Liverpool Life 5:14 March 3 2017

© Atsme/Creative Commons

01- March - 2017

INSIDE THIS WEEK’S ISSUE...

NEWS

PAGE 4

LIFEextra

LJMU helps discover new ‘Earth-sized’ planets

PAGE 9

Kids take to the road at Haydock Park

OFF THE RAILS

SPORT

PAGE 12

City pays tribute to an Everton legend

Keep on running

©El Pollock

Commuters facing strike chaos

By JAMES HARRISON Commuters face more misery as rail union RMT has confirmed that they will strike in their fight to retain “safetycritical” guards on the company’s services.

After a six-week shutdown of the loop line trains, further travel chaos is set to affect local travellers as RMT’s Merseyrail guards and drivers have been told not to book shifts on March 13 and will not work any rest days from March 7 indefinitely.

Almost 82% of members voted in favour of strike action, with 93.5% backing action short of a strike.

The ballot was held after the union claimed Merseyrail refused to guarantee the roles of 220 guards when its new £460m fleet of trains arrives

in 2020.

Passengers now face more mayhem after it was confirmed that staff from Northern Rail will strike on the same day over a similar dispute regarding Driver Only Operated trains.

In addition, the union plans to kick-start a renewed campaign aimed at maximising political and public support for RMT’s fight for a guaranteed guard on Merseyrail trains. The campaign aims to involve the general public and target politicians across the area served by Merseyrail.

RMT General Secretary Mick Cash said: “This ballot result sends out the clearest possible message to Merseyrail, Merseytravel and politicians across the area that RMT is prepared to stand up and fight for public safety and the

guard guarantee. The company now has the best part of two weeks to sit down with us, address the core issues at the heart of this dispute and negotiate a settlement before the action commences.

“Merseyrail are also completely ignoring the clear wishes of their own passengers, who overwhelmingly oppose the idea of Driver Only Operated trains on their network. That pig-headed attitude has forced the union’s hand and the idea that we would compromise on the fundamental issue of rail safety is absurd.”

The union has said that they will remain available for meaningful talks with Merseyrail and are expecting them to take up the offer as a matter of urgency.

• Continued on page 3

©Andrew Nuttall

A schoolboy from St Helens is running with a host of famous local faces in the name of charity • Find out more on page 4

Life|News|2

City sets standard for LGBT support

By DANYAAL YASIN

and SACHI KONDO

LGBT History Month in the UK has set the standard in the world on how a nation should celebrate the matter, activist Stuart Milk said as he kicked off the third national festival of LGBT history at the Museum of Liverpool.

Launching a day of talks and performances as part of Outing the Past: the third National Festival of LGBT History, the nephew of civil rights leader Harvey Milk and co-founder of the Harvey Milk Foundation spoke at the Museum of Liverpool, the official hub for the festival.

Harvey Milk was the first openly gay politician to be elected to public office in California in 1977 and was assassinated after 11 months in office.

Stuart Milk said that compared to over 65 nations he has collaborated with in the past, the UK has shown a high standard of taking pride in its LGBT community.

With 2017 marking 50 years since the partial decriminalisation of male homosexuality in England and Wales, the day focused on Liverpool’s history with LGBT people, exploring personal experiences, culture and activism with Merseyside.

Stuart Milk said at the launch: “In the last decade, we’ve seen tremen-

dous progress on LGBT inclusion and celebration.

“We can say that it’s been a battle for marriage equality that led us where we are today.

“I believe in living history, we are making history, you are collectively a part of that, you are a part of my uncle’s dream.

“He got hated on every single day and he received death threats.

“But he believed our authenticity is needed for the world,” Milk said.

The LGBT scene in Liverpool is small compared to cities like London and Manchester. However Matthew Exley, education manager for the Museum of Liverpool, claimed that it gives a better sense of community spirit.

The city has historically had trouble coming to terms with its LGBT community but it is making progress in a pace much quicker than other places.

Matthew Exley told Liverpool Life: “It took Liverpool a long time to catch up to bigger cities but it is a more welcoming city now and it’s proud of its friendliness and greater acceptance than other cities have achieved.”

Recently, Liverpool’s police service was found to be the most LGBT friendly in the country as they have marched in Liverpool Pride and been

PRIDE: Stuart Milk, above, talking about LGBT History Month 2017 at the Museum of Liverpool © Sachi Kondo massively supportive of LGBT related events in the city.

Mr Exley added: “The hope is that there is a great understanding of LGBT history that it’s not a niche subject area that only relates to a couple of people or is very recent.

“LGBT people have made significant contributions to world culture and every single person in Liverpool has

benefited from LGBT people and their history.”

Other highlights of the day included a in-costume conversation between Frances Power Cobbe, an Irish feminist journalist and her partner of 35 years, Mary Charlotte Lloyd, a Welsh artist along with a talk from Mr Exley and Lynn Wray, researchers on the Pride and Prejudice exhibition.

Overnight snow brings chaos

By JOSH DOHERTY

WHITE OUT: Billinge Hill covered in snow © Josh Doherty

Life

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Severe winter weather wreaked havoc in Lancashire and Wirral yesterday morning as commuters struggled to get to work.

A sudden bout of heavy snow hit the area in and around Billinge, forcing many commuters to re-think their travel routes plans for the day to try and avoid the treacherous conditions.

Conditions were particularly hazardous on the main routes out of the village.

One commuter, Mary

Conroy, told Liverpool Life: “I’ve just had to turn back from Billinge Hill now because there’s been accidents along the road and people are being turned around.

“I’m going to have to try a different way.

“The road has become really sludgy down there.

“People are struggling to stop, it’s probably worse there because of the hill, too.”

The weather has also presented challenges for larger vehicles such as buses, which has caused concern

for some parents of school children.

Sharon Fryer told Liverpool Life: “I drove my daughter to the bus stop in the morning and on the way back I noticed cars skidding everywhere “One of the earlier school busses struggling, too.

“From then on I was worried about the kids getting into school okay.

“When I got home I texted my daughter to make sure she got into school safely.

“Thankfully everything is fine.”

compete against over 25 other contestants from around the world at The Times Cheltenham Science Festival in June 2017.

Speaking to Liverpool Life, Rosie Horner said: “I chose to compete because I won a prize for the best elevator pitch during Faculty of Engineering technology research week (May 2016) and that has given me confidence in public speaking, so I thought I’d give FameLab a shot.”

Rosie, who is a Marine BioEngineering PhD student at LJMU, was successful at the Liverpool heats and is now looking forward to the regionals in Manchester: “The Liverpool heats went really well, it was nice that they

were held in LJMU, a place I’m very familiar with because I’ve been here for five years, it calmed my nerves a lot! It was also nice to have friends in the audience.

“I am excited and nervous for the regional finals.

“It is a new setting and obviously it is in Manchester, so not as many of my friends will come to see me, but it is exciting!”

Contestants are required to discuss different topics each time and have to remain as passionate about them.

“I discussed my PhD project for the heats, this is the topic I’m most passionate about because it’s what I spend all my time on.

“It is about copying natural

LJMU’s FameLab finalist

By KRISTON MURPHY LJMU PhD student Rosie Horner is competing in the regional finals of science communcations challenge FameLab UK. FameLab invites scientists, mathematicians and engineers from across the globe to take part in its flagship competition.

Contestants have three minutes to convey a scientific concept of their choice to a panel of leading researchers, media personalities and science policy makers.

They will be judged on the content and clarity of their topic along with the charisma of their presentation. The national winner will go on to

First Tate date for artist

By ISABEL EATON

The first Ellsworth Kelly display in the North of England is coming to the Tate Liverpool in April.

Ellsworth Kelly is one of America’s greatest 20th century abstract artists.

The exhibition will display 11 paintings, prints and reliefs from six decades of the artist’s career.

Kelly began his career as a figurative artist, during the Second World War he served in the US Army’s camouflage unit.

He used the methods and research from his time in the army to introduce colour and coding techniques in his painting. Kelly is renowned for creating large-scale paintings, prints and sculptures.

Pieces in the display will include a painting inspired by light refracted on the surface of the River Seine, a painting inspired by the New York Broadway avenue and a multi-panel painting combining lines and blocks of colours.

The exhibition will be part of the Tate Liverpool’s Spring 2017 collection and will feature as part of their constellations display. It will run from April 3 until May 29.

University dog days Guide Dogs are set to head to LJMU just in time to relieve students from their exam stress.

You can visit the puppies on March 20 at the John Foster Building, or decide to go to the Avril Robarts building on the 21 or 24 between 10:30am and 2pm.

Students can book a slot to visit the dogs from the Student Union website.

FAME: Student Rosie Horner © @LJMU_Enterprise/Twitter patterns of shells and other marine life to produce an antifouling surface on steel.

“But the rules of the competition are you have to present something new, so I’m talking about Pythagoras theorem and dinosaurs.

“I’m hoping I can come across just as passionate!”

Life|News|3

Global Scouse Day? Global Scouse Week!

By MOLLY COPOC

It’s that time of the year when the city comes together to celebrate the holy grail dish that is – Scouse!

Global Scouse Day (GSD) is celebrating its eighth annual celebration of “Our Ma’s” favourite dish, with over 100 cafes, bars and restaurants taking part and putting Scouse on the menu.

The event was inspired by Burns Night, with a dream to have a day where fellow Scousers could unite wherever they are in the world over this signature dish.

This year, Global Scouse Day teamed up with the Woodlands Hospice Charitable Trust, an organisation committed to delivering

specialist palliative care to those with cancer and other life-limiting illnesses.

A number of Global Scouse Day participants pledged to donate a percentage of their Scouse sales yesterday to Woodlands Hospice, providing the city with the opportunity to unite in support of those in need.

Bergman’s Bistro is one of the many places that will donate a percentage of their proceeds towards the hospice.

Owner Daniel spoke to Liverpool Life about the importance of GSD: “It is important to remember our heritage and to celebrate it. Having lived abroad I know how it feels to miss home and seeing posts on

social media from friends or family or even the city’s radio stations. Small things like this make you smile and feel proud of where you are from.

“Events like this highlight the city by tapping into people’s curiosity, making people who aren’t from the city wanting to know more - like what’s different between scouse and stew - and to realise that it’s not just about the food.

“It’s about the charity and showing people the real spirit of Scousers.”

There are a large number of places taking part this year, with Mexican restaurant Lucha Libre offering something different in the form of a “Scouse taco”.

Those looking for an alco-

YUMMY: Bowl of Scouse

© Cara Hunter

holic beverage can attend 81LTD’s fourth annual Global Scouse Day cocktail competition where participants will create a cocktail

that represents the best of Liverpool. If that’s not your thing, then Slim’s Pork Chop Express have cheesy Scouse fries.

FEES: Runcorn bridge will be affected by tolling arrangements

© Wikimedia Commons

Bridge toll angers furious motorists

By LAUREN WALKER Tolling arrangements for the new Mersey Gateway were released yesterday.

Merseyflow will operate a system which will charge motorists travelling over the new crossing and the existing Silver Jubilee Bridge £2 each way starting this autumn.

Merseyflow is the website where users will need to register to access discount packages or to pay the toll for crossing either the new Mersey Gateway Bridge or the Silver Jubilee Bridge once it becomes a tolled crossing.

There will be no tollbooths on the gateway.

Instead, there will be automatic number plate recognition technology that will scan vehicles and registered users.

They will get a special sticker to attach to their windscreens, which will enable Merseyflow to identify users as they cross the river.

Free tolls are available for eligible Halton residents and blue badge holders once they pay a small fee, but anyone who qualifies will need to

register to get this discount.

Regular users of both the Runcorn and Widnes bridges can apply for reduced rates but they must register to access these savings.

People living outside Halton who drive a small car or a van will have two options to reduce the cost of the toll, which are either registering for a pre-pay Merseyflow account, which will save up to 10 per cent on the cost of each trip, or registering for a monthly pass, which will cap the cost of travel.

David Parr, Chief Executive of Halton Borough Council, said: “We’ve worked closely with the tolling team to set up the Merseyflow system and make sure that people have plenty of time to work out the best approach for them before registration opens at merseyflow.co.uk later this year.”

He added: “This is just the start of sharing information on how to register with Merseyflow.

“Our message to anyone who isn’t sure how this will all work, is don’t worry.

“The best thing to do is look at the information at mersey-

flow.co.uk and they will see what the best option is for them.”

The toll news received a backlash of comments on Facebook.

Shaun Lomax blasted on Facebook: “There will be no me going over that bridge - they can shove their toll

charge where the sun don’t shine!”

Sue Stockton commented: “Oh well Warrington, get ready for the backlash. More traffic heading this way as if it’s not bad enough. What planet are these people from!”

Gary Morrison said: “Glad we pay billions in road tax

and fuel duty. Nothing like hitting the working people in the pocket again.”

The Merseyflow tolling system will be run by Emovis, a “global leader in tolling solutions” who successfully operates similar schemes in and around the UK, Canada and Ireland.

Liverpool city council in bid for the Adelphi Hotel

By JAMES HARRISON Liverpool City Council is pursuing the purchase of the iconic Adelphi Hotel. The council may be able to acquire the hotel from current owners Britannia Hotels through a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) as part of a masterplan to be drawn up to create a “city centre gateway”.

The £2bn Knowledge Quarter (KQ) regeneration scheme will see the council’s cabinet meet on Friday to approve the development of a master plan and to seek approval for the use of its CPO powers to buy and develop land, which will affect Mount Pleasant, Brownlow Hill and Copperas Hill, Renshaw Street and Ranelagh Place.

The grade II-listed Adelphi Hotel was rebuilt in 1912 on the site of an earlier hotel, and has been the subject of controversy lately as owner Britannia Hotels faces court later this year after a series of alleged food hygiene breaches.

It is estimated that the overall £2bn regeneration of KQ Liverpool will create 20,000 new jobs in Liverpool.

The council have said it would seek to make purchases through private negotiations but if a CPO is required then the endorsement will be the subject of a future report to cabinet.

Colin Sinclair, chief executive of Knowledge Quarter Liverpool, said: “These proposals are a vital next step in the regeneration of our

thriving city centre, linking Lime Street station to the city’s main concentration of science, health, education and the cultural assets, including our two cathedrals, on and around Hope Street.”

The plans to clean up the Central Liverpool Mayoral Development Zone has already faced challenges.

• Fences fury, p4

RAILWAY: Northern Line © Wikimedia Commons

Strikes mean train misery • Continued from page 1 Merseyrail have stated that no current guards will be forced to leave Merseyrail’s employment and that anyone employed as a guard who wants to stay at Merseyrail will be guaranteed permanent employment in an alternative position.

Jan Chaudhry-van der Velde, Merseyrail’s managing director, said: “Every industry needs to modernise, otherwise its future is at risk.

Urban railways like ours are no different. The advanced technology on the new trains means they will no longer require traditional guards.

The elected politicians understood this when they authorised the new trains in December – satisfied that the new trains will be safer than the ones they replace.

“There will be customer service people, cleaners and security people on board, but not traditional guards.

‘The RMT may be intent on blocking even modest modernisation plans such as Driver Controlled Operation, and watch as other innovations such as driverless cars on our roads overtake railways in the technology stakes.

“But as a railwayman of 28 years, I’m certainly not happy to let this happen, and I would urge the RMT to return to the negotiating table to constructively discuss how we can best re-deploy my existing, experienced and hard-working team of guards during 2020 when the new trains arrive.”

Merseyrail have said that they will do everything they can to bring the dispute with RMT to a swift and satisfactory conclusion.

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Life|News|4

Scousers are least green in region

By RHYS EDMONDSON Liverpool is the least ecofriendly place in North West England, according to figures released by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Only 28% of waste was recycled in the city in the year ending April 2016.

St Helens had the highest recycling rate on Merseyside with 41% of all waste recycled annually.

However, London had the worst rates with none of the capital’s borough councils hitting the 50% target.

By law, local authorities in the UK must aim to recycle at least half of all waste by 2020, to meet the European Union’s Waste Framework Directive.

The news comes as Liverpool City Council launches a new campaign to boost recycling rates.

As part of the initiative, the council will consider replacing recycling boxes with larger 90 litre reusable sacks for 28,000 terrace homes in Liverpool.

Work will also begin on the improving the alleyways of these terrace homes where recycling is made difficult due to lack of capacity.

Car wash for fire fighters

By ISABEL EATON Kirkdale firefighters are gearing up to take part in a car wash on March 4 to raise funds for the Firefighters Charity.

Firefighters will be washing cars at the station on Studholme Street between 10am and 4pm. Anyone can come along and have their cash washed in exchange for a donation to The Fire Fighters Charity.

The charity supports over 5,000 people a year offering help to serving and retired fire service personnel and their families.

Watch Manager Mike Clynch said: “We are really hoping that as many people as possible will come along and have their cars washed on the day to help us raise money for a very good cause.

“The charity is very important to firefighters and the rest of the firefighting community.”

Every year hundreds of fire stations across the UK compete in the National Car Wash League to raise as much money as possible for the charity.

LJMU helps locate seven new planets

By CAI GRIFFITHSSTURGE

A system of seven Earth-sized planets has been discovered within the habitable zone of a star just 40 light-years away in part due to research conducted by Liverpool John Moores University’s Astrophysics Research Institute (ARI).

The research, published in Nature, was led by the STAR Institute at the University of Liège using the Liverpool Telescope, which is the largest robotic telescope in the world, in conjunction with groundbased telescopes from across the world and the orbiting NASA Spitzer telescope.

The Liverpool Telescope helped to detect the tell-tale dip in light that planets create as they pass in front of their host star in order to gauge their size and the number of worlds.

Dr Chris Copperwheat, co-author of the paper and

a member of the ARI, told Liverpool Life: “We are very fortunate in John Moores to have the Liverpool Telescope as it enables us to be a part of big science and big collaborations.

“LJMU’s investment in infrastructure allows us to play with these really big projects and contribute in ways that are very exciting.

“There is no other British university that operates a telescope in its class, so we were fortunate.”

Scientists first discovered the solar system about a year ago and they originally thought that there were only three planets orbiting the star.

Further research from the Liverpool Telescope and its partners revealed the seven planets, which the researchers will now investigate to ascertain the chemical composition of the planets’ atmospheres to see if they are capable of supporting life.

Dr Copperwheat continued: “When we discovered the planets, there was something not quite right about them. Therefore, to solve the problem we got a continuous block of time, over 20 or 30 days, when we continuously stared at the planets in order to detect these dips in light that revealed the planets’ size and numbers.

“It is special to find this many earth-sized planets within the habitable zone of a star, especially as they are in our back yard cosmically.

These finding shows us that earth-sized planets capable of harbouring life may be much more common in the universe than we thought.”

NEW WORLDS: Abstract concept of TRAPPIST-1 System, above, and, left, TRAPPIST-1 navbox

© Creative commons NASA/ JPL-Caltech

Horse rescued after late-night tumble

By SAM HEYHIRST

A horse was rescued after taking a fall late at night, with emergency services needing to be called out to rescue the elderly animal.

Claudia, 32, has arthritis and has fallen in the past as a result of her condition. It is something that is common in horses her age, but is still something that carers don’t act on lightly.

Fire and rescue services were called to Horse Sense in Wirral when two volunteers at the animal care centre found that Claudia had taken a fall, acting quickly and potentially saving her life.

Andrea Stanfield from the charity commended the efforts from everyone who helped play their part in the rescue and couldn’t speak highly of those who give their time, especially when an animal is in severe danger.

She told Liverpool Life: “Of course there are a few people we are really lucky

CARE: Elderly and arthritic horse Claudia being helped by rescuers after she fell over late at night to have at our service and we would like to say a huge thank you to Merseyside Fire & Rescue, who very swiftly had the closest fire crew to us, closely followed by two specialist crews based in Liverpool who are fully trained in large animal rescue.

“I can’t speak highly enough of them, how calm they are and not all gung-ho,

happy to follow veterinary instructions and of course, last but by no means least, a big thank you to two of our fabulous vets, Ben and Luke from the wonderful Leahurst Equine Practice, whilst they are amazing vets anyway, the fact that they spend so much time here and personally knew Claudia was very beneficial.”

Claudia is now on medica-

tion to help with her arthritis and a decision has been made to keep her in a field with a friend and a blanket, to help her fully recover.

Despite the fall, the charity are overwhelmed at Claudia’s positive signs so far.

Andrea said: “You wouldn’t even know anything had happened.”

The charity has rescued 85 horses to date, rehousing

© Horse Sense Wirral 47 of those. It is run by a husband and wife dedicated to the wellbeing and care of hoses, and was formed in 2009 in reaction to the public rescue of Herbie the pony in 2007.

Andrea added: “With limited funds and high running costs we have to put the welfare of the horses already in our care, so are unable to take non-urgent cases.”

Mayor defends ‘anti-homeless’ fencing

By LAUREN REECE Liverpool council have put up fences around the bottom of Mount Pleasant car park, a regular spot for rough sleepers.

It is the same spot that Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson tweeted about earlier this month, saying that the beg-

gars were causing a mess.

Mayor Anderson said: “Mess was caused by people begging there. The two people that use the tents in the pic we know #fact have homes in city.”

Liverpool council have explained that the fences are part of plans for a city centre gateway, which ties in with

the developing Knowledge Quarter: “The city council is seeking to redevelop Mount Pleasant car park as part of the gateway proposal, which aims to create a distinct new identity for the area.”

However, some people feel this is a personal attack on the homeless community in Liverpool.

When the fences first appeared people turned to social media to express their opinions on the controversial matter Scouse Kitchen wrote on Facebook last week: “On a day like today when we have Storm Doris causing havoc, Liverpool city council DECIDE TO PUT A FENCE

UP ON Mount Pleasant car park so our homeless friends can’t have shelter here! They want to be ashamed of themselves.”

Twitter used Matt Thomas posted a photo of the new fences with the caption: “And today. This.

“Utterly shameless, Liverpool.”

Life|News|5

George runs the extra mile for charity

By ANDREW NUTTALL

CELEBRATION: May Bond © itsliverpool.com

Woolly wonder as shop hits 50

By ISABEL EATON

One of Merseyside’s oldest shopkeepers has celebrated the 50th anniversary of her wool shop Mayfair.

May Bond’s shop, on Bridge Road, Crosby, has been supplying the city’s designers, knitters and sewing enthusiasts with haberdashery bits and bobs for decades.

The 91-year-old from Walton spoke of her success: “Knitting has always been a favourite for me. I have always been able to help people with their knitting queries. The 50 year anniversary is a great achievement for me.”

May added: “A lot of stores along the high street have closed down over the years.

I don’t get the same passing trade as it I used to. The biggest challenge has been to keep coming up with the items people want and to be able to compete price wise with the big businesses. ” May owns the store and has worked there for 50 years.

Police appeal on gun crime

Merseyside police are appealing for witnesses after reports were made of gunshots in Speke on Monday night.

Police received a call shortly before 8pm stating damage had been caused at a home on Church Road.

Liverpool Local Policing Superintendent Mark Wiggins said: “ “I want to reassure people that we will be relentless in our pursuit of those involved in gun crime and have had recent successes, both in seizing firearms and arresting people suspected to be involved in this activity.”

A local schoolboy has put on his running shoes to take on an incredible challenge for charity.

George Mathias from St. Helens is on a journey to run one mile for every month his younger brother James has been alive – reaching the equivalent of nearly three full marathons.

He said: “My brother James was in a coma at Alder Hey after being born, and to say thank you to all the doctors and nurses who saved him I just started raising lots of money for them to save other poorly children.”

The schoolboy has completed miles with various family members, friends and even a few celebrities.

The ten-year-old continued:

“Jamie Carragher has been having raised £18,000 for the my favourite person to run famous children’s hospital to date. George’s dad Richwith because he was really nice the whole ard Mathias told Liverpool Life time and he how he became said some involved with funny things Alder Hey as about Gary a co-chairman, Neville too, after they helped which made me laugh. If to save the life of his youngest son.

I could pick He said: anyone to “George really run with it ACTIVE: George and brother wanted to get in the future James © Running George involved in all it would be Jurgen Klopp, he’s pretty the fundraising and he actually came up with the idea awesome!” for the runs himself.

Some of his new celebrity “At first, he wanted to pals include RFC captain run one mile for each day Jon Wilkin, former England his brother has been alive International John Barnes, Olympic swimmer Fran Hal- which is more than 2,000 so we compromised with each sall and various actors and month - otherwise he’d have actresses from Coronation been running forever as Street. They have all joined James got older!” him on a mile-long stint

© Paige Freshwater

FANS: Top, George poses with Samia Ghadie and brother James. Above, with Fran Halsall. Right, with Jon Wilkin © Running George

Watt a night! Light festival to return

By ISABEL EATON

LightNight is set to return on May 19 for another spectacular evening involving largescale light projections, live music and hands-on workshops.

LightNight is the city’s onenight arts and culture festival which sees the doors of Liverpool’s museums, galleries and heritage sites open late into the evening.

The event is produced by local social enterprise Open Culture, and is one of the city’s biggest cultural events and brings thousands of visitors each year.

LJMU has been the principal partner for the event and is once again sponsoring it.

This year it will be themed around the phenomenon of Time: the past, present and future of the city.

LJMU is planning to host a series of interactive activities and exhibitions that chart its evolution from 1823 and the establishment of the Liverpool Mechanics’ and Apprentices’ Library, through to its current embodiment as a pioneering modern civic uni-

BRIGHT: Metropolitan Cathedral projections © itsliverpool.com versity.

Charlotte Corrie, director of Open Culture, said: “The aim of LightNight is to showcase the amazing arts and culture that is on offer year-round here in Liverpool and this year will be no different. The

programme will focus on the theme of time this year and will create intriguing and remarkable free events for visitors of all ages.”

The full LightNight festival programme is set to be released in April 2017.

Life| Focus |6

TAKING A STAND: The people of Liverpool and councillor Patrick Hurley are fighting back against the rising incidence of hate crime in Liverpool

Pic © Danyaal Yasin/Press Association

How tolerance can triumph over hate

H

ate crime in Merseyside has risen by 7% this year and 75% since 2012, with statistics highlighting a particular increase in racist incidents.

The number of anti-Semitic incidents in 2016 rose by more than a third, setting new record levels, a report by the Community Security Trust (CST) has revealed.

The CST monitors antisemitism and provides security for Jewish communities.

They define any anti-Semitic incident as “a malicious act aimed at Jewish people, organisations or property, where there is evidence that the act has anti-Semitic motivation or content, or that the victim was targeted because they are (or are believed to be) Jewish.”

They recorded 1,309 incidents of anti-Jewish hate in the UK last year, compared with 960 in 2015, showing a rise of 36%. Of the 2016 total, 13 of the recorded incidents were in Liverpool. More than three quarters of the incidents recorded in 2016 took place in Greater London and Greater Manchester, the two largest communities in the UK. Universities around the country have been urged to tackle the rising tide of antisemitism on campus, after data from the CST has shown that campus-related anti-Jewish incidents have doubled in the last year. Academics and student representatives have

CHEYENNE HANSEN investigates the growing incidence of hate crime in a post-Brexit world and how local universities are working hard to keep anti-Semitism at bay

voiced their concerns over widespread incidents that are fuelling anxiety among Jewish students.

Hannah Sharron, a spokesperson from the Union of Jewish Students, told Liverpool Life: “The rise in antiSemitic incidents, particularly those on campus which have doubled in the last year, is deeply worrying.

Whilst the increase can likely be attributed to an improvement in reporting and a rise in hate crimes in general, the figures should be an alarm for everyone, Jewish and non-Jewish students and officials alike, to do what they can to reverse this trend over the coming year.

Everybody deserves the right to go to university and enjoy their time there free from harassment or persecution based on their religion, ethnicity or anything else - Jewish students are no exception.”

A freedom of information request revealed that Liverpool John Moores has not had any reports of anti-Semitic incidents or incidents relating to anti-Semitism between January 2015 and March 2016.

The Union of Jewish Students (UJS) said that they had not

received any reports of incidents in Liverpool.

A UJS spokesperson said: “The welfare of Jewish students is our priority and we continue to address antisemitism on two levels. We offer training on identifying and challenging antisemitism to several organisations, including Labour Clubs and Students’ Unions, and we work with SUs and NUS to ensure that Jewish students’ issues are appropriately addressed.

"UJS also supports Jewish students affected directly and indirectly by antisemitism; we work with Jewish Societies across the country, as well as the CST, to ensure their safety on campus. Anyone who is worried about an anti-Semitic incident on their campus should report it to UJS and the CST as well as the relevant campus authorities.”

H

ate crime is often perceived as a physical act. However, a number of incidents have also taken place online. Social media had become “an essential tool for coordinated campaigns of anti-Semitic harassment, abuse and threats directed at Jewish politicians, student activists and other individuals,

UNWELCOME RECORD: UK anti-Semitic incidents recorded in 2016 perpetrated by transnational networks of online anti-Semitic activists, some of whom are involved in extremist politics,” the CST said.

They recorded 287 anti-Semitic incidents that involved the use of internet-based social media in 2016, which represents over a fifth of the overall 1,309 anti-Semitic incidents.

Wavertree MP Luciana Berger was a victim of antiSemitic hate crime when a 24-year-old man posted a series of anti-Jewish blogs.

The internet troll was found guilty of harassment.

Outside the court after the case, Ms Berger said: “Every day up and down our country, people suffer harassment and racial abuse.

"Today’s verdict demonstrates that under British law, those who perpetrate these horrific crimes can and will be brought to justice; and it recognises that the British values of equality, tolerance and mutual respect that we hold dear, apply as much on the internet as they do offline.”

On Remembrance Sunday last year, residents in Merseyside were disgusted to find stickers claiming people were

© Cheyenne Hansen

“entering a Nazi controlled zone” daubed on lamp-posts in Aigburth.

Hate crime and racism is something Liverpool as a city will not stand for. Last month, thousands gathered at St George’s Hall to join a protest demonstrating against President Trump’s travel ban.

Deputy Mayor Ann O’Byrne said: “Tolerance, diversity and understanding are virtues, and are built within the moral fibres of our city. We are a city built on immigration; it is our openness that makes us such a special place to be.”

Life|Extra|7

LIFE EXTRA Why David’s Dream is the Write stuff

REHEARSAL: David prepares for the performance, left, while being filmed by the LJMU broadcast journalism team, far left © Molly Copoc

D

avid Charters has been a journalist on Merseyside for half a century. His remarkable career has seen him report and write columns for the late, lamented Liverpool Daily Post, Liverpool Echo and newspapers across Wirral.

His outstanding contribution to journalism throughout the 50 years of his career has earned him an Honorary Fellowship at Liverpool John Moores University and it is no surprise that even after his retirement David hasn’t been quick to put the pen down as he expands his writing through playwriting.

David’s one-man play A Dream of Wilfred Owen has graced the Concert Room of St. Georges Hall a number of times and is set to return to the stage later this month as part of The Write Event.

The venue will play host to two new literary double bills celebrating the life and works of Wilfred Owen and Sylvia Plath, and Rudyard Kipling and James Joyce.

Wilfred, from Birkenhead, was a poet and soldier in the

Molly Copoc meets veteran journalist David Charters, whose one-man play about a War Poet is being staged at St George’s Hall later this month First World War. His work was characterised by his frustration and anger at the cruelty and futility of war, which he had experienced during service on the Western Front.

David spoke to Liverpool Life about his fascination with the poet: “The power of his poetry tells people through the generations about the suffering of the First World War and it has been a lesson, an unheeded lesson in most cases, for the futility of war.

“His ability to see the struggle from the point of view from the officer class and from those of the ordinary men and to translate

those feelings into poetry had a power to move people through the generations, including those who had no connection with war at all.”

The play is performed by David alongside singer Lucia Novosadova.

Together, through imagined events, folk songs and readings from Wilfred’s finest work, the audience are taken on a journey along the astonishing life of this poet and soldier, getting a taste of what it was like to live in that time.

David gave us an insight into the play by explaining one of the key sequences in the play: “The play is imagined. The imagined sequenc-

es in it did not take place in his own life but I felt in some ways were more truthful than factual passages because I was desirous of making him seem almost ghostly, almost coming with a message for mankind.

“There is quite a lot of emphasis of him in previous writing about him, about his sexuality and I have tried to suggest that he may not have been heterosexual in the full sense but he had a love for his men which was not homosexual either.

“It was the driving force in his passion and therefore, in order to associate himself more with the men, he needed a girlfriend because the

sorts of men he was dealing with were generally speaking hard.

“Their physique as well as their souls had been hardened by experiences and to have a girlfriend would comply more with their understandings of how a man should be.”

David believed Wilfred would have stood out, particularly with his mother Suzanne, who was a demure woman with evangelical opinions devoted to the church of England.

In another imagined scene, David shows how Wilfred would have therefore been a target for attacks from other boys who would have seen him as feeble and cowardly.

Speaking about the venue for the event, David said: “It’s certainly a very good venue.

“It’s a splendid old building and it shows Liverpool’s imperial ambition in the Victorian age. So in that sense it’s a very fine setting for this kind of work as it’s romantic and sturdy and speaks a great deal of the past, and Liverpudlians are always very proud of their buildings and their people.

“No city on earth, I think, remembers and celebrates its own people like Liverpudlians” • You can catch the performance of A Dream of Wilfred Owen at The Write Event on Thursday March 16 at 7.30pm.

Tickets cost £13.20. On Friday March 17, If Only by Lynn Pegler will also be performed as part of the event. This new play explores the extraordinary life of Rudyard Kipling.

Tickets are available for £22 for the both nights.

Best of British TV goes on display to global audience

“Television ain’t dead.”

Truer words have never been spoken by Julian Hector, head of the Natural History Unit for the BBC, the man responsible for ground-breaking nature programmes such as Blue Planet and Planet Earth.

The BBC Worldwide Showcase rolled in to town last week, bringing television executives, actors and actresses and other important people in the show business industry with it.

Amelia Eccleson-Davies reports on the success of last week’s BBC Worldwide Showcase

Over 700 of the world’s biggest TV buyers flocked to the city for the largest event of its kind hosted by a single distributor.

BBC Worldwide is the biggest distributor of TV content outside the US, and the thousands of hours’ worth of content were available for viewing by prospective

buyers on the 600 state-ofthe-art digibooths.

In the three months leading up to the event, over 3,000 hours of BBC Worldwide’s drama content was sold around the globe.

Some of this content included hit series such as Sherlock, Doctor Foster and Call the Midwife, sold to

channels in regions from Eastern Europe to Africa.

Liverpool Life spoke to Grant Welland, Executive Vice President CEMA, BBC Worldwide, who is responsible for business development and sales in the Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa regions as well as the creation

of specialist TV channels like BBC Earth.

He said: “Overall the media industry across the world is growing, the television industry is a huge industry. More and more people are not only subscribing to paid TV, but subscription services like Netflix too.

“It is a very lucrative, desirable space to be in. But that means it’s ever-more competitive. But we’re very lucky, we represent some of the best content in the

world.”

Mr Welland told Liverpool Life that drama, natural history and factual programmes are the most popular genres across the CEMA region. But natural history programmes are at the forefront of global discussion in recent times.

Over the course of the fourday-event, it was announced that legendary broadcaster David Attenborough would return to narrate Blue Planet 2, after the success of last year’s Planet Earth 2.

Life|People|8

A CHANGE IN UNIFORM: Tony Williams, left, served as an army coroporal in Afghanistan where he received life-changing injuries. He is now a driver for Team BRIT, below, a motor racing team of disabled ex-servicemen

© Fire Sparkle Productions

© Tony Williams

MOLLY COPOC speaks to TONY WILLIAMS, the inspirational veteran who was shot six times in Afghanistan and who has now rebuilt his life

Corporal to cockpit

T

ony Williams is not your average man.

He is a military veteran whose incredible recovery from severe injuries sustained whilst fighting in Afghanistan has led him to join a team of disabled troops in making racing history.

Tony, who lives in St Helens, served as a Corporal in the Queen Alexandra Royal Nursing Corps. In 2010 he survived two grenade blasts, before being shot

six times only three weeks later as he was giving life-saving treatment to an injured soldier.

During the attack Tony was initially shot in the shoulder whilst treating his comrade. He went against instruction to wait for a medical evacuation and continued to help the person closest to him. This act of courage led to five more shots hitting Tony with one “critical shot” paralysing him from the waist down.

After being told the heart-

breaking news that he might never walk again, or father his own children, Tony powered on with commendable determination, hard work and rehabilitation to beat all the odds and regain the ability to walk. He is now also the proud father of two children.

Tony told Liverpool Life: “They inspired me to push myself. I had them and reality then hit that I’ve got these two little people in my life and I need to prove that just because you’ve got a disabil-

RACING FOR BRITAIN: Tony and his fellow Team BRIT drivers, who are ready to kick-start the season with a four-hour race at Silverstone on April 8. Pic © Fire Sparkle Productions

ity, doesn’t mean life stops and just because you’ve had rehab it doesn’t mean you stop.

“You can’t just let your injury define you. I want them to look up to me not just as an inspirational figure from what I achieved in Afghan, but I want them to think ‘Look how far he went and he just didn’t give up, he took every opportunity and he kept pushing himself ’, so that whenever they grow up, it sets an example for them to be the same.”

Since the injury, Tony has spent a year engrossing himself in racing with the charity KartForce.

He has competed in a number of 24-hour races and has recently been announced as a new driver for Team BRIT – a motor racing team of disabled ex-troops that is a branch of KartForce.

Team BRIT aims to be the first team of all-disabled drivers to complete in Le Mans in 2020.

The team, consisting of four former or serving troops who have sustained serious physical or mental injuries and are disabled, has recently secured a multi-year deal with insurance giant Brit Insurance to help them along their journey.

Tony told Liverpool Life about his experience with racing and how the opportunity arose to join Team BRIT: “With the way my PTSD was, the adrenaline release I was getting at the time was giving me a bit of a negative expe-

rience but the more I kept doing the karting the more I changed that round to a positive, I reconditioned it. I really enjoyed it and was getting a kick out of life and then I started setting myself more goals, going ‘Right, what’s next?’ I’ve conquered my fear of being fearful.

“I’m no longer scared anymore so let’s keep pushing myself. I did a skydive for charity from 15,000 feet and with a paralysed left leg that took a bit of guts. I wasn’t scared of doing that so I thought I’ve done that now, what’s next?

A

nd then Dave Player turned around and said look you’re a really reliable member of the team and you’ve got a good attitude, you’re a grafter and I would like you to step up to Team BRIT. I said to myself ‘What am I waiting for?’

This is the next kick. I’m moving up to a higher level of competition in vehicles that are going much faster and I was like - hell yeah!”

Team BRIT was set up in 2015, after KartForce, a charity that enables injured troops to enjoy motorsport, racing in around 40 races each year – including around six 24hr races each year. Team BRIT is a branch of KartForce and is a racing team, competing at a high level against able-bodied drivers. It provides a challenging, competitive environment for the drivers whilst

also teaching them the business of motorsport.

Founder of Team BRIT Dave Player spoke to Liverpool Life about the team’s aims for this year’s season: “We will be competing in the Fun Cup Series this year. Our aim is to ensure the lads finish this season ready to step up to the much more competitive GT4 level, so half way through the year, we need to get them out and testing in the GT4 car we will be racing in next season. The challenge we face right now is trying to decide which car we want to race with: Aston Martin, Porsche, Nissan, Ginetta or other.”

Speaking about the sponsorship with Brit Insurance, he said: “It was the best Christmas present ever! Brit Insurance confirmed the deal the Friday before Christmas but we had to keep it a secret until the big public launch on February 16. It was agony!

“Securing a title sponsor like Brit Insurance means we can plan ahead with confidence, knowing we have the funds for the next few years, and the support of a fantastic organisation.”

The team will kick-start the season with a four-hour race at Silverstone on April 8. The drivers will compete against ablebodied drivers on a completely level playing field. Drivers with injured legs or feet are able to compete due to advanced hand control technology.

Life|Driving|9

ARE YOU A BETTER DRIVER THAN A 10 YEAR OLD? ANDREW NUTTALL reports on a new scheme where children from as young as five take control of a car in an effort to create a safer generation of drivers

L

iverpool kids can now be on track for their driving licence before they’ve even left primary school thanks to a new scheme brought to Merseyside.

Parents watched on anxiously from the side lines at Haydock Park Racecourse in Newton-leWillows as their child received a 20-minute driving lesson, as well as being taught some crucial road signs such as identifying a one-way street and navigating a roundabout.

Hannah Woolfall, from Anfield, said: “I booked this a few weeks ago as a surprise birthday present for my son Jack.

“He’s a real lad, absolutely obsessed with his cars, and he was made up with the fact he’d actually get to drive. Including the signs is a good idea because he’ll actually learn something with this too.”

If they prove their skills, parents can make the brave decision to be driven around the course with their child firmly in control. Jack got off to a shaky start but, after a 20-minute lesson, was cruising around the track in no time, knowing exactly how to read the roads.

Available to drive on the day was the purpose-built car for young drivers the ‘Firefly’. With a top speed of 10mph, the electric car costs just under £6,000.

If children want to continue with the Firefly programme, they’ll go on to be taught skills such as reversing and parallel parking.

Greg Clarkson, father of sixyear-old wannabe driver Seann Middleton, from Woolton, said: “He’s is a bit gutted that they’ve

JUST LIKE THE REAL THING: Kids had to deal with various road signs you’d find on actual roads while driving the purpose-built Firefly

put him in a blue car as we’re both massive Liverpool fans!

“Other than that, he’s really been looking forward to this and showing us his driving skills. It’s time we put him to the test as he’s always criticising my driving from the back seat.”

It’s all fun and games on the surface but, on the track, the kids are learning the vital skills that will one day help them to pass their driving tests.

With over 30 years’ of experience as a practising driving instructor in Liverpool, Young Driver’s Chief Instructor and Head of Operations Lindsay Windsor-Smith said: “We decided to incorporate the road signs as a bit of a gimmick, at first.

“But the kids are like sponges, absorbing all the information much quicker than an adult would so I decided to give them more skills that are expected of

E

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bell Camp Jack 8) (AGED RPOOL , LIVE nfield

proper drivers on the roads and give them early driving lesson preparation if they choose to carry on learning.”

“Hopefully by learning about the signs and what they mean at an early age, they will be safer drivers and have less chance of accidents in the future.”

Transitioning from the ‘Firefly’ programme, Young Driver also offers lessons for 10-17-year-olds in a dual control Skoda Citigo, which are said to make their actual driving lessons in the future so much easier as they’ve pretty much covered all the basics.

He continued: “For the older ones, they’ll be given a logbook of their progress which is actually recognised by Admiral Car Insurance when they pass their actual test, resulting in much cheaper insurance quotes when it comes to them getting their own cars.”

ROAD READY:

Some of Liverpool’s future motorists after their first driving lesson

A

YOUN G

READY, SET GO!

Kids from as young as five took to the roads outside Haydock Park

All pictures © Andrew Nuttall

DRIVE

R LICE

NCE Seann Middl (AGED eton 6) Woolto n, LIVE RPOO L

Life|Sport|10

FIGHTING TALK : Liverpool’s own Paddy Pimblett © Echo Arena Liverpool

THE FIGHT IS ON Matthew Maguire reports on the growing popularity of mixed martial arts (MMA) in the UK, following the recent successes of North West players

I

t was June 4, 2016 when the MMA world was shocked.

Michael Bisping, a Manchester lad, had just knocked out fierce rival Luke Rockhold at UFC 199, at the age of 37 and against all the odds.

The middleweight division was changed forever, and Britain had its first UFC champion.

However, while most fight fans will know of Bisping’s victory in the MMA’s top production, Liverpool and its fighters have been paving the way for Mixed Martial Arts to become one of the fastest-growing industries in sport across the country.

The most recent chapter in the story came on Saturday in the Liverpool

Olympia at Shinobi 10, when 20-year-old Beau Gavin, from HAMMA Gym in St Helens, knocked out his opponent in the first round to claim their British Amateur Lightweight title. Also on the card, Gavin’s teammates Mick Stanton and Danny Randolph claimed victories against their opponents, but it was the young man Gavin who will be most proud.

Demonstrating a composure and ruthlessness far beyond his years, the young champion dismantled his opponent in the first round with a brutal combination of punches that put his opponent John Byrne on the ground, prompting the

referee to step in and stop the fight.

With his record now extended to 10-1, Gavin is touted as one of British MMA’s hottest prospects, which comes as no surprise to Joe McCann, former fighter at HAMMA and a friend of the champion.

He told Liverpool Life: “Beau is a beast; I’ve trained with him before and used to see him every week putting the hours in, working hard in the gym.

“Early on I reckon most people could tell he would go far in MMA, given how good he is and how young he is too. As he gets older, he is only going to get better. It’s testament to the gym as well, because when I trained there they had some boss coaches who

knew how to get the best out of you.”

McCann also believes that the rise in popularity in MMA across the country can largely be attributed to the excitement the sport has to offer in comparison to other combat sports, as well as the personalities who have emerged from it.

“

You only have to look at UFC and people like Conor McGregor, who came from Ireland, to understand why the sport is becoming one of the best in the world. You have loud, eccentric fighters who talk a lot of talk and back it up in the ring.

“Whereas boxing and other sports can some-

times be static and boring, MMA never shies away; it is wild.”

Whilst Conor McGregor has become the name on everyone’s lips in recent years, Liverpool has its own personalities in MMA that simply cannot be ignored any longer, as fans will get the chance to see Paddy Pimblett fight once again in his own city on April 1.

The loud-talking, explosive Scouser will be defending his Featherweight title – McGregor’s old belt – at Cage Warriors 82 inside what will be a packed Echo Arena. Widely rumoured to be fighting within the UFC in the coming months, Pimblett is hoping for a second successive defence of his title, and Arran Jordan, who trains in Jiu Jitsu in

Next Gen MMA Gym with Pimblett, thinks it’s going to be a fantastic night.

He told Liverpool Life: “Paddy can’t wait to get back into the ring and show everyone who still has question marks about his ability why he deserves to be fighting in the UFC. At 145lbs, he is definitely someone who should be feared. I think that his next fight will be his best.”

With fighters like Pimblett grabbing headlines in the MMA world after every victory, and fighters such as Beau Gavin climbing their way to the top of their divisions, it is easy to see why the sport continues to grow.

To put it simply, mixed martial arts can no longer be ignored.

Jiu Jitsu triumph for LJMU AMY SHIRTCLIFFE takes a look at Liverpool John Moores’ medal-winning Ju Jitsu team

Liverpool John Moores University’s Jiu Jitsu society enjoyed success at a national competition this week.

LJMU Jitsu club visited the Randori National competition, a two-day event that attracts 600-1000 visitors each year.

The society has won

medals in the three previous years. Society members Becca Douthwaite and Will O’Prey won medals, as well as LJMU alumni and society instructor Maverick Singson.

Students from all over the country compete in three different categories of

technique. The categories are nage-waza (standing throwing), gatamae-waza (groundwork), and an open competition.

The competition is run by The Jiu Jitsu Foundation.

Society member Will O’Prey, who won two bronze medals at the

competition, said: “It was a fantastic, fun weekend. I’m really proud of how well the club did, we’re like a family on and off the mat.

“It’s great to compete against other universities and see what different techniques their Senseis have taught.”

TEAMWORK: Liverpool John Moores Ju Jitsu Society © Facebook - LJMU Ju Jitsu Society

Life|Sport|11

ROLE: Peter Moore © Rob Fahey/ Wikimedia Commons

Moore to take Reds’ hot seat

By AMY SHIRTCLIFFE Liverpool Football Club have appointed a new Chief Executive Officer.

Peter Moore, 61, will replace Ian Arye, who has served the club for seven years.

The appointment follows Liverpool’s devastating 3-1 loss to Leicester City on Monday.

Liverpool-born Moore made his career in the videogaming industry, holding previous roles in Microsoft and SEGA. He is currently the President of EA Sports.

His predecessor, Ayre, will join Bundesliga side 1860 Munich as general manager.

The appointment is part of a reshuffle in senior management in Fenway Sports Group’s 10-month transition plan.

Moore will take up the role at the end of June.

Marine turn to Lawson

Getting back in to the swing of things

By CAI GRIFFITHS-STURGE Liverpool Tennis Centre hosted the 2017 City of Liverpool Tennis Tournament last week.

The Grade Three regional level Lawn Tennis Association event attracted over 220 junior and adult players from across the country over seven days, who competed in almost 300 matches.

The tournament held 18 men’s and women’s singles and doubles events for Under 8’s, 9’s, 10’s, 12’s, 14, 16’s, 18s and adults.

Tournament director Dave Hillier told Liverpool Life: “The event ran smoothly and everyone who attended was very positive.

“It is a fantastic event for us to hold as it’s such a big event and there’s lots of players. It puts us as a on the map as a tennis venue.

“We pride ourselves on running competitions and running them well and giving people a good experience, which we believe we did.”

“People really enjoyed coming to the event as we have

top level facilities and courts as well and it gives people from around the country the chance to see the city as there were lots of people that either haven’t been to Liverpool or haven’t been for a long time and they all enjoyed the city as much as the tournament.

“We are able to maintain a wonderful standard as many of the competitors are willing to travel across the country to attend.

We have a group of really committed and talented competitors that showed real commitment in the sport to take part.”

The Liverpool Tennis Centre has recently been awarded another LTA tournament due to the success of the City of Liverpool Tennis Tournament.

Hillier said: “We have been awarded the ‘Head Merseyside Tennis Open’ which will take place in July.

“We have proven ourselves as a venue capable of holding high level events and we are all really excited to have the chance to prove ourselves again.”

Photo: © Dave Hillier

FINALISTS: Girls winner Hannah Dazley and runner-up Maisie Lavelle

Photo: © Dave Hillier

Daniel to run 12 races in 12 months for charity

By CHEYENNE HANSEN

By CONNOR BENNETT Marine AFC have appointed former Skelmersdale Utd manager Tommy Lawson after they parted ways with former boss Sean Hessey.

Lawson, 66, left Skelmersdale Utd a few weeks ago, ending his ten-year reign as first team manager.

He led the Blueboys to promotion to the Evo-Stik Premier Division during the 2012/13 season.

Lawson said: “I am absolutely delighted to be joining Marine Football Club.

“The first thing is to secure stability but I am sure with the help of the players and everyone at Marine we can take it on with confidence.

“I look forward to working with the people at Marine in the coming months.”

The new Mariners’ boss faces the huge task of pulling his new team away from the Evo-Stik Premier League relegation zone and ending their six game winless streak.

CHAMPION: 18 & Under Boys Singles winner Tom Dillon.

RUNNER: Daniel in action

Photo: ©Mick Hall Photos

A Liverpool man is running 12 races in 12 months to raise money for small homeless charities on Merseyside.

Daniel McGonigle, from Wavertree, has already run 10k in Bolton and Lancashire. He will be running the St. Helens 10k in March and the Liverpool halfmarathon in April.

The athlete is aiming to raise £5,000 in total and has already reached almost £1,000 on his GoFundMe page.

He decided to do something to make a difference this year after noticing the increasing number of people struggling on the streets.

Daniel told Liverpool Life:

“From living in Liverpool the last two-and-a-half years I have noticed the high number of people on the streets.

“For a small city, it is very difficult to comprehend why there are so many. Over the last 12 months, I have been donating leftover food from the cafe I work in to the different street teams in the city, although I always felt I wanted to do more.

“At the end of 2016 I decided to do something a bit more. I have always had a love for running so I combined that love with my desire to help the homeless by doing 12 different runs in 12 months.”

The money raised will go to 12 different grass roots

charities in the Merseyside area.

At present, this includes Liverpool Homeless Football Club, Neo, Neva 2 Latte and Liverpool City Mission.

The other eight organisations are yet to be announced.

Each group will receive an even split of the donations at the end of the year.

Daniel is hoping to raise awareness as well as money this year and is encouraging others to get involved.

He added: “Homeless people don’t just need a house - they need a community and they need support, they need to feel like they are being brought into a community rather than being put out of the way.”

Liverpool

LifeSPORT 1 March 2017

Farewell to Everton legend Alex Young

TRIBUTE: Alex Young dies aged 80 © Everton Facebook

TRIBUTES PAID TO ‘GOLDEN VISION’

By GARETH MCCULLOUGH

Alex Young, a legendary figure in Everton Football Club’s history, has passed away peacefully at the age of 80.

His son, Alex junior, said on Monday morning : “Dad passed away peacefully in a local hospital this morning.

“He has been ill for a few weeks but he battled on bravely.

“It is still very raw but I wanted people in Merseyside to know.

“He loved Everton, being back at Goodison Park. It was like a church to him.”

The former Hearts, Scotland and Everton player won a move to the Merseyside club following his Scottish League title triumph in 1958. He went on to make 273 appearances for the toffies, scoring 87 goals.

The Edinburgh-born striker also made eight appearances for his country, scoring five goals. Aptly named, “The Golden Vision”, Young was renowned for his elegant touch on the pitch.

Signed in 1960 from Hearts for £40,000, experts believed Young was too inconsistent to cut in in England.

Despite this, the ‘The Gold-

en Vision’ went on to score 22 goals in 1962/63 as Everton secured their sixth league title. He as an integral member of their 1966 FA Cup winning side.

Everton paid tribute to their former player on Twitter.

They posted: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of an Everton giant, The Golden Vision, Alex Young. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.”

One of the most idolised players of the 1960s, a testimonial took place for the legend in 2001. Over 20,000 Everton fans attended Goodison Park to celebrate the

playing career of someone that embodied the Soccer School of Science.

Following a successful spell at Goodison, ‘The Golden Vision’ left to become player-manager of Irish side Glentoran in 1968 before returning to English football at Stockport County.

Both former players and clubs have paid homage to the Everton great in a series of tributes.

A statement from Heart said: “It is with great sadness the club received news of Heart’s legend Alex Young’s passing.”

Everton’s 1966 FA Cup fi-

nal hero Mike Trebilcock discussed the phenomenon that surrounded ‘The Golden Vision’ in which he declared, “everything about him oozed class”.

He added: “When I joined the club I remember walking into the dressing room for the first time and there was one guy sat to my left and another guy sat to my right.

“The guy on my left introduced himself as Colin, and the guy on my right said, ‘I’m Alex’.

“That sums him up, he was such a humble, modest, down-to-earth man and always pleasant to be around.”

£50m project proposal for Kirkby LFC Academy

By SACHI KONDO

Proposals to move Liverpool FC’s first-team training ground from Melwood to their Academy site in Kirkby have been confirmed by authorities after manager, Jurgen Klopp urged the redevelopment.

The football club, in partnership with Knowsley Metropolitan Borough

Council (KMBC), have unveiled the £50m project to combine the main training centre with the Reds’ Academy, to improve existing facilities at the Kirkby site, and designs to convert the main pitch into an indoor pitch.

As part of the proposed masterplan, LFC plans to transform the club’s existing first-team training

ground at Melwood into family homes. The predicted development could provide around 160 homes in West Derby.

Shane King, 21, an LFC fan from Northwood who lives near the Reds Academy, told Liverpool Life: “Soon they’ll have a brand new first team facility there and Gerrard’s at the academy as well now, so hopeful-

ly it will be the place to be for youngsters from Kirkby and Liverpool.”

Mark Scott, 37, an Everton fan who lives in the area told Liverpool Life: “They [Liverpool] do tend to struggle to attract players from the city now. Young lads can see a route to the firstteam at Everton, with Tom Davies and people like that getting opportunities for us

now, but the same can’t really be said for Liverpool.”

The proposed plans include providing improved football pitches and sports facilities to the area.

The surrounding area will also see enhancements including an improved security with a CCTV system.

A public consultation will be held on March 8 for residents.

Bellew vows to create legacy

By GARETH MCCULLOUGH Boxer Tony Bellew has vowed to create his legacy on Saturday night, following a tense press conference at Liverpool’s Hilton Hotel.

The pair had to be separated by several sturdy security guards, whilst a series of slurs from both the audience and former WBA heavyweight champion David Haye marred the event.

As the Londoner spoke to offer his big fight prediction, he was quickly told to shush by the Liverpool crowd.

Haye said: “You’re getting drilled to the canvas. Just remember to look after your boy when he gets home, he’s going to need it.”

The Evertonian fighter was quick to remind the crowd that he will never forget where he came from, as he made his own prediction.

“On Saturday night I’m going to create something that will never, ever die - and that is a legacy.

“I’m expecting the very best of David Haye, but I understand it won’t be there for very long, and when the gas tank runs out this big, fat Scouser is going to run through him like a steam train. I’m not going to stop.”

Juniors’ chess success

By HAMISH ELWOOD The Liverpool Chess Juniors are at the top of the MCA Junior League with only a couple of games left.

The team captained by James Gallagher, President of the Liverpool Chess Club, are sailing ahead of their competitors. The league brings together the best junior chess teams in Merseyside, and is the Juniors’ first year competing in the league.

Their captain said: “In recent years we’ve gone from sixth to the largest in Merseyside, our junior team is at the top of their league”.

The club has found a new home above the Crown Hotel next to Lime Street.The club meets every Tuesday.