Liverpool Life 7:7 February 20 2019

LL

FRE E FOR EVER Y TNI GH T

Liverpool Life ISSUE SEVEN

FEB 20 - MAR 5

EXCLUSIVE

INSPIRING DJ GOATEESAM

Liverpool Life contents Vol 7 Issue 7 FEBRUARY 20 - MARCH 5 Derek Hatton - back in the Labour Party

Chester Zoo’s lego masterpieces

18

3

Yoga classes for mums

Love Island star supports budget makeup

21

6

The truth about unconditional offers

Campaign to honour a father’s memory

9

24

Gradwatch meets Liam Keen

Your guide to the city’s latest events

12-13

27

Getting to know DJ Goateesam

How football brings families together

15

30

Soaring over the tower

© Adele Matthews

LL Production: George Adams, Nadia Breen, Orlaith Clinton, Liam Cork, Christa Daley, Lori Dunlevy, Emma Fegan, Summer-Marie Gedall, Ben Higgins, Stephen Killen, Abigail Lawrence, Harry Leahey, Adele Matthews, Chantelle McKeever, Seanan McSheffrey, Liam Plumbley, Simran Roy, Megan Tattersley, Rebecca Thomas, Chloe Tomkins, Nick Ware, Ellie Watkinson, Annie Williams Front picture page © Nathan Dawe

NEWS

Controversial ex-council leader Derek Hatton rejoins Labour

LL 03

By REBECCA THOMAS Derek Hatton, the controversial ex-deputy leader of Liverpool City Council, is back in the Labour party 34 years after being kicked out.

Before working for Liverpool Council, Hatton first joined the Labour Party and Militant, accused of being a Trotskyist entryist group designed to infiltrate the Labour Party.

In 1985, Hatton joined the rate-capping rebellion when the Labour-controlled council refused to put up rates, in defiance of the Conservative government.

Instead, the council set an illegal “deficit budget” which committed it to spending £30m in excess of its income, claiming that the excess represented grant “stolen” by central government.

Hatton was expelled from the Labour Party in 1986 for belonging to Millitant, which had earlier been found to be in breach of the Labour Party’s constitution.

He was accused of corruption as Deputy Leader of Liverpool City Council in 1993, but was found not guilty.

Last year Mr Hatton said the reason he was keen to return to the Labour Party because of Jeremy Corbyn.

The announcement comes after Wavertree MP Luciana Berger quit the Labour party, saying she is “embarrassed and ashamed” at the state of the party.

Mr Hatton replied to a Twitter user yesterday about the split. He said: “Some of us even after expulsion have remained loyal to the Labour Party as the political arm of the trade union movement.”

However, many people are not happy at the return of Hatton to the Labour Party. Twitter user Alex Andreou said: “Derek Hatton on @ BBCNews right now calling on @ lucianaberger to resign. Seems Labour are determined to turn a crisis into a disaster.”

Abby Tomlinson joked about Hatton’s youthful appearance: “can’t believe labour readmitted Derek Hatton in return for access to the fountain of youth.”

Luciana Berger will now sit in parliament and represent her Wavertree constituency as an independent MP. However, many are calling for Berger to resign as she wasn’t voted into the seat as an independent but as a Labour Party MP. Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson released a statement about the state of the party, he said: “Only a united democratic Labour Party can win for this country.

“The seven who have left have made their decision - they should resign now, stand before the electorate. We in the Labour movement must move on, fighting on a manifesto of equality, fairness and justice for all.”

Merseyside dog home accused of neglect

By SUMMER GEDALL Merseyside Dogs Home (MDH) is under intense scrutiny following accusations of animal mistreatment and neglect.

Angry dog owners have expressed their concerns via a Facebook page, although MDH owner Paul Dunne claims this is part of an ‘aggressive online hate campaign’. Owners are insisting that the dogs are being poorly treated, rarely walked and that some are seriously ill when placed with a new family.

David Cathcart and his family adopted their Patterdale Terrier Ryley in 2015 from MDH, which is in Halewood, and described her as ‘more or less dead’ by time she arrived at their address in St Helens.

Mr Cathcart said: “She was covered in mucus, she couldn’t breathe, she was lethargic and it was as though when she clawed at the cage to get out, it was her last ditch attempt to escape from there.”

Three days after adopting Ryley they took her to a vet where it was discovered that she had pneu-

Ryley needed £1000 of treatment monia and a collapsed trachea.

They were forced to pay £1,000 in vet fees, which they successfully sued MDH for. Mr Cathcart added: “She was on a drip and we didn’t think she’d get through it.

“Paul suggested we bring her back but there was no way on God’s earth I was going to take that poor little thing back to Merseyside Dogs Home.

The charity, owned by Bolton man Paul Dunne, rehomed over 400 dogs last year and promises that all dogs are ‘vet checked, flead, wormed and inoculated’ before being sent to a ‘forever home’.

© Summer Gedall

Volunteers and former staff have also flagged concerns about animals being kept in dirty, freezing, and unsanitary conditions.

MDH have released a statement on their website denying these claims, expressing their sadness at the accusations being made against them.

MDH owner Paul Dunne told LL: “I do not want to make an official comment at this time.

These allegations are false.”

In a statement posted online, MDH claimed the accusations were having a negative impact on their ability to re-home dogs.

Above: Mayor Joe Anderson

£60m housing plan launched

by City Council

By HARRY LEAHEY Liverpool City Council have launched a £60m housing repair programme which will see untenanted dwellings renovated and repaired for future occupation.

The programme is one of four initiatives which the council is investing in for new homes across the city. Each costing £10m, work will include groundworks, plumbing, electrics, plastering, roofing as well as painting and redecorating.

The scheme is being spearheaded by ethical housing company Foundation Homes, set up

by Liverpool City council to meet rising demands for more residential space.

Charles Jarvis, Deputy Chief Executive of Foundations, told LL how much Liverpool is in need of this development. He said: “There is a shortage of quality homes in Liverpool and the City Council has estimated that 30,000 new homes will be required by 2030 to meet the demand for housing.

“Liverpool Foundation Homes has been established by the City Council with purpose to increase the city’s housing stock and contribute towards this 30,000 target.

“We will achieve this through a combination of house building and renovation to bring back vacant and redundant housing and transforming them in to new homes.”

Speaking about the launch, Mayor Joe Anderson said: “Liverpool’s housing sector is in need of a dramatic overhaul and Foundations will enable the city to address a raft of issues such as reviving empty homes, while at the same time having a positive impact on the local economy.”

4

LL NEWS Anger at Wirral Council as 30p charge on public toilets comes in

By LUCY JONES

Graffiti hosts one last party Pic © Jack Gibson

Party’s over at Graffiti

By JACK GIBSON Popular Liverpool Nightclub ‘Graffiti’ is to close its doors after one last party.

The club on Victoria Street confirmed the news on its social media pages stating it was the ‘End of an Era’.

The post said: “End of an era… after 6 years of partying Graffiti says goodbye. Saturday 23rd February will be the very last Graffiti as we open our doors for the very last time.

“Graffiti was opened in 2013, with a concept ahead of its time, and we have been selling out weekly for 6 successful years.”

However, the owners gave a foreshadowing of bigger things to come at the end of the post by saying: “By the way, something bigger and better is coming... soon”.

The reaction on the Instagram post has been huge with various supporters over the years wishing the owners good luck and expressing sadness at Graffiti closing down.

Djcoco_ said: “Ahhhh sad times.... longest dj residency I’ve ever held down! All the best for the future.”

Local people have branded Wirral council’s decision to charge for using public toilets “silly and unfair”.

From March 4, users will be charged 30p every time they need to use the facility at West Kirby Marine Lake, Moreton Garden Lane, Leasowe Common, Harrison Drive and Hoyle Road.

The above five locations are the first to have charges introduced.

Meters will accept 10p and 20p coins with no change given. West Kirby will have a turnstile that will accept coins, but will also be designed to offer contactless payment.

Liverpool Life took to the streets of Wirral to see what the local people thought about this new change.

Jennifer Hanley, 20, from Liscard, said: “In my opinion it’s silly and unfair to have to pay to use the toilet facilities, what about pregnant women or people with illness? My guess is that it is to

The charge for the toilets has widely been labelled unfair © Lucy Jones stop homeless people from using them, which I think is horrible and inhumane.”

Brett Chadwick, 41, from Wallasey, said: “It’s disgusting, isn’t this the whole reason why we pay council tax? I will not pay 30p to use the council’s public toilets when places like Morrisons and pubs will allow you to go for free “People need to go the toilet, it’s a human right. I don’t see how anyone can agree with this scheme.”

Income from the charges will contribute to the service running costs and help contribute to the future upgrading of public toilets.

Student Molly Horton also disagreed with the new motion, saying: “Charging 30p for toilets is wrong because you shouldn’t have to pay to do something natural.”

Cabinet member for Environment Cllr Anita Leech said: “Last year, councillors chose to introduce charges to public toilets in a bid to avoid closures.

“Councils are not required by law to provide any public toilets, however, because we recognise their importance to our communities, introducing charges was the only way we could continue to provide this facility.”

School barn to boast sports all year

By CHLOE SMITH A Wirral primary school is building a ‘sports barn’ to enable children to play sports all year round.

The building will be open to the children who attend New Brighton Primary School and to people in the local community.

After a long time planning, the development is now under way at the school, which aims to give the local community and its pupils a place to get more fit and active.

The building work started last week on the project which is estimated to cost around £400,000 to build and is expected to be finished by July 2019.

Wirral’s cabinet member for children and families, Cllr Bernie Mooney told Liverpool Life: “It’s all to do with encouraging young people to keep themselves fit and look after their own well-being and encouraging the local residents to look after their well-being as well.

“We are at a stage with obesity being more frequent, so we have

A 3D overview of what the barn will look like when finished Pic © Wirral View to try to change the mindset of children. By having a building outside the school, even though it is in the parameter of the building, it can put the children into a different environment.

“I think it is really good to teach them that they can go to other places and do sports and activities and enjoy it.”

The sports barn will be open to the community although it is in the school grounds.

Cllr Mooney said: “It’s being

built as the school has a lot of land around there and (it) needs more space.

“It’s also a mixture of the community wanting it and the funding being available for it, which is perfect timing.”

Cllr Mooney said the sports barn will allow the school to offer a broad spectrum of activities.

“Sports is not for all children, so they might not want play sports but may be interested and want to do other activities.”

NEWS

LL 5

Crowds’ delight at royal visitors

By JACK GIBSON Crowds came out to cheer the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall during their visit to Liverpool.

The couple visited the newly-named Royal Albert Dock to celebrate the dock’s new status ahead of the 175 anniversary of its opening by Prince Albert.

They also attended a reception at the University of Liverpool with the President of Ireland, as part of celebrations for the Liverpool Institute of Irish Studies.

Beforehand, the Prince Charles and Camilla were met by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool Christine Banks and Lord Lieutenant of Liverpool Mark Blundell.

The Prince of Wales visited St George’s Hall to view the renovations to its recently discovered undercroft and meet with Dr Makiziwe Mandela, who has donated a set of her father Nelson’s drawings for permanent display at the Hall, while Camilla attended a literacy event at the Central Library.

Prince Charles also met a number of patients and nurses at

Warm welcome for royal visitors © Jack Gibson

Marie Curie’s Liverpool Hospice.

Their visit comes just weeks after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle visited Birkenhead, where they visited local community. projects and organisations.

Fun for all at new Roman games park

By SHANNON LYON A new Roman-themed activity park s coming to Liverpool.

With inspiration taken from TV favourites Gladiators and Takeshi’s Castle, The Romans activity park will feature blindfolded boxing, giant sandal racing and bungee challenges.

The park is set to be 15,000 sq metres and will be opening right next to Aintree Racecourse.

It will have a purpose-built coliseum, eight game stations, six Instagram stations and an outdoor gin garden.

Founder of The Romans, Joe Clarke, 33, from Aintree has won the Prince’s Trust Enterprise Award for his three years work with Spartacus Events as a hen and stag party operator.

He said: “I saw a massive opportunity to create a brand new event that was specific to groups. My inspiration for the games came from TV Show favourites like The

Gladiator action Gladiators & Takeshi’s Castle. I remember watching these as a kid and thinking how fun it would be to take part.”

The park can hold up to 100 participants and all will receive costumes and face painting, during their time at the course.

The participants will be hosted by gladiators, emperors and ro-

man goddesses and the park will be open for people above the age of 18 years old.

Mr Clarke said: “We also plan to introduce a kid’s only day on a Sunday in May/June.

“We are going to put on a kids gladiator training school and do re-enactments in our coliseum.”

The course will be open from

© Joanna Rose Photography April 13 until October and has already attracted interest as ore than 150 tickets have been sold.

Tickets prices will be £39.99 each, which will include War Paint, Toga Hire and two hours of fun and photo opportunities.

More information and how you can book, can be found on https://www.theromans.co.uk/

LL NEWS Liverpool’s Love Island star supports budget make-up launch 6

© Joanne Davies Facebook

Massages feel good for charity

By ABIGAIL LAWRENCE Hayley Hughes at the Carter Beauty launch in Liverpool’s Primark

By NADIA BREEN Scouse Love Island star Hayley Hughes was back in Liverpool to help to launch a new make-up brand in the city’s Primark store.

The ‘by Marissa Carter’ brand of fake tan that gained an international status among celebrities including Khloe Kardashian, has extended its products with a new range, including foundation, lipstick and highlighters.

Hayley modelled how best to use the products, priced from £4.00

to £14.50, during the Liverpool launch.

The reality star told Liverpool Life: “There is a massive selection of products and it is amazing value. I think everyone should come and try the new products. I like a glow to my foundation so I would definitely recommend the liquid illuminators.”

Gemma Campbell, Make-up Artist for the Irish beauty brand, told Liverpool Life: “This is a new brand that has come to Primark.

© Nadia Breen

We have so many different products, including the famous cream gel liner used by Ariana Grande in her new music video.”

Tara O’Brien, Marketing Manager, said Carter Beauty was delighted with the reaction from everyone at the launch.

She told Liverpool Life: “We had the launch here in Liverpool obviously because it is such a good city and we knew everyone was really excited about our new brand. so we thought why not start here.”

Cheaper journeys to the capital

Liverpool Lime Street Station. © Liam Cork

By LIAM CORK National Rail has announced a range of new services departing from stations across the city this year.

There will be 14 new services from Lime Street to London, which will include added stops on the London North Western service to Birmingham.

Journeys will take longer than Virgin but fares will be around one-third cheaper.

A spokesperson for National Rail told Liverpool Life: “We have

been seeing an increased number of customers travelling from Liverpool to areas between the West Midlands and London, such as Coventry and Milton Keynes” He added: “Until now there has been no direct services to these destinations. By extending the service to Birmingham we can make these journeys cheaper and quicker for our customers.”

The new route will also include Birmingham International, Northampton and Watford Junction.

TransPennine Express will be introducing new trains, together with new daily services to Glasgow

Central, providing a direct link between Merseyside and Scotland, via Carlisle and the Lake District.

A fourth evening service will terminate at Oxenholme Lake District.

TransPennine also announced that in the next year they would be extending the hourly service to Newcastle through to Edinburgh.

Transport for Wales announced an hourly service to Chester via Runcorn with some services extending to Wrexham, providing a more efficient service than the current MerseyRail service that runs on the Wirral Line.

A Liverpool massage therapist has raised money for mental health charity Mind through her “pay what you feel” events at her salon in Waterloo.

Joanne Davies, 39, a full time university administrator and part-time massage therapist from Liverpool, specialises in an approach called ‘No Hands’ massage.

She says that this supports clients’ wellbeing on every level – mentally and emotionally just as much as physically.

She is very passionate about supporting Mind as she has benefited from their work first hand.

Joanne, who runs the Lotus Therapies salon, said: “I was diagnosed with clinical depression back in 2002 at the age of 23 and organisations like Mind, have been invaluable to me over the years.

“I turn 40 next month and to mark that I wanted to give something back to the services that have helped me so much.”

The total amount of money raised so far is £160, with more donations on the way, due to the success of the event, Joanne is planning on holding more in the upcoming months to raise even more money for Mind.

Along with continuing with these events, Joanne will be taking part in a 24-hour hike through the Scottish Highlands in aid of the mental health charity.

Joanne added: “The Pay What you Feel events are a perfect way to raise money for Mind and to start a conversation around mental health.

“I hope raising money and making mental health issues more visible will help break the stigma that still exists and reduce fear some sufferrs have of being judged for condition.”

NEWS

LL

7

Exploring city’s secret codes

By ROHIN JALOTA A unique tour is offering visitors the chance to uncover the hidden secrets of Liverpool One. Thousands of shoppers walk the streets of Liverpool One every day - however, very few of them know the secrets that lie underneath their feet.

Liverpool One is awash with codes and marks that help to reveal the shopping area’s connection to the docks on which the city was founded.

If you have ever walked past the Hilton Hotel you may have noticed the long piece of dark pavement, this represents the tidal inlet that once flowed in from the Mersey and along to where the Churchill Flyover is today, splitting the city in two.

This inlet was originally known as the Lyver Pool, which describes a body of murky or muddy water.

Some historians now think it could be the origins of the name Liver-pool, although there are competing theories.

Between the black pavement and the Liverpool One fountains there are number of markings on the floor, a homage to Liverpool’s dockmaster William Hutchinson.

Hutchinson spent 29 years making tidal and lunar measurement which laid the foundation of the tidal calendar, which boosted efficiency at the docks and led to huge wealth for the city.

The height of Liverpool One’s water fountains now corresponds to his measurements from January 1784.

Part of the city’s hidden heritage Alongside the fountains is long black paving, this lies directly above the Old Dock wall. If you stand on the side closest to the Hilton, you would have gone in the docks for a swim.

Take a tour with the city’s Maritime Museum and you will be taken underneath the city’s shopping complex to see the original dock wall and you’ll finally be able to answer the question ‘what’s under that porthole by John Lewis?’.

Alongside the fountains there is another black line of pavement cutting diagonally. This represents the old shoreline and the wide mouth of the river.

The original mouth went from the One Park West building,

© Rohin Jalota

where The Gym stands today, all the way across to the Merseyside Police headquarters. Bet you never knew the Mersey was that big!

Next to these pavings there are three larger water features, with the large circular reflecting pool representing Swiss psychoanalyst and psychiatrist Carl Jung.

Jung never visited Liverpool but had an incredible link to the city.

That is because on one night in 1924 he dreamed of arriving in a great port city filled with industry and soot. In his dream he met some fellow Swiss sailors who told him he had arrived in Liverpool.

He then went on to name Liverpool ‘The Pool of Life’, after studying old meanings for the

word Liver.

Many of us have had a drink or two… in Bierkeller, but did you know that the bar sits where Liverpool Castle once stood?

Disappointingly the original castle has been lost in history, however the designers of Liverpool One thought it was important for the area up to Chavasse Park to resemble the old castle walls.

So today that means you can enjoy a drink in the Bierkeller or Bills as if you were raising a glass alongside your historical fellow Liverpudlians.

If you fancy taking this fantastic tour visit http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime/visit/ old_dock_tours.aspx

Memorial built to honour Mandela

By ANGELICA DAY A Liverpool memorial dedicated to Nelson Mandela is being set in stone with the blessing of his eldest daughter.

Dr Makaziwe Mandela came to Liverpool with her own daughter Tukwini to commemorate her father’s successes and launch the memorial, which will be built in Princes Park in Mandela’s honour.

A ceremony in the park marked the beginning of the project, which will include a Freedom Bridge across a lake, a pavilion,

and 32 cylindrical stoneworks inscribed with Mandela’s quotes.

The event was held on the 29th anniversary of Mandela’s release from prison. The freedom fighter’s daughter wants to continue the same message that her father fought for.

The City of Liverpool has a long-standing association with Nelson Mandela dating back from the 1980s. In particular, Liverpool 8 stood in unity with anti-apartheid marchers and boycotted many South African products in support of the Nelson Mandela freedom campaign.

Remembering Nelson Mandela

© Angelica Day

8

LL NEWS

Charity extravaganza raises money for cancer

Marina and Kenny Dalglish, above, greeted guests at the ball Pictures © Diane Thompson

BY LORI DUNLEVY The annual Marina Dalglish ball has raised a half a million pounds for charity and it returned to Knowlsey Hall for another successful evening.

The Marina Dalglish Appeal (MDA) supports people living with cancer and their families.

Around 350 guests attended the Indian-themed ball and each person was greeted by Marina and her husband Kenny, the Liverpool football legend.

The money raised goes directly to the MDA’s pledge to donate £1.2m to fund a surgical robot for Broadgreen Hospital, which is hoped to be in operation this spring.

Guests were invited to bid on auction items including a five-star football experience at Anfield Stadium, with a starting bid at £5k.

Other auction prizes included a meet and greet with Olly Murs.

The MDA took to Twitter and said: “A great big thank you to every single person who came along to support ‘The Charity’.

“It took a village of helpers to bring Marina’s Indian vision to life and lots more thank yous to come.”

Edward Perry, Operations Director of Knowsley Hall, said: “We love hosting the Marina Dalglish Ball at Knowsley Hall; it’s a real highlight of our event calendar each year.

“The feedback has been fantastic and we are delighted that so much was raised for a brilliant cause.”

Fight to keep TV licences free for over 75s

BY ANGELICA DAY Charity Age UK has reacted with dismay to the proposal that the BBC is to remove the right to free TV licences for the over 75s.

In 2015 the government announced that the BBC would have to find the funding itself, after the decision to discontinue the government-funding scheme in 2020.

Free TV licences for the over75s were introduced by the Labour Chancellor Gordon Brown in 2001.

Charity Age UK have raised a petition against this, fighting that those over 75 deserve the right to a free TV licence.

Charity Age UK told Liverpool Life: “New research carried out

by Age UK had found that just over two million people won’t be able to afford a TV licence or will

have to make the decision to cut back on essentials to pay for it if the concession for the over 75s is scrapped.”

Doreen Lawlan, 87, from Prenton, said: “It would make a big difference for me, as I am housebound. I rely on it for company as some days I would not have a voice to listen to and it keeps me up with the news. Also, I can see some of the old films that bring memories back from the old days.”

The 12-week consultation has just ended, with the result expected this summer. One option would be to reinstate fees, but this could affect poorer pensioners, or to increase the age of a free licence from 75 to 80.

The corporation has calculated £75 billion a year lost by providing free licences to over-75s.

Caroline Abrahams, Charity

TV fan Doreen Lawlan Director at Age UK, said: “TV is a source of great pleasure and comfort to many of the oldest people in our society. It is unfortunate that millions could soon be faced with choosing between

© Chloe Smith cutting down on food and heating or paying to continue to enjoy it.

“The Government created this problem and it is in their power to solve it: we urge them to stop hiding behind the BBC.”

Unconditional offers: a help or a hindrance?

T

Receiving an unconditional offer to study at university can be a mixed blessing, as REBECCA THOMAS recalls from her own experience

he pressure of getting the grades to get into University can be overwhelming, especially if the entry tariff is high.

So, if you didn’t need those all-important grades would everything be easier?

Not necessarily.

The Office for Students (OfS) has released new research that looked into two different kinds of unconditional offers - those that guarantee a place with no conditions and those that are unconditional only if an applicant makes the university their first choice (so-called “conditional unconditional” offers).

Overall, the number of unconditional offers to 18-year olds rose from 3,000 in 2013 to 117,000 in 2018. The research also found that applicants who accepted an unconditional offer were more likely to miss their predicted grades by two or more grades.

When I was applying to University, I didn’t have the pressure of A levels as I did a BTEC qualification. However, I didn’t have any unconditional offers for most of my application process.

Liverpool John Moores Univer-

sity was always my first choice, but a memory sticks in my mind of getting a phone call from my second choice university telling me that if I made them my first choice, I could have a confirmed place there and then.

I found this quite disheartening.

I’ve always wanted to get into university knowing it was because my grades were good enough. But the thought of having a confirmed place at university regardless of the college grades I got was tempting.

However, in the end I knew the right decision for me was to go to Liverpool John Moores.

Some people do not have the same experiences. Patrick Garstang, who is a first year Fashion Student at Salford University, had an unconditional offer off his first choice university.

Patrick told Liverpool Life: “I wouldn’t say I felt pressured, but I definitely felt obliged to take the unconditional offer. I have struggled throughout the first term, partly with university life itself but mainly with the course.

“And I surprised myself with that because I went from getting the highest grades in college to not

doing so great in uni.”

Describing the unconditional offer and the motivation he had after receiving it, Patrick said; “Although I did get an unconditional offer for my first-choice university, which was great, I do feel like it affected how prepared I was for uni. Because after that I put minimal effort into the rest of my college work, because I knew that no matter what I was going to uni.

T

hat wasn’t a great mind set to have and I think that’s why I wasn’t fully prepared to go back into working hard.”

Liverpool John Moores Journalism student David Diangienda had an unconditional offer from Bournemouth University, but only if he made them his first choice.

“Obviously having an unconditional offer is good because you don’t need to worry about how many UCAS points you need.

“I didn’t face any pressure from my parents when it came to choosing which university to go. I wouldn’t say I felt pressured to take the unconditional offer, because it was potentiality a great opportunity.

“I felt more pressured in actually making the decision between universities rather than the unconditional offer itself.”

Some universities have defended unconditional offers, claiming they are a reward for hardworking students. However, others have decided not to hand out any unconditional offers.

A University of Liverpool spokesperson told Liverpool Life: “At the University of Liverpool we do not issue unconditional offers to applicants in advance of them having taken their A-levels or other level 3 qualifications.

“We believe the offers we make are appropriate to the individual and can provide a stimulus for success.

“Each university’s offer making approach is based on its own individual context and that of its applicants and we are not, therefore, in a position to comment on these.”

The OfS, England’s higher education watchdog, has now said that universities that use unconditional offers to pressurise students into accepting places could be fined - or even lose their university status.

“I do feel like it affected how prepared I was for uni”

Student completing UCAS application © Rebecca Thomas

FOCUS LL 9

10

LL FOCUS

Vehicles passing St George’s Hall

© Harry Leahey.

City’s drivers wasting life away in traffic jams

M

Congestion is getting worse, Harry Leahey investigates

otorists in Liverpool wasted 119 hours per driver last year due to congestion, travelling at an average speed of just 10mph, making it the 10th most congested city in the UK. The research comes from motor data company Intrix, which publishes a yearly Global Traffic Scorecard that presents peak, off-peak and free flow data from different times of the day.

Globally, Liverpool just misses out on being in the top 100, being ranked 104th as the most congested city in the world.

As well as wasted time, traffic across the city has also meant wasted money too. In terms of the amount of money lost per driver, Liverpool was ranked 13th, with £860 lost per driver on average.

However, the cost of traffic is still £279 less than Manchester, which ranks 4th in the UK. The figures are part of a national cost to traffic of £7.9bn - an average of £1,317 per driver.

One particular group of people who have finically felt the effects of congestion is the city’s black cab drivers.

Alan Shillinglaw, who’s been driving taxis for 30 years, wasn’t surprised by the results, and told Liverpool Life how it has affected him.

He said: “There’s been times when you miss out on a call because you’re stuck in traffic, which then means you’re not earning anything while you’re out and about.

So, it can be very frustrating.

“When you’re coming through the {Mersey} tunnel, it can be bad then, but mainly when you’re coming out of the tunnel from the Wirral side, where the roundabout is near the museum.

“Luckily, it’s not too bad when you’re going the other way. Speaking from personal experience anyway, I’m not at all surprised.”

Edmund King, president of the AA, explained to Liverpool Life the reasons for rising congestion in cities such as Liverpool and some solutions which could help.

He said: “Most successful cities suffer a degree of congestion due to a combination of delivery and service vehicles interacting with the cars of commuters and shoppers.

“There is no silver bullet, but a combination of solutions can help.

Better public transport linked to decent park and ride facilities can help.

“Plus, small junction improvements at hot spots and better coordination of road works can also speed up traffic.”

Trevor Reed, transportation analyst at Inix, said: “Congestion costs Brits billions of pounds each year. Unaddressed, it will continue to have serious consequences for national and local economies, businesses and citizens in the years to come.

“In order to avoid traffic congestion becoming a further drain on our economy, it is increasingly obvious that authorities need to adapt.

“With the help of new and innovative intelligent transportation solutions, we can begin to tackle the mobility issues we face today.”

The results from Inrix follows

a £500m investment plan announced by Liverpool City Council, which will focus on improving the city’s roads over the next few years.

As part of the city council’s ‘Better Roads’ programme, money will be spent on streets that are of poor condition and on sections that carry large volumes of traffic.

To ease congestion, the changes will involve street widening, junction improvements and new signage and traffic lights on the city’s roads.

One project currently in the works is the widening of the A565 (Great Howard Street/Derby Road), which is a major route that handles the traffic flowing between Sefton and Liverpool.

It is hoped that once fully complete it will begin to allow for more traffic flow from within and out of the city centre.

The development is expected to be finished by summer 2019.

Congestion costs Brits billions of pounds each year

FOCUS

LL

11

LIVERPOOL’S DYING HIGH STR££T

Rohin Jalota investigates what has happened to the once-bustling city centre

L

iverpool city centre was once awash with numerous shops offering great deals for the grateful shopper. However, these days, town is a very quiet place with shop after shop closing down.

When Liverpool One opened in 2008. It looked like the only way was up for the city, with a shopping complex to rival any other in the UK. But 11 years later the reality is much bleaker.

Shoppers have indeed thronged into Liverpool One, but this, combined with record numbers going online, has resulted in the likes of St Johns shopping centre, Parker Street and Church Street suffering mass closures.

Once the city’s shopping hub, walk through St Johns today and you’ll see a number of closed shutters. Despite this, Chloe Smith from St Johns management team told Liverpool Life there is nothing to fear about the future of the shopping centre.

She said: “We have very little vacant units. These always increase

All photos © Rohin Jalota

post-Christmas, but we have a robust plan in place. St Johns Shopping Centre is very well placed as we enter our 50th year of operating.”

The closure of electrical retailer Maplin in March last year appears to have accelerated the demise of Parker Street and Church Street.

Stores such as Poundworld, Curry’s PC World, Pauls Hair and Beauty and jewellers J.J Diggle soon followed suit as shoppers opted for new ways and areas to

“The city

council is not doing enough

told LL: “I’m not going to lie, the only reason I come into town is to look around. Most of the time I prefer to shop online. There isn’t anything that makes me want to come and shop in town.”

”F

shop.

Liverpool Life caught up with a number of shoppers around the area to ask their opinions on what is going wrong for the city’s high street.

Robert Frawley, of Liverpool,

ellow shopper Sarah Ambrose, also of Liverpool, echoed Robert’s opinion. She told LL: “It doesn’t surprise me all these shops are closing because the only place people want to go is Liverpool One, all the best shops are there. But you can even see a few stores there are closing now so it’s a problem across the city.

“I don’t think there is anything that can be done, in the end everywhere will close down because online is the place to go.”

More recently Tesco has closed its Parker Street store, with Sports Direct, Swedish furniture store Clas Ohlsen and Superdrug all confirming they are also closing down in the coming months.

In Liverpool One Dune, Argos and Hawkins Bazaar recently confirmed their respective store closures.

Victoria Evans, 67, was highly critical of the city’s leaders for the collapse of the high street.

She told LL: “The city council is not doing enough to bring shop-

pers back up to Church Street.

When I was younger this area [Church Street] used to be packed with people and it was great, now the only reason people come up here is for Primark. Unless the council get shoppers back up here, it will be deserted in a couple of years.”

Liverpool City Council were contacted by Liverpool Life but declined to comment.

One light at the end of the tunnel for Church Street at least, is the opening of the world’s biggest Lush store in the former Dorothy Perkins store due to open in the next couple of months. It is hoped that this will help drive footfall back to Church Street and beyond.

THE GUIDE Roll up for the Circus of Horrors

By CHLOE SMITH

T

he Circus of Horrors it is not for the faint hearted. It is full of unusual, skin-crawling acts. Which keep you wanting more.

It is the one show that takes you on a rollercoaster of a ride as it has an element of rock music, with a twist of horror and gore, but it will keep you laughing throughout.

Dr Haze is the main man of the show and the kept the Gladstone Theatre, Port Sunlight, audience entertained with his commanding

voice and excellent stage presence.

He sings after each performance, adding an extra creepiness to the show.

Circus of Horrors has been touring for over 25 years and has appeared on Britain’s Got Talent, where it got through to the semi-finals.

One of the best parts of the show is the unique sword-swallower ‘Hannibal Clem Hellmurto’, who can not only swallow a sword but swallows a saw.

There is also an appearance by Henry the Hoover, but go and see it to find out why.

It’s a show that keeps you guess-

ing at what will come next and trust me - for the first timers, you will not expect what you see and there are surprises along the way.

Aside from the show, the Circus of Horrors cast are fully committed to their performance and also to their audiences, which is why after every show they come and greet all the guests who want pictures. *For more information about the show and where they are touring visit their website: https://www.circusofhorrors.co.uk/

Sefton's City of Light festival

C

ity of Light in Sefton Park brings not one, but two public art events to Sefton Park, illuminating the dark nights this February half-term (20th-24th). The City of Sanctuary event is a magical floating city of lanterns on the park’s boating lake, and ‘Habitats’ is a trail featuring glowing animals and incredible plants in the Palm House gardens.

The spectacular floating city of lantern buildings will be brought to life by an epic soundscape of original music, poetry and real-life stories and will bring Liverpool communities, international artists and generations together through a breathtaking blend of community creativity, architectural artworks and family participation.

For an up-close experience audiences can buy tickets (£6 plus booking fee) to Habitats: Critters and Creatures Aglow!

Children from nought to ninety-nine are sure to enjoy these unique events which are open from 5pm until 9pm.

Pic: © Chloe Smith

Splashing day out This half term bring your friends and family and see who can make the biggest, craziest splash with the special 'splashometer' at the Puddle Jumping Championships at Martin Mere wetlands centre.

At 2pm every day throughout February Half Term, the Puddle Jumping Championships will take place. There will be daily winners so make sure you are practising before you go but most of all have a fun-filled day with a bunch of splash-filled activities.

Get creative in the craft room which will be open daily 12pm-3.30pm. Design your own welly and create your own paper plate pond.

Get the most out of your wellies and go exploring in the Wild Walk, where you can enture through three types of 'wild' wetland in one mile-long VIP walk – squelch through the mucky meadow and bounce over the wobbly wet bridge.

More information at www.wwt.org.uk

THE GUIDE The Lounge

Do you have the X Factor?

By CHRISTA DALEY

H

ave you got the voice of an angel? Do you think you could be the next big star?

Well you might be in luck, as the new series of X Factor is strutting its stuff to Warrington in search of a singing sensation during a special audition at The Lounge Bar in the town centre.

Producers approached the bar after seeing footage of the bar's open mic nights, which they run every Thursday.

The Lounge have embraced the music scene in Warrington for years, whether it’s young musicians who are braving their first show or an experienced band putting on a gig for their fans.

An open-mic auditions night for the hit TV show is to be hosted at the bar on Springfield Street

from 6pm on March 14.

Negin Karimi, Media and Events Manager of The Lounge, told Liverpool Life: “We are super excited about the auditions. Over the years so many amazing bands and musicians have started off by playing downstairs in our bar and performing their very first gigs on our stage. There’s so much more talent to be discovered and we can’t wait to give people the chance for that to happen.

“We want people to have a place they know they can rely on to play and listen to great music.

We love what The Lounge is about and we’re glad that’s been noticed.”

Anyone aged 16 or over can apply but under-18s must be accompanied by a parent or guardian with valid ID. There will be live auditions

which will be filmed by X Factor on the night, but don’t worry, there will be plenty of opportunity to get up on the mic after the auditions are over and you may even get a cheeky free drink for your efforts.

“We’re lucky enough to have true legends up on our stage, such as Viola Beach who really set the trend for up and coming bands.

We’ve also had Filthy Tricks and Kula Bay," said Negin Karimi.

"We know its 100% possible for someone from Warrington to win it, we have no doubt about that.”

If you think that you have the vocals that could knock the socks off Simon Cowell you can register via direct message The Lounge Bar on Instagram or drop their Facebook page a message.

You can also send a video of your audition via WhatsApp to

© Christa Daley

07733 222 927.

• The top acts from last year’s X Factor will star in The X Factor Live Tour 2019 at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena on March 1, writes Jack Gibson.

The artists confirmed to go on the tour are Dalton Harris, Scarlett Lee, Anthony Russell, Danny Tetley, Acacia & Aaliyah, Brendan Murray, Shan Ako and Bella Penfold.

X Factor Digital Presenter Becca Dudley will be returning as host this year on the live Tour.

The X Factor Tour has thrilled over three million people since it began 14 years ago, making it one of the UK's most successful annual arena tours.

Ticket prices will vary from £27.50 / £42 / £62.50 / VIP £110 depending on seating and VIP access.

Cathedral's lunchtime concerts are a delight

By CHRISTOPHER MEGRATH

L

iverpool Anglican Cathedral is delighting musical fans with weekly operatic shows known as the Francis Neilson Lunchtime concerts.

Tenor Aidan Coburn took centre stage at the latest event, alongside Lee Ward, on the piano to deliver an angelic performance fitting for the venue.

The 30-minute performance included anecdotes of his musical interests and personal stories that left the audience filling the chapel with laughter.

From the outset, the performance filled even the outer halls of the cathedral with the sound

of laughter and the storytelling created a personal, relaxed atmosphere that isn’t typical of a classical concert, and earned the performers a standing ovation.

The cathedral has different singers and pianists every week, from soprano to alto, with years of experience and high profile performances under their belts.

Louise Thomas, Stephen Manning and Stuart Keen are all regulars. The lunchtime concerts are free every Friday and start off at 12:45, however the cathedral does ask guests for a small donation.

Inside the cathedral

© Christopher Megrath

14 LL MUSIC

Polybius honoured to play Cavern

By SEAN WHELAN

P

olybius, a band with humble beginnings, is finally reaping the rewards its commitment deserves.

This four-piece band endured a rocky start with two members leaving the band before its first gig - but that was by no means the end of the story.

Polybius is now a feature at several events across the city’s thriving band scene and Mike Egan, 20, the only original band member remaining, reflects proudly on how far the band have come.

He told Liverpool Life: “I’m so pleased with how well the band’s done, I had no expectations, I, like everyone who’s been in the band, was just doing what I enjoy doing.

“Like many others with a love for music me and some friends started a band.”

Howevere, after they didn’t really take off two members left.

“Me and Adam, our drummer were still looking to make music, just because we enjoyed it.”

Birmingham-born Mike couldn’t hide his smile as he reminisced on the band really taking off.

Polybius members (from left ) Mike, Luis, Dom and Dylan “Things started to go quickly once our lead singer Dylan joined and we entered battle of the bands at uni and got to play at the Cavern club, that was a dream come true!”

This passionate group of friends were doing what they loved and doing it well.

Then last year Adam, the band’s drummer departed and was replaced by Dom. “We had been on the verge of ending the band before we had even gigged at one point, so a de-

parture wasn’t going to stop us!” said the impassioned Brummie.

The band’s current members, Mike, Luis, Dom and Dylan all have varying tastes in music, but that’s an advantage, explains politics student Mike.

“We all have different tastes and inspirations, but I think all of us liking different styles improves us as “We get a different sound, even though everyone says that.”

Polybius, who have also performed in Mike’s native Birming-

ham, are made up of musicians from across the country but cite their respective moves to Liverpool as a big source of inspiration.

“Coming to Liverpool, a city rich in music history really did have a big effect on us!

“Especially getting the honour to play at the Cavern Club, where many famous musicians and bands have previously played, that was amazing.”

You’d be forgiven for thinking conquering the Cavern was the highlight for the group, but there’s a whole repertoire of highlights to pick from.

“I think the EP launch, our last gig, was the highlight, having people singing our songs back to us and there even being a mosh pit was a massive highlight.

“Also, obviously releasing our debut EP!” And as for the future of Polybius, more of the same is fine by Mike.

“We have a few fun gig ideas in the pipeline, we just want to perform and for our audience to continue enjoying our work. Performing is the best feeling going, having that relationship with the crowd, there’s no better feeling.

We just hope to continue!”

Arielle’s sweet and soulful message Simran Roy speaks to singer Arielle in an exclusive for Liverpool Life

L

iverpool has always been a city where budding musicians of all sorts can find their voice and singer-songwriter Arielle is no different.

American born, with a love for the UK, she has been visiting the city as part of her latest tour and says it’s been “awesome” to be here.

Soulful, skilful and sensational, Arielle sat across the table with the slight nervousness of someone not used to being in the spotlight, despite her upcoming festival with names like Keith Urban and Bebe Rexha.

Born in Texas and travel savvy, the 28-year-old singer-songwriter spoke in a soft voice, eyes darting around the room every so often as she contemplated bookings, audiences and the café she’d been playing in for the past hour.

“It’s hard not to feel awesome in Liverpool just because of all of the history,” said Arielle. “I’ve

Arielle performing in Liverpool been here once before but I didn’t get to play then so it’s good to be playing here now. It’s good to feel the vibe.”

Looking at Arielle with her vintage floral shirt and flannel jeans, she’s not the type of person you’d assume was on Queen singer, Brian May’s radar for her skilful guitar playing - but she has been.

With her impeccable guitar skills and sweet and soulful overtones, Arielle’s charm lies in

her ability to create a performance that doesn’t feel formulaic and focused on the next big thing that audiences want but, instead, has a gentle insistence so that you join her in the simple joy of music.

The stage may be for one person but, listening to Arielle sing, you feel as though you’re invited to join her in what can only be described as an intimate experience.

Arielle says she considers herself a conscious artist and what that

entails is drawing from a place of self-awareness, development and personal growth to aid in creating a more peaceful and stable environment.

“I think as people it’s important to be aware of how our actions will affect not only our own lives but other peoples’ lives as well,” she said.

“Depending on what we write about or what we talk about is going to affect, outwardly, other people, other things, so, if you’re feeling down one day, that’s going to rub off on others and I think it’s the same way with music.

“Obviously, there’s a fine line between venting and making something that isn’t completely who we are and, sometimes, being vulnerable that way is really hard.

I think being a conscious artist is just taking that risk and being okay with it because it’s true to who you are.”

If you haven’t had the chance to catch Arielle yet but still want the opportunity of seeing her live, her next North West gig will be in Blackburn on February 22 at the Electric Church Club.

MUSIC Samuel Kelly performing at Birmingham O2 Academy © Nathan Dawe

LL15

Deaf DJ GoateeSam defies odds

By SUMMER-MARIE GEDALL

B

reaking into the music industry is a tough and challenging process that often leads to disappoint-

ment.

Up-and-coming artists commonly face rejection and setbacks that dampen their spirits and make them feel that they’ll never make it and many hopeful musicians will simply give up.

Facing the usual obstacles of the music industry as an aspiring DJ is 18-year-old Samuel Kelly, otherwise known as DJ GoateeSam. But unlike most, he faces the additional challenge of being registered deaf.

He launched his career as a DJ back in 2016 after struggling with his mental health and now uses music as a method of relaxation.

He said: “I’ve been making music for two years now and I’m currently working on a new project which will hopefully challenge me more and help me to promote my skills as a DJ. “I want to prove to people that deafness and mental health issues don’t have to hold you back and I also want to raise awareness of these topics.”

Despite his young age, Samuel has already been scouted by Burtonupon-Trent-based DJ Nathan Dawe and has received his support and mentorship for the past two years.

Samuel Kelly and Nathan Dawe performing at Birmingham O2 Academy © Nathan Dawe The Electronic dance DJ brought Sam out as a supporting act of his headline show in Birmingham back in January.

Samuel added: “After meeting Nathan Dawe I felt so inspired.

He has fulfilled my life and made me realise that my mental health

issues don’t have to define me and now I am feeling so much better and so much more alive.

“I tend to work around the genres of Dubstep and Riddim as I absolutely love this style of music.

It inspires me and makes me feel awesome.”

Despite his success, Samuel has faced many challenges on his journey.

He has faced rejection and has been ignored by a number of managers after revealing to them that he is deaf.

He told LL: “I faced some challenges when I tried to DJ without my hearing aid as without it I can barely hear a thing. The music doesn’t feel as good without it and it’s impossible for me to control the decks.

“I’ve had managers reject me or not respond to me after I’ve told them that I’m deaf, but I’ll keep chasing them up anyway because they should accept me for who I am.”

The deaf community in Liverpool is small and according to Samuel it is difficult to meet people who are in his position. His motivation for becoming a DJ is not only to help himself relax but also to help and inspire others.

He said: “I use the environment of music to make me feel good, to support myself and to show myself the respect I deserve.

“I believe in myself and I haven’t done this to become famous. I only want to show people what I can do and show other deaf people that they can achieve anything.”

16 LL FASHION

MELLOW Shop our favourite dresses for Spring 2019 Paper Dolls Bardot Dress £50

M&Co Floral Leaf Lace Dress £89

Miss Selfridge Mini Dress £26

Joe Browns floral dress £45

Dorothy Perkins Leopard Dress £46

Paper Dolls Lace Pencil Dress £80

Oliver Bonas Sun Dress £65

Wallis Shirt Dress £48

STYLE

YELLOW Accessorize Belt-Bag £19

Must-have shoes and accessories this season

Primark Satchel £8

Newlook Heels £22.99

Topshop Boots £85

LL

17

Claire’s tassel earrings £4

Dune London Trainers £85

Debenhams Sandals £14

Oliver Bonas Sunnies £22

Newlook Headband £5.99

Accessorize Handbag £30

Office Heels £69

Newlook Trainers £25.99

18

LL GOING OUT

LEGO to the Zoo L

Brilliant brickwork at Chester Zoo Pictures©Shannon Lyon

ife-sized animals have been made from hundreds of thousands of Lego bricks at Chester Zoo. The new Big Cats trail features 12 giant creations including a tiger, lioness and leopard.

Some 661,042 pieces of the popular building toy have been used to create the spectacular masterpieces, which has taken a whopping 2,000 hours to build by expect builders at Bright Bricks.

Each piece has been glued into place to ensure the longevity of the animals and to withstand the elements.

This is the first time the zoo has staged such an exhibition and the family-friendly event will stay open until April 30.

The world’s biggest felines are all featured in one place within the zoo, near the Danger of Dragons building. If the life-sized models aren’t enough, visitors can go searching for ten miniature

By SHANNON LYON

models, which will be dotted around the zoo.

Dr Simon Dowell, Director of Science at Chester Zoo, said: “They’re absolutely fantastic. The first time I saw this one, I actually thought ‘is that really a tiger out of the cage?’

“They really are superb, it’s a great way of promoting wildlife in a sort of novel way.”

Families can also have a go at creating their own Lego animals or join the Zoo Rangers, who have lots of information about the Big Cats.

Visitors to the zoo said how much they enjoyed the new exhibit.

Sue Michael, 69, from Wirral, said: “I think they are fantastic. Really, really good.

Sometimes they look better from a distance, as they look life-like.”

Linda Mulvaney, 53, from Crewe, said: “It’s a great way of representing real creatures. I like the way with Lego you can make anything.

“I think it’s inspiring for children.”

The zoo is hoping the exhibition will help raise awareness of the threats that are faced by species in the wild.

Alex Knight, PR Manager at Chester Zoo, said: “A lot of what we do at the zoo, as well as the conservation work, is to try and engage visitors of all ages.

“It’s about how we can prevent extinction together, really. This is just a slightly different way of trying to bring younger audiences in and get them interacting with the Big Cats.”

• Find out more at www. chesterzoo.org

Superb seasonal markets a Hope Street hit

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Honey, I sold some jars! Customers and traders at the market

H

ope Street’s Makers Market is a perfect blend of old school markets meshed with new aged millennial-focused sales.

On the third Sunday of every month, the market showcases a collection of independent artisan traders who come together to share their passions with the community. Local businesses from as far as Leeds come to put

the brands they created with their own hands on show, from Manchester Fluid rum to luxury baked goods.

Crosby-based trader Tony Gordon is the owner of Eshe Honey, a natural luxury honey brand with hives all over Liverpool. The 55-year-old told Liverpool Life why the Makers Market keeps drawing them back.

“We’ve been all over really and find here has the best mix of peo-

ple. You get a lot of folk coming with specific things they want to buy. There’s always a good mix and people are more willing to try it out.”

A huge selection of food is available, from the standard cakes and biscuits to German sausage and Chinese and Indian stalls, situated next to a rustic seating area. Organisers select the best local food, drink, art and music to showcase what is really happening

© Christopher Megrath in the area.

The majority of stalls sell locally-produced food or items, so customers are helping someone share their passion with the world.

The majority of the food is cooked on site, has no additives and the items are all handmade.

These are just a few of the many reasonsto give it a visitwhen it returns on March 17.

By CHRISTOPHER MEGRATH

GOING OUT

LL

Liverpool landmark transforms into a wonderland Megan Tattersley went to St George’s Hall to follow Alice down the rabbit hole...

A

Merseyside charity has transformed an iconic Liverpool landmark into Alice’s wonderland for the final time.

For just over an hour, In Another Place takes visitors along their live action production of The Alice Experience at St George’s Hall.

The Crosby-based charity has been producing shows in this building for the past seven years.

This is the second time the 14-year-old charity has displayed the classic tale of Alice’s adventures, this year with additional features.

Chief Steward Jenni Moss told LL: “This year we have a new director, Iona Farley, who has made the show even better, she’s seen things we had missed and haven’t thought about.”

A new element was the Humpty Dumpty scene, which sees the face of Liverpool’s Bishop, Paul Bayes, projected onto the face of the egg.

Ms Moss has been working for the charity for six years and says they welcome any volunteers.

“We give anyone the chance to get involved in our work because everyone has something to give,” she said.

Many of their helpers have disabilities ranging from Autism, Down’s syndrome to being partially sighted or deaf.

The props used on the set were made by adults with additional needs who attended cardboard workshops run by Ms Moss. Other artisitc additions were created by

Wonderful Flowers in Wonderland pupils from The City of Liverpool College.

Miriam Denno, who volunteers as a steward, has William Syndrome.

She told LL: “I have been involved in many of the shows, they have all gone well and I love that I get to be involved with everyone.”

In total there are 90 main actors taking part in the twoweek production, along with 130 playing cards.

New for 2019, the company added a couple of Prosecco and Canapé evenings.

Charlotte Jenner-Howe, who plays one of the Queen of Hearts, told LL: “I love being a part of a production like this because everyone in the team supports one

Pictures © Megan Tattersley

another and I like that they are autism friendly.”

Miss Jenner-Howe became involved in the production through her church and appeared in their last production of The Narnia Experience, in 2017.

“So far this show is going very well, people seen to be enjoying it, especially on the prosecco nights,” she said.

The show began on February 9 and will conclude on February 23.

Despite this being the last show at Liverpool’s grand hall, the charity are in talks to create a bigger performance for 2020 in the city centre.

Performer Charlotte Jenner-Howe in action

19

20 LL HEALTH

Yoga Bag Prety Little Thing - £22

Yoga Mat JD Sports - £23

Liquid Yoga Spray www.Lookfantasic.com - £19.50

Time to Stretch LL picks out some of the best yoga accessories

Yoga blocks Amazon - £10.99

Yoga ball Sports Direct - £6.99

Yoga towel Lulu lemon UK - £24

Hair band Sweaty Betty - London £10

Yoga water bottle Selfridges - £27.99

Stella McCartney yoga pants Selfridges - £80

HEALTH

Yoga classes give new mums space to breathe

LL

21

Prenatal classes aim to prepare mothers for labour

By EMMA FEGAN

T

here is a reason why yoga has become an upcoming trend in recent years, one that doesn’t look like it will be stopping anytime soon. With many different forms, postures and techniques, yoga is beneficial for just about anyone – mothers especially.

After a £50,000 offer on Dragon’s Den from Duncan Bannatyne in 2013, YogaBellies went global with its specifically-designed classes to help women through difficult stages in their life such as menopause, menstruation and pregnancy, babies are also able to join with mother straight after birth.

Becky Talbot from Bebington, started attending classes in Lancashire when she fell pregnant with her first baby.

When she moved back home to the Wirral, she brought YogaBellies with her and is now teaching Merseyside’s first YogaBellies classes.

She said: “It really helped me to gain confidence in my pregnancy and when I had my little girl. It was a fantastic non-judgement place where I could go and talk

about my worries and fears, which I think all women suffer with during pregnancy and being a new mum. It also helped in my birth as I used the breathing techniques to help remain calm and focused.

It help me to recover quickly and to start feeling more like myself again after the births.

“The aim is to combine physical exercise, that is safe, with a sense of community. Pregnancy and motherhood can be a daunting and isolating time and we don’t want our classes to just be about exercise – we want to help foster friendships and support networks.

We also plan our classes to suit each woman so we can support them on their journey.”

The former RE teacher decided to make a drastic career switch as being a secondary school teacher was eating away at her family time. The 29-year-old’s life has now been transformed through the benefits of yoga and being able to bond and work with her kids.

She said: “It has really changed my life for the better, I am spending time watching my little ones grow but I am also watching my business grow and I’m working for

something so positive, hopefully making a difference.

“I actually think women are often trying to do too much while they are pregnant. Yoga is exercise but it is also about relaxing and taking time to think about your pregnancy and the baby you are carrying.”

The prenatal sessions incorporate breathing techniques for pregnancy and labour; traditional yoga asanas (postures); self-hypnosis and deep relaxation. The Mum & Baby classes are fun-filled and babies enjoy interaction with mummy through music and baby yoga.

“We make sure baby is involved throughout. We have postures for baby, postures for mum and

baby together and some postures for mum to help her regain her fitness. The class is very relaxed and the needs of the baby comes first. Mums are welcome to feed, change and soothe their baby as necessary and this is the first priority.”

Classes for pregnancy are currently being held in Wirral at Hoylake Parade Community Hall and the Health and Happiness Hub, Frankby. Becky has plans to bring YogaBellies to Bebington after finding a suitable venue.

• To find out more information on YogaBellies and classes, visit http://www. yogabellies.co.uk

22 LL

PEOPLE

From the front line to the front page...

By CHRISTA DALEY

A

fter facing some harrowing crimes and murder investigations, a former CID officer hung up his uniform and swapped the force for fiction.

Robert F Barker, who served in the police for 30 years, has drawn on his own experiences for his latest novel Midnight’s Door.

From the late ‘80s to the mid ‘90s, the now retired police chief was based in Warrington during the era when Mr Smith’s nightclub was the main attraction for clubbers on a Friday night.

Bob Barker, 65, told Liverpool Life: “There were a lot of fracas in and outside the club and we ended up picking up the pieces. I was in

the thick of that in terms of the investigations.”

Some of his most notable cases involved the iconic Mr Smith’s nightclub, which was demolished almost four years ago after a fire ripped through the building leaving a trail of destruction.

When he retired from the police in 2002, the Liverpool-born writer said he always remembered Mr Smith’s, as it was part of a very busy period of his policing career and he frequently harks back to that period in his writing.

Working with some of his excolleagues who were involved in security training sparked some of the creative ideas for the novel.

Bob said: “There’s always potential for things to happen - that’s

CREATIVE FORCE: Author Robert P Barker

Above: Midnight’s Door, Robert’s latest novel, based on his experience of serving with the police for 30 years what it’s all based on.

“It was a mixture of my previous experience of being Detective Inspector and working with door staff. They are interesting characters.

“They appear as people to not get on the wrong side of, but these days by large they are professional group of people men and women doing a very difficult job in very difficult circumstances. I have a lot of admiration for those who do it well.”

Drawing from a gripping account of life, ‘on the door’, and the threats door staff have to face, Midnight’s Door probes a world that clubbers never get to see.

Bob continued: “They are almost amateur psychologists and good at dealing with conflict and they don’t often have to get involved

physically if they have the skills to sort people around that’s what I found interesting and fascinating and while I was working with them that’s where I got the idea to start a novel based around a group of door staff and that’s what Midnight’s Door is.”

The novel is gritty and fictitious, but there are references based loosely on real incidents as it follows Danny Norton on his action-packed rollercoaster to keep danger out.

“With a serial killer terrorising the town and a Russian gangstertype trying to take over the club to further his drug-dealing operations, it is a fast-paced thriller that may have particular appeal for Warrington crime fiction fans or anyone who remembers the club,” Bob added.

INVESTIGATION

LL 23

WOULD YOU PAY TO BE INSULTED? meet the pay pigs

Definition: (noun) A person who gives money to somebody else as part of a humiliation fetish (Urban Dictionary) Liverpool Life delves into the strange world of those who pay women to offend them

M

y friends and I have joked about getting a ‘pay pig’ for a while.

If you’re not familiar with the term, a pay pig is basically someone who asks strangers online to insult and humiliate them.

We weren’t really serious about dedicating a Twitter account to this service, until one day fellow student Marie Smith mentioned that she had made £150 in one week solely from ‘Findom’. That’s when curiosity and temptation got the better of me.

Talking about her experience with Findom, Marie said: “Basically ‘Findom’ refers to financial domination. The submissive clients enjoy being dominated by spending their money on their dom.

“I find it empowering. They call me a goddess and spoil me in return for time. I’d recommend it to anyone who doesn’t have time for a full-time job and is need of a confidence boost.”

I set up a joint account with my three flatmates that night. All it took was a few tweets with the appropriate hashtags. Before we knew it, we were receiving dozens of messages from eager ‘human ATMs’, asking us to drain them of their money and make them our slaves.

In the absurd world of Findom twitter, you have your ‘subs’ and your ‘doms’. Subs are those who pay to be dominated. They usually refer to themselves as slaves who want to worship someone.

These forms of worship can involve anything from the sub sending embarrassing videos for the dom to laugh at, to carrying out degrading acts such as drinking toilet water.

At first, I thought it was a funny

and harmless way to make some easy money. It’s not as though I was trolling someone unnecessarily or participating in cyberbullying. After all, if they’re literally asking you to insult them, you’re giving them what they want by doing so, right?

Maybe for some people that truly is the case and they genuinely enjoy feeling humiliated. But it didn’t take too long for me to feel that I was taking advantage of vulnerable people online by exploiting some underlying problems that neither they nor I understood.

F

irst of all, when you’ve got a Twitter account dedicated to the business of Findom, your newsfeed will become a scary place.

There are some things that just can’t be unseen. It’s safe to say that any shred of innocence I had left is long gone.

And the novelty of having multiple ‘slaves’ to worship you may seem appealing but it soon wears off when you realise it’s the equivalent to having several very needy, troubled boyfriends.

Not to mention the feeling of guilt you’d get when a sub has sent you £100 Amazon gift cards and then mentions how angry his wife would be if she ever found out. You can call him a disgusting sleaze-ball for this … but he’ll only enjoy it more.

One sub had particularly piqued my interest. We’ll call him Wilbur.

He seemed at odds with himself.

A bombardment of desperate messages to be humiliated would be followed up with a bout of self-deprecation. He would call himself a freak and talk about Findom like it was an addiction that he couldn’t kick.

I asked Wilbur why he didn’t just delete his account. He said he’d deactivated it before but kept coming back. I soon found out that in the past he’d had troubles with anxiety

and depression. He believed that his fetish had derived from a past relationship where he was often bossed about.

Wilbur also had a thing for being blackmailed. He’d send videos of himself dancing in his underwear and ask for them to be posted until he’d paid for them to be taken down. This wasn’t the most unusual request but he’d usually ask for it to be deleted right away and claim that he had changed his mind.

He also wasn’t very good at concealing his real identity. Despite having his account under a pseudonym, I was able to find his Instagram and Facebook profile simply by searching the name his Paypal was under.

I tried to warn him about this as I knew that other doms would probably use it for blackmail.

This only led to him to continue trying to stay in touch with me as a friend. He’d often ask for advice with dating and how he could be more confident in himself.

I entertained this for a while but it seemed like there was no

in between with Wilbur. He’d immediately change the tone of a normal conversation to ask if he could be my slave again. But it felt bad now, not only because I felt sympathetic towards him but because I’d seen that there was a person behind the account.

Someone who seemed totally normal.

I’ve decided to give up my shortlived Findom career. I realised that it’s not really for me as I’m no good at detaching from what I’ve said to subs - whether they claim to like it or not.

Names have been changed

24 L

L REAL LIFE

“I realised that life really is too short to not be doing what makes you happy”

Jessica with her father Martin Gallier (above) © Jessica Gallier

Daughter’s campaign to honour her late father

A

Jessica at Gallier House in New Ferry © Jessica Gallier

By ANGELICA DAY

brave mum has opened up a non-profit support system after her dad’s suicide. In 2017 Jessica Gallier, from Port Sunlight, lost her father to suicide and as a form of therapy, she refurbished tired furniture.

She suffered with her own mental health issues and was medicated for depression and anxiety.

She enjoyed mending old furniture and painting it, as she used to paint with her dad, Martin, who was a carpenter all his life.

Jessica told LL: “He had a history of mental health struggles and had really low lows. He even had to live out of his car through sub-zero temperatures.”

She explained that Gallier House, a community organisaton in New Ferry, was born from these personal experiences.

She said: “We did all sorts to fundraise money to start this and

even had a Just Giving page. I had just been fortunate in a sense that when my dad died, I realised that life really is too short to not be doing what makes you happy.

So I left my job and after giving myself that much-needed break, I dedicated my time and all that I had on this project.”

Jessica explained that as a process to get Gallier House established as a Community Interest Company (CIC), she had to write quite a few funding bids.

Last month, she got an email from the Big Lottery fund who handed her £10,000 to kick-start the project, along with an extra £1,000 from ACC Liverpool.

She said: “When I started Gallier House, I refurbished old furniture and sold it as well as providing some of my own advice from losing my dad. I wanted to be able to hand out legitimate advice in preventing suicides and supporting families following suicide bereavement.

“I started at 80-hour weeks of hard work, sheer passion and a lot of coffee. I took out a year-long lease for a centre in the middle of New Ferry, an area where we raised a lot of the money. It’s also a place that needs support as well as anywhere else.”

The mum-of-one announced that on February 8th, marking two years after her dad’s death, the lease would begin for the new location, which has attracted a lot of attention already.

W

ith the support of a great army of volunteers from the surrounding areas in New Ferry, Bebbington, Port Sunlight and Cornerstone Church, they will be running training courses from their very own building.

The founding director said: “The idea is to create a space where everyone can act on their passion and I can also teach preventative ways of suicide and provide the

appropriate support. We also sell art and photography produced by the local people that are suffering from a mental health issue.”

At the beginning, it was just Jessica and her furniture, as well as selling art and photography and speaking about mental health, suicide and raising a lot of awareness.

The money she fundraised prior to getting professional training to hold workshops, she donated to MIND and suicide crisis but after registering as a CIC in the summer of 2018, she started fundraising for their own services.

She said: “Just speak up, there’s absolutely no shame in not being okay. If my dad could see now the people that still care about him and cared about him at the time and the things that spurred from his death, I’m sure he would reconsider.

“If he’d spoken up at the time, then I don’t think any of this would have happened.”

REAL LIFE

LL 25

He fought for his country, now he’s living on the streets DAVID HAYCOCKS investigates the rise in homelessness amongst former service men and women

W

Ex soldier: Steven Burn

It is thought that around 66,000 war veterans are homeless, in prison or suffering with mental health issues in the UK

hen serviceman Steven Burn came out of the army, he had an accident at work which left him without employment or a place to live. For the past 14 weeks, he has been living on the streets.

Steven, 36, from Bootle, said: “I came out the army and went self-employed but then had an accident - I came off a ladder when I was 30 feet in the air.

“I got two compound fractures and ended up losing my job and my house.

“I had an accident, lost my house, lost my job and now I’m on the streets.”

It is thought that around 66,000 war veterans are homeless, in prison or suffering with mental health issues in the UK. Other than the opportunity to gain a qualification, there is little in place to help servicemen leaving the army to go straight into a job.

When asked about what the army has done to help since finding himself in a rough patch, Steven said: “They did nothing. once I got in touch with my unit and let them know I was in trouble I got an email back with a list of charities to ring, that’s it.”

Usually there are benefits for people who have served, although you have to have served for a certain amount of time to claim them. Unfortunately, Steven was not eligible.

He said: “I fell short by eight months of being eligible for a pension but I came out because I had enough, in my last 18 months I

broke all the metatarsals in my right foot and I was a postman for the army as I was rehabilitating.”

The Mental Health Foundation said that 25,000 veterans are being treated for mental health conditions, but they also claim that only around half of those suffering are receiving treatment, meaning 50,000 veterans are suffering with mental health problems.

T

he rate of soldiers or ex-military servers suffering with PTSD is at 9.4% for those who served in Afghanistan or Iraq and 5% for those who served elsewhere The Ministry of Defence established that 3% of the people in prison or on probation have served in the armed forces, meaning around 9,600 ex-soldiers have turned to crime.

It is believed that around 6,000 of the homeless people in the UK are veterans, according to a variety of veteran and homeless charities and official government statistics.

Over the past 20 years, there have been 309 suicides in the regular UK armed forces according to gov statistics and there are still open verdict cases going on now.

However, the rate of suicide has decreased in ex-military members as eight out of every 100,000 males between the ages of 16-59 have taken their own life in 2017 compared to the 18 per 100,000 in 2016.

The Royal Engineers, where Steven Burn served, were contacted but were unavailable for comment.

We’re making the Headlines

Latest issue available now.

Read all about our journalism graduates at: www.issuu.com/ljmujournalism www.jmu-journalism.org.uk

27 L

L GRAD WATCH

Budding reporter heads to crime capital Gradwatch DAVID HAYCOCKS talks to LIAM KEEN

A

month after graduating, 2018 graduate Liam Keen found himself reporting from the crime capital of the West Midlands.

Reporting for England’s biggest-selling regional evening newspaper is very enjoyable for Liam, mainly because his patch, which contains Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley, Sandwell and

Liam at his graduation in 2018

Staffordshire, produces lenty of hard news stories.

Wolverhampton has a high crime rate, meaning Liam spends a lot of time covering these kinds of stories.

Liam told Liverpool Life: “These areas of the West Midlands see a lot of crime, meaning that reporters are regularly attending murder

‘As a young reporter it is important to adapt quickly’ scenes, hit and runs, stabbings, shootings, burglaries etc.

“Although these incidents are tragic, horrible and disgusting acts of violence, as a young reporter it is important to adapt quickly and be able to deal with these difficult situations.”

If you want to be a journalist then you have to love what you do and embrace the chances you get to use your skills.

Liam explained: “Despite the horrific nature of the offences I enjoy leaving the office and speaking to people in our patches, seeing what our readers and the people living in the area think of the crimes - as well seeing the process the emergency services and forensics go through in each case.”

Shortly after gaining his degree, Liam was travelling on his way down to Wolverhampton to begin his new role as a professional reporter.

He said: “I was fortunate enough to start my job one month after my final assignment was handed

in at university.

“In the final few months of my studies, I started to look at and apply for various roles. In the end I attended four interviews and was offered three jobs, accepting the Express & Star’s offer.”

Before he graduated, Liam was already working for a month and even though he was primarily a broadcast student, he has begun his journey by writing for a newspaper.

Liam said“The main skills I took into the workplace were practical skills about finding and putting together stories.

“To know the best places to find stories, to spot a good story, to understand how to approach it and then finally put it together.

“Having a good news sense is something that can come quite naturally to people, but it can also be worked on and honed.”

Many graduates who have studied at LJMU say that what they have learned during university has prepared them for the real world and Liam can be added to that list.

28 L

L SPORT

Believe in yourself

Anna Kessel (right) in conversation with Fran Yeoman

© Nadia Breen

Sports journalist Anna Kessel on what it takes to suceed in a competitive world

BY NADIA BREEN

A

nna Kessel MBE has fought to make it big as a sports journalist in a male-dominated world - and has come far since she “used to dress to disappear”.

She has now covered Olympic Games and World Championships, and interviewed some of the biggest stars in global sports.

The sports writer for The Observer and The Guardian visited Liverpool John Moores University to advise aspiring journalists on how to become successful in the industry.

She is also the co-founder of Women in Football, an organization lobbying against sexism in the game.

Anna told Liverpool Life that she wasn’t always interested in sport and that she skipped her PE lessons at school.

She added: “When I was a kid we had Euro 96. The whole country got behind this huge sporting event. Gazza was the icon of it all and even The Spice Girls loved it.

“I got caught up in this fever of the nation. My parents are not from this country so they were a bit unsure of the politics of sport.

“My dad is South African so sport for him involved racial discrimination.

“My mum is Czech so she grew up with sport being a vehicle for totalitarian regimes. That meant they were both a bit sceptical about nationalism in sport, but for me it was a nice way to kind of almost assimilate into British culture.”

Anna then fell in love with sport and found it helpful to go to swimming and yoga to deal with the stresses of university.

Scene from the 2012 London Olympics, just one of the many events Anna Kessel has covered © Wikimedia Commons She decided she wanted to be a sports journalist and wrote to every sports desk in the country, and received one reply - from The Observer - which said she could go on work experience there.

The campaigner for women’s rights in sport then quit her job and moved back to London to live with her parents so she could pursue her passion. Her plan was to stay there until she got a fulltime job.

Anna had a supportive editor who allowed her to work freelance doing results and night shifts, along with working on the news website to make a living.

She explained that to be successful, you have to be willing to do the small jobs when asked, and not to be too proud.

She said: “During the day I contributed to weekly news conferences and volunteered for different projects, like going down to Brixton and asking 100 people what they thought of cricket. No one else wants to do that job but I was excited.

“You need to be prepared to do the worst things but at the same time you need to believe in yourself, back yourself and have ambition to do the best things.

Somehow, have the attitude of that but push harder. That is what I aimed to do.”

She eventually was offered a contract that gave her opportunities she wouldn’t have had without her previous experience.

When The Guardian journalist was researching her book, she read pieces on the language of sport in industries and businesses, along with its uses as a networking tool.

A

nna claims when Alistair Campbell and Tony Blair used to have a kick about at Highbury fields once a week, women weren’t invited to play.

“Women within in the Labour party were saying this was a really exclusionary tool because all this lovely bonding about football, nationalism and politics didn’t include women.”

Anna said her editor never just regarded her as “the girl” on the sports desk whereas a lot others did and being in the hub of a really good platform was important.

When she asked to interview a Chelsea player, he said if she was able to get the interview she could.

She told Liverpool Life: “I sat

down to interview Eidur Gudjohnsen and I wasn’t afraid to ask him anything.

“I was interested in the human side of this star and wanted to write something about him what I hadn’t read before.

“When I first started at Stamford Bridge I used to sit at the back.

You need to get out of the habit of this and force yourself into the front row to get eye contact with the person you want to ask.”

The author’s best bits have been going to Jamaica to watch the Athletic Championships and being able to meet with Hussain Bolt.

Anna has now covered a total of three Olympic Games, including 2004 Athens Olympics where she had to volunteer to write blogs and sleep on a sofa.

She then covered Beijing 2008 with a proper press pass, and was the Chief Athletics Correspondent for London 2012.

She said: “It was a dream come true. I sat at that press desk every day and it was a magical feeling. It was very strange as I even walked to work to report every day as the stadium was so close to my home.

I had overcome so many barriers.”

Although Anna has had so much success now, she said it comes with great responsibilities and you have to work hard to make a name for yourself in an industry full of men.

“I used to dress to disappear.

“I would turn up to report on events in jeans and trainers to blend in. I would never wear a dress or heels but over the years I’ve learnt that what I wear isn’t going to change what I can do.

“I sometimes even purposely wear pink or bring a pink notebook now. You need to be authentic to who you are.”

SPORT LL29

Tributes paid to Marine stalwart

By SEAN WHELAN Marine FC are mourning the death of beloved lifelong fan and PA announcer Graham Cowperthwaite.

The club will pay its respects to Graham, who dedicated much of his life to the club, at their next home game against Workington on Saturday.

Tributes have flooded in for Graham, who was not only the voice of the club for over 20 years, but a regular in Marine away ends up and down the country.

Chairman of Marine Supporters Association Susan Nugent told Liverpool Life just how terrible a shock Graham’s sudden death was to everyone, but reminisces fondly on the life of the most loyal of Mariners.

“Graham was indeed the voice and sound of Marine to all of us Mariners and to those who visited our club. He had a distinctive deep, warm, welcoming voice and was ever the professional. He took his PA duties seriously and spent many hours preparing his music choices which were often themed depending on the time of year or choose in relation to how Marine

were playing.

“We shall all remember him banging on the back of the stand to get the Marine chants going. I hope that when Marine holds its minutes silence or applause for him it ends with someone banging on the back of the stand Graham style and get’s us all shouting MARINE! A suitable tribute and one Graham would like, I think.”

Community Officer Barry Lenton also paid tribute to Graham. “I am deeply saddened that Graham has been taken away from the Marine Family at such a relatively young age.

“He was absolutely passionate about Marine, spoke his mind on all things related to the club and had supported Marine all of his adult life. I think he had been our man on the tannoy for over 20 years. He clearly loved it and often injected moments of Scouse wit because he was, in many ways, a typical Liverpool lad, full of confidence but never arrogant.

“Marine has lost a great son and brother and we shall miss his banging on the back of the stand to rouse the fans, we shall miss his wit, we shall miss his voice.

“Graham will never be forgotten.

Graham during his time at Marine He was a loyal supporter and we shall miss him very much.”

Marine Chairman Paul Leary also praised the cherished Graham.

“Graham was a true Mariner, completely dedicated to the foot-

© Marine FC

ball club he loved. His sense of humour, personality and presence will be sadly missed by everyone at Marine.

“Tributes that have been made are a real testament of him; he was a friend to all who met him.”

Sports round-up by Ben Higgins 2019 Gymnastics British Championship M&S Bank Arena Exhibition Hall Liverpool Thursday March 14-17 Tickets from £18.91

Reds with Arrows Friday March 1 Anfield Stadium Tickets from £61

Are you ready to be wowed by the strength, power and amazing skills from Britain’s best artistic gymnasts? Take your seat and watch Olympic, Commonwealth and European stars battle it out for the prestigious British titles this March.

Anfield, the famous home of Liverpool FC, will play host to both Darts Legends & LFC Legends in an evening hosted by Paul Booth – Professional Sports MC.

From the powerhouses on the rings to the grace and beauty of the floor routines, you will be treated to extraordinary performances from Britain’s most talented gymnasts.

With sell-out crowds for the last two years, make sure you don’t miss out.

Liverpool legends Steve McMahon and John Aldridge and darts legends Bobby George and Peter Hanley will be among the guests at this not to be missed event.

National Junior Para Swimming Championships Saturday March 2 Liverpool City Centre Tickets from £4.85

GymFusion Liverpool 2019 Date: Saturday February 23 Time: 4pm The Auditorium Liverpool Tickets from £9.65

Come and witness the country’s top up and coming young Para-swimming talent in Liverpool. You can be part of the crowd that cheers them on at Liverpool Aquatics Centre.

GymFusion, British Gymnastics National Festivals Programme, has seen more than 25,000 performers take part in show-style festivals across the UK.

The Championships run on Saturday and Sunday March 2 and 3.

Whether you’re keen to support your local club or team, see your friends or relatives perform or simply to enjoy the gymnastics, get your tickets now to ensure you don’t miss out on the fun and variation GymFusion has to offer in 2019.

Festival preview:p 31

30 LL

SPORT

Merseyside’s memory makers With the Merseyside derby approaching, Rebecca Thomas speaks to Liverpool and Everton fans about their favourite memories of their team ... and what football means to them

I

still remember my first Liverpool match with my dad, the overwhelming feeling when you walk up the stairs to Anfield.

But for me, the most important thing about football is how it brings my family together.

It doesn’t matter what we’re all doing whether it’s work or University - me, my dad and my grandad will always watch the Champions League matches together. That’s why football is so important because it brings my family together even when we’re leading busy lives.

My dad has had a season ticket for 33 years and has travelled across the world following Liverpool.

He said: “Football means the world and has let me see the world. I was in Istanbul in 2005 for the greatest drama ever. It has brought me a life time of friends who I have been going the football with since I was a kid.”

Although in more recent years Everton haven’t had the same successes as other premier league sides, staunch Evertonian Roy Stewart has fond memories of attending the match with his dad.

Roy told Liverpool Life: “My dad started taking me to the match in the 1970-1971 season,

Left: Rebecca Thomas and her brother Centre: Aynsley Galway with her dad, right, and John Aldridge Right: Roy Stewart and his son the season after we won the league. We had 14 years of mediocrity, before finally winning the FA Cup and to be there with him was fantastic.

We went on to win the league in 85 and I was lucky enough to go Rotterdam with my dad.”

Roy has now carried on the tradition with his son and still travels around the world watching football.

Liverpool fan Farrell Keeling still remembers attending his first ever match with his family: “it was a friendly between Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund in the 2014/2015 season.

It was the first game I attended with my family, as well as our first time in Liverpool, so the experience was doubly special. I’ll never forget hearing Anfield belt out You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

Everton fan Dave Crowley had a season ticket for Everton between the ages of 5-20. Dave told Liverpool Life: “My fondest memory was the last game of the season in 1998. Everton had to win to stay up and we were relying on the Chelsea vs Bolton game to go our way. I remember we scored and missed a penalty before Coventry equalised.

“At that point I thought that was it, I’m not ashamed to admit I was only nine and I was crying my eyes out.

Then Chelsea scored and that goal kept us up, I still remember Chelsea fans booing at their own goal because they wanted Everton to get relegated.”

Aynsley Galway gave her dad the ultimate Anfield experience. She said: “I took him to the dugout in Anfield Road end as a Christmas present because he hasn’t been a game in 20 years.

“It was brilliant to watch him experience ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ being sang live.

He also got to meet Jimmy Case and John Aldridge and was like a 5 year old meeting santa!”

The Hillsborough disaster brought the city and the two teams together, almost everyone knew someone at Hillsborough.

My dad was at the 1989 FA Cup final between Everton and Liverpool. he said: “it was very emotional for both sets of supporters, the cry from the crowd for most of the afternoon was ‘Merseyside, Merseyside’.

“It’s only now in later years that I can appreciate that Everton fans were supporting us through a difficult time. Later, we drank in the same pubs. I can always look back to that hot day at Wembley when the blue and red of Liverpool were brothers in arms.”

Tricky German mission for Reds after Anfield draw

By CHLOE TOMKINS A disappointing goalless draw at Anfield last night left Jurgen Klopp’s men facing an uphill struggle against Bayern Munich in their Champions League round of 16 tie.

Liverpool sit second in the Premier League and were unbeaten in their previous four games – Munich also sit second in their domestic league and

they have made no secret of their desire to be successful in continental competition once again.

After an entertaining first half, it was astonishing to end the first 45 minutes goalless. On the quarter hour, spectators watched what seemed to be a hectic game of goalmouth pinball, after Liverpool’s Matip sliced hard towards his own keeper from close range.

Luckily, Alisson was in exactly the right place, and the ball smashed

off him.

Liverpool talisman Mo Salah wasn’t on his usual form as a perfect cross from Alexander-Arnold found him at the far post, but a downward header was wide right from close range and fails to pass Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

The result means Liverpool will have to go to Munich on March 13th needing to score to progress, while there will be the feeling that this was an opportunity missed

to build momentum ahead of the Reds’ Premier League clash against resurgent arch-rivals Manchester United on Sunday.

Liverpool also take on rivals Everton on March 3rd in the much-anticipated Merseyside derby.

Meanwhile, Tranmere Rovers were in league action last night and maintained their push towards the play-offs with a 2-1 win away at Port Vale.

SPORT LL

31

Brothers have Bulldog in their blood

By SEAN WHELAN

Heads up: Conor in fighting spirit

© Conor Phillips

Muay Thai comeback for kick-boxing Conor

By ABIGAIL LAWRENCE Liverpool Thai boxer Conor Phillips is making his comeback this week when he fights in Thailand at the Hua Hin stadium after taking a year out due to injury, Conor is a professional fighter ranking at number three in the UK and has been fighting for just over six years from the age of 13.

Muay Thai is referred to as the “Art of Eight Limbs” as it is a combination of punches, kicks, elbows and knees, therefore using eight points of contact.

He said: “My favourite part of Muay Thai would have to be getting my hand raised at the end of the fight because all the hard work of training has finally paid off! But also every time I fight it’s a goal so I am achieving a goal and

a dream.”

Preparing for a fight is the hardest part, according to Conor, with having to balance an intense regime training six days a week twice a day alongside his full-time job at Liverpool Docks Gatehouse Office.

He said: “When preparing for a fight, I start a seven-week camp which includes running at 4.30 in the morning before work doing around three miles three times a week, mixing it with sprints. After work, I travel to Imperial Muay Thai gym in Southport, where I train, and we do pad work to improve my technique.”

Muay Thai requires a serious amount of dedication and discipline involving water loading. The

week before Conor will drink eight litres of water on the first day then gradually reducing the amount, eventually having no water on the day of his weigh in. This is due to having to meet certain weight criteria for each category of fighting.

“I am very excited to fight again although I am quite nervous due to so much time away from fighting. However, it is what I love to do the most so once I step in the ring and the bell rings I enjoy every minute!”

Conor plans to keep himself busy, continue his training, and compete in more fights this year.

By the end of 2019, he is aiming to fight for the number one spot and hopes to get the chance to fight worldwide.

Stars of the British wrestling scene made their mark as Ormskirk Civic Hall played host to the latest blockbuster This Is Wrestling event.

An impressive card featured a tag team bout with Mark and Thomas Billington, who have wrestling in their blood.

The Billington Bulldogs are nephews of WWE legend Tommy Billington, aka The Dynamite Kid, who had a very impressive spell with the wrestling juggernaut.

Billington – a WWE tag team champion in The British Bulldogs with his cousin Davey Boy Smith - sadly passed away in December, aged 60.

Now his nephews are looking to pay homage to their uncle and emulate his tremendous success.

The young duo turned in an impressive performance earlier this month, but fell short to The Merseyside Murder Squad by disqualification.

This is Wrestling’s co-founder Kristian Bennett has also been impressed by the equally-talented Scouse pairing, who have a bright future in the industry.

“Dan Evans and Scott Oberman are extremely dangerous, but talented wrestlers,” said a proud Bennett.

“The future of Merseyside wrestling and British wrestling in general looks bright.”

Gymnasts limber up for festival

By CHLOE TOMKINS British Gymnastics are returning to Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena for their ninth annual GymFusion show.

The festival, taking place at nine venues across the UK, is a gymnastics performance which showcases a range of ages and abilities through all disciplines within the sport.

Over 22,000 gymnasts have previously taken part in the unique events over the years, which have a new theme each time. This year’s theme is ‘around the world’, where participants interpret the culture of their chosen culture, in a non-competitive environment.

Dom Elsom, British Gymnastics Events Manager, said: “GymFusion is a fantastic event series offering gymnasts of all ages and abilities the opportunity to perform.

“We’re really excited to be putting on more events across a wider geographic area including some new prestigious venues in our 2019 series and can’t wait to welcome returning and new participants and clubs taking part in the fun.”

GymFusion Liverpool will peform three exciting shows over Saturday February 23rd and Sunday 24th.

© British Gymnastics

LL Liverpool Life

Picture © Adele Matthews

Produced by LJMU Journalism Students