LL 1970s CITY
October 21 2020
THIS WEEK
ARTS
LIFESTYLE
FROM THE HEART OF THE CITY
Liverpool Life
> Exhibition shows city through the decades
MORE HOSPITALITY RESTRICTIONS PUMPKIN PATCH SPECIAL IRISH FESTIVAL CELEBRATIONS
Atmospheric shot of 1970s Liverpool - Don McCullin exhibition puts city in focus p19 2
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CONTENTS THIS WEEK
4&5 More restrictions placed on the
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hospitality industry
6 Liverpool Life opinions 7 Fight against gym closures 8 Southport FC / Town switch-on cancelled LIFE
9 Community nursing takes new approach for appointments
10&11 Pumpkin Patch special 12 Global Bird Weekend 10&11
ARTS
13 Joe Astley wants a revolution 14&15 Irish Festival celebrations 16 Liverpool Film Festival goes virtual 17 The life of an actor during lockdown 18 St James cemetery 19 Don McCullin - photos of the city from 1970s
13 I’m pleased to have helped produce this week’s issue of our magazine alongside a great team of reporters. We will bring the latest from Liverpool and surrounding areas weekly, making sure we cover a wide range of topics to cater for all your interests. We aim to be an inclusive and diverse publication and intend to fill each issue with the most interesting stories about things that you care
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Another week of hard work! about. This was my first time working on the production team since starting university ... and it proved to be quite the challenge. With having to freshen up on the software skills and having some of our team working remotely due to self-isolation, the day seemed like
it was never ending - but the final product is definitley rewarding. Each week, multiple teams are all working on the stories together to provide you with a high-quality magazine that we can be proud of. Shannon Garner, Designer
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LL INVESTIGATES:
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BIG RESTRICTIONS ON Live music venue Meraki, locatd on the Docks © Meraki
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By LIV HOUGHTON
iverpool’s hospitality sector is facing more uncertainty, following the introduction of new restrictions imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19. The government placed the whole of the Liverpool City region into a ‘tier three’ lockdown last week, meaning pubs can only open if they operate as a restaurant and serve “substantial food”. Independent hospitality businesses had already been changing the way they were run to comply with health guidelines, but new rules include more measures such as customers having to wear a mask when not sat down at a table. Other restrictions mean pubs can only open if they operate as a restaurant and alcohol can only be served with meals. Staff must always wear a mask, there is table service only and groups, with a maximum of six, cannot socialise with other tables Dough Bar is an independent bar and restaurant and general manager Jordan Walpole said they have had to make a lot of changes to the way they operate. He said: “It’s been difficult to get our heads around. The rules are not black and white, which is an issue as it leaves us at risk of being fined.” “One of the biggest changes for us as a business is the staffing. We have had to hire a lot more staff in order to be able to cope with the table service. It may not seem it, but a staff member’s workload increases dramatically, meaning it takes longer to serve a
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table,” added Mr. Walpole. Fears about the new announcements worry Mr. Walpole as he says they cannot afford to close again. “Closing for the first lockdown took a pretty big hit on our business. We also had to close for ten days as multiple staff members tested positive. If we are forced to close for a third time, I’m worried we may never reopen.” Mr. Walpole is not the only member of the hospitality industry who is worried for the future of his business. Concerns ripple across Liverpool and emotions are echoed throughout various hospitality businesses. Ian Evans, owner of the Font Bar said they will do anything they can to survive. “Luckily, we are in a position where we serve food and have a full menu, so we hope we fall under the category of ‘substantial’ food. But what even is substantial food? What does that mean?” Mr. Evans added. The rules seem unclear and Mr. Evans says he is not just worried for his own business, but every business across the city. “I know a lot of people in the industry, some who don’t sell food at their bar, meaning they can’t stay open. It angers and upsets me. In a sense I feel guilty that I can stay open and they can’t, but I don’t make the rules,” he added. The future of hospitality is unknown, but the spirits of the industry are still high and many still have hope. Matt Thompson, also owner of the Font Bar, said that he won’t linger on
the negatives but try and focus on the positives. He said: “It’s uncertain, we don’t know what will happen. However, there are some positives. We work and operate so much better as
a team now. I stand in solidarity with all the hospitality trade in Liverpool and we show the city how much we our worth, we have a huge value. We can get through this together.”
Bars fight back to
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By BEN HASLAM-ROBERTS
eated cabins to keep its customers warm and safely distanced in one of the largest beer gardens in the city is Birdies Bar’s answer to current restrictions on trading. Marketing Director of Birdies and Ghetto Golf, Nick Fountain, said their customers already have to book tables but new rules mean that they can no longer drink without ordering food. He said: “The change from our customers’ perspective is that they are required to order food. “You can drink with that food; you can’t just have an alcoholic drink. “I think at Birdies, we should be okay. We’re outside as well, so for groups of six we have capitalised with those areas having cabins.” Birdies’ partner business Ghetto Golf is also looking at
ways that it can adapt in the current climate, but the future is uncertain. Ghetto Golf, an indoor crazy golf venue with creative cocktails and street food, has carried on trading. The venue has allowed people to come in, eat, drink and play golf, almost as normal. Nick Fountain said: “it does have tabled seating, people are booked into booths to sit in currently. “The challenge is if golf would (still) be in there or would it not? And then as a business, is that going to generate enough revenue to be worth opening.” The only difference is now that people can’t drink on the course. This is a small adjustment when thinking about the livelihoods of the people serving the food and drink to customers. Nick added: “We’re conscious of people’s mental health more than anything. We’ve gone
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SMALL BUSINESSES Emergency bail-outs
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By ALEX USHER
handful of local venues will receive a grant from the Arts Council Culture Recovery Fund to help them survive the latest wave of Coronavirus restrictions. Culturally important bars and clubs such as The Cavern Club, The Invisible Wind Factory and Meraki are among the 588 venues across the UK that will receive a share of £76million from the National Lottery project. Sir Nicholas Serota, Chair, Arts Council England, said: “Culture is an essential part of life across the country, helping to support people’s wellbeing through creativity and
self-expression. “This latest set of awards from the Culture Recovery Fund will help hundreds of organisations to survive the next few months, ensuring that the cultural sector can bounce back after the crisis.” Meraki co-owner, George Griffin, said: “This is great, but the publicity of this completely blindsides the lack of effort gone in to protecting people in the arts that aren’t as public facing as a venue such as ourselves. We highly doubt we will be open again in 4 weeks time. If we’re lucky it might be 8, but we’re preparing our doors to be shut for longer than that.” In recent years, dockland independent club Meraki has been making a
buzz within the community, with acts such as Palms Trax, Mount Kimbie and DJ Seinfeld playing the independent venue to a sell out capacity. However, with local restrictions constantly changing, it has meant that the club has had to continuously adapt in these trying times. George Griffin said: “We reduced our outdoor opening times from midnight to 10pm. “The few weeks that we were open were essentially an exercise in providing wages for staff; all the events that took place in those weeks merely broke even. The government has not done enough to support us.” For those few events, benches were placed outside in order to enforce social distancing and all customers had to book their tables in advance by buying tickets for the event. This has been a trend seen by many clubs across the city, including fellow
independent club 24 Kitchen Street, which was fined £1000 last month for customers not following government guidelines. The venues fine, and subsequent temporary closure following it, has caused a stir in the community, as many feel as though independent bars and clubs are being treated differently to those that function at a commercial level closer to the city centre. The Meraki co-owner said: “It’s the same old story that independents, specifically those orientated around dance music and so called ‘rave culture’ have always been demonised by government and local councils. Rather than valued for their cultural input they are instead demonised.” Only time will tell how the landscape of Liverpool’s nightlife will look in the months to come, but for now the streets lay quiet waiting for the night it can dance again.
Dough Bar, located in Grand Central
beat ban through a lockdown once where I’m sure there was a lot of people that probably didn’t know if there was a job to come back to after it. What’s the business going to do? Is there going to be one after it? People’s mental health is certainly a big concern of ours at the moment.” Meanwhile, the Sacrebleu bar in Southport is also facing a challenge. Following the reopening of bars and restaurants in July, business increased and when the 10pm curfew came in, it was still able to turn profits, even larger than this time last year. Sacrebleu manager, James Breen, said: “People were just glad to be back. I’d even say we were busier than we were before lockdown.” But without the facilities to serve food the locally-owned bar is now forced to close its doors for the second time this year.
Meraki’s unique exterior James Breen, Sacreblue manager James added: “We’re closed, nothing coming in, nothing coming out. It’s massive. We just can’t do anything.” Sacrebleu, which has a large ‘regulars’ community, is also fearful for how its customers will cope, with many relying on the bar for their daily social interactions.
Punters enjoying pints in the sun
Photos © Meraki 5
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uring a week which saw 19 new COVID deaths across Liverpool’s hospitals (accounting for 31% of nationwide hospital deaths), the last thing you would expect is two days of protests lamenting our new ‘tier 3’ restrictions. Yet that is exactly what happened here in Liverpool. Predominantly fronted by the conspiracy theorist Piers Corbyn, who at one point decreed that “COVID-19 is a hoax” in front of the Clayton Square crowd, these events sought to shine a light on the truth behind what was dubbed a“plandemic.” Campaign group Save Our City helped to organise the protest and videos posted on social media showed anti-Covid signs saying ‘Choose freedom’, ‘Unmask humanity, oxygen is essential’ and ‘THE COVID HOAX’. For some, such a gathering is something to scoff at. It may appear as a joke, something so absurd one struggles to believe it is taking place in front of their eyes. For others, such as Sharon Davies, an NHS key worker, it is anything but. She said: “For someone like me, it’s deeply up-
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No laughing matter By NATHAN SARTAIN
setting to see so many people invest in a protest like this. I’m lucky enough to not be overrun with work myself, but I know so many people who are, and for all of them it’s so difficult to cope when people are insisting that the whole thing is a hoax. For the police to say that these protests are lawful too, that just angers me to no end.” The anger towards these events are a sentiment echoed by other people within the city, too. Joe Ardrey, a student at the University of Liverpool, said: “I just think it’s time people started paying a bit more attention to the virus. For students like me, who get the blame for a lot of the spikes, I
feel we all do our bit to make sure we don’t pass anything on. Five of my friends are isolating, or have isolated, just because they experienced a minor symptom for a day or two. “At the end of the day we want to spend time with our families at Christmas, and the only way to do that is to just stay safe.” On the other hand, there is a growing number who do align with the claims that the current measures are being used to strip away some freedoms, or, in more extreme circumstances, completely eradicate them. Alan Levine, a personal trainer in Liverpool, said: “These protests were nothing more than a peaceful sharing of views between people outraged at the latest measures in Liverpool. Some of us have lost our livelihoods to this virus without even contracting it. Do I agree with everything said, and all the conspiracy? No, I don’t. But I do believe that we are being made to act inhumanely with no science to back it up.” With a healthcare system dangerously close to being overrun and talks of a “circuit-breaker” lockdown still rife within the opposition ranks, the best we can do is look out for each other, stay safe, and follow the measures in place, regardless of whether you believe you’ll be fine whatever happens.
Liverpool Opinion
When filming is just batty
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ilming for the new Batman film has continued in the city, despite the pandemic putting Liverpool into yet another lockdown, but not everyone is happy about it. There has been a lot of anger surrounding the filming because it begs the question, ‘Why does one set of rules apply to us, but not others?’ and it’s a fair question. People are thinking ‘they won’t be social distancing and they’ll all be from separate households and there definitely aren’t just 30 of them on set at time’. However, they had to get permission to film so they must be following rules, mustn’t they? According to the Code of Practice set out by the Liverpool Film Office: “Rigorous cast, crew and equipment sanitisation protocols including cleaning, handwashing and hygiene procedures will be implemented. The positioning of sanitisation facilities on location will be discussed with the
By EMILY ASH
Liverpool Film Office during the planning of the shoot.” If you have been past the set in St George’s Plateau in the city centre, you might have noticed all the extras, crew members and even the stars are wearing masks. You can hear the shout of ‘Action!’ but the masks never come off. Maybe they’ll remove them in post-production, maybe they’ve found a way to explain it in the film, but there are clearly precautions in place.
Scenes of filming at St George’s Hall last week, as Liverpool is transformed into Gotham 6
Again, the Code of Practice set out by the Liverpool Film Office explains: “All cast including supporting artists to remain within the working area between takes.” But you can see why local people are angry and don’t understand it. You can also understand why they have continued to film despite the lockdown measures. The city council made the decision to allow them to keep filming and, with the rules in place, there was really no reason as to why they would not be able to. The irony has not been lost to many residents that a Batman film is being produced during a pandemic supposedly caused by a bat, if you believe the stories. They clearly would not be able to film unless they were following strict rules and regulations to ensure that everyone is safe. You have to bear in mind that they most likely test everyone involved frequently and they may very well have their own rules on top of what the city has given them. It’s a bit of light at the end of the tunnel somehing positive happening in Liverpool during particularly hard times. We can all agree that Liverpool and its people have been through a lot over the past few weeks and it’s important to look at a Hollywood film being produced in the heart of this city as a compliment. Liverpool’s rich history in the film industry is thriving in a pandemic and it’s preferable to keep it that way.
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Owner of Body Tech Fitness, Wirral, Nick Whitcombe (pictured above) was served with a £1,000 fine by police officers who entered his gym and demanded he close his premises
DANIELLE NORTON speaks to Wirral gym owner Nick Whitcombe about tough new restrictions which could stifle the industry and damage people’s health
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erseyside gym owners fighting against the closure of their venues are hopeful that they
will reopen soon. Nick Whitcombe, the owner of Body Tech Fitness in Wirral, alongside Chris Hemmings and Thea Holden at Empowered Fit, also Wirral, have been taking their case to local MPs and hope the closure of gyms will soon be overturned. Nick was fined for defying closure restrictions recently and he also hopes that will be overturned. If this happens, he is going to donate the £50,000 raised through a GoFundMe page to a mental health charity. When Liverpool was put into tier three lockdown last week Nick released a video on social media which said: “We will not be closing our doors, we can’t. If we close for four to six months you won’t have a gym to come back to. There will be no business, no gym, no jobs.” Body Tech Fitness and Empowered Fit respected the last lockdown but suffered financially and only survived because of their members.
I do not ’believe that
(gyms) are a major source of spreading Covid-19 X
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Nick explained that this time they would be staying open, not for financial gain but for their members’ mental and physical wellbeing. He said gyms should be supported in fighting against Covid-19, obesity, mental health and many other conditions and diseases. NHS guidance says finding an activity to do regularly, such as attending classes at a leisure centre, can boost your mood if you have depression. The 22 million gym visits since venues reopened this summer resulted in a mere 78 Covid cases. Nick believes fighting against the closure of gyms in a high-profile way was the only way to get MPs to listen. He explained that the story has been on every media outlet, including TV and radio and that he, Chris and Thea have been receiving “bags and bags” of support on social media. Liverpool Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram and Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson released a joint statement reacting to Lancashire’s gyms and leisure centres remaining open and asked the government to explain, with evidence, ‘Why they believe gyms in the Liverpool City Region are a greater risk for Covid transmission, than those elsewhere’. Joe Anderson has continued to speak out on Twitter against the closure of gyms since the tier three lockdown came into place. He said: “Gyms should not be closed down, they are a support for many hundreds of people, physically and for mental health. I do not believe they are a major source of spreading Covid-19.” He has also shared the petition against gym closure onto his Twitter feed and it now has more than 375,000 signatures.
‘There will be no business, no gym and no jobs’
The 22 million gym visits since venues reopened this summer resulted in just 78 Covid cases Picture©Unsplash.com
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Southport sandbagged by funding confusion
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By BEN ROBERTS-HALSAM s Southport FC continue their start to the season, they have been left with a sour taste in their mouth following the lack of communication from the National League North about support funding. Southport - knwon as the Sandgrounders - are one of many clubs in England unable to host fans at their stadium, despite being under the impression it would be feasible come the start of the season earlier this month. The FA, teaming up with the National Lottery, have said they will supply a £10 million support package to be spread across the 68 clubs under the National League umbrella. The FA announced that the first payment will be made this week, but many clubs are in the dark regarding the amount they might receive and how the money will be distributed. Since the announcement earlier this month, little has been said to the clubs across the three divisions and it has left many clubs feeling disgruntled. Clubs have had a strained relationship with the league prior to this because of the handling of the lockdown earlier this year after matches were cancelled suddenly. Months later, the feeling of déjà vu is now apparent. Southport rallied clubs from the National League North together last week to discuss their options and have also explored releasing a joint statement to the league. With the league undoubtedly getting wind of the meeting, they were quick to announce that clubs can
‘I think a change needs to happen’ expect their first payment this week. Another thorn in Southport’s side is the current guidance and support from the league to ensure teams can fulfil fixtures. Southport recently played in the third matchday of the National League North’s season, however it is only their second game. This is due to Kettering Town pulling out of their games against Southport the night before after a coronavirus outbreak. Southport’s club secretary, James Tedford, said: “I think a change needs to happen. You look at Tranmere the other weekend, they had three or four players that couldn’t play so they had to draft in some young players. “They managed to get a last-minute goal to go from 2-0 down to get it to 2-2. That’s something that cannot happen in our league. “We also need a quicker notification of when games are potentially going to be called off. Kettering phoned us at 5pm on Friday night. “If they had given us the heads up when they had their first case, which was Tuesday or Wednesday, we could have gone to Hereford on the Saturday who were meant to be playing Bradford Park, but they had cases, so
Southport FC in action their game was off. “I think the league has to be a little bit more proactive here and start looking at games that are off and get other teams to play each other. It doesn’t matter if there’s 24 hours’ notice. “You don’t have to tell fans that they’re going to Hereford because they don’t have to change their plans. It’s just the team that has to make
© Southport
their way down to Hereford.” Southport’s next game sees them face up against Blyth Spartans, who are yet to pick up a win this season, before a haloween home tie against last years play-off final losers Boston United. By then the club will be hopeful that some of the uncertainty surrounding fixtures and funding will have been resolved.
Town’s big switch-on is off
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usiness organisation Southport BID has confirmed that the Christmas light switch-on will be cancelled, writes Ben RobertsHalsam. With the event attracting between 8,000 and 9,000 people last year, its cancellation will be a big loss to both the community and to the local businesses. Southport BID has made an effort to not let Christmas be any less festive though, with decorative nutcrackers returning across the resort this year and also the return of the 60ft elec-
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tronic light up tree which hundreds of people visited as they posed for photos last year. A long with the nutcrackers and the Christmas tree, £100,000 has been pumped into adding not just more, but better decorative lighting. With Lord Street having its trees lit up and Eastbank street welcoming people with displays. This isn’t the first event to be cancelled in Southport this year, with the hugely-popular Flower and Air shows both having to cancel and the town missing out on what are
FC
traditionally significant tourism figures. Southport Air Show had 80,000 attendees in 2018 and Southport Flower Show had just over 56,000 people in attendance, according to North West Research Tourism Data Summary. The cancellations leave Southport business with a shortfall that won’t be filled anytime soon. With the key Christmas period on the horizon, many businesses Southport’s 60ft tree will be will be left frustrated by another returning cancellation.
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Image: Unsplash.com
magine never having to step back into the dreaded waiting room ever again, listening intently for your name to be called out after two hours leafing through the same homeware magazine. The health service has been affected in many different parts of the UK across England, with doctors and nurses adapting to new ways of treating patients In 2020, digital communication has never been easier, with millions of people now choosing to work from home, and Mersey Care Foundation Trust is harnessing technology to support a range of people through both inpatient and community services. Since the Covid-19 outbreak, visiting people in their homes and providing face-to face support has been reduced and instead replaced with video calls to assess and talk to patients. Karina Woodyer-Smith, Head of Service for Integrated Community Nursing, said that although Mersey Care had encountered inevitable challenges while using digital technology, the patients and staff have learned to adapt to this new mode of communication.
From the waiting room to appointments on Zoom BETH GAVAGHAN reveals how NHS staff and patients are adapting to the new digital way of life She said: “Embracing digital technology has allowed us to treat patients in much more timely a place. It’s been very, very difficult for our patients to understand that. Obviously, from a nurse knocking on the door it’s now a nurse greeting them over a laptop, video screen, smartphone or tablet device. “But what the patients have done is that they’ve embraced it as well because what they said is that they would still have a nurse to come and see them. ” Adapting to new norms have changed the way the NHS operates forever. Ms Woodyer-Smith said: “I don’t think we’ll ever go back to the traditional methods of delivering healthcare. The utilisation of digital technology will not go back. I think that we’ve broken the mould now
and I think that some of our nursing colleagues out there who said that nursing technology wouldn’t take off, even now they are saying that they wouldn’t be without it and they can’t see themselves going back.” Student nurses trained by Mersey Care have also been integral to the effective running of the trust and have continued receiving their tuition digitally. Additionally, final year student nurses were fast-tracked into the NHS workforce at the beginning of the pandemic, which Ms Woodyer-Smith said “should not be overlooked”. She also noted that they had been lucky in accessing personal protective equipment since the start of the pandemic, and emphasised the importance of continued social distancing. “We have staff here who are going through isolation who are
unfortunately suffering from Covid themselves. “From a population point of view we need to follow government guidelines. We need to wear face masks and social distance, but it’s not only about protecting ourselves, but all the doctors and nurses so that we can continue treating our patients.” Now that Liverpool has also entered Tier 3 and faces tighter lockdown restrictions, Ms Woodyer-Smith still remains confident that Mersey Care will be able to continue offering effective treatment. She said: “Wearing PPE is the new norm, embracing digital health technology is the new norm. So now, obviously we’ve gone into tier 3 and there are heightened restrictions but we can continue to deliver as we have been doing since March.”
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Pumpkin pickin’ good By EMILY ASH
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alloween is going to be different this year in Liverpool after stricter anti-Covid-19 measures were put into place in the city, but the holiday has not quite been abandoned just yet. The Government announced that £200 fines would be handed out to parents of children who are caught Trick or Treating this year, leading some to believe that Halloween had been cancelled. Usual Halloween events like the Zombies Unleashed experience, which was promoted by Liverpool One last year, will not take place this year. However, it’s not quite over for everyone. Pumpkin Alley Pick Your Own is the Ormskirk-based farm who have had to adapt following the restrictions. Ann-Marie Comish, who works at the family-run farm owned by her grandfather and her uncle, both named Joe Appleton, explains that it is important for families to feel some normality. “For a lot of people, it’s a tradition, both carving pumpkins and visiting us,”she said. “People love to come every year and take pictures of their children with the Pumpkin Alley sign and
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it’s lovely for us to see the pictures they share because you can see the little ones growing.” The farm has also found new ways to attract customers back onto their field and make families feel more normal during these difficult times. The 30-year-old added: “One thing we haven’t announced yet but will be doing is a twilight scarecrow trail and pumpkin pick. They will only pay our witch for the pumpkins in her witch’s hut. It’s just something extra for families to do that will hopefully help people feel as though they have done something for Halloween.” Pumpkin Alley thinks their COVID measures are encouraging for families who know that they can still pumpkin pick as well as thinking about what more they can do. “We have been thinking hard about what extra things we can do in the current situation to help people feel like they’ve still done something fun,” said Ann-Marie. While she admitted they don’t know what to expect given the current pandemic, she added: “Personally, I love Halloween, and I think Halloween is like most things - it’s what you make it. You can still do things together as a family to make it fun.”
Photo © Element5 Digital
PUMPKIN PIE
Classic pumpkin pie with pecan and maple cream Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour and 15 minutes Ingredients: • 550g piece pumpkin , peeled and cut into chunks • 500g pack shortcrust pastry • 175g light muscovado sugar • 2 eggs • 142ml pot double cream • 1 tsp cinnamon • 1 tsp allspice • 1 tsp ground ginger • small grating of nutmeg For the pecan and maple cream:
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• 142ml tub double cream • 5 tbsp maple syrup • 25g pecan , finely chopped
Photo © Debby Hudson
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Photos © Pumpkin Alley
For a lot of people, it’s a tradition, carving pumpkins and visiting us
Method: STEP 1: Put the pumpkin pieces in a large microwaveable bowl. Cover, then cook on high (850W) for 15 mins or until it is soft. Pour into a colander to drain and then leave to cool. STEP 2: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry so it is as thick as a £1 coin and so it’s wide enough to line a 25cm tart tin. Place the pastry into the tin, making sure there is an overhang, then chill for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Line the tin with foil and baking beans, then bake for 15-20 mins. Remove any foil and beans and then cook for a further ten minutes until the pastry is golden brown. Then turn the oven down to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. STEP 3: While the pie is baking, put the pumpkin, sugar, eggs, cream and spices into a food processor and then blend until smooth. Pour into the baked pastry tin, then bake for one hour until the filling has puffed up in the middle (which will sink as it cools). Remove from tin, then leave to cool. STEP 4: Whip the cream with the maple syrup until it has thickened and then fold in the pecans. Serve spoonfulls of the cream with slices of the warm pie.
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FLYING AWAY TO FREEDOM
LL LIFE
By JACK PLAYLE
@ RSPB_Ribble
o some, Covid-19 has been nothing more than a trite inconvenience. To others, to bare that impression would probably seem convenient. But for a few, coronavirus has been a source of resuscitation. It has rekindled the synapses and opened the eyes to a world outside they never truly understood. For all of us, the Covid-19 pandemic comes as a timely reminder that human health is entirely dependent upon natures. It is a warning that indicates our fate matches the fate of the wild animals trapped and sold for trade around the world. And it is a reciprocation of David Attenborough’s most recent message in A Life on Our Planet - to truly bring ourselves into harmony with the natural world, we must return to seeing humanity as part of it. Well this weekend Marshside Nature Reserve just outside Southport welcomed over 100 visitors taking part in the world’s first ever Global Bird Weekend. An event organized by Tim Appleton at BirdLife, designed to not only encourage more twitching, but also to raise money in aid of tackling illegal and unsustainable wild bird practices in Asia. The event saw 29,710 bird watchers take part and report sightings of over 6,873 different species of bird. Meaning that almost 70% of all bird populations across the globe were spotted by twitchers in this weekend alone. Such records will now be passed onto experts which will enable them to study the results and come to new conclusions on the well-being of certain birds around the world. Appleton believes that with contributions from over 112 different countries, the results will provide an “excellent indicator for assessing the health of our planet”. He says “the way we’re now
able to study birds across such huge expanses of terrain by methods of tagging, means they really are like canaries in a coal mine. By simply sighting and tracking flight paths during migration, we can get an unbelievable insight as to what areas of the world are endangering certain types of birds - and potentially entire eco-systems”. Here in Liverpool, it is a wellknown fact within the birding community that there are becoming fewer and fewer summer migrants each year. At RSPB Marshside, the British population of swallows, swifts, and house-martins have decreased by 24% in the last five years. While one volunteer claims there hasn’t been a Cuckoo seen or even heard for nearly 4 years on the reserve. RSPB conservation scientist, Daniel Hayhough believes “we are belatedly waking up to the global calamity that is poaching”. Hayhough claims that like Asia, areas of Africa as well as Malta are now illegally shooting masses and masses of birds. And in a report released last year by BirdLife Malta, it was found that in the last three years at least 79 species of bird had been shot illegally south of Sicily. Of that figure, 17 species were birds of prey - just un der half of the entire total nesting in continental Europe. With fewer birds completing their migration, there will inevitably be less birds returning to the North West each year. But as Hayhough points out, the effect of declining bird populations in Britain is more than just a cultural deficiency. “The impact of having less birds in Britain will ultimately cause issues for farming, as will everything related to the environment. “Birds are a huge help for farmers; they kill pests, pollenate plants and spread seeds. Albeit, inadvertently. But like everything, they’re a vital component for our eco-system, and
Birdwatchers flock together at Marshside Nature Reserve
Photo © Marco Ferrer 12
without them we will massively suffer the consequences.” It’s hard for people to appreciate the shocking scale of the wild bird trade and just how big a tragedy it is for nature. These organized poaching networks are ultimately emptying not just their own forest’s, but ours too. And in the same way coronavirus seems invisible to us all at the minute, its affects soon won’t. As the current pandemic shows us that the impact of diseases originating from wildlife trade can devastate livelihoods worldwide. With an estimated 75% of new and emerging diseases being transmitted from animals to humans (according to the UN Environment Programme) - poorly regulated markets are another public health disaster waiting to happen. Our resilience to future pandemics will ultimately depend on us changing the way we interact with nature. We must open our eyes to the outside world, and support fundraising like BirdLife’s, for one day it could save ours.
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Locked down but looking up He may only just be starting out in the industry, but as our reporter KIVA DONALD has found out, there are big things in the future of Wigan singer-songwriter Joe Astley
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iverpool has for many years been known globally as the city to have birthed some of the world’s most renowned musical legends. Though the north can be grey and wet, the city inspires creativity and places such as Matthew Street reflect Liverpool’s everlasting passion for music. But lockdown has put many industries on hold and now that the streets of a once booming music scene are no longer shining as bright as they were once upon a time and it has left many creatives feeling angry. Emotion ignites music and Joe Astley, an up-and-coming artist from Wigan and frequent performer in Liverpool, spoke to Liverpool Life about the importance of music during the pandemic and how he has used it to bring people together. “As much as lockdown has been bad, it has had its plus sides for me. I’ve tried to use it to my advantage and get all the stuff done that I’ve been needing to do for a while. I managed to get one of my most recent songs on Radio X and put forward another for a competition the Cavern Club published on their website,” he said. The song “Revolution Postponed” was submitted for a global song competition following what would have been John Lennon’s 80th Birthday, one of Astley’s biggest influences and inspirations. He describes his music as “real rock”, mixing old school rock and roll and pop to create a new sound he hopes will uplift and energise his fans. “I wrote it leading up to the
general election in 2019 and I just felt generally angry with the way things were being thrown about. It felt like a time for change for the country, and it was a positive and uplifting thing for me. “But I think now it’s become more relevant than ever. It’s about how now is the time to stand up for what you believe in. The idea is that it’s been postponed for too long and now is the time that you have to stand up for your rights. Take them back. It’s more powerful now than it ever was.” The young musician was heavily influenced by the Beatles growing up. Playing guitar for more than 15 years now, Astley borrowed one of their earliest albums from his mum to help him learn. “I think one of my earliest memories is sitting and learning to play ‘You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away’ off my mum’s ‘Help’ album. “I always looked up to the Beatle’s from day one, and I think it was something about how they were kings of the world by just 17. It didn’t seem to faze them whatsoever and they were from up the road, just churning out this absolute magic and that started a spark in me.”
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he 23-year-old musician has performed in various venues around Liverpool, such as The Cavern Club, The Jacaranda and HBGBs. However, restrictions meant venues around the city were unable to continue hosting gigs. Astley explained how music helped to keep him grounded. “I don’t think I could’ve coped without it. It’s the thing keeping all of us close. Music has always been the glue to hold everything together since day one.
‘I just felt generally angry with the way things were being thrown about’ “I wrote a song called ‘Anthem For The North’ on the back of a piece of toilet roll in my local because I didn’t have any paper with me. I don’t know what happened to it. Then a few years down the line when we released it I got my first national radio play on the BBC. Then it was endorsed by my hometown’s rugby and football teams. “Now the coronavirus has been a thing, the teams said it was their statement of unity. So, it’s nice to have that song used for them. It’s about northerners and about being northern, that we have this strength and spirit that gets us through the toughest of times.” Now Liverpool is left uncertain. No one knows when its exuberant streets will be re born, nor do we know what venues will still be left standing at the end. But songs throughout history such as “Heroes” by David Bowie and “Imagine” by John Lennon, show us how music has and always will persevere during the hardest of times.
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Festival returns to mark
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Liverpool is the centre of cutting-edge contemporary creativity practice
Photo © Emma Smith 14
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Irish roots in the city By ANNA MICHAELIDES
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espite current coronavirus restrictions, the Liverpool Irish Festival has still hosted numerous events online to present Irish history and explain why it belongs here in Liverpool. This year, the festival explored the theme of ‘exchange’ through a range of techniques, from visual arts and film animation to dance, music and theatre with music. Events began on October 15 and end on October 22. As explained by director Emma
Smith, this is the only culture-led Irish festival in the world. Part of that reason, she said, is that “Liverpool is the centre of cutting-edge contemporary creativity practice”. Emma said: “The strapline for us is ‘Bringing Liverpool and Ireland together using arts and culture’, so that is something genuinely instrumental in trying to create links and thinking about what the Irish context is here but also what the Liverpool-Irish story is to take away.”
The Office of National Statistics put Liverpool’s genetic makeup as being more than 50% Irish, so it is no surprise that most Liverpudlians you speak to have Irish roots or a connection to the island. Between 1845-1852, 1.3 million Irish people moved to Liverpool. As well as this, millions moved through Liverpool because of the connectivity between Liverpool, Belfast and Dublin so there was an obvious influx across the water. The festival director said that
certain Irish history is exclusive to Liverpool not because there aren’t other Irish population across England and Britain but actually the connection between East Belfast and East Dublin. She added: “While Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds also have close connections to Ireland, there’s something about the character and nature of the Liverpool that’s made up so heavily by that influx in the 1800’s that I think makes Liverpool unique to the history of Ireland as well.”
Why Liverpool is our second home
Niall Nash & James Connlaoth Bradley Dunne
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s an Irish girl living in Liverpool, almost every Scouser I speak to gives me a brief family history of their Irish routes, writes Anna Michaelides. I work in an Irish pub, that plays Irish music, with all Irish people, and spend most nights out hopping around other Irish bars. Not once have I questioned why Irish culture is so rife here because it is just so normal to me. It wasn’t hard to find 10 Irish people living here to tell me why they moved to Liverpool and what they love about it. Connlaoth Braldey, Loaf, as we know him, comes from Derry and moved over to Liverpool in 2016. “There is an opportunity to meet a lot more people from different backgrounds that you wouldn’t have the chance to meet in Ireland.” Morgan McManuss, is from Belfast and moved here last year for university. “I moved over to get a different kind of scenery and meet new people because Belfast became so small to
Rory Dobbins
Holly Anderson
me, so I made the change for myself by moving.” Holly Anderson also comes from Belfast, and moved here in 2016, she has no intention of going home any time soon. “I love it because it’s like a home away from home, the people are so welcoming and make me feel so comfortable.” University was the reason Rory Dobbins came over to Liverpool from Derry in 2017, but clearly the nights out have had a bigger impact on his experience so far! “The nightlife is very different to back in Ireland. Particularly the fact that back home pubs close their doors at 2am whereas over here you can stay out until 6am.” Niall Nash is from Derry, he moved here in 2017 and just completed his degree in Biology at LJMU he plans to stay in the city. “There are a lot more restaurants in Liverpool compared to Ireland, giving you an opportunity to try out a lot more cuisines.” James Dunne says living in Liver-
Patrick Quigg
Diarmuid Cregan (right)
pool has developed his fashion sense more than anything, after he moved here three years ago. Derry-boy James said: “There is a much larger selection of clothes shops as well as vintage fairs and markets Liverpool which I wouldn’t be able to see if I lived at home.” Patrick Quigg also known as Paddy is currently one of the managers in The Irish House bar on Ranelagh Street, he moved to Liverpool from Strabane in 2016. “Liverpool reminds me a bit like home. It’s a small working-class city, the people are friendly and have always stuck together in the face of adversity. I also love how Liverpool’s music has shaped the city.” Moya Thompson is from Belfast and has just graduated from her Zoology degree at LJMU, she moved to Liverpool in 2016. “I moved to Liverpool for university and I absolutely adore it here. As well as being a beautiful city, the people are so welcoming. There is always someone that will chat away to you. It is a home away from home.”
Declan Farry (left)
Declan Farry tells us how fell in love with Liverpool the second his plane landed in 2011, and he’s never looked back since. “I love it here because it’s so similar to Ireland yet there’s a freedom that I feel here that, had I entered my twenties back in Fermanagh, I don’t think I ever would have had the chance to experience. Liverpool is the wonderful place it is because of the beautiful people who inhabit it and they are the reason that I’m still here…that and the Georgian Quarter of course.” I have never met somebody who speaks so highly and passionately about Ireland as Diarmuid Cregan, yet he chose to move to Liverpool in 2018 and hasn’t look back since. “Historically Liverpool is seen as an important port of call for Irish people and that influenced me to move. The sense of belonging and shared humour between Scousers and Irish people is something that hits you right away when you arrive, and it made the decision to settle here all the easier.”
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Big screen goes to the small screen NEVE WILKINSON previews the Liverpool Film Festival as it moves to virtual showings
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his year’s Liverpool Film Festival will be fully virtual so that the event can still go ahead despite restrictions on venues and social distancing. Initially, the festival’s plan was to host a selection of screenings at the Odeon in Liverpool One, so that filmmakers could attend to answer any questions after the screenings and everyone involved would work hard to follow social distancing However, with rising rates of Covid-19 cases in the area and, even more recently, the new tier three lockdown, this is no longer a safe option. This year, the festival will still be going ahead but all ticket buyers will be given a link to virtual screenings of all films so that they can be viewed from the comfort and safety of home. The festival will include narrative
fetsival said: "I'm a bit gutted because I wanted to be able to be in a cinema answering questions about my film and meeting directors and other people in the industry. She added: ““When I went into lockdown in March, I struggled to finish my film anyway so now I’m withholding my entry till 2021, hoping it wont be virtual but the bonus is that it gives me more time to work on my unfinished entry.” The festival will run from October 23-25, which was the original advertised date and time. Tickets are now on sale for £5.95 per screening or £14.95 for a pass into all the online screenings. The festival team said: “LIVIFF hopes that next year’s festival will be able to go ahead in cinema and that we can all get back to seeing the best independent film up on the big screen.” Highlights in the 2020 festival
include: 18 to Party by Jeff Roda, set in 1984, this film sees a group of teenagers with a series of life changing events such as suicide, absentee parents and even a UFO sighting; 1800 Grams, a Polish film about the life of a women looking for families for orphaned children and Surdine – a Portuguese special about a man trying to move on with his life after the death of his wife.
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ocumentaries include: Citizen Bio, an in-depth exploration of the nascent biohacking movement and the emerging phenomenon of the ‘Citizen Scientist’; Into the Storm, about a troubled teenager from the barrios of Lima who looks to realise his dream of becoming a pro surfer and raise his family out of poverty and Knots, and award-winning forced marriage story from the US. • Information at www.liviff.com
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Above: Three of the films featuring in the Liverpool Film Festival
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'The 'The arts arts are are in in aa major major crisis' crisis' CALLUM SNELL speaks to actor Nathan Horrocks about his career hurdles during lockdown
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he creative industry has arguably suffered the most during the pandemic, making life hard for budding actors to be able to share their talent and creativeness. With mass closures of theatres and other arts venues up and down the country, it has been difficult for those passionate about performing to be able to excel in what they enjoy most. Nathan Horrocks, 22, from St Helens, is a working actor and has had numerous roles within theatre and TV, including Coronation Street. Nathan spoke to Liverpool Life about the experiences and difficulties he has faced during the past six months, and whilst he discussed the negatives he has faced he also spoke about how his local theatre group has been taking improvisation to a new level by holding workshops over Zoom. So how have things been this year? “It’s been slow,” explained Nathan. “At the start, all auditions and any potential jobs were cancelled with the theatre closures and filming stopped. A few months in, filming was permitted but jobs were so few and far between with all the measures, it was - and still is - very limited with roles. “More roles are coming up, but an actor’s life is tricky anyway, so when you throw in limited roles (due to) for Covid, it just makes everything harder.
available and produce theatrical pieces (or even short films) with the kids. “It’s really rewarding, and it certainly allows me to stretch my creative muscles and has been a great way to pick up additional skills along the way.” The life of an actor is always going to be tough when trying to really make it big, which Nathan is intelligent enough to acknowledge, and it is easy to see why a lot of people associated with the arts face the
danger of losing motivation to be able to keep on pursuing what they are passionate about. So how does the state of play look now? Is the landscape for actors improving? It is probably hard to say with the ever-changing scenario at the moment. “Auditions are picking up now slowly but surely,” said Nathan, “but with the arts in a major crisis, which I’m sure you’re already aware of, it certainly is still a massive struggle, so it’s important to push through and to never stop.”
"It's still a massive struggle"
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here’s still just as many actors looking for work but with less than half the roles, it can be difficult to stay motivated and creative so it’s really been a challenge to keep your creative mind ticking. But I’ve been doing my own little projects like my podcast and writing.” Teaching has provided a lifeline for Nathan. “A big thing that has helped me through it all is the local theatre group I work for,” he said. “I teach children acting, singing and movement and we spent a long time adapting our workshops to work over Zoom and, although it is not the same as working in the studio, we’ve been able to make the most of the facilities we have
© Nathan Horrocks
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Gone, but not forgotten
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By ALEX TAYLOR ne of Liverpool’s most important cemeteries has been added to the at-risk list for England’s historic
landmarks. St James Garden Cemetery, alongside the city’s Anglican Cathedral, is one of the first early examples of a public cemetery but neglect, poor repairs and invasive vegetation have taken their toll, leading Historic England to include the site on its register. The garden cemetery was hit hard in the 70s and 80s. Poor funding meant that there wasn’t enough money to put into local infrastructure and the landmark fell into disarray. In recent times, great effort has been put into the gardens by a Friends group and Liverpool City Council in order to help revive the garden cemetery. However, there is more technical work needed to be done to help the gardens flourish once more. With St James’ Garden Cemetery now on the at-risk list, it will shine a light on this work and help influence the public to get involved to support the restoration of their local area and city. Chris Mayes, an at-risk landscape architect, claimed: “Helping out can be as simple as visiting these historical sites, but if you want to do more contact your local friends group to get involved or message the council making them aware of your interest.” Historic England is a government body that helps people care for, enjoy and celebrate England’s spectacular historic environment. The organisation protects and saves places that define who we are and where we have come from as a nation. It works alongside communities
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and specialists to preserve the history which surrounds us all, with hopes it will inspire interest, care and conservation among the people. will inspire interest, care and conservation among the people. St James’ Garden Cemetery is a real-life biography of Liverpool. Built in the early 19th century in an old quarry, it lies in the grounds of one of Liverpool’s most famous landmarks, the Anglican Cathedral. This has helped it earn Grade 1 stature. Chris Mayes explained: “The national register for parks and designed landscapes identifies St James’ Garden Cemetery as a Grade 1 listed area meaning it is in the highest 9% of gardens listed, the same as that of
Kew Gardens and Blenheim Palace.” During the industrial period the growth of cities in England was extensive. Liverpool, for example, turned from a village to a city within the space of around 100 years. This meant that the community were all living in packed accommodation. Diseases such as cholera and poverty were widespread and the mortality rate was very high. Green spaces were introduced in the city to create space where people could exercise for health. One of these areas was St James’ Garden Cemetery. It was established due to the high demand for land needed to bury the dead. Prior to this, people were buried in their church parish,
but when the city expanded there wasn’t enough room for the community. The architect of the gardens, John Foster, built the cemetery into the walls of the quarry with the landscaping done by none other than John Shepard, the designer of the Liverpool botanic gardens. Now it is a peaceful escape from the busy-ness of the city centre. It became a public park in the 1960s and offers a great chance to stroll through the roots of Liverpool, with the names of those who once walked the streets themselves.Both rich and the poor reside within the gardens, including the first man to be killed by a train, the MP William Huskisson.
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It is a peaceful escape from the busy-ness of the city centre
Photos from WikiMedia Commons
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‘Liverpool through the ages’
50 years on from Don McCullin
By RYAN WYKES
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travelled from Euston. He was drawn to the city again in the 1960s by the scenes of post-war devastation and renovation as the economic and social order of the city began to change drastically. Don said in an earlier interview: “I thought it was a tough city, lots of violence, but I understood that because I came from an area in North London that had just as much violence. “Liverpool had lots of strong people with strong opinions and they would never be talked down to. “They had this self-confidence. They always stood on their legs very firmly and defended themselves.” Liverpool became a place of interest to Don as he recognised his own background in the conditions of those he photographed around the city. He was able to show the public of Britain, particularly the middle class, images of depravation on their doorstep that would otherwise not
Liverpool in the 1970s ...
have been seen, such as with the slum clearances in Toxteth during the 1970s.
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t looked like a scene from the city of berlin, it was devastation on a massive scale. It was very photogenic.” The show will present more than 250 photographs from across the world as well as equipment he used on dangerous assignments.
... and the same street today Following the success at Tate Britain, Don said: “I think it’s only right the exhibition comes to Liverpool because it will help people from the North of England to come and see it rather than get on a train.” “I’m curious to know how they will receive it because it’s a Southerner’s eye view of the North.”
Park Road, Toxteth
alf a century after he produced some of his most iconic photos, the Tate Liverpool has opened an exhibition on the renowned conflict photographer Don McCullin. This follows an exhibition in Tate Britain earlier this year, which attracted over 180,000 visitors, however the Liverpool exhibit presents images exclusive to the Albert Dock Gallery. The exhibition, which runs until May 9 2021, documents McCullin’s career through his most iconic images, from his humble beginnings with “The Guvnors” in 1959 to beautifully disturbed landscape pieces around his Somerset home in 2019. Due to the advent of COVID-19, the Tate has adopted a one-way viewing system along which visitors are cast into Mr McCullin’s 60-year career documenting war, famine and displacement across the globe: from Vietnam, to Cyprus and the troubles. However, amongst the devastation and beauty of his international pieces, lies a litany of domestic works, many of which are from Liverpool in the 1960s and 1970s. McCullin, 85, first visited Liverpool when he was 15 where he worked in the dining car of a train that regularly
Liverpool 8 - then and now
Photos courtesy of Don McCullin (then) and Ryan Wykes (now)
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Radio City sunset scene by WES POWELL
