Liverpool Life 9:15 March 17 2021 by Steve Harrison

THIS WEEK

ARTS

LIFESTYLE

March 17 2021

FROM THE HEART OF THE CITY

WELCOME RETURN OF THE BARN OWL

Liverpool Life

PANTOS GO VIRTUAL RIVER OF LIGHT FESTIVAL RETURNS

LOVE TO L8 > Documentary tells story of Toxteth over past 50 years

> The magnificent barn owl is returning to the landscape: 12-13

CONTENTS Cover photo © Shut Out the Light Films

THIS WEEK

4&5 Fundraising event after the loss of local teacher

6 Wirral’s housing crisis still looms large 7Shouting louder: How the media can boost the black economy

4-5 6

Photos: Shut Out the Light Films

9 Drug that may bring mental health relief 10&11What to expect from gyms and restaurants through the easing of lockdown

LIFE

12&13 The return of the beloved Barn Owl

ARTS

18 River of light returns to Liverpool 19 Scouse DJ in the charts 20&21 L8 documentary coming to our screens

22&23 Mike Badger: Recycling his way to

the future of art

With potentially less than a month away from normality, Liverpool is finally giving Scousers something to look forward to, in and out of lockdown. In the run-up, we can expect our evenings to be bright and filled with beautiful sights, such as the River of Light at the docks. Danielle Norton reports on Mike Badger’s new and eco-friendly art exhibition that uses recycled materials from the rubbish people throw away to create weird and wonder-

Photos: Visit Liverpool& OGE Group Israel

14 St Helens Theatre Royal goes virtual 15 Tom Calverley: Life on the nightdesk 16 Lifting spirits together with Spirit Level 17 New lockdown candle making business

Finally something to look forward to! ful sculptures. Meanwhile, Anna Michaelides reports on the new L8 documentary coming to our screens soon and what we can expect. Neve Wilkinson also explains how our favourite restaurants and local gyms will be reopening over the next few weeks, and what we have to look forward to. Unfortunately, while we have all this too look forward to, we

still have lost some amazing people along the way. Ben Haslam reports on the devastating death of a local schoolteacher and how she and many others will be missed. Our hearts and thoughts are with those who have lost members of their family over this past year, and hope we all remain safe and well. Chloe O’Connor, Arts Reporter

LL LIFE

This page: Andrew with his mother Gill during happier times

LL LIFE

Son remembers his mother with moving tribute to help others BEN ROBERTS HASLAM talks to Andrew Hare about how he is honouring his mother by raising money for disadvantaged women

omen in Liverpool are set to have more educational opportunities available to them following a fundraising campaign in memory of an inspirational teacher who lost her life to Covid-19. The campaign was started after devoted teacher and volunteer, Gill Dulgarn, 55, from Prescot, died last month. Her son, Andrew Hare, wanted to continue her legacy and raise money for Blackburne House in Liverpool where

she was a team leader. Gill’s death was very sudden and she had been “laughing and joking” with nursing staff the night before. Andrew said: “They had given her an oxygen monitor at home, she’d been monitoring her oxygen levels and that was the tip that forced her into hospital because her oxygen levels weren’t getting any better. “All the nurses couldn’t believe it. They’d said she was chatting away with them, maybe 11pm the night before, and then passed away at 1pm

the following afternoon.” While at Blackburne House, working to educate and empower women who have come from difficult backgrounds, Gill changed people’s lives and enabled them to go into the world with the skills they needed. Andrew, now a teacher himself, said: “We have had a number of messages, from people who I’ve never heard of, saying how much of a difference my mum had to their lives and the impact the courses she designed and put on really helped them. “People who had nothing, no work, things like that, who gained the skills, and not just the skills, but the confidence and the belief to go out there and make something of themselves.” Andrew is now raising money in his mum’s name on gofundme.com. He is looking to support Blackburne House to create a lasting legacy of Gill with an award in her name. A classroom will be named after her and a picture of the former teacher will be put up in the building. Andrew, who has also lost two grandparents to Covid-19,By said: “Lots of what she did was about empowerment and self-belief and about making something of yourself. That’s why we’re doing this fundraising in her memory to kind of help her live on

‘

through what she did. Hopefully with this money we can make a difference to quite a few women’s lives in Liverpool.” The money raised will go towards helping disadvantaged women from Liverpool go on courses and have an education they would have otherwise missed out on. The heartfelt tributes to Gill on the fundraising page show the dedication she gave to her job and how much she was appreciated. A former colleague said: “Such a sad loss of life for someone I had the pleasure of working with and remember fondly. Gill was so loyal and giving to the pupils and families in Knowsley Hey School and obviously went on to share her talents and love with many others during her short life. May she rest in peace.” Another wrote: “You were my friend, colleague and the Oracle of Blackburne House. What you didn’t know wasn’t worth knowing. I will miss your smiling face every day.” Gill spent a lot of her time attending and volunteering for Trinity Church in Page Moss. Andrew said: “She worked as a church warden and volunteered at children’s summer camps, leading and organising them, taking children from less privileged backgrounds away for a week to give them new experiences. “That was something that she was really passionate about, the youth work side of things, trying to empower people and change their lives for the better.”

Lots of what she did was about empowerment and self-belief and about making something of yourself

’ 5

LL THIS WEEK

Call for more affordable homes to tackle crisis By KIERAN CARSON

irral Council’s housing committee has approved the purchasing of six new council homes in the Rock Ferry area. While this may seem like good news, when hearing that the Wirral housing list contains over 11,000 people, this barely seems like news at all. The idea of providing new council housing is something that is supported across all parties on the Wirral. So what are the obstacles in the way of fixing this issue? A Wirral councillor has expressed his frustration at the lack of council homes in the borough. “The fundamental difficulty the council has is the Right to Buy legislation.” said Allan Brame, a Liberal Democrat Councillor for the Oxton Ward The Right to Buy scheme is a UK policy introduced in 1980 which gives secure tenants of councils and some housing associations the legal right to buy, at a large discount, the council house they are living in. This saw the number of council homes in the UK fall from 6.5 million in 1979 to roughly 2 million in 2017. “If a council owns more than 199 council houses it has to open a housing revenue account. The problem is if it builds new homes, then tenants will have the right to purchase those homes in due course. So the anxiety

for councils is that we invest in new homes for social housing and they’re lost to tenants purchasing.” Finance is another issue which concerns Councillor Brame. “We need to have access to a considerable amount of funding if we’re going to build on a wider scale, that would be available immediately,” he explained. “We certainly have some funds already available, because when we give planning permission to developers, they have an obligation to provide an element of affordable housing or pay Section 106 money, which helped us purchase these six houses.” There have been 687 “affordable” homes delivered in the last five years, a number he understands is far from the amount needed. “There’s huge demand for housing which we simply cannot meet, it’s one of the fundamental social problems on the Wirral and nationwide.” He added: “I’m not sure what the way forward is really and I do think we need some modification to the legislation so when tenants move into properties are unable to purchase them for a period so they would remain in the social market for an initial period and so they could be passed on to further tenants.” There are 4955 vacant homes on the Wirral, ranking it in the top ten for length of time that vacant dwellings

remain empty on a national level. “There’s a lot of work going on with vacant properties now to try and get them back in to public use,” said Wirral Councillor Julie McManus “It could be that landlords need help retro-fitting them. We all want more sustainable homes, warm homes, I live in a nice warm home most of the time so why shouldn’t everybody else?” Councillor McManus represents the Bidston and St James Ward, the 8th most deprived in the country. “Every day I will get people coming in to see me, asking for help for a move or a managed move. The government need to do something about the Right to Buy.” The 60-year-old echoes the sentiment of her Councillor Brame in regard to the Right to Buy legislation.

Photos © Google Street View

“I’m not saying they should stop the right to buy but they should be working with councils to help the council carry on building but not have that risk that leaves them in debt.” Councillor McManus emphasised the strain this can have on council finances, with the Right to Buy legislation allowing tenants to purchase the homes for significantly cheaper than the council originally paid for them. “If you look at a lot of the larger housing estates, people have bought their properties at largely reduced values and a lot of people have bought them and then move on and become landlords. A lot of these homes are bought and then rented out privately and this reduces the housing stock.”

LL LIFE

Shining a light on the unsung heroes leading black businesses BETH GAVAGHAN on a new campaign to help businesses and why change is needed now

lack business owners are calling for change and the creation of more opportunities for people from minority ethnic

‘

#IAMBOB campaign poster and, inset, Lynda Moyo, Head of What’s On at Reach PLC that you might never have come across.” Ms Moyo also discussed the impact which the media have, and said they have a long way to go in terms of reaching a point of equality. “Unfortunately in society, a mirror reflection of yourself is what you’re drawn to. So I don’t think it’s like journalists are specifically going to certain minorities to do stories. I think it’s just that they’ve always done what they’re used to. And we can be better, we need to be better at that. And so this is a large part.”

he founder of Liverpool-based Ametrine Enterprise Solutions Irene Afful works to promote inclusion and diversity within organisations after being the first black, female inspector at Merseyside Police, and said Reach’s initiative was an effective stepping-stone to promote equality. She said: “I think it really is a great

start to be pushing these businesses out there far and wide.” She also noted the importance of inspiring young black people to enter business as a career, and that there needs to be more representation of success stories on a large scale. She said: “We know how powerful role-models can be, and seeing someone that looks like you being successful in business or running a successful business gives you that belief that you can actually do it as well… so it’s really important to have that model showcased and link the role-models and businesses to the younger generation.” Ms Afful also described the current state of the black economy in Liverpool as being “woeful”, with opportunities for black people being scarce. She said: “I go to these business networks with senior leaders from all organisations across the city and, invariably, I’m either the only black

woman in the room or there’s a handful. “The climate hasn’t changed really, the makeup hasn’t changed. So for me there needs to be a massive drive to try and change this.” Vanessa Boatengukoro, the General Secretary and Trustee of the Liverpool Commonwealth launched a skincare range which was involved in the #IAMBOB campaign last November. She said that the Reach campaign was ‘eye-opening’ for people, and also said it helped to showcase blackowned businesses in different parts of the UK. She said: “It’s shining a light on an area which has been ignored for a very long time and with the events from the Black Lives Matter (campaign), it’s highlighting the fact that we see black people in various professions like the NHS and teaching but you also have black people who are running their own businesses.”

We needed to do something that was tangible

‘

groups. Since the world started standing up to racism in the summer of 2020, following the death of George Floyd and the rise of the Black Lives Matter campaign, there has been a push to shout even louder when it comes to promoting the successes of BAME individuals in the professional world. Conversations are now taking place with regards to how the media represent individuals from different backgrounds and a new media campaign is also aiming to make a difference. Reach PLC, the largest UK news publisher and publisher of the Liverpool Echo, has launched an initiative to reflect and promote the work black business owners do around the country across their networks using the hashtag #IAMBOB to celebrate black-owned businesses. Business owners were encouraged to share their stories and businesses on twitter, where Reach Plc then promoted their work by sharing them across social media. Lynda Moyo, Head of ‘What’s On’ and ‘Emerging Content’ at Reach helped set up the campaign and is proud of the outcome so far. She said: “There’s a lot of work the media needs to do in terms of the representation of ethnic minorities, and we’re a massive part of that. “Specifically with black communities I felt that we needed to do something that was tangible… so I had this idea of looking at black-owned businesses because the two things kind of tied together - the effects of the pandemic on businesses and then Black Lives Matter.” She added: “The nicest thing about it was that it shone a light on unsung heroes or really inspirational talent

LL THIS WEEK

Cranes will help city prosper

Liverpool Opinion By ALEX TAYLOR

ew ship to shore cranes have now been delivered and installed as part of the Peel Ports £400m investment into Liverpool’s, brand new, Liverpool2 Deepwater port. The cranes have made their long journey across the sea from Shanghai and have travelled a massive 11,000 miles, to be installed in Liverpool. This is part of Peer Ports’ third phase of development, involving the installation of three more ship to shore cranes and 10 cantilever rail mounted gantry cranes (CRMG) from Chinese manufacturer Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co. Over the past three years the Peel Ports group has been constructing an expansion to the UK’s largest transatlantic port which will see it become one of the most advanced ports in Europe. This a major step for Liverpool economically. The new free trade zone port announced by the government in the Budget earlier this month will mean that the port in the Liverpool City region will contribute £850m GVA - a measure of the increase in the value of the economy - and could create around 14,000 jobs. It will also lead solutions to meet the local Net Zero Carbon emissions by 2040.

David Huck, Managing Director of Peel Ports, has said: “While we are only one of the partners in this public and private sector joint initiative, the Port of Liverpool is clearly the largest global gateway to the new regional freeport. “How we see our role is helping with wider city region to achieve the greatest possible benefit from its freeport status.” International trade will now be drawn to Liverpool as it slowly becomes one of the main hubs for trade in the UK. Its position in the Atlantic means it will become one of the main stopping points for trade with the Americas. Exports to the US were measured to be worth £99.5bn, with the US being the largest importer of UK goods. With the new advanced ports, Liverpool may be able to deal with a lot more of the goods sent to America and more businesses may be drawn to Liverpool for its easy access to the trade routes. The UK imports its second highest amount of goods from America too, worth around £66bn per year. The new port will now be able to accommodate the largest shipping vessels in the world offering global shippers a new ‘ship-to-door’ access to major import centres at the heart of the UK.

In addition, Liverpool2 will offer exporters in the north a more competitive route to international markets. Peel Ports’ initiative, Cargo200, is allowing companies to cut road and rail miles from freight logistics leading to reduced carbon emissions, congestions and costs in their supply chains, which should increase profits of these businesses. Liverpool” plans to lure business from the South to the North, by providing them with easily accessible trade routes on their doorstep. By having this port on their doorstep, it becomes easier to trade with other countries around the world. This includes a huge range of trades from mechanics and engineers to operational technicians. The increase in jobs will create more wealth in the region for people who live in Liverpool. The predicted influx of businesses will also create more jobs in the future for Liverpool, making it an asset to the growth of the region.

‘

International trade will now be drawn to Liverpool

’

LL THIS WEEK

‘It’s an absolute life-changer for the world’ Is the trial of a psychedelic drug to treat depression a groundbreaking therapy or a bad trip? Report by ALEX USHER

local documentary maker, who has made films about drug culture, has welcomed the announcement of trials into a drug that could change how the UK treats depression. Eddie Sarsfield’s latest documentary ‘After Shooters’ focuses on the cast of the 2001 Liverpool cult documentary film ‘Shooters’, which has a heavy focus on drug use, murder, suicide and mental health issues. The film is currently in production. He is also working on a documentary exploring the underworld around DMT, a drug which is now being trialled for use in treating major depressive disorder. The trails are being run by the UK-based pharmaceutical company Small Pharma, who have been given the green light to run the world’s first patient clinical trial using the psychoactive drug N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Many claim that DMT has helped them completely change their mindset and turned their life around completely, including Eddie Sarsfield. He told Liverpool Life: “I was kind of tricked into it by a guy who was a regular user of it. He could see I was struggling from some emotional problems, if you like. I was having a bad time in my life. “I’m not a regular taker, I have a fear of taking it again because it was such a revelation. It makes you take it quite seriously. “In the long term (it is) a complete game changer and something I am constantly reflecting on, and if I’m totally honest I think the effects of it are still working now. “It’s like getting your brain and wringing it out like a dirty dish cloth, getting all the s**t out of your brain and when you have that moment of clarity it’s like being born again.” As with other drugs, there is an underworld surrounding DMT but the market differs from that of other drugs. Eddie said: “It’s an underground thing, it’s super class A. You can get more time for it than you can for cocaine. “These people don’t care, they’re not really doing it to make money like most drug dealers do. It’s a very spiritual kind of drug. I’ve yet to see

Documentary maker Eddie Sarsfield

“If this treatment is effective, it may also profoundly change how patients are treated, in that this type of approach should get to, and treat, the root cause of depression”

What is DMT? Molecular structure of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT)

a bad guy mess around with it. It just doesn’t attract the negativity that other drugs do.” While some people find the drug enlightening, others can find the sheer strength of the experience frightening and often overwhelming. The drug can be very unpredictable and can be dangerous to those with a pre-disposition to mental illness, as it can potentially trigger an underlying issue the user did not know they had. Scientists at Small Pharma are hoping to harness the effects of DMT to help those who face distressing emotions, while ultimately changing how mental health is treated within the UK. Caroline Wray, Co-Founder & Managing Director at Small Pharma, said: “If this treatment is effective it will provide patients with an additional treatment choice, it may also profoundly change how patients are treated in that this type of approach should get to, and treat, the root cause

of depression. “Subjects do not tend to have any ‘bad reactions’ to DMT, and a challenging experience or bad trip, should not affect the therapeutic effect of the treatment.” The drug will be used alongside sessions of talking therapy to help those who suffer from the mental illness to overcome their experiences. Unlike other psychedelics, the user does not develop tolerance to the psychological effects of DMT, which is why it is being used instead of other psychedelic drugs such as LSD or psilocybin. Eddie Sarsfield continued: “It seems the brain gets sicker than any other part of the body nowadays. “This has shown me the baggage some people are carrying in life and how we see things as grey and dull. Every second thought is a negative one. “Depression blocks all of the avenues in your brain. It’s like you’re

The naturally-produced Class A drug is used by many indigenous people in South America, primarily through a drink called ayahuasca, which leads many to believe the drug has spiritual values. Some experts claim that DMT is produced by the pineal gland in the brain when we dream, while other experts claim it is released during birth and during death. The psychedelic drug is often described as the ‘spirit molecule’ because of the intense hallucinations it gives the users. A ‘trip’ is often described as an out-of-body experience with lots of bright colours and shapes.

walled in; you cannot see any other option, you cannot see any of the doors, any way out. “This will open all the doors for you. It gives you options in life; it helps your brain to think again and think actively and go towards being happy and just appreciate the smallest things. “These trials (are) just going to bring it to the forefront, and I’m telling you now, it’s an absolute life changer for the world.”

LL THIS WEEK

Gym gets in shape for life after lockdown

By NEVE WILKINSON

n independent gym that opened just before lockdown last year and had to close its doors almost immediately is looking forward to welcoming members again. Chalk And Steel is a small gym in north Warrington that opened just two weeks before the first national lockdown back in March 2020. Alongside other gyms, retail, and outdoor hospitality, they’re set to open again on April 12, although restrictions will still be in place. A Covid-19 capacity, based on how many square feet the gym covers, means only a certain amount of people will be allowed in. During July to September, when

gyms were first open with restrictions, Chalk And Steel often came close to meeting its capacity and started a traffic light system, mainly using social media, to let customers know to ‘hang fire’ for an hour or come another day. At Chalk And Steel, the changing rooms have had to remain closed. Manager Tracy Thorp said: “We’ve had our changing rooms closed, apart from the first two weeks when we were open, so until we get the green light that all restrictions are lifted, we won’t have any changing rooms. “I think in our particular gym, I’m not so sure customers actually remember that we’ve got changing rooms so it will be a nice, pleasant surprise when we can open the changing rooms again.” When they first reopened in July, the gym used an appointment booking system to make sure they kept to their Covid-19 capacity and knew who was in the gym, for track and trace reasons.

When they re-open in April, they will not be introducing the booking system again but will ask customers to keep an eye out on social media for the traffic light system. “I think everybody will be reasonably eager to get back to it particularly as it’s getting closer to summer as well,” added Tracy. Tracy recalled the first lockdown, which began last spring: “At the time it was devastating because we were open for such a short period of time but the fact that we were a trading business at the time enabled us to secure grants and financial help from the government.” Unlike many other UK businesses, Chalk And Steel have been lucky enough to have kept all their staff throughout the pandemic. Tracy was hired by the directors to help with managing the staff, the stock, the admin, and the memberships. In normal circumstances, they would have continued to hire more staff but with everything going

on, they will not begin to increase staffing levels until the business is satisfied that there will probably be no more lockdowns. Although Chalk And Steel did offer full refunds to members, as they didn’t think it fair to keep people’s money without knowing when gyms were due to reopen, a lot of loyal members opted for credit time rather than refunds, meaning they will be eager to get straight back into the gym on the April 12 and soon unfreeze their memberships. Tracy said: “I’ve not got any fear about our existing members coming back, I think we’ve got an established local base of clients that will hopefully come flooding back.”

“

At the time it was devastating but we were able to secure grants and financial help

”

Independent gym Chalk And Steel was forced to close almost as soon as it had opened

LL THIS WEEK

Nightlife scene’s ‘cautious optimism’ for what the future holds

Bars such as the Einstein, above, and the Peacock, top right, hope to be able to re-open on April 12

s pubs are getting ready to re-open next month, the company behind some of Liverpool’s most popular venues has said it is excited about welcoming customers again. The news of the reopening plans comes after Pub Invest Group, the largest independent operator in Liverpool, recently announced the creation of 100 new jobs in the hospitality sector. Venues have also received a further boost after it was announced that the city’s nightclubs will take part in a Covid pilot scheme for crowd-testing events to see whether the model could be rolled out across the country. Pub Invest Group owns some of Liverpool’s most well-known pubs and restaurants including the Einstein, McCooleys, Level, Brooklyn Mixer and others. Whilst indoor spaces will remain closed until May, pubs and restaurants with outdoor spaces will be able

Public opinion split over re-opening

By JAYKE BROPHY

pinion has been split over plans to use Liverpool for a number of major trial events to test the procedures of restriction-free events ahead of the summer. Places including a Nightclub and Comedy Club will be opened next month, without restrictions, to test the safety of large crowds returning to events without social distancing measures. While it remains unknown which venues will be used during the trial, and how many different events will take place, reaction on social media has been mixed. There is an amount of excitement over the possibility of some brief moments of normality being potentially just over a month away. However many have questioned the safety of the trials. One Twitter user said, “No masks and no distancing sounds like a recipe for disaster, and clubs staying closed even longer.” Many may be feeling a sense of deja vu following the heavy surge in cases in December after the city was the only one in the North West to be able to open bars and restaurants after December’s lockdown. On this issue, another Twitter user said, “As long as this

“

doesn’t mean the entire country will come to Liverpool like they did in December (these trials) are good.” It is thought that one of the main reasons Liverpool looks to have been chosen as the city to house test events is the region’s success in November with the mass-testing pilot. People attending any of the club or comedy nights will be asked to take advantage of mass testing to ensure they are negative for COVID both before and after attending events. Science experts will also be in attendance to watch how people behave without restrictions and the impact it may have on the transmission of the virus. The way in which people get to these events, such as the increased use of public transport, will also be monitored.

espite the negativity and fears surrounding the trial, many people seem happy at the possibility of the first sign of a restriction-free life in almost a year, providing it can be done safely. One Facebook user said, “if the virus incidence rate is very low and everyone is tested it may be possible to make this work safely.” The biggest fear among people online seems to be people from around the country trave-

to reopen from April 12, they will no longer be subjected to having a 10 pm curfew and serving customers a substantial meal with alcohol will not be required. Pub Invest Group said its city centre sites, including, Soho, Moloko, Peacock, Celtic Corner, Einstein and both of McCooleys’ city centre hubs will reopen as part of its plans. Head of Marketing Phil Gillespie said: “We’re happy the curfew has been scrapped, which made no sense in controlling transmission of the virus or allowing our businesses hope of making money, which is positive news.” Mr Gillespie spoke of the challenges still facing the hospitality industry. He said: “There are supply chain and staffing issues which might affect the first few weeks after opening behind the scenes. “But we’re excited that the appetite to get back into the bars is there from the public.” By DAVID DIANGIENDA

If the virus incidence rate is very low and everyone is tested it may be possible to make this work

”

ling to Liverpool, much like in December, to partake in these tests events. If the trials follow the same protocol as that taken by both Liverpool and Everton FC when they were given permission to allow 2,000 supporters into their grounds for a number of games in December however, they will be restricted to people with an ‘L’ postcode. April 12 looks set to see the reopening of things such as the retail industry, gyms and hairdressers across the country. It is perhaps these trial events in Liverpool, and the testing of bringing crowds back to sporting events with the FA Cup final in London and the Snooker World Championships in Sheffield, however, that will show us the likelihood of returning to normal anytime soon.

OWLS IT GOING? JACK PLAYLE on the changing fortunes of one of the UK’s favourite birds - the beautiful Barn Owl

Picture©Barn Owl Trust

can still remember vividly the moment my dad rang me just over two years ago now to gleefully announce his beloved Barn Owls were back. His low, relaxing tone of voice was for once, high and excited... “Ah Jack, you’re not going to believe this...,” he bellowed breathlessly down the line, like presenter Chris Packham in the opening episode of last year’s Springwatch. “They’re back!” After nine years of trying to lure them back into one of two nest-boxes perched high in the trees on our farm back home in Leicestershire – the eureka moment had arrived. My Dad had finally caught a glimpse of the first Barn Owl at Glebe since a severe washout back in 2009 killed the pair that were breeding there before. It was a midsummer’s eve at around dusk when a trace of white dropped down from the old ash tree and fluttered back up into sight. To my Dad’s excitement, its identity was clear; it was a Barn Owl, drifting angelically along the hedge row in search of any prey scurrying around in the undergrowth below. Its flight was gracefully silent and its sight magisterial, all be it rather

fleeting too, though its presence would later prove to be quite the opposite. Since then, that owl has paired up and successfully bred three times in the space of two and half years on the farm - and it’s a success story that is being replicated across multiple parts of the country, including here in Liverpool. In 1990, the National Wildlife Trust discovered that the number of breeding pairs for Barn Owls had dropped to just 4,500 – a 70% reduction from the numbers recorded in 1930. But now the trust’s most recent survey shows their numbers have almost tripled to roughly 12,000 breeding pairs in the last three decades. In the North West, the Lancashire Wildlife Trust said the number of breeding pairs across Merseyside is “increasing healthily”. The group found that out of nearly 1400 nest boxes they checked across the region last year, 538 were being occupied. Going back to 1990, Joan Hunter who volunteers for the Trust, believes the county didn’t even have that number of nest boxes. “If you look back 20 years, it would take about a week or two to carry out

the entire survey, now it takes up the whole of summer pretty much. “And if you visited a farm, it would be rare if they had one nest box up even if the farmer was keen to get barn owls that year. Now, it is more

common for a farm to have multiple nest sites than none at all, and that has made a massive difference.” Historically, Barn Owls were thought of as a ‘farmers friend’; with heart-shaped faces and a handy

Checking the nest boxes

LL LIFE

knack of scooping up rodents, their relationship with one another was rewarding. The traditional barn with beams would create the ideal loft space for an owl to nest, and in turn the owl itself would help minimise the damage to crops by seeing off any pests that threatened the farmer’s yield. But in the 1900’s when farming began to intensify and barns were knocked down and replaced with more soulless flat-pack infrastructure; the barn owls, along with their own prey, were ousted too. In 1988 however, the Barn Owl Conservation Network was set up to help restore the number of owls across the country - and in the thirtythree years that have followed, more than 20,000 nest boxes have been installed nationally, with well over 1,000 of those being put up across Lancashire. As a consequence, the National Wildlife Trust now believes that 80% of the birds population lives in manmade boxes. With the Barn Owl

Conservation Network having helped to install boxes across every county in the country. Jane Hetherington, a volunteer for the Barn Owl Trust believes: “Without so many bird boxes, there’s no way barn owls would be recovering in such great numbers. “Having studied the data, we’ve noticed that the owls tend to become really attached to a box when they find one - they can sometimes nest in one for years if they have the right habitat on their doorstep. And we’ve also found that it’s really helpful having multiple boxes in a close proximity because when they mate, the male will often roost elsewhere close by in order to provide space for the chicks.” The conservation group set a target to double the population of barn owls by 2020 when they formed over thirty years ago. Now the UK has nearly triple the number it had floating about in 1990 – and Jane Hetherington believes that this is all down to an army of volunteers who have helped

© Barn Owl Trust rebuild a brand-new home for owls, all be it, back among their old one. “If you removed all the boxes that have been put up in the last couple of decades then I think the barn owl would be seriously endangered, if not extinct. There isn’t another species of bird that is so reliant on just one component of their habitat (the nest box) for their survival.”

So having once driven out their companion, with the help of the trust farmers are re-inviting their old friend back to its stomping ground to drift and guile saintly like a flagship for the British countryside – quietly and quaintly presenting itself for a brief moment, just to reassure it’s ally that all is in order. Well, at least at home.

LL LIFE

The show will go on

By NEVE WILKINSON t Helens Theatre Royal aren’t letting lockdown prevent them from offering their traditional Easter pantomime this year - it will be available on Zoom! So at least he’s not behind you... Producers Regal Entertainments had announced that Goldilocks would be staged during the Easter holiday. However, that will not yet be

The

permitted by Government guidelines. So instead, from Friday April 2 to Sunday April 11, Jack and the Beanstalk will be streamed online with a cast full of Theatre Royal favourites, for families to enjoy from the comfort of their own homes. Jack and the Beanstalk is a rags to riches story. A little boy sells his family’s cow for a handful of beans. This gets him into a lot of trouble with his poor mother, but the story then takes the magical twist when the beans

sprout into an astonishing beanstalk. The magic beanstalk reaches high into a mystical land in the sky. Online audiences will join Jack on his journey up the gigantic beanstalk as he discovers a magic harp, geese with golden eggs and a very hungry giant. However, young Jack needs to be careful as fairy-tale villain, Mrs Fleshcreep is keen to stop him. The lead role of Jack will be played by Timothy Lucas, with Olivia Sloyan as Princess Jill. The cast is then com-

plete with Abigail Middleton as Mrs Fleshcreep, Reece Sibbald (the show’s writer) as Simple Simon, Jamie Greer as Dame Trott and Jenna Sian O’Hara as Fairy Mary. Directed by Chantelle Nolan, the behind the scenes team also includes musical supervisor Callum Clarke and choreographer Nazene Langfield. There are 17 performances across ten days, with tickets being £20 per device. To book online visit www. sthelenstheatreroyal.com.

LLpodcast is here!

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THIS WEEK’S NEWS AND VIEWS

LL LIFE

‘It’s eat-at-your-desk intense’ NATHAN SARTAIN talks to Tom Calverley, Night Editor of the Guardian, about the challenges of producing one of the world’s most famous newspapers in a pandemic

“The ratio of importance between print and web has changed”

FLEXIBLE: Tom Calverley

ike many others during the pandemic, the Guardian’s night editor Thomas Calverley has found himself adapting. Describing the “surreal” change that happened in his office, he spoke to Journalism students at Liverpool John Moores University and described how within a week, almost his entire newsroom was working from home – a change that still currently stands – and how at times, he finds himself alone in the workplace. Considering it’s a job Tom details as “eat-at-your-desk intense,” it’s a shift in practice which initially came as a surprise. But it’s not a shock which has come without its positives. For one, he noted that the workplace has now become more inclusive as a result of the pandemic, and the new flexibility of doing the job means that those with other needs, or long commutes, can often be better accommodated. On a professional and personal level too, it has allowed for himself to become privy to the ongoings before his shift and means that he can see

any feedback on last night’s paper, or discussions on the day’s news agenda before he begins himself. For Tom himself, though, his job hasn’t changed too much. Since taking the role of the night editor in 2018, the Crosby-raised journalist begins his shift at 4pm, and is responsible for both the online and print content throughout his hours. He said he and his team need to “hit the ground running” with news, and that he mostly deals with the website during the first portion of a typical day. After 8pm, the focus heads towards the newspaper, before an edition is printed within an hour – two if there is a sport story – and then once more around midnight. Instead, the change has come in the difference between demand in online content, and traditional print newspapers. “The ratio of importance between print and web has changed,” he said, before explaining that whereas the paper may sell 100,000 copies in a day, a web article on a story potentially achieves one million unique views He then gave an example; the

Guardian’s website piece on Piers Morgan leaving ITV’s Good Morning Britain hit over two million views in a short period of time. Similarly, the top-ten most read section was full of royal coverage, despite the fact the average Guardian reader is deemed to “hate” royal reporting. Before starting work as a sub-editor for the Guardian, Tom began his career on the PA sub-editor training scheme for the Daily Mail, an outlet he spent three years working with. But despite the Mail’s vastly different outlook to the Guardian, and personally to himself, he does still stand by the fact that he learnt a lot, and that the stereotype people may have about those who work there, he did not find to be true in his own experience.

hey were very impressive journalists, (with) high standards, and high expectations,” he said. Whilst on the training scheme, one early experience he fondly recalled was at the Manchester Evening News for an important taste of local journalism. “I think it (local reporting) is a real-

ly great grounding in all the journalistic principles, because you have that close connection (with people),” he explained. Noting it as an “important part of the national news ecosystem,” it does worry Tom that local news is, in some regards, fizzling out. “There is a big problem at the moment with the death of the local paper, and the reduction in circulation of the local paper. I don’t feel like local web news has the same audience and same earnings that local papers used to have and I think that’s a real problem for local democracy,” he added. Despite concerns though, as well as the growing backlash against the brash journalists akin to the opinion-splitting Piers Morgan, Tom does still encourage those with an interest in the practice to pursue it. As for advice, that’s simple. At first, he jokingly said to “throw as much as you can at a wall in as many areas and see what sticks,” but when elaborating, added: “The more multi-skilled you can be, the more opportunities you can get and the more people you can meet who can give you opportunities.”

LL LIFE

Lifting spirits with Spirit Level

©Steph Gray

©U

nsp

las

h Im

age

By AIDAN AIDAN CRISP CRISP By

self-help group for Liverpool’s LGBT community has been maintaining its support activities despite the

pandemic. The ‘Spirit Level Transgender Support Group’ provides help for people with gender identity issues, and has continued to do so throughout the past year The support group, which has existed for more than 10 years, usually has face to face meetings where trans people from Liverpool can come and seek advice. However, due to the pandemic, the meetings have been conducted over Zoom since March last year. Steph, who asked for her full name to be withheld to protect her privacy, has been chair of the

group for two years, and said: “We still have meetings twice a month, so we’ve maintained the usual meetings schedule that we would’ve had prior to the pandemic.” The group has faced a loss of attendees, as many members are unable to join the meetings due to living in a household where their families aren’t aware of them being transgender. She added: “There are a number of trans people who are not able to attend the Zoom meetings, because of their cirumstances at home. “It’s frustrating, we can’t help them. They would normally come along to a meeting and be themselves, talk about themselves, but they clearly can’t, particularly if they haven’t come out to family. “We had a meeting last night where we had 10 people there.

“A number of the members are quite shy about going online for various reasons. When we normally have our face-to-face meetings, we can have up to twice that number.” Steph hopes that the meetings can return to normal this summer. Other ways that the group has been offering help is through a Messenger service, where people can contact the group and talk to somebody about their problems.

nother issue that the group has faced due to COVID-19 is the cancellation of Liverpool Pride. Steph said: What we’ve normally done in the past, is we usually go on the march or meet up with one of the other charities and march with them. The group would also have an in-

formation table in one of the event marquees. Miss Gray addressed transphobia in Liverpool. She said: “I would say that it’s less common in Liverpool, Liverpool society does tend to be more tolerant. “Whether that’s because Liverpool is a much more open city and is quite cosmopolitan in many ways (I’m not sure). We’ve always had issues with everyone else, so I think we can be a bit protective about people in our community, whether they be gay, straight or trans. “When I came out as trans, where I used to drink, I had no issues whatsoever with the regulars in there. If anyone did come in who started to give me abuse, others would jump in and say ‘Get out the door’.”

LL LIFE

Wax a student to do? By RYAN WYKES

raduating in a year of economic strife and uncertainty was not easy for the class of 2020, but former Liverpool student Amy Hones turned it to her advantage by deciding to pursue a burning desire to start her own business and launch her own range of scented candles. Amy, 22, said: “Coming out of university in the middle of a global pandemic, my employment options were extremely narrow. This was especially bad because I studied in the area of film and at the time there was nothing going on in Liverpool that would have matched what I’ve learnt. “It was a really scary time because as a foreign student, I had no ‘safety net’ to fall back into if I couldn’t make the money, I needed to pay the rent.” Her first career choice was to freelance as a video editor, however a lack of businesses looking to invest in promotional video content left her in a difficult situation, so she chose to work with another one of her passions. “The idea was to make some money as a second income source and, also, I simply wanted to do something I enjoy. I love video production, it’s really what I want to do all my life, but I also love being creative and my

background in selling perfumes and fragranced products set me up to have a decent knowledge base of scents.” Three years of experience in Europe’s largest “Lush” store in Liverpool had given her a wealth of knowledge and skills that she was able to put into her latest venture. “There’s no plastic, no fancy labels or large boxes. The candles are wrapped using recycled paper and I try to buy natural waxes instead of common mineral-oil based ones. “ The candles are also intended to help alleviate everyday stresses. “There’s this idea that your olfactive sense, so the sense of smell, can capture memories and moments in your life extremely well. “Some people say their favourite smell for example is freshly cut grass and it may conjure up the memory of playing outside in the summer as a kid. “Some people need nothing more but to smell an old book and instantly remember what it feels like to walk through a quiet library searching for a good book. “That’s the idea of the candles. You’re supposed to be able to bring the positive memory back into your own home by lighting it and I think we all need a little extra positivity right now. In times like this we can often count on remembering the good times, to get us through.”

Candle business owner Amy Hones

LL ARTS

Finally, we have light at the end of the river...

By NEVE WILKINSON

GE G

roup

Israe

iverpool’s world-famous waterfront is set to be taken over by a free illuminating outdoor art gallery. From Tuesday March 23 to the April 5 local visitors can follow the River of Light Trail, which will showcase the work of local, national, and international artists.The 2km trail, hosting 11 artworks, will be visible at all hours of the day, across Liverpool’s iconic waterfront. The stunning audio and visual installations will be brightly lit from 6pm to 10:30pm for all 14 nights.The artworks include: Absorbed by Light, All in the Balance, End over End, Exponential, From Here, Futures, Light a Wish, Neighbourhood, Rainbow Bridge, Talking Heads and last but not least, Ursula Lassos the Moon. Rainbow Bridge is the only non-wheelchair accessible installation, as it takes place on a bridge with steep steps. You may view it from the

ground, but it also has some striking lighting effects.The trail will open just hours after the city hosts an online event to reflect on the impact a year of lockdown has had on Liverpool and its communities.The River of Light Trail is part of the annual programme from Culture Liverpool, the Liverpool City Council team responsible for the city’s arts and culture.This celebratory light trail is designed to take elements of the popular River of Light event to provide hope and light to the residents of the city, as a symbol of recovery.The River of Light has been involved in some intense planning to make sure all Covid safety measures are in place, across the walking-friendly loop. Do not travel from outside the Liverpool City Region to this event. Hopefully later this year, the River of Light will be back on and visitors from the nation will be able to visit

tern C

ompan y Unit

ed Kin

gdom

Do not travel from outside the Liverpool City Region

o verpo

it Li © Vis

LL ARTS

From Dunelm Mill to music charts Written by BEN ROBERTS-HASLAM

A student from Rainford has burst onto the music scene with his new dance hit after quitting his day job

oss Harrington, aka Navos, who studies sports therapy at Edge Hill University, is now looking to carry on his passion as a full-time job. After quitting his retail job in December, he hasn’t looked back since. The 21-year-old has climbed as high as number 25 in the official charts whilst also juggling a degree course. Ross said: “Being at university doing sports therapy has nothing to do with music. “Music’s my hobby. I love music and that’s my passion. Before charting, before leaving university, without ever studying music, it’s just next level. “It’s something I never thought would happen to me.” The single ‘Believe Me’ picked up traction shortly after it was released in January, with it regularly being used in Tik Tok videos, but now it has over eight million streams worldwide. Ross explained his desire to make

music his full-time job after signing for Island Records shortly after quitting Dunelm Mill. He told Liverpool Life: “I think music will be a full-time thing for me now. It’s always been my passion from day one. “Since I was a young lad, it has been a passion. That’s the main thing I want to do when I leave university - become a full-time musician.” Ross is now aiming big, and with many years ahead of him, he is setting his sights on a collaboration with MK. The world-renowned DJ and producer is top of his list of dream partnerships. Ross spoke about his idol: “I think one person I would love to collaborate with is MK. “I think because he is just someone I have looked up to throughout this whole experience. His music is just next level. “He is one person I would just love to get in the studio with one day.”

RIGHT: Navos’ ‘Believe Me’ is out now. BELOW: In the studio

LL ARTS

TOP: Community activist Buster. MIDDLE: Local artist Elliss Eyo-Thompson. BOTTOM: The ‘Bee Whisperer’ Barry Chang, Jamaican born bee keeper © Shut Out the Light

LL ARTS

Love letter to Liverpool 8 L

ANNA MICHAELIDES gets the inside scoop on a new documentary exploring Toxteth over the past half-century

iverpool-based film company Shut Out the Light Films has created a documentary to showcase their affection for the L8

postcode. The documentary Almost Liverpool 8, which it is hoped will be premiered this summer, is a ‘historical and social exploration of L8 over the last half century’. The original inspiration came from pictures taken 50 years ago in Toxteth by world-renowned photographer Don McCullin, who will feature in the film himself. Shut Out the Light is a small team of local filmmakers who want to showcase the culture, art and community of the L8 they know to the rest of the country. Almost Liverpool 8 was directed by Daniel Draper and produced by Christie Allanson, who have lived in Toxteth for seven years. They wanted to tell the story of the area in a unique way. Dan said: “I suppose just living in the community you see little snippets and think ‘Oh, I would like to know a little bit more about that place where we get a kebab or a pint from’.” When approaching interviewees for the film, there were certain things the team wanted to cover. “Whether it be a little bit of activism, a little bit of architecture or history, we knew what we wanted to cover and approached certain people based on that,” said Dan. “Other than that, it was more just a way of telling the story of the area today through people, because people are key.” Christie is from Wirral originally, which was one of her main motivations for the making the documentary, sheShe said: “I would tell people I knew that I was moving to Toxteth and they would say ‘Oh, really? It has such a bad reputation’. “So that was part of my inspiration, trying to say ‘Look, it’s really nice’.” Dan grew up in Norris Green before moving to L8 and has been passionate about the postcode ever since and “wouldn’t really want to live anywhere else in Liverpool.” He pointed out that Toxteth has a

rich history, including the 1981 riots which consisted of tensions with police and violence for nine days, but said: “It’s home of one of theThe Beatles and so many other things, but we literally don’t touch upon any of that because it’s more about what you might not know. “People have got something about them, they do what they want, they build houses or Barry has bees or there’s a pony riding school in Dingle. “There’s something quite magical about that, we. We might live in an inner city, it’s probably run down, it’s under-funded, but it doesn’t mean we can’t have a riding school like you would have in middle England. “So, I think we say things about the community and society but through people, and what they do. Rather than just saying ‘It’s rough round here but we get by’, we show it through a more poetic light.” When asked about the most interesting part about creating the film, Christie said: “We didn’t ask people about the past or anything like that, people. People were naturally saying lovely, positive things about L8. You’d ask them about their business and that would lead to them speaking so positively about the area and that positivity was lovely. “I was already in some Toxteth Facebook groups and I’m aware of some things currently going on but,

Top: Don McCullin photographed in Toxteth in the 70s. Above: Park Palace Ponies in Dingle owner Bridget Griffin Opposite montage: People of L8 © Shut Out the Light Films looking into it more, I can’t believe just how much is going on and how many talented people live here and there are all these amazing businesses. For example, Tocky Chocky does does artisan chocolate. I just can’t believe how much is going on, it’s great.” Dan added: “The approach in the documentary was to show Toxteth from such a ground level that when we interviewed people, we never asked them about the past or the reputation of Toxteth. “We, we wanted to show the area literally just through people. For example, we interviewed a newsagent, and he talks about Liverpool FC because he’s obsessed with them. All

really and life that contributes to the greater community. “The nicest part for me was interviewing the beekeeper called Barry Chang, who is originally from Jamaica, he. He was just amazing. He calls himself the bee whisperer. “We interviewed him twice and kept on bumping into him during filming. After being with him all day you just have a different outlook, he. He just puts the world into context in many ways, through bees. “His breakdown of bees in the film is lovely and it makes you almost think about how we could be better humans, if we could learn from bees and it’s just something you would never ever think about.”

LL ARTS

Reduce, recycle,

‘

I work with materials that give off a signal, in some ways I then give license for it to create itself

’

create!

LL ARTS

Liverpool artist Mike Badger talks rubbish with DANIELLE NORTON

iverpool artist Mike Badger is creating exciting art from the things other people throw away. The singer-song writer, artist and sculptor prefers to work with recycled materials. His first one-man exhibition of recycled art, which is titled Lost and Found, was displayed in Warrington Museum and has since been shown in Bristol Museum and Leicester City Gallery. He also created several tin sculptures for Liverpool band Space’s album, Tin Planet, and his work features in the video of their Avenging Angels track. Mike started working with tin cans when moving onto 3D art. He said that the fact it was recycling was a bonus and the materials are everywhere. He said: “It was very much about being resourceful and not taking

things for granted. It’s always important to reinterpret things you are familiar with, take a paper label off a can of food and there’s a shining thing of beauty under there.” Mike said that it is simply down to using your imagination and the raw materials everywhere and he loves that he doesn’t really know what he is going to make until he finds something. Then you might have to turn it upside down for it to assume a completely new identity. “I work with materials that give off a signal, in some ways I then give license for it to create itself,” he said. The Prince of Wales Arts and Kids Foundation, which provides access to professional art for young people in the UK, selected Mike’s sculpture, the floating tin fish and the coloured sea horse to be a part of its programme. He believes there is a strong environmental message written into his

work about how we waste so much. Mike holds regular art workshops where he uses old clothes pegs, bottle tops, corks, beads and any cast offs to make insects, sea creatures or robots and everyone who takes part always makes something. “It’s important to keep it fun too, so much art is conceptual, and people find it hard to connect with it because they don’t have a ‘user’s manual’ so I love a primitive, maybe naïve, approach. It keeps it enjoyable, inclusive and not too difficult to ‘get’.” Mike believes that everyone should get the benefit of their commitment to recycle and get reduced council tax for instance, after years of taxing the earth’s resources too much. “It sickens me though, driving and seeing all the litter on the motorway verges, I don’t understand how people can just throw their rubbish out the window! They don’t think much of where they live or themselves. “Today, for instance, my wife and I had a walk on the beach and a sandwich. On the walk back we filled the empty plastic bag we had our lunch in with bits of plastic and litter we found on our way back along the shore. It’s a simple thing to do but it takes no effort, and you feel better for doing your bit.” Mike is going to be one of the featured artists in Venue Cymru’s Take pART 2021 festival, which is currently online. He is going to be showing how to make a recycled Tin Can Robot on March 27.

Get involved..... If you want to take part, visit: https:// www.venuecymru. co.uk/make-recycled-tin-can-robotwith-mike-badger Further information about Mike can be found on his website www. mike-badger. co.uk

Cutting up a storm: Some examples of Mike’s work (below and left) which have all been made using recyled materials

Beach sunset scene by SHANNON GARNER

Liverpool Life 9:15 March 17 2021

Articles inside

21 L8 documentary coming to our

River of light returns to Liverpool

Lifting spirits together with Spirit Level

11What to expect from gyms and res

St Helens Theatre Royal goes virtual

5 Fundraising event after the loss of