to hear from more - we’re always ready to listen and we need as many ambitious and forward-thinking entrepreneurs as possible to get in touch so that the momentum continues”. Companies in the city region have long complained about relatively slow broadband speeds compared to other parts of the UK. IX Liverpool has had more than £40,000 of donations from the local digital community to help to make internet connectivity faster.

The Alder Hey Children’s Charity is appealing for families and friends to join its mascot Oli the elephant for a special safari walk. The charity says Oli’s Safari Walk has become a wildly popular event charity walk and a fun family day out with sponsorships helping to make a difference to young patients at Alder Hey. The 3km walk takes place on Sunday, May 13th. A family pass (two adults, two children) costs £20, adults cost £10 and children cost £5. A spokesman for the charity said: “We ask families to help

us raise as many funds as possible for vital medical research by collecting sponsorships from family and friends.” Walkers can register online, email community@alderheycharity.org or call 0151 252 5716 for more details.

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GO LIVE ‘‘

Radio 1: working with Jonathan Cheban @ClaireBynoe

It varies from event to event, you’ll always be doing something different

By Ross Hilton-Inkpin

laire Bynoe has always had her sights set on a career in broadcasting. From listening to and recording the top 40 charts on cassette and creating her own radio shows when she was young, she has now progressed to working for the BBC as a live music and events assistant. Before she arrived at LJMU Claire was already working for KCC Live, a community radio station aimed at 10 to 24-year-olds and continued there while she studied. After she graduated from in 2014 she got a job at the BBC as a tour guide and has then worked her way up to her current role. Now, as a live music and events assistant, Claire works on a number of different projects: “At the minute I’m working on a project called ‘The Biggest Weekend’ that is taking place in May. “Currently I’m working on a lot of logistics so, for example, sorting out hotels and travel for the likes of presenters and production staff. Because the event is radio based, it’s across a lot of networks like Radio 1, 2, 3 and 6. “My role at the minute is putting together an artist’s grid, which is essentially what the running order will be on stage across all the sites; so it’s a little bit of everything but mainly logistics and maintaining a strong relationship across all the departments involved.” The Biggest Weekend is just one of a number of events that Claire is involved with, as she went on to talk about other projects her department is managing. “Our team has a lot of flagship events across the year, not just this one, so we do 1xtra live,

’’

the Asian network live and Radio 2 live in Hyde Park.” She is always working on something different at different events, and no day is ever the same. “With all those events, we’re working on the ground at the event a week before. We could be doing anything from accreditation to making sure that everything on stage is running to time. "You could also be doing DJ liaison, which is making sure that all the presenters are in the right place at the right time. "It varies from event to event, you’ll always be doing something different which is quite nice," she added Claire looks back on her time at LJMU with fondness and said the course helped her to get to where she is today. “I’m really happy that I did the course atLJMU. In my interviews for the BBC a lot of examples that I gave were from my university course.”

One Extra: Manchester 2010

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THE LINE UP Liverpool teenager goes from boxing zero to hero in just 12 months: p28

Southport set to appoint CEO as they embark on new era: p30 Three LJMU hockey players called up to North of England squad: p30

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“Winning didn’t really hit me at first and I don’t think it has now”

From haircuts to upper cuts A

Liverpool teenager has become a national champion after boxing for just 12 months. Charlotte Powell, 18, from north Liverpool, won her category at the England Boxing Boys and Girls Championships in Manchester last year. The boxer began training with Anfield and North Liverpool Boxing Club less than a year before the competition, where she beat a former England International with 21 bouts under her belt. Charlotte said: “I always used to do sports like football and then I ended up being sat around the house doing nothing and built up so much anger. “My brother did boxing and the guys at the club were telling me to join so I finally came around.” The national champion, who also works in Jenny’s Hair Salon, Bootle,

took part in her first fight just three months after starting the sport. She said: “It was scary because I’d never had a fight in my life. I lost the first round but I ended up winning the second.” After this she won two more bouts, including one which made her national champion. Charlotte said: “Winning didn’t really hit me at first and I don’t think it has now to be honest.” Charlotte balances boxing along with her full-time job, she trains three times a week along with runs outside of the ring and a healthy diet. She said: “It’s not so much a diet, it’s more about eating right. I still have a chocolate bar if I feel like I need sugar. Charlotte trains with Paul Cox, 52, the club’s head coach who boxed as a child. He said: “I’ve boxed myself so I’m not

shy of a ring of two, I’ve come here and applied what I know into the kids and hopefully we will get some champions out of it.” The young national champion has competitions coming up in April along with England squad training on the agenda. Alan Walsh, 47, a youth worker for the club, said: “We have had many boxers over the years come in and out of the club but I have never seen anybody like Charlotte. I do believe that she will go on and box for England.” Anfield and North Liverpool Boxing Club is now based in Tetlow way, Langham Street, just outside of the city centre after being based in Anfield Community Centre. The club has been encouraging young people in the Liverpool to get busy and off the streets for over 13 years. They do this by delivering multiple programmes including personal development, community led projects and training along with the boxing and fitness classes.

They also offer adults conflict resolution, health and wellbeing and volunteering opportunities. Alan said: “ Me and Paul share the same ethos about getting the kids off the streets, and if any of them want to take up boxing competitively then we will help them with that.” “We know that as kids do, they may lose interest in the boxing so instead of them going back onto the streets we give them other paths to follow with us.” Since they have opened, Anfield and North Liverpool Boxing Club have achieved many successful outcomes with both younger and older generations. Alan said: “We have a very young squad of boxers from aged 10 to around 14 and then Charlotte who’s 18.” If you would like more information on how to get involved with Anfield and North Liverpool Boxing Club visit their website: http:// anfieldnorthliverpoolboxingclub.btck.co.uk/

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FANS ‘FIRING US INTO THE FRAME’ Liverpool Life reporter Jack Butler speaks exclusively to Tranmere Rovers forward Connor Jennings about his promotion hopes, Tranmere’s performances and the Rovers faithful

ranmere Rovers striker Connor Jennings has given credit to the club’s fans after a string of good results has fired them into National League title contention. Early this month, the Merseyside team sat fourth in the National League table, just two points behind leaders Wrexham, having only lost once in their last 12 league games. Rovers’ fans currently hold the title as the best-supporting team in the league with an average home attendance of over 5000 and the highest average attendance for all league games with 3,759. Striker Jennings believes that the help from the supporters packing into away stadiums as well as Prenton Park is one of the main reasons that the team has pushed on following their poor start to the season. “The fans have been excellent all year - I think at Fylde away we had almost the same number of fans as they did, if not more,” he told Liverpool Life. “We took about 1,800 to the Wrexham game a few weeks back, so we’re all able to look forward to playing in front of big crowds every week.” The striker who has scored seven times in his 31 appearances this season, also said the fans deserve promotion for their support. “Promotion is very much still alive, we believe we can do it. Whether it’ll go all the way to the last day of the season who knows. “We’ll just keep trying to pick up points and keep trying to perform at our very best and build momentum, and just hope for the best – We really want to put on a decent performance for the fans. “With that being said, if we do have to play out a scrappy game to come away with the three points, then that’s the most important

Scorer: Connor Jennings posing with his December player of the month award for the Vanarama National League. thing for us as opposed to a good performance, the three points are vital.” The side will be hoping they don’t experience a repeat of last season when they came painfully close to promotion but still missed out. Rovers lost in the playoff final at Wembley 3-1 to Forest Green – Jennings grabbed their only goal on what was a deeply disappointing day. After going without a goal for 22 games this season, Jennings found the net at home against Torquay in early December. He followed that up with another strike against Sutton United and continued in fine form, making it seven goals in his last 12 appearances. Rovers fans will obviously be hoping that Jennings can continue in similar fashion if they are to seal promotion to league two for next season. Andy Cook and James Norwood, on 14 and 13 goals respectively, are Tranmere’s other main scoring threats.

TRANMERE’S UPCOMING LEAGUE FIXTURES 10/02/18: Leyton Orient A 17/02/18: Bromley H 20/02/18: Macclesﬁeld Town H

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Promotion is very much still alive. We believe we can do it

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LJMU hockey stars get regional universities call-up By JAMES FARRINGTON Three members of the LJMU men’s hockey club have been selected to represent the North of England universities squad. Ryan Millar, Adam Marshal and Felipe Davis-Guzman, who joined the university team two and a half years ago, were selected following trials at the University of Manchester. The club has had recent success following years of drought and picked up the BUCS Northern 2A trophy on the last day of the season at home to Lancaster University. Five strong contenders were put forward by LJMU to represent the North with over 100 students from different universities also going to the trials. As well as the university team, Felipe, who made the England universities national side last year, plays for Formby Hockey Club in the Northern Premier League. Ryan and Adam both play for Oxton Hockey Club, who compete in the same league, but this is the first time they have played at a regional level.

SELECTED: Ryan Millar (left) and Adam Marshal Ryan told Liverpool Life: “To be honest, I am made up. “I was nervous at the trials because I was unsure what the standard would be like, but on the day I feel like I played to the best of my ability.

“Hockey is a team game and our group at university are really close so I was disappointed for the two that did not get selected. “At the trials you see similar faces you have come up against in the university league so it wasn’t too

daunting and everyone else was in the same position so you can just have a good crack and make light of the tense situation. I am excited to see what the standard is like down south now.” The North of England will face the South of England in two matches on March 27 and 28 to see who will represent the national university side. This will then lead to playing against the other home nations in a round robin tournament. Adam Marshal told Liverpool Life: “This is a massive accomplishment for me on a personal level. “People in England usually grow up either loving football, cricket or rugby but I have always followed and played hockey. “For Felipe, Ryan and I this is obviously a great achievement but it also looks good on the university. “My younger brother is in first year and was offered a scholarship by Nottingham University to play hockey for them and LJMU don’t really offer anything like that, so to be competing with lads who are at that ability is a great credit. “These lads will be playing all the time so I’m guessing they will have good fitness.”

Fresh start as Southport appoints new CEO By JORDAN REAIS

SUPPORT: Haig Avenue, Southport FC’s stadium

Southport football club have appointed their first ever CEO, who plans to bring a new lease of life to the club. Natalie Atkinson landed the job after a huge transformation at fellow National League North side Curzon Ashton. She is positive that she can channel her success at Curzon and apply it to Southport even though the club is much bigger. Louis Collinson, 22, Southport season ticket holder, told Liverpool Life: “It’s exciting times for the club. “Over recent years, the support for the club has decreased and it is sad to see, I’m really looking forward to see what this brings to the club. “Hopefully we can push on in the league and get over this bad

form.” Southport has been on the brink of the football league and has been struggling with fan engagement but Natalie believes improving the club off the field will boost results on the field. Natalie has already begun to process a Community Foundation Programme funded by the National League to start, but will eventually be a registered charity in order to help the surrounding community. In addition, she plans to create a link between Southport College and the academy and plans to build 3G pitches for both college and community. To engage with fans, the new CEO will be meeting fans at their latest home game on February 11th when she will be listening to their ideas and taking their views on board.

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Get inspired with the people’s game

By JAMES FARRINGTON

The FA people’s cup is coming back to Liverpool on the February 23rd-25th A five–aside competition which is run in partnership with the BBC’s Get inspired campaign. The event that’s been dubbed ‘everyone’s game’ saw 30,000 people participate in its first year and saw another 35,000 people take part last year in which is the largest five-aside competition in the United Kingdom. The FA people’s cup was formed in 2015, following on from the popularity of the FA Umbro fives competition. PlayFootball Crosby, Liverpool,

is one of the sites where all the action will take place. Sam Naruswa, Regional Manager North at PlayFootball said: “I love the time of year when the FA People’s Cup comes around. People who you don’t normally see are at the sites and there is a real buzz about getting involved in football. “There is a wide variety of competitions for people to get involved. The football is obviously competitive but everyone puts focus on the participation and it’s always a fun atmosphere. “If you haven’t got involved before then I would highly recommend getting a team together. I have had to work the last few

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BBC’s Get Inspired campaign helps support the Cup years of the competition but when I got the chance to play it’s hard not to embrace the festival of football. “We have all heard of the FA Cup and to get a chance to play in a competition based on that makes it a special tournament”. The tournament is free to enter and with 18 different categories available to the public so they can get involved. The categories people can get involved in are: U14 male, U14 female, U16 male, U16 female, youth disability mixed, adult male (16+), adult female(16+), adult

male disability, adult female disability, university male, university female, male veterans (35+), female veterans (35+), walking football (50+), college male (futsal), college female (futsal). The semi finals of the competition will be at 12 different places across the nation on Saturday March 24th and Sunday 25th. The final will take place at the England football training ground (St George’s Park) on the April 29th. To sign up to play in the FA People’s Cup see the FA website at www.thefa.com

Premier winter break bid By ROSS HILTON-INKPIN The Premier League is set to discuss the idea of a winter break in the Premier League as a part of the upcoming renewal of the TV rights deal. Should the break be approved and implemented, this would result in the removal of Premier League games over the Christmas period. Winter breaks in other countries typically last around a month, from the middle of December until the middle of January, whereas in the Premier League, around seven rounds of fixtures are played in this time. The debate as to whether a break should be introduced has been rumbling on for the last few years, however discussions currently taking place seem to be the first which could genuinely see the break introduced. For people in Liverpool affiliated with either of the Premier League clubs, this could result in a reduction in working hours over this period, with some employees at the club only working on match days, which would be reduced over Christmas. LFC hospitality employee, Caitlin Bell said: “The number

STORM: A snowy pitch is the norm when playing in winter of shifts completely depends on the number of matches over the Christmas period, so this festive season we had four matches that were all within a few days of each other, whereas normally we only have at least one or two matches a month.” Although it isn’t clear whether there is extra pay for employees over Christmas and the festive period, there would be a monetary loss should the break be implemented. Both Liverpool FC and Everton

FC employ thousands of employees each which including hospitality staff, stewards, security and a number of different employees in each department. Therefore, the change would affect a significant number of staff. Caitlin also added that she enjoys working at Anfield: “I would welcome a festive break to spend time with my family, but I love working at Anfield and Liverpool is my second home, so I don’t mind having to work over the holidays.”

Public applause Friends of Anthony Condron have called on Everton supporters to join in a minute’s applause in 29th minute of their next home game versus Crystal Palace on Saturday. The applause is to commemorate the 29-year-old, who died in a Liverpool bar in the early hours of Saturday morning. A tweet from @ DiscussEverton encouraging the applause currently has over 700 retweets.

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Picture ÂŠ Hannah Wilkinson Produced each fortnight by LJMU Journalism Students